And then she picked up her knife.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
If you had told Little Me about the last few years of my life, I think I would have been overwhelmed—not necessarily about the actually-getting-to-publish-a-book thing, but about how many kind, fascinating, wonderful people I would somehow find to help get me there. （And if you had told Little Me that my first published book would be a sexy book about queer and nonbinary people falling in love, I probably would have turned beet red, crawled into a hole, and promptly passed out. For all the other Little Anitas out there: Life is a ride!!）
Thank you so much to my agent, Kim Lionetti, for falling in love with London and Dahlia and always having my back. Thank you to my editor, Junessa Viloria, for truly understanding London and Dahlia from the get-go, and guiding them to their best selves with such care. This journey has been a delight because of both of you, and my gratitude is never-ending.
Hattie Windley, thank you for a cover that took my breath away, and for making my people look so effing hot. Everyone on the Forever team who helped make this thing an actual, real live book, you are my heroes: Beth deGuzman, Amy Pierpont, Leah Hultenschmidt, Daniela Medina, and Tareth Mitch. Thank you, too, to Lori Paximadis, and all the Muppet applause, always, for Estelle Hallick.
Thank you, Rosie Danan and Meryl Wilsner, for everything. I am so blessed that you chose to love not only London and Dahlia but, even more importantly, me. You changed my life. Your continued support means the world to me.
Thank you to Cat Knight, the first person to ever read this manuscript, and to Manda Bednarik, my oldest friend and reader. I love you both so much. Fanfic forever. Thank you to Kate Cochrane for your longtime writing support and encouragement, and thank you especially to Piper Vossy, whose comments make my writing better every time, and whose energy makes this world better.
Thank you to Emma Osborne for your kindness, and to Kate Shannon and Mari Levine, forever honorary cousins, for your foodie fact-checking!
Thank you to my Fork Family, without whom I would not have survived these last few years. Thank you especially to Kate, whose publishing knowledge and wise logic have guided all of us, to Kaitlyn for being the absolute funniest and living through debut anxiety with me, to Hugh for being Hugh, to Amanda for reading this book in a single night, and to Angel for being an angel. Please know I am punishing myself with a flaming penis emoji for not naming every single one of you, but I promise, you all fill my life with so much joy on the daily. You are truly family.
Thank you also to the Thirstiest for your endless supply of thirsty gifs and support, especially Jen St. Jude, one of the smartest people I know.
For Anita Box: Thank you for letting me borrow your name. I hope Anita Kelly can bring the world even a fraction of the compassion you showed everyone you ever met. Thank you for making those around you feel like they could do big things.
Thank you to my family, especially Mom, Dad, Jeff, and Sara, for raising me with love, good food, and good books, and supporting me through all my various weird pursuits. The same goes for my aunts, uncles, cousins, and in-laws: I love and miss you. Thank you for making life so fun. Let’s all pretend you never read my sex scenes.
Thank you to all of the romance writers and the romance community who have made me feel so welcome and changed my life for the better. I was late to the HEA game, but now I’m never leaving.
In a way, everything I ever write is for the queer and trans teens I have been lucky enough to work with, who make me laugh and constantly rediscover myself. For everyone who has ever been brave enough to be themself, even when the road is long, winding, and full of brambles: Thank you for shining your light in an often dark world. You help remind me, on my bad days, that the trolls will never win.
And for Kathy: Thank you for being the best partner in all things, and for always telling me my food tastes good, even when it doesn’t. I love you.