Epilogue

EPILOGUE

DAPHNE

A Few Months Later

C olors exploded across the sky, lighting up with inky darkness with a fireworks display the likes of which Allisburg had never seen before. As they went off, the familiar strands of Auld Lang Syne filled the air, the local band ringing in the new year in spectacular, traditional style.

Tears stung the back of my eyes where I stood against Sterling's side, his arm draped around my shoulders and both of our heads tipped toward the sky. All around us, locals and tourists alike whooped, singing along with the band. They raised their glasses with whoever they'd come out to the farm with for the party.

Meanwhile, gasps of delight rang out from children who oohed and aahed at the fireworks, most of them perched on their parents' shoulders. The atmosphere was so jovial and festive. Food trucks, mobile bars, and coffee vendors were set up around the perimeter.

We'd strung lights up in the trees just like Mrs. North used to do for the fall festival, and we'd hired some local entertainers for the kids as well. An entire inflatable obstacle course had kept them busy for the hours leading up to this point, and we were surrounded by fairies, unicorns, and tigers, the face-painters having excelled at their task.

Northfield Farms was lit up and alive in a way the property hadn't been for years. It was icy cold, but there wasn't so much as a breeze. With the bonfires we'd lit scattered across the area where we were hosting the party, the cold didn't seem to be bothering many.

All things considered, I felt like our first attempt at turning the farm into a destination again had been successful.

"We should do this every year," I murmured as I glanced up at my boyfriend, admiring his handsome profile just like I always did.

Over the last few months, Sterling had grown a bit of a beard. He kept it neat and short, but I thought the dark scruff on his jaw was beyond sexy.

He moved his eyes to mine, and I smiled at the soft expression in them. Happiness danced across his features, as relaxed as I'd ever seen them. He pressed a kiss to my forehead. "Yeah, I think maybe we should. It turned out to be a bigger party than I thought it would, though. It feels like the whole town came out."

"And most of the residents of our neighboring towns," I agreed. Sighing happily, I looked around. "This is the start of a new tradition, my love. I can feel it. It's going to be amazing."

He winked at me. " You're amazing. None of it would be happening if it wasn't for you."

"Nonsense. It was a team effort." I leaned into him once more, resting my head on his shoulder. The last of the fireworks raced across the sky to the roaring delight of the crowd. The grand finale was everything we'd promised it would be.

Best of all was that this really had been a team effort. Sterling was in the process of starting a Christmas tree farm in the next field over, and while speaking to Rachel about it a month or so ago, she'd mentioned that good quality Christmas trees right here in town would be great, but a true New Year's Eve party would be better.

Allisburg had never had anything like it. So, I'd started putting out some feelers. The band had volunteered to perform and the various food and drink vendors had been excited for the opportunity. We'd hired an entertainment company for the kids' stuff, but the face-painters were volunteers as well.

Everyone I'd mentioned it to had said they would be here and that they would help with whatever we needed.

Because the town banded together, we'd managed to get it all organized in a couple weeks. So far, it was going down without a hitch—and it really wasn't breaking the bank to put it on. Sterling had bought the fireworks and paid for the kids' stuff, but outside of that, the party hadn't cost us much at all.

I'd been worried about the expense, but Sterling hadn't been, insisting that it would be worth it.

He'd been right.

I grinned at him. "Now that it's officially a new year, do you have any regrets?"

He arched a steep eyebrow at me and planted a fat kiss right on the tip of my nose. "Regrets? About?"

"Moving home. Becoming a farm manager instead of an investment banker. I don't know. Perhaps saying no to your high school sweetheart?"

"Welllll," he teased, dragging out the word before he grinned and rolled his eyes. "Don't be ridiculous. I don't have any regrets. You?"

"None whatsoever," I said, searching the crowd until my gaze landed upon my brother. Eric had been talking to a woman for the better part of the party, and I was curious about her, but mostly, I'd just been checking to make sure he wasn't within earshot. "I'm glad about everything that happened last year, but I'm happiest that Eric finally pulled his head out of his ass."

Once that had happened, it'd been smooth sailing for Sterling and me. He laughed, shaking his head at me. "That's what made you the happiest? Not when you saw me running toward you at the airport?"

I shrugged, giggling as I pretended to think about it. "Well, now that you mention it, that made me pretty happy too." I dropped the act, cupped his face in my hands, and looked up into those gorgeous, sparkling eyes. "I love you. Nothing and no one have ever made me happier than I was when I saw you that day, but I also know how much it meant to you when Eric bought you that beer after."

"Fair enough. I still can't believe that he's finally onboard."

It turned out that all it had taken for my brother to support our relationship was for Sterling to give up absolutely everything for me and move back to Allisburg. Personally, I felt like it'd been a bit much to expect, but Eric insisted that it was the only thing that could've proven to him how serious his friend was about me.

Either way, I was deliriously happy with my life at the moment and Sterling seemed to feel the same way. Eric had even asked him to help coach football this year too, finally giving him back that one final piece of himself that I knew he'd missed so much.

He now had his family, his friends, his farm, and the game he'd always loved in his life, and it had turned him into the most joyful person around. I couldn't get enough of him.

"Can we go for a walk?" he asked suddenly.

"Sure." I slid my hand into his, only too happy to get away with him for a few minutes alone.

All night until the fireworks display, we'd been rushing around trying to make sure everything was on track. People kept coming up and pulling us aside, and I knew we were about to get swarmed again now that the show was over.

Since I'd hardly had any time with him on our first New Year's Eve as a couple, I would have taken any excuse, but a walk really did sound good. I was always up for one of those, but even more so when I was going for a walk with him .

The last few months had been the best of my life, even if it had taken me this long to accept that he might just really be staying. It was finally starting to feel like he was, though. He was putting down roots, agreeing to coach the team with Eric and starting all sorts of new ventures on the farm.

I'd been afraid to believe that it could be true, still constantly wondering what was going to happen next, but I was slowly coming to accept that he was not only back, but that he was ecstatic about being here. In our small, simple town. As a farm manager on his family's property.

It boggled my mind, but there was no denying that the bitter, closed-off, big-city prick who'd landed in Allisburg a few months ago was gone. The guy he was now was undoubtedly happy, whereas that guy had radiated misery.

"I have a surprise for you," he said as he led me out onto the property.

My eyebrows shot up. "You do?"

He squeezed my hand. "I do. I wanted to do something special for you."

"Really?" I asked, beyond confused. "Why? The party is plenty special enough."

"Nah." He wound his arm around my shoulders once more, keeping me close. We ventured into a copse of trees behind the barn farthest from the house. "I wanted to do something a little more special than that. That's for the town. This is for you."

"Okay, but why?"

"Why? Because I love you, that's why," he murmured, sure footed despite the fact that we were moving into the pitch dark. "I also love seeing how you've put your whole heart into turning Northfield Farms into something beautiful and prosperous, and it made me realize something."

"Yeah? What's that?" I looked around, knowing I was safe with him, but it was getting real dark and real cold, real fast. "Where are we going?"

He lifted a hand to point at something a little to our left. In the distance, I saw the fairy lights first. Then I saw what appeared to be a makeshift tent, soft white sides surrounding something glowing on the inside.

My eyebrows jumped as I looked back at him. "What's this?"

"It's your surprise." He led me into the clearing that had been made to look like something out of a fairy tale.

What I'd thought was a makeshift tent turned out to be a real tent, a beautifully decorated, utterly romantic, bohemian-style glamping setup with rugs and blankets covering the floor. Heaters inside emitted that glowing light I'd seen before, and a picnic basket sat in the center of the space. The top of a bottle of champagne peeked out from under a checkered red and white napkin.

"Sterling…" I trailed off when I turned to look at him again, but he wasn't standing beside me anymore.

He was down on one knee.

My heart catapulted itself into my throat, banging like a drum. I sucked in a sharp breath, my hand flying to my mouth. He smiled as my gaze hooked on his.

"It made me realize that you should be a North," he started as he reached for my free hand—my left hand. "You're loving, and dedicated, and kind, and compassionate. I'm crazy about you and I want to spend the rest of my life watching you work your magic and doing everything in my power to help."

He inhaled through his nostrils. "When we were kids, I thought that loving you was wrong. I never even let myself consider asking you out, but I was always drawn to you. I always knew that you were incredible. That you were different."

He stared into my eyes like I was the only person on the entire planet. "You were always the girl who stole my eye, even when I knew I absolutely should not be looking at you, but I couldn't help it. Now I finally know why. Somehow, I think my soul has known all along that you are its one true mate. I just wasn't ready to accept it back then. I know that this is sudden and I know that we could wait, but I don't want to and I'm really hoping you don't either."

He reached into his back pocket and came out with only a ring. There was no box, only a gorgeous golden ring, light refracting from the many diamonds laid into the band. It looked vaguely familiar as he pinched it between his fingers and offered it to me.

"This was my mother's," he said, his voice a little breathy now. "Years ago, my dad gave it to me and told me that one day, he hoped I would give it to the woman who would be my everything. My very own North Star, as it were."

An unexpected giggle tore out of me when he smirked, but I didn't interrupt any further than that. Tears were streaming down my cheeks, my fingers clinging to his. He tightened his grip on me before positioning the ring at the bottom of my finger.

"Will you marry me, Daphne LaSalle?"

"Yes!" I nodded enthusiastically. A sob tore through me when he slid the ring onto my finger. I crashed to my knees on the ground in front of him, kissing him passionately before he picked me up and carried me into the beautiful tent he'd set up for us.

I couldn't believe that this was happening, that Sterling North had asked me to be his wife, but the warm weight of the ring on my finger confirmed it. I loved him more than life itself and I was going to get to spend the rest of mine with him.

It was the best feeling in the world, and I already knew it would only get better from here.

***

If you loved this book, don't miss out…

Check out book 1 in A Wedding Bells Alpha Novel called Say You Do .

My brother is an idiot—he's getting married.

And I'm in charge of getting things together since our folks are gone.

Lucky me. The guy who thinks love is for the birds and worn-out 80s songs.

I honestly don't have time for this drama. I run a billion-dollar company, have women to entertain, and am working on my plans to rule the world.

No, seriously.

And yet, when you least expect it, life kicks you in the balls.

The beautiful, snarky woman that runs the flower shop is perfect to help me pull off this wedding.

Just seeing her sends my head spinning with possibilities.

She's perfect. To play my fake wife for an event I have coming up as a side deal.

My ex-wife will be at the event, and I sure could use someone to show her how well I've done since she ripped out my soul.

So my curvy new friend gets my ring and a chunk of my wallet before agreeing to the deal.

Funny thing is, I'm not so interested in taking it back by the end of the adventure.

I'm willing to go all in on what might be the best decision of my life.

And I'm demanding the same of her. No maybes. No I-don't-knows.

No fear of what might be or might not be.

Open your pretty pink lips and utter the words.

Say you do.

I gotta have THIS