Love Happens Anyway

Derek needs a fake boyfriend for the holidays, and Luke desperately needs cash to save his family’s bar. It’s the perfect arrangement—or so it seems. But when Christmas magic ignites unexpected feelings, could love be the one thing neither saw coming?

Derek’s life is in chaos. His shiny new career feels like a bad fit, and his parents won’t stop pressuring him to settle down. To survive the relentless holiday parties and awkward family dinners, Derek hires Luke to play the role of his boyfriend. It’s supposed to be simple: no strings, no complications.

For Luke, the offer comes at just the right time. With Halligans, his family’s bar in the Financial District, hanging by a thread, he’s willing to do just about anything to come up with the twenty-thousand dollars they need. Pretending to date a stranger with deep pockets? Easy money.

But when sparks fly, and their pretend relationship starts to feel a little too real, Derek panics, and Luke steps back. Yet love has a funny way of finding you, even when you’re running from it. No matter how hard they try to resist, love happens anyway.