Disclaimer: I own nothing except my imagination and Abbey.
a/n: Thank you so much to everyone who has supported this story since the begining. This is the first of three chapters before the final fourth one that is the epiliogue (that's already been written at this point). This chapter will jump in time a little bit and flashbacks (in italics of course) so I can move this story along so I hope you enjoy this next one.
One year later, Peter's POV
Life has been going pretty great lately. I've fallen in love even more with Gabriella Dawson over the past year. As I lay here in bed next to the love of my life, I look at the sparkeling ring on her finger and my mind goes back to when it all happened.
I had wrestled with the idea of proposing to Gabby for a while now but I wanted to do it right. Abbey had helped me pick out the perfect ring and she had been more than happy to do so but now all I needed was the perfect spot. Since meeting at the house and being mostly stay at home people, I just couldn't figure out where. A few days after getting the ring with Abbey, I found Herrmann alone in the laundry room as the firehouse.
"Can I ask you a favour?" I looked around to make sure that Gabby wasn't there to hear our conversation.
"What can I do for you Mills?" He looked weirdly at me, probably thinking I looked like a madman.
"I was wondering if I could borrow Molly's for Gabby's birthday next Monday? I know it's not her turn to tend bar so she won't have a reason to be there."
"What you thinking about kid?"
"I need you to keep a secret. Tell me you'll keep it."
"Sure."
"I want to ask her to marry me."
"Please tell me you asked her father's permission?"
"I did. Now I just need her to say yes." I chuckled nervously.
"Than sure, Molly's all yours. What's the plan?"
"Abbey is helping decorate and I'll cook her something nice."
"Go get her kid." He smiled broadly as he patted my back before leaving the laundry room.
For the next week or so, Abbey and I met up a few times times to do the preparations for Gabby's birthday on Monday. It was our Saturday to be on shift and she had agreed to put in a few hours to start the decorations so we wouldn't be short in time to make it happen. she sent me a few texts during Sunday morning, writing in code to tell me that she enlisted Matt to help her do the work. Boden had given Gabby and I off on Tuesdsay since he was in on my plan as well, a replacement already found.
On Monday morning, my nerves started to settle in and I only hoped that Gabby wouldn't notice it. I left after lunch to meet up with Abbey, telling Gabby a half truth but promissing to meet up at Molly's at seven. We met up at Molly's and she was already waiting for me inside with everything I had asked her to get for dinner but I wasn't expenting what I saw when I walked in.
"Surprise." She smiled at me. It was the first time that I was seeing the final product, let alone what it looked like from the beginning.
"Wow Abbey, this is perfect." I pulled her into a hug. "She is going to love it."
"I'm glad you like it."
"I love it." On top of the fairy lights that were usually floating on the ceiling, there were white candles in glass casings littered everywhere on tables and she had put some yellow rose petals on the entire floor around out table. The table had an off white tablecloth and three yellow candles in the center, the whole setting done.
"I left your suit in the back office so you can change later and everything you asked me for dinner is in the back kitchen."
"Thank you Abbey. I don't know what I would do without you."
"Best friends privileges." She shrugged, smiling at me. She spend part of the afternoon with me, trying to get me to calm down a little bit before Gabby got here. At around four, we started cooking dinner together and at 5:30, I went to change into my suit. I walked back into the bar where Abbey was sitting, drinking a soda.
"How do I look?" Her smile told me I looked fine.
"You look very handsome Peter Mills." She stood in front of me and fiddled with my collar and smoothing the lines on my shoulder. "You're father would be proud of you Pete." She smiled up at me.
"I'd like to think so. I never thought I'd find the love of my life when I started dating her. It's very surreal."
"You're about to make it as real as possible." She hugged me, which I returned.
"I hope she says yes."
"She will." She looked at the time and it was already 6:30. "Alright I'll light all the candles before I go." It took her fifteen minutes to do so while I tried to shake my remaining nerves.
"She's here." I suddenly turned around from the window where I was looking to check for Gabby's arrival.
"I'll let myself out the back. Good luck Pete." She kissed my cheek and disappeared in the back.
I walked out of Molly's and greeted Gabby with a kiss. "Happy birthday baby." She blushed lightly.
"Thanks." She smiled. "Tell me there's not a surprise party waiting for me in there?"
"Not a party but a surprise." I went to stand behind her and put a hand over her eyes. "No peeking." I whispered.
I helped her walk up the stairs and into the bar, I smile spreading on my face, excitement finally settling in instead of the nerves. Once we were through the door, I removed my hand from her eyes and told her to open her eyes. I gasp escaped her lips and her hands came to cover her mouth.
"Pete?" She looked at me with wide eyes and smile played on her lips.
"I told you there was a surprise. Happy birthday." I leaned down and kissed her tenderly.
"that's why you've been sneaky for weeks."
"I though I was more conspicuous."
"You forget my brother is a detective." She laughed. "Thank you."
"There's more." I lead her to the table where Abbey had put a bottle of wine, curtousy of Herrmann who was letting use the bar alcohol for free as a little present. I poured us each a glass and handed her one too.
"To another great year. I love you."
"I love you too." She smiled taking a sip and we sat down at the table. "What else do you have up your sleeve Peter Mills? She looked all around us at the decor.
"One more surprise but you'll have to wait after dinner." I smiled at her as I got up to get our salads. We sat together with light conversation between us and soft music playing in the background. Once the salads were done, I excused myself and went in the back to finish cooking our main course. I made seafood linguine with red sauce and returned to the table fifteen minutes later where Gabby was still looking all around the bar.
"Someone must have helped you do all of this." She smiled as I placed her plate in front of her.
"Abbey spent a lot of time here. She said something about best friends privileges."
"I'll have to thank her another time."
"And before you ask, Shay doesn't know because she can't keep a secret to save her life." I laughed, making her chuckle as well.
"That is true." We ate the rest of the meal with playful chatter and looked back at our years together. Neither one of us had expected this relationship but we were both happy. Once we were done, I asked Gabby to dance with me because I wanted to ask her before I served the mini chocolate cake Abbey had baked for this occasion. We swayed to the music, Gabby's head resting on my chest as my arm was tightly wrapped around her waist.
"I can't believe we've been together for two years now." I whispered, our bodies still moving to the soft music.
"We've had our ups and downs but you've made me happy Pete."
"I never thought someone would make me this happy either." I waited for the song to wait before asking her the question. We stayed close as another song started but we weren't danding anymore. "I have one last surprise for you. Close your eyes." I smiled down at her before kissing her lips.
"This is too much Pete. There shouldn't be anymore surprises." She placed her hands over her eyes but I could see the smile dancing on her lips. I went to the bar to retrieve the case her ring was in and looked to make sure she wasn't looking.
"I said no peaking." I teased as her hands were securely over her eyes. I walked back to her and kneeled down on one knee.
"You can open them." I whispered, the ring box open, the light shining on the ring.
Her hands went from her eyes to her mouth when she realised what was happening. "Oh my god Pete." Slipped from her lips.
"I always believed things happened for a reason and that some people were put in our path to serve a purpose. When I started at 51, I was shy and living a dream but when I met you, my dream shifted a little. The more I spent time with you the more I fell in love with you. I've never met a woman as passionate and as fierce as you and it would make me the happiest man on earth if you'd marry me." I smiled, her smile reflecting mine and tears pooling in her eyes. The next second felt like forever but her next words made my heart leap.
"Yes." She nodded. "Yes I'll marry you Peter Mills." I got up and crashed my lips on hers, my heart beating away under my chest. Once we parted, I gently placed the ring on her finger and kissed her again.
"I love you."
"I love you too baby." She leaned up and kissed me again. I pulled her to me and spun her around, a wide smile on both our faces. From that moment on, I was glued to her side. We went to get the box that contained the cake, an envelope stuck to it. We opened it and read Abbey's note.
I knew she'd say yes. Congrats to the two of you. Love, Abbey xx
"She was right." I kissed the top of her head and we looked in the box where a small white chocolate cake was resting with yellow roses on it. We ate it with Gabby on my lap with an arm around my neck and mine around her waist before we locked Molly's up and headed home, cleaning the bar was the farthest thing on our minds.
"What are you thinking about?" Gabby's voice pulled me out of my reverie and I leaned down to give her a kiss.
"I was thinking about the day I proposed to you."
"That was some night. I remember everything from that night down to every single touch."
"Oh you mean like this?" I started running my fingers against her waist, that night as vivid in my mind as it was in hers.
"Uh huh." A moan escaped her lips as my fingers travelled up her sides before we rolled around and she was under me, making her relive that night again.
Fourty days later - Gabby's POV
I woke up this morning with the feeling of a bad hangover. Pater had picked up an extra shift at the house so I was alone when my body retched and I dashed to the bathroom to empty the contents of my midnight snack down the toilet. I tried remembering if I had eaten anything weird the day before and came up with nothing before I threw up again. I went to wash my face when I was sure that I was done puking and went to lie back down. My body was tired and I quickly fell asleep again before being woken up again with another wave of nausea that didn't let me make it to the toilet in time so I emptied my stomach on the tiles.
"What the hell?" I mutter as I get up to clean up my mess.
I run some more water on my face and look myself in the mirror. My eyes look more tired than usual and this latest bout of vomitting made my cheeks look grey. I rack my brain trying to find an explanation to the nausea when it hits me like a ton of brick. I open the door to the pharmacy above the sink, looking through it and not finding what I was looking for. Then I went through the drawers of our vanity, finally finding the small pack of birth control pills. It was empty, like it usually was at the end of the month but then I tried racking my brain to remember if I had had my period and came up blank.
"Oh shit." A panic suddenly hits me and I count on my fingers just to make sure before I frantically run through the appartment, looking for my phone. When I come up empty, I try taking a few calming breaths and head towards the room where I find my phone in its usual spot on my nightstand. I toy with the idea of calling Peter but he's on shift so I don't want him to worry him if it was nothing so I dialed up the next person I could think of, Shay. I wanted for her to pick up before panicing some more.
Hey girl, what's up? "I think I'm pregnant." I blurt out, hearing two sets of gasps.
I'm with Abbey, we're on our way with some tests. "Thanks Shay." I started pacing in my room, trying to wrap my head about it all. Peter and I had never really talked about kids. I knew he liked them and he got along pretty well with Antonio's kids but they were older, it wasn't the same as babies. I never heard the knocks on the door or even the fact that it opened and closed but I got startled out of my pacing by Shay.
"Gabby." I was surprised to see her in front of me.
"I didn't hear you come in." My voice came out in a ragged tone, probably from all the different emotions going through me.
"I knocked three time and you didn't answer, I was worried." She quickly came and engulfed me in a hug. Abbey gave me a reassuring smile in the background, her body leaning against the doorframe to Pete and I's bedroom. "Tell me what happened."
"I was sick this morning and I thought maybe I ate something bad yesterday but couldn't figure out what so I just went to lie down again and I woke up feeling nauseous and I puked all over my bathroom floor. Then it just sort of hit me and I panicked and I called you. I didn't know what else to do." Tears had pooled in my eyes by now, the fear of telling Pete overwhelming right now.
"It's alright sweetie."
"Let's just take the tests first, see what happens." Abbey smiled from the spot where she still was, a white drugstore bag in hand. She finally made her way to us and gave me the bag. "There's three tests and a urine sample pot in there. It'll be easier to take them that way." She handed me the bag and I took it with trembling hand before going to hide in the bathroom.
I took all three tests and turned them face down on my sink, scared of looking at them and I sat on the tub with my hands clapped together under my chin, resting on my bouncing knees. I stayed like this until I heard knocking on the door.
"Come on Gabs, you've been in there forever." Shay complained.
"Gabby, sweetie, can we come in?" Abbey's voice was softer. I hadn't even dared a peak at the results, too scared of what I would find. I opened the door and both girls were smiling at me.
"So?" You could see that Shay was excited about finding out and Abbey was there to provide support.
"I didn't look, I'm scared." Shay took me in a hug and Abbey took my hand in hers.
"Do you want us to look with you?"
"Please, I don't think I can do this by myself." The three of us made our way back to the bathroom and I was flanked by both Abbey and Shay. She still had an arm around my waist and Abbey's hand was still clutching mine.
"Ready?" Abbey called as each of us took a test in our hands.
"No but yeah." I looked at them both before we flipped the tests to see what the result was. Each of them was different looking but all three held the same result.
"Are you ok?" Shay questionned.
"Can I say no?" I didn't know how I was feeling right now that the three tests were confirming I was pregnant.
"Let's go sit down." Abbey suggested and we made our way to my couch, all three sitting close together. "What's going through your mind?" She gently asked.
"Peter and I never really talked about kids." Saying it out loud did nothing to easy my nerves. "I'm scared he won't be happy."
"Oh come on. That boy loves you." She wrapped her arms around my waist. "He'll be great with kids."
"Abbey. You've known him the most, how do you think he'll react?" The smile she offered me made my heart instantly slow down.
"I have never seen that boy love someone the way he loves you and when we were younger, he always said he wanted to have a lot of kids. I think you two crazy kids should be just fine." She offered me a smile and leaned into me.
"When are you going to tell him?" We were now sitting in comfortable silence that Shay broke.
"When he comes home from shift tomorrow. I don't want to hide this from him."
"He'll be happy." Abbey reaffirmed.
We stayed on my couch for the remaining of the morning and we had lunch together. Abbey and Shay stayed for the afternoon and well into the evening to keep me company. We had pizza delivered and drank sodas, the girls refusing to drink because I couldn't. They left around nine to give me some time alone to process everything before bed. I took a warm shower, letting the water run against my body, my hands finally coming to rest against my invisible tummy. I had a million different things running through my head but I finally allowed myself to smile at the thought of becoming a mom and I couldn't wait to tell Pete. I settled on his side of the bed and dialed his number, hoping he wasn't on a call. It rang three times before he picked up.
"Hey baby. You have perfect timing, we just came back from a call. How's your evening?" "Leslie and Abbey came by this morning and we hung out all day, it was fun. How about you? Lots of calls?"
"We're having one of those nights. I can't wait to come back home tomorrow." "I can't wait for you to be home, I miss you."
"I miss you too baby. Go to bed and I'll see you in the morning, I love you." "I love you too Peter Mills. Good night." We shared a last good night before we hung up. I left the three tests on the vanity so he could see them, it would be my way of telling him we were expecting a baby. I did my nightly routine and fell asleep quickly from the exhaustion today's emotions brought.
Next morning, Peter's POV
Third watch came walking in too slowly for my taste the next morning. I was dead tired from our night and all I wanted to do was go home, take a shower and cuddle next to Gabby. I drove the short distance to our place and went up the stairs two at a time. I dropped my bag next to the door and quietly made it to our bedroom where I found Gabby curled up on my side of the bed. I leaned down and kissed her temple.
"I'm home." I smiled as a mumble came through her lips as a response. I grabbed my things for a shower and headed for the bathroom. I put my things down and turned the shower on, not really paying attention but something caught my eye. Gabby always kept this place spotless but something was sticking out. Three blue and white sticks were on the vanity and I took the last one in my suddenly shaky hands. A blue plus sign was staring me in the face. It took a few seconds before a smile appeared on my face. I slowly made my way back to the bedroom where Gabby was still curled on my side but her eyes were slowly starting to flutter open.
"Morning." She called with a sleep laced voice.
"Good morning." I smiled at her and I sat on the edge of the bed to kiss her lips. "How are you feeling?"
"Tired, hungry." She smiled back at me, obviously unaware I had been in the bathroom. "How was the rest of the night?"
"A nightmare but I came back home to something even better."
"And what's that?" I slowly lifted what I was holding in my hands and I could feel my smile getting bigger.
"Are we really?"
"Yes." Her smile matched mine now. "I'm pregnant Pete." I chuckled and took her cheeks in my hands, my lips pressing to hers in a tender kiss.
"I love you so much Gabriella Mills."
"I love you too." I kissed her again.
We spent the rest of the morning cuddled up together, my shower long forgotten. When Gabby's stomach rumbled around lunch time, I managed to release her from my grip to shower and make her some lunch in bed.
Gabriella Dawson had managed to make me the most lucky guy on the planet in the past year. She had agreed to become my wife and now we were going to have a family, it didn't get much better than this.
a/n: So Peter gets amazing news and couldn't be happier while reliving the past year with Gabby.
Next up: will be another Peter and Gabby chapter mostly as the two of them go on the hunt for a house for their growing family.
I really hope you liked this chapter and that you'll take a few minutes to leave a review, I can't wait to find out what you guys think of it. - Sarra