Faking Ms. Right (Dirty Martini Running Club #1)(88)

“Thank you. It’s perfect. And were those sparklers? How did you do that?”

His lips turned up in a grin and he nodded toward the lawn. “I had a little help.”

Richard stood on the path near the now-burnt-out sparklers. He waved.

I grabbed the lapels of his jacket and leaned closer. “You’re a little bit crazy, Shepherd Calloway.”

“You bring out the best in me.”

I melted into his strong embrace, throwing my arms around his neck as he kissed me. Happy tears trailed down my cheeks and it was almost hard to kiss him back. I couldn’t stop smiling.

He was smiling, too.

As it turned out, Shepherd Calloway wasn’t the only person on the planet who was impervious to my sunshine. All it had taken was a gold-digging ex-girlfriend, a parent in crisis, a sister looking for a sperm donor, a fake relationship, some awkward bed-sharing, a stupidly huge diamond, and some strawberry shampoo to crack that man open.

Oh yeah. I knew about the shampoo. I ordered it in bulk now, just in case they stopped making it someday.

Once upon a time, I’d thought I was cursed. But my happily ever after had been there all along. The road we’d taken to find it had been winding, filled with surprises neither of us had seen coming. But it was impossible to imagine things turning out any other way. Shepherd and I had been made for each other. And now we were going to spend the rest of our lives together. Happy. Loved.

And a little bit kinky.

After all, who could resist biting her brand-new-not-fake-fiancé’s bottom lip when it made him growl like a predator? Not this girl.





Want more Shepherd and Everly? How about a special (HOT) bonus epilogue with an extended look at their happily ever after?



GIVE ME MY BONUS EPILOGUE





Afterword





Dear reader,

This book was a long time coming.

Almost two years ago, an editor at one of the “big five” publishing houses had a conversation with my agent about me. She asked if I might be interested in pitching a book to them. They liked what I’d been doing with the Book Boyfriend series, and were interested in something along those lines.

I thought, what the heck! Let’s see where this goes. So I came up with the concept for what eventually became this book. I outlined most of it, and wrote the first six or seven chapters.

The editor loved it, and they did offer me a book deal. As much as I liked the editor on a personal level, I had to look at it from a business standpoint. For various reasons, I wound up turning them down.

At the time, I was working on the first couple of Miles family books and in the planning stages of Bootleg Springs with Lucy Score. I already had a very full editorial calendar.

So Shepherd and Everly had to wait.

When I started looking at my calendar for this year, I really wanted to include this book. I’d worked on it a little more here and there because I just couldn’t help myself. These characters were speaking to me, and I wanted to dive into a book that was straight up sexy and fun.

I nudged things around, and squeezed it in. It’s made for a busy first half of the year, with some tight deadlines. But I’m SO glad I was finally able to finish this book.

Everly was such a fun character to explore. Sometimes characters who are very sweet or nice wind up being doormats. They’re too nice, and although that can make for a great character arc, I didn’t see Everly that way. She is a bright, sunshiney optimist, but she’s also tough. And let’s be honest, she’d have to be to handle Shepherd Calloway.

Shepherd was all about the layers. On the outside, he’s brusque and cold. He’s civil at best, and definitely not friendly.

But beneath that exterior, there’s a lot more to him. And I loved watching Everly peel those layers back and start to see the man on the inside.

I hope you enjoyed Shepherd and Everly’s story. I set out to write a book that was hot, fun, and would leave you with a big smile on your face.

And if you’re wondering about Hazel and Nora, yes I definitely plan to write books about each of them. You also got a peek at someone else you’ll see more of. Just saying.



Thanks for reading!

CK



P.S. Did you catch the Easter egg? If you’ve read the Miles Family series, you’ve seen Shepherd before. #hotbassplayer





Acknowledgments





A huge thank you to everyone who was a part of bringing this story to life.

To Elayne, my fabulous editor, for cleaning up the messy parts.

To Kari, for creating this gorgeous cover.

To my beta readers, Nikki and Jodi, for taking time out of your busy schedules to offer feedback.

To David, who once again gave me a fantastic concept to run with. (And for ALL the other things.) To my unicorn mermaid queen of a PA, Nikki, for keeping me from losing my mind. (That’s basically her job description).

And to all my readers for your love and support. Thank you! I love your faces!!