65. All Of Me Loves All Of You

I'm glad you enjoyed my version of the Linstead wedding - thank you so much for your lovely feedback on my last chapter and sorry for letting you wait, but the ranch I worked at until today was out of wifi. But I hope this chapter was worth the wait and I promise to update weekly now again! :)

Anyway, there are two things I'd like to say before you read:

1. The first part of this chapter is Linstead's wedding night, so yes, after 64 chapters this is the very first time that I wrote something M rated and I guess it will be the only time as well :P These last couple of days/weeks I wasn't sure whether I even want to include that part or just simply delete it again but eventually I decided to keep it. If you don't like M rated stuff, simply skip this first part of the chapter, there's lots of other stuff you'd still like to read :)

2. I wrote this chapter weeks ago, long before any hurricane caused this huge damage (by the end of this chapter you'll know why I tell you this) and I didn't have the time to rewrite this chapter and the following one, so these two are dedicated to everyone who was affected by these natural catastrophes.

Thanks for reading, now enjoy!

(Lyrics: All Of Me by John Legend. I don't own anything)

65. All Of Me Loves All Of You

~ Love is too weak a word for what I feel for you. One life is too small a time to express how madly I am in love with you ~

Jay carried Erin through the garden with all the lights and lanterns and then inside the old, charming cabin, straight up to the bedroom under the pitch of the roofs where this unbelievably big and soft canopy bed was waiting for them, waiting to witness them worshipping each other's body. He placed her down on the bed gently and looked down at her for a moment, soaking this picture of Erin in a wedding dress in for a very last time because other than on all the photos he would never see her like this again, in that dress that had without a doubt been made for her. Her hair was fanned out on the white matress and she was smiling up at him in that way that showed her dimples off in the most perfect way.

″When I watched you walking down the aisle...damn, seeing you like this took my breath away,″ he whispered, his eyes roaming her body that was covered in this most gorgeous wedding dress he's ever seen. Maybe he was a bit biased here but this dress combined with Erin wearing it was so much more than a sight for sore eyes. Erin was beautiful regardless what she was wearing but her appearance in that white dress, that had slightly sparkled in the sun, made her look like an angel coming straight down from heaven.

″That was the goal,″ Erin chuckled, her cheeks blushing but since the only faint light in the room was coming from the lamp on the bedside table, he didn't notice how this compliment once again changed the color of her face, just as always. She reached out for him and he pulled her up right into his arms, his fingers starting to fumble at the lace-up instantly.

″But you know,″ she murmured, playing with his already loosened tie. ″You also made quite the appearance in that suit.″

″I told you I have nice suits,″ he winked cockily before he leaned in to brush his lips against hers.

″Uh-huh,″ she chuckled. ″But I also like that style with the rolled-up sleeves and loosened tie. So sexy,″ she said huskily and loosened his tie a little more so she could pull it over his head and discard it somewhere down on the floor, her fingers starting to work on the buttons of his shirt next.

″Wait wait wait Mrs Halstead,″ he smirked at her, holding her hand and keeping it from tearing his shirt open. God, speaking it out loud himself was even better than hearing other's say it. ″It's my turn first.″

He turned her around by her shoulders gently, tugging her dirty blonde waves to one side so he could pepper kisses down her jaw and neck to her shoulder blade, sucking on the sensitive skin in between while his fingers untied the lace skillfully but agonizingly slow so he could tease her with his lips and hot breath at his leisure.

Eventually he peeled her out of the dress and they placed it on the couch in the corner of the room neatly because there was no way they would toss it to the ground like they usually did with their other clothes.

″This is also a sight I like,″ he murmured when she stood in front of him in just her strapless bra and panties.

″We have to work on yours though,″ she said, raising her eyebrow playfully and now it was on her to unbutton his shirt painfully slow while her lips kissed his jaw and earlobe and sucked on the sensitive skin in the crook of his neck. Opposite to the dress, this piece of clothing fell straight to the floor once Jay's perfectly shaped torso was revealed and he picked her up by her thighs before she could continue to torture him, so he could carry her back to the bed, their lips glued together.

She wrapped her legs around his waist, could feel the bulge through his boxers and pant suits and everything lower than her bellybutton was throbbing in anticipation. She cradled his head with her hands, her lips never leaving his until he placed her down on the bed for a second time this night, only this time he hovered over her instantly, his fingers making quick work of the bra with the front clasp, discarding this unnecessary piece of fabric somewhere in the darkness of the room.

Their mouths sealed together again, their tongues dancing and dueling, Erin fumbling on his belt with hurried fingers so another piece of unnecessary fabric could settle somewhere on the floor, the only fabric being left now his boxers and her panties.

His lips left her mouth as soon as he'd shrugged his suit pants off but only that they could go for a new destination. He trailed kisses down her neck and shoulder again and this time his lips also traveled down the valley between her breasts and down to her navel and he stopped just above the waistband of her panties so he could make his way up again, placing the softest of kisses on the undersides of each of her breasts on his way up.

She sucked in her breath in anticipation and a moan escaped from her lips when his tongue started to caress her nipple, his teeth soon taking over, the fingers of his other hand massaging her other nipple. Her hand weaved in his hair, squeezing his neck when he bit her softly, both goosebumps and the slightest shimmer of sweat covering her body.

″Jay,″ she whimpered in pleasure and he sucked one last time before lifting his head and crashing her lips hardly again, though only for a second.

″Be patient,″ he chuckled.

The inside of her thigh came next and once again he made sure to kiss every little spot from her knee upwards, giving every part of her soft and sensitive skin the attention and love it deserved. He repeated his actions on the inside of her other thigh, before he finally hooked a finger into the waistband of her panties to pull them down so they could join all the discarded clothes, and he placed the softest of kisses on her clit.

His fingers stroked over this sensitive area teasingly and it was enough to almost send her flying. Her back arched and she reached for anything to hold on to so Jay brought his other hand up, their fingers lacing, giving her the hold she needed. He placed another kiss on her clit before inserting a finger inside of her.

″Jay,″ she groaned, her voice going right to his groin and he wondered whether the fabric of his boxers was resilient enough for this kind of challenge tonight.

He inserted a second finger, her fingers gripping around his hand and holding on for dear life, and it only took a curl of them inside of her to send her over the edge, her heavy breathing and his name spilling her lips in moans of pleasure filling the air in the bedroom.

By the time she'd finished riding out her climax she was covered in sweat. She opened her eyes lazily, his face already over hers again, and he leaned down to kiss her softly, delicately, his erection throbbing against her entrance through the fabric of his boxers.

She reached for the waistband of his boxers, her soft fingers slipping in for a second and stroking over his dick which let him grasp for air and she then helped him to strip them down, letting his erection free. He settled between her legs, his cock at her entrance, the tip stroking over it teasingly, her hips jerking in anticipation, but when his name left her lips in a whimper again he couldn't keep on teasing her any longer and finally gave in, sliding into her easily, slowly, gently, her wet walls welcoming him, welcoming him home, their simultaneous groans filling the air.

His head fell into the crook of her neck as he started to move, pushing in and out of her agonizingly slow in the beginning, their pace speeding up quickly until they fell into their familiar rhythm, her legs wrapped around his waist so he could have the best access possible. They both felt their orgasms building up as they sped up further, the air filled with more groans, her walls tightening around him, and they were soon both sent into oblivion as they let go of the pressure, Erin finding release first, her fingernails digging into the flesh on his shoulder, and it only took his name leaving her lips for Jay to explode inside of her before collapsing on top of her, their naked, sweaty bodies matted together, their heavy breathing the only noise in the room for a moment.

″I love you,″ he murmured breathlessly into the crook of her neck before lifting his head, her eyes showing this raw vulnerability and this ravenous passion at the same time, the after-glow of their love-making written all over her face. ″God, I love you so much.″

″I love you so much more,″ she smiled back at him. ″Husband,″ she added, her fingers tracing lazy circles onto his shoulder blade.

His face lit up even more by her calling him husband as it was for sure one of the most beautiful things she's ever told him. He leaned down, their lips melting slowly again.

″Don't argue about this with me, wife,″ he joked.

″Would I ever?″ she laughed, lifting her head a little so she could nibble on his lips. They continued lying there in the semi-darkness of the room, their bodies glued together, sharing lazy kisses until their breathing evened out.

″I guess I could need a shower,″ she murmured against his mouth all husky, ″care to join?″

″Oh definitely,″ he grinned and they rolled out of the bed to move their naked bodies to the bathroom with the big shower, both of them knowing exactly that this wasn't going to be a normal shower to cool off but instead round two of making love in their wedding night. Only this time it was Erin who tortured him as long as she could before Jay thrusted into her again while the steamy water ran down their backs, the sound of the running water not being loud enough to swallow all the things that left their lips.

And when they later lay in bed, when the birds started to go crazy outside, the dawn already set in and the upcoming sun heralded the beginning of a new day, their naked bodies snuggled up to each other as they fell into at least three to four hours of slumber before they would meet with their family and friends again, they were sure that apart from the day their daughter had been born, this, their wedding day inclusive the night that followed, has been the best day of their lives.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Jay woke up from his slumber with the first rays of sunshine making their way through the window barely two hours later and he propped himself up on his elbow, his other arm lying across Erin's waist, and just watched her sleep for a while, which he's done countless times before, and so he naturally noticed when she was about to wake up because her nose always crinkled just before her hazel eyes fluttered open lazily. She blinked against the sunlight in the room and then turned her head to him, a smile spreading over her face when she caught him staring at her.

″Hey dream woman,″ he whispered, tugging her still damp hair behind her ear before leaning down and kissing her.

″Hey dream man,″ she smiled, chuckling slightly when she realized how cheesy this was, and snuggled against his chest, her hand finding its spot right above his heart. ″Why are you up already?″

″Couldn't sleep. Had to make sure this wasn't just a dream,″ he answered honestly and buried his face in her messy hair.

″Me too,″ she admitted quietly and moved her head so she could look at him, her hand moving up to his face, her thumb stroking over his stubble. He moved a little as well, his hand also finding her cheek, his thumb brushing along her earlobe as they continued to stare at each other, blue eyes into hazel-green, looking for nothing particular but finding all the love and vulnerability and affection and emotions there.

″But this isn't a dream,″ he whispered.

″Hell no,″ she smiled. ″This is as real as it can get.″ Her lips found his lips in a kiss that could simply be described as the most delicate they've ever shared, all the love they had for each other, all the unbelief that this was reality, lying in it.

Their kiss deepened slowly, unhurriedly, their hands still cupping their cheeks, their tongues exploring each other's mouths like they didn't know the territory, like they had all the time in the world to make this third round of making love the most deliberate, most delicate, most special one in forever.

'Cause all of me

Loves all of you

Love your curves and all your edges

All your perfect imperfactions

Give your all to me

I'll give my all to you

You're my end and my beginning

Even when I'm lose I'm winning

'Cause I give you all of me

And you give me all of you

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

It was an hour later when Erin padded through the living room of the cabin and along the large table with all the gifts they'd gotten from their loved ones. Jay watched her from the open kitchen, almost not being able to concentrate on scrambling some eggs as his eyes couldn't leave her silhouette. She was wearing panties and his shirt from yesterday, which was long enough to cover most of her butt, the fabric hanging over her shoulders loosely, the long sleeves falling over her hands, the front buttons not closed properly but just in typical Erin-style.

Erin let her eyes wander over all the envelopes and other gifts that were still wrapped in fancy paper or foil and waited for them to unwrap them, when a certrain light blue envelope attached to a smaller sized gift drew her attention as it read: For Erin and the man she chooses to be her husband. She sucked in a sharp breath when she realized whose neat and perfect handwriting this was.

″Er?″ Jay asked, hints of concern in his voice. When she didn't answer he turned the heat of the stove down to zero and joined her.

″Hey,″ he whispered, not wanting to startle her. He followed her eyes and they found the blue envelope as well. It was the only one that hadn't Erin and Jay written on front and combined with the sudden change in her behavior he sensed to know why.

″This is...,″ she said, her voice breaking. ″This is from Camille,″ she breathed out, confirming his suspicion and she reached for it but pulled back as if it was burning her, giving her electric shocks.

″You don't want to open it?″ he asked carefully, his hand on the small of her back, rubbing comforting circles onto it.

″I don't know...,″ she stammered. ″In that video last November she mentioned something that there are videos and that Hank would give them to me when the time's right. And I totally forgot about it...and now it just caught me off-guard,″ she explained and she grabbed for the envelope and the gift again, only this time she took it and swiped her finger over the writing.

″Come on, it's for the both of us,″ she said before he could answer anything and they sat down on the couch, Erin inhaling deeply before she opened the envelope carefully, not wanting to destroy anything as this was most probably the last card she would ever get from Camille Voight, something like her last legacy.

″You read it to me?″ she asked, not daring to flip the card open.

″Sure,″ Jay nodded and took the card from her hands.

″Dear Erin and the guy who stole her heart,″ he started, Erin smiling faintly at those first words Camille'd chosen, tears glooming in her eyes already. ″When you read this card you already saw the first video I made for you and you know that there will be more. And much more important, when you read this card you are a married woman and your husband is most probably sitting next to you. That's great because the video attached to this card is for the both of you and I beg you to watch it together. This is my way of being there with you to share this joy and celebrate such a life-changing event. I know it's not the same but I hope you'll feel my presence anyway and I just want you to know: my heart is bursting with joy for you and I'm so so proud of you. That's all for now, everything else will be in the video. Love, kisses and hugs, Camille.″

Jay flipped the card closed and looked at her, saw some single tears running down her cheek. He pulled her closer and pressed a kiss against her temple.

″I miss her so much,″ she whispered.

″I know,″ Jay said. Due to the tragedies life had thrown at him in the past, he knew this pain so damn well because he missed his mother as much as Erin missed hers. And regardless all the amazing pictures they'd taken yesterday, with all their family members and friends, both of them would've given their all for Diane Halstead and Camille Voight being present in those photos as well, for having pictures with the women who'd raised them, had laid the path for them becoming the people they were today.

″I still can't believe she did all these things for me,″ she said, her fingers fumbling on the fancy paper and tearing it open.

″She must've been an incredible person.″

″She was,″ Erin smiled sadly. ″You will see,″ she added, looking at the DVD in her hand and got up to set the DVD-player and TV so they could watch Camille's special message.

As soon as Erin was back on the couch and curled into Jay's side, her head resting on his shoulder, his arm wrapped around her, the screen flickered and Camille's face appeared, her angelic smile overshadowing her exhaustion, only the headscarf that covered her bald head and the missing eyebrows giving away that she was on chemo.

″Hey Erin,″ she smiled, chills running down Erin's spine as this warm voice got right to her heart. ″And hello...well, I've thought about how to call you but nothing brilliant came up,″ Camille laughed lightheartedly. ″I thought about calling you Mr. X but that somehow sounds wrong, so how about I just say hello my son-in-law? Because that is what you are now. You are my son-in-law and although this may sound a bit weird for you now, this is a dream coming true for me. I've always wanted Erin to find all the happiness in the world, to find someone who treats her like she deserves to be treated. And as you guys are now watching this video I know for 100% sure that Erin is endlessly happy and that you are exactly that kind of guy I wanted her to find, that kind of guy Erin didn't know exists until she met you.″

Jay didn't know this woman, has only heard Erin's stories so far, hasn't seen her before other than on some photos but he suddenly found it unbelievably hard to breathe, his emotions going wild by Camille telling him those things, talking to him like that.

″And there's another reason why I know you must be someone really, really special. Hank for sure wouldn't give his girl to another man easily. And he probably tried to give you a hard time for a very long time because that's who he is,″ she laughed, shaking her head a little. ″But watching this video now you battled through it and I can tell you Hank likes and appreciates you when he allowed you to marry his little girl because otherwise he would've run you out of town instead of walking Erin down the aisle and giving you guys that video. He only wants the best for her and apparently that's what you are. And with Hank allowing you two to marry, I also know that what you share is real love. So there's no need for me to tell you to love the other fiercely and completely and unconditionally because I know you do. But there is one thing I want to tell you, want you to remember at all times. Always keep your marriage vows in your minds. They are most important in those moments when they are most difficult to keep,″ Camille said meaningfully and she made another short pause, tears shimmering in her blue eyes, also giving them a chance to process her words, her advice.

″My dear son-in-law,″ she continued, ″I wish we could've met, I wish I could've seen how happy you make my little girl, how her eyes shine when she looks at you because you are her whole world now. So thank you for everything you do for her and mostly for making her happy,″ she said and Jay had the feeling that Camille was looking right into his soul.

″Erin, my sweet girl, I wish I could've seen you walking down the aisle in a gorgeous wedding dress, I wish I could've witnessed you making a promise for a lifetime. I wish I could've seen you and Hank dance because I'm sure that's something no one should miss. I wish I could've seen how your husband beams whenever he's looking at you because he knows he found a raw diamond. I wish I could've seen the love you two share. I wish I could've been there to be by your side every step of the way, to share your happiness. I wish I could've told you all of this in person.″ She whispered towards the end, tears streaming down her face. She wiped them away with her hand, making an attempt to smile.

″I wish so many damn things but most of all, I wish you two beautiful souls all the very best for your future. Make the best out of your lives and tell the other every day that you love them and how much you love them. I for my part love you both.″ With these words the video stopped, the picture of Camille blowing them a kiss frozen on the screen as they both kept on staring at the TV, tears running down Erin's face, Jay's eyes brim-full of tears.

″That's my mom,″ she smiled through tears, a hint of pride in her voice. Jay pulled her even closer and placed a kiss on her head, inhaling the sweet scent of her shampoo.

″The best mother-in-law I could've asked for,″ Jay agreed, his voice as cracked as hers. He hasn't thought that a woman he never had the chance to meet could make him this emotional, that a simple video would be the most precious wedding gift of them all, that he would miss a woman he only knew from this video and some of Erin's stories. At the same time he couldn't help but wish his mother would've had the time to make something like this for him as well, so they could watch her messages or read her letters now, but cancer had taken her away in the shortest amount of time and by the time she died she'd thought her son was dead.

″I wish we had something like this from your mom as well,″ Erin said, wiping her tears away with the back of her hand. Sometimes she could read him like an open book, it was scary yet the most beautiful connection. ″But even without it I know that I would be blessed with the most perfect mother-in-law.″

Her head left its spot on his shoulder so she could look up to him as she had a pretty good idea what this video has triggered in him, that this was just as emotional for him as it was for her.

″When there's one thing I know for sure it's that she would've loved you. She would've thanked you for making me happy just like Camille thanked me for making you happy,″ he said quietly and tried to give her a weak smile.

″She would be so proud of you, just like Camille would be proud of me,″ Erin whispered, her hand cupping his cheek. Strangely she didn't feel completely lost after watching this video, didn't feel like she was drowning in sadness. Of course she was sad and her heart ached but the joy outweighed. Joy because she knew she'd made her mother proud, joy because all Camille'd wanted for her was being happy and she was happier than ever before in her life. She wouldn't allow her sadness to overtake her happiness. Not on a day like today. Never again. It just felt too good. She was undeniably happy and she finally allowed herself to be, allowed herself to revel in this happiness and not think about all the what-if's that could take it away. Because this right now was real and maybe she should just simply live for the moment a little more instead of always expecting the worst.

″You once told me that they're possibly sitting next to each other looking down on us from above. Smiling, because they see how far we've come. And you know what? Their smiles are so bright now, I guess it already hurts,″ she chuckled raspily, a quiet sob leaving her mouth as well.

He looked right into her eyes for a moment, saw the silent pain in them, her own pain and the pain she felt for him, and then captured her lips with his own so they could melt in a salty kiss. Here she was, comforting him although it should've been him comforting her after watching this message of the woman she considered her mother.

When their lips parted and he looked into her eyes again, the pain was gone, his own heart aching less as well, and it was in this moment that he realized that with everything they did, simple gestures or thoughtful words, the one didn't only comfort the other or vice versa but that they comforted each other simultaneously.

'Cause all of me

Loves all of you

Love your curves and all your edges

All your perfect imperfactions

Give your all to me

I'll give my all to you

You're my end and my beginning

Even when I'm lose I'm winning

'Cause I give you all of me

And you give me all of you

″I love you,″ he whispered, his trademark smile returning to his face.

″I love you, too,″ she smiled and they both leaned in for another soft kiss that was instantly disturbed by the loud rumbling of Erin's stomach which made them both laugh heartily.

″Are you a tad bit hungry, Mrs Halstead?″ he smirked, tickling her stomach.

″Yeah, you know, I guess I wasted quite a lot of energy ever since we walked into this cabin 5 hours ago, Mr Halstead,″ she winked cheekily. ″So for a change I'm hungry for real food.″

″So I better don't let my wife get any hungrier, eh?″

″That would be wise,″ she grinned and kissed him again before they moved to the kitchen together to talk about their mothers a little more and finish cooking their spare breakfast. They would meet for brunch with all their guests at the hotel around 11 anyway, so some scrambled eggs and toast did the job for now and they could still fill their stomachs later before it was already time to say goodbye.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

″Emmy girl, did daddy actually tell you where we go for our honeymoon?″ Erin sighed when she tried to pack her suitcase on Monday afternoon, Emilia sitting on the bed next to her suitcase and playing with some toys. All she knew so far was that their flight would depart at 5.30am from O'Hare tomorrow morning, for sure not the most convenient time, and that she needed her passport but other than that Jay hasn't revealed any information which made packing incredibly hard.

″He did, right? But unfortunately for me you can't talk,″ she laughed and tickled Emmy's belly and then changed her focus to the still almost empty suitcase again.

″Babe?″ she called. Jay was in the living room, already packing some of their stuff into boxes because moving to the house was what followed after their honeymoon and vacation in Wisconsin. Of course her super organized husband had packed his bag this morning already but knowing what their destination was it was much easier for him. If she knew she would be finished by now as well. That was at least what she told herself.

″What's up?″ Jay asked when he walked into the bedroom. He'd expected a complete mess of clothes but surprisingly there wasn't even one shirt lying on their bed. Only Emilia's toys spread all over the sheets.

″I don't know what to pack in my suitcase because you wouldn't tell me where we go,″ she pouted. ″So just imagine I pack all my summer stuff into that bag and we end up heading to Antarctica.″

″Oh damn, how did you know we're going to Antarctica?″ he teased.

″I can read your mind,″ she said casually. ″Oh wait, I can't because then I would know where we go,″ she complained and Jay couldn't help but laugh because she was the most adorable like this, pouting and being bugged that he'd been able to keep their honeymoon destination a secret for so long.

″Just remember,″ he said, wrapping her arms around her from behind and his voice turned into a whisper, ″what I always told you about how I want to see you during our honeymoon.″

Hula skirts.

Not going to happen, Erin thought. ″So a beach destination?″ she concluded.

″Well, I wouldn't make you walk through Paris in a hula skirt, would I?″ he chuckled.

″You're an idiot,″ she laughed, bumping her elbow into his stomach.

″But an idiot who knows the destination,″ he trimphed and pressed a kiss against her cheek before he made his way back to the living room.

″Keep on doing that and I consider divorce,″ she laughed, throwing a pair of socks, that had already found its way into her suitcase, after him, and hitting the back of his head.

He spun around, gave her one of his famous eyebrow-raises and picked the socks up from the floor. ″You won't need socks,″ he winked and threw them back to her. ″And I for one would be completely fine with you not packing any clothes at all.″

″Yeah, you wish,″ she laughed and threw the socks through the room again, only this time he was prepared and caught them.

″'Course I do,″ he smirked.

″Perv,″ she chuckled.

″Language,″ Jay exclaimed, his eyes falling on their 6-month-old daughter. They slowly but steady had to take more care of the words that slipped from their mouths or their daughter would grow up learning vocabulary they didn't want her to learn in the next 10 years.

″I really have to work on that,″ she grinned innocently.

″Yup,″ Jay agreed and walked around the bed to scoop Emmy up into his arms. ″Come on princess, we let mommy pack and you help me to pack some of your stuff into boxes.″

″Hey, you can't kidnap my little helper,″ Erin half-complained.

″Only taking away the distraction,″ he winked and left her alone. Maybe it was really better like this as she'd actually rather played and cuddled with Emmy earlier than packing her bag, not knowing what to pack contributing to it. Every distraction had been a welcome one and her cute daughter demanding attention had been the best excuse to not even start packing but postpone it to later. But now, with only a couple hours left before they would go over to Hank's to have dinner there with him and Olivia, who would only fly home tomorrow, and leave Emilia with her grandfather for the next 7 days.

Thanks to Jay talking about hula skirts she was almost certain that they would go to some beach destination and she wondered whether he'd really decided for Fidji Island or the Maldives, like he wanted to back in January, or whether they would go to a place that wasn't 20+ hours of traveling and 3 flights away.

She quickly threw some bikinis, sandals, shorts, tops, shirts, panties and bras into her suitcase as well as the white dress she'd worn for the party Friday night and two other short summer dresses that she'd rarely worn before. Her sports gear also made it into the suitcase because maybe they wanted to do other sports than playing scrabble. She went to the bathroom to put all her toiletries into her beauty case, took two books from her bedside table she's always wanted to read but never's had the time, and proudly closed her suitcase when everything was inside after not even twenty minutes.

″Easier than expected,″ she said to herself and made her way to the nursery to join Jay, Emilia and Crispin.

″Your definition of packing boxes is interesting,″ she chuckled, crossing her arms in front of her chest. Instead of filling the boxes with things Emilia didn't necessarily need until their move, Jay was sitting on the floor, tickled Crispin behind his ears and encouraged Emilia in her attempts to crawl. She tried to push herself up on her hands and knees but her limbs were still a little too weak for that. Nonetheless she managed to move on the floor and it wouldn't be long now until she was able to crawl properly so she could explore the world even more.

″We had to work on that crawling thing,″ he smirked.

″You don't have to work on that crawling thing. The longer she doesn't crawl the better for us,″ Erin laughed and joined her three favorites on the floor.

″Emmy, don't listen to mommy,″ Jay chuckled and picked her up. ″She just doesn't want to run after you all the time,″ he explained, holding her under her armpits so she could bounce up and down on his legs, finding sensation in putting her weight on her feet.

″That's not it,″ she grinned. ″I just see it in the big picture. Once she's crawling, pulling herself up everywhere isn't far and once she's pulling herself up walking isn't far. And once she's walking she's basically a teenager.″

″Jeez, you're even worse in dramatizing this than I am,″ he laughed.

″Yeah well, I just wonder where those last six months went,″ she sighed, her fingers tickling Emilia's neck and her soft hair. ″It feels like yesterday that I gave birth to her and she was the tiniest bundle of life. And now she'll be six months old in two days. Six months. And another six months from now she'll already be a year old. It's crazy. That cliche thing about time flying once you have a child – I never believed it. But now I have to accept that it's true and I'm not sure whether I'm ready to let go of all these baby things although this age now is awesome.″

She loved how Emilia was already trying to interact with them, how she was 'babbling' in her own language, how she explored the world on her own a little more every day, how she had the two tiniest white pearlies in her mouth, how her personality developed. Only all of this could happen in slo-motion in her opinion so they could enjoy all of these milestones and phases more.

″It's hard to let go because it was only such a short time that she was so small and would almost disappear in our arms but that's how it goes. We all get older. It's only that with kids we see how fast time passes and with ourselves we luckily don't,″ he twinkled at her. ″Just imagine we would see every day when we look in the mirror how we get older. That would be aweful.″

″You mean more evidence than those few grey hairs right there?″ she chaffed him, giving him the most innocent smile. She loved this man for many reasons and one of them was definitely how he was always able to cheer her up with one dorky statement, how he could change their conversations from sentimental to fluffy so they could fall into their usual teasing, flirting banter.

″There are no grey hairs,″ he answered deadpan.

″If you say so,″ she smirked, biting her lower lip. ″I could prove you different though.″

″Why don't you just simply go back and finish packing, huh?″ he asked in mock offense.

″Babe, I'm done packing.″

″Also with your bag for Wisconsin?″ he grinned, knowing the answer already. There was no way Erin Lindsay – Halstead – had packed two bags in twenty minutes.

″Why should I pack for Wisconsin already?″ she frowned.

″Because we come home next week in the evening and want to leave for Wisconsin in the morning, so there won't be much time for packing,″ he explained.

″You haven't packed that second bag either so far.″ Okay, truth to be told, there was a really small chance that Jay hasn't packed this second bag yet but she could try at least.

″Of course I have,″ he grinned proudly. ″I also packed Emmy's bag for Hank and the one for Wisconsin where we'll only have to add a couple of clothes that Hank will wash before we come back.″

″You've organized that pretty perfectly, haven't you?″ she asked all amazed.

″Surprised?″

″Naah, not really. That's my nerdy, perfect husband,″ she chuckled and leaned in to place a kiss on his cheek.

″Nice guy your husband, eh?″ he laughed.

″Most times,″ she smirked back at him, his laugh being contagious as always. Damn, she couldn't wait for one week alone with this dork. She loved their life in Chicago, living in their perfect little family bubble, but they haven't had much time only for themselves in a really long time and when they had, it had only always been one evening. And maybe she was a bit selfish here but she really wanted to have him for herself every once in a while, so their honeymoon with one whole week of undisturbed togetherness couldn't start soon enough.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

They arrived at Hank's place in the early evening and with all the stuff that they unloaded from the trunk of their car Hank seriously wondered whether the whole Halstead family wanted to move into his house for a longer period of time instead of only Emilia and Crispin for a week. How could a 6-month-old and a dog have so many things?

Stroller, a huge bag with dozens of clothes, her favorite stuffy, the big Eeyore she'd gotten from him, some more toys she loved dearly, diapers, pacifiers, her favorite blanket, the sleeping bag, toys for Crispin and even his own bed found their way into Hank's house and upstairs into the room that would be Emilia's and Crispin's for the next week because the dog still demanded to sleep in her room every night.

″That kid has too much stuff,″ Hank commented once everything was inside. ″Right pumpkin? So much stuff,″ he said and picked his granddaughter up from her car seat.

″That's not even half of what she has,″ Erin laughed.

″I know. That's why I said she has too much,″ Hank answered casually.

″Well, if I remember correctly you're also one of the people who overflows her with presents and brings her new clothes and toys and stuffies every once in a while.″

″Huh,″ he only grunted in response, knowing that she had a point but not wanting to admit it.

″Where are Liv and Noah?″ she changed the topic.

″In the garden. Noah's obsessed with that kiddie pool,″ he smiled.

They went downstairs and out on the patio, Jay already talking with Liv and Noah making friends with Crispin. While Jay and Hank stayed outside, taking care of the grill and the kids, Liv and Erin went inside to prepare some potatoes and a salad they could eat with their grilled steaks.

″So, how's the married life treating you?″ Liv asked.

″Well, those two days so far have been kind of okay,″ Erin laughed, glancing down to her wedding band.

″Do you feel something changed?″

″Not in the way I feel for him...but...,″ she answered, trying to find the right words because something was indeed different. ″Giving him this promise with all of our friends and family present and saying yes to him, to our future, with all my heart...I don't know how to explain it but yeah, something changed. I didn't know how much I need this, saying I do and wearing this wedding band now. It's everything I've ever dreamed of deep deep down inside...and now it's real...and everyone knows about the love we share, that he's my person and that we belong together forever,″ she beamed.

″As I said, hard to explain,″ she chuckled slightly when Liv didn't answer anything but instead only eyed her from the side.

″No, I think I got it,″ Liv grinned. ″It's even more special now, right?″

″Yeah,″ Erin confirmed. ″And I haven't thought that's possible because what we share has always been special.″

″Quite the story you two have,″ Liv laughed, referring to Friday night when during all the games their guests had heard stories they've never told anyone before, or during their vows, when they'd admitted some things publicly they hadn't shared until that day. Although Liv knew more than most people as Erin had confided in her quite some times already there had still been things she naturally hadn't known.

″Blockbuster material, didn't we agree on that last November already?″ Erin laughed.

″Could also be some sort of typical fairytale of the Grimm Brothers,″ Liv winked. ″And talking about fairytales: did your prince meanwhile tell you to which far and foreign destination he takes you for your honeymoon?″

″Not a single word,″ Erin sighed frustrated. ″And it's driving me nuts. Only thing I know is that our plane departs at 5.30am and I'm not sure whether I'm a fan of that time,″ she chuckled, knowing that it meant they had to leave their apartment around freakin' 3.30am or even earlier.

″You have to see the positive side: no long lines at the security control at that time of the day. Especially during holiday season,″ Liv winked.

″I guess that's an advantage I haven't considered so far,″ Erin admitted. ″What about you? When's your plane leaving?″

″6.10pm. I guess I will have all the lines,″ she sighed. ″But I didn't want for Noah to come home in the middle of the night and in the morning or afternoon it would be even worse.″

″Maybe you're lucky,″ Erin answered, for a moment considering whether she should push into a certain direction again, especially after Hank and Liv had had more than just one dance together. ″Don't you want to stay a couple more days though?″ she asked incidentally but still meaningfully and Liv turned her head to Erin instantly, knowing exactly what she meant.

″I don't know,″ she answered honestly and shrugged her shoulders. ″I mean, I guess I could with all the overtime I've worked lately. But...″

″I'm sure Hank and Emmy would love for you guys to stay. You could go to the zoo together, to the Aquarium, to the parks and the playgrounds, to the beach...″ Erin said.

″I would like that,″ Liv answered, a smile tugging in the corners of her lips, though only briefly. ″But no, I have to go home so Noah can be back with his friends and I can go back to work.″

That was a pretty lame excuse but Erin kept her mouth shut and didn't tell it her friend like this. She knew Liv wanted to stay but maybe she needed another push. Not from her but someone else. And she didn't need to give Liv that push but rather this someone else.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

After enjoying grilled steaks and potatoes on the patio on this warm, humid summer evening, it was time for Erin and Jay to tuck Emilia in and with it saying goodbye to her for the next seven days. They read her a story in her room upstairs and watched her slowly drifting to slumber, her dreams taking over as her eyes fell shut.

″Goodnight sweet girl,″ Erin whispered against her head and gave her a kiss. ″Have the best time with your grandpa and don't make this too hard for him, okay? Daddy and I will facetime with you and we'll be back next week to take you to Wisconsin to daddy's beautiful cabin. We will miss you, Emmy,″ she whispered, tears looming in her eyes and she felt Jay's hand on her back. No matter how much she looked forward to spending this precious week just with him, leaving her baby for seven days was as hard as it could get.

″We can still take her with us,″ Jay said when she handed him the baby so he could cuddle with her as well.

Erin shook her head no. ″Naah, it's better like this and I guess the goodbye is the hardest. Plus, we can't do this to Hank. He's really looking forward to taking care of her,″ she smiled weakly. Her heart had bursted with joy when Hank had told everyone proudly at the wedding how his granddaughter would stay with him during their honeymoon.

″You sure?″ he asked.

″Absolutely. She stays here with Hank and Crisp and next week we'll be on full family vacation mode,″ she said, imagining how much fun the four of them would have at Lake Lindsay next week, with Crispin romping in the water and showing Emmy this new place that meant so much to them.

″Okay,″ Jay nodded. ″Daddy will miss you a lot princess but he knows that you're in the best possible hands. Be nice to your grandpa. And do not start to crawl before we're back, deal?″ he laughed slightly and pressed a kiss on Emilia's head.

They enjoyed another moment of cuddling in silence before he placed her in the crib. They watched her sleeping until they were sure she wouldn't wake up again and then made their way downstairs to join Hank and Liv again. They talked about everything and nothing for the next two hours, Erin hoping that Jay would accidentially reveal their honeymoon destination but he didn't do her the favor, and then left Hank's house around 10.00 so they could at least get a couple of hours of sleep before they had to be at the airport. They hugged Liv and of course their dog goodbye and went upstairs again to stroke over Emilia's soft cheek one more time and give her more kisses.

″Thank you for everything,″ Erin said to Hank outside on the porch and fell into his embrace.

″Always kiddo,″ he grinned and hugged her tightly. ″Enjoy your honeymoon. It's a very special vacation for a reason.″

″We will,″ she smirked. ″I hope we didn't forget to pack anything for Emmy or Crisp but otherwise you can go to the apartment and pick it up.″

″I'll get it handled,″ Hank nodded.

″I know you do,″ she smiled gratefully before she hugged him again. ″Ask her to stay,″ she whispered into his ear and when she lifted her head and he looked at her confused, she only gave him a meaningful glance accompanied with a shrug, an eyebrow-raise and a smile and then turned around, waving again as she took her spot in the passenger's seat.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

3am was really not a time they both prefered to get up at but instead of putting their phones into snooze so they could have another five minutes of slumber, they jumped out of the bed in excitement instantly. They made themselves ready quickly, checked whether they had everything in their hand luggage that they needed and then locked the door behind them when they left.

The streets were almost empty and they stopped by some coffee shop that was open 24 hours because regardless their excitement they really needed their caffeine fix, and then made the drive to O'Hare in no time. They parked their car in one of the huge parking garages and then strolled to the terminal, Jay pulling both of their suitcases, a backpack resting on his back.

They went straight to the counter to check in their luggage, the woman on the one open counter smiling at them expectantly when they approached her and handed her their passports, Erin's still with her maiden name. It somehow sucked that she couldn't travel as Erin Halstead but no one could get a new passport within a day and as the flight ticket and her passport needed to have the same name, she was still Erin Lindsay for the airline.

″Good morning,″ the woman, Christy, smiled and reached for their passports. She typed something into her computer and then asked: ″St. John's is the destination, correct? V.C Bird International Airport via Miami?″

″That's correct,″ Jay nodded, a smile spreading over his lips when he looked at Erin briefly.

Where on earth is St. John's?! Erin's brain cells tried their best to come up with a country that had a city called St. John's but no success on that end. She's never been good in geography so she had no idea whether St. John's was in the Carribean, on the Maldives or Fidji Island.

″That's an awesome destination. Honeymoon?″ Christy grinned while printing the tags and putting them on their suitcases.

″Uhm, yeah,″ Jay smirked. ″That obvious?″

″Kind of,″ Christy winked and handed them the tickets, telling them their boarding time and which gate they had to go and wished them a safe trip and a wonderful honeymoon.

″Where is St. John's?″ Erin asked as soon as they walked into the direction of the security check, their hands laced together. ″You know I could pull my phone out in two seconds and figure it out myself,″ she warned him grinning mischievously. ″But I prefer my husband telling me.″

″Well,″ Jay said and stopped walking so he could look directly into her face when he told her. ″The first stop will be Miami. And from there we'll fly to St John's, where's the airport of Antigua. And from Antigua we'll take a boat to Jumby Bay Island.″

Her eyes widened by his words. She didn't know about Jumby Bay Island but she's read about Antigua, that island in the Caribbean with white sandy beaches and turquoise water, a little paradise without a doubt, the Caribbean being a place she's always wanted to go.

″That okay?″ Jay asked nervously when she didn't say anything.

″Yeah, of course,″ she nodded slowly. ″I just realized that I've never been outside of the US before other than Canada when I was on vacation with Hank and Camille and Justin.″

″So this is a first?″

″Uh-huh. But there's no person on this planet I want to experience this first with rather than with you,″ she smiled brightly and got on her tiptoes so she had a better access to his lips.

Her stomach was making somersaults in excitement when she murmured ″I love you,″ just before their lips melted.

'Cause all of me

Loves all of you

Love your curves and all your edges

All your perfect imperfactions

Give your all to me

I'll give my all to you

You're my end and my beginning

Even when I'm lose I'm winning

'Cause I give you all of me

And you give me all of you

Thanks for reading, I hope you liked it! Please leave a review and let me know what you think! :)