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Chapters (82)
  1. Cover
  2. ALSO BY JAMIE BRENNER
  3. PART ONE
  4. 1
  5. 2
  6. 3
  7. 4
  8. 5
  9. 6
  10. 7
  11. 8
  12. 9
  13. 10
  14. 11
  15. 12
  16. 13
  17. 14
  18. 15
  19. 16
  20. 17
  21. 18
  22. 19
  23. 20
  24. 21
  25. 22
  26. 23
  27. 24
  28. 25
  29. 26
  30. 27
  31. 28
  32. 29
  33. 30
  34. 31
  35. 32
  36. 33
  37. 34
  38. 35
  39. 36
  40. 37
  41. 38
  42. 39
  43. 40
  44. 41
  45. 42
  46. 43
  47. PART TWO
  48. 44
  49. 45
  50. 46
  51. 47
  52. 48
  53. 49
  54. 50
  55. 51
  56. 52
  57. 53
  58. 54
  59. 55
  60. 56
  61. 57
  62. 58
  63. PART THREE
  64. 59
  65. 60
  66. 61
  67. 62
  68. 63
  69. 64
  70. 65
  71. 66
  72. 67
  73. 68
  74. 69
  75. 70
  76. 71
  77. 72
  78. 73
  79. 74
  80. Acknowledgments
  81. About the Author
  82. What’s next onyour reading list?

He handed her Vanity Fair, the page with her photograph dog-eared. She flipped it open and confronted her own image, her eyes exaggerated with shadow and liner, her lips a deep, vampy matte red. Her face rested in her palm, her bejeweled fingernails splayed along her cheek to present the diamond. The deep, dazzling pink of the Electric Rose popped against her ivory skin.

“I hardly recognize myself,” she said. But really, she wasn’t talking about the photography but rather that she’d never felt so out of control of her own emotions.

Liam moved the tray and the magazines to the floor, kissing her. As always, his touch erased the rest of the world. Paulina gave in to it, melting under him, certain that something that felt so good couldn’t be so bad. He pulled back.

“There’s one more magazine,” he said, reaching for one on the nightstand and passing it to her, his expression mischievous. The magazine was slightly propped open by something in the middle pages.

An enormous, sparkling pink diamond ring was tucked into the crease. The Electric Rose. Paulina gasped.

“Paulina Pavlin,” Liam said, “will you marry me?”

It was the second time he’d stood before her holding that ring. The first had been the photo shoot—not even a year ago, but also, a lifetime.

She loved him. She loved him with all of her heart and there was nothing she could do to change that. And now, even with all the problems their love caused, she didn’t want to.

“Yes,” she said. “Yes, of course I’ll marry you.”

Liam slipped the astonishing ring on her finger, and she saw that his hands were shaking. She threw her arms around him, kissing him the way she’d wanted to that first night at the bar.

The way she would kiss him now for the rest of their lives.

43

Gemma’s first clue that something happened was her pinging phone. She was just too busy to stop and look at it.

The sun was barely up when she set out her equipment: needle-nose pliers, soldering paste, soldering pad, interlocking tweezers, goggles, the torch, and the pickle pot. She’d seen a robin’s egg on the ground the other day, and then minutes later spotted a cloisonné egg at a shop called Global Gifts on Commercial. This was the way inspiration worked: She was turning the cloisonné egg into a charm.

She secured the egg in a clamp and looped the wire through the hook with the other end looping through the clasp and then twisted it closed, making the joint meeting as close as possible so she could solder it.

Her phone demanded attention: ping, ping, ping.