It Has Always Been You (Middleton Series)

Molly Lewis has spent her whole life growing up on her family’s farm in small-town Illinois, surrounded by the same people, the same routines, and one boy she could never quite forget—Jake Cates, her older brother’s best friend. What begins as innocent friendship slowly turns into something deeper as the two navigate high school, heartbreak, family drama, and the complicated emotions that come with growing up.

But timing never seems to be on their side. Between protective siblings, missed opportunities, and relationships that pull them apart, Molly and Jake spend years circling around feelings neither of them can fully ignore. No matter how far life takes them, they continue finding their way back to each other.

It Has Always Been You is an emotional small-town romance about first love, friendship, family loyalty, and the kind of connection that refuses to fade—even when everything else changes.