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Although Emily had never expected her too, and had tried not to let her, JJ had ended up staying the whole weekend with her and Declan to look after her. JJ’s homemade butternut squash soup was the best thing Emily had ever eaten and although she was feeling a lot better by Sunday evening, she was still sad to see JJ go. Declan had also had a great time with JJ around; the two of them creating some amazing things with his Lego, doing puzzles together and JJ even showing him how to make her special cookies. All in all it had been perfect, and Emily wished she hadn’t been sick for it to happen.
In the upcoming weeks the two of them spent more time together. JJ had come round for dinner a few times and they’d taken Declan out to the park together. Emily felt happier than she had done in a long time and it was clear how fond Declan and JJ were becoming of each other. Still, neither made a move just yet, simply testing out the waters and waiting until the time was right.
That time seemed to come in the form of Rossi hosting dinner for the team. An official meeting of Declan as he called it. The idea had sparked anxiety in Emily to begin with, but she had to remember that there was no harm in it now that everyone knew.
Emily had arrived in a nice, knee length flowy dress, Declan wearing one of his smart button ups which he took a lot of pride in. As soon as she walked through the door she knew she shouldn’t have been nervous. Everyone instantly treated Declan as one of their own, giving him all the attention he deserved. All she could do was sit back and watch with a smile on her face.
At dinner Declan had felt very grown up sitting with everyone else, excited that the pasta dish served was his favourite. Everyone caught the way Emily acted with him, looking at him with such fondness and love. They also caught the way Emily and JJ kept catching each other’s eye and blushing as they did so. It was truly special to watch something form between them.
After dinner and dessert, they all sat around with drinks and watched as Declan, Spencer, Derek and Garcia played one of Rossi’s ancient board games. Emily and JJ were sat next to each other on one of the sofas, arms touching. Everyone seemed to be enthralled in the game that Declan was winning, so much so that they barely noticed how Emily stood up, discreetly took JJ’s hand and led her outside to the garden.
It was now or never and she had to tell JJ how she felt about her, because now really was the right time. The garden lights illuminated the dark space perfectly and their breath mingled together in the cold air. There was soft words, nervous laughter, their hands still entwined as they moved in to kiss.
Declan had raced to tell his maman that he’d won, but he’d stopped at the patio doorway as he watched her and JJ talk. Spencer came up behind him, putting a hand on Declan’s shoulder and smiled to himself as he saw the two of them kiss.
“Come on Dec, let’s leave them in peace.”
He went to lead the boy away so he didn’t interrupt their moment.
“Does that mean maman’s going to keep JJ forever?” Declan asked excitedly as he looked up at Spencer.
“I think it does, Declan. I think it does.”
And she did.