The mayor went on about the community and the historical preservation, but I watched Gisselle behind the podium. Her eyes caught mine, and she smiled.
Six months ago, she fought for her professional reputation while some asshole tried to burn down her project. Now lookat her, poised, respected, and triumphant. The mayor's voice pulled my attention back.
"None of this would've been possible without the vision of our architect, Gisselle Daniels, who not only created this beautiful space, but did so in the face of extraordinary challenges."
The crowd applauded as Gisselle stood to join the mayor at the podium.
"Thank you, Mayor Thompson. When I first came to Goodwin Grove, I had a vision for what this building could be. Not just a community center, but a place where history and the future could coexist, where tradition and innovation would complement each other."
As Gisselle spoke, I fell even deeper in love with her. This was the Gisselle I glimpsed all those months ago — passionate, articulate, and unwavering.
"I want to thank someone who stood by me through every challenge, who believed in this project as much as I did. Lieutenant Liam Crawford not only protected this building from those who could've destroyed it, but he also protected my faith and what we created here. Thank you."
Heat spread through my chest as several heads turned in my direction, including my sister, who jabbed me with her damn elbow again. "Look at you getting a shout-out and shit."
The ceremony concluded with the mayor handing Gisselle an oversized pair of scissors. Together, they cut the ribbon, and the crowd applauded.
I hung back as people congratulated Gisselle. Employees stood by to take people on tours.
"Proud of her?" Dane asked beside me.
"More than I can say," I admitted.
"You know, when you first brought her to your house that night after we found the accelerant at the site, I doubted how this would all turn out."
I glanced at him, surprised by his admission.
"Not about her. About whether you'd allow yourself to be happy. You've been alone so long but look at you now. Look at both of you."
"I appreciate you, man." I clapped him on the back.
Dane nodded toward Gisselle, who laughed at something Jaxon said. When I looked at Gisselle, her face lit up. She must've sensed my eyes on her because she looked my way. The look she gave me made everything else fade away.
After we finished touring the building, we decided to take the family to dinner. Everyone followed us to Vencino's, an Italian restaurant. Inside the dining room, soft lighting flickered with candles and white tablecloths.
It was going to be expensive, but worth it to see both of our families laughing and talking as if they'd known each other forever instead of six months.
I grabbed Gisselle's hand and kissed it. I then caught my mother saying to Gisselle's mom. "Girl, then Liam ran into the kitchen, bucket naked except for his firefighter helmet, yelling emergency, emergency at the top of his lungs."
"Mama. Really? That's how we're starting this dinner?" I groaned as all the women dissolved into laughter.
Gisselle leaned into my side and whispered. "I'm definitely gonna need photographic evidence of baby Lieutenant Crawford in his helmet."
"Don't encourage them," I muttered, slipping my arm around her chair.
"Oh, honey, we're just getting warmed up. Denise, did I tell you about the recital where Gisselle decided the costume wasn't architecturally sound? She tried to redesign it with scissors right before going on stage," Justine revealed with a smirk.
Gisselle dropped her head onto my shoulder with a groan. "I was seven, and that tutu was defective." Gisselle laughed.
Across the table, Kiara cornered Gisselle's father. "You're telling me the '67 Corvette actually has a better engine than the '65? Because I always heard the opposite."
Leonard lit up, clearly delighted to find someone who appreciated his passion for classic cars. "The '67 had improved suspension and a V8, making all the difference."
"See? I told you." Kiara turned to me triumphantly.
"Don't drag me into your car obsession. I drive a pickup for a reason," I replied, reaching for my water glass.
"A practical man, though that truck of yours needs some rust restoration work on the undercarriage. I noticed it before we came inside," Leonard pointed out.
