Keeping It in the Family (Linstead)

Chapter 101

The next morning, both Jay and Erin felt on top of the world. Erin, usually a very private person, had said that she couldn't wait to get to the 21st to give the team their news. To Jay, she seemed the happiest he had ever known her. She seemed to be glowing with it, he thought, making her even more beautiful than usual, if that was somehow possible.

"You might want to take those off before we go in, if you're going to flash the ring around," Jay said after Erin parked up at the 21st.

"Good idea," she replied, taking off the leather gloves that he had referred to and stuffing them into one of her coat pockets. The engagement ring gleamed on her left hand.

"It's so stunning, Jay," she said, contemplating it for possibly the hundredth time. "You really have an eye for jewellery, apparently. Are you sure Purrazzo didn't pick it for you?"

He laughed. "Scout's honour. I picked it, asked her for her opinion on it, and had her test it for size. Figured her fingers are pretty similar to yours."

"Clem was so adorable last night," Erin said, a far away look in her eyes as she reminisced. "It was a perfect proposal, Jay. So thoughtful how you planned it out and included her. I love you."

"I love you too," he said, giving her a kiss on the lips. It hadn't been perfect, as he well knew. He was still angry at himself for botching the words he had prepared for asking the question. But he supposed that the only important thing was that she had said yes. How quickly and readily she had done so still surprised him, and he was now having seconds thoughts on his whole 'she's scared of commitment' assumption. It seemed that commitment and a family were what she wanted now, as did he.

"Let's go in," Erin said, opening her door. "How much would you bet I have to keep telling people to look and not touch?"

Jay laughed. "Yes, people have an instinct to touch things you ask them to look at. But you don't need to get all phobic about it."

"I don't want them touching my ring!" she protested, also laughing.

"You make me laugh sometimes," he chuckled as they walked towards the building. Then his mind lurched in another direction. "We should plan a family vacation somewhere soon. Since we've had Clem we've only been to Adam and Kim's wedding, and then we only got one day just the three of us."

Erin eyed him with a stern look that he usually only saw her use in a work context. "You're not planning our wedding any time soon then?"

That put him properly on the back foot. He hadn't put any thought into the wedding at all, which was probably a bit stupid, he now realised. "I, uh..."

Then Erin smiled at him. "I'm teasing you! And it worked. Christ, your face then."

They both laughed. "Yeah, you got me. But seriously, we should look at going somewhere."

"We should. Somewhere a lot warmer than this place, with gorgeous beaches and warm waters for diving. Clem wants to try it, she told me."

"Can you even get certified at her age?"

"As a junior you can. Then she'd have to pass the adult course at fifteen or sixteen, I forget which it is. Assuming she wanted to of course."

The conversation got dropped at that point by virtue of them walking into the building. Trudy Platt was working the front desk, and Erin led the way over to her.

"Morning," Trudy said in her usual grumpy tone that they had both long since gotten used to.

"Morning, Trudy," Erin said brightly. "Jay and I have news. Thought you should be our first port of call."