Final (8th) installment of the Crossdale series Can be read as standalone but for better understanding of the characters, read the others before. Archer She is my one. Was. But life got in the way. We grew a part after high school when she went to college and I stayed home, only for my to go to her one night and tell her I still loved her...after I slept with someone else in a drunken regret. She forgave me because she was my angel. But my life came spiraling when the other girl showed up at my brother's house with a positive pregnancy test only around the same time my angel showed up to try to get back together. And she ran. I don't blame her. And she hid, well. I found her a couple of times, but I couldn't bring myself to insert myself back in her life. But now, five years later, she's back in town with secrets that only she can tell me and a ghost from her past after her. So what do I do? Jo My life was never sunshine and rainbows for as long as I could remember. My dad died when I was young. My mom abandoned me at her friends house after stealing money from them. And I was being stalked by her ex boyfriend, if you want to call him that. The only person to put a smile on my face, a genuine smile, was him, Archer Nicholson. He was my first everything. My first kiss. First love. First time. First heartbreak. But he is also my final. And after a night of passion, we went on with our lives, only to come up with two pink lines two months later after a failed plan b attempt. But when I went to tell him, she was there. The other woman. Pregnant as well and sitting next to him. And the words he spewed to me, the hatred, it was enough to run and run for good. I had no intention on him ever finding out. But secrets never stay hidden and this was no exception. Now, I'm thrusted back to the town that started it all and I can't help but wonder, what happens next? I fight for him and he fights for me and once everything is out in the open, it's like that heavy weight has disappeared. Until a demon, a nightmare from my past shows back up threatening to tear everything good i have, apart. Will we survive or will this be the final straw that breaks us for good?

Aiden I was never one to lose control, not after being stupid when I was in my early twenties. I learned composure, stance, control. I instilled those in my son, Miles. It was something the military taught me for years. I never expected our lives to be turned upside down. Moving to Texas was never the plan, not until things between my sister and her ex got worse to the point we feared the unexpected. So we packed things up, moved south and started a new life. I never expected to come home from tour and walk into the bar and see her. The black haired beauty mixing drinks behind the bar. She captivated me. Mesmerized me. I needed to be by her. I felt this strong urge to get to know her, protect her, especially after witnessing a colorful asshole stroll into the bar and cause trouble. From that day forward, I was determined to do anything and everything to make sure she was okay as well as try to get her in my bed, and maybe, just maybe, start a life, until I decided to re-enlist and go on deployment again. We had one night. One passion filled night that changed everything. It changed more than I ever believed and I didn't realize it until I came home, this time, for good. She's the only one that's ever made me lose control. She's the only one that's driven me close to insanity. She's the only one that's ever made me want more but she's hiding things from me. Secrets. A past. And she won't open up, not until it was almost too late. But little does she know, no matter what happens, I'm here and I'm not going anywhere. Over my dead body. Luna I ran from my past. I ran from what I knew. I needed to start a new life, a quiet life, a safe life. Finding a home in Crossdale was exactly what I wanted and needed. Things were looking better. I have a job I enjoy. I was about finished with my teaching degree and was working as a sub in the local elementary school. I even met a guy that is so beyond brooding and mysterious, I can't help but be drawn and want to unlock every secret about him. Then like always, my past catches up to me, no matter how hard I hid from it. It turned my world upside down and I slowly started to back away from the relationships I was forming with the people I considered friends. They all knew something was wrong, but I couldn't bring myself to tell them what was going on. This is my burden to bear. But I wanted to do something for myself and I did. One night, one beautiful night with the man that captured my eyes and heart exploded and left me partially broken and yet, happy. That was, until things got worse. Heartache, pain, blood, and a lot of tears. Little did I know the hell I was facing could only be walked through with him by my side. I vowed to never have my past hurt him or his son, but he had other ideas and no matter what I did, he was there, watching me and making sure I was okay. I just don't know if my heart can take the pain that was coming it's way. At the end of the day, we both had our demons, our pasts we had to face. What we didn't know was how intermingled they were. Maybe he was meant to be mine and I was meant to be his, forever.

Betrayal seems to be theme to my life. I was betrayed by my husband who I met my senior year of college, fell in love, got married and had a beautiful daughter with. I was betrayed by my parents as they held secrets about my past that could have changed everything. I was betrayed by my two best friends who helped hide those secrets because they thought it would be too much for me to handle after my accident. An accident that was caused by someone I trusted which led me to forget eight months of my life for years. And I was betrayed by the one person I was supposed to give my heart to a long time ago because when he saw me in the hospital, I didn't remember a damn thing. I didn't remember him. So, when my life collapsed around me, I sulked like any other woman would do after getting their heart ripped apart in a million different directions. But little by little, the secrets started to come out of the woods and my life started to make sense again. Everything made sense. But that still didn't stop that bittersweet feeling. Why would they hide those secrets from me and let me live a life of misery for years? Will I be able to trust them again? Will I be able to move on from the past and create a new future? Will I be able to trust him enough to give him my heart...again? Only time will tell because at the end of the day, my entire life, my love story, is all bittersweet.

Felix I\'m the family disappointment. Have been since I got caught with my high school girlfriend, who just happens to be my dad\'s best friends daughter, hell, it was even before that. Estranged family is all I\'ve known and it just got worse after my sister died. But it\'s those secrets that forced us to be apart, forbidding us to be together. So I made a choice for me after losing everything. So joining the Marines and making a life for myself was all I could do, but with that, I left behind the life I loved. I left her after finding out something so important, so life changing, but vowed that I would make it up to her once I came home. But that obliterated in a nanosecond and all hopes of her and I being together again went out the window. I concentrated on me and she worked on her and we didn\'t talk for ten years, until I moved to the same town she lived in with my best friend, finding a new sense of family, one I didn\'t know I wanted, one I didn\'t know I needed until now. And my girl was hiding her own secrets, secrets with her new boyfriend that kept us away from each other, or so I thought. Because even though we went from and hate to love, back to her hating me, I won\'t give up, no matter who\'s in the way. And I will figure it out and fight for her and fight through all the obstacles that face my way because at the end of the day. She is forever mine.

Ava I thought my life was going pretty damn good. I have my mom who is my rock. I have my best friends who have become my family. I have a job that I love and a promising career path and a guy I was falling for. Okay, not falling, fell and hard. But then one day, my past came back to haunt me putting doubts in my head, so I did what I do best, I kept my problem to myself because my best friend and her boyfriend were already going through hell and needed me. But bad news doesn't come in an one and done situation, not in my life. It was like a boulder of unfortunate events and there was nothing I could do to stop it, so I changed everything about my life to cope with what's going on Including pushing away the guy I fell for and when I finally have the guts to tell him how I felt? He asked one simple question. Why. I couldn't answer it and he walked away. Until he came to me drunk and begging for my forgiveness and for my help but what he needed me to do could break me but I agreed. Only to learn that our worlds are smaller than we all thought. In the end, I will hold his hand and fight with him because I couldn't bear the idea of losing him. I will stand with him to the end, till forever. Art Growing up I was neglected by my father who dealt drugs and my hot shot brother who followed in his footsteps. He made me leave my residency program I was in and forced me to help him, taking care of my nephew in the process until a girl from my past saved me. She led me to her, the one I dreamt of but she's hiding things from me and won't open up so I go with the old fashion approach. I will break her walls down little by little until she opens up to me and it was working until she completely shut me out, shattered my heart and destroyed me. But something was off with her and I wasn't the only one noticing and she wouldn't open to us. So, I tried again from the beginning and when the truth finally comes out I have no choice but to be there for her. Through every fight. Every Tear. Every heartache. I will be the one holding her up because that's what we do for those we love. But what do we do when a ghost from our past shows up? Not realizing we have the same ghost we stick together and hope we make it through in the end. No matter what happens, I will be hers and I can only show her in the one way I know how, with love.

Daily updates; can be read as standalone Sawyer We all have our pasts that follow us. Mine is terrible, scary and it broke me. I fought. I ran with my daughter to make sure we were okay and are able to live the life we are able to, with the help of my brother and best friend. All we needed to do was start over. That's all I intended to do but finding a family in the middle of the my drama was unexpected. What was even more unexpected was finding out the guy who talked so much crap about me without even knowing me to our friends would be the one to capture my heart and make me believe in love again. I can only hope he can look past...my past, especially when it all comes back to haunt me. Only he can fully save me. Finn Drama. If one word were to describe my family and everything we been through it's that. It seems to follow us and drag everyone we love down the black hole. So, when I was told about some woman and her family moving into town, bringing in more of that forbidden word, I freaked. I don't want any part of it. Refuse to be involved for months. But what I wasn't expecting was to run into her and catch not only her, but myself, off guard. She's fuckin' beautiful and in that moment, I knew I would do anything for her, her daughter and her nephew. I just need to make sure she would give me, love, everything, a second chance and show her everything she deserves I will save her from her past and the demons that haunt her if it's the last thing I do. #Dreamelovestorycontest

Summer I was never one to be in relationships. I’m not a w***e by any means, I just like to have fun on occasion and don’t do attachments. I’ve seen where relationships can end up and it’s not pretty, but moving in with my best friend, Ray, and seeing her and her dream guy really opened my eyes. Maybe there is something to this relationship thing? I first ran into him at a bar and when I first saw him, I instantly knew who he was. I mean, I did stalk him on social media so we can figure out who Dylan was and I was instantly drawn to him. Who would have thought that he would be the man I end up with, not only in bed, but in life. But that is, until life throws you a curveball. I may be ready for commitment for the first time in my life but I am no where near ready to be a mom, a godmother is scary enough, or so I though. So, what am I supposed to do when that curveball that is thrown at you comes in the cutest year and a half baby girl? And what happens when the mother comes back into her life? On top of that, what happens when my past comes back to haunt me, throwing everything out of whack? What happens with us? Jordan Getting hurt playing football was probably one of the best things that ever happened to me. Without my buddy with me in New York, it wasn’t home anymore, so I packed my s**t, moved back to Texas, and crashed there, determined to start over. And good thing I did, because for the first time in my entire life, I fell in love. Everything about her made me want to be better, be better for her. I was never the type of guy for long term relationships. Yeah, I dated, yeah I messed around, but something about Summer was different. Was it her snarky attitude? Her bitchy ways? Or maybe the way she doesn’t let people treat her like s**t. Our story started off rocky and scary as s**t, but it was worse for our best friends, but if they can survive what they went through, we can survive it as well, right? Can we survive the fact that one day, we were happy and engaged and then boom, I’m a dad? I joked about finding out I’m a dad and finding out years later like Dylan’s dad, Austin. Jokes on me I guess…but what am I supposed to do when my other half, my rock, my everything, starts to doubt everything about us? I fight, that’s what I’ll do, I’ll fight with her clinging to my hip… *Note: Parts of this story do not reflect real life events and are made up for the content of this story. Please take the events with a grain of salt as it is fictional* #Dreamlovestorycontest #Dream love story contest

#Dreamlovestorycontest Dreame Love Story Excellent Star Winner What do you do when the person who broke your heart is the only one that can fix it? You try to move on. Through the years, I've suffered. I have faced the worst moments of my life and have rebuilt myself to be the strong, independent girl I can be without the help of my parents money. Until they dropped the bomb on me that my childhood crush, their best friends son, the one who crushed my heart four years ago needed a place to stay when he moved back home. But what am I supposed to do when we are now face to face and roommates? Through the engagement, lies, and secrets, how are we supposed to learn to trust each other again? And what do I do when I start to fall for him, even harder than before? My mother always told me everything happens for a reason, that we can't fight what life was laid out for us. She said it was fate that brought us back together. I disagree. I say it was a series of unfortunate events and that fate doesn't exist. ______ It was hard living under my father's shadow, the famous Billionaire Austin Nicholson, because with a last name like that, everyone had high expectations of me. Much to their dismay, those expectations and my dreams were crushed because of a ghost of my past. So, coming home to Crossdale, Texas wasn't originally in the cards but it's where it led me. I've come back home to start over and face my demons, all of them. They say fate always has a plan, that our roads are predestined and no matter what you do in your life, you will end in the same place you were meant to be at. I call BS. If there was a such thing as fate, then I wouldn't have been suffering through everything I faced. But what else am I supposed to think when I first lay my eyes on the girl I crushed on her 16th birthday? And what else am I supposed to do when I start to fall for my dad's best friend's only daughter? Does this mean that fate does exist or did this happen by chance... #Dream love story contest

Dreame love story contest June rising star winner *completed* They grew up as best friends and supposed to be lovers. They did everything together and what was supposed to develop into love, soon develop into animosity. Things don't always go as planned and their parents realized that, watching Liam and Andrea grow up. But one thing always leads to another. What happens when the boy who kept ditching his best friend soon falls for her? What happens when the girl who was envious of his girlfriend comes to terms with her feelings? Bliss. Pure bliss until one stupid moment makes everything come crashing down into a series of unfortunate events. A cheating scandal an unknown pregnancy hiding and lies 7 years later, the meet again at a masquerade fundraiser held by Liam's father. Unbeknownst them, the limited time they spent together will recreate the missing sparks. With secrets hidden from both their pasts, some unfortunate events, what happens with these ex lovers soon become roommates? Can their redeveloped feelings survive the heartache that is to come? Andrea We were born on the same day. Our parents were best friends. We were supposed to be best friends and our parents dreamed that we ended up together in the end. I grew up to hate him, he caused me to get stitches, ditched me at a school dance and broke my heart, until he somehow mended it back together. But the f**ker cheated on me when we were 18 with a girl that I hate the most and he denies it. So what did I do? I ran away with my best friend Jayme and hid a secret that I knew would eventually come out. When he left for the Army...a part of me knew it was too late. Until 7 years later I come face to face with him and it's like I can't breathe anymore and f**k, doesn't he look hot in his Army uniform AND his firefighter uniform, but when it seems like things can't get anymore awkward, we ended up living together. Liam I always liked her. I watched her from a far to make sure she was okay, but I didn't bank on her having those same feelings. Everything came full circle in our crazy lives, everything from friendship to like to hate to love and then she saw Cindy kiss me. She wouldn't listen to me and then just up and disappeared. Only her mom knew and she wouldn't tell me what was going on. I needed to see her before I left for boot camp, but in the end, she never showed. 7 years later I moved back home after being transferred to Del Rosa and decided to go into the reserves and sign up with the local 218 fire department. And who do I come face to face with? The girl, who is now all woman, who broke my heart and didn't even know it. But f**k, what am I supposed to do when she ends up homeless? I offer her one of my spare rooms...

#Dream love story contest He lied to me for four years, not telling me he was supposed to marry someone for the sake of his father's company. He asked me to wait for him while he went home to try to fix it, but I didn't listen. I know these types of families, I've heard about them. I don't know what he tried to accomplish, but I knew that he wasn't going to be able to get out of the arranged marriage. So when he left, I did the only logical thing I could think of at the moment. I packed my things, booked a ticket back home, deleted all signs of me that I could and left. Who would have thought a month later, I found out I was pregnant, only by collapsing while shopping with Bella. I came to my senses and emailed the only email I could find to let him know I was pregnant? And guess what happened. I was told it wasn't his and he wanted nothing to do with the baby, they even offered to pay me off. So I said f**k it, I changed my last name and moved on with my life, just my son and I. Him and I against the world. Until 5 years later, he came barreling back into my life after his company bought the company I was working at. Now, he's my boss and knows about our son but no matter what, I will do whatever I need to do to protect my son from everything possible. _____________________________ Austin, You have no idea how much this breaks my heart. I love you and I will always love you. A part of me will always ache for you but I just couldn’t do this anymore. I can’t sit here for days, waiting, wondering and hoping that you meant what you said about trying to fix things with your father to get out of this contract marriage. How could I hold so much hope when you weren’t honest with me from the beginning? I have been nothing but honest with who I was. You knew where I grew up. You knew about my upbringing and how I come from a humble home. You were there for me when my parents passed away. You accepted all that of me, knowing that I would never have fit into the lifestyle that you hid from me. I knew you came from the elite, but I didn’t care. I fell in love with the man you were showing me you could be. A man that treated everyone as equals, no matter how much money they had. But because your parents created this contract when you were little and you decided to hide that information from me for our entire four year relationship, breaks my heart. It tells me that a part of you would always be ashamed of who I was. I pictured forever with you Austin. I imagined us getting married, a small wedding on a ranch by my hometown in Texas. I pictured me being pregnant with your child, watching our children grow up in a happy and humble home, learning to respect everyone no matter who they were. I imagined one day, officially meeting your parents, making me feel that you were one hundred percent in this for the long haul. But you weren’t. You never were and that hurts more than anything else. A part of me feels that if you cheated on me, the pain wouldn’t hurt as bad as this. It’s all the secrets that were kept that put the doubt in my mind. So, I let you go Austin. I am going to let you go so you can live the life you were always meant to live. I will be okay and maybe one day; our paths will cross and we can finally see how happy we are. You will always be a part of me and I hope to always be a part of you. I will love you forever Austin. Love Hannah ______________________________________ Miss Bence, I am sorry to hear about your current condition, however, Austin will not be participating in the life of this baby. He is set to where he is about to have his own life and family here and does not wish to have any distractions and does not wish to have any further contact with you in regards to any matter from here henceforth. I am willing to pay you any amount of money for you to no longer contact my son in regard to this or any other situation you may find yourself in. Best of luck Mr. Nicholson CEO Nicholson Marketing #Dreamlovestorycontest

We all know how it feels to have that first crush, that head over heels, gut wrenching, butterflies in your stomach, star in your eyes first crush. What happens when that person became your best friend? Lindsey is a normal girl, quiet, just trying to get through middle school when she meets Josh, a handsome popular guy. They hit it off and become fast friends, with their mutual love of sports and music. They grow up together and experience high school in all shapes, ways and forms, from drama to love, abuse, laughter and tears. Secrets they hold from one another are mutual, they love each other but are scared to tell one another, until prom hits and things take a turn. Other events follow and all feelings come true during a school talent show. They finally get together, at last...until graduation. Lindsey is pregnant and needs to find a way to tell Josh. He comes to her excited about going to his dream school, NYU, to practice music. That was 7 hours away from where they lived. How could she break his heart and take him away from his dreams? She causes a fight than ends in heart break and he goes off to NYU, leaving Lindsey and their unborn baby alone. 5 years later, Josh comes home to tend to his sick father and he runs into her. She's even more gorgeous than he remembered, but who is that little girl, hugging her leg from behind? And why does she look like him? A story of your first love. A story of hurt and betrayal, love, growing and reconnecting. Will Josh and Lindsey move on and live their lives after his brief time in town or will they reconnect, creating sparks?

I am Alena. I have a twin, Kyle, my best friend Mia and our other best friend Lucas. My 'mother' hates me. My father is never home. And I finally am able to follow my dream with him by my side, until he broke my heart and left for the Marines. I supported him in his choice. He asked me to wait so I did until he sent me that letter. The letter that shattered my heart and blackened my soul. I vowed to move on and forget about him. Then my stupid brother brings him home after not seeing him for 5 years and now he plays for the hockey team that I help train and recruit for. And he lives with me. Seeing him brings back too many memories, but what I didn't know is what he went through and what else I didn't know, is that him being back home, in my life, would make the old me come back, but not without a fight. This is our story. _________________ Alena, I don’t know what to really say to you. We have been talking through letters for some time, on the phone occasionally, but something, in my gut, doesn’t feel right. I have been ignoring your letters and it is about time that I tell you the truth. You are my best friend, and you always will be but I need to say this so I can move on. What happened was a mistake. That night was amazing, but it should not have happened, and I can’t stop thinking of how it was a mistake. I know I asked you to wait for me, but it was wrong of me to ask, to put you in that place. We knew I was leaving, and we knew we didn’t know how long I was going to be gone. A part of me will always love you and I want you to remember that. You will always be my best friend, even though Kyle wants us to be more. I cannot have you wait for me. I don’t want you to. I cannot in good conscience have you be waiting for me when I don’t know what is going to happen during our time apart. I hope one day you can learn to forgive me, but until then, this is goodbye. - Lucas Dear soldier, You have been away for training for some time, and I just wanted to write to you and say that I miss you. I think about you every day, wondering if you are alright. Our last night together replays in my head and I cannot forget it. Something tells me to keep holding on, but apart of me says to let go. Your last letter, to be honest, broke my heart, so this is something that I must do, for my own piece of mind. We have known each other since we were kids, you were my best friend, you, me and my brother were always together. I know all your secrets and you knew mine and I thought, after what happened, we could move forward and be something. We wrote every week, like clockwork, then you stopped, and you had me worried. Then that letter came, and it broke me. I never thought that I could hate someone that I loved so much, so, I am giving you what you want. I am letting you go. I know Kyle doesn’t really know what happened, and I plan to keep it that way, even though he pushed us to be together, but this is something that I cannot forgive you for. I don’t know why you think you know what is best for me, you don’t. I told you I would be here for you, but you decided to let me go, so here, I am gone. I do wish you the best Lucas. Maybe, one day, when we all grow up and come to our senses, we can meet again. But until then, go f**k yourself. -Alena