I'm so glad you all loved the proposal :) I hope you enjoy the follow up chapter just as much!
Happy Monday!
Chapter 48,
A million emotions raced through Erin's mind as she looked down at the love of her life, bent down on one knee, asking her to spend the rest of her life with him.
Surprise was the first.
The last thing she had ever expected this morning was a proposal. She was standing in the kitchen in black leggings and Jay's favorite blackhawks t-shirt, and she didn't have an ounce of makeup on. In fact, she was pretty sure there was pancake batter smudged across her chin.
Complete shock came next.
He talked to Hank? He talked to the Corson's?
Relief was the third.
This is why Jay had been acting so strange. He was nervous about proposing!
It seemed so unlike him to be nervous, he always seemed so sexy and confident. She actually found it insanely endearing.
Shock came again when he opened the black velvet box, giving her her first peak at the most beautiful ring she had ever seen.
How is it that this man knows me so well, she thought, as she looked down at the simple, but elegant setting. It's so beautiful.
Love was the last feeling, and it was the one that stayed.
Overwhelming love for this incredible man, standing in front of her, replaying all of their firsts in this kitchen. She couldn't help but smirk when she remembered their knees brushing together in the stools. She had felt it, too, that day, but she hadn't known he had. And she couldn't help the laugh that bubbled out of her when he mentioned their escapades on the kitchen counter. She thought about the close calls, the times they'd been interrupted while standing in this very place.
But when he mentioned the day Grace called Jay Daddy, that's when the biggest smile reached her face. She remembered that day. She remembered the longing she felt to be a part of the unbelievable family that was growing right before her eyes.
She knew it had been a significant moment for him, but she thought it had to do only with Grace. Never in her wildest dreams could she have imagined that would be day he realized he wanted to celebrate with her, and only her, for the rest of his life.
By the time he finished his speech, and asked the most important question she would ever be asked, tears were flowing freely down her cheeks.
She could hear the sharp intake of breath that belonged to Grace on her left, and she could already hear the bubbled excitement coming from Maddie on her right.
Jay was right.
This was the perfect way to propose.
In this kitchen, with these people.
In fact, it was the only way she could ever imagine this moment happening.
"Yes!" She cried, and then she bent down to capture his lips with her own.
He lifted her up into his arms, his body still wired and shaking from the nerves of his speech.
He was so damn happy. And relieved.
Not that he ever imagined she would say no. He and Erin were meant to be together, and he knew she knew it, too. But he was just relieved to have the uneasy, unsettled feeling drift completely away.
He kissed her deeply, lovingly, and only pulled away after they were both completely breathless.
"I love you," he said, as he slipped the diamond onto her left ring finger.
The perfect fit. "I love you, too," she choked out in response.
"Mommy and Daddy are getting married!" Maddie screamed from her place on the chair. She was careful to hold onto the back of the chair as she jumped up and down, just like her Mommy had taught her. She had stayed silent through the entire time her Daddy was talking, just watching in awe. But now she wanted to celebrate!
"Yes they are," Jay replied, a goofy grin still wide on his face. His arms were still wrapped around Erin's in the center of the kitchen, but he turned his body to look at his other two girls.
Maddie had a huge smile on her face, and she was bouncing up and down like the four year old she still was.
Grace, on the other hand, was standing still. She looked so much like Erin in that moment, he was shocked they weren't actually related.
But it wasn't her features, so much as her expression. She was standing on the chair, a wide smile spread across her face, crying silent, grateful tears.
The same way Erin cried when she was so unbelievably happy and relieved, when she knew with 100% certainty that it was real.
That this happiness wasn't going to be taken away, like all the other times when it had been.
Erin saw it, too, and she wiggled out of Jay's arms to move towards Grace. When she finally reached Grace's chair, she leaned it and said, "You know what I think?"
She kept her voice breezy and casual, even with the tears still present on her face.
"What?" Grace whispered in response, her voice full of emotion. She wiped a few tears away with the back of her hand as she looked up at her mother.
"I think when your Daddy and I get married and I become Erin Halstead, I think you should become Grace Halstead," she smiled, as she saw Grace's eyes light up even more. "What do you think about you that?" She asked.
Grace just nodded, lost for words, as she memorized the moment.
"I think that's a really good idea," Jay said, coming up behind Erin to lift Grace into his arms. "We'll be the four Halstead's." Then he kissed Grace lightly on the forehead, and shifted her until she was resting comfortably on his good hip. "What do you say us four Halstead's make some chocolate chip pancakes?"
Erin found his eyes and smiled at him. He never failed to lighten the mood. "I think that's a fantastic idea."
And then for the very first time, the future Mr. and Mrs. Halstead made pancakes while holding their two daughters in their arms.
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"Surprise!"
Erin and Jay walked hand in hand into Molly's and were shocked when they saw all of their friends standing in the bar.
Ruzek had been pestering Jay to come to Molly's after work for a few days now, but today he had seriously insisted. Even Voight had said he was going to join. Since Sam had already offered to babysit for the night so he and Erin could go celebrate their engagement, he couldn't think of a good excuse to say no.
Well, now he knew why Sam had offered.
He moved with his future bride through the room, as his eyes wandered the bar. His brother was there with Natalie, his sister was there standing a little too close to Ruzek for his liking, and then there was the rest of the team, plus Rachel, and Olivia (without Ben, thank god).
"Guys," Erin spoke before he did, her voice slightly higher than her usual tone. She was clearly just as surprised as he was, but also just as happy. "I can't believe you did all of this." She smiled at them, her dimples deepening in the crevices of her cheeks.
"Are you kidding?" Voight's voice was low and gruff as he started towards them. "My little girl only gets engaged once, you know." He said, before he wrapped her in a tight hug.
"Thanks, Hank," she whispered into the hug. "For everything."
He pulled away, looking at her in the eyes and instantly knew she didn't just mean the party. "I love you, kiddo."
Before she had a chance to respond in kind, people began to pull her in a million different directions. She schmoozed for what felt like hours, thanking everyone for coming, showing off her beautiful ring, telling and retelling the story of Jay's proposal.
But she felt like she had barely seen Jay all night.
The one person she really wanted to celebrate with.
As if her thoughts summoned his appearance, she felt his arms slides around her waist and his breath tingle against her ear. "Hi, beautiful," he whispered against her skin.
She turned around, and kissed him gently. "Hi," she replied.
"You know I was thinking," he whispered, still keeping his voice low. "El looks like she's gonna be here for a while," he nodded his head in her direction. She was standing next to Ruzek, and had clearly turned on the charm. "And the girls are going to be asleep when we get home..." Then he leaned in close and quietly added, "Maybe I could finally get you back up on that kitchen counter... you know, have the celebration we really deserve."
Suddenly, her entire body felt hot. It didn't matter how many months they'd been together, how many nights they had spent wrapped up naked in each others arms... she was sure she would never tire of this.
Of the way he could make her feel sexy and wanted and so unbelievably turned on. It was that mix of love and lust he had been talking about. And it was just about her favorite thing in the world.
"Yeah," she sighed out, "We've got to go."
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They barely made it through the front door of their apartment before the jackets were thrown off and discarded haphazardly on the floor.
Jay shoved Erin up against the wall in the hallway and pressed his erection into her center. "I need you so bad right now," he panted, lifting his lips from hers only long enough to speak the words.
He meant it. At some point during the drive, he had somehow slipped past want and tripped into need. Like he might die if he didn't have her.
Her leaned in again to capture her lips with his, tantalizing her tongue with his own.
"Wait," she said, leaning her head back.
No. Instead of leaning back with her, his lips trailed down her neck to the sensitive spot above her collarbone. He licked and sucked while she panted underneath him.
"Wait," she said, again, a little louder this time. "Sam's here."
Shit. What is it about this girl that made him completely lose all sense of reality.
He sighed, and moved his body away from her. The evidence of his arousal was still quite obvious, so he reached into wallet to find three bills and shoved them into Erin's hand. "Get rid of her," he whispered, "I'll be waiting for you in the kitchen." She turned to walk away, but he grabbed her back for one more passionate kiss. "Don't be long, though. Or I'll have to start without you," he added an eyebrow raise so she knew he meant business.
The smirk that graced her lips even as she rolled her eyes at him made him love her even more.
If such a thing was possible.
After several minutes, when she finally met him in the doorway of the kitchen, he could barely contain himself.
He moved towards her and lifted her into his strong arms. Her legs wrapped easily around his waist, the way they had hundreds of times before. He moved towards the counter and settled her down, as he began shoving away her clothes. He broke their kiss only long enough to fling her black tank top onto the floor, before attacking her lips again.
He removed his own shirt while she undid his buckle. When her fingers brushed against his erection while she was unzipping his jeans, he let out a loud groan. "Erin," he sighed her name.
God, he was so in love with her.
She just smiled at him as she used her legs to remove what was left of his jeans.
He reached for her jeans next, slowly taking his time removing them, as he bent down to kiss each inch of her skin as it became exposed.
"Jay," she panted at him. The car ride was slow torture enough, she thought.
He knew she wanted him to stop, to move full into her, to let their bodies finally convulse and get their much needed release.
Not yet, he thought.
As his lips explored her legs, his hands spread open her thighs. She was already wet and waiting for him, and the thought made him want to explode right there.
He shoved her back, moving her body out of his bodies reach. His dick was hard and ready for her, and if she stayed on the edge of the counter, he knew it would find her on it's own.
His lips continued their assent up her thighs until they found her center. As his lips teased her, his fingers moved upwards, caressing her stomach until they found her breasts, her nipples hard under his hands.
"Jay," she panted. She had never ever experienced anything like this before. Her butt and back were bare against the cold counter and back wall, while the front of her body was hot with need. "I need you..." she panted, but then she paused, unable to finish the rest of her thought as a second orgasm ripped through her.
"Inside me," she finished. But then she added, "Please," because she wasn't above begging.
He finally obliged, lifting his head and capturing her lips with his own. He shifted her to the edge of the counter and slowly pushed his way inside her.
They rocked against her each other, kissing mercilessly, only five feet away from the place he had proposed.
Five feet from the place he had told her he was going to love her from the moment he woke up to the minute he went to sleep, everyday, for the rest of his life.
Well, she thought, I think we're off to a pretty great start.
xoxo
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