Page 149 of Until the Sea Runs Dry

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SIX MONTHS LATER

Jane staredout of the stretch limo, marveling at a night sky that was lit up by floodlights.

The atmosphere was electric.

She could almost taste the excitement that hung in the air.

Cinematic music blasted outside Grauman’s Chinese Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard, its distinctive mint green roof glowing from thousands of blinking LED lights that cascaded down.

A large crowd had gathered, screaming and chanting for the stars they were hoping to see, though most were likely there for Logan.

The past few months had seen an extreme upturn for the movie star. His heroic rescue of the woman he had loved — captured on a body-worn camera by one of the rescuing team — had been repeatedly shown on channels around the world causing the public to fall in love with him all over again and gaining him new fans in the process.

He was now THE hottest actor in demand, besieged by studios and television stations alike, yet, after production of his latest movie completed, he had ignored every offer that was flung at him.

Jane had needed time to recover from her ordeal, and he had been determined to be there for her every step of the way.

He took a long-overdue hiatus from filming so they could spend their time together, cooking delicious meals and taking long walks on the beach with Loki. With his gardeners help, they created the organic vegetable garden Jane had always dreamed of having, though they’d had to test out several options before they found a solution to stop Loki from destroying it every opportunity he had. They even listened to audiobooks, starting with the one Jane had gifted him.

As Jane had hoped, the book connected with Logan in a way that he’d never expected. Although Logan had never had kids, he had spent his life taking care of the ones he loved. It wasn’t difficult for him to see himself in the main character’s shoes, as he fought to keep his family from being taken away from him.

Logan was so affected by the real-life story that he optioned the book. It would be the first movie his production company would make. He planned on producing the movie as well as star in it and had brought studio mogul Stonewall Jones — the man who had turned him into a star — on as a partner.

The new venture and being able to be his own boss, was liberating for him.

With Logan and Clare by her side, and Loki providing much entertainment as well as unconditional love, the three helped Jane to recover.

She kept up the appointments with the therapist as they worked together to fill in any of the remaining gaps in her memory. She had recovered most of her memories now, though it all caused a tremendous sadness when she understood how unloved and isolated she had been. With no support system around her, Marko had found her easy prey.

Jane thought about the first time she had worried that maybe she had gotten herself into a dangerous situation. It was the only time she had ever asked for her parents’ help.

They tended to speak only at Christmas when Jane, still trying to salvage some part of their relationship, would call. She had barely begun to explain about her complicated marriage when they had cut her off. As far as they were concerned, marriage was a onetime thing.

She had chosen her bed, now she needed to lay in it.

After that last conversation, Jane never called them again. She tried not to let it upset her that they had never reached out to her of their own accord. Even with everything that had happened of late, they hadn’t shown any interest in participating in her life.

And she realized that she was finally fine with that. Those terrible, dark days were a thing of the past and if that meant leaving the parents who had never loved her behind, so be it.

She smoothed down the material of her dress, another stunning creation by Armani, a dress that dripped with pear-shaped diamonds that made her look and feel like a literal princess.

She looked across at Clare, resplendent in the emerald gown Logan had gifted her, having finally had a real occasion to wear it. Clare smiled at her date, Nathan, Logan’s stuntman, who she had hit it off with on that first set visit of hers.

The two had been dating for several months now and she couldn’t have been happier for them. Nathan was a great man, and the four had spent many a happy evening together, laughing, drinking, and playing board games. Under Nathan’s loving attention, Clare had blossomed, even finding a way to forgive herself for what she considered her part in Jane’s ordeal.

Delia, Logan’s mom, sat beside them, glorious in a sea blue sequined dress that emphasized her timeless beauty. She was on babysitting duty tonight, looking after Loki, who lay on the floor wearing a designer bowtie. He was almost six times the size he had been when Jane had first met him. Hyper active and dangerously smart — and still with that fetish for Logan’s shoes — they referred to him as if he were their child and spoiled him outrageously, accordingly.

These were her people now. The family who cared about her. The family who loved her and had her back no matter what.

A happy sigh escaped her lips that Logan caught. Wearing a platinum suit that showed off his tightly honed physique, his dark hair was styled with Ivy League waves. He’d grown a designer goatee recently, which accentuated the square cut of his jawline.

But it wasn’t only how he looked that took her breath away.

With the truth of their relationship exposed, the shackles that had held him captive for so long were released, and with it, he was finally able to be himself. Imbued with this new freedom, he had flourished as a man.

And she had been the sole recipient of this.

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