I let my first love walk away. Now we're faking a relationship for the holidays. Only my feelings? They're stronger than ever.

Harper Bennett wasn't just my first love—she was my only love.
I wanted to be the man she built a life with.
But she dreamed of culinary school and a bigger life than I could give her. I loved her too much to ask her to stay.
Now she's back—helping out at her grandmother's restaurant while Willa's health fades.
And when her grandmother assumes we're together again, Harper doesn't correct her.
Not when it lights up her grandmother's face. Not when this might be her last Christmas.
So now I'm faking a relationship with the woman I never got over.
Pretending to be hers again—just for the holidays.
But the way I feel about her? There's nothing pretend about it.
She's still the one.
But the longer we play the part, the harder it gets to remember it's not real. And that's a problem because I don't know if I can survive losing her twice.