"Grande iced coffee for Ryan!"

She didn't pay attention to who was picking it up, just set the cup on the counter and turned back around, fishing for the next order. The routine was the same: grab cup, read order, make order and call it out. Same cycle every time, the only difference was whatever the next customer was ordering.

Hailey liked routines, they kept her mind busy and away from the stress of the rest of her life. She woke up, came in to work afternoons, went home, off to the next job and then it was time to sleep and do the same thing again.

It would all change, she told herself. This wouldn't be her life forever, one day she would be out of this rut and she would be doing something that actually mattered. Because right now, her making coffee for the upper elite of Chicago wasn't something that mattered.

"Excuse me?" she heard, causing her head to turn towards the end of the counter. A taller guy, good looking for sure, was staring right at her.

Panic set in at first, but she tried her best to get her emotions in check. With a smile plastered onto her face, she made her way towards him.

"How can I help you?" she asked. He smiled at her this time, taking the lid off his iced coffee.

"Would you mind putting some almond milk in here?" he asked, handing her the drink. "The carafe on the counter didn't have any?"

His smile was infectious, she decided, and the fear and panic inside of her disappeared. She just nodded her head, reaching out to take his drink while her fingers lightly brushed his.

"No problem," she told him before turning around. Get a grip, she told herself. He was just a customer, one she had never seen before, despite working here for a few months now. She knew the regulars, and he was not one.

She turned back around, finding him looking down at his phone and frowning slightly. He seemed out of place, she decided, like he didn't fit in with the usual crowd here. Everyone else this time in the day was grabbing an afternoon pick me up and heading back to work in one of the high rises in the area, suits becoming less pristine as the workday had gone on. Not him, definitely not him, she was sure he would be one of those guys that looked even better after working a nine to five. With one hand leaning against the counter, the short sleeve grey tee he wore pulled rather nicely against what she could tell was a fit chest, his jeans doing delicious things to him and her dirty mind.

"Here you go," she said, sliding the cup across to him. He looked back at her, smiling once more and Hailey swore she would let him smile at her all day if he looked at her like that.

What the hell, she wondered, her thoughts approaching dangerous territory.

"Thanks," he told her, pausing as he let the end of his statement in the air.

"Hailey," she finished. He just smiled wider, the lines of his face somehow brightening everything about his expression.

"I'm Ryan," he said.

"Grande iced coffee," she told him. She liked putting faces and names to orders. Coffee orders were personality traits in her mind, and they could tell her a lot about a person. She assumed a lot about Ryan earlier when she got the order. Iced coffee, on the go but if he also ordered it during Chicago's freezing temps, he was stubborn. Black, strong, mysterious, no fuss and frills.

"And a splash of almond milk, but I'll save you the trouble and do it myself," he explained.

Very kind too, she added to her mental description of Ryan.

"Hope to see you around," he told her as he turned to leave.

"You too," Hailey said before she could catch herself. Who was she? She never fussed over a guy, let alone someone as attractive as Ryan was.

"He is dreamy," she heard from behind her. She quickly grabbed the cup she abandoned to handle his request. It seemed like forever ago that he had interrupted her, not the thirty second interaction that it actually was. But despite her distance and the volume of the shop, she could hear the whisperers from the two girls working the currently empty register.

"I think he just moved into the building across the street," one of the girls, Meredith, said. Hailey didn't mind Meredith, but sometimes the girl put her nose where things don't belong.

"Wonder what he does?" the second one, Stacy, asked. "He comes in almost every day, but at random times."

Hailey watched Meredith shrug before turning to greet a customer, however she wouldn't deny that she was wondering all about grande black iced coffee Ryan. With a splash of almond milk, she reminded herself, hearing Ryan's voice in her mind.

He didn't fit their usual crowd, but he blended in so well. It looked like he belonged, like he was some sort of trust fund kid whose daddy owned the building. But he was kind, with a light in those green eyes that she didn't see every day.

If she was lucky, she saw kindness twice a day.

A glance at the clock told her she had two more hours here, two more hours of making and probably spilling coffee on herself while subjecting herself to the scrutiny of the working businessmen and women of Chicago, the ones who probably look down on her job, even when it subjected her to so much information about the city's elite.

It was a job that would serve her well, if she ever got her acceptance that is. She should be more like Ryan, accepting her surroundings and making light of it all. He acted like he owned the place, that he was one of her regulars, even though based on Meredith and Stacy's commentary, he was new to their café.

Hailey silently hoped and wished and prayed Ryan would come back tomorrow. It would be her last chance to see him before the weekend, and there was something about him that intrigued her more than any man ever did. He was different, but how she didn't know. All she knew was how she felt inside when he looked at her, talked to her, smiled at her, and she wanted more, more than she had ever wanted anything.

And to her, that was saying a lot.

Just as she suspected, Ryan had returned the next day. At first, she wasn't sure he noticed her, not that she thought she was much to notice. She liked keeping to herself, but the small part of her that felt like she was back in high school crushing on the popular guy hoped he saw her.

It was when she picked up his order to make it that she realized he was in the café. Her head turned to the end of the counter, spying him among the small crowd that waited for their orders. He was glancing at his phone again, likely reading something as she didn't see his fingers moving across the screen, which would have mirrored the college girls standing beside him.

While it may not have been what she was supposed to do, she couldn't help but grab the cup with his order out of the line, prompting her to make it herself as quickly as she could. His order wasn't complicated by any means, as she had learned yesterday, but she wanted to do this nice thing for him. Against her better judgement, she went ahead and put his splash of almond milk in the coffee, wanting to save him the trouble.

"Grande iced coffee for Ryan!"

Hailey's words echoed in her mind from yesterday as she spoke them out loud, not bothering to return to her job just yet. She was being selfish, she wanted the chance to talk to him again, even while they were fairly busy. In the last year, she didn't let herself be selfish once but now, she was jumping at the chance, unsure if that should scare her or not.

"This was supposed to be black?" he asked, and her heart sunk a little as his words confirmed that he hadn't seen her. It shouldn't have surprised her; he was probably used to the socialites of the city rather than her and her coffee stained jeans.

"I went ahead and added almond milk," she said softly, causing him to look at her. The realization settled into his eyes suddenly and that smile from yesterday returned.

"You remembered," he told her. She simply shrugged because to her, it was no big deal. She was just trying to be nice.

"It was no big deal," she told him, voicing her thoughts out loud.

"I appreciate it, Hailey," he told her. His phone chimed again, causing him to break eye contact her to look down at his screen. The smile on his face dropped as he processed the message, but it was back, although not as bright, when he met her eyes again.

"I have to run," he said. "Same time tomorrow?"

"No, actually," she told him. "I don't work weekends."

"Well that's upsetting," he replied. "Monday then?"

Hailey just nodded, a smile coming to her own face, and his expression gave anything away, it made him smile even bigger.

"Looking forward to it," she replied, and as he walked away, she couldn't help but wonder if this was going to be a thing.

If it was, it would become the best thing she's experienced in a while.

She was late, or she would be if she spent one more second here. The apartment was a wreck and she couldn't find anything she needed before going to work. Her manager would have her ass if she was late, tonight of all nights

"Vanessa!" she yelled as she continued digging through the pile of clothes on her bed. Where the hell had her jacket disappeared to?

"Yeah?" she heard from down the hall.

"Have you seen my green jacket?" she asked. "I can't find it!"

"Last I saw it was in the living room," Vanessa replied. She ran out and sure enough, there was the offending jacket in question. She was absolutely losing her mind.

"There you are," she mumbled, more to herself than actually talking to the jacket, because then she was sure she would be losing her mind. Quickly, she through it on before glancing at her phone. If she took the train, she would likely be late, but maybe today was the day she asked to borrow Vanessa's car, saving herself a good ten minutes, five of which was spent looking for her damn jacket.

"Hey," she heard, causing her to turn around, finding her roommate across the room. She through something at her, and fast reflexes allowed Hailey to catch it. The cool metal in her palm gave it away before she could look at whatever Vanessa tossed to her.

"I can't," Hailey began, shaking her head at her roommate. She started to protest before the younger woman shut her down.

"Yes, you can," Vanessa said. "You're running late, and it's not your fault. I knew you wouldn't ask, so I figured it would be better to make you."

Hailey sighed, giving her a soft smile. She didn't want to leave, not when she was needed here. But she trusted Vanessa, and she needed the money, and those were the only two reasons why she was leaving, knowing the next six hours would be absolute hell.

"Thank you," she said softly. It hurt her to do this, but a soft rustling broke her from her thoughts.

Her head turned towards the crib in the corner of their cramped apartment. All either of them could afford was the one bedroom they shared, Vanessa sleeping in the bedroom while Hailey on the couch, the plain wooden crib placed against the wall beside it.

Time seemed to slow as she approached the crib and looked down, finding blue eyes as bright as her own staring back at her.

"Hi, sweet girl," she told the baby. "Mama's gotta go, but Auntie Vanessa is gonna stay with you."

All she got was a smile in return and the unmistaken babble of "mama". Those blue eyes and that sweet smile was the only reason she was doing this, because while she told herself they needed the money to get out of this cramped place and get her into the police academy, that wasn't true. It was all for her, her sweet baby girl that was the only bright spot in her life, the only person, besides Vanessa, that treated her with such kindness that she didn't know it existed before Emilia.

"You gotta go," Vanessa reminded her. "I will check on you in a bit."

Hailey turned back to her roommate, smiling at her in silent thanks. She voiced the word aloud as she hurried to the door, knowing if she spent one more second here, she would never go to work, which would lead to her losing her job. That was the last thing she needed, especially if she wanted to give Emilia a better life.

For now, that was all she was living for. Her daughter was the only thing in her life that meant something to her, and she would make damn sure she gave her the best life possible.

"Hailey!" she heard and part of her winced at the harsh tone. She knew who the voice belonged to; she had just hoped she wouldn't have to have a confrontation now.

"Hey Claudia," she replied, trying to be nice to her manager. The woman was intense, that was for sure, but as long as she valued her and the other girls, Hailey would put up with it.

"There better be a reason that you start in ten minutes and you're still standing around like that," she barked. Months ago, the older woman's tone would have caused her to flinch. But by now, Hailey was considered a vet among the others, and she knew Claudia didn't mean it.

"Em is sick," she told her honestly, not feeling guilty. Claudia had a soft spot for her daughter, even while they had only met like once. The furrowed brows relaxed as Hailey looked at her manager, and all she got was a nod in response.

"I appreciate you being here," she said. "Hopefully you can get out early. I'll try my best but there are already three bachelor parties out there. It's gonna be busy tonight."

"I'll hurry up," Hailey said, making her way to her locker. Claudia didn't say another word, having found something else to fuss over when another dancer walked into the room.

She was quick to open her locker, setting her bag down as she pulled off her jacket. As she stared into the metal locker, she once again questioned why she did this. But as soon as the questions crossed her mind, she spotted it, the silver "E" necklace that hung in the back, the one Vanessa bought her after Emilia was born. She never wore it, but it hung here, a reminder that she put herself through everything for Emilia, a reminder that one day all this would be worth it.

"What are we wearing tonight?" she asked the girl next to her, Cecilia. She liked Cecilia, she was one of the nicer girls here, where some could be real bitches.

"Claudia said black," Cecilia told her, before shooting Hailey a smile. "Wear the leather one."

Hailey just laughed, because of course Cecilia would say that. Without a second thought, she pulled it out and pulled off the leggings and sweatshirt she had on. There was something ironic about it all, wearing warm clothes to the club and having to strip down the second she got here in exchange for very little.

"Five minutes!"

She tried to rush, luckily having curled her hair and done her makeup before she left, leaving her to touch up her makeup put her heels on. The smiles she saw in the mirror from Cecilia and Amber, another of her favorites, made her feel better, as much as one could, given the circumstances.

"Looking good babe," she heard before feeling the sting of a hand on her ass. Hailey just rolled her eyes, knowing it was the fourth member of the little group here she found herself in here. Alexis was a lot to handle, but it translated well when she seemed to earn the most tips here. Hailey knew her weakness though, knowing the bulk of the money she made went to funding the addiction problem she had while the rest she sent to her younger brother in foster care.

They all had stories; they all had a reason for being here. It was what tied them all together, at least the ones in her tiny group of her, Cecilia, Amber and Alexis. They understood why they did this, why them put themselves through the objectification and catcalls on a daily basis, knowing it was one of the few things that would pay the bills, that would help them get on the other side of this.

Hailey was here for her daughter, all while hoping to get accepted into the police academy, a feat that could be helpless if they ever found out about her night job. Cecilia was like her, a single mother with a deadbeat for a baby daddy, and Amber was just here for the extra cash to fund her mother's cancer treatments. They all had a story, a reason for this, which was something Hailey didn't expect when she began working.

"Two minutes!"

Claudia's voice echoed in the back room as other girls ran around, some dressed and some not, hairspray filling the air as everyone finished putting themselves together. What seemed like seconds later, the girls from the earlier shift began flooding in, each of them covered in a sheen of sweat as looks of regret settled onto some of their faces. It was hard work, and if she didn't need to be here, she would have made herself scarce a long time ago. But for now, all she could do was suck it up, pretend like she enjoyed it and hope nothing went wrong tonight.

"Show time," she mumbled, swiping her red lipstick across her lips once more.

The weekend seemed to drag on, the days spent with Emilia while her nights were for less than desirable actions. She wasn't proud of what she did, but it paid the bills and gave her time to spend with Emilia, something that she cherished after all that had happened in the past few years.

Monday rolled around far too quickly, as did Tuesday and Wednesday, despite working both those nights at the club, but Hailey wasn't one to complain. When Thursday came, she was glad as it was one of the two nights she had off, and that equaled one thing: sleep. Vanessa would be working, and if there was something else she had to be grateful for, not that there were many things, it was how understanding her manager was, scheduling them on different days so someone could always be around to watch Emilia.

This Thursday gave her a change in pace, as she was placed at the register today instead of actually making the drinks. While she valued her routines, she liked the change, even while the nagging in her mind was always there. She liked making the drinks because she was invisible. The only employees a customer noticed were the ones actually taking your order and Hailey would much rather do the grunt work than risk being seen by a club patron.

There had been another thing getting her through her days at the café, and that was seeing Ryan. Even if she had only seen him once this week on Monday, it still made the rest of the week better. She started a game in her head, one that was guessing whether Ryan would show up. The anticipation alone had her working in a better mood, and she guessed that was why they assigned her to cover the register today.

"Thank you," she told her current customer, her attention falling to the coffee cup was writing the order on.

"I'll be right with you," she said, not looking up to see the next person in line.

"Take your time," a familiar voice said. That alone had her stopping what she was doing and looking up to find Ryan smiling at her.

"Hi," she said softly. "One second."

"No rush," he replied as she hurried to finish writing down the previous order. She set the cup to the side before looking back at Ryan, smiling when she saw him smiling at her.

"Let me guess," she began. "Grande iced coffee with a splash of almond milk?"

"Only if you're the one making it," he said, shooting her a cheeky grin. Was he flirting with her, she wondered?

"Unfortunately, not today," she told him. "They put me at the register today."

"Well lucky me, because I suppose that gives me an excuse to talk to you?"

"Only if there is no one else waiting."

Her answer had them both looking behind him, finding no one in line before his attention was back on her.

"Haven't seen you the past few days," she told him. "I was beginning to think you forgot about this place."

"I could never," he replied. "But work caught up with me and I was forced to endure break room coffee."

"A true tragedy," she said. It was surprising her that she was openly flirting with him, because that wasn't her. She had talked to this man four times now, but there was something about him that made her feel safe. She actually enjoyed talking to a guy, an idea that seemed foreign to her any other time, but not with him.

"Anyways," Ryan began. "I did want to ask you something."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," he continued. "How weird would it be if I asked for your number?"

Hailey's mind went blank. No guy ever did this to her, especially one that looked like Ryan. She was sure she was dreaming but based on the nervous look on his face, and hearing his name being called by whoever made his iced coffee told her this was real.

"This is weird," he said, mumbling more to himself than to her. "I'm sorry, you probably have a boyfriend and I'm clearly overstepping some line. I'm sorry."

"It's not weird," she said suddenly, surprising them both. The words sounded weird coming out of her mouth, and despite not knowing anything about this guy, something inside her wanted to give Ryan her number. Maybe it was the way that he was flustered over asking her the simple question, an action that caught her off guard because the man exuded confidence in a way that couldn't ever be cocky. But she also suspected that there was something about him that made her calm, that made her feel like herself.

Before either of them could say something else, she ripped the receipt from the computer, taking the pen she was holding to write down her number. Any second longer and she would chicken out, he would walk away or worse, both those would happen. Something seemed to be possessing her into doing this, and all she could hope was that he was a normal nice guy with nothing to hide.

"Here," she said before handing him the paper.

"Thank you, Hailey," he said, smiling at her once more. His smile made him even more attractive, which she wasn't sure was even possible. But it made her heart flutter in her chest to the point she wondered if something was wrong.

"You're welcome," she replied, smiling back at him as he backed away, heading to get his coffee. She followed him until he disappeared out the door, her eyes watching as he glanced at the paper she gave him, another smile spreading across her face. And as he disappeared from her sight, fear overtook her, causing her to wonder whether she did the right thing.

Until he texted her, and the permanent smile that seemed to be because of him, returned to her face.

The silence in the apartment was odd, as she was used to Emilia's constant chattering filling the place. But she had been asleep for an hour now, leaving Hailey alone as she waited for Vanessa to get home.

She wasn't bored, however. Ryan had been texting her all night since she got off work, and while talking to a guy wasn't new to her, it felt like it now. Hailey surprised herself by how normal this all felt. Everything about him just felt familiar despite having only met him a week ago. It should've scared her, but it didn't.

There was something about him, what she didn't know, but it didn't worry her. Actually, it excited her, like he would somehow turn her world upside down if she let him.

The words made her turn and look over at Emilia's crib, and the sigh that escaped her was reliving and worrisome. There was so much in her life that was undesirable to a man, any man, let alone someone like Ryan. She'd gone down the dating road before, and it always came to a crashing halt either when they found out she was a single mom. Or, if they got past that, it was when they found out she had a roommate.

No one ever learned about her nighttime job.

A tiny voice inside her told her Ryan would be different. But even as she thought about that, she knew what Ryan's flaw would be; he wouldn't want to date someone that had a baby.

But when had anyone said anything about dating?

The buzzing of her phone captured her attention before she could let herself go down a rabbit hole. Her mind could already be a dangerous place, but it was even worse when she was left alone to silence.

So, question for you, Ryan's text read. They had spent the past hour debating what Chicago sports team was better, not that there was much of an argument, because frankly, they were all good.

Yes? she typed back.

What would I have to do to convince you to let me take you to dinner?

His words sent butterflies through her, a feeling she was sure she hadn't felt since high school. But the mere prospect of his idea scared her. Agreeing to go on a date meant asking Vanessa to watch Emilia or finding a sitter, hoping someone could pick up her shift at the club and actually feeling mentally prepared to go on a date.

Before she could answer, she heard the lock on the door. Vanessa walked in seconds later, trying to be as quiet as she could to not wake the baby.

"Hey," Hailey whispered, locking her phone to look at her roommate. "How was work today?"

"Work was work," she replied. "Ain't nothing glamorous about being a waitress."

"Same could be said about any of our other jobs," Hailey said softly, both girls getting the hint Hailey was leaving. There was nothing glamorous about being a stripper.

"Don't think that," Vanessa said, reading Hailey's mind. "This is temporary."

"I know that. But what happens down the road when I'm applying for jobs? Stripper doesn't exactly go on a resume."

"You'll find the right fit, okay? The only thing you need to focus on is that little girl."

Both turned to look at Emilia sleeping away in her crib, stirring slightly at the sound of the two women. The second Hailey thought about it, she heard the baby whimper, a telltale sign that any second, there would be full-on crying.

"Sorry," Vanessa whispered but Hailey waved her off.

"She went down early tonight. It was only a matter of time before she woke up."

The baby's cries picked up and Hailey stood, walking the short distance over to her crib. The little girl was already sitting up, arms reaching for her mom.

"Hey sweet girl," she said softly, reaching in to pick her up. "You didn't sleep very long?"

"Or you just wanted to see me? Didn't you?" Vanessa chimed in.

Both women smiled at Emilia, trying to get her cries to quiet down. Hailey had sat back down on the couch she called a bed, Emilia resting her head on her mom's chest in an effort to be close to her. Vanessa quietly retreated to her bedroom before emerging in pajamas.

"How did your day go?" Vanessa asked, sitting beside her two roommates.

"Boring as hell," she replied. "But NYU guy's wife just found out he was sleeping with his secretary."

Vanessa laughed at the name for one of Hailey's regulars. The stories she heard working in a simple coffee shop were unlike any a simple barista would hear, but Chicago is nothing without gossip.

"And, one of my regular may have asked for my number," she mumbled, hoping Vanessa wouldn't hear her.

"What?!" her roommate nearly yelled. For a small human, she was loud.

"And he may have asked me out," she finished, only causing Vanessa to nearly fall off the couch she was moving so much.

"Hailey!" she said, smacking her thigh. "You tell me these things!"

"It's just new," was all she could say. "I haven't given him an answer."

"Your answer is yes," Vanessa told her. "And don't you argue with me. I'll watch Em, you're going on that date."

"Vanessa…" Hailey began before she got cut off.

"No," she cut Hailey off. "You deserve this more than anyone. You have been so focused on Emilia and working to get yourself and Emilia a better life. You deserve a night out with a guy that makes you smile like that."

As if on cue, she did smile, trying to hide it by kissing Emilia's forehead.

"Tell him yes," Vanessa continued. "Do this for you, even if just this once."

Hailey sighed, knowing Vanessa was right. It had been too long since she'd gone on a date, and one she would actually be excited about. She had been too focused on making sure Emilia got what she needed, putting her own needs on the backburner for so long. It was time, she decided, to do something for herself, to let herself enjoy everything about a single girl in her 20s, as much as she could.

"Okay," she said softly. "I'll tell him yes."

"Right now," Vanessa said, handing Hailey her phone. She took it with no hesitation, resting her chin on top of Emilia's head as she looked down at the screen.

What would I have to do to convince you to let me take you to dinner?

She reread Ryan's text as she typed out a response before hitting send.

Ask me.

Seconds later she saw the little bubbles pop up, showing that he was replying. Almost as quick as she saw them, they disappeared before being replaced by a new message.

Hailey, would you go out to dinner with me?

I'd love to.

"Hailey!"

She silently groaned at the sound of her own name, even while she knew it was her roommate who was yelling. Part of her wanted to get out of here before Vanessa got home, but she knew that was impossible since Vanessa was watching Emilia.

"Just a second!" she yelled back. She had close to 15 minutes before she had to leave to meet Ryan. Whenever he had tried to offer to pick her up, she shot him down every time, not wanting him to know where she lived. It wasn't that she lived in a bad area of town, there were worse areas of Chicago than where she lived, but he could do better than her. He was a confident businessman who could easily have any woman in the city. She was a barista, but that was all he knew her as. He didn't know she was a single mom that on the weekends worked at a strip club, and Hailey didn't want to think about what he would do when he found out.

But she liked him, and that outweighed all the nerves and questions running through her mind. A guy like him would never have asked out someone like her, and for once in her life, she wanted to feel selfish. Every date with him had felt like that so far, and she had allowed herself to feel selfish. She wanted to forget her jobs and responsibilities for a few hours and remember what it felt like to feel wanted.

As she looked in the mirror again, she tried to remind herself that she was doing this for herself and she deserved to have a night out. Ryan was a great guy and she would be lying if she wished this could become more.

Except it couldn't.

"Damn, Hailey," she heard as she turned towards her roommates from where she stood in the bathroom doorway. The brunette took her in from head to toe, and despite this being her roommate, her best friend, Hailey still squirmed.

"Stop that," she told Vanessa, trying once more to adjust the hem of her dress. it felt too short, but every now and then she wondered why she was worrying so much. The dress was conservative compared to what she wore at the club. But she knew why she worried, because she wanted to make an impression on Ryan, however she could.

"You look beautiful," Vanessa said. "And I mean that. Do you know where he's taking you?"

"Some place in Lincoln Park," she answered.

"Well someone is fancy," Vanessa teased her. Hailey just smiled at her roommate but before she could say anything else, they both heard the known on the door.

"Is that Kevin?" Hailey asked as she turned back to the mirror, her hand reaching up to twist a curl on her finger.

"Yeah," Vanessa said. "He was complaining that he hasn't seen Em in a while and begged to come over."

Hailey had to laugh at that, because it was something Kevin would say. She loved that he doted on Emilia as much as he did. The three of them had become three peas in a pod when she started working at the club and had taken her under their wing. Vanessa worked the bar and Kevin was a bouncer, but when she met them, they had just started dating. They still were, and both of them helped her when Emilia was born to the point where she could never repay them.

She took one last look in the mirror before turning the lights off and heading towards the living room, hearing the sound of Emilia's laugh and whatever joke Kevin was telling her. As she reached the space that doubled as her bedroom, she stopped to take in the sight before her. Kevin was currently throwing Emilia up in the air, the giggles coming from the little girl. Hailey appreciated her roommate and her boyfriend because they gave her daughter something Hailey couldn't give on her own: a family.

The ringing of her phone broke her from her thoughts, and as she looks down, she realized she had to get a move on if she wanted to make it to the restaurant on time. Throwing a quick goodbye to Kevin and Vanessa, and giving her daughter a kiss, she was out the door and for the first time she felt like a normal, single woman.

The cab ride to the restaurant seem to pass by in a blur as her nerves began to get the best of her. But as soon as she saw Ryan standing outside despite the chilly temperatures from the Chicago air, all the nerves in her left and was replaced with only excitement and happiness.

He opened the door for her as soon as the car pulled up to the curb, extending his hand to help her out. This is the kind of thing you only saw movies, she thought, but for one night she would let herself experience all that he had to give her. Despite the worries about someone recognizing her, or feeling out of place, just looking at him calmed her and she felt like this was a normal thing.

"Hi," he told her, squeezing her hand lightly.

"Hi," she replied, smiling up at him. She watched as he took a moment to let his gaze travel down her body and the nerves she had settled in again, as she wondered whether or not this was good enough for him. But as she was lost in her own mind his own words broke through.

"You look incredible," he told her, sending a blush all through her body. She no longer could blame the pink to her cheeks on the cool evening air.

"Come on," he said, pulling her into the restaurant. She followed behind, once more letting herself be lost to the idea that she was a normal woman in Chicago on a date with someone who made her feel special.

No words were spoken as they sat down at a table beside a window. Despite having lived in Chicago all of her life, the view somehow felt different almost like she was experiencing the city for the first time. But it wasn't a bad thing, more that she just felt like a new woman, experiencing dinner with a guy that actually made her feel like herself. It felt like this was the first time they had ever gone on a date, but it wasn't. But this was the first time she had gotten dressed up and was sitting in a place that before Ryan, she thought was reserved only for the upper echelon of Chicago.

"You want something to drink?" Ryan asked her. She just nodded, once again letting herself indulge on a rare night out.

"Any recommendations?" she said, leaning forward on the table.

"How about I surprise you?" he told her before shooting her a wink. All she could do was smile back at him before he got up from the table, heading towards the bar. She took the alone time to check her phone, wanting to know if Vanessa was having any problems with Emilia. After firing up a quick text, she left her phone out knowing that her roommate was good about responding right away when she was looking after her daughter. As the seconds ticked by, she tried to tell herself everything was okay even while some worry was settling in.

"For you," she heard in her ear before seeing a glass of red wine being set down in front of her.

"Thank you," she replied, watching as Ryan sat down with his own drink, the color resembling what she could only assume was whiskey.

"So, Hailey," he began but he didn't get far before she watched her phone screen light up with Vanessa's name. The worry was back because Vanessa never called her, the woman hating to call anyone unless necessary.

"I'm sorry I have to take this," she told Ryan.

"It's fine," he reassured her, taking a sip of his own drink as she answered.

"Hello?" she said, her heart rate picking up as she waited for someone to respond.

"Hailey," Kevin said, and that's when she knew something was wrong.

"What's wrong?"

"It's Emilia," he told her, and before he could finish, she was standing up and she felt Ryan's eyes on her, clearly wondering what was happening.

"Where are you?" she asked, her voice dangerously close to shaking.

"Chicago Med," he told her. "We fed her after you left, and since then she's been throwing up and Vanessa thinks she has a fever."

It was her worst nightmare come true, being away from her daughter and not being able to do anything to help her. As she looked at Ryan, she felt bad about having to bail but was met with confusion as he threw a few bills onto the table before standing up himself.

"I'm on my way," she told Kevin before hanging up. She turned to Ryan, finding him close behind her, worry etched onto his own face.

"I'm sorry, I have to go," she began before he cut her off.

"What's wrong?" he asked, and the softness of his voice had her under some spell, as it always did, because before she could realize what she was doing, the words were out of her mouth.

"It's my daughter," she said, silently hoping he wasn't one of those guys that left when they found out about kids. It had been one of her fears when he asked her out, but she hoped she wouldn't find the answer this early. "She's at Chicago Med."

"My car is here, let me drive you," he told her, and before she could object, he was pulling her along with him, his hand clasped tightly with hers. Hailey felt safe, protected, and that's when she knew that she could fall for him, if she hadn't already started.

Once again it was all a blur as she stood outside the restaurant next to Ryan waiting for the valet to bring his car around. She felt bad that she had to leave their date so quickly before it even began but it said a lot to her that he was willing to drive her to the hospital to see her daughter. She didn't really remember the drive either and the next thing she knew, he was pulling up in front of Med, handing his car keys to the valet there.

"My daughter was just brought in," she told the nurse sitting in the waiting room. "Emilia Upton."

The older woman looked down at a computer for a second before she stood, wordlessly telling Hailey to follow her. On instinct, or without thinking, she wasn't sure, she grabbed Ryan's hand, bringing him along with her. She needed the support she knew only he could give, but she also needed him to know this was part of the deal with dating her. She and Emilia were a package deal.

"Hailey!" she heard and soon she saw Vanessa outside what must have been Emilia's room. She barely said anything to her roommate, but instead made a beeline for the crib inside the small room, spotting tiny blonde curls peeking from inside.

"Hi sweetie," she whispered, being cautious of the wires attached to her daughter as she reached down to pick her up, needing to hold her right now. The little girl did feel warm but besides that she seems to be her usual happy self. She held onto her daughter she turned towards the small crowd she had gathered outside of the room, locking eyes with Vanessa in order to avoid Ryan at the moment.

"Have they said anything?" she asked her, the younger woman shaking her head in response.

"Dr. Halstead will be right back," she told Hailey. "He was going to wait until you got here before they did anything."

Hailey just nodded, kissing Emilia on the forehead softly before turning to look at Ryan. He had a strange look on his face, and if she didn't think it was so farfetched, she would've thought the confusion was because he had never seen a child before. She briefly heard Vanessa say something about leaving but all Hailey could focus on was Ryan.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, swaying slightly in hopes she can give her daughter some comfort. In all the ways she imagined telling Ryan about Emilia, this was never a possibility to her.

"Don't be," he replied, his voice soft. He cautiously approached her almost like she was going to turn him down and tell him to leave. But she didn't say anything, and next thing she knew he was standing in front of her his hand gently reaching out towards Emilia's. There was silence in the room as the baby latched onto his fingers, and Hailey's eyes locked with his, smiling despite the tears that were threatening to fall.

The moment was soon interrupted as she heard an unknown voice saying her daughter's name. In the doorway of the small room stood who she assumed was Dr. Halstead and if it weren't for the man beside her, she would have found the redhead attractive. But she was more confused by the look on the doctor's face, almost like he saw a ghost as he looked at her, Ryan and Emilia. Hailey figured maybe he was seeing something he lost, because she realized the three of them standing together, Hailey holding Emilia as Ryan held Emilia's hand, probably looked like the perfect family.

The thing that pained her the most was that they were not.

"I'm Dr. Halstead," he introduced himself, extending his hand to her. "You must be Emilia's parents?"

Hailey stuttered out a response, wanting to correct Dr. Halstead but finding herself unable to. The logical part of her brain kicked in, knowing if she denied Ryan as her daughter's father he would be asked to leave, and it didn't scare her as much as it should, and him leaving was the last thing she wanted right now.

"I'm Ryan," he said, shaking the outstretched hand. "This is Hailey."

Dr. Halstead just nodded as he looked at the tablet before speaking again.

"From what the couple that brought her in said, they told me they were babysitting Emilia?" he said, looking at them for conformation, prompting Hailey to nod. "They said she was throwing up after eating and running a fever?"

"That's what Vanessa told me," Hailey replied. "We were out at dinner."

"I see," Dr. Halstead answered. "It sounds like she could have had a minor allergic reaction. Do you mind running some tests so I can find out?"

As his question entered her mind, all Haley could think about was the financial problems that would come with this. While she wanted to figure out what was going on with her daughter, she knew the hospital bill after this visit would be astronomical. But before she could say anything, she heard Ryan answer.

"Please," he said, causing her head to turn up at him. "Do whatever you can."

Dr. Halstead just nodded at them again, staring at Ryan for what seemed like too long considering they just met. Even though the man was helping her daughter to feel better, she wanted nothing more in that moment for him to be out of her room so she could talk to Ryan.

"Is there something else?" she asked, causing Dr. Halstead to snap out of whatever trance he seemed to be in.

"Sorry," Dr. Halstead said as he shook his head. "You just remind me a lot of my brother."

Neither of them could say anything else before he turned and walked out of the door. Hailey could vaguely hear him calling for a nurse but all she was focused on was Ryan's instance that they run whatever tests needed to be done.

"Are you insane?" she asked him, her voice quiet to avoid upsetting Emilia and bothering other patients. His head turn back to her in the confusion on his face was visible, and if she weren't so perturbed at the situation, she would've found it interesting that his expression mirrored that Dr. Halstead from moment before.

"I'm sorry," he replied, understanding her frustrations before she had a chance to voice them. "I overstepped, I'm sorry."

His concern for Emilia was apparent and while she appreciated it, especially since he just learned 30 minutes before that she even had a daughter, there was no way that she would be able to take on the financial burden associated with every test that they would run.

"I just," he began, nerves and concern apparent on his face. The expression he wore caused the wheels in her head to turn, because he now acted like he had seen a ghost, and it likely pointed to one thing: he had experience with this.

"It's okay," she said without thinking. There was so much she wanted to tell him, and even while this was not the most ideal place to do so, it certainly felt like the right time.

"I don't have the means to cover whatever they're going to do," she told him honestly. "But I want to know she will be okay. She's all I have."

Before he could say another word, he leaned forward, wrapping his arms around them both. A shaky breath escaped her, but her other senses were assaulted by everything that was this man in front of her.

"Can I take care of it?" he asked. He didn't assume he should take care of it in the phrasing of his question, as he still gave her the opportunity to deny his help. But for the first time in her entire life, someone was offering her help not because she stripped for them, or made them coffee, or because they feel obligated to her. He was offering her help because he truly wanted to do something for her and her daughter. And in that moment, she couldn't find it in her to say no because at the end of the day all she wanted was to know Emilia was okay.

"I will pay you back," she told him. "I just, I need her to be okay."

"And she will," he assured her, his head tilting down, his lips inches from her. "She's important to you, which means she is important to me. I know we just met, but it's different. This is so different. So, please, can I take care of it?"

Hailey just nodded, feeling tears roll down her cheeks. Before she could comprehend anything, her lips met his and everything in the world somehow made sense. This was how things were supposed to go, everything just felt right, everything just made sense. And it was all because of this man here beside her.

Jay Halstead stood outside of his truck waiting to hear from his boss about what their plan would be. It was his first case back since coming back from undercover and he was itching at the chance to be able to do something again, something that got his adrenaline going in ways only being a cop could.

He didn't know whole lot about their current case, just that they were going after a guy suspected have a lot of things, none of them good. The team has finally gotten to lead about one of the clubs that he owed in the area and they were hoping tonight he would be there.

"Everyone ready?" Voight asked. They all nodded before going the respective ways, Jay and Antonio planning to take the front while Adam and Kim were going in the back. They chose to wait until after closing, watching us a last patron exited the club in hopes the only people remaining there were employees and hopefully their suspect.

As they breached, Jay's body seem to go on auto pilot, knowing exactly where to move and what to look out for. It was a strange shock to see the inside of a club that it's just been very lively and now was empty, with a few bartenders cleaning up, all of them shocked as they watched the police and to the building.

He could hear the commotion in the back room, the surprise screams of the girls he assumed her back there. There was a reason they sent Kim and Adam in, knowing that seeing a woman may lessen the chance of any of them getting physical well also hoping they would cooperate more.

He could only focus on his task right now, cuffing the three bartenders while Antonio talked to one of the bouncers. He heard Voight come in behind him, bypassing the main room and heading down the hallway he assumed lead to the dressing rooms with the dancers were. He needed the structure he became accustomed to from the days in the Army: get in, disarm the bad guy, take suspects if needed, and get out of there. And that was exactly what he would do.

"Chicago PD!"

The two words alone right now sent everyone into a panic, knowing that what they were doing wasn't favorable, and Hailey knew some of these girls had records and if they were arrested, their lives very well could be over.

But she had other things on her mind when she heard those words: her daughter. It was no telling what would happen if authorities learned about her second job, the one that didn't always get listed on her tax refunds, the one that could cause her to lose the one thing she loves the most.

Hailey watched as a guy her age, followed by a woman her age, entered through the back door, guns drawn. A mixture of screams and shouts assaulted her ears and all she could think to do was freeze in place. She watched silently as the other girls tried to make a run for it, some surrendering and putting their hands up, but all had the same look of fear upon their faces. Because like her, many of these girls were dependent on this job and the money in order to keep their families together and be able to provide for them.

If she had to be thankful for small mercies, it was the fact that she had already changed out of the lingerie she had worn just minutes earlier. She knew enough to know they wouldn't all have time to change, and she should consider herself lucky that she was going to the police department it was in the same sweats she came in with.

As she watched the male cop approach her, turning her around so that he could put cuffs on her wrists, all she thought about was Emilia, knowing she would do whatever she had to do to protect her and go home to her. Vanessa knew if anything ever happened to Hailey, she was the one person that she wanted to take care of Emilia. It was why she spent an entire paycheck on time meeting with a lawyer to draft a will, knowing that this one thing could help protect her daughter and keep her out of the system.

"Come on," she heard the cop tell her. She watched the other girls as she was led out, all of them in a similar state of fear. She locked eyes with Amber and Cecilia, both girls knowing where her own headspace was. The entire ride to the station, every detail of Emilia's life played on a loop, and she could only hope she would get to see and hold her once again.

"What do we know?" Voight asked, standing in the doorway of his office as he addressed his team.

"We brought in all the girls from the club," Jay explained as he sat on the top of his desk. "They're all downstairs in holding. Ruzek is running their prints and we should get more soon."

His sergeant just nodded before silence took over, everyone engrossed in their own work. There wasn't much that could be done right now. Their suspect was in the wind, but they had the girls from the club. Hopefully at least one of them would turn on their boss, because that would save them a headache and a lot of paperwork.

Jay had other selfish reasons for wanting this to be wrapped up quickly, and that was all because of Hailey. Emilia's birthday was coming up and he knew Hailey was stressed about it, but he wanted to do something nice for them, for Emilia. The little girl had grown on him, more than he expected. Dating someone with a kid, a baby no less, was a new experience for him, but in a good way. He got to learn more about Hailey and who she was as a person.

But the more he thought about it, the more he realized he had to tell her. In her mind, she was dating Ryan, the businessman that came into her coffee shop, not Jay, the detective. Even as his undercover stint was long over, had been almost since that night at Med, he hadn't found the time to bring it up and tell her the truth. He wished he didn't have to, fearing that she wouldn't want to be with him anymore. But with Emilia involved, he wouldn't do that to her. He had to tell her.

"I got them!" he heard Adam yell from the stairs, breaking him from his thoughts.

The younger cop made his way to the white board, a small stack of photos in his hands and a file he handed to Jay. He began taping them up one by one as Jay flipped through the file, what he could see contained records of the girls they took into custody.

"We got six in total," Adam said. "They were closing, they were the only ones at the club. All have some kind of record except this one."

He heard Adam tap his fingers on the board, but Jay was so caught up in reading the file that he missed what Adam said. Until his brain processed it.

"Wait, what did you say?" Jay said, his head shooting up to look at Adam.

"One of the girls we got doesn't have a record, she's spotless. Single mom to a little girl named Emilia."

It couldn't be, was all Jay thought. There was no way. But his heart raced as Adam looked down at the file in his own hands, thumbing through the paperwork. Jay kept telling him he was imaging things. Emilia was a common name, a lot of women were single mothers. It wasn't her.

"Hailey Upton, stage name Candy. No record, not even a parking ticket."

Jay felt the blood in his body rush to his head, his heart beating a so fast he was afraid it would beat out of his chest. But as his eyes focused on the photo Adam was pointing at, his doubts vanished. Because staring back at him was Hailey, his girlfriend, one of the women they just picked up at a strip club.

"There's no way," he mumbled, his eyes not leaving the DMV photo of his girlfriend. The photo itself was slightly daunting, standing out among the mugshots of the other girls. He could feel everyone else in the bullpen staring, trying to process whatever it was he was trying to think through.

"Jay?" he heard someone, maybe Kim, ask before feeling a hand on his back. A million thoughts were going through his head but before he could say another, he was moving downstairs towards the holding cells. He could faintly hear his name being called behind him as he recognized he left his team as confused as he was. But right now, all he could think was getting to Hailey.

It didn't take his rank to figure out where they girls were. The cell furthest down had the faint sound of giggles coming from it, an indication that was likely where the six dancers, Hailey included, were being held.

As he stopped in front of the door, he looked in through the bars. He was quickly greeted by two brunettes, both in dresses he really wished he could erase from his memory.

"Well hey handsome," one said, voice so sweet he wanted to throw up. "What brings you down here?"

Jay tried to clear his throat, tried to look anywhere but the woman's face. Not that he would usually, but it just didn't feel right as a cop, as Hailey's boyfriend, to do that right now.

"Is Hailey here?" he asked, trying to keep his voice steady.

The smiles from the two women instantly dropped, replaced with intense stares like they were ready for battle.

"What do you want with Hailey?" the other asked him, crossing her arms defiantly.

"I just wanna talk to her," he said, trying to keep the frustration out of his voice. The first girl that spoke turned back around, looking towards the back of the cell.

"Hey, Hailey!" she said. "Some cop is here to see you."

Now or never, he thought to himself. As much as he wanted to tell Hailey the truth on his terms, it was now out of his hands.

He saw her blonde hair before the rest of her, the messy waves pulled back and out of her face. Relief left him, why, he wasn't sure, as he looked at her, still in a sweatshirt and leggings. She hadn't noticed him yet, but he could tell she looked scared. This wasn't her; Jay knew this wasn't her, and he could only imagine what was running through her mind.

Before she reached the door, he motioned to one of the officers to unlock it to allow her to step out. It was then she looked up, clearly confused until recognition crossed her face. Jay tried to plead with her to not make a scene and she got it. She was quiet, closed off, a complete departure to the Hailey he knew, the Hailey he was falling in love with.

"Follow me," he said softly, motioning in front of him so she could walk. There was no way they were going to have this conversation here.

He led her upstairs, avoiding the interrogation rooms completely. There was a small office where he knew they would have privacy for whatever was about to take place. The only sounds to be heard between them was doors opening and closing, their footsteps on the tile floor and their ironically synced breathing.

As the door closed, he turned towards her, expecting to find the strong, confident Hailey he knew, but instead, in her place was the Hailey he met just minutes before. He would let her lead this, let her control where this conversation went. Seconds felt like hours before she opened her mouth.

"Who are you?" she asked, her voice soft and timid. Her arms crossed against her chest, more in a defensive mechanism rather than annoyance.

"My name is Jay," he told her, watching as a huge sigh left her, her hands running through her hair. He couldn't tell he she was relived or not, but he kept reminding himself that she was in charge.

"And you're a cop?" she asked. He just nodded in reply before elaborating.

"I'm a detective in the Intelligence Unit, which is where you are right now."

A humorless laugh escaped her as she tried to get her bearings together. Jay watched silently as she began pacing, not speaking to him, clearly still processing this all. At some point he sat on top of the desk, trying to remain as open as possible. Even if he had zero connection to her, he knew nothing would happen to her. Because of her record and the fact that they weren't under arrest, they would let her go.

Hailey stopped suddenly, turning towards him with fire in her eyes. If it wasn't for the circumstances, that look on her would have turned him on. It still did, but it wasn't the time and place to lay her out on top of a desk and pray that no one walked in.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?!"

Her sudden screaming was enough to startle him, and after everything he had seen overseas and in Chicago, he wasn't sure anything could rattle him. But watching Hailey scream at him with such fervor, it was unsettling to him.

"You have been a cop this whole time, and you didn't once think to say anything!" she yelled as she walked towards him. "Why? You just gave me a fake name to get close to my boss? I could lose my job! I can't live on working at that coffee shop alone. Not when I have…"

She stopped suddenly, her face falling as the anger left her, replaced with worry that only a mother could have.

"Emilia," she whispered, looking at him as tears filled her eyes. "Oh god, what's gonna happen to her? I can't lose her…"

"Hey, hey," he finally said, needing her to calm down. "Nothing is going to happen to you, okay? You or Emilia."

"How do you know?" she said softly. Jay tried to reach out to her, and she let him. He didn't think she would be like this for long, but he had to try and help in any way he could.

"I will answer all of your questions, okay?" he told her as she just nodded. His hand moved down her arm, his fingertips skimming hers in an effort to let her know he was there, he was here for her.

"My name is Jay Halstead, I'm a detective in the Intelligence Unit, which is where you are right now."

Hailey just stared at him as his fingers played with hers, hoping that by touching her in some way, it would ground her a bit.

"Ryan is one of my undercover aliases. When I met you, I was working undercover on a guy whose company was across the street from your shop. Since I couldn't be sure who was around, I had to be Ryan whenever I was there."

She nodded, almost like she was encouraging him to continue.

"I wrapped the case about two weeks ago and I've been trying to figure out how to tell you. I won't lie, there's some things I couldn't say. I was just trying to navigate it all to tell you everything I could."

"Wait," she interrupted. "That doctor at Med, they one that was being so weird with you? He knew you were a cop?"

Jay just nodded before answering. "He's my brother."

Her hands went back into her hair, breaking the connection he had with her. He could understand this was a lot to process but he would give her as much time as she needed.

It was quiet for a few minutes, neither of them speaking as Hailey just looked down at the ground and he looked down at Hailey. Time seemed to slow down the longer she didn't speak.

"What's gonna happen to me?" she asked, her voice resembling a small child, scared and unsure. He's seen enough to know what it sounds like, and it still broke his heart every time.

"Nothing," he told her honestly, causing her to look up at him, surprise written all over.

"You aren't being arrested, you weren't booked, so once they release you, you're free to go. No record, no charges. We just want your boss, and we're hoping someone can give us some information on him. That's all we want."

Hailey nodded again, and Jay couldn't tell how often she had done that in the past few minutes. He knew it was a lot and it would take a bit to process.

"I can't lose Emilia," she whispered, and it was then when the dam broke, tears building in her eyes as she thought about her daughter. Even if she pushed him away, Jay still reached out, wrapping his arms around her to pull her close. Her head rested against his chest as he felt her struggle to breathe.

"You won't lose her. I won't let that happen."

She looked up at him, eyes red and filled with fear and worry.

"You don't get it," she told him. "I need this job so I can help her. So I can give her a better life."

"Hailey," he said firmly, his hands cradling her face so she would focus on him and what he was saying. "Nothing will happen to you, or Emilia. Okay? Do you understand that?"

She nodded as tears fell down her cheeks, his thumbs swiping them away as quickly as they appeared.

"Okay," he said, waiting for her to open her eyes and focus on him once again. "We're gonna go talk to my boss okay? You'll likely have to answer some questions about your boss, but it's not much, we just want to know a little bit about him."

Jay watched as Hailey's brow scrunched in confusion. He tilted his own head at her, confused by her own confusion.

"What?" he asked, stepping back as she stared at him like he wasn't speaking English.

"Him," was all she said as she clearly went through an internal monologue. "You said my boss was a him."

"Yeah?" he questioned, wondering why she was confused about that. "Michael Carter?"

"I've never heard that name before," she told him, and he believed her, one hundred percent.

"Come on," he said, taking her hand in his, knowing he needed to talk to Voight immediately.

He made his way down the hallway, her hand still in his. As they reached the bullpen, he felt her hand tighten in his, probably from the fact that suddenly, all eyes were on her. It didn't take long before they reached Voight's office and the door was shut behind them.

"Halstead," his sergeant said, looking at him and Hailey.

"This is Hailey," he explained, hoping his boss would catch on without having to explain why she was here.

Voight sat up a little straighter, motioning for them to sit down in the chairs opposite of him.

"Tell him what you just told me," he told Hailey. She looked at him before looking back at Voight, her voice calm as she spoke.

"I've never heard the name Michael Carter before in my life."

Jay watched as Voight learned forward, his forearms resting against his desk as he looked at them. He heard Hailey take a deep breath before she continued.

"The only boss I have is Claudia Martinez," Hailey said. "She manages the girls and the club. As far as I know, she owns the place, because she's the only one I've ever known to be in charge."

"From the paperwork we have, it says Carter owns the club," Jay told her. She looked at him confused before he turned back to his boss.

"Sarge, can I see you outside?"

Voight just nodded, standing up to head out the door. Hailey just looked up at him and he reached for her hand, not expecting her to do anything but surprised she did so anyways.

"I'll be right back," he told her softly, only getting a nod in response.

As he shut the door behind him, he looked at his boss and the rest of his team, all of them wanting to know what was going on. He had to come clean with them about everything, Hailey included. So, he took a deep breath, hoping like hell he wouldn't catch shit for this.

"I met Hailey when I was working undercover in that white-collar case," he began, already getting some looks. "She worked in the coffee shop across the office building where I was, and we just hit it off. We started dating maybe a month after that and as of right now we still are. I didn't know she worked at the club until Adam showed us her picture, but she says she has no idea who Michael Carter is."

"Why didn't you say anything earlier?" Antonio asked. Jay just shrugged, not having a good answer.

"She only knew me as Ryan, and I planned to tell her what was really going on, but I hadn't planned to tell her like this."

"So what does she know?" Kim asked him softly.

"The only boss she has is a woman named Claudia Martinez," he explained. "Hailey said she managed the club and the girls. As far as she knew, Claudia owned the club."

"I found a Claudia Martinez when I was looking into employees," Kim told him, but the look on her face told him there was more to the story. "But social media says Claudia is Carter's fiancée."

Jay just sighed, settling his hands on his hips as he tried to figure out his next steps, their next steps. He didn't have to wait long before Voight approached him.

"Halstead, take Hailey home, but stay with her. I want the rest of you to start talking to the other girls and track down both Carter and Claudia."

Everyone nodded and went about their respective jobs as Jay stood in place in front of Voight's door. By standing here, it felt like he was protecting Hailey, and at the end of the day, that was always his goal. But he watched silently as Voight approached him, already making up his mind as to what would happen next.

"Do you think they're a threat?" he asked his boss, knowing Voight knew who he was referring too.

"Not right now, but who knows what could happen when they find out she's dating a cop," Voight told him, his voice quieter. "And since she has a little girl? It isn't a risk I'm gonna take."

Jay nodded before looking his boss in the eye, knowing that this decision would be hard, but it's necessary.

"I can't protect them," he told Voight as he tried to keep his voice from cracking. "Not the way they deserve."

He watched as Voight nodded, understanding exactly what Jay meant. Logically she knew it wasn't a long-term situation but rather the answer to a short-term problem. He wasn't sure if Hailey would go for it, but he also knew how much she loved and protected Emilia, and that alone gave him some confidence that she would let him do this.

"But I need to tell her," he finished.

"I'll go talk to Trudy, but you two aren't leaving until we have this all airtight."

Jay just nodded, watching as Voight walked downstairs. He took some time to get his thoughts together before turning around to head back into his boss's office.

Hailey sat in the same chair he left her in but turned towards him as he opened the door. He took a second before he started to speak to just look at her to remember how she was in this moment. He could see the tears forming behind her eyes, making the blue that he loved darker than he ever expected and even though it was the most beautiful shade had ever seen, he never wanted to see it again. Her blonde hair wasn't as messy, but instead had been curled into fairly tight ringlets, an obvious choice for her other persona.

"Hey," she spoke, her voice quiet. "Is everything okay?"

His mind was quick to answer no, but she didn't need to know that. All she needed to know was that she and her daughter would be safe, even if it meant sacrificing himself for them.

"It will be," he told her, and that was about as honest as he could be about how he really felt.

"What do you mean?" she asked him. He watched a tear fall down her face, and despite how his body told him to wipe it away, to stop her from crying, he couldn't.

"We're worried Carter will hurt you," he said, walking to Voight's desk to sit down on top of it in an effort to be closer to her. "If he finds out you're involved with me."

"Why would that matter?" she asked. He wished he could be as naive as she was when it came to this stuff.

"it's part of the reason I waited so long to tell you about who I was," he told her. "I've seen it happen to many times before, with the families of cops are targeted just because they are family. And I wasn't willing to risk that with you, for you, knowing I had an open case on me. At least until I knew it was closed."

"And is it?" she asked, causing him to shrug.

"I don't know," he told her. "But now with this? I'm not willing to risk you and Emilia until I know for sure that you are not in danger."

"Why would I be?" she asked again. He could see the frustration growing as she wasn't sure what was happening. Jay didn't expect her to know exactly what was happening, but she didn't want her walking into this blind.

"Michael Carter is wanted on multiple counts of kidnapping and sex trafficking, not to mention to numerous drug charges."

His statement was enough to jostle her. She clearly wasn't expecting that, and even if she didn't know who he was, he knew enough about Carter's relationship to her boss to understand that she could be in danger.

Jay could see all of the wheels click as she processed what could happen. He had to guess that he was right, that she was now thinking about what may happen with Emilia. The realization soon settled over her as her head fell into her hands, her fingers grasping at her hair in frustration and worry.

"So what's going to happen?" he heard her ask without looking up. He sighed, knowing this would be the hardest thing he's ever had to say.

"Originally, my boss wanted you and Emilia to stay with me, so I could protect you. But I can't do that, not safely in the way that you both deserve."

Jay took a deep breath, watching as her head moved up, her gaze meeting his.

"He's downstairs talking to the desk sergeant and it's looking like we may put you both in a safe house until this blows over."

"A safe house?" she questioned. The fight has left her, he could see the exhaustion all over her face, a mix of fear and worry seeping into her as well.

"You both will be taken care of, and I'm going to request that I get updates daily to make sure that you're okay. But we're only going to do this unless you tell us know, because it's ultimately your decision."

"Do you do this with everyone?" she asked.

"It's protocol," he told her, not sure how she would react. "For families of cops."

Hailey's eyes widened as she leaned back into the chair. He was throwing a lot at her, he knew that. But like he told her, it was her decision.

"Why me?" she asked him, and that was the first question that he could honestly answer not as Detective Jay Halstead, but as Jay Halstead, the guy dating Hailey Upton.

"Because I'm falling for you," he told her. "Because I wouldn't be able to live with myself if something happens to the both of you, knowing I could've done something to keep you safe. I won't let it happen, and I know it's selfish to ask you to do this for me, and if not for me, do it for Emilia."

Jay watched once more as the gears turning her head, but he knew that his words had an effect on her. He could read her well enough to know that before she said anything that she was going to agree, and he would spend the next few months in agony.

Hailey just nodded as fresh tears fell from her eyes. He didn't say anything else, but once again reached for her hands which she willingly gave him. Time seem to stop as he pulled her to her feet and into his chest, his arms wrapping around her as he felt the tears finally fall. Hours could have passed and he wouldn't have known it, but all that mattered to him was knowing they would both be safe and once this case was closed maybe she would come back to him, but it wasn't a promise he was going to ask her to make.

Two months, that was how long it had been since he'd last seen Hailey, and those two months were arguably the longest of his life.

She was okay, that much he knew. Every update he got from the officers watching her made the pain lessen, but it wasn't enough, at least for him. And now, as his UC case and the one involving her boss were wrapped, he hadn't heard from her. All he knew was that she had gone back to her apartment, wherever that was. He had avoided the coffee shop where she worked, half because he didn't know if she wanted to see him but mostly because he didn't need something to come up with his old case.

For now, he just went to work and did his job, but it wasn't enough. Hailey and Emilia had somehow creeped into his life and his heart and stayed, which was the last thing he ever expected. Jay wouldn't lie, the thought of having a life with both of them in it was the forefront of his mind whenever it wandered to thoughts of them. But it was up to her, he was giving her the choice because even he understood that everything that happened was a lot for one person to handle, but Hailey was strong, and he knew she would come back to him.

He just didn't expect to see her.

It had been a quiet day when Platt called him, letting him know someone was here to see him. They weren't working on any active cases, just catching up on the few they had on their own, checking in with their informants. His heart rate had increased as he walked down the steps to the lobby, silently hoping and praying that it was Hailey. But as Platt directed him to the small office by the stairs, his heart dropped as he didn't see the blonde hair he was expecting, but rather someone he had no idea who she was.

"Excuse me?" he asked as he walked in, closing the door behind him. "I'm Detective Halstead."

The woman turned around, a small smile on her face as she studied him. His body was on edge, not having any clue who she was or how she knew him.

"I'm Vanessa," she introduced herself, and that's when it clicked. She was Hailey's roommate, the one he briefly met at the hospital, but he was too caught up in Hailey and watching if anyone would recognize him to remember.

"Hey," he said, motioning for her to take a seat. As she did, he sat down beside her, trying to keep his body calm as his mind ran with dozens of reasons why she was here, all of them involving Hailey being hurt. "What can I do for you?"

"It's Hailey," she sighed. His face must have done something because she was quick to clarify. "She's fine, she's okay, they both are."

"You had me worried there," he told her, trying to play it off. Vanessa let out a small laugh before looking at him, almost like she was studying him more.

"Well, she's physically okay, but mentally? She's just not all there," Vanessa explained.

"What do you mean?"

"She's just out of it all the time. She doesn't have her job at the club anymore, and all she has is the one at the coffee shop. She's constantly worried, knowing she's back at square one, and I'm worried, ya know?"

Jay just nodded, because he did know. He was worried sick about Hailey and Emilia, but he just listened as Vanessa carried on.

"She's talked about you," Vanessa said softly. "So much that you make my boyfriend look dumb."

She laughed at her joke, but realized it fell flat with him.

"I've never seen her act the way she does when she talks about you. Since you met her, it's like she's a whole new Hailey, different, but in a good way. And then after everything with the club, she's shut down, just going through the motions with work and taking care of Emilia. She's stuck in a cycle that I'm afraid will eat her alive."

"I'm worried about her," he admitted. "Every. day I wonder if she's happy, if she's safe, and I realize everything was a shock. I should have told her I was a cop sooner, but I can't change that now."

"That doesn't matter to her," Vanessa interrupted. "She told me it didn't matter."

"She said that?" he asked, causing Vanessa to just nod.

"I shouldn't tell you this," she said softly. "But she'll forgive me, I know. Hailey told me everything, the bust, you, everything. And while she was angry and upset, I asked her if that changed how she felt about you, and she told me no, that if anything it made her fall for you more, that it explains a lot about you. Because to her, your job means stability, and that's the one thing she needs more than anything in her life, whether or not she really realizes it."

The information was a lot to process, but hearing that Hailey still loved him, even if she had never told him, gave him hope that it would all work out.

"Thanks for telling me," he told Vanessa. "It's taken a lot for me not to pick up the phone and call her."

"Well since we got that cleared up," she said, reaching into her bag to pull out a piece of paper. "This is for you."

He took the paper from her, which was nothing more than a sticky note with an address on it. His confusion must have been obvious as she continued.

"I talked her into doing something for Emilia's first birthday," Vanessa explained. "It's nothing much, just a small dinner with my boyfriend and me. I thought you would want to come."

"Yeah, I," he began, touched by the gesture from a woman that he just met. To her, it probably didn't seem like much, but to him it was everything. "I'll be there. Just don't tell her?"

"My lips are sealed," Vanessa said, a smile forming on her face. "I'm making the reservation, so she'll never know. Next Saturday, 5:00."

"I'll be there," he said, and the words held so much more meaning than Vanessa would ever know.

He was nervous as he stood outside the restaurant knowing that his life could change if he stepped through those doors. He had gotten here more than 30 minutes ago, just sitting in his truck as he waited, watching as Hailey carried Emilia inside, following Vanessa and who he assumed was her boyfriend. It was now or never, Jay told himself, and if this was what he wanted, then he had to stop sitting here and go inside.

Taking a deep breath, Jay open the door before walking inside. He was first met with the hostess who just smiled a little too much in his opinion, but it quickly fell as he explained he was meeting his girlfriend. He wasn't sure why he said that, but it felt right, and it helped some of the tension leave his body.

She walked him towards the back of the restaurant, if he wasn't so nervous, he would find it comical how much she was unhappy with the situation to learn he was not single. There was something about the restaurant that felt familiar, but maybe just because it felt like every other pub he visited growing up in Canaryville brought him back to simpler times when his parents still smiled and would treat him and Will to dinner for special occasions.

"Here you are," the hostess said.

"Thank you," he replied, his eyes fixated on the back of Hailey's head as she turned towards Emilia in the highchair on the end of the table. Vanessa was the first spot him, smiling as she caught his eye, her boyfriend turning to look at him as he just gave a silent nod, but Jay understood what he was trying to say.

With Hailey preoccupied with Emilia, he slowly approached the table. But almost like she knew, Emilia turned towards him, her small hands reaching up like she wanted him to pick her up.

"Hey sweet girl," he said softly, remembering the endearment Hailey always used with the little girl. He didn't spend enough time with her daughter that he expected her to recognize him, but it warmed his heart all the same. But his voice was enough to make Hailey's head turned towards him, first wondering who was talking before she noticed he was there.

"Jay," Hailey whispered, almost like she couldn't believe he was here, but it didn't go unnoticed by him that was the first time she'd ever called him by his real name. Jay was silent as he watched her stand up, walking taking the two steps that separated them. He could see Vanessa nudge her boyfriend, both of them sliding out of the booth they shared to leave them be. The rest of the place was quiet, and Jay was glad, because he didn't want an audience right now.

"Hey Hailey," he said unsure of what to say now that she stood in front of him. "Vanessa invited me."

Hailey laughed lightly before responding. "Of course she did."

"Look," he began before he could blank but then he did change his mind. "I'm not sure what to say."

"That makes two of us," she replied. "I wanted to call you."

Jay just studied her as he could tell she wanted to say more. His hand reached out for hers, and he felt something turn inside him as her fingers tangled with his.

"I was just scared," she said softly, her eyes falling to the ground, almost like she was intently studying the space between their feet.

"About what?" he asked, looking down at her, not wanting to push her too much. This was her life, and he would take it at her own pace, whatever that happened to be.

"Everything," she said after a few moments, her eyes meeting his as she looked back up at home.

"At first, it was just processing it all," she explained, her grip on his hand becoming tighter. "My boss being some kind of criminal, worrying about Emilia and how that job was supposed to be a way out, and then there was you."

"I get that," he told her, hoping to encourage her to continue.

"But after they let us go home, I was scared of what would happen to me, to you, because I didn't want you to get in trouble for getting involved with a girl like me."

"What do you mean "a girl like you"?" he asked. She just shrugged, letting out a small laugh that lacked any humor.

"Someone that does that," she emphasized. Hailey paused, turning around to look at Emilia, who sat in that highchair, intently focused on the kid's menu they had given her. "Someone that willingly objectifies themselves for the sake of trying to get out from under everything."

Jay just shook his head as he watched Hailey look at her daughter. "I don't see it that way."

She turned back to him, eyebrows raised as she silently questioned his statement.

"The way I see it, you're trying your hardest to do right by your daughter, to give her a better life that the one you grew up with. I can't fault you for that, but I also know the kind of person you are. You are kind, and forgiving, and the strongest woman I have ever met. So, if that's what you mean by "a girl like me," then you're out of my league."

He saw a slight blush spread across her face, her head dipping to avoid him catching her smile, although it didn't work.

"It's taken a lot for me not to call you every day," he began. "But I knew that you needed to focus on you and Emilia before you worried about me or whatever our relationship is. But I can't do that anymore, I can't sit around and wonder where this is going because it's driving me insane."

Jay paused, taking another glance at Emilia before looking back at Hailey.

"I want this, whatever it is. I think I have since I first met her," he told her honestly. "But if you don't, I will walk away, no questions asked. You are a good mom because you put your daughter first, and if you need to focus on her right now, then I understand."

"Jay," she interrupted him, and it was then that he realized her hand was on his face, her thumb brushing the stubble along his jawline. "I want this."

Her words hit him like a bullet, but he didn't feel the pain associated with one. His other hand reached out to settle on her waist, pulling her even close to him.

"I know that it's asking a lot, a former stripper with a daughter. But for the first time in my life, I feel safe when I am with you. And that was before I found out you were a cop. Something told me I would be okay if you were around, and these past few months not having you around? I didn't feel safe anymore, and I don't want to feel that way ever again. It was a worse feeling than that night at the hospital, and I wasn't sure anything could be worse than that."

"You won't," he told her immediately. "With this job, I can't promise a lot, but what I can promise you is that you'll always feel safe, I won't let you feel less than that."

Without another word, the hand on his face pulled him to her, his lips finding hers instantly. Kissing her made him feel like he was whole, like part of his heart, his soul, was repaired in a way only Hailey managed to do. It felt freeing, like he was finally himself and as he melted into her touch even more, it all felt right.

Hailey was the first to pull away, her hand drifting down to his chest where he was sure she could feel his rapid heartbeat.

"Wow," was all she said, causing him to laugh before pressing a kiss to her forehead.

"Agreed," he told her as he looked over her head. "Looks like someone is mad we aren't celebrating her birthday."

Hailey turned around, following Jay's gaze as she focused on her daughter who was staring back at her mom, the smile usually on the little girl's face was gone as she had realized no one was playing with her. She stepped out of Jay's arms and towards Emilia, reaching down to pick her up.

"Hey, sweet girl," she said softly before walking back to Jay. "Can you say hi?"

"Hi Miss Emilia," Jay said, his hand softly reaching out towards the little girl. Her eyes were wide as she looked at him, but the apprehension from her melted as she smiled at him.

"This is Jay," Hailey said, looking at him as she introduced her daughter to him for the first time as Jay.

The usually talkative little girl was suddenly shy but before he could think, he reached out, wanting to hold her, but only with Hailey's okay. She just nodded, handing her over and watched as Jay was a natural with her, like he had been in her life all along. And in a way, maybe he had, because while Hailey felt her life had changed for the better by being around him, she could think that maybe the lightness she felt had affected Emilia in the best of ways.

"Hey there," he said softly, holding her as Hailey watched. "I told your mama this, but I'm going to tell you too. You're safe with me, and I will do my best to make sure you always feel that way."

Jay looked at Hailey, finding her eyes filling with tears as he reached out with his free arm to pull her close. She let him, her head resting on his chest as she looked up at the two most important people in her life.

"You'll never have to worry again," he said to them both, kissing Emilia's cheek before looking down at Hailey, happy tears falling down her face, her smile giving her emotions away. "Not with me around."

"Thank you," she whispered, before kissing him again. "You gave her the best birthday present I could ever want for her."

"I mean it," he told her softly.

"I know," Hailey replied, and she really did know just how much he meant every word. Despite everything that's happened, how much her world had changed in the past few months, it all felt right. For the first time in her life, she felt like she was going to be okay, and it was all because he walked into that coffee shop.

It finally feels like I'm back in a good groove with writing, so hopefully it sticks! This is an idea I've been playing with for the past few months and I'm so glad it's done. Hope you all enjoyed!