Free 1986: Why Can't This Be Love (Love in the 80s #7) by R. K. Ryals Page A

that blew me away. That was pretty straight forward. It was this.” Turning the newspaper over, she tapped a black and white photo of Dylan and me kissing.
    My face heated. The entire town had a front row seat to my first romance, my love life plastered all over the front page. Dylan was right. I didn’t do things half way.
    “You know what this means, don’t you?” Dad asked, still scowling. “We have to invite the scoundrel over for dinner now. I’d look like a monster if I didn’t try. Damn Henry Graves!”
    I hid a smile. “He wants to save the world,” I supplied helpfully.
    Mom coughed, masking a laugh. “Find out what he likes to eat,” Mom told me. “After that picture, I’m thinking the only thing you know about his tastes are what you got from his mouth.”
    “No!” Dad hollered, dropping his face to his hands, his breakfast untouched in front of him. “Just no.”
    “I’m pretty sure he has a strong liking for TAB pop,” I offered.
    Dad pushed away from the table. This time, Mom didn’t even attempt to hold back her laughter. She let it go, loud and full of wheezing mirth.
    It felt good. All of it.
    Deep down in my teenage heart, I wondered about Dylan. I wondered about the upcoming summer, about what dating him would mean. How people would treat me at school after they read the article. Even more, I wondered if I cared.
    It was March of 1986 in a small town in Ohio after a crazy weekend that changed who I thought I was, the people I thought I knew, and the kind of person I wanted to be.
    That’s a lot to learn in two days. I wondered what the years ahead had in store for me, what a lifetime could teach me. If love could be this profound, I couldn’t wait to see what the future held.
    “I'll invite Philip, too,” Dad added, mumbling to himself.
    He left, and I looked at Mom. She was staring at me, her gaze full of thoughtful introspection.
    “I’m proud of you,” she said suddenly.
    Surprised, I asked, “For what?”
    “For being you, and for letting other people be themselves.” Standing, she squeezed my shoulder, and then started clearing off the table.
    Getting up, I helped her.
    1986 was going to be a good year. Time to start working on those soundtracks.

B efore the internet …before sext messages, selfies, like buttons, and d**k picks…epic loves and broken hearts played out offline, on mixtapes that became the self-made soundtracks of a generation.
    Love in the 80s: A New Adult Mix is a collection of ten contemporary romance, new adult, stand-alone novellas set in the 1980s.
    Written by award-winning and bestselling authors, one digital novella will be released on the last Friday of each month January - October in 2016.
    The title of each love story will be a hit song from the year that the novella represents. The totally awesome authors include: Casey L. Bond, Lindy Zart, Cambria Hebert, Amber Lynn Natusch, Misty Provencher, Rebecca Yarros, Rachel Higginson, RK Ryals, Cameo Renae and Chelsea Fine.
    Love in the 80s: A New Adult Mix was created by UTOPiAcon founder, Janet Wallace, and is co-produced with award-winning book cover designer, Regina Wamba (together they are WaWa Productions).
    Read on to check out, Love in the 80s: A New Adult Mix collection.

M y name is Tina . I’m a freshman at USC, a good student and friend…
    And I’m a victim.
    Hot guys make my brain turn to mush. So, the fact that I was arrested then survived a massive earthquake only to be shackled to the fox next to me can all be overlooked, right?
    Okay, so I was arrested before I met Luke. A tremor that caused a blackout at the LAPD precinct where we were being held. Although technically, I wasn’t shackled to him, I was handcuffed, but still. Any and all lapses in my usual—totally sane, I might add—judgments, are his fault. Totally.
    I wouldn’t typically do the things I did. I’m no outlaw. I’m a college student.
    Click here to read now.

T he road trip from Minnesota to Pennsylvania and