Epilogue
Two years later
"It's on! It's on!" Fiona yelled up the stairs. Job done, she settled in front of the TV, in prime position to see all the action.
Today was a red-letter day for her. She'd gotten into the university of her choice to study archaeology. She was going on a date tonight with a boy she liked. Her baby brother, Tristan, had babbled his first word. And Cameron and Emilia were going to be on TV! On a real red carpet!
She looked up as the lounge filled with people: her own family, Cassidy, Nathan and the baby, Tristan. Then two people Fiona considered Aunts, Claire and Roxanne. Claire's husband Will, was here too, declining an invitation to the premiere, which confused Fiona a bit. Who wouldn't want to hang out with all those stars?
Finally another man came into the room. Fiona recognised him as Noah, Roxanne's steady boyfriend. They lived together now, in a gorgeous apartment near Central Park. If Cassidy was to be believed, they were making tentative noises about marriage.
"Where's Ava?" Fiona asked. She loved playing with Will and Claire's tiny daughter, now just over two years old.
"She's sleeping," Claire answered, and turned to her husband. "I can't wait to hear them say the name of your film."
v-v-v-v-v
Emilia had never seen so many cameras in her life. The flashes of them were like bursts of sunlight. And all the shouting! How did anyone stand it?
She stepped back a moment. The movie theatre of Leicester Square, London, had its frontage all but covered in life size images of her husband, Cameron Bailey, and his co-stars, Anne Hathaway and Orlando Bloom.
Her gaze trailed down the red carpet to where the camera flashes were concentrated.
The three actors stood together, posing for premiere pictures and smiling at each other. Emilia drank in the sight of her husband, looking picture-perfect in a tuxedo. He was clean shaven and the well-fitted lines of the suit did nothing to disguise the firm lines of his lithe body.
Will's script had been a success. Emilia could hardly believe that what she'd read a precarious draft of two years ago was now a bona-fide blockbuster. With huge Hollywood stars, no less.
And she had a feeling that this was only the beginning of what might well become a stellar career for Cameron.
His career wasn't the only one that was shooting for the stars. The cable channel, Hallmark, had picked up one of Emilia's novels. She was in negotiations to sell it to them as a mini-series.
Then all thoughts of her book drifted away when her husband caught her eye, and grinned wickedly.
She couldn't stop looking at him. The casting people had made a good choice, picking Orlando Bloom as his on-scene brother. The two could have been related, but for their smiles: Orlando looked as if his earnest smile was saying, "take me home, I'll be a hit with your mother," whereas Cameron's dark, seductive smile said, "sneak out with me, your mother will never know."
A wave of love swept over her as Cameron broke off from his co-stars and walked towards her. Of course, the snapping cameras followed.
"Are you all right, Mrs Bailey?" he asked.
Emilia grinned. They'd only been married three months, and calling each other "Mr" and "Mrs" was still a lot of fun.
"I am, thank you, Mr Bailey. This is certainly an education."
Cameron's gaze travelled lazily down her figure. She wore a beautiful rose-red dress, salsa-style, that flared out above her knees. "You look beautiful."
Emilia shielded her eyes from the sun as she looked at him. "I believe that's the fiftieth time you've said that to me. Don't you ever tire of saying it?" she teased.
"No, because it's always true." Not caring about the fans and photographers around, he pulled her close and kissed her.
When he drew back, Emilia slapped his chest playfully. "People are watching!" she chided him, but she was grinning. She had the look of a well-loved woman.
"No, they aren't." Cameron assured her. "They're all here for Orlando."
Emilia laughed, and cuddled close to her husband. A small smile curved her lips as she looked into his dark brown eyes.
Cameron lifted a brow. "What?"
Emilia inhaled the dark, sensual scent of him. She couldn't wait to get him alone. "I was just thinking that maybe life is better than fiction, after all."
The End