Chapter 9
The next six months were the happiest of my life.
I restructured dad’s company, putting a bigger focus on affordable housing for low-income families, the work he’d always been most proud of.
I set up a scholarship fund in his name for forensic accounting students at the University of Texas, giving out five full rides every year to kids who couldn’t afford college otherwise.
Maria ran the house like a well-oiled machine, filling the kitchen with the smell of her famous tamales and chocolate chip cookies, the halls always warm and bright.
Jake stayed, of course.
He took over as head of security for the company, but mostly he stayed right by my side, my partner in everything, quiet and steady, always there when I needed him.
We fixed up the mansion, repainting the walls, getting rid of all Carol’s fancy, cold furniture, replacing it with warm, comfortable things that felt like us.
I turned the study into a mix of my office and a memorial to dad, his old engineering manuals on the shelves, his favorite chair behind the desk, a big photo of him and me on my tenth birthday, covered in cake, sitting front and center.
Some days I still missed him so bad it hurt, a sharp ache in my chest that never quite went away.
But it got easier.
I’d talk to him when I was working late, telling him about the company, about the scholarship kids, about Jake, and I’d swear I could almost feel him there, proud, smiling down at me.
One night, six months to the day after the trial, Jake and I were sitting on the back porch again, drinking iced tea, watching the sunset.
He got down on one knee in front of me, a small velvet box in his hand, and my breath caught in my throat.
“Lila,” he said, his voice rough with emotion. “I love you. I love how strong you are, how kind you are, how you fight for the people you love. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?”
He opened the box. Inside was a simple diamond ring, small and perfect, exactly what I would have picked for myself.
I nodded, tears streaming down my face, so happy I could barely speak.
May you like
“Yes,” I said. “A thousand times yes.”
He slipped the ring on my finger and kissed me, the sun setting behind him, painting the sky pink and gold, and I knew dad was watching, smiling.
