"Oh, I gotta test out this pineapple theory."
I giggled as he laid me on the bed. "They also make the kitty slippery."
"Say less!" His hands were already working to remove my clothes.
Damn,my woman was something else. Six months ago, we dealt with the hellish arson investigation, and here we were at the grand opening of the community center. Despite everything Councilman Whitaker and his nephew had tried, Gisselle came out on top. We both had.
I adjusted my tie again, watching Gisselle across the lawn as she spoke with the mayor.
"You're gonna strangle yourself with your tie if you keep fiddling with it," Kiara warned beside me, followed by a sharp elbow to my ribs.
"Leave that man alone. He's nervous," my mother chided, though she smiled. She enjoyed Kiara's teasing as much as I did.
"Proud, not nervous," I protested.
"Mm-hmm. Yeah, that's why you're staring at Gisselle like she hung the moon and the stars instead of designing a building."
Truth was, Kiara wasn't wrong. Gisselle was in her element. She looked sexy as hell in a sleek, black dress that hugged every curve, hair pulled up into an updo, gesturing confidently as she explained something to the mayor. She made my chest tight with a feeling I couldn't explain.
"She did hang the moon," I responded, not even trying to deny it.
My mother patted my arm, her brown eyes warm. All my life, I heard that I had inherited her eyes.
"Your father would have loved her. You picked a good one, Liam."
The mention of my father hit me with the usual bittersweet pang. "Yeah, he would've."
Across the line, I spotted Gisselle's parents arriving. Her father was tall and distinguished in a charcoal suit. He immediately documented everything with the camera hanging around his neck. Her mother was even more gorgeous in person and clearly passed on her confidence and style to her daughter. She waved enthusiastically as she spotted us.
"Justine, Leonard, over here!" my mother called, waving them over.
In the past six months, since Gisselle and I moved in permanently together, our families have meshed with ease. Our mothers texted daily about everything from recipes to celebrity gossip. And my sister had quickly fallen under Gisselle's spell, too.
"Can you believe this place? My baby girl's design," Leonard boasted as he joined us, gesturing with his camera toward the building.
The pride in her father's voice matched what I felt in my chest.
"It's magnificent, although I'm not surprised. Gisselle always saw the vision where others couldn't," Justine agreed, giving me a quick hug before turning to admire the building.
A horn blared, interrupting our conversation. Engine 791 pulled up to the curb, my crew piling out in their dress uniforms, grinning like fools.
"Look at who decided the class up the joint." Kiara giggled.
The guys approached us with the swagger of men who knew they looked good in uniform, clapping me on the shoulder and greeting our family members.
"Blaze, we came to see if Gisselle managed to design a building you couldn't burn down," Jaxon joked.
"Very funny. You guys clean up nice," I dryly commented, though I couldn't help cracking a smile.
"Special occasion calls for special effort," Jaxon responded.
"Still full of shit, I see." Kiara rolled her eyes and elbowed Jaxon. I was glad her elbow aimed for someone else this time.
"Let's move closer. I want to hear everything," Mama suggested.
We navigated through the crowd, finding spots near the front as the mayor approached the microphone. She tapped it to ensure the feedback was on.
"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for joining us on this momentous occasion. Today marks the reopening of the community center and a new chapter in Goodwin Grove's story."
