They’ve experienced all kinds of things but with each other, their families, prayer, and God; they’ve made it through 2019, to the month of December. But not every relationship salvaged will make it to the future. In this Holiday Short Story, Special Edition of When the Vows Break, you’ll get to peek into the lives of these friends and see how they’re spending their Christmas holiday. Will the past they’ve endured affect their present, attempting to shatter their future? Or has the past given them instruction to treasure the present while preparing for the future? You’ll have to read to find out.

    Ansley Malveaux surely thought her life was perfect. Being married with three beautiful kids, and a job she loved, was the life she'd always dreamed of. Unfortunately, after seven years, her marriage had become just that - a failure. Learning to navigate through her new life as a single mother is exhausting and takes her on an emotional journey she isn't ready for, especially after meeting Jayden Young. Fear of moving on has her frozen in space, but Jayden is threatening to melt her heart at every turn. Being in love with a woman that isn't in love with him is the worst feeling ever for Jayden Young. Ansley has put him in the friend zone and he's patiently waited for her to change her mind. His whole mission is to help her rebuild her trust in men and love, by showing her he's trustworthy to handle her fragile heart. As if life doesn't have enough challenges of its own, Ansley and Jayden find themselves in avoidable situations. Situations that, if they would only be true to themselves and each other, wouldn't arise. Ansley pushes against Jayden's every attempt at loving her, and at some point, wonders if he'll ever grow tired of her rejection. Will they finally work through the fears that cripple their blossoming relationship and threaten to dismantle their friendship? Or will they choose to stop fighting for love and let their fears prevail?

    

    

    She is fresh out of rehab, her husband and children aren’t home for the holiday, and her Christmas tree has alopecia.Days from Christmas, Rebecca has to explore her grief about a loss so huge, it tipped her over the edge, and imagine a future that maybe spent alone.But she learns that, while Christmas for one is possible, it’s just a lot nicer when there’s family to share it with.Love, loss and forgiveness come together to make a Christmas that Rebecca will never forget, and one that will unwrap a joyous future, even it’s not at all like what she imagined was waiting for her under the Christmas tree.

    He yelled: "Shut up clock!" and shook his strong fist, He slammed the OFF button with a flick of his wrist.

     Welcome to The Cove With heavy iron gates, two security stations, and a groundskeeper's cottage, The Cove has everything a billionaire could ask for in a home. Dubbed Billionaire Bachelor Cove because of the residents' single status and income portfolios, The Cove is the perfect place to hide away from the world. But, as the residents soon find out, they can't hide from love. A Christmas List for the Billionaire Christmas is weeks away, but Reese Somersby hasn’t had a moment for traditions like trees, carols and cocoa. She’s too busy keeping handsome billionaire bad boy Crew Russell out of the tabloids. When Crew’s dad issues an ultimatum, he’s faced with a holiday list that Reese can get behind. Between helping the homeless and choosing a charity, Reese starts to see the kind of man she could really fall for behind the suits and Corvettes. When an old flame walks back into Crew’s life, Reese wonders if all the Christmas cheer is just for show. Not many people can make Crew sweat, but a cascade of compromising photos and a list of demands from his dad wake him up to the changes he needs to make in his life. With Reese’s help, Crew gets back who he truly is in his heart. Every task on the list opens his eyes to the needs around him, his desire to improve his community, and the incredible woman in his life. Reese is not only a capable assistant, she is a beautiful, warm and genuine woman. An unplanned kiss and a tender Christmas wish inspire Crew to meet the challenge of winning Reese’s heart.

    To overcome her anxiety, she downs a glass of gin mistaken as ice water, awakening the next morning in a fog, but fixated on finding that one person in a city of millions before time runs out. On a fast paced track towards an ending you can’t possibly foresee, this book will erase any doubt you harbor in the existence of love at first sight and forever fortify your faith in happily ever after.

    But between her students' lack of English, the rough surroundings and sheriff Elias Parker's doubts and distrust, Savannah's unprepared for both the job and the climate. However, she's determined to prove she can handle anything her new town throws her way. Elias gives it a week—or less—before the pretty schoolteacher packs her dainty dresses and hightails it back home. But no matter how many mishaps he has to rescue her from, Savannah doesn't give up. Yet the real test is to come—a brutal blizzard that could finally drive her away, taking his heart with her…

     A short story by A.L. Jambor When Meg’s sister dies, she is devastated. The last of three children, Meg misses her siblings and has never felt so alone. She’s an author, but her emotional state hinders her ability to write, and she can’t sit in front of her computer without trembling. A trip to Port Revere, MA recalls memories of the summers spent there with her family when she was a girl, and Meg decides to buy the Christmas Cottage, an abandoned little house on a bluff near town. She refurbishes it, and with the help of her nephew Zack, starts to come out of her shell. But then the holidays, a time for families and celebrations, arrive, and Meg must again face her loneliness, and guilt over something she can't forgive herself for – she wasn’t there when her sister died and never had a chance to say goodbye. With the cottage almost completed, Meg has one last thing to do; she has to find out if her plumbing is up to snuff, and arranges for a plumber to visit the cottage. On Thanksgiving Day, she is sipping a cup of coffee when someone knocks on the door. She looks out the window and sees an old man, an old truck, and an old dog. Lettering on the truck announces that Angus O’Malley, Plumber Extraordinaire, is standing on her doorstep. What she doesn’t know is that Angus is on a mission and that his appearance heralds the beginning of something wonderful, and the best Christmas Meg has ever had. The Little Cottage by the Sea was formerly published as The Christmas Cottage. The content has not changed. It is a short book of 20,000 words.

    The couple call the child Holly and welcome her into their home as their little Christmas miracle. As Holly grows into a lovely girl, full of joy and imagination as wild as her red hair, so too does Rose’s resentment of her. As the years pass and the Clements have a child of their own, Holly is relegated to nothing more than the family’s maid. Not even Silas, the man that Holly has come to know and love as her papa, seems able to save her from his wife’s cruel ways. Tragedy strikes the day after Holly’s sixteenth birthday and she cast from the Clement’s home to face Christmas on the cold London streets, alone and terrified. With her world ripped from under her feet, Holly climbs the stone wall of London Bridge and peers into the rabid waters below… but a voice from the dark offers her hope…all she has to do is follow him. Find out what happens to Holly in The Dressmaker’s Christmas.

    Mulani's uncle taught everyone under his roof to get it how you live and by any means necessary. Mulani and her cousins took that to heart pouring their blood, sweat, and tears into the streets. Along with her cousins, and best friend Asim Patrick, the game wasn't ready for what they had to offer. Especially not the beautiful, tomboyish, and deadly Mulani. A force to be reckoned with while carrying a no nonsense type attitude, ran off every man that even tried to get close to Mulani, but it didn't matter, because all she ever wanted was Asim. Asim is everything a boss should be. His street status is undeniable and at the young age of 21, he's well on his way to having everything a man his age could ever want. The Respect, the riches...but there was only one thing missing...Mulani. When tragedy brings them together, giving Mulani what she's always wanted, she feels like the streets now has their king and queen and Asim couldn't help but feel the same. But one mistake is all it took for Asim to walk away from Mulani and into the arms of another woman and even down the path of matrimony. After the hurt that Asim has caused, Mulani goes harder than ever unwilling to love again. When a problem arises, Mulani's motivation and undeniable dedication to get it handled is what leads her to meet the sexy Maddox aka Dox from the Bronx. Dox is a boss in his own right and wants to give Mulani all the love that she deserves. The time and attention Dox puts in is enough to break down Mulani's walls. She's ready to give in and ready to move on finally, but someone isn’t going to allow that to happen…Asim. There can only be one king in the streets and in Mulani’s heart, but who will it be? The fight to the crown will be nothing nice. Who will be the one Mulani choose to show her that love A Dopegirl Needs Love Too.

    

    Does she have what it takes?

    Could being snowed in change everything for them? Snowed in at the Villa is a sweet, contemporary romance with a guaranteed happily ever after. Enjoy this fun, flirty Hallmark-style Christmas romance by Chelsea Hale.Kat doesn’t cry over her life. Well not anymore. She is single (again) and happy about it, and with a string of odd jobs from the temp service, she has just the right amount of variety without all the drama. When an avalanche on a narrow mountain road changes her plans, she gets to see her new recluse boss in an unconventional way, and it’s messing with her plans. And her heart.Logan likes living remotely in his villa nestled in the mountains. Solitude has done wonders for his mental health. Mostly he doesn’t think about the past, just guards his wounded heart. When his chef takes the night off, he orders take-out, and when the delivery girl shows up, she has no food.Kat is unlike any woman Logan has ever met, but his new hire has just made his quiet, secluded life a nightmare. It doesn’t help that she’s attractive. Or smart. Or funny. He can’t and won’t get involved with anyone. Not again.Being snowed in brings out a lot of things that Logan would prefer to leave alone, but Kat engages him, and he’s intrigued. Could being snowed in change everything for both of them?