“Yes, that’s him,” Pepper said as she glanced up at Stone’s rugged, gorgeous face. Tall and muscular, if he were an actor, he would be cast as the action hero every time. “Aren’t I lucky?”
“Totally,” said the redhead.
Pepper could feel the rumble of laughter from Stone’s belly next to her shoulder.
“He’s a hero,” Pepper said. “He and Rafael are war heroes.”
“Wow,” breathed the redhead. “That’s supercool. I’m going to tell my brother that he might be able to marry a famous actress, too.”
When they were done with the autographs, Stone put a stop to it with one large hand in the air. “That’s enough for now. We have to go.” Her very own bodyguard and manager all wrapped into one. Soon, he would add husband to his description.
The girls looked crestfallen but politely stepped back to let them pass.
They called out a chorus of “thank yous” as the four of them walked down the Parisian sidewalk toward their hotel.
They were a block away when Lisa started laughing.
When Lisa laughed, Pepper always laughed. She couldn’t help herself, even though she had no idea what had struck Lisa’s funny bone. Hysteria, maybe?
“What’s so funny?” Stone asked.
“This whole thing’s weird to me,” Lisa said.
“Still?” Rafael asked.
“I don’t think I’ll ever get used to it,” Lisa said.
“I’m sorry it upsets you,” Pepper said.
“If you didn’t love it so much it would be a lot worse,” Lisa said.
Pepper giggled. “I do love being a star.”
“You were born a star, baby,” Stone said.
“I’m glad the world finally knows how amazing you are,” Lisa said. “And selfishly, now I can push you toward the hungry wolves.”
“I’ll always take the heat,” Pepper said. “It’s the least I can do since you got me the part that made me famous.”
“You’re a scene-stealer, you know that?” Lisa asked, obviously teasing.
“This from the Academy Award-nominated Lisa Perry,” Pepper said.
Lisa brushed that aside in her usual modest way. “I guess it was too much to hope for that we’d remain anonymous here in Paris. It felt like we were in LA back there.”
“That’s why we spend most of our time in Cliffside Bay,” Rafael said. “It keeps us sane.”
Stone took Pepper’s hand as they ambled through the streets toward their hotel. Tomorrow they would take a high-speed train to the Loire Valley. They’d rented out an entire château for their wedding. Her dream location. Her dream wedding dress. A groom who exceeded all logic. How a man like Stone Hickman wanted to marry her was a mystery.
“Oh, crap,” Lisa said as they approached the lobby of the hotel. “It’s my mother.”
“I thought we were meeting her later tonight?” Rafael said, sounding afraid, especially for a former Navy SEAL.
“She must have decided to surprise us.” Lisa slowed and came to a halt. “I haven’t seen her since our wedding last Christmas.”
Lisa’s parents had divorced shortly after her marriage to Rafael. Her mother had moved to Paris in an attempt to recapture her lost youth. Mr. Perry had moved in with Lisa’s twin brother in Cliffside Bay.
“You have us,” Pepper said. “She’ll be nice.”
