He’s in the front room—our new living room—directing two men where to put a sofa, his face turning toward the window as he gestures. He sees me, smiles in relief, and then it registers.
Alec is a blur of movement behind the thick glass, and then he is sprinting out the door and leaping down the three steps and into the street where he meets me halfway. Horns blare and cars swerve, but he lifts me up, his strong arms banded around my middle. Traffic slows and stops when they realize who and what they’re seeing, but for better or worse, Alec has never given much thought to who might be watching us.
“Finally,” he says, resting his lips on mine, “it begins.”
Acknowledgments
August 2020, I was on vacation from my writing gig and decided to… write. （There are obvious problems with extracurricular variety when your hobby is also your job.） I am intensely lucky that I get to write full-time for a living, and I love every second of my day job, but I hadn’t written something impulsive, no-expectations, and just for myself in ages. There’s a unique type of freedom in writing a side project—one that is understandably harder to find when you’re writing for an established readership. Here, I was possessed with Gigi and Alec; their story rolled right out of me. It’s the most satisfying kind of flow for a writer, and I hope it has been a book you, sweet reader, got lost in.
I am so grateful to this project and Kate Clayborn for being the reason I look back on the summer and fall of 2020 and feel sweet nostalgia instead of the hollow, existential panic I know so many of us experienced. Alec would not be here were it not for you. So much pain came out of that year, but you were—and continue to be—a bright spot of joy in my every day.
Having a community that sustains its support and energy is worth more than gold to a writer. I am indebted to my wonderful friend Susan Lee for her feedback but also her enthusiasm. Your fangirl smile buoys everyone around you; you are such a gem. Thank you to my sweetie, Erin McCarthy, for the long texts while you were reading, and the continual excitement you’ve had for this since you read it nearly two years ago.
I had zero expectations that the Word doc I was calling Side Piece up until like five minutes ago would turn into an actual book. I sent it to my agent, Holly Root, with a this-is-really-steamy-but-maybe-could-be-a-thing? email, and she didn’t even blink that I put this entire manuscript out of nowhere into her inbox during the biggest dumpster-fire portion of the pandemic. She did the Holly Root thing where she was like “Cool” and sold it. Thank you to the Pocket and Gallery Books team: Hannah Braaten for loving this book just the way I’d hoped you would, Jen Bergstrom for stepping up and getting behind this without hesitation, and Mackenzie Hickey for always being the brightest and most enthusiastic star. Min Choi designed this cover, and to put it simply: I am obsessed. I asked for something very specific, and this came back, and it was one and done. Honestly, I’m not sure if anywhere in publishing a cover process has ever gone so smoothly or happily. Enormous gratitude to Andrew Nguy?n, Aimée Bell, Lauren Carr, Eliza Hanson, Jen Long, Christine Masters （my queen, you miss nothing）， Emily Arzeno, Caroline Pallotta, Abby Zidle, Sally Marvin, and the entire Gallery team. When I call you The Dream Team, it is not an exaggeration. Jen Prokop, thank you for your always amazing editorial notes. I love you and I am sorry I made you read first person present tense.
Kristin Dwyer of Leo PR is the master strategist, friend, champion, and, of course, PR rep. She is indispensable and one of a kind. I want everyone to have a Kristin （but she also brings out the Gollum in me and I’m not even ashamed）。
To my book community who read early versions, blurbed, or delighted me with your own words, I am so grateful for your enthusiasm and love: Ali Hazelwood, Helen Hoang, Sarah MacLean, Rosie Danan, Rachel Lynn Solomon, Tessa Bailey, Sonali Dev, Kate Spencer, Sara Whitney, Katherine Center, Erin Service, Katie Lee, Cassie Sanders, Catherine Lu, Molly Mitchell, Monica Sánchez, and Gretchen Schreiber. Thank you to the readers who requested early review copies and bombed their feelings into my DMs. Thank you to the Bookstagram, Goodreads, BookTuber, and TikTok creators who took time to make videos, posts, and reviews for this book. It really means so much to me!
To my family, you are the very nucleus of my joy. I hope the eleventy thousand quesadillas I made during the pandemic adequately expresses my fondness for you, you adorable goobers.
And to you-know-who, we always save each other for last. You know what they say about the best, and it’s true. You are.