“I get that, but my brother is who scares me a little.” We all laugh. “Either way, I think there’s potential. I owe Jessica a lot, and I think Sean feels the same toward your brother. While owning a chain of inns has never been a goal, I understand horrible fathers and the hell they cause in our lives. I’ll let you know either way.”

“No matter what we are getting out of the company, but if you buy it, my siblings and I will help make sure you don’t lose your investment.”

He nods. “I’ll think about it.”

And with that, we turn the conversation to family and friends.

“When do you want to get married?” I ask Grayson while we’re lying in bed at the hotel in New York City.

“Tonight.”

I roll my eyes. “You’re insane.”

“I am. But that’s what I want.”

His hand runs up and down my spine, and I melt into him. “I don’t want to wait long.”

“I think it’s best for Amelia if we do it before we tell her about the baby.”

“I worry we’re changing so much in her world too fast.”

Grayson gives a short grunt. “If she was showing any signs of being upset, I would say we should hold off, but she’s not.”

Amelia has been more excited than anything. She tells everyone that she asked me to marry them and I said yes. At school, she was the center of attention with that story. My heart didn’t know it could love like this, but Amelia and Grayson have given me so much to care for.

“Still, I want to protect her.”

Grayson kisses the top of my head. “And this is why I want to marry you now. Because you don’t just love me, you love my daughter.”

I lean up, looking in his eyes. “How could I not? She’s a part of you.”

“Seriously, Jess, I don’t want to wait to have you as my wife. I want us to start our new life raising both kids as a married couple. Call me old fashioned, I don’t care, but it’s important to me.”

“It is to me too. So, let’s set a date.”

“I want to do it before this crap with my father goes down.”

Soon, the Parkerson siblings will walk away from everything they’ve ever known and band together. I know that Grayson is grappling with not only what he found out about his father but also that his siblings are giving up so much.

I don’t think they feel that way, but he does.

They’ve lived a very privileged life and have done very well. That will change for them. There’s going to be a period of time where finances could be difficult. Thankfully, they are talking and planning to make things as easy as possible.