Forever Hers
Page 33
“Did you get to visit the general?” Jade asked.
The general was Jade’s husband’s relative on Saint-Noel. “He gave us an amazing guide who took us to the best waters for scuba-diving, beaches off the tourist grid and the best restaurants and clubs in town. We used his sailboat, which was an adventure in itself.” Amy glanced around at the three women, “Thank you guys for the launch party and for taking care of Raelynn while we were gone. I know she can be a handful.”
“No, she was a joy and good for Ella,” Ashley said. “My daughter, if you haven’t noticed, tends to be bossy. She and Raelynn knocked heads a few times, but they always made up. They’re best friends now. Look at them.”
Ella, Raelynn and Jade’s twins, Siobhan and Sean, were splashing in the kiddie pool a few feet from the men’s table, where Eddie, Lex, Baron, Chase, Vaughn, Ron and Ken lounged while sipping beer. The older generation sat a few tables away and the younger ones—teens to early twenties—were in the big pool. The Fitzgeralds were big on Sunday picnics and today was no exception. Amy had met Aunt Viv, the matriarch of the family, at her first Sunday picnic. Scary woman. She’d grilled Amy about her background, until she learned that Amy’s parents were professors. Apparently, educators ranked high in Aunt Viv’s acceptable careers. She had been very cordial to her parents when they came for Amy and Eddie’s engagement party. But the best surprise was the way her mother had clicked with Iona, Eddie’s mother. Because of that, the wedding had gone very smoothly. Eddie was still on the fence when it came to her parents though.
“Daddy…Daddy, watch me,” Raelynn called out and waited until Eddie looked at her, then she threw a toy shark under the water and dived for it. She jumped up and waved the toy. “How many seconds was that, Daddy?”
“Ten seconds, Princess,” Eddie fibbed, clapping. “Way to go.”
The other men joined him. Not to be outdone, Ella waved her toy dolphin.
“Look, Daddy. I’m going to go under for ten seconds too.” When she jumped out of the water, she received accolades from all the men too.
Sean and Siobhan had to show off too. Amy traded another smile with Eddie. As soon as he’d slipped an engagement ring on her finger, Raelynn had claimed him as her daddy, and her daughter never once mentioned Nolan or the past.
“Can we discuss the party now,” Faith asked, giving Ashley a pointed look.
Ashley made a face. “Fine, Miss Anal.”
“Someone has to stay on top of things,” Faith retorted. “That is Ms. Perfectionist to you, Miss Bossy.”
Ashley stuck her tongue out at her. Faith ignored her and placed the electronic planner in front of Amy. “I’ll be quick. While you were gone, I got a call from Aunt Iona’s marketing people. They took over the promotion of the tour and want to meet with you tomorrow. For the release party, we,” she indicated the others, “sent invitations to all our friends and coworkers, so plan on reading to a large crowd. Aunt Iona will be at the local bookstore on Saturday to offer support and so will we.”
“Vaughn will be there too,” Jade added.
“Thanks, Jade. Yeah, Vaughn too. We’ll need to sit down later in the week and go over everything. Maybe after you meet with Aunt Iona’s people,” Faith added.
“Is Faith giving you a hard time?” Eddie asked from behind Amy, surprising her.
Amy glanced up just as he lowered his head. He took his time kissing her then added when he eased off the kiss, “I love you.”
Whistles and applause erupted from the guys’ table.
“Told you he’d do it,” Ken said, his voice carrying.
“Okay, he’s a changed man alright,” Chase added.
“Was kissing me a bet?” Amy asked, grabbing Eddie’s hand.
“No, baby. I came to get you. Come sit with me.”
Within minutes, tables were joined on the patio near the playpen and everyone sat next to their spouse. Amy leaned against her husband’s shoulder and listened to the conversation around the table. Chase winked at her from across the table. She grinned. He was such a flirt. He had been disappointed that she hadn’t accepted his offer, but he’d found someone; a shy, quiet woman who made the most mouthwatering tofu dishes.
Amy’s thoughts went back to her book tour. The current tour was across the state of California, but when her next book was released, she planned to go across the country with her husband’s full support. In fact, he was the one who’d suggested it. How had Eddie put it? “I’ll be able to travel with you and Raelynn.”
Eddie was full of surprises. The good kind. She hadn’t known he planned to retire from the police force in a few years or that he would inherit some money and use part of it to jumpstart a custom motorcycle business with his cousin Lex. She was living her dream as an author, wife and mother. And he was starting his, creating one-of-a-kind motorcycles. Life couldn’t be sweeter.