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“Weird energy,” Rae mutters, shrugging as the hospital room door closes shut behind Hayes and his nurse.?

Weird doesn’t even begin to cover it .

I sink back against the hospital bed, closing my eyes as I take a deep, steadying inhale.

What the hell just happened?

My mind races, trying to piece together reality from…

whatever that was. Maybe it’s the weed that’s still messing with my brain.

Maybe I hallucinated the whole thing. Hayes Walker, the man that I spent one reckless night with years ago while I was determined to forget after the devastating news I received on my twenty-third birthday, is now working as a doctor in Whitewood Creek.

It doesn’t make sense. It can’t make sense. The world isn’t that small, right?

I shake my head, smiling faintly at the absurdity of it all.

“You two can go. I’m fine now. I’m just going to fall asleep anyways.” I tell my friends.

“Absolutely not,” Lydia says firmly, crossing her arms. Rae nods in agreement from the chair by the window.

I sigh, letting their words fade as they chat more eagerly now about plans for this summer and Rae and Cash’s upcoming wedding.

Sleep pulls me under, and of course, I dream about him.

But it isn’t a dream about that first night we met.

No, in this dream, I’m back at Mrs. Mayberry’s house, walking through the sprawling property, trying to convince her to sell me the place so I can turn it into the wedding venue of my dreams. The wildflowers that cover North Carolina in the summertime are stretched across the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains in the distance and my hand is clutching the small hand of a child’s.

But Hayes is there too for some unknown reason.

His strong arms are wrapped around me, his maddeningly handsome face is smiling, and the way he looks at me is like he knows every secret I’ve ever kept.

And one, of the most painful ones I’ve ever had.

The one I told him on a night when I thought I had nothing to lose and would never see him again.

***

The next morning, I wake up back in my bed at my childhood home where I’ve lived my entire life. This morning, I have a slight bruise on my forehead and a whole lot of clarity because now it’s time for project: convince Mrs. Mayberry to sell me her home despite not being married.

I’m not sure how I’m going to pull this off. Okay, fine, I have no plan at all, but I have to make it work. That house, that land, it’s my future. My dream. Maybe the fall on my head has given me some fresh inspiration because I know without a doubt it’s what I want.

It’s what I need.

The joy of making other people’s happily-ever-after’s a reality, the joy of having a business that I started on my own to contribute to the family conglomerate. That’s all I’ve ever dreamed about.

And yeah, I know marriage and babies aren’t for everyone. Plenty of people live fulfilling lives without them. And if I’m not going to have that, then I get the next best thing: I get to make it happen for other people.

Determined, I wake up early, listening to my brother’s advice to take a day off work after yesterday’s fall.

I hop on my bike barefoot, wearing a simple white, loose fitting, cotton dress that’s seen better days but still feels like home.

The hem flutters in the breeze as I pedal across my family’s property toward the Mayberry’s fields that connect with ours.

The ride isn’t long—just a couple of miles—and I don’t mind it after the soreness that hangs in my limbs.

The spring sun is warm against my skin, and the scent of wildflowers drifts in the air.

It’s impossible not to think back to my childhood while doing this, sneaking over to the Mayberry’s when no one knew where I was.

Catching fireflies in jars under a blanket of stars, sailing in the old, white, wooden swing that stills hang from their massive oak tree.

Colt used to come find me and try to drag me back home. I’d always dare him to take a swim in the pond first. Most of the time, he’d give in, and we’d splash around until Mrs. Mayberry came out, yelling at us for tracking mud everywhere but smiling like she enjoyed it just as much.

Those memories feel so far away now.

I pedal harder, trying not to think too much about how the future of the Mayberry property feels tangled up in my own future. I just need to find a way to buy the land.

Maybe I need a husband, or a business partner at least. Maybe I’ll swallow my pride and let Colt and Molly purchase it instead.

It’d sting, sure, but at least it’d stay in the family.

Cash and Rae aren’t married yet, Lawson’s still single, and Troy…

Well, he’s in Raleigh with his wife Georgia most of the time now, running the state as governor and raising a new baby.

He’s done more than enough for us already I couldn’t ask for another favor.

No, this is on me to figure out this time. The Mayberry house is going to be mine. One way or another.

The only solution I could come up with last night was calling my ex-boyfriend—the one whose proposal I turned down just last week—and telling him I’ll marry him after all.

But that feels too fucked up. He wants love, and I want convenience.

And I’m not heartless and definitely not cruel enough to do that to someone.

When Declan unexpectedly proposed a few weeks ago, I froze. Right there in the middle of his kitchen, holding a half-full glass of sweet tea, staring at the man I’d been dating on and off for only a few months.

To his credit, it wasn’t some big, dramatic gesture.

No diamond ring, no candlelit dinner, no audience.

My family wasn’t there—thank God—and honestly, it all made sense considering who Declan is.

A workhorse of a man who spends most of his life elbow-deep in leaky pipes for Whitewood Creek Plumbing.

I doubt he even mentioned it to anyone beforehand.

He works for Rhett Miller, my sister-in-law Molly’s old friend from her trailer park days, who now owns the fastest-growing plumbing company in two counties.

With Rhett expanding his business further out of Whitewood Creek, Declan’s been working even longer hours, coming home later, and somehow getting quieter.

The proposal didn’t feel romantic. It felt.

.. scheduled. Like checking something off a list. Practical.

Efficient. The kind of marriage where I’d keep the floors clean, the fridge stocked, the bed warm when he finally made it home.

Declan’s a good guy. Steady. Kind, in his own way.

But he’s simple. He doesn’t dream big. Doesn’t chase more.

And there’s never been passion between us.

Not the kind that grabs you by the throat and won’t let go.

Nothing like the passion I’d felt after my wild night together with Hayes.

Worst part? Declan never once noticed that I’m built for more. That standing still has never been my thing and I’d been unhappy floating between all my family businesses and itching for a change. So, I couldn’t stay how things were. I needed more.

I want a family, yes, but I also want a love that burns bright and wild for my kids to witness. Something passionate. Uninhibited. The kind of love I’ve only ever seen from the outside looking in.

I see it in Molly and Colt. I see it in Rae and Cash. Even Troy has it with Georgia—the love of his life, the woman who softened his edges and brought him back to us in North Carolina, out of his structured and stuffy world living in New York City.

Troy always told me I deserved the world.

Practically raised me like a second father, with the thirteen years he has on me, and convinced me I should never settle for anything less.

So, when Declan asked me to marry him, I knew I had to say no.

Because the love I’m searching for? It’s out there. Waiting. Just has to be found.

My bike tires skid slightly as I hit the edge of Mrs. Mayberry’s property.

The boundary line is marked by overgrown thistles that look more like flowers, swaying lazily in the warm breeze.

The smell of her honeysuckle bushes propels me forward and I keep biking, only to notice her car isn’t in the driveway this morning.

She’s always said I’m welcome to come inside when she isn’t home, but I don’t feel right letting myself in today. Not when I’m still so frustrated with this situation. Instead, I turn toward the pond in the back, where the old oak tree and swing still wait for me like my closest friends.

Propping my bike against the tree, I slip off and settle into the swing, curling my legs beneath me. With one lazy push, I’m moving, the breeze catching my hair as I sway gently back and forth.

Tears well in my eyes as I take in the house and the land I’ve loved for as long as I can remember.

I’ve been living at my dad’s house where I grew up for so long, helping him out and staying close just in case he needs me, saving every penny of my hard earned money from working in the Marshall businesses, but it’s time. It’s past time to get out on my own.

Cash is already breaking ground on his place, ready to move out with Rae.

And Dad’s hinted more than once that I should talk to Mrs. Mayberry about purchasing the Manor.

He knows how much I love this land. So, when she told me it was for sale, it felt like destiny.

Like fate. And now, it’s slipping through my fingers.

I close my eyes, letting the breeze dry the tears threatening to fall, when the sound of a throat clearing snaps me back to the present. Startled, I turn quickly, my feet dropping to the cool earth below as my chest tightens when I see who it is.

“Hayes,” I gasp, clutching at my chest like that’ll steady my heart. “What are you doing here?”

He’s dressed in nothing but a pair of light jeans hanging low on his strong hips, and a white t-shirt that clings to his broad frame, a completely different look from how I saw him in the hospital yesterday.

God, he’s so handsome, in that way that brings me back to the first time I’d ever laid eyes on him in the rodeo arena. His light hazel eyes meet mine with curiosity as he steps closer, the crunch of his work boots drawing my attention to his feet. Massive, just like his cock was.

Don’t go there.

“Hi Regan. Thought that was you, but what I couldn’t get is why you’re sitting here,” he scratches at the back of his neck like he’s nervous and doesn’t know how to act. “Do you know Mrs. Mayberry?”

I nod my head. “Yes. I live next door. I was waiting for her to get home.”

His brows furrow like he’s still confused.

“My family’s farmstead is next door. The Marshall farm... I’ve known Mrs. Mayberry since I was a kid. I grew up visiting her,” I explain.

“Ah, I’m still new to town, so I haven’t heard about it.”

I nod, biting my lip, trying to keep my voice steady. “So, why are you here then?”

He sighs. “I made an offer to purchase the property. She turned it down because of some strange clause in the deed, but I’m here to see if I can convince her to reconsider by increasing my offer even more.”

His words hit me like a punch.

“You…” I gasp, stepping cautiously toward him. “You’re trying to buy her house?” Of course, he’s the handsome man Mrs. Mayberry said also put in an offer on her land. Well, shit.

He looks confused, like it’s no big deal and he can’t understand why that would be even slightly upsetting to me.

“Um, yeah. I am.”

“The front of the property is built and zoned to be a wedding venue. You realize that, right?” I press.

He shrugs. “But they’ve never done any weddings here. The place is zoned for commercial, and the barn in the back is perfect for the horses I plan to purchase. I’m going to use it as a boarding facility and get back into riding. It’s something I’ve missed ever since I got out of bull riding.”

“You… you want to destroy Mrs. Mayberry’s dream?” I clutch at my chest as I realize what that would mean for everything that she started here. It’s the equivalent of him wanting to bulldoze the place and put up a shopping mall in my mind.

He chuckles, shaking his head. “Damn, you’re really invested in her business idea too?”

I gasp dramatically. “I can’t believe you just said that.”

He shrugs like he still doesn’t see the problem. “Hey, shouldn’t you be at home resting?”

He steps towards me cautiously his hands reaching out like he’s going to inspect my forehead where I know I’m sporting a nice bruise still. I jolt back before he can touch me because having Hayes rough hands on me right now would only make this a thousand times worse.

Just then, the sound of a car rumbling down the driveway pulls my attention. Mrs. Mayberry’s small sedan appears, winding through the woods toward the house. She steps out of the car like she was watching us the entire way, a wide smile plastered across her face.

She looks frailer than I remember, her age showing as she cautiously steps out of her vehicle, but there’s a mischievous spark in her eyes as she gets closer like she’s all too pleased that Hayes and I are here together.

“Regan! So nice to see you this morning! And I see you’ve met Hayes Walker, my other offer on the property.”

Hayes’s gaze shifts from Mrs. Mayberry to me, recognition dawning slowly. He scratches at the beard on his jaw while he pieces everything together.

“Other… offer... You... you’re trying to buy this place too?” His voice softens, and I can see the moment he understands why I was so upset.

I nod firmly. “Yes, and she’s like a mother to me. If anyone’s going to get the property, it’ll be me.”