by Duke, Regina
He opened the front door.
Eyes wide and mouth open, Darcy saw a red carpet leading to a limousine, cameras, lights, and film crew all waiting for her. “Tony! How…? What…?”
Tony beamed. “My godmother—” He winked at Lulamae.“—told me once that the only real purpose of money in this life is to make people happy. She said that one day, I would meet someone who would light that fire in me, and then I’d want nothing more than to grant her wishes. And she was right. I love you, Darcy. And I’m going to help you achieve your dreams. And of course, do everything I can to convince you to be my wife.”
Darcy emitted a yelp of joyful surprise and threw her arms around his neck. “I love you, too,” she said. Then, commonsensical as always, she asked, “Where are we going in that limo?”
“We’re going to a film studio, and these wonderful professionals out here have promised to put your face and name in front of the entire country. And they’re already filming, so how about a hug?”
Darcy covered her mouth and jumped up and down. “Oh my God! Lulamae? Did you know about this?”
Lulamae smiled. “I was only sure that Tony would come for you. The rest is as big a surprise to me as it is to you.”
Tony took Darcy’s hand and secured it in the crook of his elbow. Then, they walked the length of the red carpet together while the film crew did their job. And then they walked it again, because the lighting wasn’t quite right. And then they walked it a third time because someone hit the wrong button on their camera. Tony finally raised his hands in the air and announced, “You guys are ruining my romantic moment!” But he wasn’t really angry. He said to Darcy, “Producers have to get things just right.”
Darcy said, “No, dear, that’s the director’s job.”
A young woman rushed forward to open the limousine door as Tony asked Darcy, “Can I be both?”
Darcy wrapped her arms around his neck and tilted her head just right for the cameras. “This is where you kiss me passionately,” she whispered.
Tony obliged.
EPILOGUE
Six months later…
Darcy rested her elbows on the balcony railing of their luxury home on the west side of Thor Garrison’s gated community and stared off at the mountains. Her peignoir was too thin for the cold October morning and she shivered. Tony came up behind her and slipped his arms around her waist, pressing the warmth of this body against her own. “You’re going to freeze out here, Mrs. Garrison,” he murmured.
Darcy leaned against him, then turned around to let herself be wrapped up in a kiss. When it ended, she said, “I love when you call me that. And I really love it here. Surprising that the small town girl with big dreams ended up in a different small town. But skiing is only two hours away, over in Gunnison, and you have family here. It’s perfect.”
“Even though your mother is putting lots of miles on her new BMW?”
Darcy grinned. “Don’t worry, she’ll settle down. She has that alpaca herd to take care of now. Thanks for setting her up like that.”
“No problem. I used to be embarrassed about how rich my family is, but now I don’t have to be. I’m supporting my wife’s family. And I’m promoting my wife’s career. For the first time in my life, I love being rich.”
“Yes, and I have a feeling Lysette is also glad about that. The look on her face when you told her she could appear in our promotional videos? I’ll never forget that. I’m so glad, for her sake. She was devastated.”
Tony nodded somberly. “I know. It’s okay. I was feeling kind of sorry for her, too.”
“You’re right, I’m freezing. Let’s go inside. I want to know more about the script you found for us. And how are we going to actually make this movie? The buzz our promotional efforts created in Hollywood has brought in a few offers, but I want to do this with my husband.” She dropped her gaze to the floor. “I’m sorry. It feels so wrong for me to complain when I just hit the jackpot in life. I’ve fallen in love with a man who is handsome and kind and funny and rich, rich, rich. Did I mention that you’re rich?”
Tony laughed. “Yeah, I’ve heard you say that once or twice. Just this morning, in fact.”
“It’s true. Most women would say, ‘Oh my God, I’m set for life. I guess there’s nothing more for me to do except work with charities’ or, you know, something like that. Am I supposed to spend my life giving your money away? That was definitely the feeling I got from Lulamae.”
“Well,” said Tony, “I don’t mind if you give a little bit away to certain charities. I do think, however, that before you give the majority of my fortune away as donations and scholarships, I’d like to spend a huge chunk of it on your future. You could make a lot of films with the right budget.”
“But I need to do good works if I’m going to spend my life as your wife, with the millions you have in the bank—”
“Billions,” corrected Tony.
Darcy spread her hands. “That’s even worse.”
Tony laughed. “I do believe that you’re the only woman I’ve ever known who has actually had that thought.”
“It’s just… I’m not used to being around that much money. Like our beautiful home. I’m still stunned that you simply wrote your cousin a check for the whole amount at once. I’m not used to knowing that everything is going to be okay. I’m used to scrabbling from day to day. Learning new skills all the time. Trying to make a living with whatever I was born with.”
“I like that about you,” said Tony. “I like that very much.” His voice grew tender, and once again he embraced her gently. “But before you decide how to donate all my money to others, you might want to come in here with me and see what I’m giving you for a wedding gift.”
“You’re giving me a gift on top of our wedding? On top of making me rich and famous? Between the television air time and the morning show interviews and the social media blitz, I just don’t know what to do or say. I didn’t get you anything.”
Tony laughed with delight and hugged her. “Oh, you silly girl, you’ve given me yourself. You’ve given me everything, including purpose. You’re all I want, and it’s vital that you be happy with the life we’re going to lead, so come inside and I’ll show you your wedding gift.”
Darcy wasn’t sure how to react. She was already feeling more spoiled than she was comfortable with, and she didn’t know if she should play along or perhaps refuse the gift. She was having a hard time dealing with all that money… or rather, with the knowledge that all that money existed in an account with Tony’s name on it. And now she was Mrs. Tony.
Trying to think of something to say that would not sound ungrateful, Darcy followed Tony to the built-in bar where his laptop sat. “Here we go,” he said, tapping a few keys.
“What’s this?” asked Darcy. “Why are we looking at a website?”
“Take a peek,” said Tony. “You’ve been checking this entertainment news site every day for months. Don’t tell me you’ve lost interest in it?”
“Oh, I wouldn’t say that,” said Darcy, half afraid to admit that when he was asleep, she was checking the website on her phone, tracking the progress of the huge campaign Tony had put in motion. But she hadn’t had a chance for the last couple of days. Besides she thought, since they’d just returned from their dream honeymoon in Ireland, the least she could do was look at the website.
“Go on,” said Tony. “Take a look.”
Heaving a pretend sigh of martyrdom, she leaned forward and began reading the screen. “What am I looking for?” she asked.
Tony chuckled. “You’ll know it when you see it.”
Curiouser and curiouser. Darcy scrolled down slowly, trying to catch every tiny box of news on the screen. She read one headline too quickly, almost skipping past it. Then she stopped, not willing to believe her own eyes. She moved back up the screen and her mouth fell open. “Tony! You didn’t!”
Tony was full of himself and very pleased. “You like your gift?”
“Oh Tony, this
is amazing.” She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him all over his face. “But living in Eagle’s Toe, that’s a long commute, isn’t it? I mean, what am I supposed to say? What do we do?”
Tony pulled her around to face him and smoothed her cheeks with the palms of his hands. “We make it work. I swear to God, you are the most beautiful woman on the planet. And if your lifelong dream is to become a movie star, then I want you to pursue that dream. And considering what happened to you during your last trip to Hollywood, it occurred to me that there might be a way to make your path a little easier.”
Darcy held him tight. “I don’t know if I deserve all of this,” she said. She turned in his arms so she could look at the screen again and read the little box of news out loud, amazed by every word. “FXGate Studios has been purchased by billionaire Anthony Garrison in a surprise move that set Hollywood heads spinning. Mr. Garrison announced through a spokesperson that he would be renaming the studio to reflect the goals and objectives of his new CEO, actress Darcy Summerlin.”
Tony murmured, “I hope it’s all right that I used your maiden name. Since this dream has consumed your mother as well, I thought she might get a kick out of seeing your name up there on every movie that we make or produce…or you star in. What do you think?”
Darcy felt tears welling up and pulled one of his hands to her lips. She kissed the knuckles and then teasingly bit one. She could not let go of him. “What do I think? I think I’m the luckiest woman on Earth.”
“Just on Earth? What if we find life on other planets? Can’t you be the luckiest woman in the galaxy?”
Darcy gave him a look, but the twinkle in her eyes took the edge off. “That’s just like a billionaire,” she teased. “Never satisfied. I guess you’ll just have to buy me another studio if NASA finds life on other planets. How’s that?”
Tony stroked her hair and tilted her face for a kiss. Before their lips met, he murmured, “Maybe we should make a charitable donation to the space program.”
Darcy didn’t know what to say, but that was all right because his lips claimed hers and she couldn’t talk anyway. Her heart swelled with happiness, and she let herself melt into her husband’s arms.
When the kiss ended, she said, “I already have a title for our first movie.”
“Oh yeah?”
She lifted a hand as if framing a marquee. “Summerlin Studios presents: Happily Ever After.”
Other Books by Regina Duke
The Wedding Wager (Colorado Billionaires, 1)
The Wedding Hope (Colorado Billionaires, 2)
The Wedding Venture (Colorado Billionaires, 3)
The Wedding Belle (Colorado Billionaires, 4)
The Wedding Guest (Colorado Billionaires, 5)
The Wedding Toast (Colorado Billionaires, 6)
The Wedding Gift (Colorado Billionaires, 7)
The Wedding Deal (Colorado Billionaires, 8)
Colorado Billionaires Boxed Set (Contains novels 1, 2, and 3)
Colorado Billionaires Boxed Set (Contains novels 4, 5, and 6)
Colorado Billionaires 8 Novellas (Contains: Sunny’s Christmas, Krystal’s Christmas, Christmas Angel, Love Again, Twice the Joy, Jingle Bell Magic, Jingle Bell Wedding, Jingle Bell Romance)
Colorado Billionaires Christmas 2014 (Sunny’s Christmas, Krystal’s Christmas, Christmas Angel)
Colorado Billionaires Christmas 2015 (Jingle Bell Magic, Jingle Bell Wedding, Jingle Bell Romance)
Love on the Lazy B: Love Again, Twice the Joy (Two Colorado Billionaires Stories)
My Vampire Wedding
Self-Help for Writers: Being Your Own Cheerleader
Trickster and Other Stories
Loving the Sensitive Dog
And from Lovers Lane Romance
North Rim Delight (Silver State Romance, 1)
The Woof in the Wedding Plans (Silver State Romance, 2)
Calin's Cowboy (Silver State Romance, 3)
Silver State Romance Boxed Set (Contains novels 1, 2, and 3)
If you enjoy Regina Duke’s books, you will love Sandra Edwards’ romances.
About Regina Duke
USA TODAY Bestselling Author Regina Duke writes sweet romance, cozy mystery, and paranormal. She lives in the High Desert with her three dogs, and when she’s not writing she’s playing the piano and enjoying her friends. For more info on Regina’s books, visit her websites: ReginaDuke.com (fiction) and LindaLouWrites.com (non-fiction).
Visit the author at her author page http://www.amazon.com/Regina-Duke/e/B005KB08YM or email her at [email protected].