Hello readers, and welcome to another day of chapters of our favorite road trip. I hope you enjoyed yesterday's chapters, and I hope you enjoy today's chapters as well. Now, without further ado…here are your chapters for January 20th, 2023.
Also, quick note. I know that in the universe, Antonio said that their family is from the Bahamas. However, I am going to change that to Puerto Rico based on the culture that they have. I think it was just an oversight by the writers of Chicago PD.
Chapter Seventeen: Vow Renewal Talk - Part One: Hawaiian Vow Renewal
To say that Gabby was a bit taken aback when Matt mentioned that he wanted to renew their vows when they're in Hawaii was an understatement. The truth was, Gabby hadn't even thought about them renewing their vows anywhere; let alone Hawaii. I mean, had they done it in Puerto Rico…maybe she'd be more open to it as it would mean that her family could be there. Oh, and they could do it in Spanish as well. God, that would be perfect as it would mean that her grandmother could be there. With her getting up in age, she decided to move to her home country (yes, she called it a country) to be closer to what she has seen as home for years. With them already having agreed that they would go to Puerto Rico at some point, Gabby just hopes that Matt is open to it; even if it means that they have to go back to Florida once again. (Basically, all flights that go to Puerto Rico have to go through Miami or Fort Lauderdale). So, here goes nothing with the proposal.
"You want to renew our vows in Hawaii?" Matt agreed with Gabby when she asked him whether he wants to renew their vows in Hawaii. "I mean, if you aren't interested in that…then I'm sorry that I even brought it up in the first place." Gabby shook her head when she heard Matt say that. "Hey, of course not baby. I love the fact that you brought it up, as I'm interested in doing a vow renewal as well; I love the idea of us having a real wedding." Matt laughed when he heard Gabby say that, well aware of exactly what she was talking about. I mean, they did get married in front of a judge, wearing their turnout gear. "OK, before you say anything else about that; I just want to say this. I loved our wedding in front of the judge, as it was really nice. I'm glad we did it at the time because it was time for us to get married. We'd been together for 3 years at the time; and we were engaged for almost two and a half years. So, it was time for us to get married." Gabby agreed.
"And no, it wasn't just because of Louie; that's something else that we need to clarify. We didn't just get married to facilitate Louie's adoption. Rather, we got married because we love each other; and it was just time for the both of us to finally do it. Sure, would I have loved to plan a wedding with you? Of course, I would have." Gabby was a bit shocked when she heard Matt tell her that he, as the groom, would've liked to plan a wedding with her. That's definitely not something that you hear every day, and it really does make her smile over the fact that he wants to plan a wedding with her. "Wow, that was definitely not something that I was expecting to hear." Matt looked at Gabby when she said that, not exactly understanding why she would say that; after all, he was the one that proposed to her. Hence, that kind of means that he does want to marry her; so, why would he not want to plan a wedding so that they can get married to each other.
"Okay, you're going to have to explain that to me. Last time I checked, I did propose to you. So, in what world would I not want to plan a wedding so that we can get married? That's kind of the whole point of me proposing. I proposed because I wanted to marry you, and because I wanted to make you my wife. I wanted to be forever…no, we are forever. Sorry, I didn't say that right." Gabby agreed with Matt when he told her that, clearly able to see that he was stumbling over his words a lil' bit right now. "Hey, take a breath and just relax baby. You have no reason to rush when you're talking to me. It's me baby, and you know what to say. I love you, and that's all that matters at the end of the day; the fact that we love each other, and that we want to be with each other for the rest of our lives." Matt agreed with Gabby when she told him that, as that's exactly what he wants for the rest of his life. He wants to be with Gabby, as her husband, for the rest of their lives together.
Whether that life includes children or not, he really doesn't care; as what matters to him at the end of the day, is that Gabby is by his side. That she's by his side, as his wife; he doesn't want to be married to anybody else, and that's just a fact that will never change based on how much he loves the woman he currently has in his passenger seat at the moment. And god is the woman in his passenger seat at the moment a real beauty, especially when she's wearing the type of lingerie that she's wearing under her clothes; he still can't get the picture of it out of his mind, and he already knows that he's going to want to touch her when they get to their next stop. Whether it just be a stop to do some sight seeing, or it be a stop overnight; he's going to want to touch her body and make her feel so damn loved, that she knows that he loves her more than anything in the entire world. And that's just a fact that nobody can really deny him. He will always love his wife.
And Gabby knows that he'll always love her because she'll always love him. That's another fact that will never be in dispute, the fact that they both want to be with each other for the rest of their lives. God, they are just so happy with each other; and they always make each other smile, even when they're in fights with each other. No matter what happens to the both of them, they want to just take it easy and make sure that they work things out in between the both of them. Heck, Matt has already promised himself that he will never let things get as bad as they were before she left to go to Puerto Rico; that's due to the fact that he doesn't know whether their marriage could survive another separation like that, nor does he think that it could survive him hurting her that way ever again. He knows he hurt her, he apologized; and if he has to apologize every day for the rest of his life just to keep Gabby as his wife, then he will do exactly that as he loves her so much.
"Baby, you've gone quiet. Is everything okay?" Matt nodded when Gabby asked him whether everything's okay. "Yeah, everything's okay. Sorry I went quiet. Did you say something that I missed?" Gabby smiled at him. "You were just thinking of what to say, weren't you?" Matt agreed with Gabby when she asked him whether, while he was being quiet, if he was thinking about what he wants to say. "Well, amongst other things." Gabby was a bit confused when she heard Matt tell her that. "What do you mean?" Matt snickered a bit when she said that. "I was just thinking about how I want you to be my wife for the rest of my life, and how I am going to make sure that happens at all costs." Gabby agreed with Matt when he told her that, smiling as she really likes the sound of that. "I also want to say this. I know that, at the end of the day; even if we fight, I know that you love me. That's never been in dispute since even before we got together." Gabby blushed.
"Yeah, I might have been in love with you while you were with Hallie." Matt laughed when he heard Gabby say that. "You don't say." Gabby turned her head to look at Matt when he said that. "How'd you figure that out?" Matt smiled at the woman of his dreams when she asked him how he figured it out. "Oh, just the fact that you always stared at me whenever I came out of the shower; and then, you asked me to go to that Christmas party." Gabby agreed with Matt when he told her that. "God, I was so embarrassed when I went home that night." Matt was a bit confused when he heard Gabby tell him that she was embarrassed. "Why were you embarrassed baby?" Gabby sighed. "I mean, we almost shared a kiss…when you obviously weren't ready. I should've realized that you weren't ready to share a kiss with another woman other than Hallie." Matt shook his head when he heard Gabby tell him that. "Hey, that's not your problem Gabby." Gabby was confused.
"Baby, I was the one that leaned in to kiss you." Matt nodded. "And I learned in to kiss you as well, but I was the one that stopped it. Heck, maybe I should've never gone to the party in the first place." Gabby was a bit taken aback when she heard Matt tell her that he wonders whether he should've even gone to the party in the first place. "Do you really feel that way baby?" Matt took a breath when Gabby asked him whether he really thinks that he shouldn't have gone to the party, the party where they could've easily slept together if he worked up the nerve to do so. "Yeah. Then again, I had those regrets when we first started dating." Gabby laughed. "You mean when we first started sleeping together. We didn't start dating until the morning after we slept with each other for the first time." Matt shook his head when Gabby said that. "No, for me, we started dating the moment we kissed each other for the first time." Gabby looked at her husband when he told her that.
"Really?" Matt nodded. "Gabby, you have to remember that I was coming out of a long-term relationship that ended with my fiancé dying in a fire. And I have to say that really scared the crap out of me." Gabby agreed with Matt when he said that, understanding why that was the case. "And it's one of the reasons why you're not ready to commit to having a baby with me." Matt sighed. "And I hate that, I really hope you know that baby." Gabby was a bit confused when she heard Matt say that he hates that fact, not exactly sure why he hates the fact. "Hey, why's that the case baby?" Matt sighed. "Because I'm letting one of my prior relationships with another woman, who died for a completely different reason, affect our marriage. In my opinion, Hallie shouldn't be hovering over married when she's my late ex-fiancé; may she rest in peace." Gabby agreed with Matt when he said that, smiling as she proceeded to grab his hand to give him a bit of comfort.
"Baby, just take a breath and remember; it's me, and we can talk about anything on this trip. That's why we're on this trip, so that we can talk to each other without having distractions." However, right when Gabby said that…they were distracted by the sound of Matt's phone ringing. And by who you might ask? By her brother of all people. "Or I hoped we would." Matt agreed with Gabby when she said that, smiling as he turned his head and looked at her. "Rain check on talking about our vow renewal together? I'd rather not talk about it when we're talking to your brother." Gabby agreed with Matt when he said that, smiling as she got ready to speak to her brother. "Can you answer the call for us baby?" Matt agreed, doing just that. For the both of them. "Well, if it isn't the brother-in-law who's probably going to drag my ass through the mud for hurting his baby sister for all of the hurtful things that I said to her." Gabby just slapped Matt's arm this morning.
"Matthew!" Antonio laughed when he heard Gabby say his full name. "Watch it brother, you're getting pretty close to getting in trouble with your wife. I know what you want on this trip so…" Gabby then went to speak to her brother. "Watch it Antonio, or else I call mom and tell her that you drank on Labor Day weekend!" Matt was shocked when he heard Gabby say that. "Antonio! Are you serious? Man, you were doing so good in your sobriety from what I heard." Antonio sighed. "Fine, I'll shut up." Gabby agreed with her brother when he said that. "Yeah, you better shut up." Antonio agreed. "So, where are you guys right now?" Matt smiled. "Just driving through Akron, Ohio. We left Cleveland like an hour ago. We hit a bit of traffic, but things are better now." Antonio agreed. "And how are things in between the both of you guys? You guys talking?" Gabby agreed with her brother when he asked her whether they're talking. "Yeah, we've been talking."
Antonio. "About having a baby? By the way Matt, I have to say this. I am on your side when it comes to a baby." Gabby was shocked when she heard her brother say that. "Antonio! You're supposed to be on MY SIDE when it comes to this, I'm your baby sister!" Antonio laughed. "Sis. He's trying to protect your life. I would do the same thing, at the time, if Laura had an aneurysm." Matt agreed with Antonio when he said that. "THANK YOU! By the way Antonio, I'm putting you on warning. We are not taking your father in next time he needs to crash somewhere. He's going to you next time." Antonio was a bit shocked when he heard Matt tell him that. "Excuse me?" Gabby then went to defend her husband as he said that. "Sorry Toni, but I'm with Matt. You were single at the time, and we had to deal with our dad. God, that was horrible; and it was no fun. Matt literally hated it, and we had no…" Matt then went to interrupt her. "Okay, enough about that please babe."
Antonio agreed with Matt when he said that. "Trust me brother, I don't want to hear about that…just as much as you don't want her to share it with me." Matt laughed. "Yeah, I think it's more the other way around. Yeah, so where are you at right now?" Antonio laughed. "I'm in the Bahamas still. I just wanted to make sure you guys know that I want you to visit." Gabby agreed with him. "We've actually decided to go to Florida first. Now, I just have to convince Matt to go to Puerto Rico for a bit." Matt laughed when he heard Gabby say that. "Babe, we're already going to Puerto Rico for a bit." Gabby turned to look at Matt when he said that. "We are?" Matt nodded. "You really think that you were going to give up on asking me to go until we go? Might as well do it now. Plus, it'd be nice to see what you built; and I'm sure you still have things." Gabby agreed with Matt when he told her that, smiling as she does still have a few things there in Puerto Rico. "Yeah, I have some." Matt agreed with his wife when she said that, smiling at the woman of his dreams as he loves her.
"Or maybe, we can see what happens okay? Maybe we can see what the weather's like in New York, because you also said that you wanted to be in New York for the Macy's Parade." Antonio laughed. "Then you guys will have time to go to Puerto Rico and be in New York on time for the Macy's Parade. And Matt, we both know that you'll cave to her." Matt laughed. "Hey, I have a backbone. May I remind you that I was the one who put my foot down when it came to having a baby? You can thank me for making sure that your sister survived longer." Gabby then went to slap Matt's chest when he said that. "Oh shut up, you know that's partially the truth." Gabby shrugged, agreeing with the man she loves. "Just be glad that I love you." Matt agreed with Gabby when she said that. "I can say the same about you Ms. Casey. Last time I checked that ring hurts me when you slap my chest." Gabby then thought about that. "Oh, sorry baby." Matt agreed with her, smiling.
"Well, it sucks that you guys aren't going to be in Chicago next weekend, I'm going back there to see the kids." Gabby then realized that. "Oh shit, for your birthday." Antonio agreed with Gabby when she said that. "I mean, unless you guys want to turn around and come celebrate with me?" Matt bit his lip. "We'll have to figure it out based on where we are at the time, and how long it would take to get back. To tell you the truth, I'm not sure if I'm comfortable with driving all the way to Miami; and then we have to go back to Chicago." Gabby took a breath when she heard Matt say that. "Antonio, how about you make a layover in Miami on your way back? We can wait for you. Or, we can meet up in Puerto Rico. Wait, aren't you transferring there?"Antonio agreed. "Yeah, I'm transferring there after my birthday. I was going to do it so that I could be with you after I thought you were going to get a divorce, but I decided to do it anyways since it's worse there."
Gabby agreed. "And it's where our family's from. I was surprised that you didn't go there in the first place." Antonio sighed. "It was due to the fact that I liked the rehab facility that they had here in the Bahamas. I wanted to go here for that reason." Gabby realized that, as the reason making complete sense. "Well, that makes complete sense. Listen, me and Matt were actually talking a vow renewal. We were thinking of doing it in Hawaii, or even Puerto Rico. We haven't talked about it yet." Antonio laughed. "Do it in Puerto Rico. More family here, and we have our bisabuela there." Matt was confused. "Sorry, English please?" Gabby then proceeded to translate for her husband, who still didn't really understand much of the Spanish that she spoke with her family. "Bisabuela means great-grandmother baby." Matt agreed with Gabby when she told him what it mean. "So, your great-grandmother is still alive?" Antonio agreed. "She turned 98 in June." Matt was shocked. "She turns 99 next year?" Gabby agreed. "We'll have to go for that at least." Matt agreed, smiling at her. "Oh definitely, you should've told me."
Gabby sighed, agreeing with her husband; that being due to the fact that she knew exactly what he was talking about when he told her that.
Matt's POV: After we both finished speaking to Gabby's brother this morning, I took a breath as I knew that we had to talk about something now. More specifically, a family event that I missed. Did Gabby really think that I didn't want to be there for my great-grandmother-in-law's 98th birthday? Taking a breath, I tried to be sensitive about this as it involves her family; and that's a topic that is not the easiest to talk about. "Baby, why didn't you tell me about you're bisabuela's 98th birthday in June? I would've gone regardless of the circumstances." Gabby shrugged when I asked her that, taking a breath. And I can understand why, she's a bit nervous right now; and she also didn't know whether I would've said yes. "We weren't in the best of places, so I didn't know what you would've done had I ask you to join me in Puerto Rico for that event." I agreed with Gabby when she told me that. "Gabby, I would've gone with you. Family means everything to me." Gabby agreed.
"I know it does, but I just didn't want to risk it…" Gabby then took a breath, sighing. "I didn't want to have a fight there in Puerto Rico, in front of my family, as I was worried that it would mean the end of our marriage." I agreed with Gabby when she said that, clearly seeing that she was taking this really hard. I then went to grab her hand, intertwining our fingers in the process to make her feel better. "Gabby, I love you; and that's all that matters at the end of the day. Heck, maybe we could've talked about what happened…and maybe we could've fixed things in between us. Then, you could've come home." Gabby agreed with me when I told her that. "I have to say that there were times I wondered if that was going to be the case." I smiled, agreeing with my beautiful wife when she said that; and god, did I love the smile that she had on her face. Another thing that I love, just the way that we fit together like puzzle pieces when we're in bed together. And I mean that.
There's just something about the way that we hold each other in bed that always makes me very happy, and I mean that more than anything in the entire world; after all, I do love my wife more than anything in the entire world. And that's why I just thought of something that she might enjoy. As much as I love the idea of always staying in RVs….there are times where I would like to have a nice, cozy bed to sleep in where we aren't also in an RV all the time. Maybe we should start rotating. One night in the RV, the other in a hotel. Then, we can watch TV together; and we can also just have fun. Take some swims and everything. Oh, and we can have somebody else cook for us. Now, wouldn't that be nice? The idea of us taking things easy with each other in a bath, or in a bed instead of in here. God, I would love to have a big hotel shower every other night. Maybe I can offer her to do that. God, I wonder what she'd think of us doing that every other night in a nice hotel.
"So, listen…I just got an idea that I want to bounce off you." Gabby agreed with me when I told her that. "Oh, you do now?" I agreed with Gabby, smirking when she asked me whether I have an idea that I want to bounce off of her; and I do have an idea that I want to bounce off of her. I want to ask her whether she wants to stay at a hotel tonight, and then we can take it easy rather than having to always be in here. We can get out of here, and we can stretch in a hotel. Now, that'd be really nice; especially if we can find a place to have a nice bath with each other. It would do me wonders since it would mean that I get a chance to stretch my muscles, and I can soak in water (which will never hurt). Rather, it could really do me some good. "So, I was thinking…what if we started rotating where we stay at night?" Gabby was (obviously) confused when I said that. "What do you mean by that baby? Where else would we stay?" I laughed a bit, smiling when Gabby asked me that.
"I was just thinking about how this isn't just a road trip…it's almost a romantic trip, and something like our honeymoon since we've never taken one before." Gabby agreed with me when I mentioned that this trip is both something of a trip to just get away, and something that we can call a honeymoon since we've never taken a honeymoon together; heck, we've barely gotten away before. "So, I was just thinking…before we talk about a hypothetical Puerto Rican vow renewal, we could talk about a proposal I have." Gabby agreed. "What's the proposal?" I smiled when Gabby asked me what my proposal was for the rest of our trip.
"What do you think of us rotating in between staying in the RV and a hotel every other night?"