“Sydney,” Carolyn asked, her voice cautious. “Daniel?”
Syd nodded, “He’s fine. In fact, no, I think I’ll let him tell it.”
Viv almost fell to her knees and sobbed. He was going to be fine. He was fine. He was alive. Carolyn hugged her and she didn’t hesitate to hug her back wholeheartedly. Even though she’d only known Carolyn this short time, she felt close to Daniel’s mother in a way that only a shared almost-tragedy could achieve.
The truck moved slowly toward the terminal, too slow for Viv. She wanted to race down the stairs and into his arms. She wanted to shower him with kisses and tell him how sorry she was and beg him to forgive her.
The truck stopped. Even on tiptoes Viv couldn’t see what was happening, but Mac and Sydney, accompanied by the police, went down the stairs. With each clap of lightning, she got a shutter-shot view of what was happening.
When she spotted Daniel ascending the stairs, her heart nearly stopped beating. Mac was behind him, while Sydney was still outside. Carolyn raced to her son and hugged him, crying. Daniel was limping, and his arm was in a makeshift sling.
But she hung back, not sure what to do, watching while Mac hugged him and seeing that Mac, too, had tears on his face.
“I need to make sure they’re all right,” Daniel was insisting, and Viv understood he was talking about the rest of the people who’d been on the plane. She could see through the sheets of rain that more people were being helped from the truck. One was on a stretcher.
“He saved them all,” a voice beside her said. It was one of the police who had been helping with the search. “Except for the pilot, who died probably upon impact, he kept them alive until help could arrive.”
For a moment Vivienne thought her heart would explode. In the middle of one of the worst things a person could experience, Daniel had pulled it together and saved lives.
Of course he had. He was a good person. In fact, he was the best person she knew.
And she’d thrown him away like a used tissue. Shame flooded her. For a moment, she seriously considered leaving quietly. But then Mac said something to Daniel as the last of the survivors was helped out of the truck and into the terminal, and Daniel turned around and saw her standing several yards away, tears streaming down her face.
He limped toward her and she said, “I’m so glad you’re okay,” and then the floodgates opened and she cried harder. Daniel raced to her, hugging her with his one good arm, his face buried in her neck.
“You’re here,” he said, sounding amazed.
“Your father let me tag along. And Daniel, I’m so sorry. I was so wrong about him, and about everything. I was trying to call—”
“You were all I could think about,” he whispered, and then he pulled back, grinned, and kissed her.
Her heart lit up and her entire body joined the party when she felt his lips on hers and his body pressed to her. He was wet and dirty, and she didn’t care. Nothing mattered except this man in her arms.
“Daniel, I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry,” she apologized again, feeling like she owed him that and much more.
He pulled back from his kiss.
She kept talking, remorse and shame and delight sending words and thoughts tumbling out of her. “I was so cruel to you and to your father, and I—”
He raised a finger and pressed it to her lips. “None of that matters. All that matters is you’re here, and I’m here, and I never want to be without you again.”
He kissed her again. And a deep knowing suffused every cell.
Forever.
This was forever.
EPILOGUE
Once Daniel was settled with the local police giving them a statement, Mac and Sydney crossed the hangar to make sure the soaked, bedraggled, and clearly exhausted local and CIA rescuers had everything they needed. While Mac moved through the group, introducing himself to every person and giving them his personal thanks, Sydney used her satellite phone to call local and international connections and arranged food, shelter, dry clothes, and warm beds for every one of them.
By the time that he and Sydney were sure the rescuers were well taken care of and returned to the row of worn chairs near the gate, the local police were wrapping up their interview with Daniel.
“I thank you for your additional assistance, Dr. Daniel,” the officer said as he snapped his notepad shut. “And for your heroic actions after the crash, and your many kindnesses to our people.” He nodded in Mac’s direction. “I believe your father wishes to leave now.”
Daniel stood and shook the police officer’s hand. “Thank you, and please let me know if you need anything else.”
Then he walked over to Vivienne and his mother, took Vivienne’s hand, wrapped his other arm across his mother’s shoulders, and said, “Let’s go home.”
Once in the car Mac reached for Sydney’s hand and squeezed it. She looked over at him and kissed his cheek. Mac leaned into her and watched Vivienne call her brother and Kate to let them know Daniel was safe and sound.
Daniel’s eyes never left her.
Mac could see it, how much his son loved that girl, and he squeezed Syd’s hand harder. He knew exactly how his boy felt.
. . . .
“Dad,” Daniel said once they were onboard the elaborate jet, his expression a mix of euphoria and exhaustion, “thank you.” He said it with such heartfelt intensity that Mac could feel his eyes start to burn. Damn it, he’d held it together for two days. He’d held it together for Carolyn because he needed to stay focused to find their son. But here, on the plane, their mission accomplished, the tension and intensity melted away, and he pulled his son to him and hugged him tight.
Neither spoke a word, and neither needed to.
Viv watched the two men embrace and felt whole chunks of her world shift and adjust until a new picture emerged.
Mac stepped back, cleared his throat, and rested his hand on Daniel’s shoulder. “Why don’t you and Vivienne take the bedroom? There’s a shower, and you are both probably exhausted.”
It felt utterly natural and right when Viv released Daniel’s hand and threw her arms around Mac.
“I’m so sorry,” she whispered, “and thank you.”
Mac’s embrace tightened and he murmured, “It’s all in the past now, Vivienne. Just promise me something.”
Viv leaned back to look at him and Mac said, “Enjoy every moment together.”
“I will,” she said in a soft, wet voice.
“Now go, both of you. It’s time to get going, and we should have everyone home in no time.”
Viv stepped back, squeezed Carolyn’s hand, and then followed Daniel to the pair of seats awaiting them.
Without saying a word, they buckled their seatbelts and held hands as the plane took off.
“Daniel, I…” Vivienne began as the plane left the ground. Daniel unfastened himself to lean over and kiss her.
“First a shower,” he said. “I’ll be just a minute.”
Vivienne followed him into the bedroom suite and listened to the shower run while she opened the little bar and was delighted to find a bottle of Pinot Grigio. After pouring two glasses, she took a sip of hers just as he emerged freshly washed, hair damp, wearing the T-shirt and jeans Mac had packed for him.
“Let’s lie down,” he said, extending his hand to her, and he collapsed onto the bed like a puppet with its strings cut the moment they clasped hands.
She lay down beside him, snuggling closer when he tugged on her hand.
“Let me just look at you,” he whispered, stroking her hair. Viv closed her eyes to concentrate on the wonder of his touch.
“So you and my dad made up,” he murmured.
She nodded, her eyes fluttering open. “It wasn’t hard. I mean, I just needed to grow up. I’m so sorry.”
He pushed a strand of red hair off of her face. “Don’t. Let’s not go there, okay? It’s over, and now all I want to do is love you.” He leaned in and kissed her.
He had the most b
eautiful mouth, and he seemed to know just how to kiss her—gentle and soft, or urgent and hard. No matter what, it made her insides curl and squeeze and light up in beautiful shades of pink, purple, and red. This kiss was long and slow and lovely, his mouth moving over hers, his hands sliding down to her hips to pull her against him, and his stubble scraping gently. His tongue touched hers, and she felt her insides heat up. She knew he was too tired to do anything else, but this—being able to kiss him, feeling him close to her—was more than she ever thought she’d have again.
When he pulled back, she smiled into his eyes and said, “Marry me.”
No preamble, no long speech about how perfect they were together, just the words.
He blinked. “Vivienne, are you proposing? Seriously?”
“I’ve never been more serious in my life. And I’d like a yes.”
Giving him a quick, smacking kiss, she continued. “Even before I knew your plane went down I’d realized what an idiot I was. Then when I heard you were missing, I thought this must be God’s way of punishing me again. A continuation of the story of my life: Just a series of losses. First my parents,” she paused and took a deep breath that reached all the way to her toes, “and then you. And I promised myself if I ever got you back and if I could ever convince you to trust me again, I was never, ever going to let you go.”
His eyes sparkling, his face alight, he pulled her hands up to his lips and kissed them.
“I want to marry you, and make babies with you, and love you for the rest of my life,” she said, feeling the tears spill over and track down her cheeks.
“I do, too. In fact,” he added with a smile, “I’ve never wanted anything more in my life.”
“So that’s a yes?” Only after she heard her voice wobble did she pause long enough to notice she was still very nervous. What if he changed his mind? She wouldn’t blame him, after all. She’d been a basket case, she’d kicked him out of her life twice, and she had insulted his father.
“Stop it,” Daniel tipped up her chin.
“Stop what?” Vivienne asked.
“Stop overthinking it. I can see the wheels of your mind cranking at top speed. As my dad said, it’s all behind us now. And yes.”
She blinked, “Yes?”
“Yes, Vivienne Lavigne, I will marry you.”
He kissed her, soft and tender and with more love than she’d ever felt in her entire life.
“When?” she asked against his mouth.
“How about as soon as we get home?”
She nodded, “I’d love it! Almost as much as I love you.”
thank you for reading!
Dear Reader,
I hope you enjoyed Loving Vivienne: The Publicist Book 6. It’s hard to believe that there are so many books in this series, especially since I’d only planned to write one! But it’s because of you – my awesome reader – that I kept writing. You encouraged me, you gave me feedback, and most of all – you asked for more. As an author, I love feedback. So, tell me what you liked, what you loved, even what you hated. I’d love to hear from you. You can write me at [email protected] and visit me on the web at www.thepublicistnovel.com.
Finally, I need to ask a favor. If you’re so inclined, I’d love a review of Loving Vivienne. Loved it, hated it - I’d just enjoy your feedback. As you may have gleaned from my previous books, reviews can be tough to come by these days. You, the reader, has the power now to make or break a book. If you have the time, here’s a link to the book on Amazon: http://bit.ly/LovingVivienne
And if this is your first time reading The Publicist series, thank you! You can also grab books 1-5 via the link above.
I have a VIP group, for fans of this series who want to get early access to all the book, free reading copies and prizes (Amazon gift cards!!) You can find the group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/CGVipgroup/
Thank you so much for reading Loving Vivienne and for spending time with me.
In gratitude,
Christina George
Loving Vivienne: The Publicist, Book Six Page 14