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  Alex put a hand on his shoulder. “I wish she was still here too, buddy. But not just for them. I hate to see you like this.” He gave his friend a pat, then corralled the children into a corner. “Who wants to give Uncle Alex a pony ride? Garrett? I’ll just climb onto your back and…” The kids screeched and squealed as Alex chased them around the store.

  “Too bad he doesn’t offer a babysitting service.”

  “Believe me. You do not want that.” I shook my head emphatically. “You’d come home to your house in shambles and your kids exhausted.”

  “That just sounds like a normal day in the Cooper house.”

  Izzy bagged up their orders and let out a long sigh as the door closed behind the crew. “I feel so bad for him. He’s been struggling ever since Natalie passed. I wish I could help but I’m sure I couldn’t handle those kids.” She popped a double order of genius nuggets into two bags. “You guys heading home?”

  “You know it.” Alex grinned. “Writing calls. If my next book doesn’t outsell hers, I’ll never live it down.”

  Izzy rolled her eyes. “You guys figure out which house to live in, yet?”

  It turned out that the motivated buyer who bought Sugar Maple Hill the second it hit the market was none other than Alexander Prescott. He told me he couldn’t stand the thought of anyone else living there.

  “Right now we’re keeping them both.” Alex laughed. “We can’t be near each other while we’re writing and not interrupt to ask questions the second they come into our head.”

  I laughed. “So we alternate. Some days I get the office while he sets up shop in the kitchen in my house, and other days I get the kitchen and Alex whines at the door with Morgan.”

  We worked all day, then spent our nights discussing our characters, our plots, our stories. When we burned out on work, we picked a book and read it side by side, then broke it apart in our own mini-book club discussion. Which, come to think of it, probably still counted as work. It just felt like play.

  And then, when all was said and done, we curled into bed and reveled in the magic our bodies made when they came together. Night after night.

  After night.

  Epilogue

  Alex

  The day would forever live in my heart as the day my life officially started. Wow, man. You sound like a greeting card.

  Light filtered through the window, illuminating the kitchen the way she lit up my life. Better, but still a little cringey.

  Evie McAllister was the woman I wanted to spend my life with, and it was time to ask her to marry me. Direct. To the point. No flowery language or purple prose. Go with that.

  The table was set. Burgers from Mike’s. More fries than anyone could eat in one setting. Champagne. Candles. Bouquets of flowers covered the table, the counters, the chairs we wouldn’t be sitting in. Every single letter I wrote to her after she moved back to Amelia’s sat in a haphazard stack. I’d never sent them, but she deserved to read them. Morgan had a bow tie attached to his collar and Larry had a matching one in tatters on the floor. Apparently, cats didn’t like wearing accessories. Who knew?

  Evie’s footsteps sounded on the stairs and I took my place at the table.

  “Alexander Prescott!” she bellowed as she rounded the corner into the kitchen. “I smell Mike’s!” She pulled up short as she took in the ambiance. A curious grin twisted her lips. “Wow. Champagne and burgers? You really know how to spoil a woman.”

  Morgan wriggled his way across the kitchen, his entire body moving with the ferocity of his wagging tail. “Look at you, all dressed up,” she said as she crouched to scratch behind his ears. “Did I miss an important deadline? Is it the anniversary of the first time someone mentioned Sugar Maple Hill was haunted?”

  “It’s an important day and I can’t believe you don’t know why.” I shoved my hands into my pockets and slipped the diamond ring onto my pinky finger. I’d done everything in my power to make sure she didn’t know why we were celebrating tonight, though I couldn’t let her off easy or she’d know something was up.

  A frown creased Evie’s features and she cocked her head. “I feel like an asshole. What did I forget?”

  I pulled her chair out for her. “Why don’t you take a seat and see if it comes to you while I pour the champagne?”

  With as much stealth as I could muster, I slipped the ring into the bottom of her glass, then poured the champagne over it. A ruckus sounded from the corner of the dining room and I turned to find Larry dangling from Morgan’s bowtie. The cat was hissing and the dog was terrified and I ran straight into the fray to break them up. When I returned to the table, Evie placed her empty champagne flute back on the table.

  “That was tasty,” she said, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.

  I stared at the empty glass.

  Oh, no, no, no, no, no…!

  Did she just swallow her engagement ring? I blinked, then turned my attention to her, trying to decide if I needed to rush her to the hospital or…what did one do when a one-of-a-kind diamond hits the digestive track?

  Evie cocked her head, blinking innocently. “What’s wrong?”

  “I…” I frowned. “Um…Are you…?”

  She burst into laughter and lifted her hand from under the table. When she opened her fist, the diamond glittered, nestled in her palm. “I’m sorry. I was gonna try and take the joke a little further, but I don’t think I’ve seen you look that panicked. Ever.”

  I dropped into my chair and put my head between my legs.

  “Alex?” She laughed as she put a hand on my shoulder.

  “Just give me a second. I need to recover from this heart attack.” When I lifted my face, her smile matched mine. “This isn’t the way I saw this going.”

  “What can I say?” she replied. “I like to keep you on your toes.”

  “That you do.” I took the ring from her and stared at the stone. “You also make me happier than I ever dreamed possible and I want to keep you forever. I’ll buy you flowers every day to make amends for showing up at your house with flowers for my mom and not you. I’ll respect your privacy and let you decide what’s best for you and I swear, we’ll get so good at our cute couple thing that Morgan and Larry will learn to blush.” I slipped off the chair and kneeled at her feet. “Eveline McAllister, will you marry me?”

  Tears swam in her eyes as she graced me with her beautiful smile. “You better believe it, mister.”

  I slipped the ring on her finger, then turned on some music, pulling Evie into my arms. I sang “All of Me” and we danced through the house as Morgan lifted his face and howled.

  I hope you loved reading Evie and Alex’s story as much as I enjoyed writing it! If you’re looking for more time with them, sign up for my newsletter and I’ll send you a Fearless BONUS SCENE right away!

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  Next in the Wildrose Landing series is Jack and Amelia’s story, SHAMELESS. Turn the page for a sneak peek, or click here to grab it now.

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  Chapter One

  Jack

  Was something in the house on fire? Again?

  I turned off the hairdryer aimed at my daughter Charlie’s head and gave it a sniff. Nope. The appliance was ancient, but it wasn’t the source of the stink. I smelled her half-dried curls and got a whiff of strawberry shampoo. Not there either, thank goodness. She’d forgiven plenty of mistakes regarding her hair, but I’d never live it down if I caught it on fire.

  Her bright eyes met mine. “Whatsa matter, Daddy?”

  I sniffed again. Definitely smoke coming from somewhere. “Do you smell—”

  “Dad!” Connor’s voice thundered down the hallway with the shriek of the fire alarm following behind.

  Charlie’s mouth formed a surprised O as I handed her the hairdryer. “Stay here.”

  “But Daddy…”

  “Just stay, Charlie.” I launched down the hallway toward the cloud of smoke creeping from the kitchen. As I rounded the corne
r, Garrett tossed a cup of water into a pan on the stove.

  “I got it!” he yelled, steam and smoke billowing from the mess.

  Garrett snatched a stack of mail off the table while Connor hauled a chair under the screeching fire alarm. My sons scrambled up together to fan the device while I yanked open a window to let in the morning air. Birdsong replaced the fire alarm as Charlie appeared in the doorway, her hair half-dry and completely frizzed. Hopefully the babysitter would know what to do for her because there was no way I could fix that—especially considering I was already late.

  “What happened?” she asked in her six-year-old voice.

  I swiped a hand through my dark curls then carefully carried the still smoking pan to the sink. “I forgot about the pancakes while I dried your hair and this one burnt to a crisp.”

  “Oh.” Charlie’s face fell. “I’m sorry.”

  The pan hit the sink with a hiss, and I hurried across the kitchen to crouch in front of her. “No, no, no, baby. This isn’t your fault.”

  “Yeah.” Garrett bobbed his head and puffed out his bottom lip. “It’s Dad’s.”

  I scoffed, then turned to him with incredulous eyes. “Oh yeah? You think you could do better?”

  “Probably.” My oldest shrugged, his gaze hitting mine before rolling away. His message was clear: You’re not exactly killing it, Old Man.

  “Mommy always did Charlie’s hair after breakfast.” Connor smiled helpfully.

  With a sigh, I stood, nodding. “Got it. First stuff your faces. Then fight the curl monster.”

  And, somewhere along the way, I needed to find time to shower, shave, and get ready for work without burning the house down. It had been infinitely easier when they were in school. Now that summer break had arrived, our mornings were unpredictable, which spelled disaster for me. I needed the structure of deadlines and schedules. This free-for-all approach to the morning was gonna kill me. Maybe I needed to tighten our routine? Set their alarms like they were getting up for school? The thought of an itemized checklist on the fridge and my kids marching through the morning in an orderly fashion was hard to resist.

  Sure. Father of the year, right there.

  While that would make things easier for me, it would righteously suck for the kids. I couldn’t do that to them.

  I ruffled Connor’s blond hair, then pulled open the cupboard. “Looks like it’s a cereal kind of morning.”

  “I can do it.” Garrett yanked open the fridge and hauled out a gallon of milk, then met my uncertain gaze with a frown. “Seriously, Dad. I can do it.”

  As the oldest of the Cooper crew, he’d tried so hard to step up after Natalie passed, but a nine-year-old’s help often led to more work on my part. Even so, the tick of the clock had me nodding my agreement as I raced back to run a comb through my hair and throw on a tie. The crash and scatter of cereal hitting the floor had my hand hitting my forehead.

  “It’s okay!” Charlie’s voice bounced down the hall. “We’ll clean it up!”

  Eighteen months and I was still scrambling to fill Natalie’s shoes.

  The kids were falling apart.

  So was the house.

  And me?

  I didn’t have time to worry about me. I needed to hold it together and keep things normal for the kids. (As normal as possible, anyway.) They lost their mom and I’d be damned if I let them lose everything else too. They needed consistency and if that meant running around like a madman trying to fill both roles, then so be it.

  My children deserved it.

  The doorbell rang, announcing the arrival of the sitter, and I groaned. “Please let them be good,” I whispered to my reflection before sprinting to the door and hauling it open.

  The teenager I’d hired to watch the kids jumped in surprise, her eyes wide as she tore her gaze from her phone. “Oh! Mr. Cooper. Hi. You scared me.” She peered over my shoulder, concern drawing her brows together as she sniffed the air. “Is something burning again?”

  ***

  A knock on my office door had me checking the time. My appointment with the Tarringtons wasn’t for another half hour, though they were often early—usually in an attempt to talk to me about their still-single daughter, Lisa. They meant well, but damn. The last thing I needed was someone else in my life to worry about. If I had my way, I’d never get serious about anyone again. Casual dating? Sure. Maybe. But not for a while. The kids didn’t need me any more distracted than I already was.

  I downed the last of my second cup of coffee. “Come in!”

  Instead of portly Isaac Tarrington and his pencil thin wife, Gwen, Jude Malone swung open the door and leaned against the frame. He and I had been friends since middle school, along with our buddies Austin O’Connor and Alex Prescott. The four of us had gotten into our fair share of trouble over the years, usually because of one of Jude’s ‘great’ ideas.

  “Damn, Jack. You look like shit. And you smell like—” he wrinkled his nose “—burnt toast?”

  “Pancakes.” I sniffed my shirtsleeves and sure enough, I stank. Great. I quirked a brow at Jude. “Everything okay?”

  He looked baffled by the question. “Why wouldn’t they be okay?”

  “Because it’s nine o’clock and you’re not exactly a morning person. And last I checked, you don’t work here. Just doin’ the math.”

  “I had to pop into Cheers ‘n Beers and check on the ads I’ve got running, then look at inventory. You know, the boring owner stuff that’ll steal my soul if I let it. I’ll tell ya. If younger me knew what really went into running a bar, I never woulda opened the place. Thought I’d drop in on my way and be the bright spot in your otherwise boring morning. I don’t know how you talk about numbers all day and don’t lose your mind.” He flashed me the smile he’d dubbed the ‘pantydropper’ and I shook my head.

  “Did I miss something?” I looked over my shoulder, then down at my chest. “Did I turn into a woman over night? ‘Cause I could swear you’re hitting on me. Showing up at my office on your way to work. To be the bright spot in my day.” I made air quotes as Jude scoffed.

  “It’s been a while, man. Since the only place anyone ever sees you is here…” He ran a hand through his blond hair, then jerked his thumb over his shoulder. “Tabitha said you had a few minutes, so I came on back.”

  I narrowed my eyes. “Are you trying to say you missed me? Is that what this is all about?”

  Jude huffed as he pushed off the wall. “Fuck, man. Life misses you.”

  Ahhh, that old chestnut. Sighing, I pinched the bridge of my nose and closed my eyes. When I glanced up, my friend held up his hands, palms out.

  “Look, Jack…” He stepped forward, “I know it’s hard without Natalie, but you can’t keep going like this. You work. You go home. You repeat. It’s no way to live. You know she’d hate to see you so…I don’t know. Shut down.”

  “I don’t have much of a choice, now do I? Being a single dad is really hard. I’m exhausted all the time, just trying to keep things normal for the kids.”

  “Maybe, and I’m just shooting in the dark here, but maybe it’s time to stop holding on to what used to be normal. Maybe it’s time for a new normal.” He grinned like he’d just delivered an epic piece of advice. “I know. Let that sink in a little. I’m fucking brilliant.”

  “Believe me, this normal is new. Nothing I’ve been doing for the last year and a half feels the way it should.”

  And I hated it.

  As Jude looked shocked to learn his brilliant advice wouldn’t solve my problems, Tabitha appeared behind him. “The Tarringtons are here. Early, as usual.” She gave me a sympathetic smile and Jude a ‘please fuck me in the conference room’ onceover, then turned and walked away.

  “I’ll let you get back to work, but not before I tempt you with an irresistible offer.” Jude’s eyes lit up the way they always did when he had a great idea. “Everyone’s gonna meet up at Cheers ‘n Beers tonight. You should join us.” He held up his hands and dipped his head. “If you
can get free.”

  “If I can get free.” I couldn’t. We both knew it, but hey, a guy could hope.

  “And if you can’t, you’ll be at Evie and Alex’s party on Friday, right? I’ve heard her friend is half crazy. Should be fun to welcome her to town.”

  It was right there. On the tip of his tongue. I could see it. The suggestion that Evie’s friend might be the right kind of half-crazy for a lonely guy like me. I braced, but thankfully, Jude knew me well enough to keep that shit to himself. Now if only the rest of Wildrose Landing would get on board.

  I sat back and threaded my hands behind my head. “Barring any fires, acts of God, or unforeseen emergencies, the Cooper family will be there.”

  “Great.” He grinned and rapped a knuckle against the doorframe. “If I don’t see you at the bar tonight, I’ll see you Friday.”

  As he sauntered away, I dropped my hands, my eyes wandering to the last family photo we’d taken before Natalie died. Charlie had been four. She was so small, her dark hair the same shade as mine as she wriggled in my arms. Nat had one hand on each of the boys’ shoulders, her face warm and genuine, her love for us shining through her eyes. Garrett and Connor had the biggest grins, their blond hair and freckles matching their mom’s. It had been a while since any of us had looked so happy.

  Isaac and Gwen Tarrington shuffled into my doorway and I straightened, forcing a smile.

  “Jack! Long time no see.” As always, his deep voice was a tad too loud for such close quarters.

  I stood and shook both their hands. “Good to see ya, Isaac. Gwen. Please, have a seat.”

  “Straight to business, then?” Chuckling, Isaac scooted out a chair for his wife, then lowered himself into the other, arms draped over the sides like a fat, old king.