Page 418 of The Romance Adventure

“You are like a box of chocolates.”

“Just so you know, I like dark chocolate.” And I could go for some right now.

“I do know, and there happens to be some in that drawer. I picked up your favorite kind when I visited you in Europe.” He points.

“Thank you. But do you mean I’m like a box of treasure?”

“You’re even better.”

We kiss again and after CJ showers, he gives me the overview of what happened on the trip to and from Cloudbreak, along with everything in between.

“Your parents are okay?” I ask.

“They’ve been better, having been in captivity for so long. They’ve aged quite a bit, but they were treated decently enough, kept busy trying to find El Dorado, which is kind of their thing—treasure hunting, even if it was for a bad dude.”

“And what about him?” My heart sinks when I think about how horrible my father was and that he’d abducted CJ’s parents.

“He’s in custody. Captain J, too. Turns out Jerkovic convinced him to join forces. That didn’t turn out well because he was arrested, too. Thanks for calling in the brigade.” He winks.

“It was the least I could do. So, no more Dark Seas?”

“Thankfully, no.”

“The Pirate Defense League can finally rest easy.”

CJ tells me about the long conversations he had with his parents and brothers on the ride back to Coco Key. It was emotional, but he was thankful the six of them were able to reconnect before returning to civilization. The brothers agreed Emmie shouldn’t find out over the phone, so they’re hoping for her to attend Magnus & Lally’s wedding, but she’s busy, so it’s more likely she’ll be back for Christmas or New Year’s.

I learn that Von Dräger held Mr. and Mrs. McGregor hostage all those years under threat of his killing the rest of the family if they tried to escape. Turns out, he believed the Lost Crown of Tears was from El Dorado. With it and Mrs. McGregor’s connection to the Devil’s Charm, he banked on success in locating the city. Chip had Fernanda go into hiding because, as the heir to the crown, Jerkovic indicated an interest in her connection. He waited for her daughter to join the hunt and kidnapped her instead. Chip never forgave himself, which was why he left it up to the boys to make things right.

“It’s quite a story and should be made into a book or movie,” I say.

“Emmie is working on that. Chip made sure of it.”

“Any other outstanding details I should know about before I—?” A yawn escapes.

“I’m sure a few will come to me. But for now, we should probably go to sleep. Everyone will want to debrief tomorrow.”

I know he refers to our respective agencies and likely his family, too.

Snuggling under the covers, CJ asks, “Is there anything you want to tell me?”

“I love you,” I whisper. “And we’re having a baby.”

He hugs me closer and says, “I love you, too and I thought there was a bun in the oven.”

That’s what I get for marrying a spy. He knows everything. I giggle and drift into a sweet sleep.

Epilogue

Only a week has passed since Emmanuella and Colin were rescued from Von Dräger. They resume normal life easily. It’s like they were merely on an extended vacation.

I’m still sitting with some shame about my father’s identity and his relation to the McGregor family, but I’m glad Von Dräger didn’t mistreat them too much.

I’ve seen abduction situations far worse than the one they described. Also, despite well over a decade of exploration, they didn’t make much progress on discovering El Dorado, or so they say.

Once IEA operations clean up the site near Cloudbreak, the husband-and-wife team said they’d like to go back and do some unfettered exploring.

Mrs. McGregor is proud of her sons for their successes and for settling down. She likes the ladies as well. But, like me, she has a bit of a restless spirit. More Lara Croft and less Betty Crocker. She and I got close fast and in some ways, I feel like she’s the mother I never had. For that, I’m immensely grateful.