"I've known for a while now actually, ever since I watched you help Makayla across the monkey bars, and the crazy thing is that it's stuck – that ever since that moment, I've known that I want to have a baby with you."

1 – September 7, 2007 – 16

Hailey has algebra homework and she should be reading the first chapter of The Things They Carried, but she's sitting in a rocking chair trying to get the neighbor's little girl to fall asleep.

Little Zoe Drakos is three months old to the day and her parents have gone out for their first date night since she was born. When they asked Hailey to spend her Friday night with their daughter, she didn't hesitate to say 'yes.'

Zoe was adorable. She seemed to love Hailey and would smile up at her while they played. Her little fingers too would tangle themselves in Hailey's hair, but Hailey never minded. She just laughed and would kiss Zoe's chubby cheeks.

Hailey liked babysitting babies. When she was fourteen and became CPR certified, she also became the neighborhood babysitter. She frequently watched kids of all ages, but it was the ones under three that she liked the best. She loved their broken language and soft hands and big eyes. They were so innocent compared to watch she experienced at her own house. Babysitting became a welcome distraction.

By the time she was sixteen, she'd seen several nurseries and started picturing her own. She wasn't super into pink and ribbons, but she did like the nurseries with bunnies and flowers.

As she rocked Zoe to sleep, she imagined what she'd be doing if she really were a mom in that moment. She'd probably be in the nursery – a light purple with several stuffed animals in one corner near a bookshelf filled with every picture book she could buy – in one of the rocking chairs that looked like a recliner while she tried to get the baby to sleep. Her daughter would be dressed in a blue pajama set that had a pacifier attached to it and she'd have light blonde hair that almost seemed nonexistent, but the fluff would be adorable. Hailey would probably stay up all night if she could just to watch her sleep – she loved watching babies sleep.

At the time, she never imagined who the father would be – it didn't seem important. All that was important was that she'd have a baby and a home. She figured she'd give birth to the baby herself, but that was insignificant in the grand scheme of things. As long as she had a baby and was a mom, that's all that mattered.

In her arms, Zoe coughed softly and her eyes fluttered open.

"Oh, oh, hi," Hailey whispered, "Hi, pretty girl."

Zoe whined and kicked her legs around.

"Let's see," Hailey lifted her to hold her to her shoulder then lightly patted her back, "Are you gassy? Do you have a tummy ache?"

Zoe let out a soft sound and then Hailey felt a sudden wet warmth on her neck. She gasped and pulled Zoe back to see spit-up dribbling down her chin.

"Oh my god," she whispered.

Zoe whimpered then began crying.

"Oh my god," Hailey repeated and stood up. She panicked for a moment. She had no idea what to do as she stood there feeling some of the spit-up drip down her back. She just knew the rest of it was in her hair.

"Um," Hailey breathed. She spotted a rag on the coffee table and grabbed it to quickly wipe off Zoe's face. She then tried cleaning her neck, but just ended up spreading more spit-up over her neck. It felt disgusting and she was near tears herself.

Suddenly, becoming a mom didn't seem that important right now. It seemed really gross. If she was watching a baby for just two hours now and was covered in spit-up, what would her life look like when she was taking care of a baby 24/7?

She didn't want to think about all the spit-up that'd be on her then.

As she took a shower that night upon getting back home, she thought that maybe being a mom wasn't all cute babies and painting nurseries. Maybe it was a lot of work that included gross stuff happening to you.

Maybe she could wait to be a mom.

2 – April 22, 2013 – 23

Hailey slows to a jog near a park and decides to catch her breath on a bench. She hates running, but being on patrol is no joke and she's had to run more lately than she ever had in her entire life, so she's trying to increase her stamina.

It sucks.

It's a perfect day, though, and while she may be panting, she does love the scenery at the park.

There are kids laughing on the swings nearby and she managed a smile. The swings were always her favorite when she was younger. She loved to sit on them for hours and feel the wind through her hair. Even when she was older, she'd still find time most weeks to walk down to the park and sit on the swings for about an hour.

Back then, she never pictured having kids, but now as she watched a dad push his daughter and his wife, she let her mind wander to imagine herself in that same situation.

Currently, she was dating a guy named Max. She'd met him when she attended University of Chicago then met up with him while at a bar just a few months before and they decided to continue seeing each other. His family was rather well off and actually called him Maxwell, but she didn't care about the money or the chandeliers. She liked that he was driven. He had goals in life – he wanted to work for his father's law firm. Her parents were satisfied with her choice as if they had any say in her life. She couldn't bring herself to completely cut them off, but she didn't see much harm in simply sending them a text every once in a while.

Max had black hair and olive skin, similar to the man currently pushing his blonde wife and daughter on the swings, so it made it easy to imagine herself in the situation. They hadn't actually discussed kids yet, but four months wasn't a long time – she figured they'd get to that within the next year.

This was the first relationship she would consider serious. It was an adult relationship. They'd go on fancy date nights and drink wine and have sex regularly – all things she thought adults do. They even talked about going on a vacation to Maine that summer; she'd never been and admittedly never had the urge to go, but Max had family there, plus, again, it seemed adult.

Hailey imagined two little girls with her blonde hair and Max's warm brown eyes. She imagined they'd be smart as a whip and love going outside. She and Max always loved going for walks in this same park. It was part of the reason she decided to run here.

Once she caught her breath, she stood up to stretch slightly. It helped the tightness that had been forming in her calf, but she still bent over to rub it. Max had said that when he came home from work, he'd give her a massage and she was very much looking forward to it.

When she stood, however, she spotted Max walking toward her on the sidewalk. Her lips parted slightly as she noticed him holding hands with the person next to him. It certainly didn't look like his sister because she had bright red hair cut above her shoulders. The girl tripped over her feet, and Max helped her straighten up then kissed her while they both laughed.

Hailey felt her heart shatter.

Part of her wished it wasn't Max, but this guy was wearing a University of Chicago polo which happened to be Max's favorite shirt. She always hated it and would tease him about it. She'd recognize it anywhere.

Max pulled away from the girl and looked forward to see Hailey standing in the center of the sidewalk. He stopped walking about ten yards away whereas the girl he was with tried to continue. In response, he whispered something in her ear then turned and walked back to where he'd come from.

Hailey felt tears form in her eyes.

She never heard from him again.

She was still crying about it a week later when she decided kids just weren't for her. If someone couldn't return her feelings now when she was young and attractive and ambitious, how could she trust she'd ever find someone when she was older and settled in her career?

She was going to have to go about life alone.

3 – November 4, 2015 – 25

"Upton."

Hailey turns at her sergeant's voice, "Yeah?"

"I know you're on your way out, but mind checking in on that family from the case last week?" he asked.

"From Englewood?" Hailey replied.

"Yeah," the sergeant leaned against his office door, "Two kids lost their mom, they should know they have our support."

"Of course," Hailey nodded, "I'll send you a text once I'm done."

"Thanks," the sergeant said as he returned to his desk.

Hailey sent him a wave then headed out to her car. She felt satisfied working in Robbery-Homicide, but cases that involved hit her the hardest – perhaps they reminded her of where she came from and that stung.

This particular case involved a woman who was robbed at the gas station while filling up her car, but instead of then leaving her alone, the attacker lit a match and put it in her tank. The explosion killed that woman, an elderly couple, a homeless man, and a girl leaving Chicago to return to college.

The woman left behind a husband and two children. It was a death notification Hailey never wanted to repeat.

The two kids were cute – the boy was almost eleven and the girl was seven. Both were rather quiet at first, but took to Hailey and told her valuable information on who could have killed their mom. She managed to be gentle in approaching the subject and it reminded her of how much she loved kids. While she was seeing a sad and dangerous world through their eyes, it still was tinged with this color that only a child could have.

It was sweet despite the circumstances.

Glancing to her passenger seat as she waited to turn into the subdivision, she smiled at the drawing the girl had given her. She wanted to frame it, so she hadn't taken it into the office yet because she hadn't found the perfect frame.

When she turned toward the house, however, her eyes narrowed and she felt her heart slow. There was smoke pouring out of the windows.

"Oh my god," she breathed and hastily parked her car.

As she ran up to the front door, the boy, Emmett, came running out. He coughed and grabbed at her shirt, "Detective Hailey!"

"Hey, hey," Hailey knelt down, "What's happening?"

"Dad had to go to a meeting," Emmett said through his coughing, "Mia's in her room. I was trying to make pizza for dinner."

Hailey nodded and handed him her phone, "Okay, call 911. I'll go get Mia."

Emmett sat on the grass with her phone while she ran into the house. Black smoke curled out of the kitchen leaving an awful smell behind.

Hailey ran up the stairs and yelled out, "Mia? Mia! It's Hailey, sweetie. Where are you?"

A harsh coughing drew her to the far bedroom that appeared to be above the kitchen. Hailey hurried over to it and threw the door open. She coughed through the smoke that was burning her eyes.

"Mia?" she asked.

The coughing turned to wheezing and was followed by a crashing noise. Through the smoke, Hailey spotted the lamp as it fell off the nightstand. She ran around the bed and spotted Mia trying to stand up. She gathered the small girl in her arms then stumbled out of the room just as some of the firefighters she'd met the week before entered the house.

"Here," she coughed and handed the girl over.

Kelly nodded and ran out of the house with Hailey on his heels. She spotted Emmett talking to one of the neighbors and waved at him before jumping in the ambulance with Mia.

Mia was struggling to keep her eyes open and her wheezing was getting worse. Her small hand shakily reached out for Hailey who grabbed it as the ambulance jerked to a start.

"Do you know her?" Sylvie asked.

Hailey glanced over to the paramedic and nodded, "We met last week."

"She seems like a brave girl," Sylvie smiled at Mia while putting an oxygen mask on her, "There you go. Try to breathe for me."

"She's very brave," Hailey said softly and brushed her hand over Mia's hair, "The bravest little girl I know."

Mia's eyes rolled back and she jerked around while coughing.

"It's okay," Hailey whispered, "You're okay. Stay with me."

"Detective, excuse me," Sylvie said while grabbing her monitors.

Hailey nodded and watched Sylvie work the rest of the ride to the hospital. It was clear that Mia wasn't okay. The noises coming from her were jarring and harsh. When her eyes weren't rolling back, they were filled with fear as she attempted to stare at Hailey.

In that moment, Hailey wanted nothing more than to be that girl's mother. She wanted to hold her and protect her from the world. She didn't want her to grow up in a house without a mom. Her own mom was the occasional escape she could have from her father. While she trusted that Mia's father would care for her in ways much better than her own did, she still believed that a maternal influence wouldn't be a bad thing. She could provide that. She could be this girl's mother.

The next hour was spent sitting next to Mia in the ED and holding her hand as she struggled to breathe from the effects of the smoke inhalation. She attempted to make the girl smile and relax, but Mia had a hard time focusing on anything besides Hailey's hand in hers. She held onto her pointer finger and rubbed her small finger along the back of it.

She passed away five minutes before her father arrived.

Hailey went home in silence. She couldn't even look at herself in the mirror when she arrived to her condo. All she could do was stick the drawing Mia had given her the week before to her fridge.

The father, Jack, was devastated to find out what had happened and took the blame upon himself. In part, Hailey may have blamed him too: had he been home, the chances that his son would attempt to make a pizza on his own were slim to none. She never wanted to be in that position, but she knew that being a cop and a mom were not two easy tasks.

Perhaps she couldn't be a mom after all.

4 – October 20, 2017 – 27

Evangeline Upton passed a picture across the diner table to Hailey, "Look how cute you were."

Hailey laughed and shook her head, "Mom."

"I'm serious," Evangeline smiled, "My cutest baby for sure."

Hailey picked up the picture of her at her first birthday party and smiled at it, "I do look pretty cute."

"I hope your babies will have your eyes," Evangeline said. She shook her head when Hailey tried passing the picture back, "You keep it."

Hailey breathed in then placed the picture to her side, "I don't think I'm going to have kids."

Evangeline raised an eyebrow, "Hailey."

Hailey shrugged, "It seems hard to balance."

"But it's worth it," Evangeline whispered, "Your father and I raised three kids while simultaneously running a restaurant. It's hard, but it's not impossible."

Hailey pursed her lips because, in her eyes, her parents failed at raising her. There were certain things you don't do or say to your own children, yet her parents did several of them.

"Being a mom was one of the most rewarding things I've ever done," Evangeline continued, "I watched these three babies," she reached over to tap the picture next to Hailey, "Turn into three wonderful people. Yes, I had several sleepless nights and occasionally I did want to give up, but I'm so glad I never did."

"Give up?" Hailey asked quietly.

Evangeline nodded, "Definitely. When Michael failed ninth grade. When you were refused to talk to us for six months in high school. When Georgie wouldn't stop lying. Those were not good times."

Hailey couldn't help but roll her eyes. Almost all of those things stemmed from the abuse her father put them through: a long bout of depression, a broken nose, and being assigned long shifts at the restaurant. Had they not been raised in an abusive environment, perhaps they wouldn't have "acted out."

"But I love seeing you all grown and the great things you've accomplished," Evangeline said, "You were just promoted, how's that going?"

Hailey took a deep breath, "It's not really a promotion, but it's good. I like it."

"Yeah?" Evangeline smiled, "Meet new friends?"

"Mom," Hailey shook her head.

"Hailey, you're a nice girl," Evangeline said, "I'm sure you made friends. Who's your partner? You still have a partner, right?"

Hailey sipped her coffee then said softly, "His name's Jay. He's fine. I trust him."

"Good," Evangeline nodded, "And are there other girls there?"

"Just one," Hailey shrugged, "She's nice too."

"Good," Evangeline repeated with a smile. "Now these boys-"

"Mom, they're my age and older," Hailey shook her head, "They're not boys."

"Then these men," Evangeline smirked, "Are they cute?"

Hailey blushed, but still managed to laugh, "Mom, stop. This is my job."

"I know, I know," Evangeline waved her hand.

"Then you should know I don't date people I work with," Hailey said, "Not anymore, remember?"

Evangeline frowned at the memory of her daughter telling her the demeaning things other officers had said about her promotion and how she must not have earned it because she was seeing her sergeant.

"I'm not going through that again," Hailey said quietly.

Evangeline breathed in then put her hand out, "Hailey."

Hailey glanced at her hand then sighed and grabbed it.

"My pretty girl," Evangeline began, "You are a wonderful person and an incredible cop-detective, sorry. You're an incredible detective. You have earned this job through your hard work. I know it wasn't easy, and I also know that I don't know all that you've gone through; however, I am absolutely confident that you deserved that promotion."

"Thank you," Hailey said softly.

Evangeline squeezed her hand, "You're welcome." She tilted her head to the side then said, "You're going to be a great mom someday. You're a wonderful role model."

Hailey smiled slightly, "Thanks, Mom."

Her phone then buzzed on the table and a text from Jay came through: Where you at? Voight needs us, I can pick you up.

"I have to go," Hailey said quickly, "I'm sorry."

Evangeline shook her head and swirled her spoon in her cup of coffee, "It's okay. I understand."

Hailey hesitated then hugged her mom before hurrying out to her car while sending Jay a reply that she could meet him at the district since she was just around the block.

While making the short drive there, Hailey considered what her mom had told her and smiled to herself. She did think she was a good role model. She always enjoyed meeting teens while on patrol and talking to them. Plus, there was Mia from a couple years before. She was a good person. She could be a mom.

However, days later when Jay was then driving her back to the district after a long night where they had saved children from being auctioned off like cattle, other words from her conversation with her mom echoed in her head.

"Occasionally I did want to give up."

The parents of the two kids sitting in the back of Jay's truck right now did give up. They couldn't handle being parents.

One of the boys sniffled and the other whimpered breaking the silence.

"Almost there," Jay said softly, "Are you two hungry? Would you want to stop for some ice cream?"

"I just want my dad," the smaller boy cried.

Hailey closed her eyes. The boy's dad had given him up. He'd given up. She didn't think she'd ever make the same decision, but the crying hurt so bad that she didn't want to ever test it out.

5 – March 19, 2020 – 29

Hailey sat on the bench at the courthouse as she waited for Jay to arrive. They had been called as witnesses on a recent drug case. It wasn't ever fun, but Jay offered to buy her lunch after "for taking care of him the two months" prior as he recovered from his gunshot and surgery. He'd already repaid her through several meals and drinks, so she had teased him that he just wanted to spend more time with her. He hadn't denied it.

"Come on," she whispered, "Where are you?" She glanced at the time on her phone. It wasn't like Jay to be late. Well, technically he wasn't late – he just wasn't as early as he usually was. They needed to be inside the courtroom in ten minutes, so he needed to get here ASAP.

"Let's go, let's go."

Hailey looked up to see two men hurrying down the hallway. One of them had a girl's hand in his and the other was carrying a toddler boy.

"Derek, slow down," the man with the girl said.

"Yeah, Derek," the girl giggled.

The man with the toddler, assumingly Derek, stopped and smiled at the two of them, "Yes?"

"You're practically running," the other man said.

"Because I want to make sure we arrive on time to adopt these two perfect angels," Derek replied.

Hailey's face lit up. She loved that. She loved whenever she heard that kids in the foster system were getting adopted. While she was never a foster kid herself, she knew she'd gotten damn close once or twice.

"Okay, okay, good point," the man smiled. Together, the four of them finished their half-sprint into the courtroom.

Hailey sat back on the bench and stared after them. While she had dated Adam a year ago, she knew they weren't ever going to really get there and she had no true prospects since then. Maybe adopting was the way she could become a mom. She could handle a kid on her own.

Biting her lip, she opened her phone and typed 'Chicago foster kids.' It could be a start. While thirty wasn't old, she figured she should at least consider kids right now. She didn't think it was an easy or short process. There were probably classes she needed to take and reference letters she needed.

She heard footsteps and looked up to see Jay coming toward her.

She corrected her earlier thoughts. Jay had been a sort of prospect. She liked him. It was clear, though, that they weren't in the right place at the moment for each other. Jay had almost died and she wasn't okay with that. He'd crossed a line.

"Hey," Jay breathed when he walked up, "Sorry, was running low on gas and needed to stop on the way here."

"No problem," Hailey stood up, "We still have time."

Jay nodded and put a hand on her back as they walked into the courtroom.

As they sat there together, Hailey couldn't stop thinking about the adoption happening next door. It made her heart warm. A family was being built. She wanted that. She wanted to cross that line.

However, she did end up crossing a line a week later.

It wasn't the parenthood line and it wasn't the line Jay had crossed – that line had separated his personal life from his work life.

This line…this line was a strictly work line. It was a line she had been toeing for a while – ever since Cameron's death the Fall before. She almost didn't recognize herself on this side of the line.

She crossed it because of Vanessa. Obviously it wasn't Vanessa's fault, but it was Vanessa being Vanessa and being her friend that caused her to push all policing aside and plant drugs in order to get someone arrested. That wasn't her.

She put her job on the line for someone else. It seemed very different than Jay putting his life on the line for someone else. One of them was trying to do something honorable, and the other was trying to get justice.

Jay's may have cost him some time on the job and led to a life threatening injury, Hailey's cost her her job and her home for the time being. She was being sent to New York.

What if she did this again? Of course the point of her going to New York was to unlearn this behavior, but what if she couldn't?

She risked her job for Vanessa, surely she'd risk her job for a child. And what then? What if she was told to leave the city again? What if she lost her job and her income? What if she lost her badge for good?

Until she was sure she could handle difficult and disappointing cases, she couldn't become a mom.

1 – October 7, 2021 – 30

It was becoming easier to smile again. And laugh. And relax.

Hailey was slowly pulling herself out of the dark hole she'd been in earlier that year. Killing Roy hurt her in ways she hadn't imagined would happen, but through it all, she had Jay.

He was no longer just her partner or her friend or even her boyfriend. He was her fiancé and she loved him. She'd never loved anyone like she loved Jay. It was easy to picture a life with him.

They had stumbled along the way and gotten hurt, but they held onto each other. He helped her overcome her fears and grow into this new woman she was becoming. She meant it when she'd said she was better with him as her partner – partner in every sense of the word.

Even now, he had her hand in his as they waited outside Makayla's school to pick her up, Hailey felt grounded. Kim had a therapy appointment and Adam had a meeting with a CI he couldn't reschedule. There wasn't a question in volunteering to get Makayla from school. Hailey enjoyed spending time with her and she found she smiled more hours after she'd leave Makayla. It felt good to give back to Kim, too, after her secret had caused her so much pain for so long.

Jay's thumb brushed over the ring he'd given her a month after they became engaged. While it held his mother's diamond, the rest was unique to Hailey and hadn't been worn by anyone else besides her. She didn't know if it counted as a gift, but it was the greatest thing she'd ever been given in her life. She wasn't one for jewelry and never thought she'd care about diamonds, and yet she loved wearing this one ring. It reminded her of her life with Jay and how it wasn't ever going to end – much like the never-ending circle of the ring.

They finally spotted Makayla coming out of the school and her face lit up. She hurried through the crowd waving at them.

"Hi!" Hailey greeted once Makayla was in earshot.

"Hi," Makayla said while wrapping her arms around Hailey's middle.

"How was school?" Hailey asked.

Makayla shrugged and stepped back to adjust her backpack on her shoulders.

"Hey, where'd the smile go?" Jay raised an eyebrow.

Makayla shrugged again.

Hailey squatted down in front of her, "Did something happen?"

Makayla sighed, "I don't know how to monkey bars."

Hailey held back a smile, "Yeah?"

"Yeah," Makayla nodded, "And I'm the only one. They laugh at me."

Jay's lips pursed, "They do?"

Makayla rubbed her eye with another nod.

"All right," Jay slipped his coat off, "Let's go, kid."

Hailey glanced up at him, "What're you doing?"

"I'm teaching her how to monkey bars," Jay said. He slipped Makayla's backpack off of her, "First of all, are you wearing your coat outside?"

"Yeah," Makayla said.

"Well, that's issue number one," Jay shook his head, "No mobility. Come on." He grabbed Makayla's hand and led her back to the playground.

Hailey laughed to herself as she straightened up. She smiled and walked over to them in time for Jay to toss Makayla's jacket onto the platform.

"Monkey bars are my specialty," Jay clapped his hands together, "Show me what you got."

Makayla stared at him, "What?"

Jay chuckled, "Do it. Do the monkey bars."

"I just said I can't," Makayla whispered.

Jay shook his head, "You need to try. Try for me. Try for Uncle Jay."

Hailey's smile widened and she perched herself on the opposite platform. She watched Makayla reach up and jump to grab the first bar. She dangled for a moment then grabbed the second bar, but before she could grab the third, she slipped and landed on her feet.

Jay steadied her, "Okay, that's not bad."

"I didn't do it," Makayla sighed.

"You did three," Hailey said, "That's something!"

Jay picked Makayla up and lifted her to the first bar, "All right, just hang first. Hold on as long as you can."

Makayla nodded and her nose scrunched in concentration. Eventually, her feet kicked around and she grunted before falling into Jay's arms.

"I've got you," he said then lifted her back up, "Again."

Hailey pulled her knees up to rest her chin on them. Jay was patient with Makayla. He encouraged her for the next hour as they worked. He didn't give up for a second and it spread to Makayla. She stopped frowning when she'd fall and instead put her hands up and ask Jay to lift her back up. She was determined and Jay brought that out in her.

Over the past year, Hailey loved watching Jay with Makayla. He was always gentle and aware that he needed to earn her trust like Kim and Adam had. It almost reminded her of how he acted with her and how she'd acted with him. It was a slow process, but it was worth it.

Finally, Makayla crossed the monkey bars. Hailey helped guide her to the platform and there was a brief second of silence before they all burst into screams.

Makayla jumped around on the platform yelling, "I did it! I did it!"

Hailey laughed and clapped, "You did! You made it!"

Jay ran over and grabbed Makayla to toss her up, "I'm so proud of you!"

Makayla hugged him tightly, "You taught me! We did it together!"

Jay chuckled as he patted her back, "We did."

Hailey stepped forward and placed a hand on his arm.

Jay smiled at her then unhooked an arm from Makayla to put it around Hailey's shoulders and tug her into his side.

She pressed her smile into him as Makayla still cheered for herself.

Suddenly, they weren't just three people on the playground – they were a family. None of them were related by blood, but they loved each other. Makayla trusted Hailey and Jay to care for her when Kim and Adam couldn't. They really had become her aunt and uncle.

And if they could easily step into this role of aunt and uncle, Hailey had no doubt they could become parents together. She always knew Jay would be a great dad, but now she wanted to be in the front row watching as he became one. She wanted to be the woman who made him a dad.

More importantly, she wanted to learn how to be a mom with him. She wanted to learn what it was like to have pregnancy cravings and balance work with a baby and create a feeding schedule with Jay. She wanted to deal with the tough moments at school and skinned knees and teaching multiplication with Jay by her side. She knew they could do it.

Would it be perfect? No.

Would it be easy? No.

But it would be worth it.

Her mom once told her she'd wanted to give up even though being a parent had been worth it in the end. Hailey was confident that if she were to be a parent with Jay as her partner, she'd never feel like giving up.

Hailey was ready to have kids.

She was going to be a mom.

And this time…that feeling never went away.

A/N: Hi there! I got this idea for a mini story and knew I had to put pen to paper. I hope you all like it! :)