Part 21 (2/2)

It was a pretty wild feeling.

By the time wed finished it felt nice, gentler. And very water-logged. Obviously we had no idea how to do the normal family thing, and maybe wed never get it right. But that was okay, because if there was one thing Id learned from the past few weeks, it was that no families were perfect. And mine wasnt going to be any different.

We had a long way to go; I had a long way to go.

I had a lot of making-up to do.

But for the moment all I felt was grat.i.tude and love. And man it felt huge; bigger than all of us. Bigger than my heart could cope with, in a way, but I was determined to try. I threw myself at both of them, hugging them being hugged back.

That was how Macey and Seth found us.

'Um are we interrupting?

Dad jumped up, laughing as he hugged them as well. 'Come on in, kids! You want food? Late lunch? Pizza?

I looked at both Macey and Seth both gorgeous in all the right ways. And I was so lucky to have them in my life.

Seth stepped away from my dad and headed towards me, that amazing smile aimed right at me. When he reached me I stood up and he opened his arms.

Beside me I heard Mum gasp and I looked down. 'Oh . . . Is this okay? I mean . . .

But instead of answering she looked at my dad, who was beaming. 'What took you so long? he said on a chuckle.

It seemed ages before I had a minute alone with Seth. 'So, Willow Cartwright, he began, 'you wanna go out tonight? See a movie? Grab a bite? Get it on?

I smiled and snuggled into his chest. 'Not gonna be that easy, Pentecost. Besides, theres no way I can blow off the Hitchc.o.c.k marathon. Mace would kill me!

His answer was a groan but I was totally unfazed. He was smiling and so was I.

Life was finally good.

His hands cupped my face and as I drew them away with my own I noted the date on his watch. October third. It had seemed like a lifetime since JoJo died. It wasnt. Just twelve days. Twelve long days . . .

October third. The day I cancelled my members.h.i.+p to Club h.e.l.l.

October third. The day I finally woke up and started living.

October third. The day Seth Pentecost stepped out of my dreams and into my reality.

And in some weird, twisted way, I had JoJo Grayson to thank. Now that was a total spinout.

Acknowledgements.

I am surrounded by people who totally rock . . .

You have to love an agent who bonds with you over bling. That was just the beginning and every day I am so grateful for my amazing and so talented agent, Jacinta Di Mase. You are such a gift. Thank you for loving Dead, Actually, for 'getting it, and for never wavering in your belief in me, or that it would happen. You are totally awesome.

Anna McFarlane, Publisher Extraordinaire, you also rock. Youve been a dream editor; so bubbly, enthusiastic and so easy to work with. Your dedication to, and vision for, this book was my second amazing gift. Thank you to my editorial team: Clare James and Hilary Reynolds, and Rachael Donovan, my new editor. You jumped in with both feet, made a bubbly splash and rose to the surface with the most gorgeous smile. That smile is in every email. I love it. I am indeed blessed. Thank you! My sincere thanks, too, to the rest of the Dream Team at Allen & Unwin: Liz Bray, Emmeline Goodchild, Jyy-Wei Ip and Kate Justelius-Wright. Have I said already that you guys are the best? Its true. And I must make special mention of all the time, deliberation and effort that went into finding the perfect cover. Ma.s.sive effort go Team A&U with extra special thanks to creative artist Ellie Exarchos. Is the cover cute, or what?

However, way before agents and editors there was a rockin group of galz called The Valley Girls, and it is to these ladies I bow down in awe. Heather Cleary, Leanne McMahon, Mary Brehe, Judy Griffiths, Melissa James, Tanya McGovern, Annie West and Mich.e.l.le Douglas all so talented and all so generous. Thank you for the crits, the brainstorming sessions, the chocolate, the bubbles, the emergency meetings and for talking me down from the ledge a few times. Im sure time and therapy will eventually block out those crazed wild-woman images . . . And MD? This time the crown for t.i.tle Queen sits squarely on your head. Such an inspired pre-meeting movie choice! You have my forever-grat.i.tude. As do my fabbo travelling buds, Sandra Allen and Maxine Sullivan. Thank you for all the late-night career chats. And the shopping.

Paula Roe? How do I thank you for your patience, your incredible advice and fabbo web designing? With gourmet jelly beans, I suppose . . . Theyre on the way.

My very sincere thanks, too, to the indomitable Tina Marie Clarke, co-founder (with Ally Howard) of the amazing Childrens and Young Adult literature (CYA) conference. A chance mention just one month prior to the conference led to an appointment with a potential agent and the rest, as they say, is history. Tina, you and CYA will always have a special place in my heart.

Almost finally, I owe such a huge debt of grat.i.tude to my beautiful family. My parents, Kate and Len Redman, thank you for your love and generous support I appreciate it so very much. To Paul, Lisa, Melissa, Peter, Kimberly, Kierin (Ree) and Michael thank you for your patience, your support and your love. Special hugs to Ree for the all the proofreading (youre amazing), and for allowing me to bounce ideas off you no matter how late, or early! Thank you also to my own Magnificent Seven: Angus, Lochlan, Harrison, Isaac, Ethan, Wesley and Bryce you guys light up my world and make me laugh.

And to my fabulous hero, Rob; my number one supporter. You are my rock and you empower me. Thank you for all the meals, for the hugs, the cheers and most of all, the awesome faith you have in me. Its both humbling and inspirational. You smooth all the rough edges so I can do what I do. No wonder Im crazy about you.

Finally, thank you to all the readers in the world. Without you, authors have no purpose. Thank you for supporting us all and in homage, at this moment, a huge author-inspired Mexican wave is making its way across the globe. Just for you. Thank you.

About the author.

Kaz Delaney is the author of My Life as a Snow Bunny and Princesses Dont Sweat who has also written many books for adults and young people as Kerri Lane. For many years she tutored creative writing students at Charles Sturt University through their Enrichment Studies Program, and has written courses and taught for the Australian College of Journalism, as well as being a regular guest at many schools throughout Australia. She lives at beautiful Lake Macquarie, New South Wales. She is a self-confessed bling tragic and believes a smile will take you way further than a frown. And save you a fortune in cosmetic interventions later on.

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