LOGINFrom the author:Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for taking this journey with Aria and Jude. It has been an absolute joy, a labor of love, to write their story and watch them navigate the treacherous waters of their past to find a love so real and profound it felt tangible. It’s been a privilege to explore these characters, to live in their world, and to share their most vulnerable moments with you. Their love, in all its fierce, messy, and beautiful glory, is something I think we all secretly yearn for—a connection that can truly see and accept another person, flaws and all. I poured a piece of that universal wish into their story, a hope for a love that conquers all.If there’s one thing I hope you take away from their story, it’s this: love is the most powerful force in the universe. It can outweigh insecurities, conquer past hurts, and build a future stronger than anything life throws at it. It doesn’t matter your size or your weight or the mistakes you’ve made. Real love
Jude POVHer body was a masterpiece of soft curves and trembling muscles, a canvas painted with the sweat of our exertion. I watched her face as she came down from her high, her eyes fluttering open, a dazed, sated look in their depths that made my chest swell with a primal, possessive pride. She was so fucking beautiful like this. Wrecked. Ruined. Mine.I was still buried inside her, and the feeling was so exquisite, so right, that I had no intention of ever leaving. My cock, instead of softening in the aftermath, was still rock-hard, a testament to the insatiable hunger she ignited in me. A decade with this woman, and I was still like a fucking teenager around her. More, even.“Jude,” she breathed, her voice a soft, awed whisper, her walls fluttering around me. “You’re still…”A slow, predatory grin spread across my face. “Oh, baby,” I growled, my voice a low, rough murmur. “We’re not even close to being done.”I rolled us over, my body covering hers, my weight a familiar, comfortin
Aria POVHe was a force of nature, a beautiful, brutal storm of muscle and need, and I was the ground he was determined to break. His thrusts were hard, deep, punishing, a relentless rhythm that stole the air from my lungs and sent shockwaves of pleasure radiating through my entire body. My nails dug into the sweat-slicked skin of his back, my legs wrapped tightly around his waist, meeting him stroke for stroke, a desperate, aching need for more driving me wild.“Is this what you wanted, Aria?” he growled, his voice a low, possessive sound against my ear, his teeth nipping at my earlobe. “You wanted to tease me all day in that little bikini? This is what you get.”“Jude,” I sobbed, my head falling back, my eyes squeezing shut as a particularly hard thrust sent a wave of pure, unadulterated ecstasy coursing through my veins. “God, yes. Don’t stop. Please, don’t stop.”“Never,” he grunted, his movements becoming a little more urgent, a little more demanding. He was marking me, claiming
Jude POVThe sun began its slow, lazy descent, painting the sky in brilliant strokes of orange and pink. The energy that had fueled our children all day was finally waning, replaced by a heavy, sleepy-eyed contentment. Louis was practically asleep on his feet, his head lolling against my shoulder as I carried him back to the suite, his little body limp and trusting. Chloe, ever the determined one, was still trying to walk, but her steps were slow and clumsy, her small hand wrapped tightly around Aria’s finger.“I think someone’s ready for a nap,” Aria said, her voice a soft, tired murmur, a small, fond smile playing on her lips.“I think two someones are,” I replied, my voice a low, gentle rumble. I nudged our hotel suite door open with my foot, the cool, air-conditioned air a welcome relief from the humid, salt-laced breeze outside.The next half hour was a familiar, well-practiced dance of bedtime rituals. We got them cleaned up, their sandy, salty skin scrubbed clean in the giant b
The Bahamian sun was a brilliant, unforgiving white, turning the sand into a blinding sheet of gold. I leaned back in the lounge chair under the cabana, a cold drink sweating in my hand, but I wasn't thinking about the heat. I was watching them. My world.Aria, a vision in a ridiculous, oversized sun hat, was meticulously applying sunscreen to Chloe’s squirming little arms. Louis, our nine-year-old, was already knee-deep in the water, yelling something about a crab that was probably just a piece of seaweed. They were perfect. A perfect, chaotic reflection of her.She stood up, brushing the sand from her knees, and shot me a look. Her eyes, the same warm brown that had captivated me since I was seventeen, were shooting daggers. The tiff had started this morning when she’d opened her suitcase and found the two-piece swimsuits I’d so thoughtfully packed, replacing the modest, full-body coverage she preferred. She’d been pissed ever since.God, she was beautiful when she was angry.She th
Jude POVOne year later.The Florida sun was a warm, gentle caress, a stark contrast to the oppressive, humid heat of my first few months here. I sat in a folding chair in the stands, the roar of the crowd a familiar comfort, but today, it felt like background noise. My attention wasn’t on the field; it was on the sleeping bundle in my arms. Louis, or Louie as Marco insisted on calling him, stirred slightly, his tiny fist clenching and unclenching against my jersey. He was so small, so perfect, a tangible, breathing piece of the woman I loved more than my own life.My son. The words still sent a jolt of pure, unadulterated joy through my heart. He was a little piece of Aria and me, a living, breathing testament to the love we had fought so hard to reclaim. I looked different now, the boy
The silence from Jude that night was a physical presence in my room, a cold, heavy blanket that smothered me. I told myself he was just busy. That was the excuse I clung to, the mantra I repeated as I stared at my phone, willing it to light up with hi
The weeks after our fight were a period of careful, deliberate healing. The fight over UCLA had left a scar, a new insecurity for me to contend with. But Jude was true to his word. He was more attentive, more patient, more present. He didn't just tell me he loved me; he showed me in a hundred small
A week later, we were at the mall, trying to salvage the weekend. As we walked past the food court, and I saw him. Tim. He was with a couple of his friends, laughing and shoving each other. Our eyes met for a brief, horrible second. He smirked, a slow, arrogant smirk that made my skin crawl, and th
Aria's POVThe weeks flew by in a whirlwind of dates, laughter, and stolen kisses. Jude was true to his word, going above and beyond to prove that he was different from Tim, making me feel cared for, cherished, and wanted in a way I had never experienced before.Flashback: Our First DateI remember







