Page 61 of When You Give a Lawyer a Kiss

Harrison pulls off to the side of the road, and rolls down his window. “Marlow, do you need some help?”

The woman glances over, pausing her pursuit to look at Harrison. When she comes closer to the car I notice she has one blue and one green eye.

“Hey, Harrison. I’ll get everyone wrangled eventually, but I appreciate the offer.”

“Hi, Uncle Harrison.” The little girl shouts in our direction, waving with both hands.

“Hey there, ladybug,” he answers with a smile. “Having fun?”

She nods vigorously. “Yes! But Waffles, Muffin, Jellybean, and Cheez-It are being bad.” She points an accusing finger at the furry culprits, who are now rolling around in a pile of leaves beneath an oak tree.

Harrison chuckles. “At least they’re enjoying themselves.”

“Yup! Bye, Uncle Harrison,” calls the little girl over her shoulder as she joins the dogs in the leaf pile.

“Have fun.” He waves to Marlow.

“Thanks. We’ll see you at your parents’ house for lunch, right?”

“Yeah, Mom would never let me live it down if I didn’t stop by before heading back to the city tonight.”

“Great, see you there,” Marlow says before turning her attention to the little girl.

Harrison glances back at Reese and me as he pulls back onto the road. “That’s Marlow, my soon-to-be sister-in-law, andmy niece Lola. They adopted three puppies a few months ago, and it’s been quite the adjustment. My brother was already struggling with training one dog, let alone four.” He grins. “It’s good for him, though. Before Marlow and Waffles came along, he was even grumpier than you, Dawson.”

Reese chokes out a laugh, then quickly covers her mouth when she catches me casting Harrison a sharp look.

We all freeze momentarily when his phone’s ringtone comes through the car’s sound system, the nameFallonappearing on the display screen.

He sighs heavily, tapping the end button. “You’re testing my patience, Fallon,” he grumbles under his breath.

I remember that name. She’s the caterer he was looking for the night we were at the club. There’s obviously a backstory there, but I decide now isn’t the time to press him on it.

We drive the rest of the way in silence, my hand resting on Reese’s thigh. I’m looking forward to spending this time with her, free from interruptions and distractions.

“Here we are,” Harrison says as he pulls alongside a pristine lake, the surface shimmering under the afternoon sun.

Nestled close to the water’s edge is a cozy picnic for two. A blanket is spread out on the grassy shoreline, dotted with plush cushions. Nearby, a wicker basket overflows with fresh fruit, artisanal meats, cheeses, and bread. There’s a cooler with chilled sparkling water and a bottle of white sticking out. In the distance, a small boat bobs in the water, completing the serene lakeside escape.

Harrison and his brothers really outdid themselves with the setup.

I climb out of the vehicle and offer my hand to help Reese.

“Have fun, you two,” Harrison says from the driver’s seat. “I’m going to my parents’ house, so just text me when you’reready to head back to the airfield.” He gives me a smirk before driving off.

“I can’t believe you did all this for me.” Reese beams when she gets to the picnic setup.

“Harrison and his family did most of the work,” I admit. “I wanted to make sure everything was perfect.”

“It is,” Reese says. “Thank you, Dawson.” She winds her arms around my neck, and I lean down to kiss her.

“I wanted you to have a day where you don’t have to do anything but relax, and I figured this was the perfect place to do it.”

“You were right.”

I lead her to the blanket and once we’re seated, I take the paper plates from the basket and serve up a sampling of everything.

“This looks so good,” Reese says when I set her plate in front of her.

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