Four months, four months had passed since their baby was born. It was nowJanuary 16th, Christmas had passed smoothly. Flynn and Nick came to visit again and they had a dinner at their house with Jack and Warren too, plus they had lunch with Cal's parents who took the opportunity to see Alison and spoil her a bit.
New Year's day passed smoothly too. They stayed at home to watch a movie, a strange way to spend New Year's Eve. Cal remembered spending the previous New Year's Eve drinking and being hungover the next day, which, since he was after thirty, lasted a week. He just couldn't take the fact that she left without telling him where she would have gone and if they could have met again.
She opened her eyes slowly, trying to adjust them to the light in the room. She stretched her legs and opened her arms, at that point a sleeping Cal usually jokingly told her to stop waking him up by throwing her arms against him, but this time her arms hit the empty mattress next to her. She looked around confused, scanning the room, no sign of Cal so she got herself into a sitting position. She was about to get herself out of the bed when Cal appeared on the bedroom door.
"No you woke up" he said sadly with a tray in his hands.
She smiled up at him and her heart melt seeing his sad face, he had made her breakfast. He got closer to the bed, putting the tray on the nightstand and sitting next to her.
"Happy anniversary" he said kissing her softy.
One year, one year had passed since she told him she was pregnant. They agreed to use that day as the official begin of their relationship and of their new life together. She could have never imagined her life being like this, with a baby and an amazing man by her side. Cal came into her life in a dark moment, where she was struggling to get her life back again. She was with Tommy at that moment and she knew that relationship was toxic but she just needed to feel alive for a moment and having a serious relationship at that moment just didn't felt right. She had always seen Cal as a work partner, someone who helped her but nothing more, but after their trip in Moldova she understood how important he was for her and she started seeing him as more than a simple work partner. She started developing feelings for him, she could still hear his scared screams of when he thought she got hurt during the explosion in Moldova, it legit broke her heart to hear his voice crack like this. Then he let her witness his sadness when Holt died, he didn't cry, he didn't scream, he just let her hold his hand and she was more than happy to give him some support.
After she got back from her suspension everything changed, she could clearly see that he was at least a bit interested in her but she couldn't understand if he had real feelings for her or not. She loved to tease him and when he stared into her eyes her heart skipped a beat. After he opened up to her she decided that she couldn't take it anymore. She understood him, she did. She didn't want him to feel as bad as she felt the previous year and she just did it. She kissed him. A kiss that she will remember forever, the way his lips locked with hers for the very first time made her head spin. She will forever remember the shiver that ran through her spine when his hands touched her skin and the living baby in the other room will forever be a memory of one of the best nights of her life, second just to her labor and seeing Alison for the first time, because actually that happened mostly during night.
"Emily? Are you ok?" Cal's voice distracted her from her thoughts.
She looked up at him, staring into his green eyes.
"I love you, happy anniversary" she took his head in her hands making him loose his balance and falling on top of her on the mattress, making him chuckle.
She kissed him slowly, wrapping a leg around his torso and just making him crush his body on top of hers. She hugged him tight, letting their lips part only to allow him to put his head on the crook of her neck.
"Thank you, you didn't have to, I really appreciate it" she left a tender kiss on his hair as she run a hand through it.
"I have something for you" he said getting up immediately and disappearing in their living room.
She heard him fix something and appearing again on their bedroom door behind a huge bunch of red roses, she could barely see him. He bought her roses. She couldn't remember the last time someone did.
"Twelve roses for a beautiful woman. You know twelve because a year is twelve months so I- this sounded way better in my head but... this is for you" he said giving her the flowers while she was still sat on the bed.
She looked up at him in such a loving way that he couldn't even have imagined Emily Byrne looking at him like this when they first met. That day she shook his hand in such a firm way that he clearly understood her personality right away. Strong, independent and with something hidden behind all that.
"What?" she asked smiling, looking up at him, seeing he was staring at her.
"I just love you so much" not now Cal, gather up your emotions and tell her what you planned.
"So, I have some plans for today" he started, putting the tray on the bed and letting her have breakfast as she listened to him curious.
"We're going out for dinner" he smiled, caressing her hand.
"What about Alison?" she immediately asked.
"My parents are going to look after her for the entire night. They're gonna come pick her uparound 5pm" he explained.
"Do you think they can do it? I mean I'm not doubting your parents but she is four months old... what if she keeps them awake all night because she misses us? She is not used to stay with other people" Alison had always spent all her day with them.
Obviously at some point they had to ask someone to look after her since she was starting to work in a few, but Crown arranged their shifts so at least one of them could stay with her, but they were also considering getting a nanny.
"They said it's fine, that she will be good and to enjoy our free night" he raised an eyebrow at her.
"Free night... all for ourselves" she repeated.
"Yep" he answered.
"So that means that we would have to worry about Alison for an entire night..." she continued.
"Exactly, so we can... you know watch a movie... getting some good sleep... or do something else" he said looking at her.
"Oh yeah I'm definitely voting for that something else" she answered teasingly.
"So you're voting for robbing a bank?" he asked, pretending to be shocked and she laughed.
"Yeah ok we're robbing a bank then" her eyes met his as she kept smiling, he was so silly and she loved him.
"We have a reservationat 7.30pmso we have all the time we need to get ready" mostly him, he had to be mentally ready for it.
Where are we going?" she asked drinking her orange juice.
"Surprise, just dress elegant, with whatever you want, you look good in everything" he pecked her lips, watching as she finished eating.
The day went smooth, just the three of them enjoying their time together as a family. It was too cold to go out so they decided to just cuddle on the couch until Alison fell asleep and then drink some hot tea together. Cal's parents arrivedat 5pmlike they were told to, telling them, mostly her, not to worry and that it was totally fine for them to take care of their granddaughter for the night. After a whole ten minutes conversation where Emily told them every single thing Alison liked and disliked, they left.
Emily spent five minutes looking at the closed door and Cal in that moment totally understood her feelings. They weren't used to that, to be alone, not anymore. Everything seemed too... quiet.
"We should get ready, the place where we're having dinner is about 30 minutes from here so it will take a while" he pointed out.
She turned around looking at him. She was really confused and curious about the place he wanted to bring her to, she actually couldn't figure it out since they have never visited anything about 30 minutes from there, so it definitely had to be something new.
"Wanna take a shower?" she asked him, they haven't been able to take one together since Alison was born and she missed them.
She missed sharing an intimate and relaxing moment as a shower with him. Just washing each other's bodies and taking care of the other person. She wasn't thinking about having sex with him in the shower, of course she would have liked it, but she just wanted to have a simple shower with him.
"I'd love to" he answered, taking her head and heading toward the bathroom.
It wasaround 6pmwhen they started to get dressed, they enjoyed cuddling with their robes on for a while after the shower and it took a lot for them to actually decide to get dressed. He wore a classic tuxedo, actually she had never seen it, she supposed it was new. She took a while to decide but since he has never seen her wearing it, she chose her long sleeved black dress. It was a simple one, with a silver belt on her waist, a deep v-neck and a slit on the left side that allowed her long leg to show as she walked. She curled her hair just a bit and she put on some light make up.
"You are breathtaking" he said approaching her as she looked at herself in the mirror.
"Hey handsome" she answered as he hugged her from behind.
"I have something for you" he said, leaving a soft kiss on her cheek.
He went towards his nightstand, pulling out a flat box, he opened it making sure she couldn't see what he was pulling out of it and went back behind her. He wrapped the necklace around her neck, allowing her to see it through the mirror.
"Cal, that's beautiful" it was a simple gold thin chain with a round small emerald. Very simple and sophisticated.
"Do you like it?" he asked, looking how the gem matched her eyes.
"I love it, thank you so much" she turned around, leaving a soft kiss on his lips.
"I have something for you too" she mirrored his actions, heading towards her nightstand.
She smiled thinking how they thought about hiding their present in the same place, maybe because it was their personal nightstand so the other wouldn't have a reason to look into it. She handed him a small box and looked as he opened it. The small pair of gold cufflinks shined in the light of the room. He took them in his hands, looking at the incisions, it said "C. I." making them different from any other pair of the same brand.
"Thank you so much Em. They're perfect" he said kissing her before putting them on.
"You're welcome. So? Are you gonna tell me what your plan is?" she asked, putting on her earrings.
"Nope, I told you, it's a surprise. Are you ready?" he asked taking his jacket.
"I am" she smiled, taking her coat and following him outside.
The 30 minutes car drive led them to a skyscraper. Cal parked the car and they both entered the building, taking the elevator that brought them to the last floor. When the doors opened Emily saw a single table in front of her with some flower on it, the room was quiet and there was some soft music in the background which she assumed was played by a violin. She could see that the entire restaurant was surrounded by glass windows that showed the city underneath them. The waiter led them to the table and took their order.
"This is amazing, how did you even plan this?" she asked surprised looking around.
"I know people" he said secretively, making her chuckle.
The food was really good, she didn't know if he actually booked an entire restaurant or he just planned this randomly, but she decided not to ask about it and just enjoy the moment.
It was around the time they were eating their desserts that she noticed it, Cal had suddenly got really nervous and was now moving his leg nervously under the table. Did she say something wrong during the dinner? She didn't notice it.
"Are you ok?" she asked worried.
"What? Yeah, yeah I'm fine" he said finishing his slice of cake.
Once the dinner was over they headed towards the window, they were a bit out of Boston but they could still see all the lights of the city on their feet. She laid her head on his shoulder and he wrapped an arm around her, still looking straight in front of him. She lowered her gaze and she spotted his foot tapping on the ground nervously.
"Cal what's going on? Are you sure you're ok?" at this point she was worried, they were supposed to have a fun and enjoyable night and there he was, nervous over something he wouldn't tell her.
"I don't really know how to do this and I have to be honest with you, I'm scared" he started and she looked at him with confused eyes, taking her hands in his.
"I have never been the kind of guy who looked forward to a serious relationship. I had always thought that what happened to me in the past would have been an obstacle to overcome in all my relationships, and in fact it was. No one actually wanted to know me deeply and truly, they all got scared at some point. From the first time I saw you I knew you were different. You are one of the strongest women I have ever met, you're smart and intelligent and you're so beautiful. The truth is that I tried so hard not to fall for you but I already liked you when we were in Moldova and that trip changed my feelings for you. I left Boston liking you and came back being so in love with you without knowing if you loved me back, and that scared the hell out of me. When I opened up to you it was because I really knew you could somehow understand me and my heart literally stopped when you kissed me. I love you so much Emily, I can't even put it into words and I had this whole speech prepared but at this point I'm kinda rambling because I'm nervous but... I love you, and I love our daughter and the little family we have created. I know we already live together and have a kid so It's kinda silly that I'm scared about doing this but I just want to make everything more official and I chose this day because it marks an year since we began this adventure together" he let go of her hands and she looked at him with tears in her eyes, he always knew the right words to make her emotions a mess.
"Emily Byrne, would you marry me?" he asked getting down on one knee and holding an opened box with a ring.
"Yes! Yes! Of course I wanna marry you, you silly" she couldn't keep her tears anymore, she wanted nothing more than marrying him, then to be with him for the rest of her life.
He slid the ring on her finger as they both smiled. It was a simple ring, nothing too big or luxurious, just a simple ring with three little diamonds on it. When her hands were free they immediately found his face, holding it and kissing him passionately. A loud noise burst the bubble they created and they parted their lips to look around. People were looking at them while applauding, obviously seeing what happened, they weren't a lot, just a few and she thought they were actually being informed of Cal's plans. She hugged him tight as his lips found the top of her head to kiss it softly. She just couldn't understand how he would have even thought about her saying no, honestly she would have married him months ago.
"When did you even bought the ring? We are together in every single moment when you're not at work" she asked confused.
"When I got back to Boston" he explained.
"So you've been planning this for like six months?" Emily asked surprised.
"No I mean the first time I got back to Boston, almost a year ago, when I needed to take my stuff after you told me you were pregnant" he pointed out.
"You what?! Are you crazy?! What if we didn't work?!" she was genuinely shocked, what if their relationship just wasn't meant to last? What would he have done with the ring at that point?
"I suppose I just believed in us" he chuckled.
She kissed him softly, she believed in them too. She had to be honest, if he had asked her to marry him a year ago she would have said yes by how much in love she was with him, and still was. It would have been a risk, she knew it, but she would have taken it.
Their lips found each other immediately when their house's door opened just to be closed by her body against it. Cal took her in his arms and she wrapped her legs around his torso while he walked towards their bedroom, leaving a path of clothes behind them.
Their bodies immediately found their usual rhythm, the one that made the two of them go wild and love each other so deeply at the same time until they both reached the moment of maximum pleasure together.
"Fuck I missed this so much" she said letting herself down on the bed, trying to catch her breath.
He did too, making love to her was just one of his favorite ways to open his heart and be there for her in the most intimate and fragile way possible.
"I think the waiting made it so much more intense" he stated.
It did, they haven't had sex in a lot, they stopped when she was around her seventh month of pregnancy so they haven't done it in almost six months. They tried once, but Alison woke up and they had to stop before even starting, plus they were always so busy that they fell asleep once they hit the bed at night.
"Wanna go for another round?" Cal suggested, looking at her.
"Just one? What about not sleeping and going for an all night?" she raised her eyebrow at him, it had been a lot since she had done something like this but they had a lot of time to make up to.
"I like the sound of this idea, let me just change this, cause you're not on the pill and tonight the risk will be high" he chuckled, changing his condom.
They actually didn't have enough stamina to go over the fourth round. Even though Alison wasn't there to interrupt them, they still were pretty tired. She fell asleep naked on top of him, her head in the crook of his neck and her hand on his chest, something she hadn't done in a really long time. She just loved the way his arms wrapped around her naked body and she couldn't help but thinking about how much she would have enjoyed their wedding and their honeymoon. Obviously they had to wait for it, but she knew that it would be an official part of their future.