By the time Kiki is three, I oversee four Whiskey Kirk's restaurants, and travel several days a week. My daughter is always at my side. She loves hotels and meeting new people. Kiki has her daddy's easygoing personality. While I hope she gets a little meaner as she gets older, I can't deny she's naturally gentle like Jace.
My man works jobs for Cooper until I begin traveling. Taking on the role of my security, Jace owns every room he enters. As soon as strangers' eyes are off us, he returns to his gentle self.
I miss my pop the most when watching Jace and Kiki in the pool. They look so much like I must have with Pop when he taught me to swim. Sometimes, I see my husband and daughter together and can't hold back the tears. I still grieve, yet also feel joy at the many memories Pop and I shared.
When I cry, Kiki worries. Jace never misses a beat though. He reminds her how I miss my pop. Then, they wave upward and say hi to grandpop in Heaven.
I wish to give Jace a piece of his past, but the best our private detective can find is his parents' fake license info. Otherwise, his family remains ghosts. Nothing links them back to a bigger family.
"I have what I need," Jace tells me when I want to keep searching.
Even stubborn, I believe him. This man once hid from me, but he's an open book these days. Jace really does have everything he needs, and so do I.
When Pop died, I wondered how the world could go on. How could I ever smile again? Or feel happiness when he wasn't around to enjoy it? Now, I understand.
I can go on because Pop raised me to be strong. He offered me a good life with wonderful people and provided me a million opportunities he didn't enjoy growing up. Pop taught me right from wrong. He also taught me when to break the rules. His unbending love all my life made me capable of loving and forgiving Jace, even after the pain and disappointment.
The reason I go on is because I'm Kirk Johansson's daughter, and he'd expect nothing less from me.