It Was Always You by Ari Reavis

My eyes spring open when I feel his finger touch my chest, right where my heart is. “This,” he whispers. “I want this.” “That old, broken thing?” I give an awkward chuckle as my heart melts right under his finger. “Yes, so I can make it whole again. So I can make it better than it ever was. So I can keep it safe from ever being hurt again.”

The first time Aubrey met Eric, he spilled his drink on her favorite dress. The second time, she was scowling at him across the room as her sister celebrated her engagement to his brother. Now he’s in her life to stay and she’s stuck asking herself what she did to deserve this punishment.

She can no longer avoid his smirk or ignore the way her body reacts when he walks into a room. With each laugh, joke, and caress, it’s getting harder to convince herself that it all means nothing. But the alternative is acknowledging that he’s starting to make her feel everything she promised herself she never would.

Having already seen what letting someone in leads to, she’s sworn to always protect her heart. Only now, she can’t help wondering if it might be safest with the person she thought she hated most.

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From the moment Eric spilled a drink on Aubrey's dress, she couldn't stand him... and he couldn't stop thinking about her. So while Aubrey hyped him up to be her enemy, Eric allowed himself to play the role. Whatever it took to allow him to be in her orbit worked for him. Aubrey was so blinded by what she believed their 'relationship' to be that when she finally realizes he actually likes her, at first she's at a loss. And then she gives in to what she's always felt... the insane attraction to the man she was supposed to hate.

It Was Always You was a story about the healing powers of love. Aubrey was so traumatized by the breakdown of her parents' marriage, that she never allowed herself the possibility of a romantic future. How could she trust that love wouldn't eventually turn to hate when that was all she knew?

“The right love will make you feel safe, cherished. It won’t leave you doubting yourself or them all the time. Falling for the right person makes you feel whole, instead of broken and torn. Falling for the right person stops being scary at some point because you know your heart is in the hands of someone who would never hurt you.” - Eric

I loved the way Eric loved Aubrey. He was patient and understanding and he never, not for one moment, let her down. He wanted her and only her and there was never any doubt that he was there to stay. And once Aubrey got out of her own way, she gave as good as she got. Reavis continues to pump out beautiful, realistic romances with sincere and personable characters. If you're a fan of love in all of its complexities, her storires are not to be missed!

It Was Always You is FREE to read with Kindle Unlimited
Amazon US * Amazon CA

Ari Reavis is a wife and mother of five. Born in New York and raised in New Jersey, she enjoys staying in, devouring books and watching movies. Her kids are running around, her husband is trying to show her martial arts moves, and she's trying to write. Her day in a nutshell.

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