Seventy years of life have taught Gigi many things—how to endure, how to forgive, and how to love fiercely. But some places still hold memories she’s never fully faced. As a milestone birthday approaches, Douglas surprises Gigi with a journey that begins in Paris and ends where it all started: the California estate where she once worked for decades, and where the tangled roots of the family’s shared history were first planted. What was meant to be a celebration quickly becomes something deeper, as generations gather in the garden overlooking the San Francisco Bay. For Isabella, Jemma, and the others who have inherited this legacy, the return offers a chance to understand the past more clearly—both the beauty and the pain it carried. When a long-hidden discovery comes to light, the family is forced to confront truths that challenge old assumptions and reopen wounds they believed had healed. Surrounded by the people who have become her true family, Gigi must decide whether she can finally release the weight of the past and claim her place not as a servant to history, but as its keeper. In doing so, she learns that closure doesn’t erase what came before—it transforms it. Set against the romance of Paris and the sunlit gardens of Marin County, Birthday Surprise is an emotionally rich novel about memory, forgiveness, and the power of legacy to heal across generations. It is the twelfth book in the Legacy Series, a sweeping women’s fiction saga following six women as they navigate love, loss, and the ties that bind them. Legacy Series: Book 1: Buying Time Book 2: In Her Own Time Book 3: Matter of Time Book 4: Taking Time Book 5: Just in Time Book 6: All in Good Time Book 7: Bella’s Hope: A Map for Bella 1 Book 8: Bella’s Holiday: A Map for Bella 2 Book 9: Bella’s Heart: A Map for Bella 3 Book 10: Bella’s Home: A Map for Bella 4 Book 11: Christmas in Tuscany: A Legacy Series Reunion Book 12: Birthday Surprise: A Legacy Series Reunion Book 13: A Summer Together: A Legacy Series Reunion Book 14: In This Moment: A Legacy Series Reunion Paula Kay spent her childhood in a small town alongside the Mississippi River in Wisconsin. (Go Packers!) As a child, she used to climb the bluffs and stare out across the mighty river-dreaming of far away lands and adventures. Today, by some great miracle (and a lot of determination) she is able to travel, write and live in multiple locations, always grateful for the opportunity to meet new people and experience new cultures. Visit the author website where you can download a complimentary book of short stories - PaulaKayBooks.com