Happy Tuesday friends! Or MIWF day as some of you have dubbed it, (which is so sweet by the way). Thank you as always for the lovely comments and support of this story. I will never be over the amount of love y'all show me and this fic. Here is the next chapter & I'm super excited about it…while it has a few emotional moments, it's a total fluffball of a chapter which is just what our fave little family needs right now. Enjoy & I'll see ya next week for chapter 19!
Jay's green eyes and his soft smile are the first thing Hailey sees when she blinks her eyes open the next morning. She wakes the same way she fell asleep the night before – snuggled in against him with one of his arms draped over her waist and her head resting on top of the other.
"Good morning," Jay says quietly as he moves the tips of his fingers across her back in slow circles.
"Morning," Hailey croaks out with a sleepy voice, lifting an arm between them and bringing a hand to his chest to grip his shirt.
"Did you sleep okay?"
She nods, but there's a peculiar look in his eyes when he asks and she quirks an eyebrow at him.
"Not too bad. What's with the face though?" Hailey asks.
His fingers still at her back and he sighs quietly, his arm tightening just slightly over her waist.
"You – you were kicking in your sleep in middle of the night. Talking a bit…"
She swallows hard then takes a deep, shaky breath as she looks at him. "I didn't hurt you did I?"
"No," he shakes his head quickly. "Don't even worry about that."
She nods slowly, her eyes drifting from his and falling to his chest as she asks quietly, "What was I saying?"
She notices the way the apple of his throat bobs, hears another sigh escape past his lips, but she can't bring herself to look him in the eyes.
"You uh, you kept saying 'no' and yelling out 'stop.' You said it over and over, and you were crying in your sleep. I tried to wake you up, but you wouldn't so I tried getting out of the bed. I – I didn't want you to wake up and think I was hurting you, but you wouldn't let me go."
She still doesn't look at him, just nods again and tightens her grip on his shirt with trembling fingers as her eyes fill with tears.
"A nightmare of what could have been I guess," she mumbles a moment later.
Jay squeezes his arm over her waist as he pulls her closer to him, his lips brushing over her forehead before he says, "Maybe we should stay in Chicago. We can go away another time. Maybe you could talk to someone – "
"I'm fine," she says quickly with another shake of her head.
"Hailey – "
"I'm fine," she tells him again louder and it has him breathing out a heavy sigh.
"Okay," he mumbles, nodding slowly.
"I'm not…I can't – I can't talk about it. Not yet. Please?"
"Okay," Jay says again with another nod. He offers a tight lipped smile as he pulls his arms from her, thinking she might want some space, and glances to the bedroom door. "How about I go and make us some coffee, hmmm?"
Hailey nods and moves her head to a pillow, watching as he sits up and stands from the bed, then heads out of the room.
She doesn't let her tears fall until he closes the door behind him.
Hailey drags herself out of her bed a short while later and makes her way downstairs. She forces a smile when she turns the corner into the kitchen and spots Avery sitting at the island, a plate of Eggo waffles and a cup of juice in front of her.
"Hi mama," the little girl says with a sleepy grin before she brings a forkful to her mouth.
"Morning baby," Hailey says as she walks over to her daughter, feeling Jay's eyes on her as she goes.
She drops a kiss to the top of Avery's head, then makes her way to the coffee pot on the other side of the counter. She offers a small smile to Jay when he passes her the half and half as she stands next to him and pours herself a cup, keeping her eyes down and trying to slow her fast beating heart.
"Hailey," he whispers.
"Yeah?" She calls out, not looking up at him.
"It's okay," he tells her as he sets his mug down on the counter. He reaches out a hand to rest it at the middle of her back and drags his fingers back and forth slowly.
She doesn't flinch this time, but still tenses under his touch, her heart still beating a little too fast as she turns her head and finally looks up at him.
"Are you mad at me?"
"No, I'm not mad at you," he says quietly with a shake of his head, leaning in closer toward her so Avery doesn't pick up on their conversation. "I'm just worried about you."
He drags his hand up her back, between her shoulder blades and weaves his fingers through her hair at the back of her head, then leans in and presses his lips to her forehead.
"I'm not mad," he tells her once more with a soft smile on his face when he pulls away to look at her again.
She swallows hard, but nods her head at him and relaxes just slightly as she stands in front of him, her coffee long forgotten on the counter. She takes a step closer to him to snake her arms around his waist and leans her head against his chest.
"I'm sorry," she mumbles, squeezing her arms around him.
Jay keeps his hand at the back of her head and lifts his other arm to bring it around her shoulders, holding her close against him.
"You don't have anything to be sorry for," he says quietly over the top of her head, squeezing his arm around her.
"Are we still going on our trip mama?"
Hailey lifts her head from Jay's chest to look up at him, as if asking for permission, but he just shakes his head again.
"It's your decision," he says with another smile.
She nods slowly, squeezing her arms around him once more before she turns her head to look at Avery.
"Yeah baby. We'll still go," Hailey says, forcing another smile for the little girl. "We'll pack some things after breakfast and head out soon, okay?"
"Okay," Avery nods before she takes another bite of her waffles.
Hailey looks back to Jay, her shoulders heaving just slightly with the quick breaths she takes, and then she asks, "Is that okay?"
He answers her with another kiss to her forehead and another soft smile.
"Your decision. Whatever you wanna do."
"I just – I wanna get away. I – I need the distraction," she tells him, swallowing hard again and staring up at him, their height difference more prominent than ever as he towers over her short frame.
"Then we'll get away," Jay says with another squeeze of his arm around her shoulders. "Will you be okay for a bit if I go take a shower?"
"Yeah," Hailey nods.
"I'll be quick," he tells her, dropping his arm from her shoulder and removing his hand from the back of her head. He presses one more kiss to her forehead before he steps away and heads for the stairs.
Hailey breathes out a heavy sigh as she goes back to her coffee. She puts the creamer back in the fridge then grabs her mug and makes her way to the island. She takes a seat beside Avery and sets her mug down in front of her, then turns to face the little girl.
"How'd you sleep baby?"
"Good," Avery says, glancing up at Hailey. She scrunches her eyebrows at the sight of the still quite fresh bruises marring her mother's face and reaches for her.
Hailey smiles softly at the little girl as she stretches her arms out and lifts Avery into her lap, her legs dangling on either side of her as she looks down at her daughter.
"Are you okay mama?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," Hailey nods, reaching out a hand to the little girl's face and then raking her fingers through her hair. "I know I probably look really scary, huh?"
Avery shakes her head, lifting a little hand to Hailey's cheek. "You look hurt."
Hailey brings her other hand up to rest it over her daughter's against her cheek and nods again. "It only hurts a little."
"Do you need to go to the doctor?"
"No, I'll be okay," Hailey tells her.
"You promise?" Avery asks with a pouty lip and an unconvinced look in her eyes.
"I promise," Hailey nods again, raking her fingers through the little girl's hair once more before brushing a finger across her cheek. "How was breakfast?"
"It was yummy. Daddy made me waffles."
"Hmmm, that does sound yummy," she says, glancing to the empty plate. "You wanna head upstairs and get dressed? Then we'll get ready for our trip?"
"Yeah!" Avery says excitedly, grinning widely as she looks up at her mother.
"Okay, come on," Hailey says, setting the little girl down on the floor and standing to her feet.
She grabs the dishes from the counter and puts them in the dishwasher, and then her and Avery head for the stairs.
The little girl goes up ahead of Hailey, stopping in the middle of the stairs to see her mother moving slowly behind her and gripping the railing tightly.
"I'll help you mama," Avery tells her, stepping down toward her and reaching for Hailey's other hand.
She smiles at her, squeezing the little girl's hand in hers. "Thank you baby. You're the sweetest kid, ya know that?"
Avery just smiles back as she holds onto her mother and the two walk up the stairs together, the little girl moving slowly alongside Hailey as they go.
She lets go of Avery's hand as they enter the little girl's bedroom and heads for the closet while her daughter goes and sits on her bed. She pulls out a duffel bag from the shelf, then heads for the dresser and starts filling the bag with some clothes.
"How long are we gonna be gone mama?"
"Uh, I don't actually know baby," Hailey tells her as she stuffs some more things into the duffle. "At least a few days."
"Can I bring my coloring books and crayons?"
Hailey nods, turning to smile at her. "Of course you can."
She grabs another outfit for the little girl to change into and tosses it over her arm, then makes her way toward her daughter sitting on her bed.
"Let's get you dressed for the day," Hailey says, dropping the duffle to the floor and setting the other clothes over her arm down on the bed.
Avery nods and Hailey helps her change into her outfit then gets some sandals on her feet. She grabs the little girl's pajamas and dumps them into a hamper next to the dresser, then looks over at her daughter.
"I'm gonna go to my room and pack a bag for myself. Will you be okay in here for a bit?"
"Yes mama," Avery nods as she slides down from her bed.
The little girl goes and sits down at a small table in the corner of her room and reaches for a coloring book so Hailey leaves her be to head to her bedroom.
She makes her way to the closet and grabs a bag for herself, pulling a few things from some hangers. She drops them on the bed as she heads to the dresser just as the bathroom door opens. She looks up as Jay steps into the room in his boxers with a towel hung around his neck, looking like a deer caught in headlights.
"I'm sorry. I thought you'd still be downstairs," Jay says, stopping in his tracks just outside the bathroom door when he sees Hailey standing a few feet away.
"It's okay," Hailey tells him, turning her head away quickly. She swallows nervously as she pulls open a dresser drawer to distract herself from looking at her half naked partner. "I packed a bag for Ave and got her dressed. She's raring to go on this trip."
She feels his eyes on her, but doesn't look at him as she grabs a few more things from her dresser and turns around to walk back to her bed. She keeps her back to him and busies herself with stuffing things inside her duffle, ignoring the heat of embarrassment she feels in her cheeks and the way her heart rate picks up.
She glances over her shoulder and catches sight of Jay's back just before he disappears into the bathroom and turns back to the bag and clothes in front of her. He comes back into the bedroom a moment later and walks toward Hailey, sitting down at the bench seat at the end of her bed, but she keeps her eyes down, not wanting to make things any more awkward than they already feel.
"I'm dressed," Jay says to her softly.
She lifts her head and peeks over at him, swallowing hard now and nodding slowly as she looks at him.
"I – I'm sorry," Hailey shakes her head, dropping the pair of shorts in her hands with a frustrated sigh.
"Why are you sorry? I'm the one traipsing into your bedroom in just my boxers. I really thought you were still downstairs with Avery."
Hailey sighs again, shrugging her shoulders. "Because I'm pretty sure most women that see a half-naked man in their bedroom wouldn't feel what I just felt."
"What did you feel?"
"I don't know," she shrugs again, breathing out another heavy sigh of frustration. "Embarrassed? Scared? Nervous? All of the above."
"Did I – did I scare you?" He asks, tilting his head at her with a look of concern in his eyes.
"No," she shakes her head quickly. "I'm just – I don't know. I'm overthinking it I guess. I've just never…I've never seen you like that and we – things between us aren't like they are with other couples, normal couples, and I – I…I don't know."
Jay nods, an ah-ha moment flashing over his face as he stands to his feet and takes a step toward her. He holds out a hand to her and she takes it as she steps closer to him.
"You know I'm not expecting anything from you, right?" He asks her, smiling softly at her and squeezing his fingers around hers. "That I would never, ever pressure you about…about that. You know that, don't you?"
"I do," she says, swallowing nervously once more as she stares up at him. "I – I don't want you to think that I – that I don't want…"
"Hailey," he breathes out, shaking his head and squeezing her hand again. "I know, but you don't have to think about that or worry about it right now."
She nods, glancing down at their joined hands and taking a deep breath before she looks back up at him a moment later.
"I'm sorry I made you feel uncomfortable," he tells her, his face twisting as if in pain as he stares down at her, and then whispers, "I'm so sorry."
"I'm okay," she says, offering a small smile as she squeezes his hand. "I'm gonna finish packing and then we can head out if you want. I'm guessing we have to stop by your place, right?"
"Yeah, I need to grab some more clothes and some shoes other than my work boots."
"Give me like ten minutes?" Hailey asks as she pulls her hand from his.
"Take your time. I'll go check on Ave."
"Her duffle is on the floor by her bed. Can you grab it for me please? And take her downstairs so she can pack up her backpack?"
"Of course," Jay nods, smiling at her before he presses a kiss to the side of her head then heads toward the little girl's bedroom.
Hailey turns back to the clothes in front of her, taking a few deep breathes before she finishes stuffing them into her duffle. She grabs her phone charger and drops it into the bag before she goes into the bathroom to get some of her toiletries.
She changes quickly out of her clothes from the night before and pulls on a clean outfit – a pair of shorts and a breezy t-shirt, and then slips into a pair of Birkenstock's. She checks to make sure she has everything she needs before she zips up the duffle and slings it over her shoulder carefully, and then leaves her bedroom.
She makes her way downstairs and drops her bag by the door, then heads to the living room, finding Avery and Jay sitting on the couch in front of the coffee table.
"Hey, you two," Hailey smiles as she walks toward them. "You get your coloring books and crayons Ave?"
Avery looks up at her mother and nods her head quickly. "Getting them now mama."
"No rush baby," Hailey says before she looks over at Jay, quirking an eyebrow at him. "How long of a drive is this cabin of yours anyway?"
"Uh, like three and a half hours? Maybe a little longer. It's up in Jacksonport on Lake Michigan," Jay tells her.
Hailey nods, smiling knowingly as she walks over to an end table next to the couch and pulls out an iPad from the drawer, then hands it over to Avery.
"Here baby. Just for the car ride, okay?"
"Okay mama," the little girl says as she takes the tablet and puts it in her backpack, then looks between Hailey and Jay. "I think I have everything."
Jay chuckles at the little girl as he stands from the couch and grabs her backpack. "Let's get going then. Don't forget teddy."
"I won't!" Avery says, picking up her bear from the couch and tucking it under her arm.
"I just need to get Ave's seat out of your Jeep. I put it back after you guys left," Jay says to Hailey as the three of them head into the kitchen.
"We can take my car if it's easier," she says as she grabs a tote bag from a drawer. She pulls out a few drinks from the fridge and some snacks from a cabinet, and stuffs them into the bag.
When she looks back at Jay he's quirking an eyebrow at her with a smirk on his face.
"What?"
"You're gonna let me drive your Jeep?" He asks.
Hailey rolls her eyes. "It's not that big of a deal. Just don't crash us."
"When have I ever? My driving isn't that bad."
"Close calls count," she teases, lifting the tote bag to her shoulder, but Jay grabs it from her hand and slings it over his instead. "I can carry that, ya know?"
"I got it," he tells her with a soft smile before he turns to look at Avery. "You ready to go, bug?"
"Yeah!" She squeals with a quick nod and a big grin.
"Alright, let's go," Jay says.
They head for the door and Jay grabs the duffle bags, shooting Hailey a wink when she raises her eyebrows at him. She rolls her eyes at him again, but smiles nonetheless as she locks up behind them and they make their way out to her Jeep.
They load up the bags, buckle Avery in, and then head for Jay's apartment.
It's a little more than four hours later when Jay turns off the main road onto a gravel one, driving slowly down a long winding driveway. They had made a pit stop for a bathroom break half-way into the drive and stopped off at a store just a little bit ago for some groceries.
Jay keeps driving along until the driveway comes to a dead end and a house comes into view between the heavy green forest surrounding them.
It's a cozy looking cabin with lots of windows and a stone walkway leading from the driveway to the front door, and what looks to be a wrap-around porch that goes all the way around to the back.
"This is your cabin?" Hailey asks, staring out ahead through the windshield at the house in front of them.
"What were you expecting? More rustic charm?"
"Well, yes, actually," she laughs quietly.
"It's been in my family for as long as I can remember. My grandfather had it moved here to this spot. It used to be just a small fishing cabin, but we've all put money into it over the years. It's a lot nicer now."
"It's beautiful," Hailey says, turning her head to smile over at him.
"You wanna know the best part about it?"
"What's that?" She asks.
"No stairs," he tells her.
"Really?"
He nods, grinning back at her and then cocks his head to the side. "There's just a few on the back porch and down to the dock, but everything inside the house is one main level. And just wait 'til you see the view from the porch."
He kills the engine then glances in the rearview mirror, smiling at the sight of Avery conked out in the backseat.
"The kid is still knocked out. I'll take her in and get the bags after," Jay says as he opens the door.
"I can carry some bags, ya know? It's just some bruises and muscle aches. I'll be fine," Hailey tells him when he meets her on the passenger side.
"Are you sure?" He asks with a look of concern on his face.
She rolls her eyes. "Give me my keys, Halstead."
"Yes ma'am," he smirks, handing them over to her.
She goes to the back of the SUV while Jay pulls open the back door and unbuckles Avery.
"Hey bug," he says quietly, grabbing one of her hands and giving it a shake. "Wake up."
"Daddy?" She mumbles, blinking her eyes open and stretching her legs out in front of her.
"Yeah, baby. We're here. Come on," he tells her as he lifts the little girl from her seat.
He settles her against his chest and grabs her backpack and teddy bear, then closes the door as Hailey walks up to them with a few bags in her hands and over one shoulder.
"You sure you're okay?" Jay asks Hailey as she takes her daughter's backpack and teddy from him and they head up the walkway to the front door.
"I'm fine. You can be a macho man and grab the groceries though."
"Very funny," he says as he readjusts Avery in his arms and reaches into his pocket for his keys.
He turns a silver key into the lock on the front door and pushes it open, nodding his head at Hailey to head in first. He goes in after her and closes the door behind them, then follows her down a short hallway.
"Wow," Hailey breathes out as they enter the main living area of the house.
There's a stone fireplace in the center of the wall with a TV above the mantle and double French style doors on one side of the wall that lead out to the back porch.
A comfy, plush looking sectional sofa is set in the middle of the room near the fireplace, end tables at either side, and the entire room is open, all of the windows allowing the summer sun to stream in. There's a kitchen to the right with a small island and two stools set in place and a small laundry room off to the side. It
Hailey turns around to look at Jay and finds him already smiling at her.
"What do you think?"
"It's amazing," she says, grinning back at him. "Definitely not the rustic charm I was expecting."
His smile widens as he nods at her, then points over her shoulder. "There's only two bedrooms, but each of 'em has its own bathroom. One to the left of the living room and one to the right. Master is on your left."
"Sounds good to me," she says, then points to Avery who is once again asleep in Jay's arms. "Maybe put her on the couch for now? I don't wanna wake her again just yet."
He nods and walks to the couch, laying the little girl down gently and setting her teddy beside her.
"I'm gonna go grab the groceries. I'll be right back," Jay tells her.
Hailey nods and he heads out the door. She glances down at Avery and picks up her and Jay's duffels, and makes her way to the bedroom he had pointed her to.
She opens the door, gasping again at the sight when she sees a plethora of pillows that adorn a king size bed against one wall. There's a TV against the other wall with a dresser beneath it, a door to the left of it that she assumes is the closet and an open door to the right that leads into a bathroom.
She walks over to the bed and sets the bags down on top of it, unable to ignore the urge to run her hands over the cozy looking white bedding. She presses her hands down into the duvet, feeling the soft plushness beneath her fingers and sighs happily to herself.
She turns on her heels and heads back out into the main room just as Jay enters with the grocery bags in his hands. He sets them down on the island and she walks over to him, smiling up at him.
"The bed in that bedroom feels like a cloud. I don't think I've ever been so excited to go to sleep before now."
He chuckles, shaking his head at her as he starts pulling things out of bags. "That's my bed. I love that thing. Best sleep you'll ever get."
"Well, it's our bed while we're here buddy," she says as she takes a step toward him to help with the groceries.
He smiles softly at her as he grabs a few things from a bag and drops a kiss to the side of her head as he walks past her to go to the fridge.
They finish putting the groceries away and Jay brings Avery's duffle into the other bedroom. He comes back out a few moments later and finds Hailey standing in front of the wall near the kitchen, staring up at the picture frames hung across it.
"Those pictures do not leave this cabin," he threatens playfully as he stands beside her.
She lets out a quiet giggle and points to a frame in the middle.
"You and Will were so cute when you were little. What happened?" She teases.
"Ha ha," he scoffs, then watches her hone in on another frame a few photos over. His playful smile fades, his stomach sinking as she juts her chin out at the picture.
"Is that your mom?" Hailey asks quietly, turning her head to look at him.
Jay nods slowly, staring up at the photo of a happy looking brunette woman with a big grin on her face and a little boy under each arm on either side of her.
"She's beautiful," Hailey says, looking back up at the photo. "I think you look more like her than you do your dad."
His lips quirk upward into a small smile and he nods slowly once more. "I'll have to dig up some older photos for you from when she was a kid. I was her spitting image when I was little. I have no idea where Will and his red hair came from though."
Hailey laughs as she shakes her head, crossing her arms over her chest and glancing at him when he speaks again.
"Mom and dad used to bring us up here all the time when we were kids, like for weeks during the summer. Dad would take us up on winter break and we'd go ice fishing."
Hailey smiles softly at him as he tells her about his family, an image forming in her head of him as a kid, and then the smile drops from her face as she glances up at him.
"When did she get sick?" She asks quietly.
He breathes out a sigh as he rocks back on his heels, then turns his head to look at her.
"I was a junior in high school, Will was a senior. She did chemo and it worked for a while, she went into remission for a little over a year," he tells her before he takes a deep breath. "It came back when I was overseas on my first tour. When I got home, she – she didn't even look like herself. I barely recognized her. She died a few months after I got home."
"I'm so sorry Jay," Hailey whispers.
"I was a mess back then," he says, shrugging his shoulders. "Will went back to med school after the funeral and my dad was – well, he wasn't really my dad anymore. He just shut down. I couldn't deal with any of it so I signed on for another tour and shipped out a few weeks after the funeral."
She takes a step closer to him, reaching for his hand and squeezing it tightly with hers as she says, "You may have been a mess after she died, but look at everything you've done since then. All the good you've done and the people you've helped. I think your mom would be proud of you. Of the man you turned out to be."
"I hope so," he says, nodding slowly before a soft smile comes over his face. "She definitely would have loved you and Avery though."
"You think?"
"I know," Jay nods as he squeezes her hand.
"I wish I could have met her," Hailey says. "Mostly for the fact that she seems like she was an incredible woman, but also because she probably could have told me some real good stories about you as a kid."
"I have no doubt about that. You two would have ganged up on me for sure."
She smirks at him, then tugs on his hand and nods to the kitchen. "Come on. Let's get some lunch. I'm starving."
"I'll make us some sandwiches," he says as he lets go of her hand and makes his way to the fridge.
Hailey follows after him, standing next to him as he reaches for the load of bread on the counter.
"I can make them. I'm not entirely useless," she says.
"Will you please let me take care of you? While we're here at least?" Jay asks, tilting his head at her with another soft smile.
"Let you take care of me or let you spoil me?" Hailey asks as she leans back against the island and raises an eyebrow at him.
"Same thing."
"No, it's not," she laughs.
He takes a step toward her, reaching his hands out to her. She knows instantly by the look in his eyes that he wants to touch her, quickly recognizing the silent ask of permission on his face so she steps closer to him and snakes her arms around his waist.
He lifts an arm around her shoulders and raises the other to the side of her face, cradling her head in his palm.
"You deserve to be spoiled."
"I'm not broken though, ya know?" She says with a heavy sigh, squeezing her arms around his waist as she stares up at him. "You don't need to walk on eggshells around me or change the way you do things because of me. Because of what happened. I don't want that for us."
"I know and I'm not. I mean, I'm not trying to do that," he nods, tightening his arm around her and running his thumb over her jawline. "I just want you to rest and relax and not worry about anything while we're here. So let me do anything and everything I can to help make sure that happens, okay? Even if it's just making you a turkey sandwich."
"Okay," she whispers, nodding slowly.
"I'll make us some lunch. Did you see the backyard yet?"
She shakes her head, glancing over at the double doors next to the fireplace.
"Go check it out. I think you'll like it," he says, dropping his arm and hand from her, and turning back to the counter.
"Come with me?"
"I thought you were starving," he smirks at her.
"I don't think five minutes will have me withering away," she jokes, reaching for his hand again. "Come on."
Hailey holds onto him and he follows in step behind her as she leads him to the doors. She glances over to the couch to see Avery still asleep and pulls one of the doors open with her free hand, then steps outside.
Jay trails behind her, grinning widely when her mouth falls open at the view she's greeted with on the back porch. He closes the door behind them with a quiet click and stands back as she lets go of his hand and walks over to the porch railing.
"This is…" she breathes out, shaking her head as she loses her words.
The back porch gives an unobstructed view of Lake Michigan through a clearing of trees at the end of the yard. There's a stone path, similar to the one in front of the house, that leads from the porch steps straight to the beach access on the property as well as a dock. A fire pit sits off to the side, nestled near the water's edge with a few Adirondack chairs scattered about.
"Nice, right?" Jay asks as he walks up behind her.
"Nice is not the word for this," Hailey says, still gaping at the sight in front of them before she turns around to look at him. "It's perfect."
"I thought you might like it," he tells her.
Hailey nods, then something catches her eye so she turns her head to the left of them and spots a porch swing hanging from the rafters of the roof. A smile slowly creeps onto her face as she turns her head to look back at Jay.
"Thank you for bringing us here," she tells him, reaching for his hand again.
"You're welcome," he says as he weaves their fingers together.
She tugs on his hand and he takes a step closer to stand beside her, and then she drops his hand to wrap her arm around him and sets her hand at his waist. She leans into him and he lifts his arm around her shoulders again, holding her close to him as she rests her head against him.
"This is just what I needed," she nearly whispers as they stand side by side, staring out at the lake.
"It's all yours while we're here," he tells her before he leans down and drops a kiss to the side of her head. "And whenever else you wanna come back."
"Every weekend then," she mumbles.
"Not with our hours," he chuckles. "But definitely again. Maybe the fall? The trees and the colors in October are insane."
"October then," she nods against him.
He squeezes his arm around her and kisses the top of her head again. "You still hungry?"
Her stomach growls as soon as the words leave his mouth and he laughs, dropping his arm from her.
"Come on," he says. "I owe you a sandwich."
They head back inside to find Avery awake and sitting up on the couch, rubbing her hands under her eyes.
"Mama? Daddy?"
"Hey bug!" Jay grins over at her, closing the back door when Hailey enters behind him.
"Hi baby. You're finally awake," Hailey says, smiling at her daughter as she walks toward her. "Did you have a good nap?"
Avery nods, then glances around at her unfamiliar surroundings, furrowing her eyebrows and looking back at Hailey. "Where are we?"
"We're at daddy's house," Hailey says, sitting down next to Avery and lifting a hand to run her fingers through the little girl's hair.
"How many houses does daddy have?" Avery asks, tilting her head.
Hailey and Jay chuckle, and he steps forward, taking a seat on the coffee table to face the little girl.
"Just this one and the other one you slept at before. This isn't just mine though. You remember Will? The doctor you met a few days ago?"
Avery nods. "Your brother?"
"That's right. Him and I share this house. We use it for fun trips, like the one we're on right now," Jay tells her.
"What kinda fun?" She asks with a curious look.
"Just about anything, really. We can go swimming, walk the trails down by the water, make a fire and roast some marshmallows. And I'm pretty sure we have some kayaks out in the shed if you wanna go for a boat ride," Jay tells her, smiling at the little girl.
"Can we go swimming?" She asks, her eyes lighting up as she looks at him.
"Sure we can," Jay tells her. "How about some lunch first? You hungry?"
"Yeah," Avery nods.
"Alright. I'll make us some lunch and then we'll jump in the lake in a little while. You and mama can hang out for a bit, okay?"
"Okay," the little girl says.
He flashes her one more smile then stands from the coffee table and heads to the kitchen, leaving Hailey and Avery on the couch.
"Can we cuddle mama?" Avery asks, looking up at her mother with big blue eyes.
"Of course we can. You never have to ask me that. Come here," Hailey says, reaching her arms out and pulling her daughter into her lap.
She leans back against the couch and wraps her arms around Avery, holding her close against her chest as she runs a hand up and down the little girl's back.
"Why'd you think I wouldn't wanna cuddle with you?" Hailey asks her.
"Because of your mean marks. I didn't wanna hurt you," Avery says quietly.
"Oh baby, you'd never hurt me," Hailey says, dropping a kiss to the top of the little girl's head and squeezing her. "I love cuddling with you."
"Me too," the little girl says, clutching the fabric of Hailey's shirt in her fists.
Hailey hums out a response as she presses another kiss to Avery's head, dragging the tips of her fingers up and down her back.
They stay snuggled together on the couch for a little while longer until Jay announces lunch is ready. They get up and head meet Jay at the island and he lifts Avery onto a stool.
The three of them eat lunch together and a short while later, after an outfit change for Avery and Jay, they lather on some sunscreen, grab a few towels, and head outside.
Jay leads Avery and Hailey through the backyard, smiling when the little girl lets go of his hand and runs ahead of them to the water's edge.
"You gonna go in?" Jay asks Hailey with a nod of his head toward the water.
"Uh, probably not. I – I didn't bring a swimsuit," she tells him quietly, staring over at her daughter.
"What you have on is fine, ya know? You don't need a suit to jump in the lake," he smiles at her, bumping his elbow against her arm gently. "Besides, it's just us here. Pretty sure the nearest neighbor is about three or four miles to your left. We have total privacy here."
Hailey turns her head, smiling up at him as she points over her shoulder to the fire pit behind them. "Maybe later. I think I'll go sit in one of those chairs and enjoy the sun for a bit."
"Alright," he tells her, sending another smile her way before he steps away from her and makes his way toward Avery.
Hailey stares after them for a moment and then turns around and walks over to the fire pit area. She takes a seat in one of the Adirondack chairs and stretches her legs out to the accompanying footstool.
She pulls her sunglasses down over her eyes and stares out at the water, breathing deeply and sighing contentedly at the feeling of the sun beating down on her skin and the light breeze that comes through from the lake.
Avery and Jay splash around in the water for a while before she becomes enamored with the sand and rocks along the shoreline and pops a squat on the small stretch of beach. Jay keeps an eye on the little girl as he makes his way toward Hailey and takes a seat in a chair beside her, bringing his legs up onto a footstool in front of him.
"She traded you in for some sand and pebbles, huh?"
"Shush you," Jay grins, shaking his head at the smirk on her face.
Hailey lets out a quiet laugh beside him, leaning her head back and watching Avery as she continues playing on the beach several feet away from them.
"How are you feeling?" Jay asks her.
"I'm good," she tells him, turning her head to nod at him. "Sun feels nice and my head doesn't hurt as much today."
"That's great to hear. I brought the Advil with us, just in case you need it."
"Hmmm, thank you," she says with a grateful smile.
Jay nods and looks back out at Avery for another few moments until he feels her staring. He turns his head and meets Hailey's eyes when she lifts her sunglasses over her head and he juts his chin toward her.
"What's up?"
"You went in the water with your shirt on. You can take it off, ya know? I promise I won't freak out again."
He shakes his head, smiling at her. "I'm good."
"Jay, I'm fine. Really. It's summer and we're on the lake. Just take the damn shirt off," she says before a tiny smirk appears over her face. "Besides, it's not as if you're not nice to look at."
He raises an eyebrow at her candor, smiling softly at her. "Were you checking me out this morning, Upton?"
"Shut up," she says playfully, leaning back into her chair and pulling her sunglasses down over her eyes again.
He shakes his head again, his smile widening as he lifts his soaked t-shirt over his head and tosses it to the ground between their chairs. He looks over at Hailey, then stretches out his arm toward her with his hand open to her. She turns her head and smiles at him again, placing her hand in his and squeezing tightly.
Their moment is cut short though when Avery calls over to them, squealing excitedly.
"Daddy! Come play with me!"
"Duty calls," Jay says with a sigh, but there's a grin plastered across his face.
"Still think she doesn't like you more than me now?"
"Stop it," he chuckles.
"Mhmmm," Hailey hums to him.
He pulls himself up from his chair and leans down over her, dropping a quick kiss to the top of her head, and then whispers, "Feel free to check me out some more."
"Just go!" Hailey laughs, swatting at his arm as he steps away from her.
She stares after him through her sunglasses as he jogs over to Avery, smiling to herself as she watches them together and finding herself pulling her bottom lip between her teeth at the sight of him – she can't deny the fact that the man does look pretty damn good shirtless.
She knows it's only been a few days since the hell that transpired in the safe house and she's sure there is still an uphill battle to come when they get back home, but sitting there in the sun and watching Jay with her daughter – their daughter, it makes things feel okay. Makes her feel okay. Makes everything around her feel normal again and it has her smiling just a little bit bigger.
The rest of the afternoon is spent outside and in the sun, Jay and Avery splashing around together in the water and Hailey looking on from her chair, content enough to just watch them having fun together and not quite ready to get in the water just yet.
She makes her way toward them at some point in the early evening and Jay splashes some water over at her as soon as she's standing close enough.
"You just couldn't help yourself could you?" Hailey scolds playfully as she lifts her sunglasses to the top of her head.
He raises an eyebrow at her, a smirk growing on his face as he steps toward her.
"Don't you dare!" Hailey gasps, pointing a finger at him and taking a step back. He chuckles to himself and she shakes her head at him before she looks over at Avery. "You ready for some dinner my little mermaid?"
"What are we having?" Avery asks, looking up at her mother.
"Hmmm…We have some pizzas in the freezer. How's that sound?"
"I love pizza!"
"I know ya do," Hailey smiles at her. "You hang out with daddy for a bit longer and I'll go get it ready, okay?"
"Okay mama," the little girl nods, turning her attention back to the water.
"You good?" Hailey asks, looking over at Jay.
He nods, shooting her a wink. She smiles at him once more then turns around and makes her way back up to the house. She goes inside and heads for the kitchen, and starts getting the oven ready.
The pre-heat timer sounds off just as the back doors swing open and Jay steps inside with Avery in his arms and a towel wrapped around her.
"Putting the pizza in now. Should be ready in about twenty minutes or so," Hailey calls over to them as she slides the pie onto the oven rack and closes the door.
"Can we go swimming again after pizza?" Avery asks looking at Jay.
"Hmmm, probably not again tonight baby. The sun is gonna go down soon. But we can tomorrow, I promise," he tells her, bouncing her in his arms.
"Okay," she says with a pout as she stares at him.
"Not the pout. Don't do that to me," he pleads with her, bouncing her in his arms again as he smiles at her and sets her on her feet. "Let's get you cleaned up and then we'll eat some dinner, okay?"
Avery all, but smirks up at him, almost as if she knows just how much she has him wrapped around her finger, but nods at him, nonetheless.
"You good?" Hailey asks him, a smirk of her own on her face as she walks over to him.
He tilts his head at her, glancing at Avery as she makes her way into her temporary bedroom ahead of him.
"She knows exactly what she's doing, doesn't she?" Jay asks quietly.
"Oh yeah," Hailey grins. "You have fun with that."
Jay shakes his head, then gestures to the bedroom with a nervous look on his face. "So bath? Shower? I'm totally out of my element here."
"A bath is fine," Hailey tells him. "You sure you're ready for this?"
"All in, remember?"
"Yeah, I remember," she whispers, a shy smile coming over her face as she stares back at him. She nods to the bedroom, her shy smile turning to a playful grin as she says, "Come on then. First bath time for you will be very entertaining for me."
Jay just shakes his head and follows after her. They find Avery in the bedroom still wrapped in her towel and as soon as she spots the both of them she wrinkles her eyebrows.
"I gotta take a bath, don't I?" The little girl sighs.
Hailey snickers beside Jay, but nods at her daughter. "Yes, but daddy's gonna give you one."
"I just went swimming! Why do I need a bath?"
"Because you were in a lake and while the water was pretty clear, it's still not the cleanest. So bath it is, okay?" Hailey tells her with a tone that the little girl doesn't object to.
Jay stares at his partner wide eyed with an impressed look on his face as she walks over to the little girl.
"Come on. Go and get your little butt in the bathroom please," Hailey says.
"Okay," Avery sighs again, sliding down from the bed and doing as she's told.
"How did you do that?" Jay asks Hailey when the little girl disappears behind the bathroom door. "She gave me that pout out in the living room and I almost ran outside to toss her back in the water."
Hailey chuckles, giving a slight shrug of her shoulders. "You'll learn to not give into the pout, I promise."
She spots her daughter's duffle on the dresser and goes over to it, pulling out a pair of sleep shorts and a t-shirt for the little girl, then nods over to Jay.
"Come on. That was just round one," Hailey says, laughing at the petrified look on his face as she heads into the bathroom and he follows in after her.
Bath time is hardly entertaining and goes too smoothly for Hailey's liking – Avery listening and holding onto every word Jay says to her as he kneels next to the tub and helps wash up the little girl from her escapades in the lake.
Hailey flips the lid of the toilet down and takes a seat, watching the two of them get lost in their own little world as if she's not even in the room with them. After about ten minutes she grabs Jay's attention and gestures to the pajamas that she had set down on the sink when they entered the bathroom. He nods at her and she slips out to head back into the kitchen.
She makes her way over to the oven just as the timer goes off and finds an oven mitt in one of the drawers. She pulls the pie out and sets it down on a cutting board, letting it cool for a few minutes then plates some slices for the three of them and sets them on the island.
Jay and Avery emerge from the bedroom another few minutes later, her little girl dressed in her pajamas and her damp blonde curls hanging down around her shoulders.
He hoists her up onto a stool and the three of them eat their pizza, engaging in mindless small talk about the day they had together, the grin on Hailey's face not going unnoticed by Jay when Avery mentions all the fun she's having.
Jay cleans up after they finish dinner, raising his eyebrows at Hailey when she comes around the island and tries to help him.
"You're really not gonna let me do the dishes?"
"It's your rule, remember? You cooked and the cook doesn't clean," Jay tells her.
She laughs. "I put a frozen pizza in the oven. That hardly qualifies as cooking."
He tilts his head at her, smirking wickedly at her and it makes her roll her eyes at him.
"You're annoying," she teases, pointing a finger at him.
He just hums out a response with his smirk still splayed over his face and shoos her out of the kitchen. She shakes her head at him, smiling to herself as she helps Avery down from the stool and the two of them head into the living room.
Jay joins them shortly after, and he and Hailey take turns changing into some pajamas before the three of them curl up on the couch together to watch a movie. Avery ends up squished between her mama and daddy with her teddy bear in her arms, and Jay's arm stretched over the back of the couch around both her and Hailey.
The sun has long since set, the darkness of the night visible through the windows, and a cool breeze blowing in through an open one.
Sometime during the movie Jay peeks down at Avery then taps Hailey on the shoulder, nodding to the little girl when she glances over at him.
Her face breaks out into a happy grin when she looks down at her daughter struggling to stay awake as she holds tight to her teddy bear and Jay's arm. She looks back up at him, tilting her head to the bedroom and he nods back at her.
Hailey leans down over the little girl, running a hand through her hair and whispers against the side of her head. "Daddy's gonna bring you to bed okay?"
Avery nods, blinking her eyes slowly and fighting sleep as Hailey drops a kiss to the top of her head.
"I love you baby," she whispers.
"Love you mama," the little girl mumbles sleepily.
Jay pulls himself to his feet and leans down to lift Avery into his arms, settling her against his chest, and then Hailey passes her daughter's space teddy to him. He holds the little girl tightly in one arm with her teddy bear in his other hand and carries her out of the living room.
He comes back out not even five minutes later and takes a seat again at the end of the couch. He leans back and stretches his legs out over the extended seat of the sectional, resting his head against the back cushion.
"She's out like a light. Didn't even wake up and ask for a story."
"What'd you expect? You had her running around and playing in the sun all day," Hailey says with a smile and a shake of her head as she crawls the short distance toward him to sit next to him.
He rolls his eyes, but there's a playful smile on his face as he looks at her. "I'm still getting used to all this, ya know?"
"What's that?"
"Parenting," he says simply.
She grins at him, nodding slowly, but there's a look of something that almost resembles sadness, though not quite and he tilts his head at her.
"What?"
"I'm getting used to it too. Having someone else around that's not Vanessa is – well, it's a little weird for me. A good weird, don't get me wrong, but still weird nonetheless."
"And how are we doing so far?"
"I think we're doing just fine," she says quietly, that same smile still on her face.
He smiles softly at her as he lifts an arm over the back of the couch and she curls into his side almost instantly to rest her head on his shoulder.
"Wanna watch a movie with me?"
Hailey nods against him and he reaches for the remote on the end table next to the couch. He settles for some new comedy on Netflix and sets the remote back down.
Not even a few minutes pass into the movie before Hailey lifts her head to look up at him.
"You okay?" Jay asks her.
She nods again, then tilts her head as high as she can reach and presses her lips to the underside of his jaw.
"I know you said I don't have to say it, but thank you for being here. For taking us here. For everything," she tells him as she drops her head back down against his shoulder.
He leans down and kisses the top of her head, then whispers, "Always."
She breathes out a content sigh and snuggles into him as close as she can get, and they turn their attention back to the movie.
"Jay?" She calls out a short while later.
"Yeah?"
"I – I…"
"What is it?" He asks, tilting his head to look down at her once more.
Hailey lifts her head from him again to meet his eyes and opens her mouth to speak, but closes it just as quickly. She breathes out another sigh, then smiles at him with a shake of her head and turns to reach behind her for his arm over the back of the couch. She brings it down over her, then curls back into him and drapes an arm across his stomach.
"You wanted me to hold you?"
Hailey nods against him and he drops another kiss to the top of her head as he settles his arm over her. His hand falls to her waist, his fingers accidentally ghosting over a sliver of exposed skin between her t-shirt and sweatpants, and he pulls her shirt down to cover her. He sets his hand to her waist again and drops his other over the top of her hand that rests on his stomach.
"Is this okay?"
"Mhmmm," she mumbles.
He gives her a gentle squeeze and brushes his thumb over the top of her hand, smiling to himself as he feels her relax against him.
They only make it through about half the movie before Jay realizes she's starting to doze off, her arm going limp over his stomach and her slow, quiet breaths barely noticeable.
"You're falling asleep," Jay says as he squeezes her side and then her hand, and gives her a little shake against him. "You wanna go to bed?"
She nods and he pulls his arm from her as she lifts herself off him to sit up and lets out a long yawn. He turns off the television before he stands from the couch and holds out a hand to her. She grabs onto him and he helps her to her feet, holding onto her hand as he leads her to the bedroom.
"I'm really digging this whole no stairs thing," she mumbles when they enter the bedroom.
He lets go of her hand and watches her shuffle her way to the bed. She drops down to it with a heavy sigh and turns on her stomach to bury her head into the pillows.
He shakes his head in amusement, a soft smile splayed across his face as he steps out of the room to turn off the rest of the lights in the cabin. He closes the window and makes sure the door is locked then heads back into the bedroom.
He slides into bed beside Hailey and switches off the lamp on the nightstand, smiling again as she reaches for him even in her half-asleep daze.
She scoots closer toward him, her arm falling across his middle once more as she rests her head on his chest. He brings an arm around her and drops his hand to her back, and sets the other on top of her arm across his stomach.
She snuggles against him, breathing quietly as she starts to fall asleep again. He drags the tips of his fingers over her arm slowly, knowing it'll help and within minutes she's fast asleep against him.