Diamonds are Forever
Page 32
Adrian and Rebecca stood up from the table to cut the first piece, leaving Madison, Courtney, Peyton and Savannah alone with their dates. Madison played with the diamond earrings that Adrian had given her and smiled.
“I can’t believe everything that’s happened in the past year,” she said, looking around at everyone at the table. “Who would have thought we would all be sitting here together today?”
“Last year feels like a lifetime ago,” Peyton said. “We were living in that small apartment in Fairfield, and Mom was out of a job. If I knew I would be here now...” She looked around the room, with the twinkling lights, beautiful flower arrangements and celebrity guests, and shook her head. “I never would have believed it. I especially wouldn’t have believed that I would be happy here.”
“I knew I would love it here the moment I stepped inside the Diamond,” Savannah said.
“This year hasn’t been easy,” Courtney said, her eyes distant. “It’s probably been the hardest year of my life. But it’s been the best year of my life, too.”
“Because you met me, right?” Brett nudged her shoulder, and they looked at each other in the same way that Adrian and Rebecca had been looking at each other all day—with complete and total love.
“Yes.” She blushed. “But mainly because this year brought me, Savannah and Peyton closer together. Back in Fairfield, even though we shared a room, our lives were so separate. This past year, we’ve become more than sisters—we’ve become friends.”
The three of them looked at each other and smiled. Madison’s throat felt tight, and she sipped her water, not wanting to cry. She’d already cried while watching the wedding ceremony earlier. The stylists had fixed her makeup afterward, but she didn’t want to mess it up again. Plus, she hated crying in front of people.
“I hope that someday you’ll feel that close to me, too.” Madison’s voice was timid, and she wasn’t sure if she should have said it at all. But then Oliver’s hand found hers under the table, giving her a surge of strength. “I feel like this wedding’s a new start for us. And I’m really happy to have the three of you as sisters.”
“I never would have believed it after last summer, but I’m happy to have you as a sister, too,” Savannah said. Courtney and Peyton agreed, and before Madison knew what was happening, a tear snuck its way out and slid down her face. She pretended she had an itch and wiped it away.
Luckily, all attention turned to Adrian and Rebecca, who held a giant silver knife over the cake. They cut the first slice, and applause echoed through the room.
Madison looked over at Oliver, only to find that he’d been watching her the entire time, his eyes dark with intensity. She leaned closer, her nose brushing his cheek, and asked, “Is everything okay?”
“Yes.” He swallowed, then lifted his hand so his thumb caressed her cheek. Electricity stirred between them, and his gaze was filled with so much longing that Madison’s heart jumped into her throat. “I just... I love you, Madison,” he said. “I know it might be ‘too soon’ to say it, but I don’t care, because I love you, and I want you to know. I need you to know.”
Her breathing slowed, and even though there were a thousand people in the room, Oliver was the only one she saw. And he loved her. She’d wanted him to say those words for weeks, and she smiled, repeating them in her mind. Oliver really, truly loved her.
“I love you, too,” she said. “So much.” She brushed her lips against his, and he kissed her back slowly, as if she meant everything to him. This kiss felt different—full of promise for a future between them. There were a lot of things about her future that Madison couldn’t be sure of—if she would get into Stanford, how her relationship with her parents would change, getting to know her sisters and what Adrian’s role would be in her life moving forward.
But the one thing she did know, that she trusted above all else, was that Oliver—her best friend, her boyfriend, her first love, her true love—would be there for her through every second of it.
epilogue:
At the wedding reception, Brianna Prescott was stuck at a table to the side full of other hotel owners and their families. Her dad sat next to her, and Ellen Prescott—aka the step-monster from hell who hated Brianna just because she had dared to be born—sat next to him. Ellen would never sit next to Brianna. She couldn’t even look at Brianna without shooting her icy, hateful glares.
When Adrian and Rebecca were up on stage cutting the wedding cake, Brianna stared longingly at the table in the front and center, where Oliver, Madison, Peyton, Courtney, Savannah, Brett, Damien and Jackson sat. They were smiling and laughing nonstop, and Brianna wished she were sitting with them instead.
Actually, she wished for more than to just be sitting with them—she wanted the glamorous, fun life that they had in Vegas. Instead, she was stuck at an all-girls boarding school in middle-of-nowhere Pennsylvania. She’d rarely had the chance to be around guys, so just talking to them usually made her clam up. She’d never even been kissed.
She’d wanted to change that on the trip to Aspen. She’d hoped that Damien Sanders—Oliver’s best friend for years—would finally notice her. But Damien didn’t see Brianna as anything more than Oliver’s little sister. He had eyes only for Savannah. And Savannah was so bubbly and fun that Brianna couldn’t help but like her. The entire country was going to fall in love with her once she was on American StarMaker this summer.
When Brianna had gotten back from Aspen, she’d told her dad that she wanted to come live with him in Las Vegas. But Ellen Prescott wouldn’t hear of it. And Brianna’s mom hated Las Vegas—she called it an evil city full of sin, and believed it would be the worst thing on earth for Brianna to live here.
But once she turned eighteen, she would get the first chunk of her trust fund. Then no one would be able to control her anymore. She would have the glamorous life in Vegas that she wanted. She just had to get through two more years of boarding school in the middle of nowhere.
Then, come college, it was UNLV or bust.
www.campusbuzz.com
High Schools > Nevada > Las Vegas > The Goodman School
FIRST DAY OF SUMMER BREAK!
Posted on Saturday 6/6 at 10:28 AM
FINALLY IT’S HERE—SUMMER BREAK HAS STARTED!
This has been one hell of a year. When Savannah, Courtney, and Peyton moved into the Diamond, I knew people would be talking about them, but I had no idea how much they would shake everything up.
Who would have thought that Damien would ever get over Madison...and now he’s seriously dating Savannah?! And that Savannah would go from a wanna-be YouTube star to being on American StarMaker? Or that Brett would fall for one of the Diamond girls, and that their parents would be okay with them dating? (Brett and Courtney ARE the cutest couple, though.) Or that Peyton would go from hooking up with Oliver, to having a secret relationship with her bodyguard, and that Oliver would finally realize that he’s been in love with Madison since middle school? Because come on, we’ve all seen the way Oliver looks at Madison. They totally compete with Courtney and Brett in the cutest couple category.
This summer will definitely be interesting. And always remember: What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas...but that doesn’t matter when you live there ;)
* * * * *
Acknowledgments
I can’t believe The Secret Diamond Sisters trilogy has come to an end! I hope you’ve all loved reading about Savannah, Courtney, Peyton, Madison and all the other characters in this series.
This series wouldn’t be where it is today without the help of so many people.
Natashya Wilson—you have believed and loved this series from the beginning, and that has meant so much! Your amazing ideas and insight have guided me to make this story what it is today. Thank you so much for believing in me and in the Diamond Sisters.
Lauren Smulski, N
ancy Fischer, Siena Koncsol, Lisa Wray, Bryn Collier, Erin Craig, Amy Jones, Ashley McCallan, Michelle Renaud, Mary Sheldon and everyone else on the Harlequin team who has helped with this series—thank you.
Danielle Barclay and Cameron Yeager, for doing so much and working so hard to spread the word about this series. You’re both amazing!
Molly Ker Hawn, for believing in this series from the first draft.
Kevan Lyon, for believing in my writing and in my future!
Brent Taylor, for your constant support from the beginning. You are one of the smartest, most determined people I’ve ever met.
Sasha Alsberg, for spreading her love for this series online! You rock!
Dallin Porter, for creating and managing The Secret Diamond Sisters fan pages on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.
Lindsay Cummings and Claire Kovarik, for being such amazing author friends, and for always being there to talk.
My incredible Street Team, for your enthusiasm and involvement with the series.
My family—Mom, Dad, Steven, all the grandparents and extended family, for your unconditional love and support. Special shout-out to my mom for coordinating my events, and for helping out so much with the series!
And, of course, to the fans—knowing that you’re excited to read my stories is what keeps me inspired. I hope you loved the final book in The Secret Diamond Sisters trilogy!
Don’t miss the first two installments of The Secret Diamond Sisters series by Michelle Madow!
“Gossip Girl meets The Princess Diaries in a city that never sleeps.”
—Booklist
The Secret Diamond Sisters (Book 1)
Diamonds in the Rough (Book 2)
Diamonds Are Forever (Book 3)
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ISBN-13: 9781460379363
Diamonds Are Forever
Copyright © 2015 by Michelle Madow
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