Danielle Steel: Family Ties

Annie had to give sixteen years of her life to her sister’s children in order to be ready for him. Lizzie had to make her way through countless Jean-Louis in order to be brave enough to love Alessandro. Ted had to live through the insanity of Pattie to find out who he was and what mattered to him. And Katie had to defy everything and everyone and risk it all in order to find her freedom. They had each come through their growing pains and challenges, and so had Tom. He needed to be married to the wrong woman in order to recognize the right one, even if she didn’t come packaged quite as he had expected and looked too busy for him when he got there. She didn’t know it, but she’d been waiting for him.

The lessons they had all learned had been valuable and hard but well worth it. And the rite of passage, for each of them, had been the lesson they each needed to learn. There was a perfect symmetry to it, Annie realized, as she smiled into Tom’s eyes. Even the sprained ankle and the broken arm had been part of a divine order that led them to each other. None of it had been an accident or a mistake. It hadn’t been easy, but the rewards had been so great, for all of them. Annie was so grateful for how it had turned out. It could have been so different if they had faltered or refused the challenge-they would never have gotten here. But they had all been very brave. She smiled knowingly as Tom kissed her again. The circle was complete.

DANIELLE STEEL has been hailed as one of the world’s most popular authors, with over 590 million copies of her novels sold. Her many international bestsellers include Big Girl, Southern Lights, Matters of the Heart, One Day at a Time, A Good Woman, Rogue, Honor Thyself, Amazing Grace , and other highly acclaimed novels. She is also the author of His Bright Light , the story of her son Nick Traina’s life and death. Visit the Danielle Steel Web Site at www.daniellesteel.com.