La Dolce Maggie.

The blood pumped through her veins, and the world blurred, tilted, and held. She blinked and turned her head toward Alexa, who fiercely held her arms and gave her a tiny shake.

“Don’t you understand, Maggie?” she asked with tears shining in her bright blue eyes. “He loves you. It was always you—but you have to be brave enough to reach for it. You have to believe you’re worth it. That’s what you told me the day Nick confessed his love for me, remember? If you love someone, you fight for them, again and again. My best friend is not a coward. You deserve this. You deserve love.”

Like a vampire coming back to life after a deep sleep, suddenly she saw every color and shape slide into sharp focus. Her senses exploded, and she began walking through the crowds, making her way to the stage, where Michael waited for her.

He met her halfway. She studied his beautiful face, the full curve of his lip, the shadowed stubble over his chin, the crooked nose, the seething heat in his onyx eyes. He cupped her face between large, hard hands and pressed his forehead against hers. His breath rushed warm over her mouth.

“My Maggie, mia amore, I love you. I want to live with you, grow old, and have bambinos with you. You wrecked me. Completely. I could never settle for another woman because I’d be bored out of my mind. Don’t you understand? I don’t want the typical wife you think would make me happy, because you were meant for me, all of you. Your sarcasm, and wit, and sexiness, and honesty. You belong with me, and I won’t give up until I finally convince you. Capisce?”

She choked back a sob and reached for him.

His lips came down on hers and he kissed her deeply, as the roar of approval from the crowds echoed in her ears. Her heart expanded in her chest and settled. A sense of peace and homecoming flooded through her, and she finally believed.

“I love you, Michael Conte,” she whispered fiercely when his lips released hers. “And I want it all. With you, your family, your bakeries, everything. I’ve always loved you, but I was too afraid to take it.”

He kissed her again. Michael grabbed her and lifted her high, laughing in joy. She stood wrapped up in the tight circle of his arms, finally complete.

With her own home and happy ending.

Epilogue

“Maggie, hurry up! The movers are here!”

She grumbled under her breath and looked once more upon the empty rooms of her condo, making sure she hadn’t missed anything. Moving into a mansion wasn’t easy. Hell, they’d already fought over placement of things and room arrangements. She licked her lips when she thought of all the lovely ways they had made up, also. Many rooms had been christened.

Fortunately, there were many more to go.

“Coming!” she screamed.

With one last glance at the bare mattress still lying on her bed, she paused as a memory took hold. Maggie walked over to the bed and stuck her hand underneath the mattress.

The list.

The love spell.

She gazed at the white ledger paper and unfolded it to look at her list. Thank God, Michael hadn’t seen it; she would’ve died of humiliation. Shaking her head at the ridiculousness of her actions, she glanced down at the list of items she had requested Earth Mother provide her in her husband. The qualities blurred together as her gaze slid over the paper.

A man with a sense of loyalty.

A man with a sense of family.

A man who is a good lover.

A man who can be my friend.

A man who can challenge me.

A man I can confess my secrets to.

A man I can trust.

A man with confidence.

A man with an open heart.

A man who will fight for me.

A man who can love me exactly as I am.

Maggie caught her breath. She reread the list, an odd sense of foreboding washing over her. Drunk, defenses down, and lonely; the qualities on this list would never have been composed in her rational mind. No, every item cried out for someone who could complete her.

Michael. Earth Mother had sent her Michael Conte.

The diamond ring shot icy glimmers of light as she carefully folded up the paper and crumbled it in her hand. Ridiculous. She was getting herself spooked. There was no such thing as Earth Mother. The perfect man and love spells didn’t exist.

Right?

Warily, she decided to throw out the book of spells. Where had she put that purple book?

Carina.

When they’d returned home from the waterfront the evening of their reconciliation, Maggie was shocked to find Carina on Michael’s doorstep. The best part was the massive ball of black fur she held against her chest.

As soon as Dante spotted Maggie, he’d jumped out of Carina’s arms and into hers like he belonged there. Carina confessed that once she’d told Dante she wanted to take him to see Maggie, he walked right into the cat carrier like he understood. And maybe he had.

Her family complete, Maggie realized what it meant to fully belong to others and swore she’d never forget it. Still, she didn’t like the idea of her new sister holding on to a book of spells that may actually work.

She nibbled on her bottom lip and wondered if she should say something.

Nah, what were the odds? It was a silly little thing, and Carina would probably read it, get a laugh, and throw it away.

Maggie shook her head and left the room and her old life behind her.

Acknowledgments

Since The Marriage Bargain hit the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists, I have been overwhelmed by the amazing support of readers and my fellow writers. There are just too many to thank here, but every time I need a laugh, or to share a good or bad moment, you are there. Here’s the short list: Wendy S. Marcus, Aimee Carson, Megan Mulry, Janet Lane Walters, Liz Matis, Barbara T. Wallace, Abbi Wilder, and Julia Brooks. Shout-out to Tiffany Reisz for being my deadline buddy!

To the fabulous crew I met and celebrated with at RT and RWA 2012. All the Harlequin authors were amazing and fun and there are too many to name here personally! Special shout-out goes to Megan Mulry for drinking champagne with me when I discovered I hit the Times; Cat Schield and Barbara Longley for hanging with us at the gangster ball; Katee Roberts for her energy and humor; Caridad Pinerio for being so sweet at the book signing; and Catherine Bybee for talking shop. I can’t wait to do it again!

Finally, to the amazing Entangled crew who blow me away with their talent and efficiency, and my new Gallery Books team who welcomed me with open arms and amazed me with their skills—you rock!