Suddenly the door bursts open, and a shockingly handsome man in a pirate-style shirt and a cape enters, gently leading a petite brunette in a laced-up corset over a velvet gown.
There’s a bit of screaming going on outside the door. The security guard that we hired for the event is earning his keep. I have to wonder who the crowd is really here to see, him or me.
“Marco is here!” the man tosses back his long curly hair.
“And Paula is here, too!” the woman beside him announces.
I rush to hug them both and introduce them to Blaze and Emily. And then we all admire the cover of the final book ofThe Mystic Matchmakerseries which features Marco, front, center, and shirtless on the cover.
“Now this is a bestseller!” Marco exclaims, tapping the book emphatically and admiring the image of himself.
“Fourth week in a row at the top of the charts,” I smile with pride.
“Marco tells you, I make the books sell!”
“Where’s Jackson?” Paula asks, tilting her head as if she’s listening for him. She’s so perceptive that it’s easy to forget how little she can see. “Isn’t he here?”
“He was supposed to be here an hour ago,” I sigh. “He went to pick up his sister at the airport but her flight must have been delayed. He texted us a while ago that they were running late. He’d better get here soon. He’s bringing the coffee and pastries!”
“Oh, no!” Paula frowns worriedly. “I hope that they get here soon.” Then she smiles. “Jackson is good at the dramatic last-minute arrivals.”
“I’m sure he’ll be here soon,” Emily assures everyone. “I’m just going to finish getting everything set up while we wait. How many books did you want on the table?” she asks me. “Nice costumes, by the way,” she admires Marco and Paula’s outfits.
“Thank you,” Paula beams. “I made them myself. A love for cosplay is just one of the many things Marco and I have in common. I am so grateful to Isla and Jackson for bringing us together.”
“It was fate,” I say.
If you’d asked me whether the two of them would stay together when we left the island, I would have given them fifty-fifty odds. Not that I doubted Marco’s affection for Paula. I just questioned whether it would stick. He’s notoriously fickle.
But the two have not left each other’s side for a moment since we left the Peaches Resort. After introducing Paula to his family, Marco proposed.
“I’m here, I’m here!” The bell on the door announces Jackson, followed by Chelsea and – much to my surprise – Alexis and then a pretty jet-haired petite woman in a fabulous furry coat. She has an infant swaddled in a front carrier. She looks tired but happy to be here.
“Oh my God! Georgia! I can’t believe you’re here with little Joanie!” Emily rushes to take the baby.
“What’s going on?” I ask, utterly gobsmacked to see the wholeLit Loverscrew and then some, suddenly assembled on my turf. “When did you all get here?”
“She’s surprised!” Alexis cheers. “I knew we could do it!” She high-fives Emily and introduces me to Georgia who has her hands full with the fussing baby.
“Owen, Hudson, and Dean should be here any minute with the coffee. I can’t wait for you to meet Dean and Hudson!” Jackson is practically bouncing.
“I’ve heard so much about them that they already feel like family,” I smile.
“Let Auntie Em do her thing, Georgia. Hand that baby over here!” Emily, who is unfazed by the infant’s fussing and takes the baby from her.
“Do you know how hard it was to surprise you?” Jackson takes his coat off and wraps his arms around me. His body is still warm from the wool overcoat, and I lean into his sunny glow. “It doesn’t take much to pull the wool over my eyes, but you’re another story. The lengths these people went to!”
“How long have you all been planning this?” I ask. I am dumbfounded, too. It’s not like me to be this blindsided. I usually get a feeling, but this time – nothing. “Seriously, Jackson, you must have known if you planned it?”
“That’s just it! I didn’t plan a thing,” Jackson exclaims, releasing me. “I had no idea who else I was picking up at the airport besides Chelsea. That’s why it took so long. We had to figure out all the cars.”
“Your face when we all got off the flight!” Chelsea laughs. “That alone is worth the jet lag. Not that it’s too bad. We had those lay flat seats in business class. I slept like a baby!”
I turn to Emily, who is now bouncing the baby and cooing at her. Blaze has also come over to greet everyone. Upon seeing him, Marco drops the stack of books emblazoned with his image that he was hauling to the signing tables. He rushes straight over to give Blaze a huge bear hug.
“Dottore Amore!” he addresses Blaze by the nickname the Italian press has for him. “You must meet my bella amore, Paula!”
Once the intros are over, I raise an eyebrow at Emily. “Surely you knew about this?”
