Epilogue
CARTER
Lying beside Shelby in bed, her naked heat against my skin, I couldn’t for the life of me imagine why I ever tried to leave. What greater joy could there be in life than to love on someone and be loved on back?
My best achievement wasn’t the size of my bank account or the accolades on my résumé. It was this moment right here, with Shelby, as close as two people could be, basking in the afterglow of real passion. This was success and what I should have been searching for the whole time.
Except I couldn’t imagine finding this kind of bliss with anyone but Shelby. There was something special about her. She coaxed out this side of me, awakening parts of my soul that had been asleep for too long. I had never really believed in soulmates before, but she had made me rethink that.
All the things that used to matter so much to me now felt small and cheap. Compared to what I felt for Shelby, they were meaningless. Worthless. Nothing could stand against love. Not when it was real. I had been powerless against it, falling for Shelby despite stubbornly resisting those feelings.
Shelby traced little circles on my chest as she cuddled with me. “I can’t believe you gave everything up for me.”
“What’s funny is I don’t feel like I gave up anything at all,” I said and pulled her up so we could face each other. “You showed me what was important. You made me really think about what I wanted and how I wanted to spend the rest of my life.”
She smiled at me. “So you chose the farm life?”
“I’m choosing the Shelby life.”
“Mm, I like the sound of that,” she said, kissing me.
I cupped her face in my hands, holding her like the precious beauty she was. “I’ll admit the fresh air is nice. And it’s good to work up a sweat with real labor, not in the gym. But overall, the main draw is you.”
I kissed her and we fooled around a little. Just having some fun making out, unable to get our fill of one another. That led to us making love again. Slowly and deliberately, milking every ounce of pleasure from each other until we were spent again.
“So what’s your plan?” she asked after a while, still lying in bed with me.
“I have some ideas about some future projects,” I said.
“Like what?”
“Well, I could tell you but I’d rather show you.”
Shelby groaned. “Will this require us to put on clothes?”
I laughed, not wanting to move either. “It would.”
“Then show me tomorrow,” she said before crawling on top of me again.
The next day, after the chores were finished and we had lunch, I drove Shelby down the back road leading from Granny’s Acre Farm to Whitaker Farms.
It was a damn long drive for two adjoining properties. But I didn’t mind when Shelby was bouncing in her seat, excited just to be with me. I totally understood, since I was feeling just as excited. I was just less bouncy about it.
I kept looking over at her, drinking her in, hypnotized. She just had that kind of mesmerizing effect on me, making me stare like I’d never seen a woman before. Shelby didn’t seem to mind though, which I appreciated.
We drove up to the massive locked gate at the entrance to Whitaker Farms. I shut the engine off and we got out. Shelby went to hop over the gate again, but I stopped her. “Hold on. I’ve got the keys this time.”
Her eyes brightened. “Good thinking. I mean, it’ll still be trespassing, but so what? It’s not like anyone will notice. We could burn the place down and no one would care.”
“The new owner might,” I said with a shrug.
She stopped and narrowed her eyes at me. “New owner?”
“Yup.”
“Let me guess.” She grinned at me. “You’re the new owner.”
I slipped the keys into her hands and closed her fingers around them. “No, you’re the new owner.”
Her mouth fell open in shock. She shook her head like she was trying to clear it. “Explain. Because that’s not possible. You can’t just give something like this to me.”
I explained to her exactly how I could just give something like this to her, leaving out the part where I threatened to expose company secrets.
You know, just in case Shelby didn’t find extortion as romantic as I did.
I just told her that I made a deal with the company before I resigned.
That it was part of my severance package, which was close to true.
And now the property had been transferred back to her.
I had all the paperwork in my bags. It was legit.
Shelby had tears in her eyes before I was finished explaining and she hugged me so tight I heard my ribs creak in protest. “I can’t believe you did this for me. I can never repay you.”
“I did it for us,” I said. “No repayment necessary. And, look, when I said I wanted to fix the company’s past mistakes, I was serious. Putting this farm back in your hands seemed like the only way to fix it. You were supposed to take it over after your parents retired, and now you are.”
“Thank you, Carter.” She kissed me, and I would have bought her a million more farms to get another kiss like that.
“Let’s take a walk,” I said.
Shelby unlocked the gate with trembling fingers, but she got it open, and we drove up to the main area where the office building was located between the various livestock buildings.
From the size of things, the farm had been a serious operation.
I still thought my father had been shortsighted when he’d shut it down.
There was a lot of money to be made here for people who cared about actually making it work.
She looked around at everything, and I could tell she was seeing it differently than the last time we had visited. Then, she had been looking at the husk of what used to be. Now, she was seeing unlimited potential.
As we walked through the buildings, which looked a little weathered but were still in great condition, I smiled at her. “Yesterday, you asked me what my plan was. But now that the farm is yours again, it’s my turn to ask you: what are your plans?”
She sighed and spun in a circle like she was trying to take in everything all at once.
“I would love to reopen this place. Maybe not at full capacity and not all at once. But we could start bringing on people from the town. A lot of folks moved away after the farm closed, but there’s still plenty of people who would be happy to come back. ”
“We can make that happen,” I said.
“It won’t be cheap.” Her expression fell. “I know you have money and all, but I can’t ask you to foot the bill.”
“It would be an investment,” I said. “That’s my plan.”
Shelby kissed me again. “You can invest as long as you stay and help me. You’re kind of bad at being a farmhand but you know business more than anyone I know. I’m going to need your help if I’m going to reopen the farm and bring it back to its former glory.”
I nodded and grinned at her. “I’m not going anywhere.”
“This calls for a celebration,” she said, pulling out her phone. “I’m rounding up the troops.”
I wasn’t sure what she meant by that until we got back to Shelby’s farm. Several trucks and cars I didn’t recognize were parked by her van. Smoke rose from behind her house.
“Is something on fire?” I asked, fear running through me.
Shelby grinned. “I hope so.”
We walked around the house to find Shane standing over a charcoal grill, stoking the flames. Beside him stood a woman I didn’t recognize, who looked up at him with hearts in her eyes. Shelby introduced her to me as her friend Dora Lynn.
Lila and Jake came busting out of the back door, carrying a big metal tub filled with ice and what looked like soda and beer. Mrs. Presley followed them out, holding a platter of cookies.
The sight of some of my favorite people filled me with happiness. “So this is what you meant by rounding up the troops? It means you put together an instant party in the middle of the afternoon?”
“Welcome to life in Ferris,” Shelby said with a smile.
“Yeah,” Lila said, handing Shelby and me each a beer. “Down here, we know you can take an afternoon off without the world ending. Welcome back, Carter.”
“Thank you,” I said. “It’s good to be back.”
Shane stepped away from the fire to approach me. My hand tightened on my beer bottle, not sure what kind of greeting I was about to get.
“So it’s true?” Shane asked. “You seriously got my parents’ farm back in Shelby’s name?”
Everyone gathered around us stopped to listen.
“I did,” I said and looked around at everyone. “And we’re hoping to get it operating again.”
Mrs. Presley clasped her hands together. “That would be wonderful.”
Jake nodded. “That would breathe some life back into this town. Get people working again.”
“I was just trying to fix an old mistake,” I said.
Shane held his hand out to me and I shook it. “I misjudged you, Carter.”
“No need to apologize,” I told him. “You were just looking out for your sister. If anything, you showed restraint.”
Shane chuckled and rubbed his neck. “Yeah, I might have considered hitting you.”
“Why do you think I stepped in?” Jake said, shaking his head.
Everyone started laughing and talking over one another.
I stayed silent and looked around at all the people there to support Shelby.
And me, I supposed. Three weeks ago, they had all been strangers, and the name Allory was a curse word on the lips of the hungry and unemployed.
Now they had opened their arms and their hearts to me, making this feel like home in a way Los Angeles never had.
Shane threw some burgers on the grill, filling the air with amazing smells. The sun was just starting to dip toward the horizon. Cool breeze fluttered my hair. I was surrounded by friends and laughter.
The life I’d left back in Los Angeles felt like it belonged to someone else now. It was already fading, like a bad dream. But the beautiful woman sitting next to me, holding my hand and my heart? She was my life now.
Shelby caught me staring and she smiled up at me. “So, my bad little bunny, are you glad you came back?”
“I’m never leaving your side again.”
***
What did you think about Carter and Shelby’s story?
***
If you loved this book, don’t miss out…
Check out a Billionaire Romance by Ali Parker, One Year Husband!
I don’t believe in fairytales.
I believe in contracts. Clean exits. Ironclad terms.
So when my father lays down the ultimatum—get married, have a child, and prove I’m worthy of the Westwood empire—I do what I do best.
I go get what I want.
She’s gorgeous. Curvy. Smart-mouthed.
And absolutely furious that I now own 51% of her struggling business.
Lucky for her, there’s room to negotiate.
She wants to save her company—and have a baby.
I want my inheritance—and zero romantic entanglements.
One year. One baby. No feelings. Just signatures.
Simple enough… until she starts showing up in my head, in my bed, and in my carefully controlled life like she belongs there.
Now I’m pretending to be a devoted husband in public, sleeping a little too close in private, and breaking every rule I set in the fine print.
I built my legacy on logic.
Falling for my fake wife?
That’s a complication I didn’t plan for.
I gotta have THIS!!
***
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I didn’t plan on wanting her.
She’s everything I’m not—soft where I’m sharp, steady where I’m ruthless, quietly brave.
She looks at me like I’m more than the weight of a legacy I never asked to carry.
Like I’m a man who deserves to be wanted, not just needed.
The problem?
My family’s reputation needs a spotless, picture-perfect fiancée.
I agree to the lie—on my terms.
One woman. One contract. One lie.
But now?
I don’t just want her in front of the cameras.
I want her in my bed when the world finally leaves me alone.
I should have known it never would.
When the spotlight turns on her and the fallout lands at her feet, I realize the truth too late— this lie of ours has teeth.
And the only person bleeding is the one woman who trusted me with her heart.
I was raised to protect a name.
To choose legacy over desire.
To never let emotion make my decisions.
But the moment I have to choose between my world and her…
I already know which one I’ll burn down.
I gotta have THIS!!