Proudly Pretending

When I wrote the first book in The Dalton Circle Series, I knew right away that Tucker Dalton’s story was only the beginning.

There was a whole circle around him I wanted to explore, especially the Smith brothers: Drew, Thomas, and Shane. They each had their own energy, their own flaws, their own secrets, and their own kind of love story waiting somewhere in the background.

But Drew’s story did not come easily.

In book one, Drew is… honestly, a bit of an asshole. He is controlled, polished, sharp around the edges, and very good at convincing himself he is always doing the practical thing. I knew I wanted to redeem him, but I also knew redemption could not come cheaply. Drew could not just meet someone sweet and suddenly become better. He needed a woman who would challenge the very foundation of how he sees himself.

Then Laurel Finch came to me.

Laurel is everything Drew does not know how to manage. She is creative, emotional, late, warm, messy, talented, and completely herself. She builds beautiful things out of pressed flowers, resin, vintage dresses, and pieces of the natural world most people would overlook. She does not fit neatly into Drew’s corporate life, and that is exactly the point.

Because Proudly Pretending is not just about whether Drew loves Laurel. He does. The harder question is whether he is brave enough to love her out loud.

That was the heart of this book for me. The tension between private passion and public hesitation. The pain of being wanted behind closed doors but not fully chosen where it matters. The way a relationship can feel intoxicating and heartbreaking at the same time when one person is giving all of themselves and the other is still trying to control the narrative.

Laurel has spent too long feeling like the inconvenient part of Drew’s polished world. She wants love that makes room for her—not love that quietly edits her down into something more acceptable.

And Drew has to face the truth that being good to someone in private is not the same as standing beside them in public.

Their chemistry is intense. Their emotional history is complicated. And when the Dalton Foundation gala puts Laurel’s art, Drew’s career, and their relationship under the same bright spotlight, everything they have been avoiding finally cracks open.

I loved writing Laurel because she is soft without being weak. She is romantic, but she is not willing to disappear inside someone else’s comfort zone. She wants to be cherished, yes, but she also wants to be respected. Seen. Defended. Chosen.

And Drew? Drew had to earn her.

That is what made this story so satisfying to write. He is not perfect. He stumbles. He hurts her. He hides behind reputation and control and all the polished rules he has built around himself. But underneath all of that is a man who loves deeply and badly needs to learn that love is not something you manage.

It is something you show.

Proudly Pretending is a steamy contemporary erotic romance about pride, vulnerability, creative ambition, public devotion, and the terrifying beauty of choosing someone where everyone can see.

If you love a polished hero who has to grovel, a creative heroine who refuses to shrink, high heat behind closed doors, emotional tension in public, and a love story about being claimed out loud, I hope Drew and Laurel’s story finds a place on your shelf.

Proudly Pretending is available now on Amazon.