“Trust me?”
“Always.”
I take her hand, and lead us to the elevator Ainsley has waiting. As we descend, I meet her quizzical look with a smile. I’m just the delivery person—and not the messenger—today. When the doors open, I motion her forward.
“Hi,” Reina says, hugging Grace.
“Where are we?”
“Our medical ward.”
“I didn’t know this was here.”
“You weren’t supposed to, until now.”
“Now?”
“Let’s go and see Alex, so she can explain.”
We follow her down the hall, and into a hospital room that’s the size of at least five public hospital rooms. The Society women are all in the room, waiting for us. Grace looks around, and I can tell she’s trying to figure out what’s going on. Her gaze finally settles on Alex, who motions to a chair next to her bed.
“Hi, Grace.”
“Hi.”
“You’re a little confused right now, and I understand. This floor is only part of what I’m about to tell you. Every woman in here was allowed to tell one family member, but since mine all know, I haven’t told anyone yet. You’ve become like family to me, and unless Keir screws up again, you’ll be around us a lot, so I want you to know.”
“Know what?”
“What we really do here.”
Alex tells her everything about the Society, and how it came to be. Grace asks questions, and Reina provides some of the answers, when Alex isn’t sure what to say. Once they’re done, Grace has a smile on her face.
“This is so cool. I can’t believe it all happens here, without any of us knowing.”
“Now you know,” Alex tells her.
“Thank you for giving me this honor. I’ll protect your secret.”
“I know. Now, do you want to meet my girl?”
“Yes, please.”
Miles steps forward, and hands the baby girl to Grace, before kissing her on the cheek. She cradles her close, cooing and kissing her. In this moment, I realize I’m ready to have another baby—Grace’s baby. I’m not going to mention it right now, but it’s definitely a talk we need to have. God knows, the boys will be excited about it. My little family is just about as perfect as it can get, but a baby will make it even better. A wedding might come first, but that piece of paper isn’t as important as the love behind it, and right now, I’m full of love.
Coming Soon
Look for Haring’s book, Savage Company, coming in August!
Acknowledgments
Thanks to my daughters, for inspiring me to write about strong women!
Helen Williams, because my covers just get better and better!
Lynda Carter, Gal Godot, and Patty Jenkins: you all brought my childhood hero to life in one way or another, and I’ll be eternally grateful!
And especially to all of my readers, who love my characters as much as I do. Thanks for going on this journey with me!
About the Author
Crystal Perkins has always been a big reader, but she never thought she would write her own book, until she sat down and did it one day. She lives in Las Vegas, where you can find her running author events and selling books at conventions when she isn’t reading, buying too many Sherlock t-shirts and LulaRoe leggings, or finding a place to put all of her Pop! figurines. In 2016, she won the Creative Initiatives Award from Romantic Times for encouraging literacy, and also the Community Advocate Award from the Clark County School Librarians Association. A mac and cheese connoisseur, she travels the country looking for the perfect version, while attending book conventions and signings as a cover for her research. The Griffin Brothers, Corrigan & Co., and the Society Girls series are all international best sellers, and she’s thankful to the readers who made that happen.
* * *
Find her here:
www.crystalperkinsauthor.com
facebook.com/crystalperkinsauthor
@wondermomlv
Unexpected Company: #2 of Company Men Page 15
