Bless the Broken Road that Lead Me Straight to You

Chapter 29

Dinner had gone surprisingly smoothly.

Actually, it had gone more than smoothly. It had gone really really well.

But then, Jay and Hank were seated far enough apart that their wasn't too much over-protective-dad-meeting-the-new-boyfriend kind of conversation.

Then again, Erin was sure Hank was just saving it for another time. Maybe even later in the evening. Definitely before everyone left. He just loved having witnesses.

Erin, Jay, Maddie, and Grace were seated together at the far end of the table with Antonio and his two kids. Even though Erin had met Dawson several times before, as a part of Hank's unit and as Gaby Dawson's older brother, this time was different.

She really wanted to make a good impression. Because he was Jay's partner. Her boyfriend's partner. And that made him one of the most important people in Jay's life. He had his back every day on the job, and there was likely no closer bond.

And with him keeping Jay safe at work... that made him one of the most important people in her life, too.

Jay and Antonio were deep in conversation about something work related and she was doing her best to follow. She perked up at the mention of them hitting the gun range.

"I'll have to join you next time," she said casually.

Antonio looked at her in surprise, and asked, "You any good?"

She smiled easily and replied, "I'm sure I could give you a run for your money."

Hank seemed to overhear the conversation and decided to chime in. "She could give all of you a run for your money." His smile was wide and full of pride, then he nodded towards Jay. "Even you, Halstead."

The team was surprised by the smile that instantly lit up Jay's face. They must have been expecting him to be put off by Voight's comment, but he wasn't. Not in the least.

Instead he turned to Erin, his eyebrows raised, seriously impressed. "How did I not know this about you?" His girl never ceased to amaze him. The more he learned, the more he loved.

Erin just shrugged her shoulders and let out a small laugh, not sure what to respond. She had no doubt that she could definitely beat Jay at the gun range, but she wasn't sure how well that would go over in front of his friend and unit members.

Voight, of course, responded for her. "She grew up in this house. Of course she can shoot a gun." Then he turned to the rest of the table, "I don't discriminate. No girl of mine is going to walk around this city unprepared."

She wanted to roll her eyes. She had heard him give this whole I don't discriminate, she's going to learn to shoot a gun speech a hundred times before. The first time it had been to Camille, when she had been skeptical about Hank bringing her to the gun range. Olinsky and Platt had surely heard it before, too. And when they had, she likely had rolled her eyes. But this time she just shifted uncomfortably. Because other than Olinsky, Platt, and maybe Dawson, no one actually knew that she was his girl.

Voight's girl.

That's what they'd called her as a teenager.

Charlie and her mother, and all of her old friends. They had spit the words at her. Like being Voight's girl was something dirty.

It wasn't, of course. Voight had saved her, and she owed him her life. Everything she was because of him, and she never forgot that. But she hated talking about her past with strangers, especially strangers she was trying to impress, and no doubt this was going to invite questions.