One lawyer who believes in the law above all. One former sinner who ruined lives. Attraction wasn’t supposed to happen.

He’s a constitutional lawyer with a burgeoning career, but no matter how many accolades he receives, Harrison Hughes will always be alone. His parents are long-dead. His love life is nonexistent. Any hope of belonging to something bigger than his grief is dashed until his ploy to be the person people expect him to be inadvertently leads him to the love of his life. Like him, she’s lost. But she also stands for everything he stands against.

Six months ago, Roxanne suffered a horrific loss, and no one will let her forget it. As the Christmas holiday approaches, she’s determined to lay low and get through the holiday unscathed, but when she meets Harry, her plans change. But how long can she entertain a relationship with him when she’s harboring a secret destined to get in the way of their happily-ever-after?

A change meeting between Harrison and Roxanne could lead them in a better direction…if their broken hearts and spirits don’t tear them apart first.

A thirty-year-old woman did not need a man, despite what her mother would say. Roxanne Sinclair fixed her red dress and stared at the blinking Christmas lights prominently displayed on her aunt’s mansion. If she ever found a man, it would be nice, but at this point , she needed to stay far, far away from men. Chris had only ended things with her a month ago. It wasn’t time yet. She hit the button to lock her car and closed her eyes.

Then she opened them again and took a step forward. This time she’d not let her mother’s opinion get to her. She was immune. She swallowed hard and pressed the doorbell.

Inside, the truth of what she had been told stared her in the face. All three of her cousins were now engaged or married, and the youngest of them had married a prince. She stared at all the new faces and the happy couples.

Great. This family Christmas party would be full of happy couples in love. Her stomach churned, but she went toward her mother to say hello. Instead, her mother said, “Roxy, when are you going to meet a nice young man and settle down? You’re not getting any younger.”

“Mother, I’m fine.” She picked up a glass of white wine from the tray of a passing waiter. To survive this night, she’d need lots of alcohol.

Her mother glared at her but she refused to meet her stare, sipping her wine instead.

“No, you’re starting to look old, and I want grandchildren.” Her voice droned with constant negativity about her daughter’s love life choices, while Roxy stared at the clock. A hundred twenty seconds passed, and her mother continued to drone on. She then pointed Roxy toward a handsome man standing with his back to them.  The trim, firm-looking backside and broad shoulders were a nice change from her mother’s usual taste, and Roxy hoped his face matched how handsome he was in her mind.

“Now I want you to go over there and introduce yourself,” her mother said.

Whoever it was she was looking at might be claimed already by a family member. Her two female cousins were now married and she hadn’t been formally introduced to their husbands. She gulped her wine. “To who, Mom? Most of the people here are relatives and their significant others. Do you really want me to throw myself at a stranger?”

Her mother walked her closer to the man in question, who was speaking to her cousin Gabe and two other men that she didn’t know. Perhaps her mother’s taste in men really had improved, she thought, looking at his tousled brown hair. But then her mother said, “Your Aunt Andrada found one for you, and she says he’s delightful. He cannot be beaten at chess.”

“Riveting.” Roxy lowered her gaze, keeping her voice quiet so the men wouldn’t hear her. The last thing she wanted was a man who would challenge others at board games. While that might thrill her mother, she had other dreams.

Her mother pushed her closer to him. His hair wasn’t styled like she imagined a chess player would look. “Smart grandchildren are better than stupid ones, and from what I understand he’s a top lawyer and argued at the Supreme Court last April. Much better than the last man you almost brought home.”

Way too loud. Roxy glanced up and sucked in her breath, but the men were too engrossed in their conversation to hear her mother’s words.

Her face was hot. Chris had been supposed to come for Thanksgiving, but when they were about to make the trip up, he broke up with her and slept with another woman, all on the same day. Which was sadly fitting as he’d cheated on his fiancée, Calliope, when he met Roxy. Her mother would probably say publically that she got what she deserved, if she was given another opportunity. She had already told her privately, on more than occasion. Roxy  thought it herself. She hugged her stomach, then looked at her mother’s blue eyes and squared her shoulders. “If I go offer to get him a drink or something, you’ll leave me alone and not talk about either my looks or my love life?”

“Oh, very well. I’m sure you’ll like him.” Her mother pushed her slightly again, to tell her to move faster.

She hated having to introduce herself to anyone. Someone else had introduced her to Chris, so the social awkwardness had been lessened when she met him. But she had no time to think about any of that now. She took a step forward, lightly tapped the man’s rather strong muscular arm, and did exactly what her mother had told her. “Hello, would you like a drink or something?”

At that moment, the front door opened and everyone in the room grew silent. The attractive, so far unnamed man placed his hand on her shoulder. “Stand behind me.”

Without another word, he blocked her view. She peeked around him and saw Gabe and her uncle Tom greet a dark-haired man. “Who is that?”

The cute man who tried to protect her sucked in a breath. “Navid Barampour, now apparently Navid Hawke, the new Hawke son. Years ago he worked for Maddox and despite his claim that Tom is his father, I don’t trust him.”

“My uncle and Gabe seem to.” All the men at the party looked stiff and foreboding, as though they all knew him. She crossed her arms. “Have you met him before?”

“He gave me the scar on my forehead when I tried to save Gabe’s life.”

“How?”

“In the desert years ago he helped Maddox. Recently, Scarlett and James said Navid had helped save her and wasn’t aligned with the would-be assassin, but I don’t trust him, even if Tom is his father.”

She stared up at his forehead, past his handsome brown eyes, mesmerized by this handsome man. Inspecting his face, she saw a slight indentation in one of the lines on his forehead, that may be the scar in question. Gabe had mentioned an encounter with Maddox when they had all been in danger, but she hadn’t figured out where this man fit in the story.

She shrugged and glanced at what must now be her cousin if he was a Hawke son. He looked like her Uncle Tom. Then the sense of being protected returned and she stayed close to this man, even though she had no idea who he was. “Your scar is pretty small. It’s hardly noticeable unless I stare right at it.”

He then stood straighter and looked over her head at the room. “Sorry, look, I’m here because the Hawke family has been through a lot.”

Right. Now she realized he must have be the man who’d been protecting Uncle Tom and Aunt Andrada a few months ago now, but still had a room in the Hawke family home. The conversation seemed over. A chill grew in the air, but then she saw her mother, who motioned for her to talk. Great. She swallowed, gulped the rest of her wine, and held out her hand. “I’m here because I’m related. I’m Roxy Sinclair.”

He shook her hand. “Harrison Hughes.”

It was a formal name for a formal man, and he even said it with a certain smugness. While he was hot, he seemed too tightly wrapped. She stepped away. “Right, well, this has all been lovely, but I should be going.”

“Nice meeting you.”

She turned away, but then she heard another man tell Harrison, “You meet Roxanne, Harry? She’s the one that was pregnant a few months ago, and broke up a wedding.”

And there it was. The sin that made her the worst person in the world, and now had followed her home. Her womb still ached from  the miscarriage no one should have been told about. She reached for another glass of wine when she heard Harrison’s reply. “That’s unfortunate.”

Her entire body felt a chill. Chris was the last person on earth to deserve sympathy, and the fact she’d made a fool of herself over a fool, stung. She chugged more of the wine, but nothing made her forget how stupid she had been.

Her cousin then came to her side. “Roxanne, how are you?”

“Scarlett, you look fabulous,” she said. Scarlett made her green dress a fashion statement worthy of the runway.

“It’s because I’m happy. James is amazing.” Scarlett led her to the other side of the room, where they had a perfect view of Harrison without looking like stalkers. “Did I see you talking to Harry?”

Here it went, but at least her cousin might understand a little better. They had always been close, so she answered with the truth. “Yes, he’s clearly one of Gabe’s marine friends, and you know I hate spending a second with any one of the good guys.”

Scarlett’s lips thinned. “I’d have thought you learned your lesson on bad boys.”

The wine must have hit Roxy’s stomach, because the emptiness she felt now sloshed together  and made her hyper aware. She put her glass down on a nearby table and stood taller. She’d been hurt, but she was over it. “Chris Sommers is everything I know I shouldn’t want. He’s egotistical, careless, and in love with someone else.”

Scarlett let out a huff that sounded like she hated him too. “And let’s not forget how that ended. It’s time to try something new.”

Too soon. Her body and soul needed to go without a man for a while, not seek out more heartache and trouble. She lifted her head and glanced at Harrison. “I’m not looking for a stuck-up lawyer who judges everyone. I have enough judgment in my life already.”

Scarlett blinked. “You don’t know anything about him.”

“And neither do you, Scarlett,” she answered fast.

“I know James thinks the world of Harry, and that my parents have practically adopted him since the assassination attempt on their lives a few months ago.”

Right. Scarlett knew more about him than she did. Even her mother liked him, which was another reason to get out of this party and go home. She lowered her head. “And besides, he thinks I’m the unfortunate one. I’d rather not flirt with anyone who is  no good for me.”

Scarlett’s eyes widened. “You can’t know that.”

“I have eyes.” She needed to find someone who knew nothing about her past, which meant she might as well leave town. There was no use in trying to find anyone who might not know in all of Miami-Dade county.

Scarlett stared across the room and Harrison stared back at her. They ended their standoff when her Aunt Andrada, Scarlett’s mother, spoke to him. Scarlett then asked, “Roxy, did he say anything about any of the gossip ,about what you did a few months ago?”

“No.” Storming into a wedding to stop it had been the worst decision of her life. Clearly, she’d been stupid. At least Calliope, the would-be bride, was now marrying someone else and seemed happy. It made Roxy feel less guilty when she thought about how she’d thrown open the church doors and told the wedding party and all their guests that she was pregnant. She reached up and played with her necklace. “I thought Chris must have loved me, after all the Rumi poetry he quoted. I was clearly wrong.”

“Yes. He was all wrong for you.”

Good. At least her cousin understood. She took a deep breath. “Well, I’m over him.”

She was about to walk toward her mother and start her goodbye round when Scarlett grabbed her arm. “Wait. Harry and James are now speaking to Navid.”

Roxy again stared at Navid, who had dark hair, smoldering eyes, muscles everywhere, and an olive tone to his skin. If he hadn’t been her cousin, she’d have hoped he was the man her mother had found for her. She then glanced at Harrison, who was even hotter, though he looked like he hadn’t been in the sun so much. Scarlett let her arm go and said, “I should probably go. I want my new brother to feel welcome, and right now they might be doing our version of a Spanish Inquisition. Think about going after a good one.”

“Right. I’ll get on that.” As Scarlett walked away, Roxy added under her breath, “Once I find a guy who’s actually interested in me for more than my bank account.”

So this Christmas was her new start. In the new year, she’d not introduce herself or talk to any new man. She’d be focused and driven at work. Yes. She had a plan. She went over to her mother, who then brought her toward the dining room table. “Dinner is ready. Roxy, you’re sitting here tonight.”

She’d sit, eat, and then get out of this party. She held her head high and nodded. “Okay.”

Her mother then turned and brought Harrison next to her. “Harry, this is Roxy. She’s lovely and no longer pregnant.”

There it was. In case he hadn’t known. Perhaps her family wanted her to restart the whole scarlet letter thing and wear it around her neck. She’d messed up.

“Great. Right,” Harry said, and sat beside her.

Her entire body became stiff and she wished she could just melt under the table and never be seen here again. If she ever did have a chance to be a mother, there was zero possibility she’d ever let her daughter feel this humiliated. She’d defend her baby, for the rest of its life.