“I couldn’t resist,” Stryker said while caressing Emerson’s back. “Emerson brings a lot of value to TCS.”
“I’m sure she does,” Tiana said.
Stryker and Emerson escorted her mom and dad to their table. To Emerson’s surprise, Heather and Gordon were there, as well.
“There they are,” Heather said, and hugged all of them.
“I didn’t know you guys were coming,” Emerson said.
“We’re family,” Gordon said. “We show up.”
“Did you know they were coming?” Emerson asked Stryker as everyone took their seats.
“Of course.” He lifted her hand and kissed her finger. “They want to pay tribute to your family.”
“I am marrying into the best family.”
“Me, too, baby,” he replied.
The event began when Chief Watson stepped up to the podium. “Good evening, and welcome to the twelfth annual Acts of Heroism Ceremony. Tonight, we share a stage with first responders from all over the DMV as we pay tribute to our own. Firefighters who ran into burning buildings, paramedics and EMTs who breathed life into someone who would otherwise have died, and police officers who ran toward danger, not away from it. Some of these brave men and women lost their lives because they placed others first. We will carry their spirit forward by remembering them in our hearts, forever. Our ceremony of honor will begin immediately following dinner.”
Detective Nikki Cardoso and her husband joined them at their table and the two women talked shop for a few minutes.
“I’m pretty excited to be in your wedding party,” Nikki said. “Have you guys set a date yet?”
“No,” Stryker replied, taking his fiancée’s hand in his. “Emerson is a hard woman to pin down.”
“My new job was pretty intense for the first three months,” Emerson said. “Somewhere in all of that, we moved into Stryker’s home, then got busy readying my townhouse—Doug’s townhouse—to sell. We haven’t had a minute to plan a wedding.”
“After we moved, our crazy cat had a nervous breakdown,” Stryker added, and they all laughed.
“When we moved, our cat was a wreck, too,” Nikki said. “Poor thing stopped eating, but she’s okay now.”
“That’s not a problem for Pima,” Emerson said. “Stryker has him eating out of his hand.”
“We’re talking about a spring wedding,” Stryker said.
“Or a Christmas wedding,” Emerson added. “Next year.”
“Tell me all about your job,” Nikki said. “What do you do at TCS?”
Stryker gave her hand a little squeeze and she squeezed back in return.
“I’m in charge of security for the facility and for the systems. It keeps me super busy.” She paused to sip her water. “Did you hear that Carla Barnham threw her husband under the bus?”
And just like that, Emerson had redirected the conversation away from her work. She loved being an ALPHA operative and loved when Stryker joined her on a mission, too. She had found her dream job. When she slid her gaze to Stryker, he was waiting.
The love in his eyes told her everything she needed to know. Her dream man was also her forever man.
* * *
Their entrées were delivered and the conversations continued. Stryker glanced around the table. When Heather and Gordon had learned the truth about his mom’s death, they were furious with Tee Barnham. As the months passed, they were able to process what had happened and move beyond the anger. They couldn’t change the past, but they found comfort knowing the truth, and that justice would be served.
Stryker’s sister, Trudy, had taken the news about Barnham the hardest. Learning that their father had murdered their mother, and that their dad had a secret family, had shaken her to her core. She’d apologized to Stryker, and her aunt and uncle numerous times, promising she’d never be that gullible, ever again.
Emerson’s mom and dad had been warmly welcomed into Stryker’s extended family, not only participating in Sunday Fundays, but hosting several of them.
“You good?” Emerson whispered.
