A/N: Thank you so much for your reviews. I really appreciate it! Here's a little belated Christmas gift for you. I hope you all enjoyed the holidays and had a good time.

Enjoy reading!

Miss Eliza


Chapter 11

three weeks later

"Hey man, everything set for tonight?" Kelly asked Matt, who was sitting at the kitchen table, his nose stuck into a pile of paper.

"Yeah, almost. Did you talk to the florist about the roses?"

Kelly nodded. "Done. They'll deliver them this afternoon to this place. And I have your house key to prepare everything. Shay will help me."

"Yep. Because we all know your decoration skills." Shay came down the stairs and joined Matt and Kelly in the kitchen.

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?!" Kelly pouted and Shay started laughing.

"That means I remember my last birthday, when you decorated the living room with candles and nearly burned the whole place down."

Matt, who remembered the incident very well, chuckled. "A professional firefighter and yet he didn't follow the simplest safety rules."

"Okay, okay, enough. I learned my lesson. This time we'll put all the candles in glasses or candle stands. I promise, I won't burn your place down."

Shay nodded. "I'll have an eye on everything. Does Gabby suspect something?"

Matt shook his head. "I don't think so. Told her, I've a construction job today. She believes, we only have dinner at Acadia tonight."

"Really?!" Shay couldn't believe it. "Nobody has just dinner at Acadia. That place is way too fancy. But she hasn't called me yet to complain about having nothing to wear. Maybe she really believes it's just dinner."

She hadn't finished the sentence, when her phone started ringing. "It's Gabby." She pressed the decline button. "I'll call her back. So, everything is prepared for tonight?"

"Yep." Matt got up from the chair and grabbed his jacket. "I have to go to the jewelry store now to get the ring. Thanks again Shay for finding out the right size."

Shay patted his shoulder. "No worries. Speaking of the ring, what did Antonio say about you wanting to propose?"

Matt grinned as he remembered the talk with Gabby's brother. "He said, that it was about time, that we got together and gave me his blessing. Gabby's parents come back from Dominican Republic this afternoon. There was no time for me, talking to her father, but Antonio thinks, everything will be alright."

"If he says so… otherwise I promise you to look after Gabby if her father kills you." Kelly winked at Matt, who looked pretty insecure now. "Relax man, it was a joke."

"Your timing is terrible. I'm not in the mood for jokes right now." Matt rolled his eyes. "I'll text you after we leave the restaurant."

"Okay and don't be nervous. She'll say yes. She loves you. I know that for sure." Shay tried to reassure him.

Matt smiled. "I know."


He left Kelly's and Shay's apartment and drove to the jewelry store. "Ah, Mr. Casey" The owner greeted him. "Your ring is right here. I just polished it." He showed him the ring. It was silver with a big diamond surrounded by smaller ones.

"It's beautiful." Matt reached for his wallet.

"Yes, it is. There's no doubt your girlfriend will say yes." He smiled.

"You're the second person who tells me that today." Matt gave his credit card to the store owner.

"Then it must be true." He swiped the credit card through the reading device. "Here's your ring and the receipt. I hope you don't have to exchange it." He joked.

Matt sighed. "Please, no more jokes today." The store owner laughed. "Sorry, you must be nervous."

"Hell yes, I am." Matt left the store and looked at his watch. It was already 4:30 pm and he promised Gabby to be back at 5:00 pm. He got in his truck and drove home. When he opened the front door, he could hear Gabby talking to Shay. "This can't be true. Try again!"

"Sweetie, your dress doesn't fit anymore. Do you have something else to wear?" That was Shay's voice.

"Because my boobs are too big and my ass is getting fatter. It's terrible. I have nothing to wear!" Gabby started sobbing. "Sorry, hormones."

Matt had reached the door to the bedroom and opened it slowly. "Hey Baby, everything alright?"

Shay shook her head behind Gabby's back and signaled him not to say anything about the dress.

Gabby lifted her head. "No, nothing is alright. I'm fat."

"That's not true. You're not fat, you're beautiful." Matt signaled Shay to leave them alone.

"I'll be in the living room if you need me" She left the bedroom.

Matt took Gabby in his arms. "You're the most beautiful woman I know and I love you."

Gabby snuggled up into his chest. "I love you too but it's a fact that my ass and boobs are getting bigger." Matt chuckled. "I can't complain about that. Actually, I think it's hot." He kissed her on the head and his hands made their way to the half open zipper on her back. Gently he stroked her skin and kissed her, this time on her lips.

"Matthew Casey, get your mind out of the gutter. That's what caused this problem in the first place." Gabby laughed.

"Look who's laughing again. I'm sure there's something in your wardrobe to wear tonight." Matt released her from his embrace.

"Maybe my red dress or the purple one…" Gabby pondered. "Shay? Get your ass back in here! I need your help!"

"Right here, sweetie." Shay entered the bedroom. "Let's choose a dress. There are only 2,5 hours left." She looked at Matt who was standing next to Gabby. "I'm sure you don't need 2 hours to get ready. Go watch TV." Matt hastened out of the bedroom.

"Okay." Shay opened the wardrobe and took three dresses out. She lifted the red one. "Try this one first."

Gabby did and it fitted but she wasn't satisfied. "I don't know… you can see my belly. She stroked over the slight bump. I want to try the purple one." Half an hour later Gabby stood in front of the mirror and smiled. She wore her purple dress with the silver sparkling straps. "What do you think?"

"If you hadn't a date for the night already, I would be your date. It's smoking hot. Now let's get your hair and make-up done."

About one hour later Gabby entered the living room and Matt's jaw dropped. "Wow, Gabby! You look stunning."

"I know." Gabby looked at him. "You think you can keep up with me?"

"Well, I'll try." Matt got up and made his way to the bedroom, where Shay was standing in the doorframe. She looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "Need some help with your make-up?"

"Nah, thanks. I prefer a natural look."

"Okay. In that case, I think my job here is done." Shay hugged Gabby. "Have fun tonight, sweetie."

"I will. Thank you." Gabby hugged her back.

She could hear the shower in the bathroom. Gabby looked around. There were still some boxes in the corner of the living room. She opened one of them. There were some pictures of her family and a wooden box. She opened it. It contained a picture of her and Matt at the annual firefighter barbecue a few years ago, a movie theater ticket and a baseball cap with "Truck 81" on it. Matt had given it to her at the barbecue two years ago when she complained about the sun in her face. She could remember the annoyed look on Hallie's face back then. Maybe she knew about Gabby being in love with her boyfriend, but it didn't matter now. Hallie was gone.

Gabby sighed and moved one hand to her slight, almost invisible bump. "Mommy loves you so much. But she's a little bit afraid of telling your abuela and abuelo."

"Don't be afraid." Matt had sneaked up behind her. He put his arms around her and kissed her neck. Gabby turned around. "Wow, you cleaned up very nice."

Matt was wearing black dress pants, a white shirt and her favorite dark grey jacket. "I'm trying to keep up with my beautiful girlfriend. Ready to go?"

Gabby nodded. They got outside and Gabby wanted to head towards Matt's truck when she realized a black limousine waiting in front of the house. Matt opened the door and she seated herself on the backseat while he walked around the car and sat down next to her. The driver turned around. It was Hermann. "Good evening. I'm your driver for tonight."


"Hermann? What are you doing here? Matt? What's this all about?"

"Baby, calm down. I told you I wanted to spoil you tonight."

"Yeah, listen to your boyfriend Gabby. He's a great guy." Hermann winked at them and started driving to the restaurant.

Gabby snuggled up against Matt on the backseat and closed her eyes for a second. "Can you pinch me, please?"

Matt laughed and pinched her arm. "Like this?"

"Ouch!" Gabby slapped him slightly.

"Hey! You told me to pinch you."

"Because I wasn't sure, I'm not dreaming." Gabby looked him in the eyes. "Thank you for all of this."

"Um, Baby, it's not over yet. It hasn't even begun, to be honest."

"Well" Hermann stopped the car and turned around. "It's beginning now. Lieutenant, I'll be waiting for you two lovebirds to drive you home."

"Thanks Hermann." Matt got out of the car and walked to the other side to open the door for Gabby. They linked arms and headed towards the entrance of the restaurant.

"Good evening and welcome to Acadia. May I lead you to your table?" They were greeted by a waiter.

He led them to a table at a window. They sat down and Matt ordered soft drinks for them. Gabby smiled. "What's that all about?"

"Solidarity."

"Well, we'll see how long that lasts." Gabby smiled. "I guess it ends at your next boy's night out with Kelly."

"Guilty as charged." Matt smiled too. The waiter returned with their drinks and appetizers. Gabby was confused. "But we didn't order anything?" She looked at the waiter.

"Mr. Casey ordered the menu when he made the reservation, Madame. Bon appétit." They started eating and everything was delicious.

"I'll really need new clothes now and it's all your fault." Gabby joked. "Not only the pregnancy but this delicious food. I can feel my stomach growing right now, but I don't care. I want desert."

Matt nodded. "I took care of that." He signaled the waiter to bring them desert and tried to act like it was nothing special. But his hands were sweating and shaking.

Gabby reached over the table and took his hands in hers. "Baby, are you nervous? You don't have any reason, this dinner was, no, is perfect. I love you so much." She leaned over the table and kissed him.

Matt wanted to answer something but the waiter returned with the desert. He placed two plates with sweet potato pie and ice cream in front of them. Gabby took her fork and started eating, but when she started chewing, she bit on something. It felt like… omg it's a ring. Her brain stopped working as she reached for the ring inside her mouth. It was beautiful. She gasped and lifted her head a little bit. Matt was now standing next to her. He took the ring out of her hand and got down on one knee.

"Gabriela Dawson, you are the most amazing, most single minded and most beautiful woman I've ever met. I love you more than I can express with words. You make me wanting to be a better person, you are my other half, you are my everything. I can't imagine a life without you. Will you marry me?"

Gabby starred at Matt, tears of happiness were rolling down her cheeks. Slowly she nodded, a wide smile on her face. "Yes, yes, yes" She whispered. Matt slipped the ring on her finger and took her in his arms. They shared a passionately kiss and the people in the restaurant applauded.

Gabby was over the moon. Her eyes were sparkling and her cheeks were glowing. When she pulled back a little bit, she whispered in Matt's ear: "Let's get out of here. I want to have desert at home."

"I like the way you think." He asked the waiter for the bill.


When they left the restaurant, Hermann was waiting for them. He instantly noticed the diamond ring on Gabby's finger. "Congratulations to you both."

"Thanks, Hermann."

"Where do you two lovebirds want to go? Let me guess: home?"

Gabby blushed and nodded. "Yes, that would be nice."

They got into the car and Gabby looked out of the window, daydreaming about her future life with Matt and their little baby. She didn't notice Matt writing a text message to Kelly and Shay.

We'll be home in about 15 minutes. Everything set?

Yes. We're leaving now. Did she say yes?

Of course, man. Thank you!

Matt put the phone back in his pocket and took Gabby's hand. She turned around a little bit to face him. Their eyes were sparkling and full of love.

"Hey lovebirds" Hermann had stopped the car and looked at them. "We have arrived." Matt got out of the car and opened the door for Gabby.

"Thank you, Hermann."

"You're welcome. Now go get inside, that fiancée of yours is shivering."

Matt took Gabby's hand and helped her to get up the stairs to the front door. Before he opened it, he took her in his arms and kissed her. "I love you so much, Gabriela Dawson. You made me the happiest man on earth tonight."

Gabby leaned her head against him. "I love you too. And I couldn't be happier right now."

Matt opened the door and they got inside. When they came into the living room, Gabby stopped abruptly. There were hundreds of candles and their light was shining like stars. Nearly every inch of the room was filled with them. In the middle of the room she noticed red rose petals lying on the floor. They were heart shaped.

Tears of happiness were forming in Gabby's eyes. "Oh, my god, baby, this is beautiful." She took one more step forward and noticed something in the middle of the rose petal heart. She got down on her knees and reached out for the little box. She opened it and saw earrings matching with her engagement ring. "Matt! This is… this is… it's…" She gasped. "It's the most beautiful and loving thing anyone has ever done for me." Matt, who was standing right behind her, kissed her neck and whispered in her ear. "You deserve the world, Gabby and I want to give it to you."

"You already have. I have you and I'm carrying our child." She placed on hand over her little bump.

"That makes you even more beautiful." Matt continued kissing her neck and made his way up to her lips.

"Mr. Casey, I get the impression that you were pretty sure, I would say yes." Gabby interrupted their kiss.

"I had a hunch, future Mrs. Casey." He continued kissing every inch of her skin he could reach.

Gabby giggled. "You are very confident, aren't you?" She took a step back and started walking towards the bedroom door. Matt stared at her. "Hey, you want to keep on drooling over me or join me in here?" She winked at him. It took him only a split second to close the gap between them. He took her in his arms and kissed her like he had never kissed her before. Their kiss was full of passion, love and something new, the promise of spending their lives together, of being a family. His hands were sliding up and down her perfect body. Gabby moaned his name against his lips. Soon his jacket, shirt and tie were on the ground, followed by Gabby's dress. Matt lifted Gabby up and carried her to their bed. He could feel her hands opening his belt buckle and unzipping his was his turn to moan her name.

Gabby could feel his arousal beneath her fingers. She pulled his pants down and threw them on the ground to the rest of their clothes. Matt reached for her bra and unhooked it while he was kissing her breasts. She could feel his tongue on her nipple while he worked the other one with his hand. It felt like paradise. Gabby laid back and Matt kissed his way down her body until he was at the spot where she wanted him most. He pulled down her panty and started licking her sweet spot. Gabby moaned with passion, her hands on his neck, pulling him closer to her. "Oh, my god…Matt…" He definitely could do magic with his tongue. He didn't even need to insert a finger. Just the touch of his tongue made Gabby fell over the edge. "Wow, that was amazing, Mister. I think you deserve a reward." She turned them around and pulled down his boxers.

"Somebody's excited to see me, huh?" Gabby stroked his length. Slowly she lowered her head and took him in her mouth. While her hands were caressing his balls, it was her turn to do some magic with her tongue. Matt's eyes grew wide. "Wow, Baby…" He moaned. Gabby could feel him getting harder in her mouth. She licked up and down his shaft, increasing her speed, her hands still taking care of his balls. Matt knew he had to stop here or he would come in her mouth. But Gabby seemed to have read his thoughts. She stopped blowing and positioned herself over him. "I want to feel you inside of me." That was all he needed to hear. He flipped them around. Her hands guided him to her entrance and he entered her hot wet core. Making love to this woman was the best thing in the world.

Gabby closed her eyes, her hands grabbed his butt, trying to pull him deeper inside of her. The room was filled with their moans. When Matt could feel Gabby tightening around him, he reached between them and stroked her clit. Her orgasm followed instantly and she screamed his name while the waves of passion were hitting her. That was enough for him to follow her. They were both completely out of breath.

"Oh, my god. I could get used to this." Gabby managed to say. She snuggled up against Matt's chest and closed her eyes.

"I have no problem with that." Matt chuckled and pulled her closer to him. "But I think I have to leave you now."

Gabby didn't know what to say. "Excuse me?!"

"Well, somebody has to put out the candles or we'll get a visit from firehouse 51. And I assume you don't want the guys to see you like this, do you?"

Gabby slapped him against the chest. "Matthew Casey, you're such a tease. Go and put out the candles, since you're a professional firefighter I think I can let you do that. But don't burn yourself."

"Very funny."

He returned a few minutes later. When he got in his side of the bed, Gabby leaned her head against his shoulder. "Who helped you, setting all this up?"

"Shay and Severide."

"What?! You let Severide light candles in our apartment, after what happened at Shay's birthday?!" Gabby acted shocked.

"Well, I let Shay handle the candles. Severide was in charge of the rose petals." He kissed her on the forehead.

Gabby laughed. "That reassures me."

She yawned. "You wore me out. I think we have to sleep now, since we're having lunch with my family tomorrow."

Gabby snuggled up against Matt. "You are more comfortable than my pillow."

"I'm glad to hear that." He took her in his arms. "You made me the happiest man on earth today, Gabriela Dawson soon to be Casey. I love you."

"You light up my world every day, Matthew Casey. I love you too."