From the beloved (by her family) "bestselling" (not-really) author of When We Were and Queen of Rom-Traum (crowned by the Internet) comes an emotional new novel about the lies we tell ourselves about growing up, and the truths we find in the most unexpected people.

Arden Bancroft always had a plan for her life, but for everything she thought she knew, she's quickly and repeatedly learning that she doesn't know much at all. Most importantly, that finding love is sometimes easier than believing in it. But she's about to learn that happily ever afters aren't just for romance novels.

This book is the sequel-prequel to the emotional new-adult love story, When We Were

This story begins in the after.

But before we get there...

Arden Bancroft has mastered the art of pretending to have it all together while quietly wondering when the "adult" part of adulthood is supposed to kick in.

When she wanders into a museum and crosses paths with Will Sterling, she doesn't expect a heated debate with the passionate docent to unravel the perfectly constructed safety nets she's been building since her last heartbreak.

Between fighting for recognition in her male-dominated office and keeping her feelings safely filed away, the last thing she's prepared for is to fall for a man whose powerful family is determined to drag him from his beloved museum halls into their corporate empire. As pressure mounts for Will to take his place at the table, they both discover that passion might be the easy part-it's everything that comes after that tests the limits of what they're willing to sacrifice for each other.

Told across timelines that weave together like threads of memory, Arden and Will's story unfolds through moments of growth, heartbreak, and risk as they navigate family expectations, professional sacrifices, and the weight of their own fears. They learn that sometimes the happily ever after is not just about the ending.