First Choice, Second Chance, page 20
I have the chance
To choose again.
And I choose you,
Forever you.
She had barely stepped back from the microphone when he stepped forward and pulled her into his arms. "You've always had my heart, Lila Corelli. I will always choose you."
Lila barely heard the whoops and cheers from the crowd when he brought his mouth to hers, too lost in the feel of him, in the kiss. She nearly sobbed from the feeling of it. "I was afraid it was too late," she murmured against his lips.
He shook his head. "I was stupid. You shouldn't have had to spell it out to me. I should have looked at you and seen it. I do now."
She hadn't been able to say the words before, but now they came freely from her lips. "I love you, Mason. I always will. I never should have doubted that."
"I never stopped loving you. I never will."
Epilogue
Seven Months Later
Lila walked out of the bank, holding onto the check. Brian had been right. She should have filed the charges against Kyle. It would have saved them all time and trouble. She had won the civil case against him easily enough. He was ordered to pay back her money, but weeks passed without her seeing anything. When she confronted him, he laughed at her and said no one would make him pay. Brian had gone with her when she pressed charges.
The criminal case had been harder, at least for her emotions. But, she had won that, too. Kyle no longer had a choice. The money hadn't been transferred all at once. They might still be digging some of it out. But, Kyle sat in a cell while the court appointed people did it. It was a luxurious cell, but he was still locked up. He wouldn't be there long. He'd only been sentenced to two years. He'd be out sooner than that. But, she didn't care about him anymore, about any of that.
The money didn't even matter, except for what it signified, and what she was about to do with it.
She crossed the street and waved to Melissa when she walked into the office. "Are they back there?"
Melissa nodded. "Waiting on you, I suppose, if you're the buyer."
"Something like that," she said with a smile. "I'll go on back."
She'd come to know her way around over the last months. She gave a quick knock on Brian's office door then stuck her head inside. "Okay if I join the party?"
Lila noticed a few things as everyone in the room turned toward her. The secretive smile on Brian's face, Mason's hand on his father's shoulder, Scott's downcast look turning to surprise. Mary sitting next to her husband, calm as ever.
When Scott tried to get to his feet, she hurried forward. "Please don't. Just stay there, Scott."
"I can get to my own damn feet, girl. I'm not that much of a cripple yet."
Still she kept her hand on his arm as he rose. Mason stood with him and wrapped an arm around her waist. She wouldn't take this for granted again. She wanted to turn and kiss him, but she had something to take care of first. "Scott, this is for you," she said, holding the check out to him.
He stared at it but didn't take it from her. "What is this?"
"For the farm."
Shock came into his face first, then his gaze shifted to Mason then over to Brian and back again to Mason. "I should have known something was up when you told me not to worry. You've been against this from the beginning. But I guess you'll still be getting what you want. The farm will be yours, just in your wife's name."
"She's not my wife yet."
"Might as well be," Scott muttered, but a smile twitched at the corner of his lips.
"I'm not looking to take the farm from you," she told Scott. "This check covers what you were asking for the farm. But, I'm not asking for ownership of it." She nodded toward Brian. "He figured out the wording for the contract. I don't want any say with what you do with it. Hell, I don't know anything about farming. You and Mason do. You can use it for whatever you need to keep the farm going, to make sure it thrives again. To help take care of you. That matters more to me than anything."
Mason stepped forward. "Dad, we can buy a new tractor. We can get more cows again, repair the barns. Hire more workers so the burden isn't on you."
"I am the burden. None of this would be happening if I'd died out there."
Mason shook his head, but Lila stepped forward. "Never say that, Scott. Never think it. None of this would be possible if you had died. The farm would be gone by now if not for you. Mason knows what he's doing in the fields, but he doesn't have the head for business you do. I want to make sure you keep using it."
Scott shook his head. "I can't take your money."
"Then don't. We can work it into the contract I'm a silent partner. I don't want to own your farm, Scott. I want you to be able to keep it."
Scott remained silent for several minutes, and she worried he would turn down her offer. Then, he turned his gaze on Brian. "Let me read the contract."
She watched as he took his time reading over it and scribbling a few things into the margins. Finally, he handed it back to the lawyer. "Make those changes, and I'll sign it."
"It might take me a little while to redraft this. You can wait out in the lobby until I'm finished."
They all walked out together, but Lila worried over Scott's silence. "He'll sign, don't worry," Mason murmured.
"But does he hate me? Did I somehow take his dignity away by doing it this way?"
Mason shook his head and drew her over to the corner of the lobby. "No, he just doesn't know how to handle it. He's still a little shocked you'd do this." He brushed his lips over hers. "I was shocked, too. You could have taken the money and started fresh in Nashville."
Lila shook her head. "I didn't want that. I wanted to be with you. You would never really be there, even if you were right beside me. I'm happy here, Mason, really I am. I'm happy teaching my kids and leading the choir at church. I'm happy right here with you."
"Good," he said and kissed her again.
Yes, she was happy. She would be happy right here for the rest of her life.
Acknowledgments
It would probably be weird to thank a whole town. But, I'm going to do it anyway. To Saegertown, Pa, where I was born and raised, and that gave me the foundation to write Kurztown.
Amanda, Susan, Bethany: Without who I wouldn't have been able to write the friendships that survive, despite spending years apart.
Kat: No matter how much I'm certain it all sucks, you pull me through and talk me away from the edge. Then help me make it better.
Soni: Thank you for the feedback and helping me make this even stronger.
Lauralynn: for helping with my many comma issues.
Marianne Nowicki: for the beautiful cover.
Kathi, Gloria, Emily, and Teri for helping with the cover reveal.
All the RoWers and WiPPeTeers: for all your support and encouragement. I wouldn't have made it this far without it.
My mom: For always being supportive of me.
Cory, Hayleigh, & Nathan: I know I'm not always easy to live with, especially when I get lost in the worlds of my fictional characters. But, you stick with me anyway.
And a huge thanks to you, readers, for buying this book. I hope you enjoyed it.
Other titles by Fallon Brown
Duty to Protect
Flames of Redemption
Fallon Brown was born and raised in a tiny town in the northwestern corner of Pennsylvania. At one time, she dreamed of having a cabin in the woods or mountains where she could be left alone to write. Instead she spent three years studying psychology before realizing that wasn't for her. She now lives outside of a slightly larger small town in the same corner of her home state with her husband, two children, dog, and cat.
She spends her days interfering in the lives of fictional characters while trying to keep a semblance of a clean house. Often the clean house bit fails.
You can visit Fallon around the web at:
Blog
Goodreads
Fallon Brown, First Choice, Second Chance
