Lost and Found Family by Jennifer Ryan

After the congratulations from the charity organizers, Sarah walked down the stage steps and went to the table as waiters began to serve dinner to all the guests.

Luke met her a few feet from the table and wrapped one arm around her waist in a hug and handed her a glass of wine. “You were fantastic. Congratulations. How does it feel to finally stand in the limelight and celebrate everything you’ve achieved?”

“Truthfully, a little exhausting.” She took a sip of the wine and smiled up at him. “But also really good.” She’d worked hard and given back. She’d risen above her circumstances and achieved great success. It was something to be proud of, but until now, she’d never really done so. Tonight, she felt it.

And sharing it with Luke and her family made it even more special.

Luke walked with her the few steps to the table.

Tyler stood up and hugged her first. “Abby gave me the package from you. Thank you so much, Sarah.” Tyler looked just like their father, with the same lean, strong build and chiseled jaw and high cheekbones. Sarah liked his hair the best. It was dark and he kept it just a little too long. His mother was forever asking him to cut it, because it constantly fell across his brow. She imagined some young girl brushing it away for him. He’d graduate high school this year and make young ladies drop at his feet in college.

“I can’t wait to go upstairs to our room and check it out. How do you think it turned out?”

“Awesome. I loved all of your ideas.”

“You really used them?”

“I told you I would. In fact, I have something else for you.” She spotted Abby and waved her over. Abby handed her an envelope, which Sarah then gave to Tyler. “Thanks, Abby.”

“Your speech was fantastic. I’ll check in with you later.” Abby walked off to join the Spencer Software group at their table.

Tyler opened the envelope and stared at the check. “No way! Sarah, no way. You didn’t have to do this.”

“You earned it. Most of that game was your idea. You deserve to be paid for your work.”

Tyler leaned in close. “Dad’s not going to like this.”

“Tell Lyon it’s my fault. You did the work, and I’m paying you.”

“You’re awesome! Thank you.” Tyler wrapped her in a big hug.

Sarah put her arm around Tyler and he did the same with her as they both faced Luke. “Tyler, I’d like to introduce Luke Thompson of the very prestigious Thompson Law Firm. He’s the lawyer slash rancher I told you about.”

Luke smirked. “You forgot ‘future husband.’”

She frowned at him. “You still haven’t asked me.”

“I will,” he assured her with a grin before he looked at Tyler. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you, too.” Tyler glanced at her. “Are you guys really getting married?”

“Not before I have a chance to find out what kind of man Luke Thompson truly is,” Lyon said from behind Luke.

“Lyon.” Sarah released her brother and walked to her dad, whom she’d never called by that title, and stood beside him. “Luke, may I introduce Robert Lyons. Lyon, Luke.”

Lyon gave Sarah a squeeze around her shoulders and held her to him. “She’s told me a lot about you.” Lyon had teased her about the way she gushed about Luke during their weekly calls. “It pleases me to see her happy.”

They’d lost a lot of years because her mother never told him about her. She loved that his first instinct was to claim her as his. Of course it caused a stir with his family, who also had no idea. But his wife, Norah, welcomed her to the family, even if things started off strained because Sarah disrupted the family dynamic. It took her a while to fit in, though she still felt like the outsider simply because she and her father’s family didn’t have a shared history. As well, she’d held back, too afraid to really get to know them at first for fear that they’d send her away or treat her badly like so many had done to her in the past. But things only got better having her dad in her life.

Luke smiled down at her. “I like making her happy.” Luke shook her dad’s hand. “It’s nice to meet you, sir.”

“Sarah’s been through a lot in her life. She needs someone she can trust implicitly and count on to never waver in their support of her and her happiness.”

Luke held Lyon’s gaze. “She has me for all of that and more.”

Lyon nodded with an I’ll-be-watching-you look. “Your family made a generous donation to Sarah’s foundation.”

Luke shrugged. “My entire family supports Sarah. But of course I’ll personally match it.”

Sarah gasped in surprise. “Luke, you don’t have to do that. The money Thompson Law donated is plenty.”

“I want you to know that I support what you do and want to be a part of it.”

Lyon slapped his hand on Luke’s shoulder. “You’re a generous man. I especially appreciate that kind of integrity.”

Luke took her hand. “Sarah makes everyone around her want to be a better person. She gives loyalty and trust without asking for anything in return. I want to be worthy of that kind of rare generosity and her open heart.”

“Sarah told me trust and women haven’t really gone together in your life.”

“I’ve had a few good and a lot of disappointing relationships. I couldn’t seem to find what I was looking for until I met Sarah and it all became clear that having a real partner and family was absolutely possible. With her.”

“And you’re sure this time?”

Sarah almost rolled her eyes at her father for asking what equated to “What are your intentions toward my daughter?” Plus, they had a huge audience, including Luke’s family sitting nearby.

Luke didn’t balk at her father’s boldness. “I think I fell in love with her the day I met her.”

“Me, too,” her father said, touching her deeply.

“I gave Sarah a hard time when we first met,” Luke confessed. “I thought she was something she isn’t and could never be. I was wrong. I told her as much. During it all, I felt this pull, something I couldn’t resist or deny. A connection I’d never felt. And I knew I didn’t want to live my life without her in it. She has my complete trust and loyalty. I don’t ever want to lose hers. As for Jack and Nick . . . I want to be the father to them my dad was to me.”

It touched her deeply that he’d be so open and honest and heartfelt with her father.

Luke brushed the back of his fingers over her cheek. “It’s you and me, sweetheart. Always. Forever.”

Choked up, she needed to change the subject before she cried. Her brother became her distraction. “Tyler, show your dad your first paycheck. He’ll be so proud of you for earning it.”

As expected, Lyon turned to the son he doted on. “When did you get a job?”

“Sarah and I collaborated on her new project. I never expected her to pay me, but she did. All I wanted was to have an advanced copy of the game.”

Lyon looked at the check. “Sarah, you can’t possibly think to pay him this much.”

“Sure, I can. He came up with a lot of the ideas. He did the work, so I paid him what I’d pay any other game developer.”

“I think you’re just being generous because he’s your brother.”

“If that’s the case, then, I’m sure you’d agree, it’s my prerogative.”

Luke notched his chin toward Tyler. “Which game is that? The new Knight’s Revenge?”

“Yeah, I love that game, but I thought there could be a lot more to it. So, I called Sarah and told her my ideas. And she actually used them in the new game.”

“It’s one of my favorites, as well. When you, your father, and mom come for Christmas this year, we’ll go head-to-head.”

“Luke, I’m sure Lyon would like to spend Christmas—”

“With his family,” he pointedly suggested before turning to her dad. “We’d love to have you. It will be my first Christmas with Sarah and the boys. What do you say?”

Sarah’s heart filled with hope. She’d never had a big family holiday and she’d love to have her family, Margaret, Bridget, and Sophia, and Luke’s family all together. “Will you join us, Lyon? It would mean so much to me.”

“Yeah, Dad. Let’s have Christmas with Sarah, Nick, and Jack. I haven’t gotten to see them in a long time. Mom will love it.” Tyler looked as hopeful as Sarah.

“If it means that much to you, Sarah, of course we’ll be there.”

She couldn’t wait. “Thank you, Lyon. It’s going to be wonderful.” She gave her dad a quick hug then stepped back to Luke’s side.

“Well, we better sit down to dinner with everyone else,” her father suggested.

She took her seat next to Luke, his family spread out around the table on his other side, hers next to her. She looked at everyone here to support her and just took it in. She’d come a long way from that lonely little girl lost in the world, with no one who loved or took care of her. Now, she’d found her own strength and used her smarts to build a thriving business and had a mismatched family she’d pulled together around her.

Luke leaned over and kissed her softly. “You look happy.”

“I am because I’m here with my family.”

The rest of the evening went by in a blur of people who wanted to congratulate her on her accomplishments and talk business. She loved watching Luke interact with the people he knew or who wanted to talk to him about a case he’d been involved in or about someone he’d represented. A couple people even hinted they could use his help.

At the end of the night, she finally got her dance with him, and leaned back and stared up at him. “Did I tell you how handsome you look in this tux? Sometimes when I look at you, I can’t believe you’re mine.”

“You take my breath away in that dress.”

“Don’t look at me like that, Luke. There are a ton of people here and all of them seem to be watching us.”

“Look at you like what?”

“Like you want me, right here, right now.”

He leaned in and nuzzled his nose along her ear’s outer edge. “I do.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead and stared down at her, his eyes filled with desire.

Sarah swallowed hard. “You should take me home to bed.”

“My favorite place to take you.” He kissed her right there on the dance floor in front of everyone.

It was the best night of her life. She’d stood before a room full of reporters and taken credit for not only the innovative and unique security system she’d done for the Knox Project, but for the success of Spencer Software and Andy’s Antics. She celebrated her accomplishments and showed everyone that she’d done it on her own through hard work and determination.

But the best thing had been standing at the podium and staring down at her dad and Luke, the two most important men in her life, and seeing their pride and love for her.

And dancing with Luke, seeing the way he looked at her and how it made her heart melt, solidified how much she wanted to spend her life with him.