She opened the door, beaming.
“Hey, Doc, what gives?” he asked.
“An anonymous donor has sent checks to hundreds of the victims of Richie’s scheme,” she told him. “I spoke to Charley, and she’s absolutely thrilled.”
“So she’s happy?” he asked, pleased.
“Did you hear me? She’s thrilled! She and the boys feel like they can face the world again,” Marlena said, near tears.
“That’s what money’s really for, isn’t it, Doc? Making people happy?” He took the wine from her hand.
“Thank you,” she said simply.
He stared into her smiling eyes. She knew.
“You don’t mind? It was a lot of money. A lot!”
“What’s money for, if not to make people happy?”
She kissed him and put her arms around him.
He winced. She pulled back.
“What?” he asked.
“Take your shirt off,” she insisted.
“Doc,” he said with a grin.
“I mean it, John. Where were you today?” she asked as he shrugged out of his shirt.
“Seeing a friend of yours,” he answered. “Blake Masters.”
Marlena turned him around, and the phoenix tattoo that had scarred his back and his mind was gone.
“He said it was some mutant cell that’d never go away, and the only way was to cover it,” John said. “So he did. What do you think?”
Over the phoenix tattoo, Blake had designed a gorgeous eagle with soaring wings.
“I love it. And I adore you.”
With a glass in one hand, John scooped her up in his arms.
“Let’s see if he can fly.” John smiled as he carried her up to their bedroom.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I owe a debt of gratitude to those who helped in a variety of ways to make this book possible. To Greg Meng for his passionate support of my work and Ken Corday for allowing me to bring the romance and power of Days of our Lives to print and to expand on its canvas. To my editor at Sourcebooks, Peter Lynch, whose overview and excitement about the characters and story made submitting to him a pleasure, and to Andrea McKinnon for her effervescent commitment to promoting the book in the best way possible. I would be remiss without a bow to Pat Falken Smith, who was my mentor and who knew the power of good storytelling.
A big thanks to those who helped me along the way with details and color to make the pages come to life, with a nod to Google for making research not only easy but fascinating; special kudos to Jodi Airhart and Michele Riley, who filled in moments that helped make the characters sing; to the other Days of our Lives writers who created a number of the beloved characters I was able to explore; and to my sister, Judy Speas, I cannot say enough. She took over as my unofficial editor from our mother, who passed away last year, and did an exemplary job. To my business partner, Paul Cohen, for his input and understanding during the writing period, and to Lawrence Zarian for his continued encouragement. To my husband, Paca, without whose love and belief in me the books would not have been possible or as romantic; I adore you. To the fans, old and new, who have made Days of our Lives a part of their own, and to the new audience of readers, I hope you have as much fun reading as I did writing.
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