The entire night had dragged on, but Hailey was grateful to be home now. Between Jay's moods, this case and Kim's words, she was ready to put it all behind her. Every thing stung worse than her thought before, and she wanted nothing more than to shut her brain off for the time being.
Despite everything, the entire drive home all she could think about was Jay. Hailey hadn't meant what she told him earlier, that he had to take therapy seriously or she would ask for a new partner. She knew the risks, she knew what was at stake in asking Voight to switch partners. Hailey also knew it would be her job that would be on the line here, should she ask for a new partner. But that would be okay, it would be okay if it meant Jay's mental state was better. The what ifs bounced around in her brain, and she had spent much of the time since she left the district wondering whether or not this was the right thing to do.
Even as she sat here on their bed, she worried, waiting for him to come home. He had texted her to say he was meeting with Voight really quick, and that alone also made her nervous. It made her wonder where his mind was now, was he actually going through with therapy or getting a new partner? Both theories made her mind spin and her heart hurt, for vastly different reasons. On one hand, she wanted him to deal with everything that had happened, but she also didn't want to him to be giving up his job.
She didn't have to wait much longer, as she faintly heard the front door open and close, followed by the telltale sign of the alarm system being armed. Her husband was a creature of habit, so Hailey knew how long it would be until he made his way upstairs. After he set the alarm, he would check to make sure the back doors were locked, make sure the lights were out and everything was put away.
For each second since he walked in the door, Hailey sat, anxiously waiting for Jay to appear. She was dangerously close to playing with her hair, a nervous tick she tried to stop but never could. Jay teased her about it all the time, had become so in tune with her habits that sometimes he could stop her before she even thought about it.
As the door slowly opened, Hailey sat up straighter than she thought was possible, eyes locked on the door.
"Hey," she said quietly as Jay appeared, eyes red and hollow. He looked worse than he did the night Camila had called him, when she spotted him outside that club.
"I'm gonna take a shower," Jay said, his voice hoarse and rough. "But then can we talk?"
Hailey just nodded as she watched Jay disappear into the bathroom. Before she even heard the shower turn on, she hurried downstairs, her mind focused on one thing. It didn't take long for the coffee to brew and for her to find the bottles she was searching for. She had been making this for years, or for as long as she had known and been married to Jay.
By the time she had returned to their bedroom, the bathroom door was just opening, steam filtering into the room as Jay stepped out, a towel wrapped loosely around his waist.
"Is that what I think it is?" Jay asked, nodding at the two coffee cups in her hands.
"Your mother's Irish coffee," Hailey said with a small smile. Jay retuned the smile as he walked to the dresser, digging out a pair of black sweatpants.
She placed the mugs on his nightstand and crawled back into bed. It wasn't long after that Jay followed behind, handing her a mug before picking up his own. Hailey expected silence to cover the room, but she had prepared for that, not wanting Jay to feel rushed of pressured.
Hours could have passed and she wouldn't have known but she was halfway done with her coffee by the time Jay opened his mouth.
"I went to the psychologist," he began, his words timid, almost like he was afraid. "Well I've technically been twice now."
Hailey didn't say anything, just let him continue at his own pace.
"I didn't say much the first time," he continued. "But this second time, it was a little better."
Jay sighed, taking another sip of the coffee, shifting to lean back against the headboard. Hailey just sat facing him, legs crossed as she listened and watched attentively.
"Did you mean it?"
His words were so quiet she would have thought he didn't say anything. But she heard him still, knew exactly what he was asking.
"Maybe," she replied, looking down at her nearly empty cup. "I don't think I would have followed through with it, but I knew you needed a shove."
"I didn't know what to think," he said. "I don't want to lose my job, or you as a partner, or a wife, or…"
"Hey," she interrupted, moving closer to him while her hand rested on his thigh. "I will promise you one thing right now. You aren't losing me. I promise that the day I signed our marriage license."
Her hand moved to his jaw, fingers scratching lightly at the stubble that had been growing there.
"I screwed up, Hails," he said softly. "I really screwed up."
"Yeah you did," she replied. "But you can fix it, Jay. You put in the work, focus on getting better up here."
She tapped his temple for emphasis, getting a small smile out of him.
"I will support you however I can, but you have to want this. Therapy doesn't work if you don't."
"Sounds like you have some experience," he chuckled, trying to lighten the mood. He knew she had experience in that area, and Hailey assumed he was only going through with it because he knows how much it helped her.
It was quiet then, Hailey simply watched as Jay took their coffee cups and set them beside the bed before getting up to turn the lights off. She slipped under the covers, facing his side of the bed. Despite the darkness in the room, the faint streetlights gave her enough light to see Jay settle into bed beside her, his arm reaching out to her, pulling her in close.
"I don't tell you enough how lucky I am to have you," he whispered, his breath gentle as it swept across her face.
"I'd say we're both lucky," Hailey replied, her arms wrapping tighter around his torso, turning to kiss the date inked on his side just below his heart.
The night was most certainly not what she expected at all. When they had invited her out to Molly's to celebrate Platt's birthday, part of her was shocked. Sure, she had been out with them after rough cases, but never something as personal for such a tight knit group as a birthday.
The thing that stopped her the most was Adam's fleeting words as she left to go home and change clothes, knowing Jay had an appointment with his new therapist after work and would meet her at Molly's.
"Why don't you bring your wife, Halstead?"
Hailey nearly stopped walking at that, wanting to hear Jay's response. She was far enough into the stairwell that they couldn't see her, but she was close enough to hear them.
They had talked it over a few other times since Jay's big revelation, wanting to make sure that despite the communications issue they have had as of late, they were on the same page with this. Eventually they reached a conclusion that they would wait a while longer to tell the unit, seeing as how at times they all still seemed baffled by Jay being married. The first day Jay had worn his ring to work had caused quite the fanfare, much to her amusement and Jay's annoyance, even if inside she knew he was bursting.
"I'll have to check with her," he replied. "She's probably getting off work now and I'm not sure how long she will want to be out."
"You said she's also a cop?" Kim asked, her voice soft, almost hesitant in her question. If Hailey had to guess, she could imagine a warm smile on the brunette's face.
"Yeah, she works out of the 16th," Jay told them. There was a hint of truth there, considering that was her old district, back when she worked in Robbery-Homicide.
"Isn't that where Upton used to work?" Adam asked and Hailey squeezed her eyes shut, hoping like hell they wouldn't make the connection.
"Yeah it was," Jay answered. "She knows who Hailey is, told me I was getting a great partner in her when Hailey transferred in."
There was silence in the room, echoing through the stairwell where she stood. A small smile crossed her lips at Jay words. He didn't deny anything, in every sense of the word he told the truth, but it was up to their coworkers to read between the lines.
"We want to meet the girl that tied you down, Halstead," Kim said, and Hailey had to laugh silently at the statement. If anything, it was Jay who had tied her down.
"I hear you," Jay told them. "One of these days, if she stops obsessing over work!"
She scoffed at the idea, knowing it was Jay who stressed more about work between the both of them. But his other words sunk in, how he wanted her, his wife, to meet the team. It was strange to think about, since Intelligence already knew her. But they didn't know her as Jay Halstead's wife, as Hailey Halstead, and that idea both scared her and gave her some hope. It felt like she was living a double life, that she was sneaking around with her husband of four years. But it shouldn't feel like that, Hailey knew that.
The conversation dimmed and she took that as a reason to leave and head home. By the time she arrived at Molly's, she had forgotten the conversation until she watched Jay walk in the door. He seemed anxious but hid it well on his face. His body told her a different story, one she would question when they were back home, together.
The night went on, and soon Platt was getting on the makeshift stage and grabbing a mic, while everyone else was added to the list of who sang next. Hailey tried not to think about how out of it Jay seemed, how his near somber mood stood out from the excitement of everyone else. What hurt more was the fact there was nothing she could do for him. Right now, she could not comfort him, ask him what he was feeling or even hold his hand. But instead of letting his mood bring her down, and not risk something else happening, she tried to let herself focus on the music and laughter around her.
As the song neared the end, she turned to Antonio, opening the binder with all of the songs sitting on the table they were at.
"You're next Antonio," she said. "How about a little Sinatra?"
"That's grandpa music," he shot back, causing her to shoot him a look of disbelief. "I'll find something."
"Seriously?" she asked, half hearing his response as she turned to Jay, trying to get him into the conversation.
"You understand the majesty of the Chairman of the Board, right?" she asked Jay, finding him zoned out once more. The way his body didn't react when she talked to him, especially as close as she was, told her he was really gone.
"Jay, come back," Hailey said, smacking him on the arm, causing him to jump a tad before turning to her.
"I wouldn't mind hearing a little "Summer Wind"," he told her, smirking at her in a way only she could pick up. He smiled behind his hand before facing the stage once more, sending her into a small dizzy spell as she processed his words.
He knew her well, of course he did. That man knew exactly what he was doing when he mentioned that song, and the smirk that followed. Even if he was trying to make it seem like he was okay, and while she knew it wasn't, it made her heart skip a beat.
Her mind flashed back to their first date, the best and last first date she had ever been on. After they had toured the aquarium and learned way too much about every type of fish in that building, Jay had taken her to dinner, to this old school type of restaurant tucked away in a hotel nearby. There was a guy singing that night, whose voice was so reminiscent of Frank Sinatra that she admitted to Jay that Sinatra was one of her favorites. Something about the old school feel to his music and voice spoke to her, it always had, reminding her of a time when things may have been simpler, when life didn't seem to tragic in the way she saw every day on the job.
Jay later admitted he was a fan too, recalling memories of his mother dancing around the kitchen to old jazz music with his father, before things got bad as she learned later. And since then, it had become a thing in their house. On nights they both had off, and had the time and energy to cook, Jay would start playing the classics while she cooked, distracting her often by twirling her around the kitchen. It seemed far more domestic than the life they lived, far more domestic than the life she ever expected to have, but Hailey loved it. It was a memory she thought about often, considering they had a lot of those moments, that reminded her of times when the world faded away and the pressures of their jobs weren't a crushing weight on their chests. It gave her a moment of peace when it felt like the world didn't exist except for Jay taking her hand and twirling her slowly under the soft lights of their living room.
Another hour had passed, and she was ready to call it a night. Luckily for them, their friends were slightly too intoxicated to notice them leave, and leave together, despite traveling in different vehicles, but as they stepped out into the crisp Chicago air, she reached out, tugging Jay's arm back towards her, stopping his movements.
"Hey," she said softly, her hand moving down to grasp his own. "How are you?"
She learned long ago to never ask Jay if he was okay when she wanted firm answer. Asking if he was okay always gave her a yes answer, even if he wasn't. But this question gave her some indication of how he was actually feeling.
"Exhausted," he told her honestly, and she could see it in his eyes. "All I want is a shower and to crawl into bed with you."
Hailey squeezed his hand lightly, staying silent and nodding yes, because there was nothing more she wanted in that moment either.
"I'll see you at home," she replied, moving to walk towards her car before Jay pulled her back. He tugged her into a small corner where very little light shown on the sidewalk before his lips were on hers, giving her the softest kiss ever before pulling away. It felt like it lasted both seconds and hours, and even in the dim streetlights, she saw the small smile on his face, and just like that, her heart fluttered, because maybe he would be okay.
"How's therapy going?" she asked after the silence started to become awkward. The small apartment they were currently in had walls that she felt like were getting smaller and smaller, and even if things were good at home, there was a small part of her that felt like they were walking on eggshells with each other at work.
Hailey caught his small tentative glance towards her, before finding the laptop in front of him to be more interesting. But she also caught the hint of a smile, if she could call it that, dancing across his lips, giving her some hope about whatever he was going to say.
"I never thought I'd say this out loud," he began, turning back to her. "But I actually kind of like it."
She finally smiled at him, and she was sure there was shock and delight on her face at his words. Above everything, she was beyond proud of him. It took a lot for him to admit something like that, and if they weren't in the middle of a surveillance operation, she would have jumped him right then and there.
"Wow, I am shocked," she settled on, watching the smile from earlier come back in full force.
"It's helpful," he continued, even as his attention was focused outside the building. "Finally dealing with some stuff that happened in Afghanistan, and Chicago."
"I'm happy to hear it," she told him, not needing to ask about the Chicago aspect of his statement. There had been a lot over the years, but nothing that compared to the past few months. Just when she thought he would catch a break, the ground opened up and swallowed him whole.
The sound of Antonio's voice coming over their radios broke her from her thoughts and made her focus back onto their current job. Over the next few minutes, everything went by rapidly, and despite the adrenaline that was spiking inside of her, she was glad to be here beside Jay. While she knew he felt like it was a punishment to be up here, she also knew he was glad to be back on the streets, to actually feel like he was contributing to the case.
Before she knew it, they were packing up to head back to the district and if they were both moving slower to prolong everything, to have a moment of peace doing something as mundane as packing up laptops and cameras. She was too preoccupied with gathering her things that she didn't feel Jay's hands on her shoulders until they squeezed lightly.
Her head tilted back then to glance up at him, smiling softly when she spotted his own smile. His left hand reached down to grab her own, pulling her up to face him.
Hailey watched his face intently, trying to get a read on him after his rather deep confession. She let her hand holding his loosen its grip, but she maintained the connection as her fingers began tracing his ring. Each day she saw him at work with it on, butterflies she hadn't had since they started dating returned. She imagined this was what everyone said the honeymoon phase was like, even when they never really had that.
"Remember our honeymoon?" she began, not entirely knowing where she was going but she loved the way his eyes flashed as he remembered it all.
"The week we spent in Wisconsin with no phones, no internet and no clothes?" he asked before nodding. "Yeah I do."
"We should do that again," Hailey said. "I know we keep saying we will take a few days and go up, but I'd rather it be sooner than later."
"I get that, but you know what will have to happen first right?" Jay said, and even as she nodded, the nerves she felt in her stomach at the idea countless times before felt smaller.
"I think I'm ready for it," she whispered. "I feel like I've got a good thing going with everyone and I don't feel like I'm Lindsey's replacement anymore."
When the words were out, she cringed inside, not knowing how Jay would react to the name of his old partner. But he just kept looking at her like he always did, like she hung the moon and the stars like he always told her.
"I'll tell you what. For our anniversary, I'll take you up there," Jay told her. "If we haven't told anyone by then, we will tell them the day before we leave. And if we have, well, we don't have to worry about it then."
She smiled before wrapping her arms around his torso, her hands gripping the back of the black hoodie he was wearing. Her head pressed against his chest as she felt his heartbeat and breathed in the familiar smell that was so him. It was an intoxicating combo to her, and she wanted to stay here forever.
Jay's lips pressed a kiss on top of the beanie she wore, and while she knew he would complain about fuzz on his lips later, it warmed her heart just the same. There may be a million things going on, but they still took the time to check in on each other. It was more important now, and she would try her hardest to make sure these moments didn't happen in between surveillance operations and questioning witnesses, or after cases and days were tensions at an all time high.
"I think that sounds perfect," she said, propping her chin on his chest to look up at him. The smile that came from him this time was the once she had been missing, the beaming, heart stopping smile that reached his eyes every single time. And Hailey swore she would fight for that smile every single day.
It wasn't normal for Jay to be home before she was; he was always the one who stayed an extra hour after everyone else to do paperwork or update files. Part of it was because he thrived on being ahead, on not waiting for things to be done at the last minute. But Hailey also knew that it usually followed a difficult case, ones where he needed other tasks occupy his mind.
It had been a tough ending to a hard case, but she had been the one that had stayed behind with Kim and Adam while everyone else had gone for backup. It was hard to hear about Brianna getting shot, but after Will had texted her saying she would be fine, and she decided to call it a night, worry set in that she hadn't heard from Jay.
She would admit to being surprised to see Jay's truck in the driveway of their house, but it made her worries ease a little, that he was here to decompress instead of being anywhere else. As she made her way in the door, the first thing she noticed was the sound of announcers on TV, a telltale sign he was watching some game. Jay was as fanatic as they came, and she remembered the day they moved in and the cable guys came, when she and Jay argued as to whether they really needed the best DVR so he could record every Chicago sports broadcast. She later caved to his request due to some rather skilled convincing from Jay.
Dropping her coat and bag by the door and slipping off her boots, she made her way into the family room, finding the Blackhawks game from who knows when and Jay laying on the couch.
"Hi," she said softly, causing him to turn around, a small and exhausted smile on his face.
"Hey," he replied. He watched her walked towards him, before she bent over the back of the couch, her hands wrapping around his shoulders, kissing him lazily. Jay broke it moments later at the sound of a buzzer came from the TV. Hailey was content to stand there, hands on his chest while her head rested against his.
"How are we doing?" she asked, her attention on the game as well. She could see the score, tied at 2-2 but she felt Jay shake his head.
"Like crap," he replied. "The game is last night's, we lost, so I'm not sure why I thought watching it would give a different outcome."
Hailey laughed, standing up to walk around the couch but deciding against it. Using Jay's shoulder as leverage, she swung a leg over the back before settling beside him, his arm wrapping around her to pull her closer to his side.
The sat like that until the game was over, and just like he said, the Blackhawks lost. The DVR prompted them as to whether they wanted to delete it, which Jay did, before settling back on the random channel they last had on. Some sitcom rerun played, neither paying much attention to it as Hailey felt herself falling asleep, but Jay shook her awake.
"You okay?" he asked as she opened her eyes, his eyes looking a much darker green from the dim lights of the house.
"Just exhausted," she answered, stretching her legs out from where they were curled under her. "Will said Brianna would be okay."
"That's good," Jay said. "The whole thing was a mess, and I don't know whether to be pissed or relived that we got the outcome we did."
"Yeah," she mumbled as silence fell between them. Her mind went back and forth as she debated broaching the subject, but they promised each other they would work on their communication more, especially where work was concerned when they brought it home.
"How are you doing?" Hailey asked after a while, turning to look up at her husband. Jay just sighed, his eyes focused on the TV for a moment before zoning out.
"I don't know," he said honestly. "It's days like this that I hate the most."
She didn't say anything, knowing exactly what he meant. Even before she joined the unit, she could spot days like this from a mile away. His Army days haunted him, and even as he had been out of the military for a few years by now, the memories still snuck up on him from time to time.
"Some days I hate that I can't shut the memories off, or that I can't flip a switch and not let my feelings and biases impact my job."
"It's because it's part of who you are," she interrupted, not wanting him to go down this road just yet. He needed to not bury it, but she felt he needed this reminder more. "No one would ever ask you not to be you."
Jay looked at her as she shifted in her spot, sitting up on her knees so she could look him in the eyes.
"I am so proud of you for what you have done for this country," she began. "And even if they don't say it, I know everyone we work with feels the same way. But no one would ever ask you to turn that part of you off. It's what makes you a great cop, and an even greater man, one I'm proud to be married to."
Hailey knew her words hit home, by the way his eyes softened even if his face was still blank.
"Don't ever forget that," she whispered, before standing up, her hand stretched out to him. He let her pull him off the couch and upstairs, pausing only to turn the TV off. Before they reached the stairs, he stopped, his hand pulling her back to him. His chest met her back as he kissed the back of her head, a silent thank you he needed to share with her before they went to sleep.
"Antonio's CI said 3:00, right?" she asked, after having looked at the clock on the dash for the tenth time.
"Yeah, which means 5:00, maybe 6:00 if we're lucky," Jay replied, sarcasm evident in his voice. Hailey could see he was just as annoyed with the whole time thing, knowing the man was a stickler for being on time.
"Aw, if you're looking for punctuality, don't date a CI," she said, quickly realizing her words were spiteful. "Or an Italian."
That end of her statement caused Jay's head to turn towards her, and she tried to cover her smile with her coffee, but she knew it wouldn't work.
"I dated a guy from Rome once," she explained, still smirking despite the annoyed look on Jay's face. But part of her wanted to have some fun with it while they waited around.
"The more I learn about you, the more I realize I have no clue who you really are."
That caused her to laugh, remembering when Jay said something to that effect years ago when they first started dating. They had gone out after shift one night; those had been the normal dates they had before getting super serious. Their insane schedules hadn't left them much time to actually plan dates, so whenever they both had a free night, they met at any bar that wasn't Molly's.
"Good. My plan is working," she replied, glad to have gotten a smile out of him. "Antonio's plan on the other hand, not so sure. Girls are tough to flip."
"Tougher than boys?" he asked, and she half thought he was joking.
"Way tougher," was all she said when she realized he was serious.
"So, women are more loyal than men?"
"Absolutely," Hailey replied, and it was then she could see the hesitance in his eyes, but he tried to play it off with the smirk he used on her all the time. A car horn had broken the spell, but Hailey couldn't shake the feeling inside of her. Something about this entire conversation had made her wonder whether or not they were actually talking about CI's.
The next hour was consumed with tracking the runner down and questioning and booking the others in that house. It wasn't until two hours later when she caught up to Jay again, wanting to know just what their earlier conversation was about.
"Hey, can I ask you something?" she said as they met in the breakroom. He nodded his head as he poured her coffee, and she looked back to see if anyone was watching them.
"Did I say something earlier?" she blurted out, the words escaping were not the ones she planned to say. And by the look on Jay's face, he was taken aback too.
"About what?" he asked as she studied him. His features were relaxed, his attention fully on her and for some reason, it made her a little nervous.
"Earlier, when I said something about women being more loyal than men," she began, not sure where to take this. "You had this look on your face, like you were unsure of something."
Jay was quiet, his own eyes glancing behind her before he sighed, softly shaking his head.
"Just me being inside my own head," he replied softly. "I guess after everything that's happened over these last few months…I don't know."
"Did you think I thought you aren't loyal?"
The words were sharp, but they didn't have the sting as the other things she had said to him since joining the unit. The blame and guilt immediately settled in, and she wanted to take it all back. They had made tremendous progress, learning how to work side by side in a professional capacity, and learning how the other acted and reacted on the job. She would admit that she misstepped and misspoke at times, and Jay had admitted the same, but now she wouldn't let it happened again.
"Jay," Hailey whispered, her right hand grasping his left one, letting the cool metal of his ring meet the warmth of her palm. "I do not think that about you at all, not for a second. Sure, things have been said, but I think we can both agree that this entire dynamic has been a learning curve, and I am truly sorry if I made you take a few steps back."
She meant every single word she said, squeezing his hand repeatedly throughout the exchange to let him know just how much he meant to her.
"I know, and I'm sorry too," Jay replied. "I guess I'm still making progress, and it's a learning curve, just like you said."
"We've both messed up," Hailey told him. "All we can do is learn from it all. We aren't the first set of detectives to be married to each other, and I doubt we will be the last."
"Maybe the last Voight lets into this unit," he said dryly, causing them both to laugh and smile.
"So this is how this communication thing works," he continued. The grin he gave her only caused her to roll her eyes, and she knew then that they were good. They always were.
"Yeah yeah," Hailey said, squeezing his hand one more time. "Get back to work Halstead."
"That goes for you too," he said, and Hailey was sure she failed to hide the blush on her face, catching the double meaning of his words.
Hailey watched as Jay walked into the breakroom, tension evident in his entire body. The case was getting to him, but in such a way that Hailey didn't quite know what to make of it. They all had cases that hit home, that made it harder to keep their head on straight. With her, it was always children and domestic abuse. With Jay, it was also kids and military connections. But this one was different, because he had been hot on this one before they ever brought Mark in, before they knew the backstory.
When she noticed everyone else was gone or occupied, she followed him, taking her half empty coffee cup with her as a ruse of needing more coffee. He seemed to not have heard her, his body not reacting until she set the coffee mug down on the table.
She supposed this had become a thing, quiet talks in the breakroom, one of the few places in this district where it wasn't odd to find them alone with each other.
"Jay?" she said as he turned around to face her, his body relaxing as his eyes really focused on her. "Talk to me."
Jay just shook his head, almost like he was trying to say not here, but as she watched him glance behind her, she figured he was probably just in a state of disbelief.
"They shouldn't be holding him," he said quietly, frustrating evident in his voice. "And not because he's Army and I've given him the benefit of the doubt, but because it's not right."
She had to admit she agreed with him on this, but the team didn't need two people going up against one. Her mind flashed back to a few months before, when the media had been all over Jay for Morgan's death, even before they themselves knew the facts. Jay sympathized with that, having almost lost his own job because of the media and misinformation.
"I know what you're thinking," Hailey began, taking a step towards him. "And I don't agree with all of it either. But right now, the best thing you can do is work to clear his name, make 100% sure that he is innocent in this."
Jay just nodded, his eyes trained on hers as she spoke.
"If you do that, we can go home and know we did our jobs in finding the guy who really did this, and by protecting Mark from losing his reputation," she explained.
"I get it," Jay said, the comment coming out of left field a bit. "Twice in my career, people with no knowledge of this job have tried to throw me under the bus, and I refused to sit by and do nothing. But I won't let it happen to someone else."
Hailey could do nothing but smile proudly at his words, once again proud of the person he's become. The Jay she knew when they first met may have been wise, but he was nothing like this. It warmed her from the inside out to see who he was become, to see the man, detective and husband he has turned out to be.
"You're a good man," she told him. "Makes me proud to call you my husband."
Her words were quiet as to avoid the wrong ears, but the smile and relaxed look on Jay's face made it all worth it.
"But, if this isn't a bad time to say this," she continued, her voice still low as it took on a suggestive and seductive tone. "I do have to say it's rather attractive to see you this fired up."
Hailey was deliberate in all of her motions, from the way her eyebrows raised to her pursed lips, and the way her eyes traveled up and down his body, slowing down in all the right places.
"So you better hope that we solve this quickly," Hailey said, her eyes meeting his that had taken on a dangerously dark hue. "For your own sake."
She slowly turned around, her features hardened like normal as she walked out of the breakroom, leaving Jay behind to full take in her words. It was hard not to smirk as she heard him mutter under his breath, something to the effect of her being a tease. Even as it may be a tad inappropriate to bring stuff like that up at work, it brought them back down from the adrenaline high, from the tension and stress that existed within their jobs.
Maybe this working together thing won't be so bad, she thought. There had been enough bumps in the road, and while some were rougher than others, they were still standing in one piece. If moments like what just happened were always there, then Hailey had no doubt they could handle this, even if they took it one step at a time.
For now, it was a dangerous game they were playing, a fine line they both had to try not to cross. She had to admit, at times it was fun and challenging in a way she had never discovered, and it brought about a different dynamic to their relationship. The only task was whether they could continue to navigate this the way they had been. One more hurdle lied ahead, perhaps the biggest one yet, and she knew it they could handle that, they could handle anything.
"Hailey!" she heard, causing her to curse silently as she rushed around the room. She was running behind and knew Jay would have her ass if she was the one that caused them to be late tonight.
"Two minutes!" she replied, hoping he didn't chew her out right then.
"It better be!"
Hailey glanced in the mirror again, taking a mental inventory of what she needed and what she had. Her jacket and gloves were downstairs on the couch, beanie was on the dresser beside her phone. So, all that was missing was…
"Damnit," she cursed, rushing out of the room to the walk in closet that was opposite their bathroom. Her feet carried her exactly where she wanted to go and before she knew it, she stood in front of the wooden jewelry box, the one that looked out of place with the white shelving and gold hardware of the cabinets. She couldn't help but smile as she remembered the person this jewelry box once belonged to, the one person she never got to meet, even if it seemed like she knew her all the same.
Her smile only widened as she saw the rings nestled in the small box, two stacked on top of each other. Without hesitation, she pulled them both out, sliding them onto her finger to rest against the ring already sitting there. Each time she put them on made her emotional, and maybe it had something to do with the fact that she didn't wear them every day. That would change soon, she told herself, it was only a matter of time.
"Babe we gotta go!"
"I'm coming!" she yelled back, gently closing the box before rushing out of the closet, grabbing her things on the dresser and heading downstairs to meet Jay. He had been waiting on this game all week, and she didn't want to be the reason something caused him to miss it.
Hailey took a moment as she reached the bottom of the stairs to look at him. It infuriated her how he looked so perfect in nothing but a hoodie, jeans and his black jacket. The man could look homeless and still look hot, she was convinced.
"Ready?" she asked as he looked up at her, giving her one of the brightest smiles she's seen out of him in a while. It made her heart flutter as if they had just started dating.
"Yes ma'am," he replied, choosing to not be subtle as he looked her up and down, stopping as he reached her hips. But it wasn't that he was staring at, but the jewelry she rarely wore that rested on her finger.
As his eyes met her, she was taken aback by his expression, but the confusion didn't last long as a smirk spread across his features.
"You're married?" he asked, and as much as she wanted to play along, she couldn't stop the laughter escaping her.
"Yeah, not to anyone special," she fired back, still laughing as a horrified look crossed his face.
"I am too special!" Jay exclaimed, even going as far as to stomp his foot a little.
"I mean you are pretty hot," Hailey listed off as she walked towards him. "Very caring, even for a stubborn detective. A neat freak, which is okay. But your aim could be better."
Hailey knew the last one would push his buttons, and she got the exact reaction she was hoping for. Without blinking, she was pinned against the island, Jay's lips hot on hers and greedy as hell. Not that she minded, because this was what she had been waiting for all week.
"We better go," she said as he moved to her neck. "Because as much as I would love to continue this, I don't want you pouting if we miss this game."
Jay sighed against her skin, his forehead dropping to meet her shoulder. She felt his fingers play with her rings like he always did, bringing her hand to his lips as he kissed the knuckle just below her ring finger.
"Won't be long until you get to join me in the club at work," he teased, and Hailey had to admit that each time he brought it up, the nerves she felt seemed to disappear a little more.
"Won't be long now," she told him, kissing him once more, only for it to be cut short as Jay dragged her out the door.
Two updates in two days?! Hope you all enjoyed this very long awaited update! Only a few more chapters until the storylines of season 5 are wrapped up! Thank you all for sticking by me, it truly means the world! As long as you all are still reading and still loving this story, I will keep writing it!
As always, if anyone is like me and wants to reference the episodes, this chapter covers 5x11 to 5x17. And if you know what is coming next, I hope you are excited!
And on another note, only two more weeks until the show is back, so let's hope good content from there means more for me to write about!