Author's note: Hey everyone! Thanks for the reviews on the last chapter; I'm glad you still like this story and the Dawsey's Miami Life! So here's a new chapter!
I apologize for some grammatical errors or conjugations, I do my best.
Have a good read and don't forget to tell me what you think about this new chapter!
GABBY'S POV
It's been a month since we are in Miami and we are totally becoming used to the life in Florida. A small routine settled down. In the morning I leave for my sessions of reeducation, Matt comes with me every two days and the rest of the time he enjoys the beach, the swimming pool or takes care of the everyday life for all being perfect. We find ourselves to have lunch, and the afternoon, seen that I can walk with more facilities; we visit Miami and its surroundings: Miami's Aquarium, Tropical Fairchild and the Everglades.
The therapy is going very well, the progresses are felt and the relations with my therapist are really good. Matt supports me and encourages me a lot. I am capable of walking by myself, of having a walk in the afternoon during several hours... I will not run a marathon tomorrow, but it's good to be independent again. I complete my reeducation by some swimming sessions at the residence.
The therapist told me that within a month I should be perfectly cured! All these good news are only being added to our current happiness.
And this weekend all is more than perfect: Severide is coming to visit us! Matt is really excited about it and me too. Severide is a great friend for the two of us, he has always been there for us and without him, we will probably not be back together and enjoying a fresh start in Miami.
"Hey babe!" Matt screams from the front door, coming back from the store with ALL he needs for boys' nights. He carries two completely filled bags of groceries, of which to feed a regiment, and a pack of beers.
"Do you think you have enough?" I ask him in a teasing tone before kissing him on the lips.
"You have no idea!" he answers me.
"Why I have the feeling you don't tell me anything?" I ask him, more seriously.
He puts his arms around my shoulders and guides me towards the balcony: "You need to stop thinking too much beautiful lady! Why don't you just take some rest while I'm tidy up groceries and then I take you out?" he tells me.
"Fine with me! But don't you need to pick Severide at the airport this evening?" I ask him.
"Yes, but it's only 4pm… We have a couple of hours behind us! What do you think of a little ride to the city and I invite you to dinner?" He asks me.
"Sounds like a great plan, fine with me!" I tell him before taking my book and going to read by the pool.
MATT'S POV
Gabby goes down to read at the edge of the swimming pool while I finish tidying up the groceries shopping. Then I feel my phone vibrating in my pocket. I read the text I just received: "Everything is OK."
I then join Gabby in the swimming pool and have a swim while she finishes her book. By coming out of the water, I decide to annoy her a little and I lay on top of her.
"Matt! You are quite dipped! Let go of me!" She tells me, by laughing with this small laughter which I like so much.
I stop her laugh by kissing her and she's not fighting anymore, quickly responding to the kiss.
"What do you think of a shower before going out?" I tease her.
"Well, I'm already dipped, then more or the less." She answers me smiling, drawing lines on my wet chest with her fingers before attacking my lips again.
"Baby, a little seriousness we are in public, see!" I tell her before standing up. I put a towel around my waist and take Gabby's hand.
Once in the apartment, we can't keep our hands of each other. I lift Gabby in my arms and she put her legs around my waist. Our lips are still pressed against each other's. I open the curtain of the shower and I put the water to be poured, while I undo the straps of Gabby's small smock dress. I kiss her slowly in the neck and on shoulders, and let her dress fall on the ground. We are soon both completely naked and enjoy a hot shower in the arms of each other.
GABBY'S POV
After this pretty good afternoon, we get ready to go to the city.
"Dress well baby! I'm getting you to a fancy restaurant!" Matt tells me while he puts a skirt and his navy blue jeans.
"Oh ok, you're in a romantic mood!" I tease him before putting a sweet kiss on his lips.
When I see he's dressed in these jeans, I decide to dress myself with my navy blue short chiffon dress with a V-neck sash reached backless. I put my navy Ralph Lauren Adrian Flat Sandal and a white jacket. My makeup is really simple and natural, and I flat-iron my hair.
Once dressed, I grab my purse and we make our way to our location car, a black Volkswagen Coccinelle Cabriolet and Matt drives us to the city.
We walk into one of the best shopping's street and in the early hour of the evening we make our way to one of the best restaurants of the city "City Hall".
As we enter the restaurant, I'm surprised by the peace of the place in spite of its great reputation.
"Welcome to the City Hall, follow me please." A waitress welcomes us and guides us towards the first floor.
While we walk up stairs, I begin to hear a lot of whispers. It's really noisy. I look at Matt and he shyly smiles at me. I quickly understand that we won't pass a cozy and romantic night like I thought, and I feel a little disappointed. The disappointment gives way little by little to the confusion when I see a panel "Private Party".
"Why is she taking us to a private party?" I ask Matt with confused eyes.
"Because it's yours Gabby!" he announces me as the waitress pull back two red curtains.
"SURPRISE!" I hear many voices shouting and I see everyone, my friends, my family, members of House 51. Everyone is here and I don't really understand what is happening. I turn to Matt, and he looks at me, proud of himself.
"What's all this? I believed that only Kelly came to visit us." I ask him with brilliant eyes and a trembling voice, touched but so so happy.
"Well, I thought a little party would be good for everyone. We could celebrate your recovery, and also… Also, we have never celebrated our engagement with our loved ones so after all these twists and turns, I think it's the perfect time." He tells me and he puts me closer to him before kissing me on the forehead. With everyone around us, he offers me a bouquet of red roses and speaks out loud: "Welcome to your engagement party my love!"
I'm so emotional, I can't hold my tears.
"This better be tears of joy, sis!" I hear this voice which I could recognize among thousands, and I turn around immediately and take my older brother in my arms. "Congratulations sis, I'm so happy for you! You found the best guy ever!" he murmurs me in the ear.
When we separate, I look him straight in the eyes and I thank him for all that he always did for me, to have always been there for me in bad and good times alike. I would have never been able to dream about a better older brother.
Then he takes me by the hand and leads me to make the tour of the room for meeting all the guests, all these people who made the trip from Chicago to be there for us, for me. My heart is filled with love. Everyone is here: Antonio, Christie and Violet, all the guys from 51 and even the Chief with his wife. My parents are not here, they are in the Dominican Republic and Matt's mother either, but it's still perfect.
MATT'S POV
After having welcomed and thanked all our guests, we sit down at a big table. Gabby and I are surrounded by Severide and Brett, our future wedding witnesses. The discussions leave in all directions, everybody smile and is happy to be here. It's the best reward which I can have after having spent more than a month to organize this surprise, with the help of Severide and Antonio.
I see Gabby next to me who looks in every direction with a big smile on her face, and I squeeze her tight under the table. She turns around to face me, kisses me on the neck and murmurs me: "Thank you, this is amazing! I have never imagined we will celebrate our engagement with all the people we love around us, and I'm really happy to do it. You'll be the best husband ever, you know that?"
"Of course!" I tease her and she laughs loudly. "I can't wait to be your husband and to call you Gabriela Casey, you can't even imagine…" I tell her before kissing her passionately, forgetting all the people around us at the table. The applauses, the shouts and the whistles were not late in coming. Once we ended kiss, we look in each other's eyes happier than ever.
Severide choose his moment to shout: "I think that it is the hour of the speeches!"
Antonio is the first one to stand up; he takes his little paper and starts speaking:
"Hey Everybody!
It's my happy task to welcome you all here tonight to celebrate the engagement of Gabby and Matt. For those of you who don't know me, but you shouldn't be too many, I'm Gabby's very proud big brother…"
He breaks off, apparently very touched. It's nothing next to Gabby, whose tears already flow in streams. I cross my arm around her shoulders and I kiss her on the temple.
"Thank you for coming to share with us this milestone event, my little sis is finally getting married!" and everyone laugh.
"I've had 29 years of being this stubborn girl's big brother and they've flashed by. I remember her brand new; how her minute fingers curled around mine and the feeling that gave me. I would be her guardian giant - nothing would hurt my little sister. And then came reality, she finds the man of her dream in the person of Matt Casey, the sexy lieutenant…"
Everyone is really emotional, but laughs again, sacred Antonio! And he finishes his speech on an emotional note directed to me: "I'm delighted that Gabby has shown such good sense in choosing you, you'll be great together and I can't wait to have little nieces or nephews with a dark skin and blue eyes, it will definitely change!" he teases us.
"Please raise your glasses to Gabby and Matt! Just be happy guys, I love you!"
Gabby gets up immediately and throws herself into Antonio's arms. I follow her, and thank Antonio.
It's then the tour of Severide and Brett, who recite us a poem.
And it's finally my turn. I've prepared a little speech for Gabby, to tell her how much I love her and how much I'm proud she's my fiancée and my future wife.
"First of all, Gabby and I are delighted and honored to finally be able to share this news with all of you. Some of you already knew or guessed, but here it is, official!
Standing together in front of all the very special people in our lives to announce our engagement makes our private dreams public and in a way, finally real. Thank you for being here and for your love."
Then, I look at Gabby who's still really touched by all these words and I let my heart speak.
"Gabby, for the first time in my life I'm one hundred percent sure of something. I know what I want, and that's to call you my wife. You are my best friend, my muse. With you I am happier and in love than I ever thought it was possible and this is just the start. I am here to tell you that my life is better and fuller with you in it. We have been together over two years now and we know each other for almost eight years, and sometimes I just figured we were already married, it feels so natural and normal. I don't want to miss out on being the happiest man in the world, I love you so much Gabby…" I finish, approaching her and taking her in my arms. I kiss her on her favorite spot on the neck and she kisses me back on the lips.
"I love you; I really do…" she tells me, still close to my lips. "I guess it's my turn now! I prepared nothing, thus don't hold it against me if it is not as well that yours…" she tells me smiling.
GABBY'S POV
It's a really emotional night I will never forget: a surprise engagement party with all my family and friends; and two amazing speeches from my big brother and my fiancé. I'm really emotional, but it's my turn to declare my flame to Matt.
"Wow, I don't even know where to start… I'm such a mess right now, but a happy mess, don't worry…" I tell everyone, and they all look at me with proud and teary eyes.
"We think of the proposal, and how we hope it happens, but we have little input in that process, we're supposed to be surprised. And after a first one that I won't talk to you about, because it's a happy night, we don't need sad… sad… sad memories…" I can't help myself but just burst into tears at the memory of that day.
Severide stands up and come next to me, takes me in his arms and tells me some comforting words and how happy Shay will be happy for us right now. I take the courage to finish my speech, with Severide never leaving my side.
"Well, let's just say he really surprised me with his second proposal, it was perfect…" I just conclude.
"When I first met Matt, of course I thought, could I be with this guy forever? The closer we got thought the years, the more apparent it was to me that we could, but first life keeps getting in the way… And one night, after all this year dreaming about Matt Casey, he shows up at my door and you all know the rest…" I look at Matt, with a big smile on my face and he laughs, remembering our first night together.
"I have to tell you guys that I never thought I would find anyone as perfect as Matt, or that someone has perfect would ever want a stubborn and crazy girl like me. I kissed a lot of frogs, as they say, and now I have found my prince charming. Matt, you're my soul mate and I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you."
Matt came to me, put his arms around my waist and kiss me with passion. Everyone hugs us and congratulate us.
We spent the rest of the night enjoying each other, enjoying the people we love being here around us and enjoying just the fact to be happy.