Macie's Story

3

(October 11th, 15 weeks)

"Date?"

"Your birthday."

"Really?"

"C'mon, Jay. Due on the eighth, your birthday's the tenth, this kid is so coming on your birthday." Hailey says, raising her drink up to her lips before finishing off the last of it.

Jay shakes his head a little. "I'm not so sure about that."

Hailey playfully hooks her eyebrow up. "Oh aren't you? What do you reckon then?"

He glances around the bar before meeting her gaze again with a smile. "Easter."

She pauses for a split second, then drops her chin to her chest. "Easter?" She asks.

Jay nods confidently. "That's how it works. Kid's gonna be celebrating their birthday alongside the Easter bunny."

Hailey purses her lips as she looks around the surrounding booths at Molly's and smiles slightly as she darts her eyes around the bar. She spots their friends on their way back to the table and points them out to Jay, who jumps up from his seat to help them carry the drinks the rest of the way but he gets swatted away by Kevin.

Jay takes his seat back and widens his eyes toward Hailey, making her giggle as Kim dishes out the drinks to each of the seats, taking charge this time in making sure the non-alcoholic one was given to Hailey as when Adam did it he mixed the drinks up. The brunette then takes a seat beside Hailey, Adam next to Jay and Kevin at the end of the table.

"What were you two talking about?" Kim asks, taking a sip of her beer.

Jay quickly raises his hand and points it toward Hailey. "We were just making bets-"

"I want in." Adam swiftly cuts the detective off.

Hailey narrows her eyes over at him from across the table. "You don't even know what about." She points out.

"So?" He shrugs.

Jay hesitated before slowly continuing from when the younger one had jumped in. "We were making bets about the baby, you know the date of birth, weight, all that stuff."

The ears of the other two officers at the table perk up and they both appear very interested in joining in. Hailey plays on this.

"What do you guys think?" She asks and they all open their mouths to speak, but when the three notice they all had immediate answers, they stop themselves.

Jay side-eyes them. "That was too fast."

Kevin glances over at the detectives innocently. "We kinda already had bets placed on all that."

Hailey and Jay nod simultaneously, both of them mumbling out something along the lines of, "Of course." Jay then nods for them all to carry on with what they were all about to blurt out seconds before.

They go one-by-one luckily, and Kim starts. "Boy, April 1st, seven pounds, mini-Jay but with Momma's eyes."

With that, Kevin continues, picking up the second Kim finishes. "Girl, March 30th, six and a half pounds, and she's gonna be a mini-Hailey for sure."

Adam carries on the chain. "Kid's a girl, seven pounds eleven ounces and Jay's birthday."

Hailey points her finger toward Adam. "Thank you!" She says, looking at Jay, who rolls his eyes. She brings her arm and rests his back at the table , then sends Jay a quizzical look. "What about sex?" She asks.

Jay glances over his shoulder and around the crowded bar then puts his gaze back in Hailey with a slight smirk. "We could sneak off round the back but we'd need a clever excuse." He replies quickly.