21. Chapter 21

Erin knew she'd regret her thirty-minute shower when her water bill arrived next month, but she lingered longer than she needed in trying to delay the inevitable. An extra twenty dollars on her bill just might be worth it, if it meant she could avoid spending thirty more minutes with Jay. She just had no clue how she should feel right now.

A part of her wanted to do as he asked. Relax, have a good holiday, and then they'd deal with it tomorrow. That felt dishonest, though. How could she make small talk, laugh, and have fun, knowing that she was just pretending? She knew that she just couldn't ignore the fact that she was still confused and hurt. Try as she might, it was impossible for her not to imagine him naked with somebody else. She was driving herself insane imagining that his hands had touched and teased another woman. Had he done the things he did to Erin to the other woman? Their lovemaking had changed so much over the time in which they were together. He had learned her body and knew exactly how to get maximum response. They'd let down their guard and allowed themselves to be vulnerable with each other. Their comfort with each other had led to the best sex of her life. Had he tried his new learned skills with someone else? Was is quick? Had it been slow? Was it at her place or his? Was it in his bed? Erin thumped her head against the shower wall. She had to think of something else.

A quick look at her shriveled hands make Erin decide to finally get out of the shower. She quickly dried off and grabbed her robe, wrapping her hair in a towel. Leaving the bathroom, she quietly moved near the opening from her bedroom to the living room to listen for Jay and Daniel. From the mainly one-sided conversation, Erin was clued into the fact that Jay had turned on the parade and was pointing out the giant balloon floats as they popped up on the screen. Daniel's approval was clear as he clapped and oohed and aahed over each one.

This is when Erin's resolve started break. She wanted nothing more than to walk out there and curl up next to them and spend the rest of the morning cuddled up with her guys enjoying the Thanksgiving tradition. It would be so easy, and it would make her so happy. She wanted that moment so badly. Part of the reason she had been so adamant about hosting Thanksgiving was so that she could be certain that Daniel started these family traditions that Erin wanted for him. It angered her that she was stuck behind the wall in her own house instead of where she wanted to be.

Hearing Daniel's peals of laughter, Erin followed her overwhelming desire to see what was amusing him so much. Erin pulled the towel off her head and she walked into the room, tightening the belt of her robe as she went. "Hey, what's so funny, Daniel?" Jay was sitting on the couch, with Daniel tucked in close next to him. His eyes darted up at her as she entered, but Erin focused her attention on the television.

Daniel babbled loudly pointing at the screen, "Bird! Bird! Bird!" Erin laughed at his excitement, noticing the large red bird from the Angry Bird game. Not wanting to sit too close, Erin leaned against the arm of the couch on the opposite side from Jay and Daniel. Daniel pulled away from his place at Jay's side and crawled along the couch until he was at Erin's side. He pulled himself to a standing position, and pointed enthusiastically at the screen again, "Bird! Bird! Bird!"

"I see it. Bird! Red bird!" She exclaimed, trying to match his excitement. He clapped his hands at her and pulled on her to lift him up. She pulled him up to her lap, and pointed out the next balloon that was floating down the parade route. "Oh, look. Thomas the Tank Engine." Daniel's eyes grew big, and he leaned forward, trying to get closer. Erin let him down, and he quickly made his way to the TV, where he jumped up and down. He had just recently learned about the infamous train, and was clearly amazed to see such a jumbo version.

Erin glanced over at Jay with a smile on her face. She expected to see him grinning over at her, too, both of them laughing at Daniel's antics. Instead, Jay's attention was not on Daniel at all. His eyes were transfixed on her, or more specifically her legs. As she sat on the arm of the couch, she had balanced her bare feet on the end table. Her action had caused her robe to fall a bit, revealing her bare legs. His eyes traced their length, and she saw his chest rise and fall deeply. His lips were parted slightly, and she saw his tongue dart out and wet his lips. His eyes had that hungry look in them, that she knew wasn't for food. He slowly raised his eyes to meet hers. Their gazed locked for a moment, before Erin broke contact, and pointedly pulled her robe up and over her legs. Jay smirked a bit, and Erin swore he mouthed the word "tease."

Ignoring him and the comment, Erin started to get up. "Okay, I'm going to go get dressed. You two okay out here? How's the turkey?" Erin looked expectantly at Jay as she popped up off the couch, flustered a bit as she tightened the robe sash again. He just looked at her with a knowing smile, and threw her a thumbs up. Erin looked at him in bewilderment. "A thumbs up, Jay? Seriously?"

He raised his arms in amused frustration, "You told me I wasn't allowed to talk to you." Leave it to Jay to take a literal interpretation of her comment. Smartass.

Erin smacked her lips in irritation, "You know what I meant. I don't want to talk about what's going on with us. I don't want to think about or talk about any of the…the…you and I stuff."

Jay tried to fight a smile, but he couldn't. He nodded at her knowingly, his eyes full of mirth, and a grin on his face. "Okay, so that's why you are out here naked. So that I won't think or bring up anything about us."

"I'm not-" Erin yanked her robe tight across her chest. "It's my house! I can walk around however I please!" She had not come out here with any intention of enticing Jay or teasing him. She'd just wanted to catch the part of the parade that was entertaining Daniel so much.

Jay still couldn't help the grin, "By all means. Walk around in whatever state of undress you feel comfortable." He leaned back on the couch, letting his smile fly, and his eyes openly roamed her terrycloth encase figure.

Erin narrowed her eyes in frustration at his response. His flirting was annoying her to no end. She did not want this. Sad and guilty Jay, she knew she could push away. She could focus on the fact that they just hurt each other and were bad for each other. But flirty and happy Jay was almost impossible. His laughing eyes and that contagious grin just melted something inside her. That darkness and tightness that she'd carried with her for her entire life, always eased when Jay smiled that megawatt grin of his.

"Go peel some potatoes or something, Jay." Erin glared at him, before walking back into her bedroom annoyed. Her irritation flaring even more when she heard a low chuckle follow her.

Flopping down on the bed, Erin grabbed a pillow and covered her face, letting out a slight scream of frustration. Releasing the pillow, she stared up at her ceiling. This was the reason she didn't want him here to begin with. She could feel her anger at him dissipating. It wasn't like she wanted to hold onto the anger, but she just wasn't sure what it meant if she was no longer angry at him. If she let it all go, made the decision to just move forward, what did they move on to. Did he want them to suddenly get engaged? Was marriage and kids still on his mind? Where they going to move into together or just date? All of those possibilities seemed unreal to Erin. Trying to distract herself, she got busy blow drying her hair and slipping into some jeans and a sweater. She picked out a dress to wear that afternoon, but with more cooking to do, she didn't want to get her nice clothes messed up.

Another half hour had passed before Erin felt like she was ready to go out into the kitchen. Except she still wasn't ready.

"I am such a coward." She muttered to herself. Here she was hiding out in her bedroom while her nephew and …ex… enjoying the holiday in the other room. Plus, she had things to do. Her list of tasks was long, and the morning had not been moving at the pace she wanted. Besides getting the turkey done, she hadn't accomplished anything on her list. She had veggies to clean, a salad to make, a few appetizers to get together, and the prep for her side dishes. Groaning, she realized she needed to set the table and get all the dishes cleaned and ready for serving as well. Not wanting to delay any longer, she gathered her courage, took a deep breath, and moved into the other room.

Erin raised her eyebrows when the first thing she noticed was that the tables had been already set with the tablecloths, dishes, and silverware. A football game was playing on the television, and Jay's attention seemed to be split between it and where he stood at the kitchen counter dicing vegetables. She saw a pile of peeled potatoes sitting next to him. He nodded at her when she approached. She leaned over and saw Daniel once again at his place under the kitchen table. This time, he had his cars with him, and was running them up and down the legs of the chairs. Standing in the kitchen, Erin noted that Jay had completed at least half the things she wanted to do. The cucumbers and tomatoes for her salad were already chopped. Her potatoes were ready for boiling. Table set, dishes ready. Erin didn't know whether to be grateful or irritated at him for taking over. Sighing, she turned back around and escaped to her bedroom once more, snagging her cellphone off the end table as she passed.

Once in her bedroom, she pulled up Kim's contact info and hit call. Only a few seconds went by, before she answered. "Hey, Erin. What's up? Everything still on for today?"

"Come over, now." Erin whispered in a low voice, not wanting Jay to overhear.

Concern was clear in Kim's voice, "What's wrong? Is everything okay."

Realizing that Kim had the wrong idea, Erin corrected herself, "No, everything's fine. I just want you to come over early."

She could hear Kim moving around on the other end of the phone, "Umm, it not even eleven. I wasn't planning on coming for several hours. I haven't even started cooking the yams yet."

"Cook them here," Erin demanded.

"Erin, what's wrong? You sound funny."

Erin groaned, "I need you to be a buffer. Jay's here, and I just don't want to be alone with him right now."

"Ahhh," Kim stated knowingly. "Jays there. You two hook up last night and now things are awkward?" Kim had noticed the change in their relationship this last week. Based on the longing looks both had been throwing each other, Kim figured it was just a matter of time before they were back together.

"No!" Erin almost yelled, before lowering her voice again. "We are not hooking up!" she hissed. "Just get your ass over here. I need you."

"Are you going to tell me what's going on when I get there?" Kim tried to use her arrival as a bargaining chip. She'd always been curious about what had caused the original break up between the two partners. Erin had remained tight lipped about the incident, just claiming that they didn't work out. Kim had known that was bullshit, as she had spent a lot of time with the two detectives and it was clear that they had been and were still desperately in love with each other.

"I don't know. Maybe. If you can get here in the next twenty minutes." Erin replied snappily.

"Erin! I'm not even dressed, and I still have to get my stuff together." Kim complained.

"Well then I guess you better hurry." Erin snapped back. She paused for a second, "Just please come, Kim. I really need someone else here." With Jay being all sorts of helpful and flirty, Erin was just uncertain what she might do if he kept it going.

Dropping her phone to the bed, she leaned back on the bed and resumed her staring at the ceiling. She really needed to get out there, but she just didn't know what to do. Stand side by side cutting vegetables with Jay? That desirable image just had too much appeal to Erin.

….

Erin was actually impressed when Kim showed up at her door a mere twenty-five minutes later. Jay shook his head, and his eyes twinkled at Kim's arrival. Erin didn't care if he thought she was avoiding being alone with him. She needed the buffer.

The tone in the room had definitely changed with Kim's appearance. She went baby crazy over Daniel, and then set about teasing Jay about his cooking. They got into a heated argument about the difference between sweet potatoes and yams, and the mood just generally relaxed a bit.

Erin took that opportunity to sit for a few minutes at the table. She was busying herself prepping some simple appetizers, just crackers and cheese, but instead, she was really watching Jay cook. He was mixing ingredients for a cheesy, broccoli rice dish, that was getting put into the crockpot. He deftly moved around the kitchen, grabbing the knives and other utensils from their spots in her drawers. Even though he hadn't been here in months, he cooked in the kitchen like it was his own.

"You're staring…" Kim softly sang as she sat down next to her at the table.

"I'm not staring. I'm just making sure he is doing things right." Erin countered. She was slightly embarrassed at being caught, but she didn't feel like explaining herself.

"So are you going to tell me the real story about you two?" Kim whispered quietly. Despite Jay's kitchen noises and the football game on, Erin suspected and worried that Jay could hear the conversation.

"Shh…" Erin shook her head. "You were late."

"I was not! Come on, Erin." Kim gave a quick glance at Jay who seemed to be fully engrossed in what he was doing and paying them no attention. "I've been here two hours, and you and Jay have not said a single word to each other." Kim nodded her head at Jay, "He's over there, cooking and whistling like he lives here and doesn't have a care in the world. Meanwhile, you are sitting here like someone stole your puppy."

Erin leveled what she hoped was an even glance at Kim. "It's complicated."

Kim rolled her eyes and groaned, "You've been saying that since summer." She gave Jay a narrow eyed look. "Maybe I'll just ask Jay. Get his side of the story, since my friend is keeping me in the dark."

Erin stood up abruptly, the chair screeching as he pushed it out. "I forgot gravy." She announced to the room.

Jay looked over at her immediately, "You want me to run down to the corner market?" He glanced at the time, "They are probably still open. I think they close at 2." He wiped his hands on a dish towel and glanced at the time again. "I'll probably make it back, but if not, the turkey needs to be checked in twenty minutes." Erin nodded, but didn't say anything more and just watched him as he grabbed his keys and jacket and headed out.

Erin spun around to face Kim, eyes flashing a bit of anger, "I don't like blackmail."

Kim held up her hands innocently, "I was just teasing, Erin." Her face creased in concern. "But seriously, you two confuse the hell out of me. I mean, I can tell you both love each other but you aren't together." She waved her hands around the room, "Then you are here, hosting Thanksgiving together, playing mom and dad to Daniel. Jay's running errands for you like he's your lap dog. But at the same time, you haven't spoken more than a few words to each other the whole day."

Erin just rolled her eyes and crossed her arms in a huff. She still really didn't want to bare all with Kim. She liked her private life being private. Even with her friends.

Kim looked at her in exasperation. "Come on, Erin. I'm friends with both of you, but it's hard navigating the land mines of your relationship."

Relenting a bit, Erin sat back at the table. She looked at Kim cautiously. "Do you promise not to tell anyone?" Kim nodded and leaned forward almost excitedly. "Not even Kevin or Sylvie, or anyone?"

"Yes, yes!" Kim pressed her hands together in excitement, but then sat back a little as she saw Erin's face. Sadness had filled Erin's eyes, and Kim realized that the story wasn't going to be juicy but heartbreaking. She reached out and lay her hand on Erin's arm, concern filling her face. "What happen, Erin?" she asked softly.

Erin took a deep breath. "Jay proposed." She stated succinctly.

Kim's eyes widened in shock, "What? When? Last night? Today? Is that why you called me here?"

Erin shook her head quickly, "No. This summer. At the end. That's why we broke up."

Kim's forehead crinkled in confusion. "What happened?" She looked at her incredulously. "You said no?" Erin just looked away from her. "Why?" Kim knew that Erin loved Jay, she couldn't imagine why she wouldn't say yes.

Shrugging her shoulders, Erin didn't really know what to say. "It just didn't feel right at that moment." She thought for a second, and then looked at Kim. "Justin had just died. Voight was being investigated for the murder. Crowley was harassing me. I just felt so overwhelmed and unprepared for the future."

Kim looked at her thoughtfully, "That's why he was so angry for a while."

Erin agreed, "Yeah, he didn't take it well." Erin looked at Kim to explain. "I still wanted us to stay together, but he didn't. It was all or nothing for him. So it was over."

Kim looked at her with sad eyes. "Okay, but that was months ago. What's going on now?"

Erin took a deep breath. "I don't know. Things shifted a week or so ago. Maybe he was ready to forgive, or I was ready to look to the future finally." Erin knew some of it had to do with Daniel being in her life, but she didn't feel comfortable sharing that with Kim.

A smile stretched across Kim's face. "Yeah, we all noticed something going on. Suddenly you two are back to making googly eyes at each other."

Erin's mouth dropped open in indignation. "We do not make googly eyes at each other!"

"Oh you invented the googly eyed look!" At Erin's scowl, Kim just laughed. "Seriously, it's been going on for like four years. Everybody jokes about it."

That news, Erin hated to hear. Her worst fear was always that people at work were gossiping about her.

Kim recaptured her attention. "Well, what's going on today? Cause there seems to be a lot of tension between you." Kim corrected herself. "Well, tension on your part. He seems perfectly content."

Erin pursed her lips. "He's ready to get back together, I think." She eyed Kim with a curious look. "Do you know Officer Jenn Crane?" They were both patrol officers. Erin knew that Kim would have to know who she was. In fact, as soon as she said her name, an uncomfortable look crossed her face, and she looked at Erin with worry. "Okay, I can tell by the look on your face, you know that her and Jay were involved."

Kim nodded. "I'm not in her loop, but I've heard the rumors. Her and her friend Lauren went out with Jay and Adam." Kim's lips tightened. "Obviously Lauren and Jenn don't talk to me, but others do. They enjoy rubbing in the fact that Lauren's with Adam." She gave Erin a sideways glance, "A lot of women in the department have liked Jay over the years, but he was always off the market."

She hated hearing that. Of course, she wasn't surprised by the news. Jay was an attractive man, friendly, smart, and easy to be around. She'd be more surprised to hear that there weren't girls crushing on him all over the place.

"I know we weren't together, but it hurt when I found out he'd been with someone else."

Kim tilted her head understandingly, "Oh, like 'been with' been with someone else." Erin nodded sadly, but Kim just shrugged. "Wasn't that before though? Like not, when you guys reconnected or hooked up or whatever?"

"Well, yeah, but still." Erin replied. "It was just a few weeks ago!"

Kim shrugged, "Yeah, but…it's Jay, Erin. You know how he feels about you."

Suddenly they heard heavy footsteps in the hall, and the door swung open. Jay strode in, smiling widely. "Gravy!" He held up two cans. "I know it's store-bought and not homemade, but I don't think anyone will complain." He glanced at the cans thoughtfully for a moment. "I might be able to fancy them up a bit. "He gave the two women a quick grin, before getting back to work in the kitchen. He gathered the temperature gauge and baster and was preparing to check on his turkey.

Erin saw Kim give her a knowing look. Yeah, she knew exactly how Jay felt about her. She really didn't doubt it. Had she ever really? Maybe it wasn't his feeling for her that she didn't trust. What had really caused her to hesitate before? That insecurity she had. That deep seated worry, that she truly wasn't enough for him. Erin always worried that one day, Jay was going to realize that she just wasn't worth the trouble. Maybe all this anger she had at him really was just her finding another excuse to push Jay away.

….

Kim popped her head around the corner into the bedroom where Erin was slipping on her dress. "Jay wants you to tell him whether the mashed potatoes are supposed to have sour cream, cream cheese, or both."

Erin twisted to zip her dress up, and gave Kim a furrowed brow glance. "Ummm, I forget which one I had chosen. Tell him the recipe's tabbed on my computer."

Kim just turned her head and yelled into the other room, "Check Erin's computer. She says she tabbed the recipe." Kim stepped completely into the bedroom and moved to help Erin zip up the dress. "This dress is amazing!"

"Thanks," Erin murmured, appreciating the help with the awkward zipper. She smoothed the fabric down over her hips. Her dress was a dark red, and she'd chosen in with the fall season in mind. It had a high neck, but left her arms bare. It fell discreetly below her knees, but it's clingy fit, showed off all her curves. She slipped into her black heels and gave a quick glance in the mirror.

"You look hot," Kim announced. "He's gonna be thinking about taking that dress off you all night."

"Kim!" Erin admonished. "I am not wearing this for Jay." She felt a blush stain her cheeks. Yes, at one point, she might have bought the dress with the look on Jay's face in mind, but she liked the dress. She was just wearing it because she knew she looked good in it, and she wanted to look good for the holidays.

Kim made a face, "Then who are you wearing it for?"

Erin pursed her lips, she gestured to Kim's own dress which was low cut and showed off quite a bit of skin. "Who are you wearing that for?"

Kim looked at her disbelief, "For my ex-boyfriend. He needs to remember that he was an idiot for letting me go."

Erin threw up her hands, "No. We are not dressing up for men. We are dressing up because we are women and we like to look good. It has nothing to do with our exes." Erin gave Kim a sad look, "Seriously, what is wrong with us that we are both spending the holiday with our exes?"

Kim just laughed. Suddenly they heard Jay's voice from the entryway, "Everybody dressed?"

"Yes," Kim answered.

Jay popped his head around the corner, "I have a question for Erin about this recipe. Kim, can you go watch the potatoes that are boiling? I don't want Daniel in their alone."

Kim gave a quick glance to Erin for approval, and Erin gave a tight lipped nod. Once Kim left, Jay entered the room completely, carrying her laptop in his hands. Erin stood nervously. Despite what she had said to Kim, she was looking forward to seeing Jay's reaction to the dress. Instead, his gaze was firmly attached to the computer. He glanced up at her briefly, doing a quick double take, before shaking it off and looking back at the screen. He dropped it to the bed, and spun it around for Erin to look at.

"Don't want to think about us, huh?" Jay sat down next to the computer, leaning over a bit to eyeball the screen, before directing his gaze pointedly at Erin.

Erin closed her eyes in frustration. Her trip down memory lane from this morning was there in vivid color on her laptop. That amazing picture. She expected to see a smirk or knowing look on Jay's face when she opened her eyes, instead his face was serious and his eyes solemn. "I think about that trip all the time, too." He told her.

Erin looked at him quietly, "It was a great trip." She allowed her eyes to drift to the picture.

Jay looked back at the image on the computer. "I'd never been happier in my life. That's when I knew."

Erin took a steadying breath. He had known. Now she didn't know if she could ever look at the picture again. Knowing what he was thinking about in that moment, made the photograph all the more painful to look at. Erin walked quickly over and slowly closed her laptop. She met his eyes. "It seems like it was so long ago."

He lifted his eyes up to her, where she stood next to him by the bed. His eyes so clear and open. "That's funny. I was thinking that if felt like it was yesterday."

Erin just stared down at him. One step. That would all it would take. She could take one step to him, wrap her arms around him, and just breath. Her arms twitched at her sides. She could feel herself swaying forward a bit.

Suddenly, there was a loud crash from the other room, followed by the sound of breaking glass. They heard a curse from Kim, and immediate cries from Daniel. Both sprinted for the living room, getting there at the same time. Daniel was on the floor, part of the tablecloth covering him. A broken plate and silverware around him. Erin raced to grab him, but Jay was faster, and swept him up into his arms, brushing chunks of the broken plate of his pants.

Kim was almost in tears, "The potatoes were boiling over, and I just walked into the kitchen. He was just there, under the table, where he'd been playing." She sniffed, tears in her eyes, "Is he okay?"

Erin looked over him carefully, eyes full of concern, while Jay held him, trying to sooth him. "Did it fall on his head?" She asked. Daniel's eyes were full of tears and he let his displeasure be known by ear splitting screams.

Kim shook her head, "I don't think so. Maybe some silverware hit him. I think he pulled down the edge of the tablecloth, and the dishes just came tumbling down."

Jay held Daniel close against his chest, rocking him gently, with Erin patting Daniel's back. His sobs started to pass, and finally it was just a sniffle.

Erin said, "It's okay, Kim. It was just an accident. He looks fine. I think he was just startled." Kim still was wringing her hands in worry. "He's been under there all day. It could have happened to anyone."

Kim nodded, but still wasn't convinced. She dropped to her knees and started picking up the larger chunks of the broken plate. "Where's your dust pan and broom, Erin. I'll pick this all up."

Erin reluctantly left Daniel's side. She pulled open her hall closet and got out the broom and pan, passing them to Kim. She also pulled out her small vacuum as well. Both women set to work cleaning the floor and setting the table to right. Erin kept one eye on Jay and Daniel the whole time. Jay held Daniel tight against his chest, even as monitored the dishes on the stove top. His anxious eyes kept meeting hers' every time she looked over. Within minutes the mess was gone and everything was back to where it belonged.

Erin gave Kim a big a hug, as her friend was still clearly stressed over the incident, "It's okay. He's okay. Accidents happen."

Kim nodded teary eyed, "I just looked away for a moment. I so sorry."

"It's okay." Erin reassured her.

Erin walked over to Jay, and reached for Daniel. She could see that he was hesitant to release him. Erin was surprised at how quickly the two had bonded. Daniel had his head tucked in tight under Jay's chin. His hands were fisted in his shirt. Erin appreciated their relationship, but she really need to hold her boy right then. Jay noted the emotion in her eyes, and slowly eased Daniel into her arms. Daniel whined a bit about being moved from his comforting embrace, but still wrapped his arms around Erin's neck.

"He's good." Jay told her.

Erin nodded, but didn't speak. She just met Jay's eyes over Daniel's head. She let out a relieved breath. It hadn't been that big of deal. A broken plate and just a scared little boy. Erin couldn't help but acknowledge how well they had come together. It was just like their jobs. They moved in sync, immediately knowing what the other needed. Acting and reacting on their instincts.

Jay shook his head slightly at her. He released his own pent up breath. Erin shook her head back, nuzzling Daniel's mop of hair. Jay reached out and patted him softly on the back. "Shit. That scared me to death." He muttered.

"Yeah, me, too." Erin agreed. She looked down at Daniel, pulling back a bit to look at his face. "You worried me, little man."

Kim came up behind them, "Please do not tell his mom I almost gave him a concussion. Olive will probably never trust me around her baby again."

Erin and Jay exchanged careful glances. Erin wanted to change the subject. "I'm going to go and change his clothes. Just in case he got some bits of glass somewhere on him. You two okay in here?"

Jay nodded glancing at the clock. "Yeah, turkey is on schedule. Checking it in ten minutes. Then it will be ready to come out to rest. Other dishes are ready to go in. Salads ready. Veggies are prepped." He dropped a quick look at the food on the stove top. "I think we are good. People will probably be here soon."

Erin gave him a grateful smile, and then headed to the bedroom. At the door, she glanced back over at him. Jay stood still in the kitchen, eyes still fixed on her. Even across the room, she could see that Jay's eyes were looking at her with intensity. Kim stepped up and asked him a question, and he broke the contact, turning to gesture to one of the dishes. Erin used the moment to slip away into the bedroom.

Erin placed Daniel on the bed, as she pulled out some fresh clothes for him. Looking at the boy, his normal cheerful demeanor starting to reappear. "You scared me, Danny. Me and Jay."

Daniel smiled up at her, "Jay, Jay, Jay." He babbled.

Erin laughed, "Yep. Jay, Jay, Jay. What am I going to do about Jay?"

Author's Note: Thank you for your continued reading and especially those who review. I hadn't planned on finishing a chapter until this weekend, but…needed something to up my spirits. Hope you enjoy this next part of Thanksgiving.