Before We Came

Birdie

My mother's funeral unraveled decades of secrets hidden from me-horrible secrets. I've learned my past is more sinister than I could have ever imagined. Everything has been a lie, right down to the name on my driver's license. Now there's only one direction for me to turn: to the people who have been searching for me all these years.

One of those people is my new-found brother's best friend: Lonan Burke, star defenseman for the Minnesota Lakes. The physical attraction we share offers an easy distraction as I discover who I am. The more we give in to each other, the more he wants to keep me. But I've already spent my life in captivity-I want to be free.

Lonan

She's back. We were kids the last time I saw her, but my innocent crush from childhood is full-grown now. And it's not so innocent anymore. She's a breath of fresh air from the series of one-night stands since being drafted into the NHL. I've got one shot with her, and I'm not taking it for granted.

When her story hits the media, I offer her a place to hide. For the first time, my frigid condo feels like a home, and she's made me believe the future I've always wanted is within reach. Birdie is it for me, we've always been inevitable, and I'll spend the rest of my life proving it if it means I can spend it with her.