Page 85 of Grim

“Absolutely.”

“I’m ready, too,” Luna announced as she stood and jumped into Lawson’s arms. He winced for a slight moment, which was surprising, but I let the thought go when she asked, “Can Skid come, too?”

“Awe, that’s sweet, Lune Bug, but I...”

“Yeah,” Lawson interrupted. “Skid can come, too.”

“Don’t we need to clean up a bit before we go?”

“Nah, one of the girls will get it.”

Lawson was still carrying Luna when he reached down and took my hand. With Skid following behind, we headed outside to his truck. When he opened the back door, I was surprised to find that Luna’s car seat was secured inside. It had been in my car the day before, which led me to ask, “What about my car?”

“We’ll take care of it.” When I hesitated, he added, “I’ll have one of the guys bring it over later.”

I nodded and then waited as he put Luna in her car seat. Once she was buckled in, he and I got inside, and with Skid following on his bike, we headed over to his place. When we pulled up, there were several unfamiliar vehicles parked along the curb. Lawson didn’t seem bothered by the fact, so I didn’t mention anything.

Once we were parked, I got out and grabbed Luna, and we all started up the front steps. That’s when I noticed that there were boxes lined up in the garage. I turned to Lawson and asked, “What’s all this?”

“Just had some stuff boxed up. Probably send to Goodwill or something.”

He didn’t have to tell me. I knew what was inside them. It was all the stuff I’d unboxed months ago that should’ve never been unboxed. We continued up the steps, and when Lawson opened the door, I was surprised to hear laughter and talking drifting down from the hallway. I immediately turned to Lawson and asked, “What’s going on?”

“I don’t know. Why don’t you and Luna go check it out?”

I could tell by his expression that he was up to something, so I gave him a look. “What’s happening?”

“Go see for yourself.”

With a mixture of curiosity and trepidation, I started down the hallway, and as I entered the room Luna and I shared, I was hit with the surprise of my life. Star and several of the girls were busy working on Luna’s room, and they’d turned it into a wonderland. The room was full color, every corner adorned in shades of pink and purple, and a mountain of stuffed animals piled on a new princess bed.

It was amazing, but it was the sight of Star and the other girls being so excited that brought tears to my eyes. When Star spotted us, she threw up her arms and shouted, "Surprise!"

“Oh, my goodness!”

“Do you like it?”

“Are you kidding? It’s amazing.” I lowered Luna to the floor as I told her, “It looks like you have a new room.”

“This is mine?”

“Yeah, kiddo,” Lawson answered. “It’s all yours.”

With that, Luna darted inside the room, and she was practically beaming as she checked out all her new toys. The girls were so sweet and showed her all her new things. They opened the closet, showing her all the new clothes inside—clothes I could’ve never afforded on my own. It brought tears to my eyes. “She’s never had a room of her own before.”

“Well, she does now.”

“It’s just...” I wiped the tears from my cheeks as I said, “I can’t believe you did this.”

“I wanted her to have a place of her own. I want you both to have it.”

“Don’t you just love it?” Star asked as she and Nikki rushed over. “I think the stuffed rabbits are just the cutest!”

“Yeah, it’s amazing.”

I was at a loss for words. Lawson had already done so much for us. He’d not only brought us into his home and kept us off the streets, but he got me a job and helped me find my pride again. He saved my daughter from a monster and gave her the most beautiful room I’d ever seen.

It was all too much.

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