Thanks to everyone for all the sweet reviews! I didn't intend for this to become anything but a one shot, so thanks to you, here's another part! As long as you all keep giving me inspiration, I will try to keep writing, so if there is anything you wanna see, let me know!
Enjoy!
The day was here, and quite honestly, neither of them could believe it. The entire week, Finn has been talking nonstop about today, and Hailey and Jay could fight their smiles whenever he brought it up.
It started off with too much excitement for six in the morning. Finn had a habit of bursting into their bedroom at six on the dot, not caring whether or not his dad or Hailey was awake.
Jay, however, was up this morning when he burst in, having been up most of the night wondering whether his plan for today would go as planned.
"Daddy!" Finn yelled, making Jay wonder how a person could be so alert this early.
"Hey buddy," he said, pulling him close. He couldn't believe that he was finished with preschool and in a few short months, he would be starting kindergarten. Five years really flew by, in Jay's opinion, and he had a feeling the next ten would go by just as quickly.
"Can we wake Miss Hailey up?" Finn asked, snuggling close to Jay. It felt weird to them to hear Finn call Hailey "Miss Hailey", but they decided it would be better to wait until he was out of preschool before dropping the miss.
"Sure buddy," he said, knowing the kid had become their own personal alarm clock. Jay turned to his side, watching as Finn crawled over to where Hailey was still asleep.
"Miss Hailey," he asked, his voice quieter than before. She didn't budge, something Jay knew quite well. She could sleep through anything, where Jay woke up if the neighbor's door opened.
He watched as Finn crawled on top of her, his face inches from hers.
"Miss Hailey," he dragged out. If she didn't wake up soon, they would have a very upset five-year-old on their hands this morning.
Jay watched as she finally moved, wrapping her arms around Finn and hugging him tightly. Finn's face was turned the other way, giving Jay a chance to smile at his girlfriend, thinking once again how thankful he was to have her in their lives. Finn snuggled against her and Jay took a minute to burn the memory in his mind. She loved his son so much, and every single thing stressing him melted away as he watched them.
"What day is it?" Hailey asked, moving up against the headboard as Finn sat on her legs.
"You know what today is," Finn teased back, giggling as Hailey tickled his stomach.
"It's Friday, right?" she asked innocently. Jay just nodded, going along with what she was doing.
"It is," he piped up, nearly earning him a glare from his son.
"It's my last day of preschool!" Finn yelled, causing Jay and Hailey to wince at the shrillness of his voice.
"That's right, it is!" Hailey said, matching his excitement. "But we've got to get ready first."
Finn nodded excitedly before scrambling off the bed to run back to his room. Jay and Hailey had to laugh, loving that he was excited about the day. Neither of them was ready, because it meant he was growing up, a thought they weren't ready to accept.
"Do you want to jump in the shower first?" Hailey asked, rolling to her side to face Jay. "I can go get him ready."
"Nah," he replied, crawling over to her before hovering over her body. He took a second to memorize her this way, her blonde hair spread over the pillow and without a trace of makeup on. "I want some time with him this morning."
Hailey nodded before leaning up to kiss him. She knew he wasn't ready for today and could understand wanting these last few moments of him as a preschooler. He also wanted a few spare minutes to talk to Finn about their plan for the day, but Hailey didn't know that.
"We need to leave in about an hour and a half," Hailey said, sliding out of bed to head towards the bathroom. "Am I taking him with me still?'
Jay just nodded, remembering he had to go in to work for a few hours before Finn's preschool graduation this afternoon. He sat on the edge of the bed, watching as Hailey made her way to the bathroom. As she walked past, he grabbed her hand, pulling her to stand between his legs.
"Hey," he began, his voice soft. "I love you."
Hailey smiled, knowing her boyfriend had a habit of telling her he loved her at the most unsuspecting of moments. It was one of the things she loved about him. They could be driving home from whatever and he would tell her, or while unloading groceries from the car.
As she looked down at him, she noticed something different, something new, about his expression. It looked like the one he always wore whenever Finn was around, but he never looked at her that way. Not that she was upset, he just looked at her in a way that showed mutual love and respect, and sometimes something a little more, not PG-13. But this was new for her, and she wasn't complaining.
"I love you, too," she replied, leaning down to kiss him for the second time that morning. "Is everything okay?"
The words tumbled out of her mouth, but she had to ask. She wouldn't lie, there was part of her that worried about what would happen when Finn was no longer her student. Would the attraction to his son's teacher wear off? Would they have a different dynamic? It was a constant battle in her mind, but she had to get through today before feeling like she needed to reevaluate her relationship.
"Yeah, just not ready for him to grow up," Jay replied honestly. "I feel like time has flown with him, and if I'm being honest, even more so with you."
Hailey could only nod, the emotion of the morning becoming too much. Holding his hands in hers, she squeezed tightly, whispering another "I love you" before heading to the shower. Today was going to be rough.
The dozens of screaming kids were a needed distraction to Jay at the moment. Graduation had gone off with a hitch, and now he was just waiting for his own kid and his girlfriend. As much as he wanted nothing more than to grab onto her to ground himself for the onslaught of emotion, he knew that she wanted to keep things quiet around the other parents.
"Daddy!" Jay suddenly heard and before he knew it, Finn was running at him full speed. But before he could do anything else, a pair of arms scooped up the energetic little boy.
"Hey! I thought I was your favorite!" Adam said, hugging him tightly. Finn giggled, his laughter causing everyone else in their little group to laugh as well. The unit, rather Voight, had surprised Jay this morning, telling him they were all cleared for the afternoon to go to Finn's graduation. It took a lot for Jay to not get emotional, because his unit was just as much Finn's family as his own brother was. He was also sure it was quite the sight for the other parents when six other police officers walked in with Jay for a preschool graduation.
"Daddy said you shouldn't have favorites," Finn replied, wiggling to get out of Adam's arms.
"Well your daddy is wrong," Adam sassed back, earning a glare form Jay.
"But if I had to pick a favorite," Finn said, causing Jay to groan and roll his eyes. "It would be Uncle Hank."
Even Jay had to give this one to Finn, because the look on Adam's face at getting passed up for his boss was priceless. He was so engrossed in the laughter that he barely felt the hand on his back.
"Hey," Hailey whispered, sneaking up behind him as to not draw much attention. "You okay?"
Jay turned to kiss her forehead, knowing that was the closest he would get to kissing her while they were here. "I am now. But Adam is upset that Hank is Finn's favorite."
Hailey laughed as well. She loved the antics of this group, and it was almost ironic that they could be so goofy when they had the highest clearance rate in the city and the department. They made her feel at ease with and had since the second she met them all as Jay's girlfriend. Sure, she knew Adam, but that was all. That was the extent of her interactions with Intelligence. But she could understand why Jay was so fond of all of them, and why he considered them family as much as Will and Natalie were.
"Can I still steal you away before dinner?" Jay asked, bringing her back to the present. She nodded, but soon realized Jay wasn't looking directly at her when she heard her name again.
"Yeah, of course," she answered, turning to look at him smiling down at her.
"I also promised a certain graduate a stop for ice cream before we meet anyone. Can I steal you away for that?" Jay said.
"When?"
"Now," Jay said, causing Hailey to be completely surprised.
"I suppose," she replied, suddenly nervous. She wasn't sure why the nerves suddenly took over, but they were there. Hailey had suspected Jay was off all day and the thoughts plaguing her mind over the past few weeks were back. She would admit that Jay loved her, and Finn loved her maybe even more, and if Jay was going to break up with her, it wouldn't be on such a monumental day.
On the other hand, a small part of her was screaming the opposite. Every romance novel and movie she had ever seen told her one thing: nervous and weird guys always proposed. Whenever the thoughts crossed her mind, she pushed them away. Part of her didn't feel she was ready for that, but an even bigger part thought maybe she was. She had a job she loved, a man she loved and an energetic kid who she thought of as her own.
"Come on," Jay said, grasping her hand in his own, tugging her along. Finn seemed to be in tune with what was happening and followed along. Hailey barely had a moment to say goodbye to everyone before being dragged down the hallways of the school. It took her a moment before realizing that she was heading towards her own classroom.
"Jay?" she asked, the nerves suddenly getting the best of her. But when he looked back at her with the most heart melting smile ever, she felt more relaxed.
"So, I may have lied," he began, causing Hailey to raise an eyebrow. "We're not getting ice cream."
"We're not?" Finn interrupted, turning to his dad with the cutest pout.
"Maybe later buddy," he told Finn. "But we've gotta do something else first right?"
Jay looked at Hailey, and her heart started beating faster. Finn seemed to catch on quickly because his eyes lit up.
"Oh!" he said before jumping up and down. "We're getting a puppy?"
Hailey had to laugh at that, even more when she caught sight of Jay's stressed face. This wasn't going how he wanted at all.
"We have to ask Miss Hailey first, right?" Finn asked. Jay reached down to pick Finn up, bringing his son to eye level.
"Well I was thinking more along the line of asking Hailey how she feels about you calling her something else." Jay looked over at her, nerves taking over his face. Finn simply looked back and forth at the two adults before recognition dawned on him.
"Like mommy?" Finn asked, his voice quiet and nervous. If she wasn't holding her breath, Hailey may have sobbed right then and there.
"Like mommy," Jay repeated. "What do you say Hails?"
"Are you," she began, finding part of her voice. Jay cut her off, noticing that she was too choked up to speak.
"How would you feel about being Finn's mom, officially and forever?"
Hailey could only nod, not even stopping to think about anything else. She quickly walked towards her boyfriend and now, her son, before hugging them both. She needed the closeness, but it wasn't lost on her as to how everything was coming full circle. Here she was, Jay asking her to share his son with her forever in the very place she met them for the first time.
"Thank you," Jay whispered, kissing her forehead again. Hailey reached up, grasping Jay's hand that was holding Finn up, reveling in how they were all suddenly connected.
"Thank you for giving me this family," Hailey replied.
"Thanks for being my mommy," Finn said. Hailey fought her tears again, leaning over to kiss Finn's cheek.
"But now can we get a puppy?" he asked, causing both of his parents to laugh. Leave it to their five-year-old to take a serious moment and turn it silly.
"We will see," Jay said. "But first, we've got to meet everyone for dinner."
"And ice cream?" Finn asked.
"And ice cream," Hailey finished, deciding she would let it slide today.
As they walked into the restaurant 20 minutes later, Jay was relieved that everything went as planned. He wasn't sure if Hailey was ready for this step, but the entire time he sat at Finn's graduation, every moment of Hailey and Finn flashed through his mine. To him, it was a no brainer, and as he watched them walk towards the table in the back, he pulled Hailey back to him, her back colliding with his front as Finn ran ahead.
"Are you sure about this?" Jay asked. He still couldn't believe this and would ask her ten more times that day.
"I've never been surer," she replied.
"Okay," he said. "We're signing the papers Monday."
"What?" Hailey said, turning around to face him. It seemed like a quick turnaround for something as major as adoption.
"I've had this planned for months," he explained. "My lawyer assured him that all we need to do is sign everything and you're officially a mom."
"Well okay then," she answered. "But only if you are sure."
"I've never been surer," Jay repeated her earlier words before kissing her. He knew this was one of the last moments they would have together for the next few hours. Jay had a feeling they would be having a sleepover in their bedroom tonight with a certain five-year-old and it would be sometime until he got Hailey to himself.
He soon pulled away and guiding Hailey back to where everyone was waiting. It didn't take long to hear the excited voices of their family. When thinking about it as "their family," Jay wasn't as freaked out as the idea may have made him a year or so ago. Hailey just fit so seamlessly that a question as big as this was a no brainer.
Both took a moment before walking further into the restaurant. Jay could see the rest of their family from where he stood and he couldn't fight the smile that formed as he watched Finn run around the table, teasing Adam and Kevin, with Owen following right behind him. Looking down, his vision was filled with the same blonde curls he usually woke up to, just tamer this time. Every single person that matter to Jay was right here and that pulled at something in his heart.
"Come on," he said, stepping around her. He squeezed her hand after it wrapped around his own, pulling Hailey along with him. Jay turned towards her as she felt him brush against his side, leaning down so only she would hear his next words.
"The sooner we get through this, the sooner I get you home."
It felt like midnight by the time they got home, even though it was barely nine. Hailey tried to be quiet when opening the front door, holding it open as Jay carried a sleepy Finn in.
"I'll go put him down," Jay whispered, nodding his head towards Finn's bedroom. Hailey nodded in response, but as Jay moved, she stopped him.
"Jay," she said quietly. "Let him sleep with us. I…" she began, causing Jay to walk back towards her, noticing her eyes tearing up. "I want him close to us."
"Love you," Jay replied before disappearing to Finn's room. Hailey walked to their own bedroom, taking her earrings off along the way. It hit her then what an emotional toll today had taken on her, but in a good way. It had been all good things, even after her emotions had been all over the place recently. Exhaustion settled into her bones as she walked to the bathroom, grabbing the old shirt of Jay's and shorts she slept in.
It didn't take her long to wash her face and change clothes, and as she walked back to the bedroom, Jay was walking in with Finn, who was now in his pajamas. She met Jay halfway, reaching out to take Finn from him.
"Get in bed, I'll lay him down."
Hailey shook her head, not taking no for an answer. Jay handed him to her, watching for a moment as she hugged him closely. He knew that every time he witnessed a moment like this, he would be grateful that she was Finn's teacher and that she wanted to be his mom. She was in this for the long haul, as was he, and nothing sounded better to him than that.
By the time Jay walked back from the bathroom, he found Hailey snuggled up in bed with Finn beside her. He smiled at Hailey as he joined her and their son in bed, moving over towards them. Hailey turned onto her side, her arm reaching out to rest on his bare waist. She tapped her fingers against his abdomen a few times, her silent signal that she wanted his hand. He obliged, first playing with her fingers before intertwining them with his own.
"You okay?" he asked softly, even though nothing could wake Finn up now.
"I'm happy," she answered honestly. Jay squeezed her hand before smiling at her.
"Not as happy as me," he replied.
"Now I don't know about that," Hailey teased. She quickly got serious when she caught on to how serious he was.
"I never thought I would ever be able to give him a mom. After everything with his mom," he paused for a moment. "I didn't want to subject him to that kind of pain. And after I lost my mom, I really didn't want to have him go through that. But you, Hailey. I never realized how much he was missing without one, and after seeing him with you, it was a no brainer. I love you so much that when I started thinking about asking you, it didn't scare me anymore. If anything, it feels like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders."
She squeezed his hand back, hoping some of the tears in her eyes would go away. But after seeing the emotion in his own, it felt right.
"I love you," she whispered. "And I love you," she whispered to Finn, kissing his forehead.
Jay stayed awake after she fell asleep, wanting to commit this moment, this day, to memory. It was everything and being able to share it with Hailey for the rest of their lives, he would admit he was a lucky man. He would ask her the other question, the one that was arguably more important to them, but for now, he was content with where they were in life and their relationship. And as he fell asleep, the thought that Finn would wake up with both his mom and dad made the smile that had been on his face all day become permanent.
