After the war, the Ministry comes up with a brilliant solution for the children of Death Eaters awaiting trial: Send them away for the summer. To Muggleborn families. Which is how three Slytherin boys—Theodore Nott, Lorenzo Berkshire, and Mattheo Riddle—end up on a Portkey to small-town Texas with the quiet, bookish Slytherin girl they thought they knew. Except they don’t know her at all. Because back home, you’re not the girl who spends her days curled up with a book in the Slytherin common room. You’re a Texas farm girl, raised with four brothers, a stubborn streak, and enough grit to keep up with anyone. Three boys. One farm. No magic. And far too many secrets. Theodore is hiding a betrayal that could destroy what’s left of his family. Enzo is hiding just how badly the war broke him. And Mattheo is hiding the one thing he’s been keeping from you since third year: He’s hopelessly, stupidly, desperately in love with his best friend. Unfortunately, your childhood best friend Jude has never bothered hiding that he’s in love with you. Three months in Texas was supposed to keep them out of trouble. Instead, it might expose everything they’ve been trying so desperately to hide.
The war is over. Voldemort is dead, the Death Eaters are on trial, and Theodore Nott and Mattheo Riddle are suddenly homeless, wandless, and under the Ministry's supervision. Their solution? Send them to Missouri. More specifically, to the lake house of the Muggleborn girl they've spent years flirting with at Hogwarts. At school, she's the clever, bookish Slytherin who always has a comeback ready and a book in her hand. Theo and Mattheo have spent years circling around her, flirting shamelessly without either of them ever having the nerve to actually make a move. They thought they knew her. They were wrong. Because Missouri's version of her drives boats like a maniac, races jet skis against her brothers, spends summer nights jumping off docks, and works at a lakeside restaurant in a bikini. And then there's Jake. Her childhood best friend. Her neighbor. Her built-in partner in crime. The boy who's known her since birth and has never had to ask permission to steal her sunglasses, put an arm around her, call her a ridiculous nickname, or pull her against his side. Theo and Mattheo aren't sure what's worse: That Jake has known her forever…or that he's starting to look like he might want to know her forever. Four months. One lake. Two Slytherins. One childhood best friend. And a summer where nobody is prepared for what happens when the girl they've always known becomes the girl they can't stop wanting.
Everyone in their little Texas town knows Beau Callahan and Y/N Parker are inseparable. They’ve been best friends since childhood. They share everything. His hoodies, her secrets, late-night drives, inside jokes, and a friendship so close that nobody bothers questioning where the boundaries are anymore. Especially not her. Because Beau calling her sweetheart? Normal. His hand on the small of her back? Normal. Falling asleep on his shoulder? Normal. Kissing him? Complicated, maybe—but definitely not love. At least, that’s what she tells herself. Then Cole Bennett shows up at a party. He’s new to town, interested in her, and completely unaware that he’s just walked directly into the middle of a love story that’s been years in the making. And Beau? Beau is suddenly discovering that watching another guy flirt with his best friend feels a lot less like jealousy and a lot more like losing something that was never technically his. The worst part? She still has absolutely no idea why he’s acting so jealous. Because she’s convinced they’re just best friends. And Beau has spent years being too afraid to tell her otherwise.
Six months with Cormac McLaggen has taught Y/N Nott how to forgive, make excuses, and hide the truth. It has taught Mattheo Riddle exactly how much he hates watching her do it. Her twin brother Theodore has never liked Cormac. Mattheo has never trusted him. But when one drunken night leaves Y/N with bruises she can't hide, the Slytherins finally realize this isn't just another fight. And when Mattheo accidentally discovers the truth, Y/N's carefully constructed world begins to unravel. Because maybe the boy she's been looking for isn't Cormac. Maybe he's been beside her all along. *He was her best friend. He was her brother's best mate. He was the one person she never thought she'd fall for.* And Mattheo Riddle has been in love with her since they were kids.
