Part 200 (2/2)

a man. Michael tore his eyes from Emma's face long enough to stare at

the man.

Drew Latimer. His brain connected face and name. He was smiling, too.

Positively tucking beaming, Michael thought. He s.h.i.+fted back to Emma,

studying every inch, every angle of her face for a long time. Conroy

came in and dumped a s...o...b..ry pack of Winstons on his lap. But he didn't

move.

Very slowly, as if it were a foreign language, he read the headline.

RocK PRINCESS ENMA McAvoy

MAMES HER PRINCE

In a secret ceremony two days ago, Emma McAvoy,

daughter of Devastation's Brian McAvoy and author Jane

Palmer, married Drew Latimer, twenty-six, lead singer and

guitarist for the rising rock group, Birdcage Walk. The newlyweds met

on Devastation's recent European tour.

Michael didn't read any more. Couldn't. ”Jesus, Emma.” He closed his

eyes and let the paper fall back to the table. ”Oh, Jesus.”

EMmA WAS THRiuED to be back in New York. She could hardly wait to show

off the city to Drew, and to spend their first Christmas together in the

loft.

It hadn't mattered to her that their plane had been late, or that a fine

icy sleet had been falling. They would have four weeks for the

honeymoon that had been delayed by the completion of Drew's new alb.u.m.

She wanted to spend that time in New York, in her home, as she made the

<script>