Hey everyone, thank you all so much for the reviews. The final chapters of this story are almost finished and I will be posting as soon as I can. I've hit writers block on this story and I'm also working on a new story called, Right Kind Of Wrong if you all wanna check that story out. Anyway, I hope you all like this chapter and please continue to leave the reviews!
CHAPTER 18
"There she is!" Stella smiled as Sylvie walked towards her and Emily.
"I'm so glad to be home." Sylvie smiled.
"How are you doing?" Emily asked.
"I'm hanging in there. I can't wait to get back to work though." Sylvie smiled.
"Alright, so we need your help with something. Chloe asked if we could throw her a bridal shower. Can you help us?" Stella asked.
"Absolutely. Does she have a certain theme that she wants? You know, like the colors for her wedding?" Sylvie asked.
"She said something about pink and red but I'm not sure." Emily said.
"What about when she wants to have the party?" Sylvie asked.
"She said in two weeks but she hasn't been able to find a place though." Stella said.
"I may have an idea. We could use the briefing room or common room at 51." Sylvie said.
"Would Boden approve it?" Emily asked.
"I don't know. I could ask him." Sylvie said.
"We need a backup just in case Boden says no." Stella said.
"Any suggestions?" Emily asked.
"What about your apartment?" Stella asked Sylvie.
"I mean, I guess it could work. I'd have to clear it with Casey first but that shouldn't be a problem. We definitely need a head count as to how many people are coming so we know how big of a space we need." Sylvie said.
"Well, what about the rec center downtown?" Emily asked.
"Don't they charge for renting one of the rooms?" Stella asked.
"Oh yeah. Well, we definitely need to know how many people are coming so we know how big of a place we need. Stella, can you get that for me?" Sylvie asked.
"Absolutely. What's next" Stella asked.
"Food." Sylvie said.
"What place around here caters and doesn't charge a fortune?" Emily asked.
"I'll do it but don't expect me to do it all the time. This is a one time only deal." Sylvie said.
"We'll take it." Stella said.
"I'll call Chloe and see what all she needs for her bridal shower. You know I love planning things, so this will be fun." Sylvie smiled.
The women continued to chat for a bit and decided to go shopping. Meanwhile, Matt was at the apartment trying to plan the perfect date for Sylvie. He called his sister.
"Hey, I need a favor. Can you come by my new place?" Matt asked over the phone.
"Sure. I can be there in about twenty minutes." Christie said.
They hung up the phone and Matt texted his sister the address. Within twenty minutes, she was there.
"Hey, so I need a favor or at least some help." Matt said.
"What's going on?" Christie asked.
"This stays between us. Brett and I have decided to start seeing each other." Matt said.
"Gabby's best friend? The paramedic?" Christie asked.
"Yeah." Matt said.
"Matt, that is Gabby's best friend and it's crossing a line." Christie said.
"How? How is that crossing the line? Gabby left me to take a job in Puerto Rico and didn't even care about how I felt. It's been a while since then." Matt said.
"Matt, you can't just turn those feelings off because she's not here. You and Gabby belong together." Christie said.
"Christie, she left me. The minute that we lost Louie is the minute she pulled away from me. She didn't want to try for another baby. She didn't want to stay and keep her job that she worked hard for. She gave up. Christie, I put everything I had into our relationship and she left me." Matt said.
"I get that Matt, but you just gave up on her." Christie argued.
"I gave up on Gabby? Really? How did I do that? She just up and decided to go to Puerto Rico without talking to me about it. She came home, packed her bags, and when I got home, she told me she was going to Puerto Rico. She asked me to go with her but I said no because I had my job and everything I needed here in Chicago. So, she left. When she came back, she packed all of her things, and told me to go with her. She didn't talk to me about it. She was going whether or not I went with her. She ended the marriage. She's the one who filed for divorce. I called and texted her every single day and she would call or text me once every other week or so. That's not a marriage, Christie, that's being selfish." Matt explained.
Christie stopped and thought about what Matt said. Maybe she was wrong about him and Gabby. She didn't have all the facts.
"I didn't know that she had made her mind up." Christie said.
"Yeah. She came home and no matter how hard I tried to plead and beg her to stay, her mind was made up. When she went to Puerto Rico, she told me that she couldn't handle being here in Chicago due to the memories of losing Louie and the baby. I don't blame her but I think I pushed her to get married when she wasn't ready. It's been a while and Brett has been there for me through everything." Matt explained.
"I just want you to be happy. I'm sorry if I came off the wrong way or a bit strong, but you're my baby brother." Christie apologized.
"It's ok." Matt said.
They gave each other a hug.
"Alright little brother, what do you need help with?" Christie asked.
"Well, Brett's dad just passed away right around the time that we decided to start dating and I want to plan a romantic date for her here with just the two of us." Matt said.
"I see. Well, do you know what she likes? You know, like flowers, candles, that sort of thing?" Christie asked.
"I guess." Matt replied.
"Typical guy answer. Did you ever do anything like this for Gabby?" Christie asked.
"Not really." Matt answered.
"Well, we are gonna fix that. I'm gonna run to the flower shop and get you some flowers and some flower petals. Uh, can you manage to go to the store and buy some candles?" Christie asked.
"Yeah." Matt answered.
"Alright, so we'll meet back here in an hour. Did Sylvie say when she would be back?" Christie asked.
"No, but how do I keep her out until we set things up here?" Matt questioned.
"Matthew Casey, I don't think I have ever seen you like this before. You really have it bad for her, don't you?" Christie asked.
Matt blushed, which was unusual for him to do.
"Yeah, I guess I do." Matt replied.
"I'm happy for you, but call her and ask her when is she coming home." Christie suggested.
Matt called Sylvie, who told Matt that she was gonna help Chloe plan Chloe's bridal shower.
"So, she's busy helping plan Chloe's bridal shower." Matt said.
"Alright, so I'm gonna go get the flowers. You get the wine, wine glasses, candles, and whatever you wanna have for dinner." Christie said.
"Well, let's go. Meet back here in an hour. Brett said she would call when she's on her way. Oh and one more thing. No one at the firehouse knows about us,
so can you please not say anything? We are trying to take things slow." Matt said.
"My lips are sealed, now let's go." Christie said.
They left and Christie went to a flower shop to get flowers and flower petals, while Matt went to the store to get the candles, wine, and some food for dinner. He had wine glasses at the apartment. After buying everything he needed, he left and met his sister back at the apartment.
"Brett said that she was gonna call when she is on her way home." Matt said.
"Perfect. Alright, start dinner and I'll help fix the place up." Christie said.
Matt grabbed all the things he needed to cook with and began making pasta salad, mashed potatoes, corn, and a roast. Matt had also bought a small thing of chocolate and some strawberries and began making chocolate covered strawberries as well. While Matt was cooking, Christie was turning the apartment into a scene from a romantic movie. She placed a red table cloth over the dining room table and then placed the glass candle holders with the candles in them, on the table. She grabbed two plates from the cabinet and some silverware and placed them on the table. She grabbed a vase that Sylvie had fake flowers in and took the fake flowers out. Christie then filled the vase with water and placed the dozen pink roses that she bought in the vase. She then sprinkled some of the flower petals on the table and then gave Matt the leftover flower petals. Matt grabbed two wine glasses from the cabinet and the wine that he bought and filled the glasses with the wine. He then placed the wine glasses on the table next to the plates.
"Is that everything?" Christie asked Matt.
"The roast should be done in a few hours. I guess picking out a movie to end our date is the only thing left to do." Matt answered.
"What's her favorite movie?" Christie asked.
"She's always talking about the Harry Potter movies." Matt said.
"Perfect. The best one, in my opionion, is the first one, because that's when you find out that Harry Potter is a wizard." Christie joked.
"If that's the one you say to go with, then I'll put it on." Matt said.
"Alright, well, I've gotta go pick up Violet from her friend's house. I love you and I want you to be happy. I haven't really had a chance to meet this woman that is making you happy but I'd like too. Maybe you two could come have dinner with me and Violet next month? I'm going out of town for business and she's staying with her dad, but when I get back, we need to have dinner together." Christie suggested.
"You got it." Matt said.
Matt and Christie gave each other a hug and then Christie headed out. Matt checked on the food and everything was nearly finished except the roast. He realized that he should have waited closer to the roast being finished before cooking the food, but he wasn't really thinking about that at the time. Meanwhile, Sylvie was with Stella and Emily at Chloe's place. Instead of sending each other to get information from Chloe, they all decided to go to Chloe's place and find out just what exactly she wanted for her bridal shower.
"So, let's just go over this list again to make sure we didn't miss anything." Sylvie said.
"Ok, so we have the table cloths." Chloe said.
"The pink ones that you bought. Yes." Sylvie said.
"We have the center pieces of vases with the fake red roses that I bought." Chloe said.
"There's also the picture frames with the pictures of you and Cruz." Emily said.
"Right." Chloe replied.
"What else?" Sylvie asked.
"Invitations. How many people have said that they are coming so that we can get a head count?" Stella asked.
"There's about 30 people coming that said that they were coming." Chloe replied.
"Alright. I'll talk to Chief Boden about using the firehouse off shift for the party." Sylvie said.
"Do we have a backup?" Chloe asked.
Sylvie just thought of something.
"What about the church's kitchen? It's big enough and that's where you and Joe said that you were having the wedding." Sylvie said.
"I'll check with the pastor and let you know. It shouldn't be a problem." Chloe smiled.
"What about the bridal games? Do we have prizes for the winners?" Emily asked.
"Yeah. My mom and I went out and bought a few gifts for the winners." Chloe said.
"Perfect. Alright, food. I will be more than happy to make anything you need for the bridal shower. I just need a menu of what you want." Sylvie said.
"I can do that. Also, my mom and I have a few decorations that we can set up wherever we have the bridal shower at. We have streamers, balloons, that sort of thing." Chloe said.
"Great." Stella said.
"Is that everything?" Sylvie asked.
"I think so." Chloe said as she got up and walked over to her work bag. She got out a piece of paper and then brought it over to Sylvie.
"Here's the menu for the bridal shower. It's nothing fancy but if you could, will you make extra just in case we have more than 30 people that come?" Chloe asked.
"Absolutely. I forgot to ask you. When is the bridal shower?" Sylvie asked.
"This weekend." Chloe said.
"Works for me. Just text me and let me know where the shower is gonna be at." Sylvie said.
"I will. Stella, Emily, thank you both for helping as well." Chloe said.
"Not a problem. Always happy to help." Stella said.
"Anytime you need something, just ask." Emily replied.
"Thank you guys!" Chloe exclaimed.
They all got up and say their goodbyes to Chloe and then left.
"Brett, you have any plans for tonight?" Stella asked.
"I'm just gonna get some sleep. I get to start back to work tomorrow." Sylvie said.
"Oh yeah, that is right." Stella said.
"We'll be glad when you're back. Everyone has missed you and Chout and the other paramedics have been driving me crazy. It got so bad that Boden had to put Kidd on Ambo with me for two days." Emily said.
"You're kidding." Sylvie said in shock.
"No. I thought I was going to pull my hair out." Emily laughed.
They women laughed.
"I'll see you guys tomorrow." Sylvie said as she got in her car.
She texted Matt.
"ON MY WAY HOME. BE THERE IN TEN MINUTES. - SYLVIE." the text message said.
Matt read the text message and smiled. All the food was finished and he placed the food on the table, lit the candles, and waited on Sylvie to get home. He was dressed in a pair of black dress pants and a navy blue dress shirt. He wanted tonight to be the perfect date for her. He had planned this special night for the both of them and he can't wait to see the look on her face when she gets home. It's been a rough few weeks for Sylvie and he just wants one night with her where it's just the two of them and no one else. Both of them go back to work tomorrow, where they go back to pretending that they aren't dating and honestly, Sylvie was looking forward to that. She has missed her friends asking her when are her and Matt going to get together. Sylvie finally arrived home.
"I"m home!" Sylvie called out as she closed the door.
She turned around and saw Matt looking very sexy in dress pants and a dress shirt. She noticed the room was decorated with flower petals and there was a candlelight dinner. Matt walked over to her and greeted her with a passionate kiss and then handed her a rose. She took the rose and smiled. He held her hand and walked her over to the dining room table and pulled the chair out for her. She almost forgot about their date night but she was so happy that Matt did this for her.