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.