"Babe, are you awake?"
Erin's eyes felt weighted down yet she still tried to peel them open. The second her eyes crack open, the bright rays of sunlight glimmering through the opened window forced them shut. The night before they had not only forgotten to close the window but to shut the curtains as well and now, she was paying for it. Erin rolled over to bury her face in the pillow to block the light from interrupting anymore of her sleep. She had every intention of getting another hour or two in but it seems her fiancé had other plans. With the way his lips peppered kisses against her neck, sliding along her collarbone, against her jawline before stopping to rest and nibble against her earlobe, she wasn't going to be able to get anymore rest.
"We have a big day today."
Erin could feel her lips uncontrollably stretch out into a grin. Still pressed against the pillow as his warm breath whispered that important reminder into her ear, suddenly filling her with energy that she lacked only a few short moments ago. She rolled over onto her back. The back of her head now resting against the pillow instead of her face. Jay raised his head up to ensure her quick movement of rolling over didn't hit against him. He lowered his head back down once she's settled, his arms boxing her in with one on either side, "Good morning," she grinned, biting against her bottom lip and forcing those dimples he loves so much to appear. Using one hand to hold himself above her, he raised his other hand to caress his thumb against her smooth forehead, before gently brushing a few wild strands of hair back into place behind her ear.
"Good morning."
"We should leave out early," Erin whispered, reaching her hand up to cup and caress the left side of his jaw, "I don't want to leave my dad in the same room with yours."
Erin notices he doesn't respond right away with his words. Instead, he lowers his face to capture her lips against his. It's obvious he doesn't want to talk about their dads right now, not when his nude body hovers mere inches above hers. For a brief moment he pulls away, his lips lingered less than an inch above hers, teasing her, making her crave his mouth again. He took the opportunity to peer into her eyes, unmoving and she starts to wonder if he's even breathing. For what started to feel like hours, he gazed into her orbs, showing her with his expression rather than telling her with his words just how head over heels in love he is with her.
"I love you."
Erin decides to voice what his expression says before tilting her head slightly upwards to close the miniscule space left between their lips. Her kiss ignites him. And he wraps his arms around her waist and quickly flips them over so she's now above him, her knees straddling his waist, her chest pressed against his chest. Her weight atop of him was familiar, like a puzzle piece fitting with its perfectly designed match. Neither knew a love like this could be real. Neither knew a love like this could feel like this. At least until they met each other. The love radiating from one to the other was blinding, it was all-encompassing, it was scary. To know that your heart is now outside your body, to know it's not with you all day every day, to know it has the potential to be hurt by an outside force without you being there to protect or defend it is absolutely terrifying.
"We should really start getting ready." Her words seem to go in one ear and out of the other.
"Kiss me again."
Erin could not argue against that. She has no reason to argue against it. She simply closed her mouth over his and ceased all thought and conversation that surrounds leaving this spot. Inevitably, they had to eventually catch their breath and it's Jay that pulls his head away first. He pants. She smiles. With her chest pressed against his, resting so comfortably, she can feel his heart racing, it's beating so fast that if it wasn't for him being so in shape, and recently passing his yearly physical with no red flags or areas of concern, she'd be worried that she'd sent him into cardiac arrest. She lowers her head to rest her forehead against his, both sighing at the contact and despite the fact that they're both naked, neither tries to break the quiet intimacy of the moment by initiating intercourse. This is perfect. This moment doesn't need anything more than this.
"Okay," Erin pats his chest as she suddenly pulls away, smirking when Jay sighed disappointedly at the loss of contact, "We really should start getting ready. The last time we left our dads in the same room together without adult supervision, mine nearly punched yours."
Halstead doesn't appear to be bothered by the thought. He merely shrugs, "Can't say my pops wouldn't have deserved it," he rubs his chest when Erin accidentally smacks it a little harder than she intended, "I'm just saying Pat Halstead is a world class asshole."
"Hey," she points at him in a joking manner, "watch yourself. That's my future father-in-law you're talking about and I don't appreciate any kind of disrespect towards anyone in my family."
"Damn woman I love you," he pats her thighs, coaxing and encouraging her to let him up.
Erin's pearly white teeth flashed her fiancé a dazzling smile. She snuck a quick kiss, pressing her lips against the tip of his nose before rolling off of him. Both of them getting up and taking turns to shower because they know to shower together means another delayed start to their morning. Her dad is hosting a late lunch for she and Jay, the day before their wedding, the morning of their bachelor and bachelorette party. Filled with excitement and anticipation, more so for the day tomorrow than for the lunch scheduled today, it sends a pep in her step as she gets ready. She linked the necklace, gifted to her from Jay for her birthday last year around her neck, it held her birthstone, a diamond in the center of his birthstone, an amethyst.
"Babe," she called out the second he leaves the master bedroom with nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist, "can you zip me up?" To make it easier for her, she lifts her hair up and turns her backside to him. He lifts the zipper in seconds and then presses a kiss to the back of her neck.
"You smell amazing," his lips drift along the curve of her neck and she hears him take an inhale, holding it in for a few seconds before exhaling, "it's going to be torture to be without you for a night. Who came up with this stupid idea anyway?"
"You did," Erin reminds flatly; her face straight and her eyes narrow jokingly, "I explicitly remember us going out to eat with Kim and Adam when we asked them to be our maid of honor and best man and you said the night before the wedding, we'll spend apart to uphold tradition of the groom not seeing the bride before the wedding. I disagreed. You were adamant."
"You should have used your feminine wiles to change my mind."
She laughs, "oh please," and then leaves the bedroom to go into the bathroom to do something about the bed hair displayed wildly atop her head.
Erin could hear Jay humming a tune that sounds familiar but the name and the artist is slipping from her mind. She begins to hum it with him as she blow-dries her hair and then gives herself two braids going down the back, her hair stopping at her upper back. She looked decent, she looked relaxed and the dress she's wearing and the way her hair is styled won't be the look she has when the clock strikes eight and she heads out for a night on the town with her girls. Her girls, she smiles as she thinks about just how lucky she is to have them in her life. She thinks of Annie, her friend from high school and the ups and downs they've shared together. She thinks of the few years they went without talking because of her child's father and she thinks of their friendship reblooming after he was sent back to prison and Erin had run into Annie working a bartending gig at a bar her fiancé and his coworkers regularly visit. They've come far, and now Annie was one of her bridesmaids and Travis, the pre-teen that he is, sucked it up and agreed to be the ring bearer.
"Are you almost ready?" She hears her impatient fiancé call out. She's hopping around the bathroom, putting an earring in one ear as she steps into a pair of flats and then putting the matching earring in another year. Jay notices she hadn't answered and came to poke his head inside the bathroom to check her progress for himself, "Absolutely beautiful."
"How'd you manage to finish getting ready before me?"
"The hair," he answers, looking at hers and pointing at his, "I ran my fingers through it three good times and then called it a day. You probably had to redo your braids until you got it just right."
Erin is always impressed by just how observant he is, even when she isn't paying attention, she knows that he always is. Erin hit the bathroom light, shutting it off before grabbing her jacket and her purse and beating him to the front door. He stays behind to set the alarm before rushing her out of the house in the few seconds the alarm system gives them to get out of their home. He locks the door behind them and then tosses his arm over her shoulders, "How are we on time?"
"Last I checked, we're good. I mean, if we weren't, what are they going to do? Start without us?"
"…remember you wanted to be early because of our dads."
She nods because that is still a concern for her but her worry lessened when she received texts from her friends, "Kim is there. She says your dad isn't there yet."
Burgess, the woman that became her best friend almost overnight. Erin met her through her fiancé. With Adam being Jay's partner in Intelligence and Kim dating Adam, the double dates soon started and it felt absolutely impossible for the two women to not hit it off. It was only right for Kim to be her maid of honor and Adam to be his best man. The both of them even helped Jay in selecting the ring to propose to her with, they hid the ring at their house to ensure she didn't find it and they even distracted her for the day while Jay prepped their home for the proposal. With how intertwined their lives are with each other's; Erin as a public defender, Kim as a case manager and their guys as detectives under the same unit, their close relationship was inevitable.
Jay pulled his keys out of his back pocket and unlocked the car from a short distance away, "My brother and Natalie will be there anyway, right? I mean they can play buffer until we arrive."
"Natalie has to work." Erin says unfortunately, "but she'll be at the bachelorette night festivities, she's coming straight to my dad's house from the hospital" as her other bridesmaid, her absence at the start of the luncheon will be missed. She got the fourth spot as Erin's bridesmaid -after Kim, Annie and Olive- so her bridesmaid amount could match Jay's four groomsmen, -Adam, Will, Kevin and Mouse. Suddenly Erin gets another thought, another reminder, "I almost forgot, Olive won't be there today either or at the bachelorette party. She's pulling a double shift at the diner she works at so she can be off tomorrow for the wedding without it hurting her pockets."
"…and how do you feel about that?" Jay opens the passenger door for her.
And she waits for him to get in the driver's seat before she answers, "I can't be mad at her. She'll be at the wedding, that's more important than a night of partying. And besides, she's a single mom, raising a toddler, she has to do what she has to do. And ever since Justin died," Erin pauses to take a deep breath as the thought of her brother's murder a few years ago crosses her mind, "she's been needing the extra money. It's why I told her we'd buy anything she needs for the wedding."
"Have I ever told you that your heart was the first thing I fell in love with?" Halstead asks as he taps the buckle of Erin's seat belt to silently remind her to buckle it.
"…not since the night of the proposal."
"Foolish me then," he jokes, switching gears and pulling off the moment both of them are safely secured, "that's something I think you should be reminded of as often as possible."
That heart that Jay loves so much hadn't always been so pure, so strong and resilient. That heart had been through turmoil and unrest in her early years. It only had the chance to heal once Hank and Camille Voight started fostering her at 13 years old. They adopted her two years later. Before then, that heart had been shredded, torn apart, stomped on and beaten by the disappointment that was her birth mother. A woman that loved herself more than the child she carried for nine months and birthed. No one mattered more to her egg donor, as Erin calls her, as much as her egg donor.
Erin has these moments quite often, the moments of reminding herself of just how lucky she is, of escaping the hell home that was Bunny's apartment to reside with the Voights. Even after Camille died of cancer a year after Erin graduated from law school, she felt so grateful that her mother, the only woman she thought of and referred to as a mother, had seen her growth, had saw her reach her potential, had known of the impact she had on her life. Erin reached over and grabbed her fiancé's hand, looping their fingers together as she thought of her one regret, the fact that Jay never got to meet her. He didn't come into her life until a year after she started working for the public defender's officer. A trial had brought them together where she represented a local gang banger that couldn't afford a private attorney and he was at court testifying against her client on the prosecutor's behalf. Apparently, he was the arresting officer in the case.
"How did I get so lucky?"
She brought his hand up to her lips and sealed a gentle kiss against the tattoo on his ring finger, "Mr. Halstead, I should be asking you that question."
He briefly glances over at her, smiling like the madly in love man that he is before diverting his attention back to the road. It would surely be a mood killer if they got into an accident because he couldn't keep his eyes off the woman that will vow to love him in sickness and in health till death do the both of them part. Now it's his turn to bring her hand closer to his lips to press against the back of it. They might as well get as much of this out of their system as possible considering her dad tends to watch him like a hawk when they're in his presence.
"I can't believe this time tomorrow; we'll be getting married. You must be crazy."
Jay simply shrugs, "I never claimed to be sane. I just claimed to be a man in love and you know what they say about love," his grin stretches wider across his face, "it makes us do crazy things."
By this time tomorrow, she'll be walking down the aisle. And afterwards, he'll have her all to himself for an entire week of no interruptions or distractions.
Erin turns her focus out the window, watching car by car pass as they merge onto the highway. Her gaze drifts towards the time, noticing that they're now almost late. Her brows furrow and her face cringes as she already anticipates the scolding her dad will give them for showing up late to their own luncheon, "I should have driven. I would have gotten us there in half the time."
"Do we really want to get there in half the time though?"
"Yeah, you're right."
Halstead was in absolutely no rush to get to his future father-in-law's house because he already knew how the lunch was going to pan out. Pat Halstead and Hank Voight were going to get into some kind of argument with Jay and Erin being forced to play peacemakers. The only thing good out of this luncheon will be the actual food. Her dad is grilling and he's a master on the grill, sporting the apron she'd gotten him for the first Father's Day she spent with him after he officially fostered her. The food will be exceptionally good. And the fact that neither one of them had breakfast meant their patience was thin and no one was in the mood to defuse an argument between two grown men that are both capable of getting along if they only tried.
"What are you thinking about?"
She'd rather not say because she doesn't want to kill the mood, "I wish I'd taken a long, romantic walk," her stomach growls, "to the fridge before we left. I'm starving!"
His deep, loud, penetrating chuckle catches her off guard and makes her visibly jump. Her shoulders leap into the air before slowly lowering as a broad smile stretches across her face. He liked her joke, although she'd be willing to argue that she wasn't actually joking.
Jay brought her hand back to his mouth, pecking the engagement ring secured perfectly around her ring finger. He looked over at her, his eyes softly bore into hers after he takes the exit and stops at the red light right off the highway exit. She watches him with a bashful smile covering her face, it's just something about him that she loves taking in. Her storybook life isn't perfect, it's far from that actually but shit sometimes it feels so close to perfection especially when he looks at her the way he's looking at her right now. It fills her up with some kind of warmth that she's never had in any prior relationship. He's the only man ever able to make her feel like this, feel so special, feel as if she's the only person in a world of people. A honking horn blares behind them, alerting them to the traffic light that's no longer red, forcing Jay to tear his eyes away from her and focus back on the road, "Sometimes Erin, I just can't help but wonder why me?"
Despite the seatbelt restricting her ability to move much, she does manage to slightly turn to face him. The frown lines appearing center of her forehead leads to him expanding on his thought, "I sometimes feel like I don't deserve you. I know you're going to say it's stupid but…yeah."
Erin sat still, frozen, before sighing aloud and dropping her eyes to the side of his face. He seems to be focused even harder on the road. If he stared any harder, he'd give himself a headache. She could see in her peripheral that they were getting closer to her dad's house and if she wanted to dead that thought in his head, she needed to do it now. She extends her hand to settle it against his thigh, squeezing it gently to let him know that she's heard him.
"I don't think you give yourself enough credit," the car rolls to a stop at the stop sign on the residential street her dad's house is located on, "You are everything to me, Jay. I mean…you're the full package, -handsome, compassionate, so kind and pure. You never give up. Everything you got, you worked for, nothing was handed to you. I could seriously go on and on," he chances a glance in her direction, meeting her eyes to see the honesty that he can read so well brewing behind her lids, "You have a big heart. You're perfect for me. We're perfect for each other. You're supportive of all of my endeavors, even the craziest ones that we swore never to talk about again," she smiles when she catches the upwards tilt of his lips, "you're a good man, and okay, yeah you can be a little over protective and cocky sometimes," she bats her eyes innocently when his head whips in her direction, "but that doesn't take away from your bravery, your integrity and the fact that you're smart," she squeezes his thigh again to get his attention the second the car stops at the next stop sign, "very smart. I mean," she shrugs and the smile on her face lets him know her next response should be taken with humor, "Any man that chooses me to be their wife is a smart man."
Halstead lifts her hand up again, pecking each knuckle before releasing it to turn into Voight's driveway. He lines the car up evenly behind Voight's truck before putting it in park, applying the emergency brake and then shutting off the engine. They were here but neither made a move to get out of the car. The only progress made was unbuckling their seatbelts.
"I really needed to hear that Erin," he cups her face and uses his thumb to caress the dimple in her cheek, "Thank you," he leans forward to gently peck the corner of her mouth.
Before he could pull away, Erin has her hand intertwining in the hair at the back of his head. It's her turn to kiss the corner of his mouth and dropping her hand afterwards to rear her head back a few inches, "You don't have to thank me, Jay." She uses the pad of her thumb to swipe the lip gloss shine off the side of his lips, "It's the truth. You're a good man, a really good man. I lucked up and somehow hit the jackpot. And I feel like I am credible enough to define a good man, hell, if I had a double shot of tequila for all the good men I've dated, I'd still be sober," she smiles when he smiles and her next words manage to remind him of just how blessed he is, "Your mom raised a great and loving man. And I love you so much. So much." With no intention of undoing it, her fingers mindlessly played with the top button of his shirt.
Halstead found himself touched by her words and by her ability to open up and be direct with him about her thoughts and feelings. She has come a long way. And for that, he wants to kiss her, needs to kiss her before they even think to get out of the car. However, it seems the universe had a different idea because the second he finds himself leaning towards his fiancée, there's a knock at the passenger side window. And Jay is tempted to strip his best friend of the best man title just for his poor timing, but it's Erin's hand resting over his beating heart that changes his mind. He understands this moment has to be put on pause. It can resume later.
Ruzek pulls the handle of the passenger side door only to find it locked, "Get your asses out of the car," he tries the handle again and it's still locked. Erin takes mercy on him and unlocks her door, allowing for him to open it for her, "It's getting awkward in there. You know your dad," he points at Erin, "and your dad," he points at Jay, "don't get along and your dad," he points back at Erin, "has no problem with letting that be known."
"They've seriously started already?" Erin steps out of the car.
"Erin, they started the second Pat parked his car in front of Voight's mailbox," Adam deadpans.
She pinched the bridge of her nose, finding herself stressed already and she's not even inside yet.
"Come on," Adam nudges her side, "your dad won't let us eat until both of you are here."
"Is that the only reason you came out you self-serving prick?" Jay says with a smug grin plastered on his face, "to get us to go inside to break up the battle of fathers and so you can eat."
"You've always bragged about Voight being a master on the grill. Today is my day to see and try his food for myself. This is huge Jay; this is bigger than huge. My boss actually cooked me a meal."
"I don't think he cooked the meal for you," Jay retorts.
"Does anyone else know we're out here?" Erin cuts in before Adam can quip back at her fiancé.
"Nope," Ruzek replies, "I saw you guys pulling up and then dipped outside."
"Well dip back in," Jay nods towards the door, "leave us alone for a second."
Ruzek knew when the joking needed to stop, and Jay is once again reminded on why Adam is his best friend and his best man. He watches him until he disappears back inside. Then he turns to Erin and takes a hold of both of her hands, "Are you sure you want to do this?" Jay asked as they stand quietly in front of the porch steps, both unmoving as they stare up at Voight's house, "this lunch is just going to consist of our dads arguing, everybody talking over one another, hearing stories that have been shared repeatedly, listening to Adam's lame jokes and then seeing the same familiar faces that we'll end up seeing tomorrow. If you want to hear my opinion, I think we should skip lunch here, pick up some takeout, go home and then get back into that comfy bed of ours."
"…that does sound nice, but babe as tempting as it sounds," Erin moves closer to him, her chest now pressed against his, "and it does sound tempting, trust and believe me, it does, but we have to play buffer and we can't be rude. Our friends and family are here to celebrate us. My dad is throwing this little gathering for us. It was his idea and we agreed to it. If we skip, you immediately get on my dad's shitlist. It took you years to get off that list and when people get off of it and then get back on it, they stay on it forever. Do you really want to risk getting back on his shitlist?"
"I fell in love with that brain of yours too. You're right. We have to do this."
"I figured you would agree."
For a long moment, Halstead stood still and faced forward before sighing aloud and running both hands up and down his face, "Are you ready?" His hands drop to his sides.
"Yeah, I was actually waiting for you," she sends a wink in his direction before taking the first step up the porch stair, "come on babe, it won't be as bad as you think…hopefully."
Just as she is about to take the next step, Erin reached for his hand and looped her fingers through his, "You're ready for this. I'm sure of it."
"I'm never ready to be in the same room as your dad and mine." Neither could stall anymore, no matter how much they wanted to try. It was time to put on their big girl panties and do this. It's just her dad and his, it shouldn't be a big deal, it shouldn't be too hard, two adult men that can act like children when they don't get their way are old enough to be put in their place.
As soon as Erin and Jay opened the door and stepped inside, the sound of her father's voice reached their ears, "I hate to break it to you Patrick but I wasn't asking for your permission."
Erin's eyes widened at the sound of her dad's voice and her gaze met Adam's from across the room, his facial expression requesting that she intercept this brewing argument. She moved further into the house and noticed that the forced smile stitched onto her father's face fell at the sight of her, "Erin," and while the fake smile turned into one of genuine love at the sight of his daughter, the eyes glaring into the back of her father's head from Jay's own dad captured her attention.
"Thank goodness," Annie rushed forward, "about damn time you're here. Any longer and I don't think my efforts would have been good enough to hold your dad back."
Ever since Hank Voight and Patrick Halstead met, they have been like oil and water. They disagree over everything and both are headstrong and stubborn and refuse to compromise. Erin released the hand of her fiancé and makes her way through the living room to approach him, "Hi dad," she pressed a kiss to her dad's cheek as Jay goes over to greet his old man, "Hey Pat," Erin turns to wave at her future father-in-law and she's so grateful that he doesn't allow his current opinion of her dad to interfere or sway his opinion of her.
"Hey kid," Voight greets, wrapping his arm around her shoulders to bring her into a hug, "tomorrow is the big day. How are you feeling? You nervous?"
"…of course, she's nervous," Olive speaks up as she enters the room. She had just previously been in the bathroom when they walked in, "she's getting married tomorrow."
"Olive," Erin moved out of her dad's embrace to approach her, "what are you doing here? I thought you couldn't make it. I thought you had to work today so you could make it to the wedding tomorrow. Please tell me you can still make it to the wedding tomorrow."
"I will be there," Olive extends her hand to rest it upon Erin's shoulder, "I wouldn't miss your wedding for the world. I pulled some strings at work. I'm going to pull a double shift the day after your wedding and then another double two days after that. It's going to kick my ass but it's worth it and I really want to be here for you through all of this."
Erin took a good look at Olive, head tilting to the right as she reads her. She picked up on the body language she was giving. Staring at the ground, rocking side to side on her feet and her fingers twiddling behind her back made it obvious that something was wrong. Her dad went off into the kitchen. Jay joined the rest of their friends outside. He also pulled his father along with him. She turned back to her friend the second enough people cleared out that her business wouldn't be broadcasted, "You, okay? You're quiet. You're never quiet. You usually talk just as much as Kim."
"Hey," Burgess threw her hand into the air to signal that she's in the room. She can hear. She's standing right in the archway connecting the living room to the kitchen. She's waiting to be handed a platter of watermelon Voight is currently cutting up.
"Managing it all is a lot. Between Danny and work, there's very little time to do anything else. I miss when life was easier and all I had to focus on was homework and boys having cooties."
"Isn't that the truth?" Hank remarks. He hands the platter to Burgess and then goes back into the kitchen to pull the baked rolls out of the oven.
Olive flashed Hank a smile before turning back to Erin and shrugging her shoulders, "It's just me and sleep have been having an on and off again relationship."
"Are you sure you're up for tonight? I'd understand if you'd want to go home and sleep."
"I told you Erin, I'm not missing your bachelorette party for the world."
Erin is just about to probe into what else is obviously on Olive's mind when the backdoor is opened and in walks Jay, Adam and Will to assist Voight in transferring items from inside the house to the outside. The meats were outside on the grill but the sides he was going to need help with transport. It was too many ears listening now and Erin knew her opportunity has ended. She reached for Olive's hand and gives it a gentle squeeze, "We can talk more later."
"Thank you."
She didn't want to continue questioning Olive in front of company. It wasn't any of their business. And Olive appreciated the gesture, she loved Erin even more for not continuing the conversation while people are buzzing around. They tabled the topic and moved on outside to take their seats. It was the day before Erin and Jay's big day; Olive didn't want to dampen the mood. It was a beautiful afternoon, the warm weather blending perfectly with the occasional breeze. Erin is happy that she chose to braid her hair to keep her locks from flying into her face. She moved along the deck, inhaling the smell of the meats smoking on the grill as she neared the table.
Erin found herself shocked and surprised by the table display on her father's backyard patio. It was an assortment of food, ranging from baked rolls, a side of corn on the cob, baked beans, vegetable kebabs and sliced watermelon. A few minutes after taking a seat beside Jay, her dad sets down a platter of grilled meat -steaks, chicken, ribs, hotdogs and hamburgers- before taking a seat on the opposite side of his daughter. A cooler of beers sits at the edge of the table along with an iced cold pitcher of water, a pitcher of lemonade and a pitcher of mimosas. She did not expect all of this.
"Dad, you went all out," Erin sits in amazement. Her mouth is agape as she takes in the spread.
"I had to," her dad shrugs as if it wasn't a big deal, "it's not every day my kid plans on getting married. And you know how much I've been dying to use that new grill you got me for Father's Day, any excuse to use it and I'm pulling it out."
No time is wasted as plates are passed around, platters are handed over and small chitchat creates a buzz of normal, of family and friends getting along and celebrating the upcoming union of two of their favorite people. With a full plate in front of her, stacked with just a little bit of everything, she's prepared to dig in when the sound of her best friend clearing her throat interrupts the chatter and draws in her and Jay's attention, "Before we eat, I would like to make a toast," Kim announces as she raises her mimosa into the air, lifting the knife alongside it and tapping her glass to gain everyone else's attention, "as the maid of honor," she chanced a glance at Erin and sent a wink in her direction, "it is my duty to make sure my best friend gets the bachelorette party and wedding she deserves," Kim clears her throat and raises the glass higher, "We've had each other's backs through the good times and the bad times. We've danced on tops of tables and bars, we've sang karaoke into the new year, we've shopped until our cards declined, we've laughed until bellies hurt and cried until our eyes felt numb," tears threatened both hers and Erin's eyes as she continued on and powered through her speech, "I know you've been dealt a shitty hand in the beginning of life but I'm so glad you've never let that hold you back and I'm so grateful you've powered through and became the badass woman that all of us love. I know you have your own special relationship with each one of us but I like to think that ours is a little above the rest," she shoots a wink and the table is divided over their reaction, half of them snicker and the other half roll their eyes, "it's just some things you can only tell a best friend. Embarrassing things like the time you sent me a text about wanting to break up with Alex but you'd accidentally sent it to Alex instead of me," at that reminder, Erin's face turns ten shades redder and half the table turns to look at her with their mouths agape, "Or…or spontaneous things like when we ditched classes senior year of college to fly off to Miami for a week and we tried to surf to impress those two jerks and we wiped out pretty bad," Kim laughs as the memory of that day flashed through her mind, "an even those few sad and scary times, like when Jeff cornered you in the bathroom of that bar and then I walked in. And those stories don't even cover half of the things we've been through together. You're my best friend," Kim tips her glass towards Erin, "you're my sister and I just want you to know, I will always, always have your back. I had it when we first met. And I have it now. I love you girl."
Just as Erin mouthed those words back and they clinked their glasses with those sitting nearest to them before taking a sip, Hank leaves his beer untouched and chooses to use the moment to look back and forth between Kim and Erin, "How'd you manage to fly off to Florida without me knowing?" is the first question that falls from his lips, "And who is this Jeff guy? And what did Kim mean when she said he cornered you? What did he try to do? And why didn't you tell me?" He breaks the pattern of looking back and forth between she and Erin to briefly look at Olive, "Did you know about this?" Olive shakes her head; she had no idea. Voight turns back to his kid.
And Kim smacks her forehead with the palm of her hand, "Sorry Erin, I guess I got a little carried away with my toast. I didn't prep it or anything but I swear my toast for tomorrow will be so much better. I'll even let you proofread it if you'd like, you know, just to make sure."
"That isn't necessary Kim and it's okay." Erin reassures. She wasn't mad. All of that happened years ago. It's water under the bridge. And when she feels the hand of her fiancé brush against her leg underneath the table, she's reminded that none of this is a surprise to him. He wasn't just her fiancé; he was her best friend too and the two of them had no secrets.
Erin turns to her full plate and lifts her fork, preparing to dig in and stuff her face when she realizes her dad is still looking at her, patiently waiting for an answer, "I used the money I got from my part time job to pay for my trip to Miami and it was during the week you went to see Olivia in New York to help her with a case. And Jeff is another lawyer, we all went out for drinks after a case and he got a little too drunk. He just made some passes and touched my ass. It's something he would have never done in a million years if he wasn't drunk. Kim and I handled it. It was no big deal and if I told you about it, you would have blown it all out of proportion."
Just as her father prepares a retort, Ruzek is now raising his beer bottle and tapping the side of it with a knife. It was a good distraction because now apparently after Kim's maid of honor speech, he feels compelled to give one as the best man, "I can't let Kim out do me so I've prepared a few words in the brief minutes after she gave her speech."
"Wow Ruz, nice knowing the true intentions behind it."
"…and the food is getting cold," Pat grumbled, drinking his beer despite Ruzek wanting everyone to hold off on drinking their drinks until he finishes his speech, "so hurry it along."
"I just want to share one of the lines that managed to make Erin fall in love with my best bud here," Adam tips the spout of his beer bottle towards Jay, "he told Erin after some trial, I can't remember the details of the trial but I remember that corny ass line he used and you guys are going to love this," Jay already feels his cheeks deepen a shade of red only earning a sympathetic snicker from the love of his life, "Jay boldly went up to her and said, you want to know something, you look a lot like my next girlfriend," the table erupts in a chorus of chuckles, Voight even finds himself laughing, "and color me surprised when it actually worked!"
"How could anyone expect me to turn down those blue eyes and that jawline?" Erin exclaimed despite the fact she didn't need to defend herself or her actions, "and I have no regrets. He stole my heart so it's only right that I'm stealing his last name." Erin turns to her fiancé and steals a kiss against his lips, earning a grunting eye roll from the best man.
"Alright, enough of that, let's dig in."
Echoes of finally surround the table and the following noises heard consist of a mixture of forks scrapping against plates, lips smacking and drinks slurped. Laughter fills any silence along with stories, life updates and information about the wedding. It's nice. It's needed. With the craziness in the world, it's nice to take a break away from all of that and focus on what really does eventually join them, and she fits right in.
"You know Jay," Hank drops his fork on his empty plate, "I don't think I've ever said this but I guess it's better late than never," Jay wipes the corners of his mouth with his napkin before giving Voight his undivided attention, "I'm positive you already know this but just to drill it in even more, I'm trusting you Jay," he meets Jay's eyes and ensures he doesn't blink to really seal in his next words, "to not break my daughter's heart. Hurting her in any way, hurts me, and I can promise you that if you hurt us, I will spend every second until my dying day making sure you regret the day you broke her heart. I can hold a grudge for a lifetime," with his next beer in hand, he raises it and tilts the spout towards him, "and with that said, welcome to the family."
Halstead swallowed and then took a nervous sip of his untouched glass of water before quickly nodding his head. He was worried by his boss's tone, not by his warning. He knew he had nothing to worry about because it would never come to that. Jay would never hurt her. Ever.
"Hank," silence surrounds them because Pat speaking directly to Voight never ends well, "I know you mean the best but that's my boy you're threatening and I don't appreciate that."
"It's a good thing I don't need your appreciation, huh Patrick?"
"Dad," Erin snaps. The tone of her voice is scolding. This doesn't need to escalate.
"How'd you like it if I had that conversation with your daughter?"
"I dare you to try and have that conversation with her."
"That's enough," Erin shouts, rising to her feet and channeling the annoyed energy she feels bubbling up inside of her to stack the empty plates, "the two of you really need to grow up. All of this has gotten old really fast. All that Jay and I ask is for you to get along for tonight and for tomorrow and then you can go back to hating each other. That's it. That's all. And if you can't be cordial when you speak to one another then don't speak to each other."
With the plates stacked in her hold, Erin walks back to the house, using her hip to slide the door open before using the opposite hip to slide it closed. Naturally, Jay rises from his seat to go after her. A brief silence fills the table before Kim stands up, flattens out her dress with the palm of her hands before glaring as she backs away from the table, "Nice job guys." She goes after Erin.
Another brief silence falls over the table before it's broken by Adam's whisper, "I wasn't done eating." No one cares to respond to that. Will simply pushes an empty platter towards him so he could make himself another plate on the larger platter all while Erin sets the dishes in the sink, washes her hands and then ventures upstairs to try and get a semblance of normalcy and comfort. Her bedroom tends to always do it so she heads right in its direction and slams it shut behind her. Nothing about her room is different. It's exactly how she left it the day she officially moved out; a few photos in frames were hung on her wall, some index cards half used and the other half blank were scattered around her desk with some post-it notes messily lining her workspace. A bulletin board hung on the wall her desk is pressed against with graduation photos pinned to it.
Erin pulls out her desk chair and takes a seat on the worn leather. She leans back in the creaky chair and shuts her eyes to gather her mind. It soon becomes interrupted when heavy knuckles rap against her door, "Come in," she doesn't bother opening her eyes or turning to face the door.
"Erin," out of Kim and Jay, it's Kim that speaks, "you know how they get sometimes. Both are stubborn, both are alike and both are set in their ways. It'll take a prayer and a miracle to change that. But in the meantime, you can't let it get to you."
This isn't the first time Jay has been over Hank Voight's home; he's been here plenty of times, yet he still couldn't help himself in trying to get comfortable and make himself at home. It's the home of his boss. Despite knowing it's Erin's childhood home too and that his boss will soon officially become family, it's going to take a little longer to get used to all of this, especially standing in Erin's bedroom. In all the time he's known her, he's dated her, he's never seen her childhood bedroom until today. Courtesy of Hank Voight who had a big no boyfriends' upstairs policy.
"The two of them arguing is a big waste of time. He's my dad and Pat is Jay's dad. They may be seeing a lot of each other and the constant bickering and having to be careful about what we talk about because it has the potential to start an argument between the two of them gets old."
Halstead extended his hand and gave her elbow a gentle, reassuring squeeze, signifying the support in him that she knows he always has for her. From such a small and simple show of affection, Kim knew her best friend made the right decision. She knew Erin was in safe hands. No part of her would be at risk of being hurt or broken by his hands. Erin looked up and met his eyes and, in this moment, Kim felt like an outsider. She felt like she was invading on a private moment. It's no question what that squeeze of the elbow did for her.
"Knock… knock," Natalie cracked the bedroom door open and poked her head inside, interrupting the moment between the couple.
"Go in," Annie encouraged.
Natalie argued, "We can't just walk into her room."
"Oh yes we can!"
The door swings open the rest of the way and fortunately the spring door stop attached to the bottom of the wall prevents the door from denting or chipping the paint. Natalie and Olive are rushed in the room by Annie who stands behind them and suddenly the increased estrogen that surrounds him is a big enough hint for him to know that he should probably step out of the room.
"I should go," he points his thumb over his shoulder in the direction of the door.
Erin reassures, "You don't have to go."
"I know but, I'd rather not be a witness to whatever it is you ladies will be talking about and besides," he shrugs and points back over his shoulder at the door, "I should round up the guys so we can start getting ready too. If we all don't start getting ready now, we'd never get out of here."
He was right. They all knew he was right. They were on a time crunch and any way of saving time was going to make getting ready easier, like the ladies' dresses hanging up and stored in Erin's closet. They've been there for about three days. Olive picked them up from the dry cleaners and dropped them off to Hank when she swung by to let him spend some time with Danny. The guys were a little less complicated and Jay only intends on changing his shirt and shoes. Maybe he'll run his hands through his hair a few times and squirt one spray of cologne on his wrist. He has no idea what the other guys need to do to get ready but based on their lack of baggage, he can only assume it wasn't much. Call it a stereotype or a cliché but his girl definitely lives up to proving that women take longer to get ready than men.
"You know I hate it when you make a point."
He squeezes her side and chuckles, "You love it. Admit it."
Erin rose to the tips of her toes and wrapped her arms around her fiancé's waist, tugging him closer to make it easier to initiate a farewell kiss. What was supposed to be a gentle peck of the lips turned into a heated exchange as the tracing of his tongue against her bottom lip sent her mouth opening.
"Get a room," Kim retorted in disgust. She jokingly gagged in the background.
"We're in it," Erin proclaimed. She pecks the corner of Jay's mouth and then drops her arms from his waist, disbanding contact so she's no longer tempted to initiate another kiss.
"I should really go and start getting ready," he announces after clearing his throat; he reaches out to brush his hand against the side of her face before pressing his lips against the side of her head.
He walks out the room and shuts the door behind him. The guys will be getting ready in one room and the girls will be getting ready in another.
Erin sighed and wrapped her arms around herself. She turned to face all of her friends, smiling at each of them, "Guys, it's my last official night as an unmarried woman."
"We're going to party the fuck out," Kim asserted enthusiastically, "Oh I've been looking forward to this day ever since Jay popped the question! I haven't had a good girl's night out in years."
"I'm actually excited about tonight," Olive ventures over to Erin's closet where all of their dresses for the night are stashed, "I don't really get out much." She slides the closet door open.
"Oh, then it's a good thing you're going out with us," Kim enthused, growing even more excited at the thought of loosening Olive up a bit and providing her with a carefree night she deserves, a night away from her motherly responsibilities, "We're going to have a blast! You have not partied until you have partied with me, Annie and Erin!"
Erin simply nods, "She speaks nothing but the truth."
"Oh, then I'm looking forward to this night too," Natalie chimes in.
"Then we need to start getting ready," Kim rushed eagerly.
"Yeah because with you getting ready, we'll be thankful if we're able to leave within the next 24 hours," Erin's joke earned herself a high five from Annie.
"Screw you," Kim stuck her tongue out childishly.
"You guys are one interesting bunch," Olive chuckled.
Erin unzipped her dress for the night and pulled it off the hanger, "And with that said," she turned to face Olive and gave her a mischievous grin, "this interesting bunch can guarantee that this night will be unforgettable." Kim cuts the music on and blasts it to its highest volume. With music playing in the background, each of them takes their time in getting ready. From curling or flat ironing their hair, to stepping into their dresses and strapping up their heels, none of them were in any rush because the night of celebration was going to be long. Recently opened makeup covered the vanity with different hands reaching for different products, brushes and pencils.
"I want natural colors," Erin exclaimed the second she saw Kim reach for a candy pink lipstick shade, "nothing too out there please. Let's save the exciting colors for tomorrow."
Kim simply shrugs without argument, "it's your night, if you want to look boring, be my guest."
"She looks far from boring," Olive defends, earning an appreciative nod from Erin, "especially when she's wearing that dress. Why draw attention to the face when the body is banging?"
"Okayyyyy ladies," Erin holds up both of her hands to stop the conversation, "let's focus on more important matters…like how are we getting to our destinations? Uber? Lyft?"
"How about limo?" Kim grins mischievously.
Erin turned in her seat, earning an eyeroll from Kim when she nearly messed up the bachelorette's makeup, "You seriously rented a limo?"
"Yes, and don't sound so surprised, I told you I'm going all out for this," Kim scolded, "and please be still unless you're looking for a clown look."
She is still for the rest of her makeover. Her hair is completely finished, thanks to Natalie, and her makeup looks flawless, thanks to Kim. She's officially all glammed up, dressed in a short-sleeved, black two-piece dress, the top portion a jersey knit crop-top with wrapping surplice bodice and the matching bodycon skirt has an elastic waistband to provide maximum comfort.
"Are you nervous?" Annie asks as she hands over the hoop earrings to Erin.
"…about the bachelorette party or the wedding?" Erin asks for clarification after strapping her feet into the black, ankle strap heels, "or both?"
"Both," Kim answers before Annie has the chance.
"I'm probably more nervous about the bachelorette party than I am the wedding right now." Erin connects the hoop earrings through her ears and then reaches for a stud to insert into the second hole, "I played a part in planning my wedding so I'm not too worried about that…now the bachelorette party on the other hand, it does have me a bit nervous."
"There is no need to be nervous my dear Erin," Kim reassures yet the smile on her face is borderline evil; her expression contradicting the tone of her voice, "we're going to have a night that you'll never forget." She loops her arm through her best friend's arm and the two of them lead the group of women out of the room and down the stairs, entering the foyer to wolf whistles and claps, "Oh guys, please stop," Kim blushed and suddenly the whistling and clapping did in fact stop, leaving her standing in absolute confusion, "Huh? Why'd you stop?"
"You told us to stop," Ruzek argued.
"I wasn't serious!"
Erin leaves her friend's side and walks up to the love of her life. She notices in her peripheral as the other women tell their loved one's farewell for the night. Natalie and Will are off to the side, Olive is chatting with Hank, reminding him what time Danny needs to be picked up in the morning, Kim and Ruzek continue to bicker about him not reading between the lines, Annie makes a call to Travis reminding him to listen to the babysitter and Mouse and Atwater are standing off to the side, both texting on their phones probably to their own girlfriends. The farewells were more dramatic than it honestly needed to be. It was going to be less than 24 hours before they see each other again yet that doesn't stop or slow any of them down.
Focusing on the man in front of her, Erin took in and embraced this moment. A part of her wishing to pause time just to prolong it. A lingering kiss was pressed against her temple. He was in no rush to pull back either. He merely left his lips hard pressed against the side of her head as he inhaled her scent, "Be safe," he isn't expecting to see her again until she's walking down the aisle on their wedding day, "please don't do anything that's going to cause for me to come beat someone's ass." She smiles.
Erin turned her head an inch so her lips can now brush against his jawline, "And the same goes for you. I love you," she backs away from him and towards her girls when Kim alerts them that the limo has arrived, "And I'll see you tomorrow."
"Alright you two," Kim calls out, "save some for the honeymoon!"
"I'll see you tomorrow. I love you," he waves. He's left standing in the foyer when the door shuts behind the woman of his dreams. He doesn't know how long he stands there but when Ruzek clasps his hand around Jay's shoulder, pulling him out of his reverie and reminding him with the wide grin stretched across his face that this isn't just Erin's night to celebrate, it's his too and after reaching for his leather jacket, he follows his boys out of the house.