
Title: The Pickup
Series: Imperfect Love Book 1
Author: Nikki Ash
Genre: Sports Romance Standalone
Release Date: February 7, 2019
Cover Image: Sara Eirew Photography
Cover Designer: Jersey Girl Designs
Cover Image: Sara Eirew Photography
Cover Designer: Jersey Girl Designs

I believe love is a decision.
Who we love, how we love.
Itâs in our control–in our hands.
I grew up having no clue about the true meaning of love. Money. Cars. Houses. Status. Fame. Thatâs what love means to the people around me.
It wasnât until the woman I picked up in a bar came back into my life and showed me love can be so much more.
So, whatâs the problem?
The woman Iâm falling in love with believes in fairytales. She compares everything to a storybook and wants the happily-ever-after.
So while sheâs stuck on recreating stories that have already been told, page by page, Iâm showing her itâs time we write our own book.
Nobody ever said the journey of falling in love would be easy, just that it would be worth it.


âHere ya go!â He flings the DVD at me. âPlanning to become one with your inner-princess self?â He chuckles and plops his ass onto the couch.
âFuck you. I need to see how it goes.â
âHow the movie goes? I can give you a play-by-play. My niece makes me watch this crap every time I babysit, so my brother and his wife can go out for some adult time. The girl seeks love, thereâs an evil queen who tries to fuck it up, thereâs a throw down of some sort, the prince saves her, and they live happily ever after. The end.â
I stare at him in silence. Clearly, thereâs more to this shit than that. âLetâs just watch the damn movie.â
âFirst tell me why,â Killian insists.
âLivâs dad said she wants the fairytale. He even compared it to a Disney movie. Usually the key to a womanâs heart is through my bank account, but not when it comes to Liv. Sheâs not letting me in. So, Iâm going to figure out how to give it to her.â
âThe bank account?â
âNo! The fairytale!â
âYouâre fucking nuts, man. Fairytaleâs arenât real. What you need to watch is Daddyâs Home.â He cackles, and I lift one brow, silently asking him to explain. âYou knowâŠthe one where the dad and the stepdad are forced to get along. Itâs hilarious and more accurate in our generation.â
âWhat happens in the movie?â
âThe stepdad wants the kids to love him, but the real dad comes in and messes it up. Eventually they all co-exist.â
I grab my pillow and throw it at him. âIâm not preparing for Olivia to end up with another guy!â
âYou really like this woman, donât you?â
âYeah, I do. I really liked her when I spent the night with her, but as you know, she left without leaving her number. Now I feel like Iâve been given a second chance, and I donât want to fuck it up. Sheâs not like anyone Iâve ever met.â
âDamnâŠgoing soft on me.â Killian laughs.
âShut the hell up. Now watch this fucking movie with me or leave.â
âFineâŠbut after your fairytale shit doesnât work, weâre watching Daddyâs Home.â
(© The Pickup Nikki Ash)















