A heavy sigh escaped from Hailey's mouth when her friend Kim's car took off and she finally made it to the front door of her home. The black high heels she was wearing were killing her feet and she couldn't stand them any longer, so she quickly took them off, helping her balance by leaning on the wall.
She felt a sense of relief when her bare feet touched the cold floor. "Finally," she mumbled.
Hailey went through her purse – the color was matching the one of the heels – and took her keys out. She opened the front door and quickly closed it behind her, trying to not make too much noise.
She didn't bother to turn the lights on, Hailey was quite good at moving in the dark. Leaving the heels in her hand beside the entrance, she put her flip flops on and headed to the living room.
When she entered the room, she found the most adorable scene her eyes had seen. Technically, it wasn't the first time that she'd witnessed such cuteness, but it always felt like it was.
In front of her, laying down on the couch, there was her fisncé Jay and, sprawled on his bare chest, their two-year-old son Sebastian in just his diaper.
Hailey smiled at the resemblance of the two, even while sleeping they shared the same pouty expression. And beside that, Sebastian truly looked like the smaller version of his father. The only features he took after her were the blond hair and blue eyes, the rest of it – especially the freckles all over his tiny body – was all Jay.
The main source of light was coming from the TV, which transmitted a random cartoon at a very low, almost inaudible volume. Hailey bent over, reaching for the TV remote, but when she made a step, she accidentally hit Sebastian toy fire truck in the process, making a slight noise. She bit her lips, checking on the two to see if they'd heard anything and she was not surprised to see Jay abruptly open his eyes and protectively tighten his grip around his son's body.
It was common knowledge that Jay was a light sleeper and could be easily woken up by her tiniest sound. The days in the military did that to him, among the other things.
He sat up very slowly, trying not to wake Sebastian who, on the contrary, was a heavy sleeper just like his mom.
"Hey," he whispered to Hailey, rapidly blinking and adjusting his sight to the light that she had just turned on, though she'd put them on the hazy level.
"Sorry about that," she said sheepishly, referring to her accidentally hitting the toy with her foot.
Jay shook his head and caressed Sebastian's back, "It's fine, don't worry," he mumbled, getting up. He got closer to her and kissed the top of her head, "How was your night? D'you girls have fun?"
Ever since Sebastian turned six months, Hailey made it a once-a-month thing to go out with Kim and Vanessa to spend some time together outside of work and just be girls for a few hours.
"Yeah, it was very fun. And very needed," she sighed, making grabby hands at Jay, suggesting that she wanted to hold her son. "What did you two do? He looks KO," she chuckled.
Jay scoffed, "I am KO," he shook his head. "I don't know if it's the 'terrible two' thing everyone talks about or just his Halstead genes kicking in, but dude – he sighed dramatically – he's lucky he's cute!" he added.
Hailey giggled quietly, "Halstead genes?" she asked.
"Will and I used to be a real pain in the ass," he elaborated. "Well, he still is. Nothing's changed on that front," Jay shrugged.
Hailey hit his bare chest with a smile, "Jay Alexander!" she whisper-exclaimed.
Jay looked at her, a smirk on his face, "I like it when you use my full name," he said suggestively, pinching her sides and checking her out.
Hailey was wearing a red dress that ended just right above her knees. It wasn't too tight, nor too loose, it just complimented her slim figure in the right spots and definitely caught Jay's eye.
Hailey noticed the lustful way he was looking at her and blushed, pointing a finger at him: "I know what you're doing. Stop," she warned him, heading towards Sebastian's bedroom.
Jay followed her, leaning on the door, and chuckled, a smirk still on his lips, "And what am I doing?" he asked, feigning innocence with his voice.
Hailey's blush was thankfully not visible because of the darkness of the room. She tucked Sebastian in his crib and quickly caressed his head.
"Shut up," she told Jay, going to the bathroom to remove the little make she'd put on earlier that night.
Hailey started doing her routine while Jay leaned against the washing machine and just looked at her in silence, admiring her effortless beauty and wondering how he got so lucky.
The blonde felt his burning stare and checked on him with the corner of her eyes, catching him looking at her and blushing hard. After many years together, he still had that effect on her.
"Jay, I'm trying to concentrate here…" Hailey muttered, rolling her eyes at him through the mirror.
He approached her, hugging her from behind. "I was thinking – he bent a little and softly kissed her cheek – we should try and give Seb a sibling. Can be plural, too," he mumbled with a grin.
Hailey felt her heart skip a beat. She didn't know if he was serious or just teasing her, so she turned to him with a raised brow, manifesting her confusion.
Sure, they'd talked about having more kids, and to be honest her baby fever was quietly kicking in, but they hadn't seriously talked about trying again yet.
"What?" Jay asked, seeing her amused expression.
"Just a few minutes ago you were implying that Seb's being a handful and now you wanna add another kid in the mix?" she crossed her arms on her chest.
Jay tilted his head and bit his bottom lip, "Uhm, yeah..? What's wrong about that?" he asked.
Hailey's eyes stared into eyes, he was dead serious, not even a hint of amusement anymore. She sighed: "We should talk about this when it's not almost two in the morning, how about that?" she retorted, trying to reason with him.
It was a way too serious conversation that needed to happen with both their minds clear, and Hailey was honestly too tired for that at the moment.
Jay vehemently nodded, "Fine by me – he took her hand and placed a kiss on it, then started playfully waving it –, but what about, you know, the process of making another kid..?" he said, getting back to his smug expression, trying to lighten the mood.
"Eh, we'll see, depends on how you behave," Hailey patted his cheeks and quickly placed a kiss on his lips, leaving him with a baffled face. In fact, "How I behave? What are you talking about, I'm like perfect," Jay pouted like a child.
He then changed the subject but not really, "You know, that dress looks amazing on you, but I sure as hell can help you get rid of it… start the infamous process," he said, placing his large hands on her hips.
Hailey gasped at him, lightly hitting his toned chest, amusement still on her features, "Oh my gosh Jay, stop calling it the process, it's weird! Plus, am perfectly capable of taking this dress off myself, and you need to get outta here," she said, shaking her head at the man's behaviour. She then turned around again to face the mirror and go on from where she left off.
Jay giggled, a dramatic sigh escaping his lips, "Can't say I didn't try," he mumbled quietly, exiting the bathroom and heading to their bedroom.
Hailey was looking around the garden to make sure everyone had their plates, when she heard the voice of her sister-in-law to be calling for her: "Hailey, I'm begging you, sit down please!" Andrea pleaded, trying to convince the blonde woman.
Hailey chuckled a bit but finally gave in, approaching the brunette and sitting next to her, trying to catch up on the conversation that was taking place.
It was a Sunday morning of May, it wasn't even one in the afternoon yet but a lot had happened already.
William Halstead and Andrea Danover-Halstead's daughter of only two weeks of life had just been christened earlier that morning, the parents taking the opportunity to make a little get-together with their family, colleagues and close friends.
They had chosen Jay as the godfather, while Maggie was the godmother of little Eileen Marie Halstead.
The ceremony took a while, but everyone who came knew how important it was for Will – him being a church guy was not a secret.
Now the guests were all set in the backyard of the house the two doctors have bought. Will and Andrea knew each other before he even moved back to Chicago. They met in New York and, though their relationship was mostly physical at the time, a special bond had always been there.
Then Will moved to his hometown, met Natalie, but ultimately figured they weren't right for each other. The breakup was painful for the both of them, but they quickly reconciled and actually saw that they were better off as friends and colleagues. Yeah, they'd seen the other naked but hey, that happens sometimes.
Will and Andrea casually met again when a deadly infection invaded the city of Chicago. Andrea happened to be one of the CDC doctors who was working to try and create a vaccine and Will gladly offered to help her, still shocked that after l those years she would be right there in front of him again.
When the situation subsided, they caught up on each other's lives and actually saw that the sparkle was still there. It didn't stay in New York, but followed them, became a whole fire of pure love and the result of that love was their daughter Eileen, named after Will and Jay's beloved mom.
Jay was listening to one of Ethan's few funny stories of when he was overseas, when his son Sebastian, who was sitting on his lap, started to squirm, trying to escape from his firm grip.
"Sebastian Eoin. You're so gonna give me grey hair sooner than expected," he muttered, trying to keep Sebastian still. They were eating pasta with bolognese sauce, but Sebastian clearly wasn't hungry. However, he had to eat a little bit, "Okay, you win. Take this one bite then you're free," Jay talked to his son, nodding vehemently and widening his eyes in an attempt to convince him.
Sebastian looked at him with his blue eyes that resembled his mother's so much and then decided to open his mouth, finally giving his father a break and silently agreeing on the deal. The kid swallowed the food he was fed and Jay let him go, watching him run, and shook his head at the recklessness.
Sebastian knew discipline – how could he not with Hailey and Jay as parents – but also was quite independent already. His stubbornness was another feature he inherited from Jay.
He was a nice kid, though. Sometimes rash, yes, but he was very gentle, caring and affectionate and always had a smile on his freckled face. Or a grin – mostly when he did something he knew he wasn't supposed to.
When Jay lifted his gaze up, he caught Hailey already looking at him. It was a strange look, though, he could almost see the gears of her brain think something very elaborated.
Jay narrowed his eyes at her, silently asking if she was alright, but she dismissively shook her head and smiled at him, trying to reassure him.
Their eyes stayed locked for a few more seconds and then parted, focusing back on what was going on around them.
When it was time for dessert – Hailey had woken up earlier that day to make homemade loukoumádes, some Greek pastries, with the help of Jay's indelicate hands –, Sebastian went back to his father.
His face was tear-stained and soft whimpers were escaping his mouth: Jay's heart immediately sank, he hated to see him cry.
"Hey buddy, what's wrong?" he asked, making grabby hands at him.
Sebastian answered by showing him his arm, revealing a little scratch that presumably was hurting him.
Jay sighed but was not surprised. He knew how not careful at all he could be. He took him and Sebastian threw his tiny arms around him, hiding his face in the crook of his neck, small sobs still coming out of his mouth.
Jay moved his hand up and down his back and tried to comfort him by telling him that he was fine. When Sebastian calmed down, his father checked on the scratch, noticing that it wasn't anything too worrisome.
Sebastian smiled a little when Jay placed a kiss on it, as if doing it could take the pain away. "You good?" he asked, tickling the kid under his neck. Sebastian giggled like a mad man, Jay inevitably smiled as well, and nodded: "Yes!" he exclaimed.
Little did they know that a bunch of eyes were looking at them. In fact, when Jay lifted his gaze, he saw basically all the guests' eyes on him.
He raised a brow, genuinely confused, and tilted his head: "Uhm, hi..? What's going on?" he asked, scratching the back of his neck.
"You're totally a softie now, Jay," Will stated, chuckling a bit.
"Yeah, I don't think we ever seen you smile until now," Maggie exaggerated, making him roll his green eyes and causing the rest of them to laugh – Sebastian joining them because why not.
"Ha. So funny," Jay sarcastically commented blushing because a, being the center of attention wasn't his forte and b, they were kinda right.
Being a father made him softer and allowed him to rediscover the vulnerable side he thought he lost a long time ago.
During Hailey's pregnancy, the thought of becoming like his father and not being able to show any type of affection to his child was always in the back of his mind, but in reality knowing what to not do helped him out. And then the rest came naturally.
"Eh. I get it man," Ethan muttered, patting Jay's shoulder. The two of them shared similar experiences, trauma and maybe fears. Ethan could imagine being in Jay's shoes and he basically acted the same as him since his and April's daughter Yara came in his life.
Jay smiled at him for the support and they exchanged a brief but meaningful look.
Once again, Sebastian squirmed away from his father's arms and went playing with the other kids – Owen, Natalie's son, and Yara.
A bit later, the protagonist of the day finally woke up. Little Eileen liked being the center of attention and enjoyed being in his uncles and aunts' arms.
Eventually, her real uncle and godfather took her: Jay almost looked at her in awe, she was so tiny that he was afraid any type of sudden move could break her.
Eileen looked a lot like her mother, but Will's red hair was definitely there.
From a few seats farther, Hailey was looking at the scene and felt her heart swollen. She didn't know how much she missed seeing Jay with a baby in his arms until that very moment and she was lying if she said she didn't fall in love with him again.
Andrea looked at the direction her almost sister-in-law's eyes were aiming at and smiled softly, sitting next to her and nudging her sides with her elbow: "Bet you want another one now," she grinned referring to the newborn and obtaining Hailey's attention.
The blonde heavily sighed and bit her lips: "A couple of weeks ago, we talked about starting to try again, you know… It would be nice to give Seb a little brother or sister," she started but was interrupted by Andrea.
"Or both," the brunette said.
"Easy now," Hailey mumbled, chuckling and widening her blue eyes in horror. "Speaking of the troublemaker…" she added, seeing her son approaching them.
Sebastian roughly climbed on her legs to sit on her lap and then looked around. He started playing with her gold locks absentmindedly, leaning his head on her chest. "You're tired, uh?"
"Yes, I tired," he answered with his tiny voice. "Mommy, look, baby!" he then exclaimed, pointing at Eileen who was still in her uncle's arms.
Hailey caressed his blond hair, "Yes. That's your baby cousin. Wanna go and say hi?" she suggested, warning an excited nod from her son.
She excused herself from Andrea and she and Sebastian quickly got up to join Jay and the baby: "Seb wanted to say hi to the little one," Hailey showed a bright smile, placing her hand on Jay's shoulder and squeezing it a bit.
She crouched down to Sebastian's height, not really caring that the ends of her floral dress were touching the ground, and guided his little hand on Eileen's chubby cheeks.
Sebastian smiled widely, "Mommy, it's soft!" he stated, finding enjoyment in the action.
"Yes, it is!" she agreed with him, stroking his hair and exchanging a quick look with her fiancé, who was looking at them with an incommensurable amount of love.
Their cute moment was interrupted by Will, who took his daughter because it was time for her to be fed – or she was going to get super cranky in no time.
Sebastian was so intrigued by his baby cousin that he followed his uncle, curious of what was going to happen next.
His parents watched him go: Jay took Hailey's hand, guiding her and making her sit on his legs, his left arm around her stomach.
Hailey placed her hand on his shoulder to face him properly and look at him in the eyes, drowning in that green color as if it was the first time she'd seen them.
"So." she started, "I was thinking… what if I stop taking the pill..?," she asked suggestively, waiting for Jay's reaction.
She didn't have to wait long to see his eyes lit up and his brows rise: "You're not kidding, right?" he asked frantically and when she shook her head no, "You're sure you wanna do this?" he stared at her eyes, trying to detect even the smallest sign that she wasn't convinced on doing it. The last thing he wanted was for her to do it just because he wanted to. The two of them needed to be one hundred percent sure about it.
Hailey briefly kissed him on the lips, "I'm sure," she affirmed, nodding. "I want th-" she didn't even finish the sentence that Jay's lips were on hers again, this time their kiss was more passionate but still chaste, since too much PDA wasn't exactly their cup of tea.
When they parted, Hailey found Jay staring at her with the biggest smile and couldn't help but mirror his. She then cleared her voice: "We have to make a deal, though."
Jay took her hand, "Go ahead."
"I'll stop taking the pill but we don't force anything. I don't wanna, like, schedule the days we get to do, you know, the process," Hailey explained, blushing a bit at the last part.
"I'm totally fine with that," Jay easily agreed, kissing her cheek and hugging her tight. He then changed the subject, "I thought you hated that we call it the process," he mumbled against her skin, his nose brushing against her neck.
Hailey softly giggled, her cheeks still of a reddish color, "Eh. It kinda grew on me."