Kairi has spent years trying to break out of the friend zone with Zale, her teammate and long-time crush. But no matter how hard she tries, he only sees her as a friend—with the occasional benefits.

Colton has loved Kairi from the moment they met, even though her heart has always belonged to someone else, but he’s willing to put his feelings aside to help her win Zale’s heart by becoming her love coach.

But when Zale finally notices Kairi, she realizes she’ll have to choose between the man she thought she loved or the one who’s been by her side all along.

Zalea left everything behind years ago—Saltwater Springs, her first love, and the team she once called family. Chasing solo success in Hawaii gave her the distance she needed, but it couldn’t erase the lingering shadows of Gabriel, the man who knew her best and broke her heart. Their relationship unraveled after a devastating choice, one they never spoke about again. Now, she’s traded waves for cobblestone streets, starting over in Italy to escape the weight of her past and to protect her future.

Gabriel never stopped watching over her, even when their relationship became complicated. But when Zalea disappears without a trace, he knows this time is different. Following her trail across Italy, he’s determined to bring her back—back to surfing, back to Saltwater Springs, and maybe even back to him.

As they’re forced to confront their past, Zalea must decide whether to let Gabriel in on the truth she’s been hiding, and Gabriel must prove that he’s ready to be the man she needs. Together, they’ll have to face everything that drove them apart and figure out if there’s a way to rebuild what they lost.

A Saltwater Springs Winter Novella

She’s still the girl he fell for.
He’s still the boy she broke.

Three years ago, Maisy Hart walked away from everything—her Olympic dreams, the mountain she grew up on, and the love of her life. A career-ending skiing accident left her nearly paralyzed, and in the wreckage she pushed Sterling away. Better to lose him than let him watch her fall apart.

Sterling Fox never stopped loving Maisy, but when she broke up with him, he let her go, walking away from his own pro snowboarding dreams in the process. He’s spent the last three years running from Bluewater Bluffs, carrying the guilt of her accident, convinced her crash was his fault

Until a freak snowstorm drives him back.

When Sterling’s best friend, who's also Maisy’s older brother, offers him a job teaching snowboarding at the family resort for one month, Sterling agrees, only to realize he’ll be sharing a roof with Maisy and teaching her, of all people, how to snowboard.

Between the pull of attraction and the secrets they never said out loud, keeping their distance feels impossible.
One promise to her brother stands between them and the second chance they both want.
But before they can fight for forever, Maisy has to confess the real reason she walked away,
and Sterling has to stop blaming himself for the accident that tore them apart.

She came home to escape her demons.
He’s never stopped feeding his.
A match made in...ruin?

ANGELIQUE
Trauma always leaves a mark, and mine is buried deep beneath scar tissue and muscle memory. I fled New York to escape the ballet world that broke me—and the man who ruined everything—swearing I’d never dance again.

But Imperium isn’t New York. They’re here to challenge the rules, starting with a darker, grittier Swan Lake retelling with an Odile who finds her own redemption.

 I’m partnered with the boy I once knew…except Reign Harrington isn’t a boy anymore. Now he’s a man filled with quiet rage, and too many secrets.

And somehow, he sees straight through my façade.

As we dance a story too close to my own, I find myself coming undone all over again. Because healing isn’t linear, and surviving might not be enough.

REIGN
I was raised to lead Imperium. To dance until my body breaks, and to carry a legacy I never asked for. I dance because it’s expected but I play the piano because it’s the only way I know how to breathe.

When I play, I see her. Always her. The girl who once kissed me like I was someone worth staying for. I’ve composed entire symphonies just to survive missing her. 

 And now she’s back. 

Angelique Sinclair—too fragile to touch,and too broken to stay. 

Watching her dance feels like breathing for the first time in years, so I make it non-negotiable: I’ll dance Swan Lake, but only if she lets me stay in the guesthouse with her.

Close enough to stop her from disappearing.

Close enough to teach her to fly.

She came home to escape her demons.
He’s never stopped feeding his.
A match made in...ruin?

ANGELIQUE
Trauma always leaves a mark, and mine is buried deep beneath scar tissue and muscle memory. I fled New York to escape the ballet world that broke me—and the man who ruined everything—swearing I’d never dance again.

But Imperium isn’t New York. They’re here to challenge the rules, starting with a darker, grittier Swan Lake retelling with an Odile who finds her own redemption.

 I’m partnered with the boy I once knew…except Reign Harrington isn’t a boy anymore. Now he’s a man filled with quiet rage, and too many secrets.

And somehow, he sees straight through my façade.

As we dance a story too close to my own, I find myself coming undone all over again. Because healing isn’t linear, and surviving might not be enough.

REIGN
I was raised to lead Imperium. To dance until my body breaks, and to carry a legacy I never asked for. I dance because it’s expected but I play the piano because it’s the only way I know how to breathe.

When I play, I see her. Always her. The girl who once kissed me like I was someone worth staying for. I’ve composed entire symphonies just to survive missing her. 

 And now she’s back. 

Angelique Sinclair—too fragile to touch,and too broken to stay. 

Watching her dance feels like breathing for the first time in years, so I make it non-negotiable: I’ll dance Swan Lake, but only if she lets me stay in the guesthouse with her.

Close enough to stop her from disappearing.

Close enough to teach her to fly.