Nathan and Raphael were friends first, then lovers, then...nothing, when Raphael left to pursue his dreams of becoming a tattoo artist. But only one year after Raphael makes it out of his small-town home, bad news descends on him. His useless father has gotten their family into debt so deep it would take a thousand years to dig them out. With his siblings on the brink of becoming homeless, Raphael turns to his estranged but wealthy grandmother for help, and receives a deal: If he settles down and marries, he'll free his siblings of the debt.
When Raphael asks Nathan for a favor--to enter a marriage of convenience--Nathan agrees. After all, he's doing it so he can start his own pet shop, right? Wrong. Nathan just can't say no to the man who used to be his best friend--the man he's still secretly yearning for, even as he's doing his best to hide that fact. After all, he knows better now than to fall for Raphael again.
Haunted by the loss of their past relationship, Raphael regrets breaking Nathan's heart. Scars from the past are never easy to heal, though, and the more time he spends with his new husband, the harder it gets for Raphael to deny the sparks that Nathan ignites in him. Except... this is just a pretend relationship, isn't it?
While this book is part of the Oceanport Universe, knowledge of that series is not required to enjoy this story.