So, I've been hitting you with a lot of angst lately, so here is a super fluffy one-shot. I'm obsessed with the amount of tooth-rotting fluff that ensues in this fic and hope it helps you survive hiatus!
Title and Lyrics from "Buy You a Rose" by AJR
And I want you to know I'm thinking of you...I'm just a boy who's telling a girl that when I grow up I'll buy you a rose
One
By the time they make it back to the district, the truck is filled with the distinct smell of roses.
Hailey works hard to keep her eyes on the screen as Jay drives, focusing on the pictures of their suspect, but every now and then, her eyes graze to the front seat where a bouquet of red roses is sitting. She tries to forget the racing of her heart when she saw him holding the flowers because even if she knew it was simply to maintain his cover, it would be so easy to pretend that those flowers were for her.
The small little look he shot her, the way her smile lit up, it all feels so personal, so them, that if she let herself, she could get swept up in thoughts of him buying her flowers and her tracing the petals with her fingers as she sweetly thanked him with a kiss, but those are thoughts she shouldn't be having, especially while she is sitting in the back of his truck while they track down a man wanted for armed robbery.
It's when they get back to the district, though, that those thoughts start to run amuck.
"You want those?" Jay asks, almost nervously, as they hop out of the truck.
Everything in her wants to rush to say yes, but she has enough of a mind left to keep her cool. "You paid for them. You keep them."
He chuckles. "Hailey, I don't know if you've noticed, but I am not exactly a flower guy."
"Really?" She eyes him playfully as she grabs the last of their equipment from the back seat. She awkwardly throws the computer bag over her shoulder, tightly gripping the camera bag in her hands until Jay comes around the truck and takes the camera from her.
She straightens up, readjusting the computer bag as she tells him, "You take the flowers. You can give them to someone if you want."
"Well, maybe I want to give them to you."
She feels a smile growing, the same one that she had when he got into the truck gripping those flowers, and she has to work to not let her grin take over her whole face.
"Really? You sure there isn't some cute girl at Molly's you want to give these to?" She attempts to tease, hoping it hides the way her cheeks are starting to redden. "You could really wow her by having flowers ready to go."
He opens the passenger side door, grabbing the flowers in question, shrugging as he closes the door and locks the truck. "I mean, I'm getting a drink with you when the case is over, so, no. There isn't some girl at Molly's."
She shifts her weight on her feet, unsure of how to respond, eyes darting between him and the flowers and back to him again and he must be able to read her unease because he continues.
"Look, Hailey, I either give them to you or I throw them away. At least if I give them to you, I won't be wasting my money."
It's sound logic, she thinks, but she knows it's a little more than that. It's a way of explaining themselves away from the line they both know they are walking, that invisible line of partners and friends, and something more. It's such a little thing, him giving her these flowers, but it feels so big when they already are having a difficult time teetering the line.
"Fine," she gives in. "But it's just so you didn't waste your money."
He chuckles at her, shooting her that sweet smile that makes something in her stomach flip. As he gently presses the flowers into her hands, she lets herself pretend for just a second that the flowers are not from a work case, and they are not standing in the district parking lot. For a second, she forgets about the world and just focuses on them.
"Fine," he agrees with her but does not move, even when the flowers are firmly in her hands and it might feel a little weird, standing here so close, just watching each other, but it does not feel wrong.
"We should probably get inside," Hailey breaks the bubble first, the voice in the back of her head telling her it's better if they go in there now instead of having someone come outside and ask them what the hell they are doing.
"Yeah," he murmurs. "Let's go."
They make their way inside and drop off all of their equipment before splitting up, Jay making his way back to the bullpen and Hailey slipping into the locker room, telling Jay she will catch up with him in a minute. As she places the flowers in her locker, hoping they will be fine there for the rest of shift, she can't help but trace the petals and think about the look her partner gave her as he pressed the flowers into her hands.
Today it was for a case, but one day it might be real, and it makes her smile grow again.
This time, she does not bother fighting it.
Two
"Question."
"Shoot," Hailey says as she comes to sit back down on the large white bed in her hotel room, steadying her hand on her computer so it does not fall over. On the screen, there is Jay's smiling face, and she can tell he is sitting in his living room, nursing a beer, probably with a game on the TV that he is not even paying attention to.
It has only been a few days since she came to New York to work temporarily with the FBI and she would be lying if she said she did not miss home—the wind, the food, the people—but this, these little quiet moments on Facetime with her partner, it makes home feel a little closer and makes the distance a little more bearable.
"Why were my flowers in a wine bottle?"
"I'm sorry, what?" She chuckles, no clue what he is referring to.
"The flowers I got you two weeks ago," he explains with a small eye roll. "Why were they in a wine bottle?"
"How do you know that they were in a wine bottle?" She questions.
"I stopped by your place the night after you left to check on Vanessa," he tells her. "They were sitting on your kitchen counter."
The night Jay gave her the flowers, she put them in a wine bottle with some water and placed them on the dresser in her room, away from Vanessa's eyes, in an attempt to decrease the inevitable teasing that would come her way. She knows for a fact that in her rush to pack and get ready for New York, she forgot to throw away the wilting flowers. It was not until she landed in New York that she remembered, and she sent a text to Vanessa, asking her to throw away the flowers in her room.
Vanessa must have moved the flowers to throw them out, but never actually got to the throwing them out part.
"V was supposed to throw those out for me." Hailey groans. "They were starting to die and I forgot to take care of them before I left."
"She told me that part," he chuckles. 'But why were they in a wine bottle to begin with?"
"You're supposed to put flowers in water."
"In a wine bottle?"
There's that little smirk, that little eyebrow raise that she misses so much and if he were not teasing her at the moment, she thinks she would take a second longer to appreciate it.
"Well, I don't have a vase, so-"
"Really?"
Hailey lets out a nervous chuckle, shifting on the bed. "I feel like you're judging me. I highly doubt you have a vase at your apartment either."
"Yeah, well," There's that little smirk again, the one that makes her miss home even more than she already did, and she almost doesn't hear the last part of his sentence. "We already established that I am not exactly a flower person."
"Well, maybe I'm not a flower person either."
He opens his mouth, but he doesn't respond, and Hailey starts to feel the awkward tension between them, even though they are hundreds of miles apart.
"You're not gonna say some sexist crap about how girls are supposed to like flowers, right?" She asks, trying to sound like she is joking, and he just raises his eyebrow knowingly at her words.
Of course, he isn't. It's him.
"Just didn't realize you didn't like flowers," he hums. "I wouldn't have forced you to take them home if I knew."
"You didn't force me," she remarks. "I just don't see the appeal of flowers, you know? It's like twenty bucks that you could spend on something that's not gonna die."
His eyes go wide at her comment, a small chuckle falling from his lips. "Wow, that's real romantic."
"I'm just saying," she continues. "I'm not dating anyone and I'm not gonna go waste my own money on flowers, so I don't need a vase."
"So, if you were dating someone, you wouldn't be opposed to flowers?"
The question feels a little too pointed, like it falls on the wrong side of the line they are trying to balance. It takes every ounce of her focus to not read between the lines of his words and interpret it as him asking permission to get her flowers one day in the future.
"I'm not opposed to it. I just don't get it," she explains. "They're gonna die. You can use the money elsewhere."
"It's not about them dying." His voice is soft, yet serious through the speaker of her laptop. She sees him sit up a little straighter as he readjusts his phone so she can see him better. "It's about letting someone know you care about them."
"And flowers are the way to do that?"
Jay shrugs. "They're one way."
There is quiet for a moment, as Hailey shifts on the bed, coming to sit cross-legged, Jay just watching her movements.
"My dad used to get my mom flowers," Hailey finally says in a small voice. "Birthdays and anniversaries. But he was terrible the other three hundred and sixty-three days a year, so it didn't really matter."
"Hailey-" he gently starts, but she shakes her head, cutting him off.
"Look, I get why some people do it, but I think if you are going to let someone know you care, it should be your actions and how you treat them, not just buying them some flowers and calling it a day."
Her eyes dart all over the screen as she waits for him to respond, watching the way his face slowly changes as he processes her words.
'Hailey, I can't answer for your dad. But I think that, when you really care about someone, you just want to do little things like randomly get them flowers because you can't not show them how you feel."
What he's describing, it's so different from what she has seen. With her father, flowers were an obligation, a cheap attempt at buying favor with her mother two days a year to make up for how he acted every other day. But what Jay is saying, it is not an obligation, but a choice.
It's love, real and deep, and it's a picture that looks different than the one she saw growing up. It's a picture that, when she looks at her partner, she thinks she understands a little more.
"Maybe," she murmurs. "Guess it doesn't sound so terrible when you put it like that."
"Just one of those things you do when you care about someone."
"You know what else you do when you care about someone?" She leans forward, a devilish smirk on her face. "You fill them in on the office gossip. Kevin mentioned the case you guys caught. Apparently, Ruze was seeing the bartender?"
Jay lets out an amused laugh as he starts to tell her about the details of the case, and she mentally pats herself on the back for somehow shifting the conversation. Talking about the case and their friends feels a little safer and it gives her a minute to get her head on straight and slow the millions of thoughts running through her head.
She is only able to keep the thoughts at bay for so long though because a few days later after she has returned to her hotel room for the night, she gets a phone call from the front desk that there is a delivery for her. She scrunches her face at the news: she didn't order any food and she is not expecting any packages from work.
Confused, she still tells them it's fine to send the delivery up. A few minutes later, she hears a knock on her door. When Hailey sees a boy in his late teens holding a small bouquet of roses and a small box in his hand, she slowly starts to piece together what is going on.
"Are you Hailey Upton?" He asks and she gives a breathless nod as he hands her the flowers and the box and bids her a goodnight.
As her fingers graze the petals of the twelve roses, she notices the card tucked neatly into the bouquet.
Since you think flowers are a waste of money, I got the cheapest ones they had and spent my money on some candy I figured you'd appreciate more. But here's something to remind you that someone cares.
Miss you partner.
Jay
She would be lying if she said his note did not cause her to choke up a little and while she will definitely be teasing him later about how sappy it was and how he spent more money than he should of on flowers, she decides to take a moment to just appreciate the gesture and enjoy the pretty flowers.
Three
Hailey presses Jay's contact info before setting her phone down on the counter, listening as the quiet outgoing ringtone fills her living room. He picks up on the third ring and by the echo that she hears across the line, it is clear he is in his truck.
"Hey,"
"Hey," she says. "You're still coming over, right?"
"Yeah, I'm on my way over now. Why?" He asks.
She leans against the kitchen counter as she glances over at the stove to check the time. "I got home like thirty minutes ago and you were right behind me. Just making sure you didn't change your mind on the drive over here."
"Definitely not," he gives her a reassuring chuckle. "Just had to stop and grab something. Sorry, I should have texted you."
"No, it's fine," she assures him. "Just making sure everything is okay."
"Aw, you care about me." His voice is teasing, and it makes her roll her eyes, even though he can't see her.
"Yeah, well, you have a tendency to get yourself in trouble when left to your own devices. Just doing my job as your partner."
"Just as my partner?"
She can practically see the smirk he is wearing when he asks the question, and she has to bite her lip to keep herself from laughing.
"How far are you?" She tries to ignore his comment, although she is sure he can hear the amusement in her voice.
"Just parked," he tells her. "I'll be up in a minute."
"I'll see you then," she says softly and waits for him to respond with his typical "Bye Hailey" before she clicks off her phone.
There is a redness in her cheeks that was not there moments ago, and she is pretty sure her heart is racing a bit quicker than it was before she called him, but she lets herself enjoy the sweetness of his words, just for a moment.
A knock at her door pulls her from her thoughts and when she opens the door, she is surprised to see her partner wearing a different outfit from what he was wearing that day, with both of his hands hidden behind his back.
And on his face is such a dopey grin that it makes her stomach flip and her heart race even quicker.
"Did you go home and change?"
"Yes," he smiles at her. "And you need to go get changed too."
"Jay-" She starts as she takes a step back to allow him inside. He takes a sideways step past her, keeping his back hidden with a sly smirk on his face.
"What are you up to?"
She can't think of a time she has seen him like this, all sneaky and suspicious, and she's about to question him on it further when he shoots her that sweet smile. He takes a step forward, entering her space, and she has to look up at him to see him, confidence still written all over his face.
"Nothing," Jay hums, and she is about to argue with him, but he is quicker, pressing a kiss to her lips before she is able to say a word.
It's not the first time he's kissed her. In the past two weeks, since they met up in a bar and she told him she was turning down her FBI job offer, they've shared their fair share of kisses, but each one somehow manages to flip her entire world upside down.
This thing between them is new, but it's good and something deep in her knows that he is it. The way he treats her, the way he kisses her, the way he looks at her, it's so unlike anything she has ever seen and it's what she thinks relationships should be.
"We're going out," Jay says in a breathy whisper as he leans back.
"Jay-"
"Look," he cuts her off gently, taking a step back to see her better, his hands still hidden. "As much as I love eating pizza on your couch and turning on a movie that we inevitably don't watch, I think it's about time I took you on a real date."
She cocks her head at him, letting her eyes roam behind his back, but he shifts quickly so she can't see. "Where exactly is this coming from?"
He gives her an awkward little shrug. "This isn't just some casual thing for me, and I want to show that to you. It's been two weeks. You definitely deserve a real date by this point."
He slowly removes his hands from behind his back, revealing a small bouquet of roses, similar to the ones he sent her while she was in New York. That little dopey smile on his face grows as he holds the flowers out to her.
"Roses?"
"Wouldn't be a proper date if I didn't get you flowers," he hums knowingly as she takes the flowers from him, his fingers brushing against hers.
It's the first time he has gotten her flowers like this, where the flowers are meant for her, and they are in the same city, and she can freely kiss him as a thank you. So, she does just that, raising herself up on her toes to press her lips to his, smiling against him as he leans forward and lets his hand rest on her waist.
"Just a reminder that I care about you," he murmurs softly against her lips. She doesn't have the words to respond, so she just catches his lips with hers again, biting gently against his lower lip to deepen the kiss.
When they finally separate, she is breathless but in the best way. "That's my reminder that I care about you."
He lets out a breathy chuckle. "Not a bad reminder. Definitely better than flowers."
"Don't you forget it."
"You better go get changed," he says in a low voice, his hands still at her waist and playing with the hem of her shirt. "Otherwise, I don't think we're actually going to make it to this date."
She laughs quietly, giving him one more quick kiss before taking a step back. "We're not going somewhere fancy are we?"
She scans him up and down, unable to see what shirt is on under his jacket. But he is in jeans and nicer boots than he wore for work today and while she is sure he would have dressed differently if they were going somewhere really nice, she is never quite sure with him.
"No," he hums. "I know that's not your thing. Plus, I figured I was already pushing it with the flowers. We're just doing dinner that's a little nicer than takeout."
He knows her, so intimately and deeply in a way no one else has known her. Of course, now he knows the way she moves against him and the way she breathes out his name when he kisses her, but he knows more than that. He knows she hates white tablecloths and fancy dinners and that her idea of a perfect night is just a deep-dish pizza and him.
He knows her so well and he continues to keep caring about her and the idea of that is so foreign to Hailey, but she thinks that she likes it.
"Smart man," she says at last. "Let me find another wine bottle to stick these in and then I'll go get changed."
He laughs at her words, watching her move about the kitchen as she tries to find something to hold the flowers. She lets out a small "aha" when she finds a tall mason jar in the back of her cabinets.
She moves to the sink to fill it up with water, stopping before she turns on the faucet. She throws her head over her shoulder and calls out to him, "Hey, Jay?"
"Yeah?"
"The whole getting flowers thing? It's not the worst thing in the world."
The smile he gives her is something else and she thinks maybe it's time she invests in a vase.
Four
"Hey, Hailey," Kim pops her head into the locker room at the end of the night as Hailey is packing up. "Jay said he needs you back in the bullpen. Some paperwork you didn't sign."
Hailey groans as she closes her locker. It has been a long day and all she wants is to go home. They wrapped up a drug case they were working on early in the afternoon, but it seemed like the paperwork from the case was never-ending. It is now a little after six and all she wants to do was go home with Jay, sit on the couch and not move for several hours.
Home. Their home. It's still a strange feeling because Hailey has never been one to be sentimental about the place she called home. Growing up, home was the place she avoided at all costs. She played at other friends' houses, she studied at the library, she did whatever it took to be anywhere but home.
As she got older, she did not care about where she lived. In her mind, it was a place for her to eat and sleep and nothing more. She switched apartments frequently, never staying in the same place for more than two years, never having a real reason too.
And then there was Jay. After a few months of dating, they decided to move in together and at first, the thought terrified Hailey. She had never taken this step with a boyfriend. Normally by this point in the relationship, either Hailey or the other person would have already ran, but not this time. Jay made sure she knew he was committed to making this work, no matter her fears about the past or the future.
So, they took the leap and got an apartment together and now, over a year later, it sometimes shocks her how much she finally likes having a home that is more than four walls and a bed.
"Thanks, Kim," Hailey says, grabbing her bag and throwing it over her shoulder. "Have a good night."
'Yeah, you too." Kim says quickly before disappearing. Hailey chuckles, assuming that Kim must be as anxious to get out of here as she is.
Hailey makes her way to the bullpen, dropping her bag gently on Kim's desk when she sees Jay sitting in his signature spot on her desk, a bouquet of roses in hand.
"Paperwork, huh?" She asks as she walks into the middle of the room, noticing the small smirk on his face.
"I may have told a small lie," he says as he slides off of her desk, coming to stand in front of her. "Think you can forgive me?"
She brushes her hand against his, her fingers skimming against his skin and then against the flowers he is holding. "That depends. You gonna tell me why you actually wanted me to come in here?"
"You're a pretty good detective," Jay hums. "I'm sure you can figure it out."
As well as he knows her, she knows him too and the second she saw that smirk and those flowers, she knew what he was up to. And in the past, while she thought that this moment might scare her, right now she does not feel anything resembling nervousness, because the idea of spending forever with him, it sounds good.
"I think I can," she says softly. "Ask me, Jay."
He gently places the flowers he was holding on her desk before focusing his attention on her, grabbing her left hand with one of his while his other hand sneaks into his pocket and pulls out a ring.
"When you became my partner, I was absolutely pissed. But, looking back, that was the greatest thing that ever happened to me. Because getting to work alongside you every day has made me a better cop. And getting to fall in love with you has made me a better man. I have loved every minute I have spent with you and I want to spend the rest of my life showing you how much I love you."
"So, Hailey Anne Upton," he slowly gets down on one knee and she has to bite her cheek to stop herself from crying or giggling or both. "Will you marry me?"
He is barely on the ground for a second before she is grabbing for his hand and pulling him back up. She is quick to kiss him, one hand cupping his face and the other grabbing at his side to hold him close.
"Yes," she breathes out in a raspy whisper. "Yes, I'll marry you."
He kisses her again, soft and slow, and it feels like the start of forever. Somewhere in between sweet kisses and tearful whispers of "I love you" he slips the ring on her finger, and they leave the bullpen to celebrate properly, the flowers forgotten on her desk.
Five
Hailey sits cross-legged on the bed, watching as Jay throws a pair of sweatpants and a tshirt into an old duffle bag.
'You don't have to stay with Will tonight," she tells him again for what feels like the hundredth time. "There really is no reason."
"It's tradition," he looks up at her quickly as he zips up his bag, giving it a satisfied pat.
"It's dumb. We've been living together for like two years. I don't think one night is going to make a difference."
He rolls his eyes and moves to the closet to grab a pair of boots, coming over to sit on the edge of the bed to put them on. "It's tradition to not stay together the night before the wedding."
"And when have you been one for tradition?" She cocks her head at him.
He finishes lacing the boot on his left foot before leaning back awkwardly, grabbing her hand as he does. "It'll be one night, Hailey. And then we can spend every night after that together."
She takes the hand that is not holding his and runs it through his short hair, watching as his face starts to form a small smile. "Fine. I don't like it, but fine. Don't come complaining to me when you can't sleep tonight, though."
"Like I was getting any sleep tonight anyway," he chuckles as he sits up and starts to put on his other boot.
"Why, you nervous about something?"
He shrugs his shoulders, his hands still securing his boot. "Got a big day tomorrow."
"Yeah?" She moves to kneel on the bed, slowly crawling over to where he is sitting. "What do you have going on?"
"Hot date with this blonde girl," he murmurs knowingly. "Think I'm going to convince her to marry me."
"Good luck with that," she says, and he gently shoves her, making her laugh softly.
"I got you something," he whispers, and her eyes grow questioningly. "It's in the truck."
He stands up and kisses the top of her head, grabbing his bag off the bed and shooting her that signature smile. "I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere."
She shakes her head as he runs out of the apartment, flopping back on the bed and staring at the ceiling.
They're getting married. It still feels a little surreal, like at any moment she could wake up and be back in the bullpen and he will just be her partner, and these past few years they have spent together will have just been a dream.
Because that is how they have felt, like a dream. She never knew much about love, but what she did know was not pretty. And then Jay Halstead walked into her life and showed her love was not this big bad thing. It was sweet and it was kind, and it was gentle.
It wasn't being scared and feeling unsafe, the way she saw love when she was a child. It was knowing that she was safe and that, at the end of every day no matter what happened, there was someone who was going to choose her.
It feels overwhelming but in all the right ways and it makes the idea of a life with him all the more exciting.
When she hears the opening of the door, she sits up, turning on the bed slightly so she is facing the door of their bedroom. He slips in slowly, his hands hidden behind his back in a familiar manner.
He removes his hands from his back and shoots her that sweet smile that always makes her feel a little dizzy. In his hands, he holds a small bouquet of red roses, a bouquet that resembles the flowers he got her when they were working a case before they were even dating or when he sent her flowers while she was in New York or any of the other countless bouquets he has gotten her during their time together.
She stands up slowly and walks over to him and he outstretches his hand to give her the flowers. Her hand comes to rest on his, their interlaced fingers both gripping the stems of the roses as she gazes up at him.
"Flowers?"
"Reminder that I care about you," he hums.
"Just care?" She bites her lip, unable to stop from teasing him, just for a moment.
"Maybe a little bit more than care," he says as his free hand finds her waist and tugs her a little closer.
"What's it a reminder for then?" She asks, even though she is pretty sure she already knows his answer.
"That I love you." His voice is gentle, that soft tone that is just reserved for her. "And that I want to marry you tomorrow and that we are going to have a good life together."
"Hmm," she hums, leaning forward, not caring about crushing the flowers that are pressed between them. "Seems like a good reminder.
He kisses her, the plastic wrapped around the flowers crinkling as they move closer to each other. They've shared many kisses together at this point, but this one feels a little different, like it's the start of something, the start of their new life together.
She goes in to deepen the kiss and she hears a soft moan escape his lips. His fingers start to play with the hem of her shirt and just when she thinks he is going to ditch his plan of going to stay at Will's, he leans back, a slightly disappointed look on his face.
"You know I want to," he whispers. "But tradition."
"I hate tradition," she mutters and he just chuckles, quickly kissing her cheek.
"I know. But after tomorrow, there will be no more nights apart."
"I like the sound of that."
The idea of forever, of always knowing that he will be waiting for her when she gets home, knowing that he is hers and she is his and she is never going to lose him, it makes her heart race. It makes her realize this is the thing in her life she has always been searching after, even if she didn't know it. He is the thing that makes her whole and she is looking forward to spending every night with him from here on out.
"I'll see you tomorrow?" He asks sweetly.
"I'll see you tomorrow."
He gives her another kiss before unwrapping himself from her and slowly making his way to the door. There are a few more sweet glances and stolen kisses before he finally slips out the door for the night, leaving her alone in the quiet of their apartment.
She looks down at the bouquet of flowers that are still in her hands and smiles. She never really loved flowers in the past, but now, with him, if they are a reminder that he cares, that he loves her, that she has him forever? She thinks she is okay with that.
She puts the flowers in the vase she bought a few years ago shortly after they started dating and lets herself get lost in thoughts of a future with him.
And the time that he doesn't
That morning, Hailey isn't woken up by the sound of her alarm clock, but rather soft giggles and tiny footsteps.
She grins as she hears Jay quietly shush his little partner in crime. She keeps her eyes tightly shut, pretending to be asleep, knowing that Jay's accomplice will be more excited if he gets to wake Hailey up.
It grows harder to suppress her laughter, especially as she hears the bedroom door swing open and small feet pitter-patter into her room. Not even a second later, a tiny finger is poking at her side, and she can hear the amused laughter of her husband.
She opens her eyes slowly to reveal a sweet little freckled face with bright green eyes and sandy blonde hair. The boy is all smiles with his hands behind his back, dressed in his favorite dinosaur shirt. She can clearly see what he is hiding behind him, but she bites her lip and does not say a word.
"Happy birthday mama!"
Her smile is instantaneous, and she props herself up on her elbow to get a better view of her son. "Thanks, buddy."
"Eli, you wanna show mama what you got her?" Jay asks the three-year-old from a few feet away, a knowing grin on his face.
"Did you get me something?" She asks the little boy and he nods vigorously.
"Daddy and I went to the store to buy them," Eli states proudly. "We also got chocolate chips to make special waffles, but daddy said don't tell you that."
Jay and Hailey laugh at their loose-lipped son who seems unphased by his parents' reaction. The little boy does not miss a beat as he removes his hands from his back and reveals a bouquet of yellow roses.
"They're yellow, just like your hair mama!" Eli excitedly exclaims as he hands his mother the flowers.
"They are," she coos as she traces the petals on the flowers with her fingers, before reaching out her arms towards her son, "Come here, peanut."
Just as Hailey is reaching for Eli, Jay scoops up the little boy from behind, resulting in a fit of giggles from their son. Jay sits on the edge of the bed, placing Eli between them, letting his arm rest on Hailey's back over the blankets.
"Happy birthday, Hails."
She removes her hand from under the blanket and intertwines it with his on her hip. "Thanks, Jay."
For a moment, it's quiet, as Eli inspects the flowers he just gave his mother, and Jay and Hailey gaze at each other and once again, she is struck that this is her life. She's got a good husband, a beautiful son, a happy life, all things that she never thought she would be fortunate enough to find.
"You like your flowers mama?" Eli's little voice breaks the silence and Hailey just chuckles.
"I do, baby," she says, removing her hand from Jay's to quickly smooth Eli's wild hair before resting her hand on Jay's again. "I think they're the best flowers I've ever gotten."
"Hey," Jay teases, pinching at her hip playfully. "I'm offended."
"Dada said you used to not like flowers," Eli pipes in, completely lost to his parents' banter.
"He's right," Hailey laughs. "But I liked when your dada got me flowers."
"And you like when I get you flowers?"
"Yes, baby," she leans forward to kiss Eli on the top of his head. "I love when you get me flowers."
The little boy beams a proud smile, kicking his legs happily for a moment before looking over to his father. "Dada, can we start making mama her waffles now?"
Jay laughs, shaking his head at their son's ever short attention span. "Yeah, buddy, why don't you go wash your hands and I will be right there, okay?"
Eli plops right off the bed and runs full speed out the room and towards the bathroom, leaving both of his parents laughing at his antics.
"Best flowers you've gotten, hmm?" Jay hums in a low, husky tone when Eli is out of earshot. His hand moves out from under hers, starting to rub patterns against the fabric, every so often getting a little bold with his touch.
"Yeah," Hailey smiles. "But I think it might be because he had a pretty good teacher."
Jay raises an amused eyebrow at that. "Oh, did he now?"
Hailey shrugs and she can tell Jay is about to say more, but she sits up quickly and kisses him before he is able to.
"Thanks for the flowers," she whispers when she pulls away, letting the pads of her fingers trace the unshaven stubble on his jaw.
"I don't know what you're talking about," he murmurs. "Those are from Eli."
She hums knowingly, giving him a small nod, not removing her hand from his face. "Well, then thanks for all the other ones."
It's more than a thank you for the flowers. It's a thank you for caring enough to get her some plant that is going to die after two weeks, a thank you for loving her so deeply that he feels the need to show her in the smallest of ways, a thank you for giving her a life where cheesy things like flowers can still bring a smile to her face.
He brushes some hair out of her face and leans forward slightly to kiss her cheek. "I'll never stop getting you flowers. Reminder that I love you, remember?"
Between the way he is looking at her right now and the sound of a freckled-faced boy running down the hallway, she knows she does not need flowers to remember that he loves her. She knows it, deep in her bones, and he proves it every day, by the way he treats her, by the way he shows up for her, by the way he says her name.
"I love you too," she whispers. "You and your flowers."
She knows he loves her, but sometimes, it's nice to be reminded, because even if the flowers die, the feelings don't.
Reviews?
Follow me on Tumblr anniesardors for more fics and to freak out about upstead.