Guest: thank you so much for your super kind review, it means a lot! I can't wait for season 6 either :)
"Hi babe, I'm home!"
As soon as he passes the front door of their apartment, Jake spots Amy lying on the couch, turning in his direction at the sound of his voice and offering him a loving smile when their eyes lock together, visibly happy to see him. She's been on maternity leave for a few weeks now, the term of her pregnancy drawing nearer with each new passing day, but she has to admit she still has a hard time adjusting to this new daily life of not being able to do much other than rest, getting bored so quickly in their quiet, empty home when her husband's at work.
The detective doesn't spare any second and joins his wife in the living room, greeting her with a kiss before coming to face her, stooping down in front of her ever so prominent belly. "Hello to you too, baby," he cheerfully adds at the attention of the growing life inside of it, making his wife smile at the sight. "How are my two favorite girls doing today? D'you need anything?" He looks back at Amy with his second question, wearing a same grin as she is while staring down at him.
"We're doing fine. Though little Anana seemed very awake today. She wouldn't stop kicking." She updates her husband on the news of the day regarding their daughter.
Jake chuckles in return, lowering his gaze back on the woman's stomach wearing a light beam and glowing eyes while gently resting his hand flat on it for a few seconds in hope to feel the fetus against his palm, before he stands up and takes a seat next to her. As soon as he's settled down, she makes herself comfortable, putting her legs on his lap, lying further into the couch. He starts brushing his fingers over one of them dreamily, about to update his wife on what happened at the precinct when his eyes fall onto the table and something there catches his gaze, cutting him off in his trail of thoughts.
"What's my favorite pair of sneakers doing here?" he asks, a curious frown drawing itself on his forehead.
He's pretty sure the last time he saw his shoes, they were carefully put aside on the shelf dedicated to his whole, ever-growing collection – and it's clearly not Amy's style to move them without a good reason behind.
A mysterious grin comes curling up the sides of her lips at the man's question, as if she was waiting for him to notice the pair. "I needed them for something," she answers. "A little surprise."
"What surprise?!"
Jake's eyes lit up at the simple word, seeming very excited and not trying to hide it even a bit. His reaction makes his wife laugh lightly. For only answer, she stands up and reaches their ex-guest room turned nursery now to grab something in it – some work she busied herself with for the past few days and finally finished. She hands the package to her partner when she's back by his side, and he takes a pause to look at it, then her, then back at it when he meets Amy's inviting gaze to open it.
"Remember when you came back with three different pairs of baby sneakers?" She eventually talks while he starts unwrapping her little present.
"I already told you, it was a Father's Day discount!" Jake tries to defend himself again – it's not the first time they're having this conversation. "For every pair of baby sneakers you bought, you got one matching adult-size pair half-price, I had to take advantage of it!"
"I know," Amy lets out a chuckle, remembering this day he so proudly came back with all those new pairs of shoes. "And I can't wait to see you and our baby in matching shoes, but she won't be able to wear them for a while," she reminds him of the fact that they aren't made for newborn, which makes the detective pout in return.
His expression soon turns into another curious frown when she adds, "That's why I made these in the meantime." She points as Jake finally takes out of the package a pair of tiny knitted sneakers, similar in many points to his own favorite pair on the table, though small and comfortable enough for an infant to wear them.
He silently studies them for a while before he suddenly looks up at Amy with a grin on his face and shiny, glowing eyes finding her own. "Ames!" He lets out a surprised, yet touched gasp. "She's gonna look so cute in these!" he exclaims, already picturing his future daughter in them.
He then quickly stands up to meet his wife's level and wraps his arms around her, kissing her breathlessly to thank her for her thoughtful gift. He can feel her own happy smile against his lips.
"Amy Santiago Peralta, you're the best wife-slash-future-mother ever," he tells her when they part, all the love he feels for the woman visible in the way he's staring at her in pure bliss, still carefully carrying the baby shoes in his hand.
"I know," she simply, proudly answers with a chuckle, the same matching expression in her own gaze on him, before pulling him back to her and kissing him again.