Merry Christmas Eve my loyal readers. I apologize for doing this to you once more, but I have decided that I didn't like where my previous story was going. The reason? Well, it was due to the baby. Turns out, I'm not ready for a baby when I'd much rather just have Jay and Alex as husband and wife and nothing more right now, which is precisely what you can expect in this story. I hope you like it.

Chapter One

Halstead Home, Hidden Hills, California – December 8, 2018
As expected, the party ended early this evening; much earlier than the couple had planned due to the fact that his brother and his bride wanted to get out of here. They wanted to go back to their home here in California and just take it easy on their wedding night, not that you could ever hear Jay Halstead complain; especially not when it means that he gets to have nice, quality alone time with his gorgeous wife of six months: Alexandra Marie. And damn, is she a stunner; and not just due to the fact that she's a sexy lingerie model. Though, that doesn't hurt either. God, he still can't believe that she's been his wife for the past six months; a feeling that was shared by Jay Halstead's friend and fellow businessman, Matthew Casey, who attended his brother's wedding earlier today…on the weekend of his second wedding anniversary. Which is why he's surprised that he's still here. "Well, if it isn't Mr. Matthew Casey. Surprised to see you still here this evening." Jay said, as he walked up to his long-time friend from college who's from Chicago.

Meanwhile, Matt turned to look at Jay and snickered; after all, he thought that he'd be long gone by now as they had some time alone with each other this weekend. The weekend of his and Gabriela's wedding anniversary; their second wedding anniversary to be precise, which just passed two days earlier. "I know what you mean, but it's the wives. Alex and Gabby, talking away about all the gossip and just how much Gabby loved the wedding Will gave Natalie; while also COMPLAINING over the fact that she didn't get this big of a wedding when we got married." Turning her head to face her husband from the living room, Gabriela was not pleased. "Heard that Matthew. And may I remind you that Matteo is back in Chicago with my parents…that's if you want a daughter." Matt just gulped as he heard Gabby say that. "Love you." Gabby just rolled her eyes, prior to returning to the conversation she was having with Jay's wife Alex. The woman Jay was very much interested in taking to bed, just like Matt clearly was ready to take his own wife to bed.

Which is something that Jay decided to mention to his friend. "So, already going for baby #2? How's old Matteo?" Matteo being their son, who was only born in August. "He turned four months today. So, the babies would be more than a year apart." Jay agreed with Matt as he said that, well aware he wants to be a father more than anything; something he wants as well. "I already told my brother. You wait to try and have a kid with Natalie. You just got married and I've been married for six months, I get to have a kid first." Matt laughed as he took a sip of champagne. "I don't think it works that way, unfortunately." Jay agreed with Matt as he said that. "I know. But, listen. While we're here, I've been meaning to reach out to you. I heard you got diagnosed with PTSD." Sighing, Matt agreed. "I hope you know that you can always reach out to me, as former first responders." Yes, Jay and Matt were both first responders in their former lives. Jay being a former detective at the CPD, while Matt is a former captain in the Chicago fire department.

They both ended up changing their careers though, after they both experienced life-threatening situations that woke them up; it was actually where Matt met his wife, as she's a former paramedic. "How's your PTSD going? You figure out anything?" Matt sighed. "I'm not going to bother you today Jay, it's a party after all." Jay laughed. "The bride and groom already left, so it's just a hang out. Seriously, how are you?" Matt sighed as he looked at the fellow CEO. "Well, if we're being honest, it's just a situation I need to get through. I'd rather work it out with Gabby before others." Jay agreed with his friend as he said that, as that made sense. "I get it. Nothing like talking to your wife when you need their help, just like Alex needed me when her dad had a heart attack last year." Matt agreed, well aware of what happens in that situation. "Tell me about it, it's the worst feeling. Being helpless when you want to do anything and everything to help the woman you love." Jay agreed and smiled as he looked at Alex, the woman he loves.

After all, he just wants to do whatever he can to help her get through the hard times, which is precisely what he always does when he needs to do it, including them taking vacations to California when they need it. Hell, the last time they were here it was just due to the fact that she was stressed out and needed time away from Chicago; and just being here made a world of difference, simply due to the fact that you can see the ocean from here. "So, how long are you guys staying here in California?" Matt snickered. "We leave tomorrow afternoon. She wanted to leave in the morning, but I didn't want to risk it. What about you guys?" Jay smiled. "We aren't sure yet. May stay here for Christmas, may go home. All depends on what Alex wants to do and whether she wants to stay. I mean, not that I wouldn't like to stay here. I mean, have you seen my wife?" Matt snickered as he heard Jay say that. "No comment, or else I may not get a chance to go for a daughter tonight." Jay agreed with his friend as he said that, until they heard their wives walk over.

More specifically, Matt's wife. "What are you talking about?" Matt smiled when he heard Gabby walk up to him. "Oh, Jay was just commenting on the fact that he likes the way Alex looks, while I said no comment as I only have eyes for one woman." Gabby agreed with Matt as he said that, well aware that was the case as she got close to him; while he wrapped his arm around her and smiled as he kissed her softly. "Love you." Gabby agreed with Matt, as she loves him too. Meanwhile, Alex got close to her own husband and smiled as she cuddled up to him. "So, your brother and Nat already left." Jay agreed. "Yeah, but people looked like they were having fun. Let's just let them hang out for a bit." Alex smirked as Jay said that, before getting close to him and wrapping her arms around his torso in a way that pressed her breasts against his chest; something which made Jay realize that was the last thing she wanted right now when she'd rather have him (and their house) to herself. "Oh, you want to go for it early?" Alex smirked, as she most certainly does.

She wants to take things nice and slow with her husband now due to the fact that his brother and Natalie left, which means that the party is over. There's really no sense in waiting around, when they have more time to have fun with each other; have fun and try for a baby. Well, maybe. They aren't sure yet. All Alex knows is that she wants some time alone with her husband, time that he wants as well due to the fact that he's been very busy of late; something he hates as he loves his wife so much. "You've been busy recently, and we agreed you wouldn't work while we're here in California…the entire time we're here in California, even if we stay for a bit after the wedding." Jay agreed, well aware of their deal, which is precisely why he understands her wish to want to have him alone as soon as she can. She wants to have him alone so that they can get the time she wants, time alone with him so that they can reconnect and just take it easy with each other. "I love the idea of us getting some quality time with each other." Alex agreed with her husband.

Meanwhile, Jay set his drink down on the counter and smirked as he placed his hands on her back; only to bring her body against his chest as he leaned in and took things nice and slow with his wife. "C'mon Jay, right here." Turning his head as he heard Matt say that, Jay smirked. "What? You don't think I know you want to do the same with Gabby right now?" Turning his head, Matt saw that Gabby was smirking since she knew that was the truth. "Yeah, don't even try and lie that you don't want to do the same thing with me." Matt agreed with his wife, well aware that was the case as he wrapped his arm around her waist and pressed his lips to her forehead. "I love you." Gabby agreed with her husband, as she loves him too. "I love you too, and I am so glad that we came here to California for the wedding. We need to come back with Matteo in the future though." Matt agreed, as they most certainly do. "And I promise, we will. But this was just a quick trip for Will and Natalie's wedding, and I didn't want to disrupt his routine." Gabby agreed.

After all, she didn't want to do that either. "And you think I did?" Stopping a fight before it started, Jay interrupted Matt. "Ok. You are not fighting here in my home, not when I want to have no drama tonight. There hasn't been any drama during my brother's wedding, which went off without a hitch; something I'm shocked is the truth. So, either you leave and go have that fight outside; or you wait until you're back at your hotel to do so. I am not having it in here." Matt snickered as he heard Jay say that. "Did you hear that Gabby? He thinks we're staying at a hotel." Alex agreed with Matt as she turned to look at her husband. "Jay, did you forget that we stayed at their place here in California when we went shopping for our home here in the hills?" Remembering that, Jay smiled. "Right, two months before our wedding. We wanted a place here for our honeymoon." Alex agreed with her husband, as this was the place where they spent their honeymoon. "Yes, and we had a lot of fun. However, I think we both know that we want to be alone now."

Jay agreed with his wife, as that's precisely what he wants right now: he wants to be alone with his wife, so that they can take it easy and just enjoy each other. He was done with work for the year, which means that the only person he needs to concentrate on right now is his gorgeous wife; the woman he loves and most certainly wants to take in his arms this evening. And that's precisely how Alex feels as well, as she wants to take her husband to bed and enjoy this time they've been blessed with. Hell, maybe they can even take a bath with each other before they get in bed. She isn't sure, but she does know one thing: she wants to get romantic with her husband as they take time with each other; time they haven't had with each other in a while due to the fact that Jay's been very busy. And by busy, she means meetings every other day; something she can only hope will change in the new year and was something she spoke to Gabby about, who gave her some advice on how to talk to her husband about how she wants to have more time with him.

And she had to admit, she was glad that she had a friend in Gabby who understood the things that she was going through; she knew what she had to say and what she needed to let her friend know so that she could get time with her husband. And that's precisely what Alex is going to get with Jay tonight, she's going to get some quality time with her man as they hold each other and take it easy in the comfort of their bed. But first, she needed something else: she needed some time in the bath with him so that she could relax.

Now, this is what Alex needed right now. She needed to lay down on her husband's chest, as they cuddled up to each other and took a bath on the night of his brother's wedding; as they took some time with each other to concentrate on each other, something Alex and Jay were both enjoying more than anything. Add in the fact that Jay was also running his hand up and down her naked body as he took things nice and slow with her, well you could call this Alex's paradise right now. It was exactly what she wanted to do with her husband as they held each other in the bath and concentrate on each other, something Alex hasn't been able to do for the past couple days since she's been helping Natalie with the wedding, which really worried her husband as he pressed his lips to her forehead. "How much did she work you to put the finishing touches on the wedding?" Turning her head to look up at Jay as he asked her that question (while also scratching the top of their Jack Russell Terrier, Jack, and Riley's heads) as she was confused. "Sorry, what?" Jay sighed.

After which, he pulled his hand away from Jack's head (who's also his service dog for his PTSD) before moving it to Alex's back and rubbing it. "I asked you how much work Natalie put you through over the past couple days. Alex, you've been away from the house a lot over the past few days; so, don't lie to me and tell me that you haven't been helping Natalie a lot." Alex sighed, as her husband knew her too well. "God, you know me so well." Jay agreed with his wife as he continued to run his fingers up and down her back, well aware that he knows her better than anybody in the entire world. "Called being madly in love with the woman I'm proud to call my sexy wife, especially when she's naked in my arms as we take a bath with each other." Alex laughed as she heard Jay say that, prior to leaning up and kissing him softly. "I love that you know me so well." Jay agreed with his wife. "And I love you in general, which is why I want to know the answer to my question babe. How much has she been working you?" Alex sighed as she laid her head down.

After which, she stroked his chest as she gave him the answer he wanted. "I've been volunteering to help as much as I can. I wanted to make sure that they had the perfect wedding, just like they did for us." Jay sighed, well aware that she felt like she owed Natalie a great wedding; a wedding that was just as great as the one they had. "I know you felt that way Alex, but I told you not to overwork yourself. And based on what I'm hearing you tell me, that's precisely what you ended up doing babe." Alex agreed with her husband, as she thinks that she ended up overworking herself as well. "Yeah, I get that." Jay sighed as he turned his head and looked down at the woman he loves. "Alex, I love you; and I love everything you do for our family. But, you need to remember that you're human and not a superhero; it's okay to take it easy and just concentrate on your own health at times." Alex agreed with Jay as he told her that, well aware that was the case. "I know, and that's why I'm happy to have you; as you make sure that I always do that."

Jay agreed with his wife, as that was his job. "Called being your husband, which means that it's my job to make sure that you take care of yourself." Alex agreed as she ran her hand down his toned chest, loving the feeling of his gorgeous abs under her hand. "God, I love having a hunk for a husband." Jay laughed as he heard Alex say that, well aware that she loves the fact that he works out. "I know you do, but we're concentrating on talking about something else right now; remember?" Alex agreed with her husband as she laid her head back down on his chest and cuddled up to him, prior to running her hand up his chest and kissing it softly. Meanwhile, Jay wrapped his arm around her and smiled as he stroke her back with his thumb as a way to get the woman he loves to relax and just take it easy with him at the moment. I mean, that is what she needs to do right now: she needs to relax and take it easy with him. "Babe, you worked so hard to make their wedding perfect; and I know that they're grateful for that." Alex agreed with Jay.

After all, Natalie gave her a gift certificate to a spa for all the hard work she did. "Natalie gave me a gift certificate to a spa for all the work I did." Jay smiled, as he was glad his new sister-in-law did that. "And I hope you decide to go ahead and take advantage of the spa day she paid for you. I think it'd be good for you to take time for yourself at the spa as it'd help you relax, which is what you need to do right now. You need to relax and just take it easy for your own sake." Alex agreed with her husband as she kissed his muscular chest, very happy to be here with him as they cuddled up to each other here in the comfort of their nice bath. "Thanks for taking a bath with me." Jay agreed as he bent down and kissed the top of his wife's head, prior to moving his finger under her chin and pushing it up so that he can stare into her eyes. "Alex, I wanted to be here for you so that we could talk and take it easy. It's what you need right now. Plus, it may be my only chance to be naked with you as I just have this feeling that you're much more tired than you're letting on."

Alex sighed, as she had a feeling that he was going to catch on sooner or later; especially since she is overtired after all the work she's put into the wedding. "Yeah, I might be a bit overtired due to the fact that I put a lot of work into the wedding." Jay agreed with Alex as he ran his hand up and down her back, just taking some time to concentrate on the woman he loves. The woman he wants to make sure gets the rest she needs right now, especially since it means that he gets to hold her in his arms as she rests this evening. "If you want to rest tonight, then we can do just that." Smiling as she turned her head and looked up at her husband, Alex ran her hand down his muscular chest. "Do you mean that? We don't need to go for a baby?" Jay shook his head, as he can wait. "I can wait to do that when you have more energy. If you need rest tonight, then that's precisely what the two of us are going to do: we're going to rest as we hold each other close in bed." Alex smirked, as she loves the sound of them holding each other close in bed.

After all, that means that she's going to get precisely what she wants: Jay's strong arms around her as they cuddle up to one another in the comfort of their bed. "I have to say, I really like that idea because of what it means." Looking down at his beautiful wife, Jay was confused as he had no idea what she meant by that. "And what does it mean?" Looking up at Jay, Alex smirked as she leaned in and took things nice and slow with the man she loves more than anything in the entire world. "It means that I get to have your strong arms around me all night, as we hold each other close and just take it nice and easy with each other; we get to cuddle and hold each other close in our nice bed out there." Jay smirked, as that most certainly is the truth; while also being exactly what he wants to do with his wife tonight: he wants to hold her in his arms so that she can get the rest she needs after putting on the most beautiful wedding in the entire world for his brother. "I have to say, you did a great job with the wedding plans." Alex agreed with her husband and smiled.

After all, they were easy. "Babe, you do realize that these were originally our wedding plans?" Looking down at his wife, Jay remembered that. "Right, because Will and Natalie were having problems right before their wedding in September. So, we took their wedding because all the guests were already in town; they then took our wedding." Alex agreed with Jay as he said that. "Luckily, I already had my dress and was able to give you the wedding experience you always wanted." Jay smirked as he wrapped his arms around his wife and bent down to kiss her softly. Meanwhile, Alex placed her hand on his toned chest as she took things nice and slow with the man of her dreams; the man she's more than ready to make a father next year. "Next year." Confused as he heard Alex say that, Jay stared into his wife's eyes. "Next year, what?" Alex smirked. "Next year, we'll be parents. I promise." Jay smirked, as he loves the sound of that. Them being parents by next Christmas. "Now, that sounds like a plan." Alex agreed as she kissed him again.

An evening which the couple plan on spending in each other's arms, both here in the bath and in bed; especially in bed when Alex is wearing something very sexy for her husband. "By the way, I just want to warn you that I do plan on wearing something sexy for you; but under no circumstances do I want it to come off." Looking down at Alex as she told him that, Jay smirked due to the fact that he loves the sound of that: her wearing something sexy for him, but him not being allowed to take it off until tomorrow morning. "I hope you mean just tonight, because I hope that I can take it off in the morning." Alex smirked, as he most certainly will be able to take it off in the morning; right before they either take a shower or another bath with each other. "You will, before we take another bath or a shower with each other." Jay agreed with his wife as he bent down and kissed her once more. "I am so glad that I agreed to try and take baths with you, it's very comfortable and I love the feeling that comes with being in the bath with you."

Alex agreed with her loving husband as she laid her head down on his chest once more, only to run her hand down his muscular body; the body she loves to touch as they make love to each other. However, she also thought about something while she was laying down in his arms. "Jay, do you really think it'll be our time next year?" Looking down at Alex, Jay got concerned. "What are you talking about babe?" Alex sighed. "I mean, we've been having unprotected sex for years; yet, we never got pregnant. How is that possible?" Jay shrugged. "We got lucky, just like we're going to get lucky in having a baby next year. You have nothing to worry about Alex, this is our year; I promise." Alex agreed with her husband, happy that she thinks that next year is their year; especially since she feels the same way: next year is the year she plans on making Jay a father, which is something she's very excited about doing due to the fact that she loves her man more than anything in the entire world…especially when he treats her like a queen, just like he is right now.

The way he was running his hand down her back was just everything to her, as it helped her relax and just take it easy. There's nothing like the feeling as it was precisely what she needed from him right now. "God, you have no idea how much I really needed that right now." Jay agreed with his wife, well aware that was the case as he turned his head and pressed his lips to her forehead. "Well, I'm glad that I'm giving you what you need; as that's all I want to do babe. I want to give you everything you want and need from me, which includes love and devotion for the rest of our lives." Alex smiled as she agreed with her husband, happy to have him as her man due to the fact that he's so loving and caring. He's truly the perfect man for her, which is why she's so happy to have him as her husband for the rest of her life. "God, you are so stuck with me for the rest of your life." Jay smiled as Alex said that, while also running his hand up and down her back and pressing his lips to her forehead. "No complaints here, as I love being your man now and forever."

While he hoped that Jack and Riley would co-operate for the entirety of their bath, Jay wasn't surprised one bit that they ended up calling him away from the nice bath that he was taking with Alex; a bath where he was giving her the massage she needed from him, just so that they can go to the washroom. And while he was hesitant to get up and take them out at first, Alex told him that she was okay now and that he could go. So, that was precisely what Jay was in the midst of getting ready to do as he put his boxers on; something Alex was really enjoying the sight of due to the fact that her husband has a very muscular body. And the way his muscles flex when he's getting dressed, it's just perfect, which is why Alex is very pleased and happy as she sat alone in the bath right now. "How are you smiling when you're alone in the bath right now? You hate being alone in the bath." Smiling at her husband, Alex blushed. "But I love the sight of my husband wearing tight boxers, especially those boxers." Smirking, Jay agreed.

After which, he turned around and proceeded to make his way back over to the bath where his gorgeous wife was currently naked under the water. "God, I love it when I get to see you naked in the bath; especially when there's no bubbles covering your body." Alex agreed with her husband as he told her that, well aware that was the case as she watched him sit down on the edge of the bath, while also reaching in and placing his hand on her neck. "How are you feeling?" Alex smiled as she placed her hand on his arm. "After you took a nice bath with me, I feel perfect and very relaxed; you know that you always help me relax." Jay agreed with his wife as she told him that, well aware that was the case. "And that's precisely why I suggested that we take a bath tonight, so that you could relax and take it easy. And now that you're relaxed, we're going to just sit in bed and take it easy with each other." Alex agreed with her husband and smiled as that's precisely what she plans on doing with Jay tonight: taking it easy as they cuddle in bed together.

And cuddle they will, while Jay runs his hands all over her body. "I am more than ready to have you run your hands all over my body." Jay agreed with his wife, as that's precisely what he plans on doing when they're in bed with each other. "I promise, that's exactly what I'm going to do for you when we're in bed. But right now, I'm going to go take the dogs out. Then, we can take it easy and just relax in the comfort of our bed for the rest of our night." Alex agreed with her husband, as she loved that idea. "I love that idea." Jay agreed with his wife as he leaned in and kissed the woman he loves more than anything in the entire world, while also taking things nice and slow with her. "God, I love you." Alex agreed with her husband, as she loves him too. "Forever. Now, go take the dogs out." Jay agreed with his wife, prior to getting up and going to walk away so that he can go take their dogs out; that way, they're done for the night….and he can spend the rest of the night holding Alex in his arms. "Be back soon." Alex agreed as she watched her man walk away.