Learned Reactions

Summary

Carlton Monroe is finally getting his groove back. After a year playing dad to his
nephew and sending him safely off to college, it’s back to his bachelor ways. But
when his teenaged niece shows up on his doorstep looking for a permanent
home, his plan comes to a screeching halt. Family is everything, and in the eyes of
social services, a couple makes a better adoptive family than an overworked
bachelor father. A fake relationship with his closest friend is the best way to keep
his family together.
If things between him and Deion are complicated, well, it only needs to last until
the end of the semester.
Living with Carlton is a heartbreak waiting to happen, and once the adoption goes
through, Deion’s out. He’s waited two decades for Carlton to realize they’re
meant for each other, and he’s done. It’s time to make a clean break. But it’s hard
to think of moving away when keeping up the act includes some very real perks
like kissing, cuddling and sharing a bed.
Even the best charades must come to an end, though. As the holidays and Deion’s
departure date loom, the two men must decide whether playing house is enough
for them—or if there’s any chance they could be a family for real.