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“Okay, everyone,” Mrs. Lemon said. “Our next presentation is from Derek Hamilton—”
“That’s my dad!” Lizzie raised her hand proudly.
I stilled at her announcement, stilled at her smile, stilled at the way she beamed with pride and looked at her friends.
It was one of the best moments of my life.
Emerson rubbed my arm gently to bring me back to the moment, a smile on her lips. “You got this, honey.” She stepped away from the table so I could get started.
Mrs. Lemon turned to Lizzie. “Would you care to give an introduction to the rest of the class?”
“Sure,” Lizzie said. “My dad is an engineer who builds all sorts of things, like prosthetics, electric wheelchairs, cars, and even makes rovers with NASA. But the coolest thing he does is build rockets…because he’s a rocket scientist!”
The class all reacted, whispering to one another in excitement.
I didn’t think I’d be able to give this presentation at this point, not when Lizzie made my stomach turn to liquid and I felt the emotion creep into my chest and then everywhere else. I remembered the first time she’d called me Dad. It was a Saturday morning, and she came out of her room with her homework to ask for help. She just called me Dad and didn’t think twice about it…and that was what she’d called me ever since.
“Thank you, Lizzie.” Mrs. Lemon turned back to me. “Take it away, Dr. Hamilton.”
Epilogue III
Derek
Lizzie finished writing on the whiteboard with the marker, working out her calculations, and once she was done, she clicked the pen cap back into place and set it on the ledge at the bottom of the board. She stepped back, arms crossed, and stared at it.
I carefully read through it a couple times, my arms crossed over my chest, my fingers cupping my chin.
Lizzie turned to me, her eyebrow raised.
“I think it’s good. I think if we make a couple changes, this could work.”
She came back to me, her brown hair in a high ponytail. “I was looking over everything last night because I couldn’t sleep, and I realized if we remove the current thruster and replace it with a pulse, it would make it lighter and also more durable.” She opened her bag and pulled out her sketches.
I came to her side and looked over her notes. “Liz, this is good…really good.”
“Thanks.” She smiled up at me. “I learned from the best.”
My hand went to her back, and I gave her a gentle pat.
The door opened, and Emerson walked inside. “I got lunch.”
“Oh, thank god.” Lizzie raised her hands in the air. “I’m starving.”
She smiled and set everything on the table. “You’re always starving.”
Jerome and Pierre moved to grab the sandwiches. “This is my favorite part of the day,” Jerome said before he took a bite. “Other than seeing your beautiful face, of course.” He winked at Emerson.
Emerson smiled. “Thank you, Jerome.”
Lizzie joined them and grabbed her sandwich and chips. “You guys want to see my new design?”
“Yeah, let’s take a look.” Pierre took a bite before he followed her to the table to take a look at what she’d just shown me. Jerome joined them, reading through everything.
I walked over and gave Emerson a kiss. “Thanks for lunch.”
“No problem. It’s my favorite part of the day—seeing you.”
I smiled and gave her ass a squeeze. “Thanks, baby.” I grabbed a sandwich and a bag of chips and placed them on the plate.
Emerson watched Lizzie work with Pierre and Jerome, wearing a hoodie and jeans with Converse on her feet. “She fits in with you guys pretty well.”
“Yeah,” I said proudly. “She does.”
“I never thought she would grow up to be an engineer…working for Derek Hamilton.”
I looked down at her, seeing my wife of ten years, the mother of all my children, the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen. “I did.”
She smiled up at me, her eyes soft just like they were every day. “You think the boys will be too?”
“Who knows? But I have no doubt they’ll do great things—whatever they are.”
Lizzie stopped talking to the guys and tried to get my attention. “Dad? Come take a look at this. Pierre just made a good point…”
I never got tired of hearing her call me that. I felt like I was there the day she was born, like I’d dropped her off at school on her first day of kindergarten. I felt like she’d always been there, always been in my heart. “I gotta go. Looks like I’m needed.”
Emerson kissed my cheek before she grabbed my ass. “I know you are. You’re always needed—by all of us.”
Also by Victoria Quinn
As the world's most renowned heart surgeon, I accomplished every dream I had. I did my humanitarian work in South Africa, conducted ground-breaking research with my clinic, and made a difference every single day. The best part? The way my father looked at me...like he'd never been more proud.
