In a Second

The last time Audrey Saunders saw Jude Bellessi, he begged her to ditch her wedding and run off with him. She said no. In her defense, she was already in the dress.

Years later—divorced and done with relationships—Audrey runs right into the one man she never managed to forget. Except Jude isn’t the rebellious bad boy she remembers.

Now Jude's an aerospace engineer, a fiercely protective single dad…and, apparently, her fiancé. At least that’s the story he spun for his sick mother.

When Jude asks her to play along for the summer, Audrey knows better. She really does. But unfinished business is a powerful thing—and so is the pull of the boy who once held her whole heart.

Besides, how much damage can one summer vacation with the biggest mistake of her life really do? Answer: epic. Catastrophe looks a lot like a mother‑in‑law in turbo wedding‑planner mode, a preschooler who doesn’t miss a beat, and a suspiciously high number of hotel rooms with just one bed.

So why does lying about forever feel like the first honest thing she's done in years?

Content Notes: This is a second-chance romance where during their years apart, both characters had relationships with other people. Additionally: divorce (main character), history of emotional abuse and abandonment by a previous romantic partner (main character, off-page), death of a previous romantic partner (off-page), chronic illness (main character: food intolerance, irritable bowel, inflammation), history of pregnancy loss, serious illness (parent: breast cancer in remission/NEAD, no on-page recurrence, very limited on-page discussion of treatment), toxic/narcissistic family system, discussion of custody agreements, experiences with selective mutism (secondary character).

© 2026 Vesper Press (Audiobook): 9780466566432

Release date

Audiobook: 1 June 2026