For as long as I could remember, Eloise Lawson had been my girl.

Growing up in a quaint North Carolina beach town, the two of us were inseparable. Ellie and I were thick as thieves. But with our last names came pressure and responsibility.

At eighteen, we went our separate ways, but we never lost each other. The two of us shared a bond that couldn't be broken—not even by distance or decades.

But when Ellie returns to our small town under a smokescreen of scandal and secrets, our past might be the only thing that can salvage the life she's worked so hard to build.

I've never kissed her, but now I'm calling her my fiancée. Our engagement is the headline of Page Six.

Ellie was my first friend. My first crush. My first love.

I would do anything to be hers forever.

The question is: will the girl of my dreams finally become my wife? Or will the weight of our names drag us down?

Best friends to lovers? Check. Fake engagement? Yes, please. The son of a millionaire and the daughter of a billionaire wrapped up in small-town romance? Absolutely. Smoke Ring is the long-awaited romance between Giovanni DeRossi and Eloise Lawson.

This book is a complete standalone and is not part of the Beaufort Poker Club series.

Contains mature content. A complete list of content warnings can be found on the author's website.