The Promise of Forever

For as long as she can remember, Hallie Young's life has been intertwined with the King family in every way that matters. Over the years, the Kings have become the family she always desperately wanted after her mom left, and there is nothing she would ever do to jeopardize that. Not even Jesse, her best friend's hot older brother, whose name she used to doodle in the margins of her notebooks. Jesse King did not expect to become a dad at 21 or to take on the responsibility of raising his daughter alone soon thereafter, but he accepted it without hesitation. He's determined to make sure his now pre-teen daughter, Emma, makes it to adulthood with as few bumps and bruises as possible. This means his own personal life is on the back burner until she's out of his house, a decision he's never even questioned, much less regretted. That is, of course, until his little sister's best friend shows up at his front door to watch Emma over winter break. Suddenly, long-buried feelings are resurfacing, and he's wondering if she couldn't be exactly what his little family is missing.