Forever After All - Kaylee Ryan Page 0,93

I tell him.

“Sounds good, Mommy.” He bounces Gemma on his hip. “I’m going to load this little princess up in the truck. Anything you need me to carry out?”

“No. Just the diaper bag.”

“Got it.” He leans in and kisses me before grabbing the diaper bag off the counter and heading outside.

And me? Well, I do need to run upstairs, but not for my earrings. You see, this may be a retirement party for Gramps, but I have a little surprise for my husband and the rest of our family. Grabbing what I need, I rush back downstairs, sure to lock the house up behind me.

“What’s in the bag? I thought we got them a cruise?” Rip asks.

“Oh, this is just something small,” I say, blowing him off. He shrugs like I hoped he would, and we’re off.

Gemma babbles in the back seat all the way to the restaurant. Inside, we find my grandparents, Rip’s parents, as well as Colby and Laramie, and their daughter, Dallas. We have a small party section of the restaurant reserved for us, and I’m thankful we can all sit together to share this moment with my grandfather.

“If I could have your attention,” my grandfather says after our plates have long since been cleared. “Thank you all for being here.” He stands and walks around the table, stopping behind me. “I can’t tell you how proud I am to know my granddaughter is going to be taking over the law practice. My Agnes and I have paid our dues, and it’s time for some traveling with my wife.” He chuckles. “But not too much. I have my grandbabies to spoil,” he says as he reaches for Dallas, who is crying for him. She’s not his granddaughter, but he thinks of her as if she were all the same.

“McKenna, I have something for you.” He nods to my husband, who pulls a small white box out of the diaper bag. He sets the box in front of me and takes our now sleeping daughter out of my arms.

“What is this?” I turn to look at Gramps over my shoulder.

“Open it,” he urges.

Doing as I’m told, I open the small box that appears to be business cards. Pulling one out, I feel tears well in my eyes.

“You’ll always be a Dawson, but you’re a Callahan now too. I thought it was fitting that the office that is now yours takes your name.”

Looking down at the business card I just retrieved from that box, I see Callahan Law in bold lettering at the top. “Gramps,” I say, swallowing back my tears.

“There will be a crew there on Monday to change the signage on the building. It’s all yours now, McKenna. You’ve earned it, sweetheart.”

“I love you.” I stand and hug him, and then Gram.

“Speech!” Colby calls out, and I smile. He couldn’t have made this any easier on me, and he doesn’t even know it.

Rip

My wife smiles through her tears. She’s beautiful, and I love her more each and every day. I glance down at my little girl sleeping in my arms, and I can’t help but think that I got my wish. She looks just like her mommy, and that thrills me.

“Thank you all for being here. Gramps, this is supposed to be your party.” She laughs.

“Humor me,” he tells her.

She nods. “When I was seven years old, you and Gram took me in. I was broken and scared, but then you introduced me to the little girl next door.” She smiles at Laramie. “We became fast friends, and she brought me out of my shell.

“Then, there was her brother.” She looks at me with so much love and adoration that I’m glad I’m sitting down because I’m certain that look would bring me to my knees. “He was always looking out for me, and one day he found me in the treehouse, playing on my own, and he offered to marry me.” She smiles.

“The best decision I ever made,” I tell her.

“Anyway, fast-forward, and I felt so much love and protection, and I attributed that to Gramps being an attorney and fighting to keep me. Even at a young age, I knew I wanted to be that person for some other little boy or girl. I wanted to be the one to fight for those who couldn’t fight for themselves.” She wipes at her eyes.

“Somewhere along the way, with all the studying and planning for my future, I had a dream of a man who would sweep