Page 419 of The Romance Adventure

In the days after I told CJ about the baby, I’d never seen someone look so ecstatic. He hasn’t stopped grinning, and every time he looks at me, his eyes beam with big love hearts.

We walk back to town from Lally and Magnus’s rehearsal dinner to pick up his Jeep. We left it here because Royal made a big fuss about not wanting the mud-covered thing on the Driftwood property.

At the dinner, Mr. McGregor gave a moving toast, voicing regret at missing so many years of his sons’ lives, but never lost hope that he’d someday get home...and a week before Thanksgiving and his oldest boy’s wedding. He said it was an immense blessing.

I’m counting mine all the way from here to forever.

Swinging our arms between us as night snatches the last remains of the twilight shadows, CJ says, “Want to do some normal couple things like⁠—”

“Like what your brothers and their wives do?”

“Yeah,” he says vaguely, though from the question in his voice, I can tell he’s struggling to fill in the blank.

“Um, I think they do stuff like, um, ride bikes on the trail. Lally said she and Magnus did that recently.”

“Sounds fun. We could take a couples cooking class.”

“That sounds delicious. Count me in. What about watching live music and dancing?”

He slings his arm across my shoulders. “See? This is but one reason I love you. We can figure stuff out. I think we’ll get the hang of this.”

I tip my head up and catch his sea breeze scent. “I think the romance gambit is coming to an end and the real relationship is just beginning.”

“Speaking of that, are you thinking about retiring or continuing to work...maybe together?” CJ asks.

The breath I take reaches deep into my lungs. “I’ve been reflecting on these last months. Originally, it was a case, but then it became personal when I realized the guy I was going after was my father. I swore revenge. Then I got pulled into the treasure hunt with you. Funny thing, I found a family.”

Ever perceptive, CJ must sense where I’m going with this. “I kind of liked that you were an international woman of mystery.”

“And I thought it was cool that you were a deep diver and surfer.”

Squeezing my hand, he says, “What if we captain a ship and offer charters for treasure divers?”

“That’s an idea.” Before we make any big decisions, there is someone on the way that’ll factor into our future.

“Life might get boring without missions and adventures,” he says absently.

I pause by the dock as the moonlight dances on the water. Live music filters from the Plundering Pelican. Even though we’re in a different country and this is a different setting, the light, sounds, and smell of the air remind me of when we met. “Our next great adventure will be to have a family.”

His face brightens, and he rubs his hand in small circles on my belly. “The treasure is right here.”

“By the way, we can never tell the kids that I worked for the IEA.”

“Deal. And you’ll keep to yourself that I was an officer at the IIA.”

This time, it’s my turn to be surprised. “CJ, you worked for the International Intelligence Agency?”

“You didn’t hear me say anything.”

That’s the top-level and most clandestine agency in the world. The IEA is a big deal, but the IIA is renowned for its supreme secrecy and effectiveness.

“I’ve been so deep undercover that I’ve kind of plotted my own course, yet the agency has owned me. Those days are over. I’m yours now.”

We share another kiss, this one sealing our future.

The next day, we go to Thanksgiving dinner, which is also Lally and Magnus’s wedding. I wear a silky dress in a rusty shade like autumn leaves. Standing with the other bridesmaids at the front of the small stone church in town, I finally feel like a real member of the family—a family that’s been made whole again. Though Emmie isn’t here. I hope she and I grow close just like I’ve done with all the brothers’ wives.

It’s Magnus and Lally’s special day, but it’ll go down in my life as one of my best ones. Oh, and by the way, she looks gorgeous in a fitted crochet gown that has a vintage-bohemian vibe and fits her like a glove. All other sisters-in-law do too in their various stages of pregnancy. This is just the beginning of us growing this crazy family.