“I’m so excited for Faith. She’s going to freak!”
I nod in agreement. “Hopefully it’s not too much.”
Dale shakes her head. “Who cares?”
“How right you are.” Rafael slides his arm around my neck, and I roll my eyes. He’s always agreeing with her. I know it’s because they’re two bubbly dorks who seem to operate on the same golden wavelength, but still. I can’t keep up when they really get going.
Stetson pulls up, saving me from having to try. Gus climbs out of the driver side and grabs a very sleepy Poppy from her car seat. She flops over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, and I have to bite my tongue to keep from laughing.
“Did she?—”
“Get ahold of scissors and cut her own bangs ten minutes before we left? Yes, yes, she did,” Stetson grumbles, hoisting a diaper bag over her shoulder while juggling a container of still-warm cookies, the steam fogging the glass.
“Wow, she certainly doesn’t have a career as a hairdresser.” Mateo whistles, and Dale’s elbow finds his stomach with a hard punch. “Oof.”
“I think we should try on your precious hair next time, Mateo. Maybe she struggles on her own. Don’t doubt my daughter. She’ll be whatever the fuck she feels like,” Gus growls, pulling her close to his face to press a kiss to her forehead.
Mateo rolls his eyes, but before he can say anything back, Faith’s car pulls up.
Nerves erupt in my stomach. I know this is a good deed, and Faith deserves the world, but will she accept it?Will she see it as the thank you it’s meant to be, or some kind of charity?
“It’s okay, baby.” Rafael kisses my temple, and I lean in to him, willingly taking his support.
Faith gets out of the car first, her eyes wandering between each of our faces with a confused expression. She clings to the car door as she stares us down. “What’s going on? Why are we here?”
I breathe deeply a final time, inhaling the intoxicating warmth of Rafael before stepping out of his grip to wave Faith forward. “Come on. We want to show you something.”
Faith hesitates.
“Please.” Reiny pops her head out of the backseat, grabbing Faith’s hand. She looks down at her sister, rolling her eyes.
“I feel like I’m walking into a trap.” But she smiles.
We all walk in, me silently in the lead, and Faith gasps in surprise. I don’t have to face her to know how pink she’s becoming, her eyes wide with wonder and excitement.
I drink in the changes, trying to reimagine how the space looked only months ago.
“We repainted the walls a pale pink, almost tan, and re-stained the pillars. The roof had to be totally redone, so we did a tongue and groove style ceiling—Dale’s idea. And the floor was sanded down and refinished, but it’s the original flooring.”
McCrae walks up next to me, whistling his approval. “Looks incredible, V. Especially from where it started.”
“It’s like a beautiful, blank canvas.” Stetson sets the tub of cookies on the floor, reaching for a squirming Poppy. Gus sets her down instead, and she instantly starts running circles around the room, weaving around the pillars. She squeals in excitement, her blonde hair streaming behind her, the freshly cut bangs standing straight up on her forehead.
“I’m confused.” Faith smiles at me, her eyebrows drawn together. “It’s beautiful, but what is it? Why does everyone know about it but me?”
Is that hurt in her voice?
“It’s for you, Faith. It’s your self-defense range.” I point toward the back of the space, where a new wall’s being built. “In that room will be the range. And out here?—”
“What’re you talking about?” Her lip wobbles, and I contemplate hugging her.
Dale beats me to it, but I’m not mad. Hugging still isn’t on the top of my list of ways to show affection, and I think everyone here knows it. “V cooked up this plan to give you the space you’ve always wanted, for your business. You’ve helped all of us so much, and this was the least we could do.”
“You could have done it yourself, someday down the road, but we all knew you’d continue to put everyone’s needs above your own,” I add, and more than one head nods in agreement.
The first tear falls, followed by several more, until she’s wiping them furiously off her chin, her face flaming red. I can’t tell if she’s mad, embarrassed, sad, ecstatic… “You all did this?”
Stetson pops her hip, her eyes darting between Faith’s face and Gus chasing Poppy around the room. “We helped where we could, but this was all Valentina. Her idea, her execution.”
