Page 177 of Sassy Love
Now tears glide down my face freely.
“Sister, actually. No degrees of separation in this family,” Reed pipes up.
I chuckle and Ruby squeezes me before gravitating to her husband.
“Our last daughter, Harry. What do you think?” Louisa snuggles into Harry’s side.
“I think our last captain hasfinallyfound her way home.”
Sister.
Daughter.
Wife.
Lawson wraps around me from behind as I glance at the diamond on my ring finger, whispering, “Welcome to the ranks, Captain.”
Epilogue
LAWSON
THREE YEARS LATER . . .
“Serenity House has the vote,” Larry says.
Larry’s the big man around here at Goldman Sachs, the one who calls the shots as far as philanthropic issues are concerned. He’s one of our most senior employees and has a passion for all things women’s issues, having three daughters of his own.
And one of the big reasons I took this job.
After days of researching which company’s philanthropic efforts make the most impact and have the biggest budget for sponsorships, I applied for the top three. The universe must agree with my strategy, since I landed the job at Goldman Sachs.
I mean, I’m still helping people. But now I can do that and ensure bigger concerns like the safety of our women and children have the funding they need. At the rate my wife is expanding Serenity House and the services it provides, they’re going to need it.
Carlie took over the House a year after we started. Serelle handed over the reins, metaphorically, at least. She still makes her guest reappearances every few months. But Carlie is killing it as CEO, and Nadia is her new PR exec, having learned from thebest. Rubes is busy running every event for the House, now four times a year.
The Christmas gala, the International Women’s Day Luncheon, Summer Evening Under the Stars, and my favorite, the week-long women’s retreat that takes place at R & R Ranch. Manuel is the lead guide, and he’s adored by all as he delivers tough love in the safe space only he can provide for each guest to find themselves again.
We eventually took Carlson to court after multiple women stepped forward, and Carlie’s payout went straight to Serenity’s funding. My selfless damn wife never ceases to amaze me.
A knock on my office door pulls me from my reverie. I look to the door to see brown eyes light up over a sweet smile. “You ready, Cowboy?”
“Yep.” Shutting the laptop closed, I lean back in my chair.
“You?”
“Ah, well. Mills is going to freak out, but I think so?” She pads inside the office.
I rise from my seat and swipe up my phone, wallet and keys. “I can’t wait to see her face.”
“You’re mean.” She slides her arms around my neck, the bracelet the girls and Ma gave her with the little ships wheel and my damn name engraved on the back of it jingles, when I meet her in the middle of my office.
“Not mean. Excited.”
She raises one elegant brow. “Lawson Rawlins, stop teasing her.”
I mean, she has a point; I’ve been leaving baby hints everywhere every time Millie comes over. The odd parenting book. A rattle I picked up from the shit-and-glitter shop, as Carlie calls it. I slide a hand to her belly. “I’m not teasing her, Mrs. Rawlins. Just giving her hints. She’s old...”
The shit-eating grin wrapping my face hardly falters when she slaps my shoulder hard.
