Acknowledgments

This is just the beginning of a journey I hope to be long and rewarding. I did not get here alone, and so I must take time to acknowledge those who have built a bridge for me to cross and bring love stories to the world.

To the one who sits high and looks low, thank you God for this gift, the many blessings, and opened doors. To Mark, my love—you make it all possible. I couldn’t do this life without you. To my heartbeats, Amari and Bryce, your love and understanding of writing days is the sweetest gift to me. To my mother, Matt, you introduced me to Romance with that old Turner Classic Three Coins in a Fountain. I’ve been addicted to HEAs since. To my daddy, sport, you gave me the sounds of Gato and many more jazz musicians that now live on my writing playlist inspiring my creativity. To my sister, Assunta, you keep me believing I can do anything. To my brother, Horace, who speaks to me from heaven and tells me to get my ass up and write—I miss you. To Shaunte, my ride or die. To JaNiece, my real life Bellamy, never be surprised if it’s in the book. To Laurel Cremant and Diana Neal, your love, support, and friendship means so much—one day we will break Laurel out of the early AM texts. To LaQuette and Xyla Turner, my soul sistahs, whenever I call, you’re there ready and willing to back me up at the drop of a dime no questions. Thank you all for always being there for me. Your love and support have meant so much over the years.

To my agent, the fabulous Latoya Smith, you put all the sparkle in Black Girl Magic! Thank you for taking a chance and believing in me. Looking forward to what comes next.

To Stacy Abrams, editor extraordinaire, thank you for your open mind and willingness to challenge the status quo so that we can elevate Black Heroines in Romantic Fiction.

To Liz Pelletier, who genuinely believes #OWNVOICES matter, you rock and so do all the things you’re doing to create opportunities for authors who look like me.

To the entire Entangled team that has been so welcoming and supportive of this project, thank you.

To CIMRWA, you are the reason I am here. Thank you for being a safe space for authors of color.

To the beautifully talented women writing romance featuring Black Heroines and Heroes—Keep writing! The world deserves to see our excellence as we defy stereotypes and show that everyone is worthy of a Happily Ever After.

To my readers, thank you. I hope you enjoyed this book. There are more stories to tell, and I hope you’ll enjoy those as well.