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I’ll give my life to proving to him just how much I love him, every day, with every breath, to the very end.
And then, maybe, even beyond.
thirty-two
Olympia – five months later
Laurier Lines in L.A. stands in a towering building that aims to touch the very sky Grandma Laurie loved so much. Every time I walk through the doors, I can’t help but think about her. About the way she’d spend her weekends with me when she was alive. Sunny days with puffy white clouds hovering within the blue were her favorite. She’d make a mimosa for herself and pour a sparkling non-alcoholic wine for me (probably why I love champagne), and we’d sit together on the lounge chairs by her pool, pointing out the pictures we saw in the sky.
The pretty sky-blue that accents all of Laurier Lines makes me think of her often. Every time I do, I miss her hard.
But I think she’d be proud to know I’m here. I’m working hard to stand in the legacy she left behind. I think she would be proud to know that Dad has worked hard in the past months to better himself. He visits an AA meeting frequently and, true to his word, has absolutely no interest in gambling. He shows up to work, sober, and looking healthier than I’ve seen him in years. He’s doing good. Twice a week, I meet him for lunch. Today, he personally delivered a pretty celebration cake decorated in Laurier Blue icing to the mailroom where I work.
It's my last day in the mailroom. I’m moving up, slow but sure.
I’d made the decision to start at the bottom, not only because it’s the right thing to do, but also because I have every intention of knowing my grandmother’s company just as she knew it. Inside and out.
So, I’ve started where she started when she took over from her father and made it into the mega-corporation it is today. At the bottom.
As I pull my pretty blue—as close to Laurier Blue as I could get Land Rover—into the driveway next to Tav’s black SUV, I fling my pretty brown leather purse over my shoulder as I slide from the driver’s seat. In the cute blue dress Tav loves, I’m feeling good about tonight. I’m literally so happy, I can hardly contain the smile on my face as I count the blessings that have overcome my life these last months.
When Tav said things have been set in motion, he hadn’t been kidding. It didn’t take long for the luck of our families to run out. With the authorities firmly invested in the takedown, Abe, Remira, and Darius had a long few months of court proceedings, public humiliation (totally deserved) and finally, prison.
After the authorities were brought in, more crimes than we initially thought were uncovered. Abe, Remira, and Darius were arrested on multiple counts. Forging Annika’s will was only one of the charges. Tav had employed Ian’s best investigation guy to dig up the dirt on the three, and boy, did he dig.
All assets have been seized, all accounts frozen, and their futures are looking pretty grey—pun totally intended as per the prison décor of concrete and sorrow.
Apparently, with a list of charges including blackmail, threats, harassment, money laundering, and more. They’ve been very, very bad people.
I, for one, am happy to see them fall. Hard.
Opening the door to the home I share with Tav, I kick off my heels and call my man’s name as a chorus of “Congratulations” sound as soon as I enter the living room.
Everyone I care about, Dad included, is standing in my home waiting for me. Glittery blue helium balloons bob against the ceiling with pretty, curly ribbon dangling low enough to grab. On the island, decked out in yummy food, is a massive cupcake stand filled with blue and white cupcakes decorated with pretty little flowers. Champagne flutes line the counter, and a bottle sits waiting on ice as Tav comes toward me with light in his dark eyes.
“Congratulations, Princess. You’ve worked hard and I’m proud of you.” Hooking me around the waist, Tav pulls me into his chest. The room erupts into a cheer. “Working and studying online hasn’t been easy, but you’re killing it.” Tav drops his mouth to mine, kissing me deeply and in front of everyone.
When Tav breaks the kiss he landed on me, he pulls away with a confident grin, as his eyes lock on my happy one. Then he calls, “Every one of you owes me fifty bucks.”
My mouth drops. “You’re betting?”
“Hell, yeah, baby.” He tips his head to the guys. “Those assholes have made enough off us. I’m recuperating some of the losses.”
“They weren’t your loses,” Kane huffs.
“Still.” Tav shrugs. “They were at our expense.”
I demand, “And what were we betting on this time?”
“They thought you’d be upset by a surprise party.” Tav chuckles. “Fools.”
When Dad gives Tav a crisp fifty, my mouth pops open again. “You thought I’d be upset?”
“You never seemed to like parties, kiddo.”
I lean into Tav’s big chest. “That’s because they weren’t with people I love.”
“Aww!” Wrenlee claps her hands together. “That’s so sweet.”
