Completed Works

Amari Emerson is done with love. As a Black woman in her 30s, who is both plus-sized and dark-skinned, she’s well aware of how little society thinks of her, and would rather be the fifth wheel among her friends than subject herself to the horrors of the dating world. She hardly ever thinks of the fact she’s been single for a year, following a breakup that had made her question her very worth. Her thoughts are put to better use in pursuing her dream position as an affordable housing developer, her comfortable home, her loving family, and incredible—interfering—friends. The only thing she could complain about, and does after a long night out, is the level of noise coming from the house being renovated next door.

Leo Reyes, owner of Lion Construction and Renovation, finds Amari to be feisty and a touch annoying when they first meet. That annoyance is soon fused with an unwilling admiration upon discovering they may soon be working together. Before even he is aware of his true feelings, he's asking her out on a date. He didn’t think he had any intention of asking any woman out, what with the family business on his shoulders. But his Dominican parents, especially his mother, have been pressing him to start supplying grandchildren, and Amari’s straightforwardness is more attractive than he can deny. If he can just get past the walls around her heart, he believes they might find something special.

But family can be can both help and hindrance. Leo begins to suspect something about his mother that might put his newfound relationship in jeopardy and will have to decide what's the best way forward. On the other hand, Amari will need to weigh whether what Leo offers is enough, or if she deserves more.