Hello there everyone! I'm here with the next chapter for you all, and we've got a fun one. We're gonna see a little bit of everything in this update, I really enjoyed writing it and I hope you all like reading it as well.
Also just a heads up, I recently got a new job this past week, and it seems like the hours are gonna be a bit crazy and all over the place. So right now I'm not sure how much it'll affect my writing/ability to get chapters out to you all, but once I start working and have a better idea of how much free time I have, I'll try to let you all know if I'll need to change my update schedule or anything. But I wanted to go ahead and let you all know now, just in case I'll have to adjust some things down the line.
But that's pretty much all I've got. Thank you so much for reading everyone, and I'll see you all next time!
ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY NINE
Casey released a soft sigh as he slowly began to wake up, his body not necessarily enjoying being awake this early while he lifted his arms up above his head, stretching out his stiff muscles as he continued becoming more and more aware of his surroundings. He didn't move too far though, as he didn't want to risk knocking into the woman beside him, a heavy yawn leaving his lips before he looked over to the other side of the bed. Though to his surprise, no one was there, Matt's eyebrows furrowing in confusion while his hand came down to rest over the bed sheets where his wife had slept, finding them rather cold as it was becoming clearer to him that wherever Gabby was, she'd been up for a while. He just didn't know why.
But when he began to register the smell of bacon filtering into their bedroom, he started to understand, Casey smiling softly at the thought of his wife cooking breakfast before he pushed the covers off himself and got up, Matt eager to be wherever his girl was.
With only his boxers on, Casey's bare feet padded across the floor as he made his way out of their bedroom into the hallway, Matt already able to hear her in the kitchen as he got closer. Between the sound of the food cooking, and her absentminded humming, he wasn't surprised to find her standing behind the counter, Gabby off in her own little world while wearing one of his t-shirts, singing to herself as she prepared what he could only assume to be their breakfast.
He took a few steps closer, the smile on his face growing as he couldn't help but be completely enamored by her, as she was completely oblivious to his presence. And he didn't mind it that way, Matt rubbing his hand over his stomach while he continued to watch the woman he loved more than anything sway her way around the kitchen. Her singing was getting a little louder, the sound like music to his ears while he took a couple more steps towards the kitchen just as Gabby placed some bacon on a plate next to the pancakes she'd prepared.
She then angled away from him, moving towards their refrigerator to grab some orange juice before she turned back to the counter. It was then she finally saw him as Matt was now only one or two steps away from her, a soft pout soon finding her lips before she placed the juice down onto the counter.
Amused by her reaction at seeing him, Matt let out a soft chuckle before he walked around the island in the middle of their kitchen. "What?" He asked lightheartedly, hearing her let out a sigh before nodding towards the hallway.
"You're supposed to still be in bed." She replied, the look on her face morphing into a frown as he couldn't help but grin.
"Why?" He asked just as easily before he got to her.
"I was trying to make you breakfast in bed." She told him, his features softening as she rested her hands against the edge of the counter, feeling Matt's warmth radiating off of him while he stood beside her.
"You were?" He asked, Gabby giving him a nod as their gazes locked on one another, Matt now being the one to frown. Though she still saw the playful gleam in his eyes. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to ruin the surprise." He added on lightly, Gabby letting out a light huff before she smiled just slightly.
"It's alright." She told him, Matt giving her that signature Casey grin before he leaned in to kiss her quickly, his hand coming up to rub over her waist as he effectively pulled her closer.
"The food looks amazing, though." He continued on after they separated, Matt glancing down towards the singular plate in front of them that was sitting on a tray, though there was enough food on it for the both of them, that making him smile before he reached his free hand out to grab a piece of bacon. But before he could she slapped it away, Matt letting out another chuckle as he looked up towards her challenging gaze.
"No." She said simply, trying to hide the smile desperate to form across her lips. But he saw it.
"It's my breakfast." He said back, feigning exasperation as he reached for the same piece of bacon, only to get his hand slapped one more time.
"Yeah, your breakfast that you were supposed to eat in bed." She pushed back, Casey smirking while he continued to move his hand up and down her side.
"Fine, I can go back to our room." He said with a laugh, Gabby's smile growing a bit before she nodded. Though Matt never moved away from her. "...Why are you making me breakfast in bed, anyway? Just cause you like me?" He pushed on softly, the two sharing a loving look before Dawson shrugged.
"Well, it's partly because I like you." She started, seeing that smirk reappear over his face before she continued. "But I was also making you breakfast to celebrate your first day as Captain." She added on, Casey's face softening at her words before he instinctively held onto her a little tighter, feeling a rush of warmth spread through his chest.
Although it had been a few weeks since his promotion and ceremony, due to the department's rules for new officers, and a few other hang ups, today was his first official shift where he'd actually be working as a Captain. He still wasn't entirely sure what caused the slight delay, and at this point it didn't matter. All he did know was that today would be day one of his new position, and clearly his wife wanted to celebrate that.
Which made him feel like the luckiest man in the world.
"I had a whole thing planned, but you ruined it, so…" Gabby added on playfully after a moment, Matt laughing from deep within his chest while giving her side another squeeze, then bringing his other hand up to grab ahold of her jaw lovingly before he kissed her. Their movements were soft and slow, and full of love as he felt her hand reach out to grip the waistband of his boxers. But the action was innocent, like she just wanted to be as close to him as possible before they eventually pulled back.
"...You're so cute." He told her after catching his breath, Gabby scrunching her nose up in amusement before he kissed the look off her face.
"I am." She replied easily, Matt letting out another laugh as she nodded back towards the hallway once more. "Now get your ass back in bed."
"Yes ma'am." He agreed, giving her one last kiss along with a quick squeeze before he walked away. Gabby shot him a knowing smile as he chuckled, Matt shaking his head a bit before he headed back to their bedroom where he couldn't wait for her to join him.
And Gabby couldn't, either.
Casey blew out a heavy breath while standing in the bathroom at the firehouse, his hands running over the unfamiliar white Captain's shirt covering his body as he looked over himself in the mirror, the material feeling almost foreign to him.
It was weird, the whole thing felt weird. It had from the moment he got dressed this morning in his new work attire. But past that it also felt incredibly right, Matt unable to hide the small smile tugging on his lips as his hand came up to run over the bugles over his collar, the firefighter still just so incredibly excited about this promotion, and all the opportunity that came with it.
"Well, look at you."
Casey looked up when he heard his friend's voice, finding Severide standing a few feet from him after coming from the locker room, the grin on Kelly's face causing Matt's own smile to widen before the Lieutenant walked towards him.
"You're looking awfully spiffy there, Captain." He continued on, Matt letting out a chuckle before he gave him a nod.
"Good morning, Severide."
"Morning Cap." He replied, Casey's look shifting into a smirk as he turned to face his best friend, while crossing his arms over his chest. "You ready for today?"
"If you mean am I ready to boss you around for the rest of time, then yes." He responded just as lightly, Severide chuckling before shaking his head.
"Yeah, I'm not so sure about this promotion anymore… Might need to go and file a complaint with headquarters." He teased, the two men sharing another laugh before the air around them turned a bit more serious, once Severide reached out to clasp him on the shoulder. "But really, you're gonna do great today Casey." He told him, Matt smiling softly in his direction before he nodded. "Just try not to tell me what to do too much." He finished jokingly.
"Yeah, yeah… We'll see." Casey played along, Kelly tapping his arm lightly before the men started to head out of the bathroom, knowing it was time for their morning briefing.
By the time they got to the conference room practically everyone else was already there, Matt waving off the few whistles and comments he was getting about his new uniform while he headed to the back of the room, only stopping to press a kiss to the top of Gabby's head as he went.
"Alright, good morning." Boden commented as he stepped in through the back door minutes later, earning a few greetings in response while making his way to the front of the room, the man settling into his sport before he continued. "We have quite a few things to go over this morning before shift gets going, but first I think I would be remiss to not say one last congratulations to Casey." He spoke, prompting some cheers and claps from the first responders in the room while Matt simply shook his head, not necessarily loving all the attention on him. But it was hard to ignore it, especially when Severide began shaking his shoulders.
"Atta boy, Casey." Herrmann cheered, the newest Captain unable to fight off his smile as he looked around the room, his eyes not stopping until he located his wife who was sitting beside Shay, Gabby soon winking back at him before Boden spoke up once more.
"Casey here is starting his Captaincy today, finally.." He told them, gaining a few laughs from the firefighters. "So let's try and make today as easy of a transition for him as we can."
"Leave him with a lot of paperwork, got it." Mouch joked, most of the room smiling while Casey let out a scoff.
"Yeah, go for it Mouch… And I'll go ahead and get you scheduled for some of that double shift overtime that needs to be filled." He pushed back playfully, the laughs from their friends getting louder before Mouch began to shake his head.
"Better watch yourself, Mouch." Cruz prodded, while Gabby smirked proudly. "Casey has the power to make our lives hell now if he wants."
"Oh, and I want to." Casey continued to joke, his friends chuckling while Boden shook his head in amusement.
"Yeah, I'd watch out for your new Captain here." Their Chief played along, the older man then clearing his throat before glancing back down to the notepad in his hands. "But now that we've got our congratulations out of the way, and Casey is officially a Captain here on 81, it's time for us to get into the next order of business." He started, regaining the attention of the entire room.
But before he could get much further the bells rang out above their heads, everyone listening as the entire house was called out to an apartment fire, Boden immediately placing his notepad down while the first responders got up from their seats.
"We'll pick this up later once we're all back. For now, let's get to work."
Nothing else needed to be said as they raced out of the conference room to the garage, the firefighters gearing up while Dawson and Shay hurried to their rig, the house getting ready in record time before they left the station, sirens blaring.
Due to the early morning traffic wasn't too difficult to navigate, the rigs following in line as they sped down the street, trying to quickly get to their destination. And within minutes, they did, the first responders able to see the smoke before they even arrived at the building as the moment they turned around the corner, that was when they saw the apartment building up in flames.
From one glance they all knew it was bad. That there were likely to be quite a few casualties. But they couldn't think about it like that, not right now, their main goal having to be to save as many people as possible.
"Alright 81, we've got a big one… Everyone stay alert." Casey spoke as the rig came to a stop.
"Got it, Captain." Mouch replied, Otis nodding in agreement before they all jumped down from the rig, squad and engine following a similar routine as the firefighters crowded around the chaos.
There were people running and screaming from all directions, flames shooting from multiple blown out windows while heavy smoke bellowed into the sky, Casey looking over everything as quickly as he could while trying to assess the best course of action.
"Captain!" Boden called as he got over to them, Matt's spine straightening before he looked over towards his boss. "This one is all you." He replied with a strong nod, Casey smiling ever so slightly before he focused back on what was important. And that was trying to save these victims.
"Alright Squad 3, Truck 81.. I want to start with a sweep on the fourth and third floor making our way down. Engine get the hoses ready to hit the building, we need to do this fast. 61, set up triage and try to get these people away from the fire. We don't have much time to work."
Without needing any more prompting, everyone followed Casey's orders instantly, the firefighters masking up while Gabby and Shay began to help treat the victims already outside, all of them working under their Captain's direction as they tried to prevent any more casualties from happening because of this horrific fire.
"Alright Dawson, the rig is all stocked." Shay voiced as she got back to the nurses station, Gabby glancing up from the paperwork she was nearly finished completing before she gave her a nod.
"Okay, thanks for taking care of that… I'm almost done here." She replied, the blonde nodding before coming to a stop beside her friend as the ER at Lakeshore continued to bustle around them. "...It's crazy in here." Shay muttered, Gabby glancing her way before she looked back to the papers.
"Yeah, well it's that apartment fire… Even though it was put out hours ago, people are still trying to find their family members." Gabby reminded her, Shay glancing down to her watch to see it was just past noon before she nodded. "And people are being treated… It'll probably be a madhouse in here for a while."
"I guess you're right." She responded, letting her weight lean against the counter while Gabby finished up the last of her work. "But hey, it probably would've been even worse in here if not for Casey." She prompted, her words bringing a smile to Gabby's face as she handed off the paperwork to one of the nurses, before giving Shay her complete attention. "Lover boy handled himself well out there."
"Yeah, he did." Gabby replied as her smile widened, her head then ducking down for a moment as a rush of complete pride ran through her system. Mostly because Shay's words held a lot of truth.
The call this morning had been intense. It came with a lot of loss, and even more pain for those left behind. But for as tragic as it was, every first responder on that scene knew it could've been so much worse had someone other than Matt been in charge.
From the moment he masked up and headed into that building, he did everything in his power to save as many people as possible. He and his firefighters, they all worked diligently to get the rest of the victims outside. And while nothing he did was necessarily out of the norm for him when he was a Lieutenant, he'd certainly elevated himself to be an even better firefighter today. Something that had made everyone else around him do the same, as well.
And even though he'd never say it, especially not with the lives they lost, Gabby knew he'd done an incredible job today. That their Captain had been amazing, and if his work this morning was any indication, he truly was about to be one of the best officers this department had ever seen.
"They way he took charge and everything, it was hot." Shay continued on, Gabby letting out a soft chuckle before she tapped her hip against Shay's. "What? Him bossing everyone around was hot, I don't have to be attracted to him to appreciate it." She teased further, Gabby rolling her eyes as the two paramedics headed for the exit.
"Yeah, I'm sure you don't." She joked back, Shay grinning before they stepped out into the warm June air.
"Oh, you know I'm just messing with you Dawson… But in all seriousness, that was a hell of a call for Casey's first one. And he did great." She complimented Gabby's features softening before she nodded back at her.
"Yeah, he really did." Gabby repeated herself, before the two paramedics went to their separate side of the rigs and climbed in, Shay bringing the engine to life while Gabby put on her seatbelt. "And did you see Boden's face before we left? He was so impressed." She continued to talk about her husband, Shay unable to stop her smile from growing at Gabby's words as it was just so clear how much she loved Matt Casey.
"Yeah, I did. And he was." Shay agreed before pulling away from the hospital. "Everyone was though. Not as much as you, but…" She trailed off playfully, Gabby hiding her smile before she shrugged.
"Well, I have a lot to be proud of him for."
"I know you do." She agreed, before a sly smirk formed over her face. "Which is also why you're spending an arm and leg on this surprise lunch for him." She prodded, Gabby huffing out a breath seconds later before shaking her head.
After finishing up at their first call, Gabby quickly decided on picking up food for everyone for Casey's first day. Just as a little treat for him and his new job, it felt like the right thing for her to do. And she knew Matt would love it. "It's not that expensive." She defended herself a beat later. "And plus it's Matt's favorite, I want him to have a nice lunch."
"You're such a wife." Shay shot back, Gabby rolling her eyes once more before Shay drove out into the street. "But anyway, how much longer until we have to pick up this surprise lunch of yours?"
Gabby glanced at her watch. "Not long, maybe a half hour or so.. We have some time to kill."
"What do you want to do?" Shay asked her, merely earning a shrug in response.
"I don't know, we could just go sit outside the restaurant I guess."
"Well, that's boring." Shay huffed out, Gabby then raising her eyebrows while her friend continued to drive.
"Sorry I don't have any activities planned, Shay… What would you like to do?" She asked back with a playful edge to her voice, seeing her best friend's smile widen before she glanced towards her.
"Oh, I don't know. We could drive around, see the sights… Maybe go take a look at your and Casey's new house." She spoke pointedly with her brows raised.
Gabby released a soft sigh in response, shaking her head back and forth before straightening herself in her seat. "It's not our house yet, Shay." She corrected her, but the older paramedic wasn't fazed.
"Eh, it will be… I have a good feeling about it." She responded before turning at the light, Gabby drawing in another breath as her gaze moved forward out the windshield, while Shay's few words began to bounce around her mind.
After she and Matt went to visit that house a few weeks ago, it didn't take long for them to decide to put an offer in. They'd talked about it multiple times, gone over what they liked and didn't like, before always coming to the same conclusion; that they loved that home, and wanted to live there. And after spending so long looking at other homes, they didn't want to wait any longer. So once they knew they were both on the same page, they'd put in an offer on the property.
Now they were just waiting to hear back. Which, admittedly, was a little nerve wracking, given how desperate Gabby was for this all to work out.
"Do you know when you're supposed to hear anything?" Shay questioned, like she could hear what was going on in Dawson's head before the PIC glanced back her way.
"Any day now, according to Matt." She responded, Shay offering her a warm smile before she nodded.
"Well, I'm sure you'll hear soon. And you and Matt will have your perfect house, that you can fill with all kinds of perfect kids, and so you can add more to that baby necklace of yours." Shay continued to joke, Gabby huffing in response while shooting her a look. Though that didn't stop her from reaching up to hold onto the necklace Shay teased her about, the jewelry something she never took off as it was one of her most prized possessions. "But until then, you could at least show me where you two are gonna be procreating here in a few months."
Ignoring the less than subtle nature of her comment, Gabby fought off another eyeroll before she nodded towards the street ahead. "Take a left up here." She instructed, Shay muttering some thankful words underneath her breath before they continued to drive down the street.
Due to its prime location, it took no time at all to get to the home Gabby and Matt were trying to purchase, Shay pulling off onto the street not even fifteen minutes later while Dawson instructed her on where to go.
"It's nice over here." Shay commented while looking at all the houses.
"It is, we really love it… The home is just over here." She told her, pointing her in the right direction before Shay pulled up outside the house.
"Wow, Dawson." She breathed out, almost at a loss for words as no matter how many times Gabby had shown her the photos of the house they wanted, the images couldn't do it justice, the home even more beautiful than she could've imagined. Just as Gabby had felt the first time she saw it. "This place is incredible."
Her genuine words caused Dawson to smile. "Matt and I think so, too.. We love it." She replied, while Shay reached out to hold her arm. "Hopefully one day we'll be able to show you the inside."
"You will." Shay was quick to assure her. "And as your best friend, I demand to be a part of the first house tour."
Gabby laughed in response when Shay gave her arm a loving squeeze. "You will be, don't worry… As long as everything works out, we'll get you in there as soon as we can."
"Good." Shay responded, before her eyes moved back to the home. "But really, Dawson.. This place is great. I can see you and Casey being happy here for a very long time." She spoke, Gabby's smile starting to widen as she nodded.
"Yeah… I think we could." She murmured, her eyes lingering on the property as she couldn't help but fall more in love with this place every time she saw it.
Over the next few minutes the paramedics stayed outside the house, taking in everything while Gabby showed her a few photos of the inside so she could get a better feel of the place, before they eventually left to pick up lunch for the house. It hadn't taken them long to get back into the city, the food already ready for them as after running in to pay they were back on their way to the firehouse with enough food to feed an army.
"Casey's gonna be psyched for this, he might just marry you all over again." Shay commented as they pulled into the driveway, Gabby letting out a soft laugh before they came to a stop in the garage.
"You wouldn't catch me complaining about that."
"I'm sure, that way you could fuck your way all over Italy again." Shay replied without missing a beat, Gabby feeling heat rise up in her chest before she leaned over to shove her shoulder.
"Just help me get the food inside." She shifted the subject, the blonde laughing in amusement before she opened her door.
"Sure thing, Mrs. Casey." She responded, the two sharing a look before they grabbed all the food and made the short walk through the garage towards the double doors.
"Hey, the girls are back." Cruz called when they came inside.
"Whoa, what's all this?" Herrmann added on, those words causing everyone to look up as they saw Dawson and Shay walk in with armfulls of food. "Did you guys bring lunch?"
"We sure did." Shay replied, Gabby more focused on finding her husband as within seconds she saw him sitting at the head of the table, his ears perking up while he watched them walk further inside. "Lunch was on Dawson." She added, Matt's lips turning up into a smile before Gabby gave him a nod.
"Really?" Otis asked.
"Wow, thanks Mama." Cruz replied as he and a few other firefighters came over to help them with the food, taking it all from Gabby before she headed in the direction of her husband.
"You're welcome guys." Gabby replied softly.
"Yeah, Dawson wanted to get food for everyone… For Casey's first day." Shay continued on, Matt's face then softening as he never took his eyes off Gabby, who was now smiling shyly in his direction.
"Well, Captain could get you promoted more often then." Herrmann joked, the room laughing while Gabby let out an amused huff before continuing in her path towards Matt, while everyone else started to dig into the food.
"Baby, you didn't have to do this." Matt spoke as she got closer, Gabby coming up to stand beside him before his hand instinctively reached out for her waist.
"I know I didn't." She responded easily, the bright smile on his face more than worth it as she loved to see him so happy. "But I wanted to, and you deserve it." She added on before leaning down to press a kiss to the top of his head.
"You know between this and breakfast, someone might think you're spoiling me." He spoke lightly, rubbing his hand over her side while she grinned back at him. "But thank you so much babe, I love you."
"I love you too… Now let's eat before Cruz takes it all." She teased, Matt letting out an easy laugh before he stood up, the two heading over towards the counter with everyone else as they were eager to enjoy this thoughtful meal together.
Gabby turned the page in her book as she sat in the serenity of their living room, the quiet around her comforting as the late afternoon sun filtered into their apartment. It was a little after four, Gabby having spent most of the day here by herself as once her and Matt finished up their shift, he'd quickly gone off to a quick construction job he picked up a few days ago. One that wasn't supposed to take too long, Gabby sure her husband would be home any minute.
But until he was, she didn't mind sitting here on her own as the day alone had given her some time to do a little much needed work around the apartment, as well as give her some downtime after their rather hectic day at the firehouse, seeing as how the city of Chicago certainly hadn't taken in easy on Casey during his first shift as Captain.
Though there had been nothing nearly as daunting the rest of the day after that apartment fire, they'd still been running rampant over the city nearly all of their shift. Whether it was a house fire, or car accidents, or people just needing assistance, the entire house was gone more than they were at the station. But 51's newest Captain had taken everything in stride, Matt fulfilling his role and then some as throughout their day he'd only proved over and over again why he was the perfect man for this job. And she couldn't help but feel immensely grateful for not only his chance to show everyone just how capable he was, but for how everyone else had responded to it, as Gabby and the rest of the house had taken to his new role just as well as he had.
It's not that she had been expecting any problems necessarily, as they were already used to Matt being in charge. But this was different, his Captaincy changed the dynamics in house, as it wasn't him and Severide who were on the same playing field anymore. It was just him, and with that came a level of respect needed from his first responders. It wasn't only up to Matt to perform his job well, but for everyone else to buy into it, and respect him for the position he was in.
And they had. Without a doubt in Gabby's mind, everyone had responded just as well as she'd been hoping for. And not only had that helped Matt immensely while he settled into his new position, but on a personal level she knew how much it meant to him. That they not only respected him as their Captain, but as their friend, and this change in his title hadn't affected how things worked within their firehouse too much, the combination of all of that helping Matt's first day go better than any of them could've ever imagined.
And Gabby couldn't wait for it to continue.
The sound of the door opening pulled her from her thoughts, a soft smile forming over her face as she assumed Matt had just returned home from his construction job. And when she heard his voice seconds later, she knew that to be true, before she realized that he was talking to someone on the phone.
"Yeah, yeah… I understand. That's so great." He spoke, Gabby unable to see him as he was still down the hallway, hearing him shut the front door before discarding his belongings onto the ground. "I'll have to tell her, yeah." He continued on, Dawson's eyebrows furrowing before she placed her book down, as she couldn't help but assume that whoever he was talking to, they were talking about her.
"No, it is. It's fantastic, I just wasn't expecting it." Matt continued on, his voice getting louder as within seconds she saw him round the corner, her expectant eyes already on him while she took notice of the bright look on his face. One that only grew when he saw her sitting on the couch.
As she figured, his cell phone was up to his ear, Gabby's eyebrows knitting together even more as Matt shot her a smile, before gesturing towards the device in his grasp.
"Mhmm, I will… Yeah, we'll be there. Thank you again." He spoke into the phone, his gratitude impossible to miss before he hung up the call and slid his cell phone back into his pocket, that beaming grin never leaving his face as Gabby couldn't help but smile back at him.
"...What is it?" She asked somewhat cautiously, unsure of what was going on. But the look on his face kept her at ease, Gabby assuming that whatever he had just been on the phone about was good news. "Matt?" She pushed when he had yet to say anything, Casey letting out a soft laugh before he came around to the front of the couch.
"That was the real estate agent." He started, her eyes widening ever so slightly before she pushed herself up from the sofa, coming to stand in front of him as his shining gaze focused on her.
"And?" She pressed on, feeling the smallest bit of excitement beginning to radiate through her body.
"And… They accepted our offer."
Her breath caught in her throat, hearing him say the words out loud even better than she ever could've imagined as a wide smile formed across her face, tears involuntarily filling her eyes before he started to nod.
"We've gotta go fill out some paperwork at the bank, and go over a few last things with the buyer but it's ours… We have our house." He repeated, an emotional breath escaping her lips while he smiled, before she practically lunged herself into his arms.
Casey caught her easily, the two laughing and somewhat crying as intense emotions filled the room, both of them beaming as Matt tucked his head into her shoulder before he picked her up and spun her around in his arms. She let out a few more excited laughs, tightening her grip on him while they continued to celebrate this giant step in their lives together.
"God, I can't believe it." Gabby breathed out as he set her back on the ground, Matt giving her body one last squeeze before he pulled back enough to see her, the look of pure joy on her face flooding him with complete warmth and contentment. "We have our house." She said with a watery laugh, Matt nodding quickly before he brought his hands up to cup her cheeks and pull her in for a kiss. One that was as long as it was passionate, the two holding onto each other like their lives depended on it until they separated once air became an issue. But he never went far, Matt pressing his forehead down against hers as they stood in their living room, his head slowly beginning to nod while he locked his fingers through hers, neither of them in any hurry to move as this incredible news continued to wash over them.
"We do, baby… We've got our house."
