Thanks as always for the nice reviews! LostCause and Guest- I'm SO glad the last chapter made you laugh! It was fun to write. Let me know if any of you have something you'd like to see happen with Jess, Adam, Jay, etc.

Chapter 37

"I've missed you," Jess breathed, closing her eyes as Adam pressed a kiss to her jawline.

"Keeping you at a distance was a mistake," Adam answered. He knew what he was saying wasn't enough to let her know how miserable the days were when he thought he was doing her a favor by keeping her away from him, away from his injuries.

Jess turned her head so her lips found his. She kissed him, shifting on the couch so she could run her hands over his shoulders.

Adam forced himself to pull back. "You were coming over here to set a wedding date," he reminded her.

Jess shook her head as if it didn't matter and kissed him on his neck. "Just us at the City Hall," she whispered.

"What?" his mind was going fuzzy with her lips grazing his, but he forced himself to focus. When Jess didn't answer, he gently caught her hands with his and waited for her to meet his eyes. "You don't want a wedding?"

"I just want you," she said earnestly.

"And I want you," he said, all his promises for her in those words. "But I want you to have the wedding you deserve. The fancy dress, the big cake, whatever you want."

Her eyes dimmed at his words and she started to withdraw. Adam kept hold of her hands.

"A wedding with just us and a judge is all I need," she said.

Adam could hear the words she didn't say. That was all the wedding she thought she deserved.

"Jess," he said. "You deserve a big wedding. With all your family and friends there."
This time she managed to pull her hands away. "What friends? I have my brothers, Mouse, and you. That's not going to fill a church. And what will you tell your family? That your bride came home from Afghanistan so screwed up she doesn't have any friends to fill her side of the church?" She shook her head firmly. "I'm not doing that. I just want to marry you," she said fervently. "This Friday. Just you and me at City Hall, at the courthouse, wherever there's a justice of the peace."

Adam studied her. He had got this wrong so many times before, not listening to Wendy's concerns about his job, not hearing what Burgess was trying to test him on when she suggested pushing their wedding back. He couldn't screw this up. Not with Jess.

"You're sure?" he said. "That's really what you want?"

She answered him, by leaning against him again and pouring all her assurances into a kiss and Adam forgot what he had been trying to convince her of.

A knock at the door brought him back to the surface.

Jess blinked at him, her lips swollen from his kisses, her hair mussed. Adam blew out a breath. "It's Kevin. He's taking me to physical therapy today."

Jess ran her hand over his jaw. "I have to go to my meeting soon." She gave him one last kiss, then lifted herself off the couch to go open the door.

"Hey, Jess," Kevin said. "Sorry if I'm…interrupting?" He looked over Jess' shoulder at Adam, raising an eyebrow.

Jess blushed lightly and glanced back at Adam. "I'm going to get going. Call me later?" she asked Adam.

Adam nodded. Jess slung her bag across her shoulder and gave Kevin a smile.

Kevin managed to maneuver his crutches to close the door behind her.

Adam ran a hand through his hair. "She doesn't want a wedding," he said abruptly.

Kevin lifted his eyebrows. "She's calling it off?"

"No," Adam scowled at the suggestion. "Nothing like that. She just doesn't want a big wedding."

Kevin shrugged. "Sounds like it makes things easy."

Adam pushed himself off the couch, pausing to make sure he had his balance. He ignored the walker and crossed to the window to watch Jess head toward the train station. "I don't believe her," he muttered to himself.

Kevin nodded toward his walker. "She thinks you still need that?" he asked.

Adam turned and looked at his walker. He grinned. "She says she doesn't want a real wedding, but I'm going to at least give her a good wedding present. A husband who's not broken."

He got his jacket and slipped his cell phone into the pocket. He'd call Jay on the way to therapy.

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Jess jogged up the steps, late November snowflakes swirling around her. She opened the door and relished the warmth that hit her face.

"Jess, that you?" Her dad's voice called from the living room. She could hear the pregame announcer's voice from the television.

"It's me," she answered, hanging her warm jacket on a hook and stuffing her stocking cap in the pocket. She brushed at her hair, mussed from the hat and started toward the kitchen.

Pat Halstead eyed her as she passed through the living room. "Where were you all morning?" he asked.

Jess pressed her lips together and debated ignoring him. "I was at a meeting," she finally answered. She shouldn't have looked at her dad's face. The mixture of disappointment and disgust stabbed at her.

"For your…issue?" he asked as she walked away.

Fighting for civility, Jess clenched a fist. "Yes, Dad, for the little issue of my drug addiction. Thanks for your concern."

Pat settled back into his recliner, attention back on the television. "Don't see how going to whine about it in front of a bunch of strangers helps anything."

Jess tossed a hand in the air. She wasn't doing this with him. She and Adam were getting married at the courthouse in four days and she would be moved out.

The front door swung open and she heard Jay's voice. Then Will's. She went to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of juice, opening it, expecting to hear her brothers' comments on the Bears coaching this season. Instead, she heard Pat's voice raise.

"What? When?"

She risked a look back into the living room to see her brothers both standing in front of Pat. They all turned to look at her.

"You didn't tell Dad?" Will asked, concern etched on his face.

She took a drink of juice instead of answering.

Pat snorted. "You're getting married?" he asked.

Jess kept her face impassive. She screwed the cover back on her juice to keep her hands from fisting. "I am. In four days."

"To that cop? The one who's crippled?" Pat asked.

Jess felt her shoulders tighten. "To Adam. Who I love," she answered, her voice louder than she meant for it to get.

"Dad," Will said, a warning in his voice.

"You two think this is a good idea?" he asked, looking from Will to Jay.

"I'm not doing this with you," Jess said. She slammed her bottle of juice down on a table. "I'm going out." She grabbed the jacket she had just taken off, shoving her arms in the sleeves.

She slammed the door behind her, storming down the porch steps.

She heard Jay and Will both calling to her and turned when she got to the sidewalk. She jammed her hands in her coat pockets. "I can't talk to him. I can't stay here another four days."

"You're really getting married in four days?" Will asked.

Jess hunched her shoulders against the cold. "At the courthouse. We just decided this morning. I was going to call you."

Jay frowned.

Jess didn't even want to ask. "What?" she asked, more resigned than anything.

"You deserve more than the courthouse," Jay said.

It was the last thing Jess expected him to say. Tears sprang into her eyes unexpectedly. She blinked quickly.

"That's what Adam said," she said. She cleared her throat, hating the tears that clogged it, trying to get control again. "A big wedding doesn't make any sense," she repeated what she had said to Adam that morning. "I don't have anyone to be a bridesmaid. And who's supposed to fill my side of the church? You and Will? While Adam has all his family, CPD, friends overflowing his side?" She shook her head quickly.

"So you keep it small," Jay said. "And you have people on your side. Erin, Mouse…Intelligence is your family, too."

Jess shook her head.

"Look, you at least need a dress, right?" Will asked.

Jess shook her head again. "I was going to look at the mall when I got off shift on Wednesday."

It was Jay's turn to shake his head. "I thought a wedding dress was a big deal. Burgess and Erin were talking about some dress shopping show. Erin made me watch it once. 'Say You Want the Dress' or something like that."

In spite of herself, Jess let out a little laugh. "Something like that," she said.

"'Say Yes to the Dress'," Will corrected.

Jay gave him a look.

Will held up his hands. "The nurses talk about it."

They turned their attention back to Jess. Jay pulled his keys out of his pocket. "You're getting everything you deserve, Jess. You're going to try on dresses, you're going to stand in front of the mirrors, and you're going to choose one you love."

She kept shaking her head, even as Will and Jay steered her towards Jay's truck.

Jess managed to get them to stop before they physically loaded her into the truck. "This is important to you two?" she asked dubiously.

Jay, one arm still in a sling, reached over and squeezed her hand with his free hand. "You being happy is important to us."

She looked at his earnest face, then over to Will, the constant concern mixed with love in his blue eyes. She finally nodded slowly and let Will open the door to the truck and help her in.

She wasn't sure where her brothers were planning on taking her to find a dress, but when they pulled up to the storefront she cringed. She should have said no.

Sweetheart Dresses had been a staple in Canaryville for as long as Jess could remember. And carried the same dresses for just as long. It was where every Catholic school girl got their white dress for their first communion, and then went back to find a prom dress ten years later with as much glitter as possible.

She tried to find a way to tell her brothers gently. "I don't think Mrs. Kearney is going to have anything in my style," she said.

But Will and Jay were on a mission. They shuttled her inside and Mrs. Kearney herself bustled over to them.

"Jessica!" she exclaimed. "Jay called and told me the good news!"

Jess tried not to breathe in the overwhelming cloud of perfume that came with the older woman's warm hug.

"Do you have something in mind for your dress?" Mrs. Kearney asked.

"Ummm…" Jess looked at the billows of taffeta and crinoline surrounding her. "Something simple," she said.

"What about this?" Will asked, pointing to a dress in the window.

Jess felt her eyes widen at the sleek dress that exploded into a mermaid shape. Pearls, lace, and…she squinted, feathers? They all warred for space on the shiny fabric.

"Oh that will look beautiful on your sister!" The dress shop owner hurried over to take the hanger. "Let's start with this one."

Jess obediently trailed after her to the fitting room. She discarded her jeans and sweatshirt and closed her eyes as Mrs. Kearney zipped up the back, then tightened the fit with clips.

She didn't want to look. And she definitely did not want to leave the dressing room. But she was being herded out toward a pedestal. She did not want to climb up there and be on display—

Mrs. Kearney helped her up and then spread the hideous dress train out behind her.

Jess pursed her lips in embarrassment. Surely now Jay and Will would see this was not at all a good idea.

"Wow," they both said in unison.

Jess' eyes flew to them. They both were seated on the floral print loveseat, gaping at her with smiles.

"You look amazing," Will said.

Jess' fingers brushed against one of the oversized fabric flowers that edged the mermaid skirt and she fought the urge to tear it off and toss it at him.

"I don't…" she hesitated at the look of happiness on her brothers' faces. But then she looked in the mirror and couldn't hold back a shudder. "It's not quite my style," she said.

"You're right," Jay said.

Jess sighed in relief.

"She should look like a princess. Like Cinderella or something."

Mrs. Kearney nodded in agreement. "I know the perfect dress. It's in back." She helped Jess navigate her way off the pedestal and back to the fitting room. She unclamped her, unzipped her, and promised to be right back with the perfect dress.

As soon as the fitting room door closed behind the plump woman, Jess grabbed her phone from her jacket pocket and typed in a quick text. One word.

Help.

"Here we go," Mrs. Kearney sang out, coming back to the dressing room. At least, Jess assumed it was Mrs. Kearney. She couldn't see her behind the volume of fabric she was carrying.

Jess tried to move slowly, hoping she wouldn't have to go out there again. But the bell over the front door didn't jingle to announce anyone's arrival, so she was zipped, clamped, and marched back out in front of Jay and Will.

She waddled her way onto the pedestal, the skirt more than full. It was eating her alive and she didn't know how she would find her way out of it. The thick beading on the bodice actually jingled and clicked as she walked.

"Wow," Jay and Will said again.

"You look just like a princess," Jay said. "That's definitely the dress."

Jess risked a look in the mirror.

It was definitely not the dress.

At least the full sash that tied in a giant bow could be removed and she could strangle her brothers with it. So the dress wasn't all bad.

Mrs. Kearney must have seen the doubtful look on Jess' face because she chimed in. "You know what you need? A veil. It's a lot of dress and it doesn't look finished without a veil."

Jess hoped the veil was thick enough she wouldn't be able to see her reflection in the mirror through it.

The veil came right out of the 1980s, to perfectly complement the dress. The beaded headband laid across Jess' forehead and the poof of tulle stood up artfully in back before falling down her back and snagging on the giant bow.

She turned to face her brothers and that was when the shop door finally opened.

"Wow," Mouse said. But it didn't carry the same reverence as when her brothers said it. Jess risked a look at him and the amusement glinting in his eyes had her doubting his commitment to helping her.

She batted down the poofy sleeves that kept hitting her in the chin.

"Jay said he was taking you dress shopping," Mouse said. "But I had no idea it would be this good."

"Are you here to help or not?" Jess asked, starting to feel claustrophobic under the layers of fabric and ornamentation.

Mouse jerked a thumb over his shoulder. "I called Erin. She's right behind me." He didn't look away from her dress. "That's…wow. That's some dress."

"Isn't it?" Mrs. Kearney beamed.

The bell over the door jingled again, and Jess closed her eyes, hoping this time it would be someone who could actually help.

"Oh!" Erin's startled exclamation was echoed by another voice. Jess opened her eyes to see Erin and Natalie both staring at her.

Erin recovered first and mouthed I'm sorry to Jess.

"Halstead, did you pick that dress?" she asked Jay.

"He has good taste, doesn't he?" the shop owner beamed.

Natalie opened her mouth like she wanted to argue, but closed it tactfully.

"He does," Erin agreed. "And I bet Jess will end up with that dress. But we had already made plans for a whole girls' day out with lunch downtown and dress shopping."

"You didn't—" Jay started, but Erin cut him off.

"Is it ok if we steal the bride?" Erin asked. "We don't want her to miss out on everything we had planned."

Mrs. Kearney was already taking the veil off Jess' curls. "Of course, of course. I'll just write down the style number for you, Jessica, in case you decide to come back for this one." She helped Jess down, helping her carry the pounds of fabric.

Jess saw Erin hold out her hand to Jay. "Credit card," she was saying. "Natalie and I will help Jess find something."

Jess sighed with relief when she was back in her jeans and sweatshirt. She slipped her sneakers back on and pulled on her jacket.

Jay and Will were standing outside the dress shop when she stepped back into the cold air.

She looked at the two of them, trying so hard to fill in for the mother they had lost too young, and her chest filled with warmth.

Impulsively, she gave them each a tight hug.

"Thank you," she whispered to Jay, holding onto him. "This was really nice of you and Will."

She got into Erin's car with her brothers' girlfriends. She met Erin and Natalie's looks and the three of them couldn't hold it in anymore. They burst out laughing.

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