LeDeya had made a mistake that young, naïve, idealistic people make. But like Gigi’s mistake had, it would make her better. There was no one savvier than Gigi, and over time LeDeya would be a formidable entrepreneur. Maurice was brave and perceptive, and Janae was kind and intelligent. He quite liked this batch of Bennetts.

Bev would be . . . a challenge, but he suspected actions spoke louder than words to a woman like her.

All four of them had a strange look in their eyes when they reached Dorsey, and before he could process what was happening, he was being swallowed by simultaneous hugs. Their thanks and exclamations all ran together, and he couldn’t make sense of any one thread of conversation. He looked only at Liza. A single tear slid down her cheek and he would have given anything to wipe it away. This big, messy family wanted him—without wishing he were different. A grape crushed against his shoulder and a bag of snacks popped against his rib. Okay, this hug was just about over.

“Okay,” he said after a beat, trying to signal the end of this multiparty suffocation. “Okay, okay,” he said again, though the beginnings of a smile worked on his face. They let go and looked around for their car. Liza walked behind everyone and bumped Dorsey’s shoulder silently as they walked toward the town car. Town cars were now forever combined with the memory of the night she had let him taste her. She must have been thinking the same thing, because her heated eyes met his.

During the car ride, the Bennetts retold in raucous detail the events of the day. LeDeya was sullen for most of the trip and scrolled through her phone while they all told the story. It wasn’t until the end, when they mentioned Liza trapping WIC in the elevator, that LeDeya laughed. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she laughed nearly all the way home.

When her family filed out of the car, Liza nodded to them and closed the car door. She buckled herself back in, and Dorsey smiled.

“You need to get some sleep,” he said.

“I can’t sleep. I have an idea.” She paused. “To get your job back.”

“What if I don’t want my job back?” he said.

“You want your parents’ legacy intact, don’t you?” Liza said it like it wasn’t a question. “And I have a way that might work.”

“Liza, I appreciate that, but I don’t need—”

“Dorsey, you’re not the only one who gets to swoop in and save someone. Money fixes a ton of problems, but ideas still count for something. And I have an idea.”

Gigi’s elbow nudged him in the ribs. Her huge grin told him everything. Marry her, or I will.