I can't seem to let this series go. A million thanks to siss7 for your wonderful feedback!
Chapter 1: The Date
Eddie unlocked the door to the apartment, closing it quietly behind her. She'd just gotten off the graveyard shift and was ready to join her fiancee in bed, thinking that Jamie would still be sleeping considering he had just come off swing as she was starting her tour. She really hated when they worked different tours but there really wasn't much they could do about that.
She hung up her jacket and purse in the entryway and started to make her way to the bedroom when she caught sight of a hand hanging off the end of the sofa. She took a detour through the living room and found Jamie on the couch, dressed in sweats and a tee, with his laptop open and laying precariously across the right side of his stomach, in sleep mode - just like its owner.
Eddie smiled at the sight. Jamie was cramming for the upcoming sergeant's exam which he was scheduled to take in a few days. He'd been studying for the last six months, likening it to studying for the bar exam. Eddie had told him that if he passed the New York Bar Exam in one try, he had no worries with the sergeant's exam, but he wasn't going to take any chances.
Eddie and his old TO were the only ones that knew he was even signed up for the exam. He wanted to do this on his own, without anyone saying he got any kind of unfair help from the commissioner's office - people might still talk anyway, but he would know he did it on his own - and without any extra pressure, stress or expectations from the family. Eddie said he was nuts to think his family would in any way make this more difficult for him, but in the end she understood. Jamie wanted to further his career with the department on his own merit, not because of a hook. And if that meant keeping this a secret for his own peace of mind, so be it. She would always back him one hundred percent.
Jamie had first started to reconsider the direction he wanted to take his career with the NYPD after he and Eddie had moved in together. He'd always thought he wanted to be a detective like his brothers and father, but the longer he went without promotion, the more he realized how much he loved being on the streets and how important the job really was. And when he'd been assigned his second boot, JC Cruz, he also realized that he was actually good at training and overseeing younger officers out the field.
One day, Renzulli had said as much and brought up the fact that the sergeant's exam was scheduled to be given later in the year. He suggested that he take it, telling him that although the job comes with administrative duties, he'd be excellent at supervising patrol officers and all that it entailed. And that was all it took - those words of encouragement and just knowing he was being proactive about advancing his career.
Eddie reached down and caressed his stubbled cheek with the back of her hand. "Hey," she said softly.
Jamie's head moved towards her hand as his eyes fluttered open, one side of his mouth curling up into a smile. "Hey." He lifted his head and looked around the living room, squinting at the morning sunlight that creeped out along the edges of the drapes. "Time is it?" he asked in a raspy voice.
"Almost nine. Fell asleep on the couch again. How late were you up?"
Jamie's head dropped back down to the pillow, his right arm coming down and hitting the laptop on his abdomen. "I don't know. Late."
"I bet. Good thing this will be over in a couple days. Then you can go back to sleeping in our bed on regular basis."
Jamie closed the laptop and sat up, placing the computer on the coffee table next to the ever-expanding patrol guide he'd been studying religiously.
"Come on, Reagan. You look like you could use some more sleep. And I'm about ready to drop where I stand." Eddie held her hand out, pulling him up off the couch and led him back to their bedroom.
Jaime followed quietly and without complaint, still half asleep and looking forward to getting in bed with his fiancee.
/
Eddie sat on the hood of Jamie's black Mustang which was parked across the street from the NYPD testing center in lower Manhattan. He'd spent the last six hours sitting for the sergeant's exam and she wanted to be there when he made his exit from the building to congratulate him on finally getting it over with and whisk him away for a much deserved celebratory drink.
She'd been eyeing the main entrance for the last thirty minutes when finally, she caught sight of him. Eddie jumped off the hood and waited by the car, trading smiles with him when he spotted her, a look of surprise on his face.
"Hey!" Jamie greeted. He approached her and pulled her in for a hug. "What are you doing here?"
When he released her, Eddie studied his face, seeing relief in his eyes. "Figured you could use a good stiff drink after sitting in there all day," she answered.
"I think I need more than one. That was worse than the bar, but only half as long."
"Maybe so, but I'm sure you passed with flying colors."
"We'll see."
"Come on, Reagan. Don't be such a negative Nelly. We don't call you 'Harvard' for nothing."
Jamie smirked back at her, happy she was there to support him like always.
Eddie jumped back onto the hood of the car and Jamie stood right in front of her, placing his hands on her waist.
Eddie placed her arms atop his and broached a subject she'd been putting off for the last few months. "Now that that's over, we can start talking wedding plans, cause I don't know about you, but I'm tired of the third degree about when we're gonna get this thing going."
"Don't remind me. We've been engaged less than two months and Erin and Linda ask me every time I see them if we've set a date." Jamie leaned in to kiss her. "Thanks for waiting for the exam to be over before making plans."
"I didn't mind. But we can't put it off any longer or the natives will grow more restless." Eddie looked down, a flash of sadness crossed her face.
Jamie didn't miss it. "What's on your mind?"
Eddie met his eyes and grinned. There wasn't much she could get past him. "It's gonna be weird doing this with my dad away, you know?"
Jamie ran his hands up and down her lower back. "I know. We'll both have people we'll be missing. But for you it's the walk down the aisle that's gonna make that harder, huh?"
Eddie pressed her lips together and nodded.
"Let's just go to the courthouse," he suggested, only half kidding.
Eddie released a laugh. "Oh, if it were up to just me and you, I'd be there in a heartbeat, but I got a mother with ridiculous ideas for this wedding and I'll have enough trouble just maintaining control of this thing for both our sakes. Plus, I think your family expects more than just a civil ceremony." She had no doubt they wanted a church wedding.
Jamie leaned in to press his forehead against hers. "How long does it even take to plan a wedding?"
"No idea, but people plan these things out a year in advance."
"A year? Don't want to wait a year to marry you."
"How about spring? April maybe? It'll still be a little cold here, but we won't hit the busy May-June wedding season."
Jamie leaned back and raised an eyebrow at her. "Did you Google that?"
"Come on, Reagan. Focus," she ordered.
"April. So eight months from now, I'll see you at the altar?" he asked with a smile.
"I'll be the one in white. Or maybe cream, haven't really decided."
Jamie's smile widened. He could care less what she wore so long as she made it to the church. "Come on, Janko. You owe me a drink."