One loose drawing. One badly timed kneel. One viral video that turns an argument into Atlanta's favorite proposal.

Interior architect Rochelle Hayes needs Heritage Weekend to prove that her redesign can make the Marigold Hotel beautiful, accessible, and independently viable. Publicist Devon Price wants to use ten days of attention to fill rooms, but he is also the childhood friend who left after their first kiss and returned home without calling.

Rochelle agrees to the false engagement under strict written limits. No sponsor can sign under a lie, and the truth must come out before the hotel's biggest weekend. When private feelings become harder to separate from the public story, Devon must choose honesty and ordinary presence over national attention. Rochelle must decide whether his actions can support a promise she once stopped believing.

Checked In for Keeps is a Black contemporary romance with a confident plus-size heroine, a friends-to-lovers history, a false engagement, public stakes, clear consent, and a complete happily-ever-after.