Chapter One
When they turned their phones back on, Eddie sent a text to Loretta to let the Jobmans know they were okay, then read a text from Frank telling them their baggage claim and that he and two very excited children awaiting their arrival. Eddie smiled, it would feel good to hold her babies again.
Jamie took both carryons and Eddie's hand as they walked down the jetway to the inside of the terminal. They saw Frank's imposing figure and his security team but heard the kids excited shouts of "Mommy!" "Daddy!" as they ran. Eddie dropped to her knees opening her arms to her babies. Both came in eager for a hug. Jamie stood back and watched, how could he have ever doubted Eddie was their mother…that this was their family, a unit of four souls entwined forever by law and by love.
"I missed you so much," Eddie cooed at her babies hugging them tight. Jamie smiled walking to Eddie's side wanting a turn.
"We miss Mommy," April said and held onto her tight. "We play at Grampa house..."
Smiling Jamie knelt down hugging her, "Yes you did and I bet you had fun at Grandpa's too."
"Yes," Max replied but his little arms were attached to his Mommom. Jamie took hugs and kisses from both kids then headed to the car to head for home. Their first time at home as one family.
Jamie smiled the whole way home, helping get the kids inside. Pausing in the doorway he scooped Eddie up in his arms and carried her over the threshold.
"Jamie!" she squealed in surprise. "We've all been in the house a zillion times." Jamie kissed her lips, "But not today, today is special. Welcome home, Mrs. Reagan."
Eddie giggled, smiling and leaning in to meet his lips "I love you Mr. Reagan." She snuggled against his chest.
Jamie set Eddie on her feet and together they began to unpack and situate the kids. Max kept trailing them, not sure if they were going to go again, the two weeks had been just a bit long for the sensitive boy.
Max plopped down by the edge of their bed. "Mommom up.." He stated looking back at them.
"You want Mommom to hold you?" Eddie asked and picked Max up. "Mommom is here...did you go to piano?"
"I do piano, Mommom," Max settled on her lap moving his fingers like he was playing piano, eyes brightly looking at her.
"Good boy, you want to show Mommom what you learned? Let's go sing..." April was sitting with Jamie on the bed, learning her colors with her Daddy.
He smiled at their little girl, kissing her head. "Have fun buddy. Good girl April.." Jamie praised his daughter for correctly showing her colors.
Soon Jamie heard Max's little voice and his small hands plucking the keys of the piano...it felt so good to be home.
They settled into married life like two fish settling into water. They had both heard the term, in wedded bliss before, but they never experienced it until now. Jamie had been nervous about Eddie settling into life as a stay at home Mom, but she took to it as well. She liked being able to take the kids to their lessons and their half day of school, do the errands, visit with Mrs. Turner and Carlos…and be there for Jamie every night when he came home.
She was the last one to go to bed and the first one up, so it was odd when one morning, Jamie woke up at least an hour before Eddie. It was his day off, so he got the children up and fed before nudging Eddie. She was still in a dead sleep.
This happened a few more mornings, she would fall asleep like a rock after tucking the kids in and making love, and not wake up except to use the bathroom, that she did two or three times a night. Jamie was beginning to get a little worried, so after a week of this, he pressed it. "Do you think you should see a doctor about why you are so tired?" Jamie asked. "I know you do a lot around here, but when you were working you did twice as much and weren't this exhausted."
Eddie sighed and stretched, "I am tired, but I don't think it's anything serious. It's a big adjustment, don't worry about me okay?"
"I can't help but worry about you, Eddie," Jamie replied gently. "I love you and we're a team. If you aren't happy…
"I have never been happier in my life," Eddie assured him. "Truly I haven't. Now move over and let me…" The room spun slightly and Eddie smiled to herself. She could only remember feeling like this one other time in her life…but she wanted to make sure before she got Jamie's hopes up. She did hope she had a little stowaway from their honeymoon trip, she'd find out later today in much the same manner she learned about April…
Kara rang the bell with a variety of pregnancy tests for Eddie to take. "Are you sure? With April I remember you threw up a lot."
"I've been throwing up a little," Eddie replied. "Mostly when Jamie isn't at home though. I don't know, I just hope that's what it is, cause if it's not I'm like anemic or something." Eddie took the tests and peed on the first one.
Kara massaged her own rounded belly, "If you are pregnant, our babies will be really close in age, only about six months apart, just like Max and April. I hope, even if Luke decides he wants to go back west, that we'll stay best friends."
Luke had been talking about wanting to move back to Montana after the baby was born, over the next summer, but so far Kara wasn't committing one way or another.
"Jamie and I just bought a house there so we'll be there a lot," Eddie soothed. "Don't worry. If you do move back, we'll still see each other often. When we retire, or when he retires, since I already did that, we can be like the Ricardos and the Mertzs, only better looking."
Kara laughed, that's what she loved about her best friend. She loved that she could always make her laugh no matter what was happening around her. When Eddie went to check the first test, Kara made some herbal tea, she had a feeling that she wouldn't be alone in having to drink that stuff for too much longer.
Eddie stepped out of the bathroom after peeing on the second test, she had a big smile. She held up the test that indicated with two pink lines that she was indeed pregnant. "That's great! Are you taking the other two to be sure?"
"Yes, I just hope it's not like last time," Eddie sighed. 'The worry I went through, and now I realize why I did that. I had a feeling in my gut April was Jamie's baby and I let myself ignore it and get swept up in all the emotions that Tom was feeling. This time I need it to be right, I need it to be right from start to finish."
Kara nodded her agreement, "So if all those tests and your body agree, how are you going to tell him?"
The other two tests were positive as well. Eddie gave Kara the test with the two pink lines and the test with the greenish looking plus symbol to throw out in her house. She selected the one that declared her "pregnant" in big letters for Jamie to find. She hid the test in an old shoebox in their bedroom closet. Shoe boxes and closest both had special meaning for the couple. Once that was done, Eddie and Kara set about making up clues for Jamie to find.
"Let's do the final one first," Kara suggested. Kara spoke as she wrote down the clue, "Where do we love when we don't do it here? Not a room, but part of one… You think he'll figure it out?"
"He's like super genius man, he'll either get it quickly or overanalyze it to death," Eddie laughed. "I like that though. we'll stick that one on the bed. Now one to lead him to the bed…"
The two friends worked on the little notes most of the afternoon on the notes that held little clues for Jamie. Eddie decided to get subs for dinner so they were stored in the fridge and easy to access once Jamie got home and went on his scavenger hunt. Eddie sat the kids down and got on their level. "Mommom is going to play a very special game with Daddy,' she told them. "And I need your help so a when I say, the three of us are going to run and hide in the big closet in Mommom's room, under the special quilt and be really quiet until Daddy finds us, okay? Doesn't that sound like fun!"
"Yes, the mostest fun!" Max declared. "We be very quiet, April that means sssh…"
"I know, I'm a big girl now," April declared making Eddie smile.
"Let's go change our clothes and get ready for when Daddy comes, okay? Come on, let's do it!" Eddie was so excited about her news and the way she intended to tell Jamie. She knew he'd be just as happy as she was.
She stuck her post-it notes around the house, being careful with them so they would be intact later. She wanted to put them in the baby's book when they were finished, and start this new pregnancy off right.
There would be no heartache this time, no one would be left out. They would be a team from this day on, respecting that they each took part in making this new life. They would each take part helping it develop and grow into a fabulous little person just like the two little ones washing their hands and brushing their teeth before her.
When she heard Jamie's key in the door, Eddie took both kids by the hand and hid on the floor under a big fluffy blanket. Not one of them was able to keep a straight face, for the kids little giggles fed her own.
Jamie found the first of his scavenger hunt clues on the entry way table, where he would hang his keys and check the mail. The poem Eddie wrote made him smile, 'Welcome home my love, where could we be? You'll have to wait, and hunt, and see... look in the fridge for your next clue, don't overthink it... I have faith in you."
Jamie smiled. She did always have faith in him and always loved to trick and tease him. Jamie opened the fridge and attached to his bottle of cold brew coffee was another little note. This one on a pink sticky in a purple pen. "Max's favorite thing to play..."
Jamie thought of all the games Max loved. He pulled out all of the family games, he looked in the box where they kept their toys, he even looked in the back of the old Teddy Ruxpin that had belonged to Joe. Then it finally clicked, she didn't say Max's favorite toy, she said his favorite thing to play. "Of course!" Jamie smiled to himself. "The piano!"
Jamie was enjoying the game, and he ran to the piano. Sure enough, attached to the keys, was the next clue which simply read, "Meow Meow."
That clue was simple. Jamie remembered the days when he and April would play flashcards for hours and she would make the animal noises. He went to April's bedroom and on her dresser was the first set of flashcards they used together. Jamie opened the box, remembering her little voice calling out to him. Attached to the card with the kitty cat on it was the next clue. "Look in the left top desk drawer, in the secret compartment you think your lovely wife knows nothing about!"
"Leave it to you, Eddie!" Jamie laughed, knowing that he now had to come up with a new Christmas stash hiding place. She was the "ace" detective. Jamie opened the desk drawer and found the next note. This was fun, but the purpose of it was lost on him, so far. Jamie read the next clue, "We see you're still hunting, you've made it through, all with the help of each brilliant clue. Now turn to your right and head down the hall and in just two minutes you'll be getting a call."
Eddie heard Jamie's footsteps coming down the hallway. When they were just outside the bedroom, Eddie sent a text to Kara. She had been standing by for that for a few hours now. Kara quickly run Jamie's phone, "Hello."
Kara didn't even greet Jamie, just provided the clue as instructed then hung up. "We each have one and your color is red"
What did they each have one of that was color coded that way? Red…his was red…his toothbrush! At a sprint now, Jamie hurried to the bathroom, he was getting closer. He could feel it. On the bathroom sink, attached to the handle of his red toothbrush, was a little post-it that read, "Congratulations Sergeant Reagan! Only a few more steps to find your little family. This clue will take you to your favorite piece of furniture in the house.
Jamie went directly to their bed, that was where they loved, shared, cuddled their babies, it was his favorite place. Attached to his pillow was the next and final clue…"Where do we love when we don't do it here? Not a room, but part of one…Look in the box with the last little note…"
Jamie bit his lip, the closet. It had to be the closet.
Jamie opened the cloest door and stuck to a shoe box was a note saying, "Open me."
Jamie took the box down and opened the lid. He could hear the kids giggling underneath the blanket and Eddie urging them to be quiet. "But Mommom," he heard the loud whisper. Holding the lid, Jamie looked down and instead of shoes, was the positive pregnancy test.
Jamie felt his eyes well up, pregnant, Eddie had gone through this whole thing just to tell him about her news. It warmed Jamie's heart, now he played back as the kids and Eddie snickered under the pile of clothes. "Where could they be? Did they go out and out and forget to leave me a note? I'm going to miss them, I hope I can find them soon."
The children were laughing hysterically now, Jamie dropped down to his knees. "I think I'll wait for them right over here!" He broke out the tickles and pulled off the coverings.
"Daddy!" April called, overcome with giggles-while max sat up laughing.
"There they are!" Jamie smiled "There's my family!" Jamie put his arms around the children and met Eddie's eyes. They silently spoke to each other.
Both kids cuddled against his chest unable to stop giggling watched by Eddie smiling brightly.