ERIN

I feel a tear start to leak from my eyes as my father walks me down the aisle, people as I love as far and I can see. And my person, my true love, waiting for me at the end. With each step, I feel like I'm going to fall over, stumble over my own feet. Can't fall, I just have to make it down the aisle. Before I know it, there's only a few steps between me and him.

"Who gives this woman to be married to this man?" Our officiant Tom asks and mine and Jay's eyes finally catch.

"Her father," Hank tells me as he squeezes my hand. "Take good care of her Jay,"

"Always," Jay tells him with a genuine smile and my hands leave Hank's find their resting place within Jay's palms.

"You look beautiful," He tells me quietly as the music fades. I feel my lip start to quiver as the lump begins in my throat. I knew I was going to cry.

"I love you," I mouth to him as Tom begins to speak.

"Today," He announces, "marks the day that two lives become one. Today marks the rest of Erin and Jay's lives together. And how wonderful it is that we get to celebrate it with them."

JAY

"For the very first time, I'd like to introduce Mr. and Mrs. Halstead!" Tom announces as I pull Erin in for one more kiss.

"We're married!" I tell her as we walk back down the aisle, together this time, everyone we love cheering around us as we walk through a showering of pink and gold confetti.

"Finally," She tells me with a huge smile as she squeezes my hand. As we leave the ceremony, leaving the noise behind us, I decide to steal away my bride for just a second. I know we're supposed to be taking photos right now, but I think we're entitled to this.

"C'mon," I tell her, grabbing her hand and running off to a small dock, her giggles following me.

"What are you going?" She exclaims, her voice thick with happy as we arrive.

"Nowhere in particular," I answer, pulling her close to me. "I just wanted a minute with my wife,"

"Well she's very happy to be here," She replies, "That I can promise,"

"Good," I respond as I press a kiss to her forehead.

"I've got a question for you husband," She says with wide eyes.

"What would that be wife?" I answer her with a smirk.

"When I came to see you at Will and Natalie's that first time, Antonio convinced the guy on duty to let me in my telling him that I was Firefly. I asked him what it meant and he said that it was a question for you. I always forgot to ask, but now seems like a good a time as always."

"Oh goodness," I reply with a laugh. "Firefly is your Secret Service codename, it identified you as my girlfriend."

"Codename huh?" She responds with a laugh. "Why Firefly?"

"Because you were my light," I explain to her softly, "My goodness in the dark, that's why you were Firefly, you still are,"

"God I'm a lucky girl," She exclaims as she presses another kiss to my lips.

"No," I reply quickly, "I'm the lucky one."

"I love you," She tells me quietly. "I am going to love you for the rest of our lives,"

"I love you too," I reply. My life is complete. I got the girl that I love and standing her, with her in a wedding dress and me in a suit on a dock on a lake in Wisconsin, I know that I have my forever.

Ten Years Later

JAY

"How are the kids?" Jillian asks as the two of us sit down to dinner, her hair perfectly combed into place and her collar perfectly crisp, as always. Jillian Berkeley was my mother's campaign manager both time and she ran damn near flawless campaigns, leading to her historic wins in 2014 and 2018. That's why I was a little more than confused when I saw her name pop up in my email inbox, I haven't had a full conversation with her since the races. But she is a genius and my family owes a lot to her, so I wouldn't ever turn down a dinner invite.

"They're good," I tell her, pulling out a picture of my nearly six year old son Henry and our three year old little girl Madeleine, named after my beloved sister and affectionately called Mae. "Henry is in kindergarten and we actually have a third on the way,"

"Wow, you guys have been busy," She says with a laugh, taking a sip of the water sitting on the table in front of us.

"It's chaos," I say with a smile, "Everyday,"

"You seem busy, so I'm just going to cut to the chase," She says curtly, effectively ending my train of thought, "George Cabot, he's been the incumbent in District 9, your district, for almost thirty years, he's rotting on the hill and people want him gone, the firm is almost positive that he's going announce his retirement in the next couple of months."

"And?" I say. "I'm sorry Jillian, I'm not following you,"

"I want you to run for his seat," She tells me.

"I'm sorry what?" I say, shell shocked. I made the choice a long time away that I wouldn't follow in my mother's footsteps. "Jillian I don't have any political experience at all or ambitions,"

"Oh but you do," She retorts. "You've never held elected office, but you have all the experience in the world. You're a Halstead. You lived through your mother's entire career and you've worked in politics your entire career,."

"Jill," I step in.

"Let me finish," She insists, holding a hand up in front of me, catching me by surprise. "People like you, your mother was the first woman to hold the Oval Office and she did it with more grace and dignity that people could have ever imagined. Your entire family was adored by the nation, you were American royalty, you still are."

"Why me?" I ask, "Why not Abby, I'm sure that she would love to run,"

"And I don't doubt that," She responds. "But the people want you,"

"What?"

"We've run the polls, people love you. And they adore Erin and those kids Jay, you have the perfect American family and the public feels like they know you, that's what they want,"

"I wouldn't know where to start,"

"But we do," She replies, "I am coming to you with the full support of my firm,"

"I don't know," I say, running through all the logistics in my head. Erin and I are happy with where we are now, but our lives are crazy, we couldn't possibly tackle a Congressional campaign. Could we? Doesn't matter, running for office was never in the plan. I would love to yes, I've always wanted to, I've just been scared. But being able to affect change on a national level? That's my dream. But it's not just me anymore, I have four other lives to consider, my family. Erin always said that she never wanted to be a Washington wife, I promised her that she would never have to go through that. I can't go back on that.

"Well we are," She says, "So when were done here, go home talk to your wife and give us a call, because we are more than ready to do this."

"Hon, I'm home," I say, walking through the front door of our home in Park Ridge, the same house that I grew up in and a wedding present from my parents. The porch lights shining bright and the house is enveloped in that happy glow.

"In here," She calls from the kitchen, the sound of keyboard keys in the background.

"How was your day," I say, hanging my bag up on a hook before meeting up with her, tossing my keys on the kitchen counter. She looks absolutely gorgeous, still dressed in the white dress that she put on this morning before work, her baby bump just now starting to show and her glasses resting on her nose.

"Good, I got a kid placed that I've been working with for a long time now, I think this might actually stick," She says with a smile, perched upon a kitchen barstool. "And the morning sickness is wearing off, your third kid seems to want to ruin my life a little less than one and two,"

"You work too hard babe," I say, wrapping my arms around her from behind and planting a kiss on the top of her head as I watch her type out an email that I know is for work. She's been taking her work home with her since the day I met her and with each kid, she has not slowed down.

"The work is important," She simply responds, not looking up from the screen.

"I know," I say. "And you have the glow babe,"

"Oh this is not glowing," She says with a laugh. "That is not real,"

"Whatever you say," I tease.

"So what did Jill have to say?" She asks, quickly pressing send and shutting down the computer.

"Uh," I start, not really wanting to get into this now. "It's a long story,"

"Okay," She says looking up at me, "You want to talk?"

"Later," I respond. "Are the kids still up?"

"Mae fell asleep about an hour ago, but Hen is still up. I just sent him up a couple minutes ago to brush his teeth," She responds.

"She go down okay?" I ask her.

"You know our daughter, of course not," She says with a laugh, "It took four books and twenty minutes of cuddling, but we got it done,"

"I always thought it'd get easier with her," I comment. Mae has been a bad sleeper since the day she was born, she didn't sleep through the night for months and she ran Erin and me ragged. She is cute though.

"Nope," She responds, "She's my payback for raising hell on my parents as a teenager,"

"Nah," I assure her. "You know they adored you,"

"Didn't make me any easier,"

"You may have a point," I tell her with a laugh. "Alright, I'm going to go see our boy,"

"Have fun," She calls after me as I begin to ascend up the staircase. I first make a quick stop by Mae's room, smiling as I look over at her tiny sleeping frame, quiet little snores escaping her. That girl is the spitting image of her mother, same dimples and hazel doe eyes, her chestnut hair just now starting to brush the top of her shoulders. Erin has always said that wanted all our kids to have my blue eyes, but I was secretly thrilled when Mae's began to resemble her mother's.

"Daddy!" I hear from the other room, Henry jumping out of his bed and running over to me, jumping high into my arms.

"Hey buddy," I say with a smile, pulling him close to me, grateful to be holding my son after a very long day at work, his dark curls fluffing against my face.

"I missed you," He says, staring up at me with those big blue eyes.

"I missed you too Hen," I tell him with a smile and a kiss on the head, "but we do have to get you to sleep or your mama is going to be very upset with me,"

"Fine," He groans, climbing out of my hold and scurrying over to the bathroom to brush his teeth. I can't help but watch him, wondering what a campaign or even a term in the House of Representatives would affect his life. We would have to move to Washington, or would I just move to Washington? I don't know. I don't know about any of this.

"You want to tell me what Jill said at dinner tonight?" Erin asks as the two of us ready our bed for sleeping, tossing all the extra pillows onto the floor, both exhausted after long days.

"She wants me to run for Congress," I tell her.

"What?" She replies curtly, dropping the pillow in her hands, those hazel eyes boring into me.

"George Cabot," I respond, "He's been the incumbent for years and approval numbers are dropping, they want him gone, they think he's about to announce his retirement,"

"And they want you to replace him?" She asks, her words unsure.

"Yeah,"

"Who exactly is they?"

"Jill and her entire firm, they are ready to go," I respond to her.

"What do you want to do?"

"I don't know, there are just so many other variables to consider, you, the kids, if I won we'd have to move to Washington."

"That's not what I asked," She says, still standing strong across from me. "Do you want to do it?" I take a deep breath before answering her.

"Yes," I say surely, "This is what I want. But I'm not willing to take it if you are not all in,"

"How can I be?" She responds. "You haven't given me any details, how any of this would work. Jay we have two kids, we're going to have three pretty soon. Besides, you love your job."

"I know," I respond. "But I love my job because I get to help people, kids. This is just another way to do that, on a national level. That's what I've always wanted Erin,"

"When I met you, you said the last thing you wanted to do was get into politics,"

"That was before you," I reply honestly, "That was when I thought that I could lose sight of what's important, drown in the optics."

"What changed?"

"I have you to come home to, our kids. I want them to know their dad was an honest man, who cared more about change than the effects on himself. I know that I can keep my head above water now,"

"What about the logistics of all of this?"

"I don't know Erin," I tell her, "But we'd get through it, we always do."

"I'm open to it, but I can't say yes. Not right now,"

"Okay," I say, slightly deflated.

"Get me a meeting with Jill, get her to tell me how all of this would work." She starts, "I know that you would be a fantastic Congressman, I've known that since the day we met. You are honest and fair and you don't give up. So as a citizen, yeah I would love to see your name on that ballot. But as your wife and as the mother of your children, I have to put them first. Put all my fears to rest and then we'll talk."

ERIN

"So," I say as I sit across from Jillian, pushing back and forth a sleeping Mae in her stroller next to us, really trying to make sure the girl doesn't wake up.

Jillian is a woman who I've always respected, she's a damn legend, a force of nature. I watched her from the sidelines during my mother-in-law's reelection campaign. Juliette had made history four years earlier as the first woman President, but Jill was there in the background, making her own history as she became the first woman to run a successful presidential campaign and there is no doubt in my mind that Jill is the reason Juliette was even there in the first place.

I always admired her, watching in awe as she would sit there silently, the wheels turning in her head as she analyzed a problem and came up with a solution, always one step ahead of everyone else in the room. The way that she and Juliette could communicate with just a look. She's incredible, but she better be here with a damn good list of reasons why I should let him do this, my ever growing baby bump and my sleeping little girl next to me, a fervent reminder of everything that's on the line. "Tell me why I need to screw up my kids lives and turn my world upside down,"

"Because he'll be amazing," She tells without missing a beat.

"I know that," I respond, just as sharp, imagining him sitting on the House Floor, being able to bring Henry and Mae and this little baby to visit their daddy's office on Capitol Hill. I want to say yes, I know that this would be wonderful for him and for this country, I need a reason to say yes. Or maybe, I need a good enough reason to say no. "I know that he would be amazing, that's not my concern. My concern is my kids and their lives. We both know that this will not be a regular Congressional campaign, I will be putting my family into the spotlight, under this nation's scrutiny. And if he wins, I'm signing them up for two years of that," I tell her, having flashbacks to looking down that beach in Greece to see those photographers, those now near infamous photos of me in that damn blue bikini or walking through that terminal with Kelly shielding me and Hailey on my arm. I don't want to do that to them.

"I know it's a big ask," She responds. "But Erin, this is so worth it. You've both lived through a Presidential campaign, but this won't be like that. He'll never be more than 50 miles away from home, he'll still be able to be there for bedtime and awards ceremonies and dance recitals and everything else,"

"What about when he wins?" I ask her, knowing that if he did run, there is no doubt in my mind that he would win. "I have a job here, a job that I love and I believe is just as important as his would be. My kids go to school here, we have a family here."

"Things would change, but there are kids that need help everywhere. This could give you a platform, to speak out louder, help more kids. Maybe you wouldn't be on the front lines anymore, but you could be the driving force behind an army. Jay would not be the only one making a difference in Washington. Halsteads are known for being strong women, I've seen it in Jules, then Abby, and Nora. I want you to be next. You are smart and driven, you are well liked by the American people. I don't want you standing at the back of the stage with a smile on your face, clapping as he talks. You'd be a team and a damn good one,"

"What about my kids?" I ask, a little less force behind my words. I'm starting to come around to the idea, but if she can't make it work in this category, it's a no go. There are the most important thing in both of our lives.

"It would be a change for them too. They'd have to switch schools, but they're young, they'd bounce back,"

"Jill, I don't think you get it. They have a family here, their grandparents, all their aunts and uncles, they're here,"

"Abby's in Washington," She points out.

"That's true," I say slowly, taking a sip of the coffee in front of me, the one non-decaf cup I'm allowed a day.

"And it's not like you'd never be back here. There are always breaks and weekends. Washington is not that far away, 90 minute plane ride," She assures me. "Besides, growing up in the capital is an awesome way to do it. They will be immersed in history and culture, all the best schools,"

"They can have all that in Chicago, with their family," I respond slowly. "I'm still on the fence about all of this,"

"That's fine, we have time," She replies with a nod, "We still have nearly 16 months until election day, in a House race, that's plenty of time. Sleep on it and let me know. It's going to be a sacrifice, a big one. But this is going to be worth it, I promise,"

JAY

These are my favorite kind of day, sun shining over our town as Henry runs down the soccer field with a huge smile on his face. I was always pushing for hockey, but I knew there absolutely no way that Erin was going to let that happen. Henry was the one that picked soccer last year and he loves it, counting down the day until he can get his sister into a pair of cleats.

"Hey babe," I hear from behind me, Erin approaching me in a pair of jeans and a t shirt, a Cubs cap resting on her head, Mae toddling along on her side with her chubby little fingers interlocked with Erin's.

"Hey," I exclaim, taking my eye off the field as I swipe Mae into my arms, peppering her little cheeks with kisses as she giggles in my arms.

"How's he doing?" Erin asks, scanning the field for our little guy, the number 18 on his back.

"Awesome," I say, the pride obvious in my voice. "Already scored once,"

"Aw I'm sad I missed it," She whines slightly.

"Speaking of," I ask, "How was coffee with Jillian?"

"It was good," She says, a million thoughts running through my head. It's a big sacrifice that I'm asking them to make and I've been having my doubts and whether or not I can ask them to do it.

"Do you have any thoughts on what she had to say?" I ask nervously as Mae squirms in my arms.

"A few," She says casually.

"Feel like sharing?" I ask.

"Not yet," She says slyly, "What do you want?"

"I want whatever is best for our family," I tell her.

"No," She says, pushing me. "What do you want,"

"Erin," I say, dragging out her name. "You know what I want."

"I need to hear you say it," She tells me.

"I want to run for Congress," I tell her, a smile spreading across her face as the words leave my mouth, "I want to win and I want to represent the Ninth District of Illinois in the United States House of Representatives. That's what I want,"

"Then let's do it," She says, tears brimming her eyes.

"What?" I exclaim, her words not fully registering in my head. "What did you say?"

"Let's do it," She responds gleefully, "It's going to be complicated, but we have to do this. You have to run,"

"Have I ever told you how much I love you," I say, pulling her tiny frame into my arms, a smile as big as the world spreading across my face.

"A few times," She says with a laugh as Mae finally looks over to see what all the fuss is about. "Hey baby girl," She starts.

"What?" Mae responds with a happy little giggle.

"You want to know a secret?" Erin teases as she tickles her little belly.

"What Mama?" She squeals in response.

"Your daddy is going to be a Congressman."

Almost done! There will be a part two of the epilogue to wrap it all up but then that'll be it! I want to thank all of you who have been supporting and reading this story since the beginning and I hope you liked part one of the epilogue!

xoxo

Addison