Chapter 22
Life with just the two of us and Grace was different.
Quieter.
But good.
We reconnected. We traveled. We went to Paris for our tenth anniversary. We walked along the Seine at night. We ate at tiny little restaurants. We kissed under the Eiffel Tower.
It was like being newlyweds all over again.
Grace was thriving. She was in every school play. She took singing lessons and dance lessons and acting lessons. She was going to be a star. There was no doubt about it.
Lily Enterprises was bigger than ever. We were now a global company, employing over fifty thousand people. We’d donated over a billion dollars to charity. We’d built schools and hospitals and shelters all over the world.
I was named Woman of the Decade by three different magazines. I was invited to the White House. I spoke at the UN.
But my proudest moments were never on a stage.
They were the phone calls from Ethan, telling us about his latest project at NASA.
The visits from Lily, home from college, full of stories about her classes and her research and her new boyfriend, a nice boy named Liam who wanted to save the oceans too.
The nights watching Grace perform in school plays, our hands clasped, our hearts bursting with pride.
And then, on a cold December night, Ethan called.
He was crying.
“Mom? Dad? She’s here. She’s perfect. Seven pounds, three ounces. Everyone’s healthy.”
We were grandparents.
A little girl.
They named her Olivia.
Olivia Grace.
We were on the first plane to Houston the next morning.
I held her in my arms for the first time, and my heart grew three sizes.
She was perfect. Ten tiny fingers. Ten tiny toes. Ethan’s eyes. Maya’s smile.
“Welcome to the family, sweet girl,” I whispered. “You are so loved. More than you’ll ever know.”
Daniel held her next. He was so gentle, so careful, like she was made of glass.
“Hey there, Livvie,” he said, his voice thick with tears. “I’m Grandpa. And I’m gonna teach you everything. How to fish. How to throw a baseball. How to get away with anything when your parents say no.”
Ethan laughed.
“Dad.”
“What? It’s my job as a grandparent.”
We stayed for a week. We cooked. We cleaned. We held the baby so Ethan and Maya could sleep.
It was perfect.
On the plane ride home, I leaned my head on Daniel’s shoulder.
“We’re old,” I teased.
“Speak for yourself,” he said, kissing the top of my head. “I’m still thirty-five in my head.”
“Sure you are.”
He was quiet for a moment.
“Remember when we first met?” he said. “You were so closed off. So scared to let anyone in. I never thought I’d get to see you like this. So happy. So free. Surrounded by all this love.”
I looked at him.
“You did this,” I said. “You and the kids. You broke down my walls. You taught me how to love and be loved. I would never have gotten here without you.”
He squeezed my hand.
May you like
“We did it together,” he said. “Team Marlow, remember?”
“Team Marlow,” I agreed.
