Thirty-six.

One of the things Ed appreciated about his wife was her dedication to ensuring family photographs were placed and hung throughout their home. Some of them, like their wedding photo with Noah, never changed, but others she updated and Ed noticed the collage frame hanging on one of the kitchen pillars now displayed pictures taken only days ago and he smiled to himself, wondering when exactly she made the swap. Other than that they were of his family, there was nothing particularly special about the photos. They'd been taken on the couch and featured Noah making a silly face solo, Noah with both twins, and the twins facing each other mid-laugh.

He finished wiping down the dark granite countertops and made sure the early morning bottles were filled and ready for the warmer. He almost started to make Noah's lunch, but he stopped himself, realizing the next day was Saturday and a warmth overwhelmed him as he anticipated a lazy weekend with his family.

In their room, Olivia had finished nursing the twins and they were on the bed next to her propped on pillows and playing with plastic toys. Ed flopped down on his belly from the end of the bed, grabbed at the babies' feet, and leaned his head against Olivia's thigh.

"Noah's school emailed," Olivia reported, "The fall festival is still going on Sunday. We agreed," she scrolled down and peered at the screen through her oversized reading glasses. "We agreed to bring…two bales of hay?"

"Oh," Ed replied absent-mindedly, "I forgot I signed us up for that. I'll get it in the mornin' maybe I'll take the kids and we'll swing by Ma's on the way."

"Am I invited?"

Ed lifted his chin so it was resting on top of Olivia's leg above her knee. "You, my dear, are always invited."

"Oh, good." Olivia clicked a few times in rapid succession, deleting en masse.

"Arrrrrgh," Ed growled, biting Wyatt's foot and yanking off his sock with his teeth. "Daddy's gotchur toes, Wyatt!" Maggie kicked, and Ed nipped at her, inducing squeals and gleeful baby giggles.

Ed inched closer to the babies so his head was now between the two of them, and their little fingers curled around his nose and his ears. Olivia leaned down and kissed him on the head.

"We love you, Daddy," she whispered in a tone Ed wouldn't have exactly characterized as motherly.

"Hmmmph," he groaned humbly, knowing he had to keep his wife at bay for a little while longer. He resumed his initial placement against her body and gazed at Maggie and Wyatt while Olivia lightly grazed his cheek with one hand and navigated the laptop with the other. "How's that cereal treatin' ya, twins?" He poked Wyatt's tummy.

"They seemed to nurse just as much," Olivia remarked. "I bet they'll sleep a little longer."

"Five a.m. instead of four?" Ed asked sweetly, directing the question at the babies who continued gumming their plastic rattles.

"I really need to get them snowsuits this weekend. Weather will be warm during the early part of the week, but snow later."

"We really need to get them snowsuits."

"Right. We." Olivia thought of something and her body shook with laughter.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing."

"Olivia," he playfully warned and tilted his head back even further to get a glimpse of her face.

Wyatt and Maggie traded high-pitched yelps.

"See? Even the little ones want to know what you're laughing at."

"Okay," Olivia put the laptop on the nightstand and turned on her side, partially spooning her husband. He shivered slightly as her hair tickled his neck, "I was thinking that you and Noah have the same boots so I was wondering if you're going to get a snowsuit."

"Well, I'll hold off on that at the moment. But you never know."

"You would look adorable in a snow suit."

"I used to have one. I snowmobiled a few times. Years ago."

"We should do that sometime."

"You'd want to?"

"Sure. Why not? A weekend upstate maybe? No kids? Bribe Brooke and Sonny? Or Sarah?"

"Sarah can't take care of all three of 'em."

"I bet she could," Olivia argued, "She's good with them. With Noah especially. He loves her so much."

"Let's mention it to 'em. You know…it's been over a year since we used that lake house…that was," Ed leaned over and blew strawberries on the babies' cheeks. "Where we decided we were gonna have you two." He then let himself fall back into Olivia's arms and she kissed his lips upside down. Settling into her, he dragged the twins onto his chest. "C'mere, you two." He nuzzled their heads and they buried their faces into his chest. "Almost night-night time."

The four of them cuddled together in sweet silence. Wyatt yawned and rubbed at his eyes before finally falling asleep sucking on his hand. Maggie fussed until Olivia gave her the pacifier and she, too, dozed off with one hand on her brother.

"Imma put them in bed," Ed whispered, struggling to sit up. Olivia helped him and, in the process, rose to her knees and massaged his shoulders.

She kissed his neck and the back of his head. Then, she licked the outside of his ear and whispered, "Hurry back, Daddy."

….

Sarah had never once claimed to be very good in an emergency. Her idea of "support" was a drink, and that was out of the question. Well, at least for Brooke. After she dropped Noah off at home, she ducked into one of her Dad's favorite dive bars for two quick gin-and-tonics, paid, and dashed home to meet her sister all the while wondering why she allowed Hillary to get her hooked on those cocktails.

"Ugh," she muttered to herself, trying to get the juniper flavor out of her mouth by sucking on her teeth. She rummaged around in her purse for gum but found none. Finally, she ducked into the neighborhood liquor store, purchased a bottle of vodka and a dried-out looking lemon, and went home where Brooke was waiting for her.

"Okay, sister," Sarah said, thinking that was exactly the same way she addressed Maggie, "Spill it."

"What else is there to spill?"

"Well, first of all, I thought you were on the pill."

"I stopped."

"You stopped?" Sarah's eyes were saucers, "And may I ask why?"

"I…I just never refilled it. And I missed some days. And-"

"Brooke! That sounds oddly like something I would do!"

"But it hasn't been for that long. But…I've been feeling…not right. Not sick really, but sluggish and kind of feverish but not really a fever."

"You took a test?"

"This morning. After Sonny went to work."

"And?"

"Positive. That's why I came to your office."

Sarah took a long drink and swallowed with a wince. "Are we happy?"

The question was innocent and sincere. Sarah had been patient while they had drinks and dinner at the pub. Brooke fought back tears when she saw a couple push a baby stroller down the street and Sarah played it off as Brooke being upset about the twins getting older. Hillary, wrapped up in her near-disaster at work, paid little attention and Noah was initially suspicious but easily distracted.

"I think I'm in shock." Brooke stared down at her flat stomach, "I'm…there's a life inside of me."

"You have to tell Sonny."

"I know. He's…he's on duty tonight."

"Want me to go home with you? You shouldn't be alone."

Brooke smiled with relief. "Please come."

"You got it." Sarah quickly through some clothes into an overnight back, tossed in the vodka, and muttered something about stopping for junk food on the way. "You're the pregnant one and all of a sudden I'm the one with cravings," she joked.

Before Sarah opened the door Brooke suddenly wrapped her arms around her, giving her a tight, unexpected embrace.

"Love you, too sis," Sarah choked out. "Now c'mon. Cab's on me."

….

The next morning Ed and Noah loaded the two bales of hay into the rear of the Ford Escape. Ed lifted Noah so he could sling the hatch closed and when he was back on the ground Noah slapped his hands together and gruffly proclaimed, "all set!" He was mimicking his Daddy, and Ed almost started to chuckle but a lump caught in his throat and he experienced a brief yet intense sting of mournfulness that Noah was quickly growing up, but he was growing up with a Daddy who he saw fit to emulate. Thinking about that, Ed's melancholy quickly turned to pride.

"Okay, bud," Ed strapped Noah into the car seat. "We're gonna stop by Grandma's and then drop the hay off at school."

"Kay. Gamma makin' dinner?"

"I'm sure she'll have somethin' for ya."

Caroline did not disappoint. Waiting for Ed and Noah were piles of lunch meat and sliced cheese, fresh bread, and potato chips. Ed put their sandwiches together and they ate at the table. Noah's eyes widened when Caroline put a tall, foamy glass in front of him. He sat up on his knees.

"Whassat?"

"A root beer float. It's root beer and vanilla ice cream. Taste it."

Noah took the glass with both hands and sucked the thick liquid through the straw, his cheeks slumping inward from the pressure. "Mmmm," he droned, pausing for a breath and going back for more.

"Careful bud, not too fast, you don't want to get a brain freeze."

Noah paid no attention to the warning.

"What are your baby brother and sister doing?" Caroline asked.

"Playin' with Mommy."

When Ed jumped out of bed earlier that morning intent on getting an early start on his errand, Olivia grumbled, covered her head with a pillow, and changed her mind about going along. Ed brought her coffee and the twins and he and Noah stopped for a doughnut before heading to a nursery near Caroline's house in Riverdale.

"Who's your favorite? Maggie or Wyatt?"

"Ma!" Ed scolded his mother and shook his head.

Noah looked at Caroline as if she should have known better than to ask that question. "Gamma Care-line! They both my favorite!"

"Oh my," Caroline replied, "I am so sorry. I always had favorites. Your Daddy was my favorite child."

"Daddy my favorite, too."

Caroline simpered at her son. "Eddie, you sure walked into something special."

Ed gazed affectionately at Noah. "I sure did."

….

The Fall Festival organizers assured the Tuckers there would be someone at the school to accept the hay donation, but on first glance Ed didn't think anyone was there. All exterior doors were locked and the windows revealed darkened halls and classrooms. Finally, he walked around to the side of the building where a few kids were playing in the small courtyard. Noah recognized one of the boys and Ed called over to them, asking if any of their parents were in the vicinity. Seconds later, a woman clad in a long sweater, leggings, and riding boots rushed over to the gate and let Ed and Noah in.

"Mind if he stays here for a second? I'll go grab the bales."

"Of course," she said with a huge smile. She was several inches shorter than Ed and gazed up at him with sparkling, eager eyes, "We'll be right here waiting for you. I'm Patricia. Patricia Flynn."

"Ed Tucker. And this is Noah." The woman still hadn't taken her eyes off him, making Ed uncomfortable. "I'll...uh...I'll be right back."

Holding the bales by the twine, Ed followed Patricia inside the school and down a narrow flight of stairs to the gym. He had to turn his body sideways and Noah helped navigate.

"Good job, Daddy! You strong!"

"Thanks, bud."

The gym had been transformed into a veritable farm-themed carnival. Other parent volunteers were constructing booths where they would distribute cider and caramel apples. There were several games—pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey, a bean bag toss, and a child-sized basketball goal. Other areas were reserved for face painting and sand art.

"We're going to have pony rides and a train in the courtyard, too!" Patricia gushed, noticing Ed scanning the area, obviously impressed with their work. "It'll be a great family day and give us all a chance to get to know each other a little better."

"Is this just for the preschool kids?" Ed asked.

"For pre-K to fifth grade."

"Sounds like a lot of people." This was fine with Ed. More people meant he could easily blend in with the crowd and avoid forced small talk with strangers. There was one other Dad he knew fairly well because his son and Noah were friends and on the same soccer team; other than that, Ed planned to mostly stick by his wife's side. Also, with the twins there, he could gallantly volunteer to look after them while Olivia mingled.

"Well, don't worry," she patted his shoulder reassuringly, "We'll put aside a caramel apple for you!"

His phone pinged in his pocket and Ed made an elaborate show of extracting it with his left hand so his wedding ring was as conspicuous as possible. He read the message quickly. "No, it's Mommy. We haveta go." Ed smiled politely at Patricia, "Keep up the good work here."

"We sure will! See you tomorrow!"

"Let's go, bud," Ed grabbed Noah's hand. Patricia hadn't moved and she was still wearing the same goofy smile she'd had plastered on her face since she met Ed and Noah at the gate. Ed nodded politely and let Noah drag him toward the steps. He stifled a laugh, thinking about how Olivia would react when he told her about his new admirer.

….

When Ed and Noah returned home Sarah was at the apartment drinking a glass of wine and cheering for Maggie and Wyatt who were showing off—rolling over and sitting unassisted for a few minutes at a time. Wyatt giggled when he tumbled over, and Maggie was always eager to get on her tummy. Any day now she was poised to start scooting. Sarah declared that they were the most gorgeous and most talented infants ever to grace the planet.

"Daddy! Thank gawwwd you're home, I must kidnap Livvie for a little while."

"Why?"

"We need to pick out dresses for the wedding, and I also hear you're in the market for snow suits."

"We're buying those together."

Sarah frowned. "Oh, come on, let me and Livvie pick them out!"

"I don't trust you," Ed declared, trying to remain serious and fight the smirk forming on his face. "Maggie's will prolly have a tutu attached to it."

"She's a girl," Sarah protested, "She must have frilly things!"

Olivia showed her phone to Ed, "These are cute."

Ed looked at the puffy Patagonia suits approvingly, "Yeah, I like those. Have 'em here or we have to order them?"

"They have them at the SoHo store."

Ed kissed the side of Olivia's head. "Gonna get 'em today?"

"If we end up in SoHo," Olivia replied, looking into his eyes to make sure he wasn't upset over this trivial matter. In his effort to be a present Dad and be, in his own words, fucking perfect, he often attached too much weight to matters Olivia saw as minor. "That okay?"

"Yeah." He offered her a genuine smile and kissed her on the lips.

"We won't be long," she assured him. "Did you have lunch?"

"Yep. Ma had sandwiches and Noah had his first root beer float."

Sarah tickled Noah, "Grandma made you a FLOAT?"

"Uh-huh! It YUMMMMMMY!"

Sarah flipped Noah upside down and flew him over the play mat. The twins squealed at their airborne brother and she landed Noah on the mat.

With the others momentarily occupied, Ed played with Olivia's loose curls and kissed her again, keeping her close.

"Get the hay delivered okay?"

"Yep. And…wait 'til you meet Patricia."

"Patricia Flynn?"

"Yeah," Ed replied with surprise. "You know her?"

"She's the one who sends the emails."

"Oh." Ed grinned, "Well, she may be sendin' 'em to me from now on."

Confused, Olivia scrunched up her face.

"I think she likes me," Ed clarified.

Olivia raised her eyebrows, "Oh yeah?"

"In fact, I know she likes me."

Olivia patted his back pockets. "Well, I better keep an eye on you tomorrow then," she teased. "Can't have anyone trying to steal my man."

She didn't often talk like this and Ed ate it up. "Never gonna happen. I only have eyes for you, Olivia Margaret."

"Daddy!" Sarah was on her feet now and was already in her coat, "Stop flirting and release Olivia! We have shopping to do!"

"Alright," Ed said, stepping away from his wife and joining the twins and Noah on the floor. "Have fun, ladies. The Tucker trio and I will hold down the fort."

Olivia put on her coat and took one last sweet glance at her family as Sarah dragged her out the door.

….

Sonny returned to the loft late Saturday afternoon and immediately landed on the couch, fully dressed in his suit, tie, and shoes. In the process of his collapse, he knocked to the floor the bedding Sarah used the night before, ruining Brooke's careful folding job. He'd been on duty for three straight days and was looking forward to his day off tomorrow. He smiled at his fiancée as she came down the stairs in her sweats.

"Hey there."

"Hi," she said softly and sat down over his legs. "Welcome home."

"I've never been happier to come home," he said, "This stretch was brutal."

"Anything you want to talk about?"

"Nah, just the usual." Sonny scratched at his head and mussed his perfectly combed hair, "How 'bout you?"

"I ended up staying home from work Friday."

He sat up a little. "Feelin sick?"

"Yes, but—"

"I can getcha whatever you want…soup? Need any meds?"

"It's…" Brooke played with the stitching on the cushion, "It's not that." She turned to him. Last night Sarah tossed out creative baby reveal suggestions and Brooke humored her knowing that she was too shell-shocked to do anything other than simply deliver the news. She took a deep breath and blurted out, "Sonny, I'm pregnant."

The words rendered him slack-jawed and speechless for a long agonizing minute, and then he scrambled to sit up at her side. "That's…that's, oh my God, Brooke, that's fantastic!" He gave her an encouraging smile, sensing she wasn't sure exactly how to feel.

"I can't believe it," she replied in a hushed voice, her lips curling upwards. Telling Sonny made her immediately more confident and comforted. Even with Sarah's company, she had felt alone and scared and almost forgot she had a partner.

"It's a good thing, Brooke," Sonny ran his hands up and down her arms and kissed her forehead. "I know it's not…not what we planned, but it's something we want, right?"

"Right."

"Hey," he ducked his head to meet her eyes, "I love you."

"I love you, too." She blinked back tears and fell into his embrace. "Son?"

"Yeah?" He asked, his lips moving against her head above her ear.

"I'm really glad you're home."

….

Much to Ed's future delight, Sarah and Olivia didn't make it to SoHo. After ducking in and out of a few midtown shops and finding nothing to her liking, Sarah suggested they stop for drinks. She hadn't had much alone time with her "Livvie" and she wanted to catch up on their girl talk and gossip a little. They chose a place slightly more upscale than their usual haunts and ordered specially crafted cocktails—a sweet concoction for Sarah and a whiskey-based, spicier blend for Olivia.

"Yours looks very Christmasy," Sarah remarked.

"Want to taste it?"

"Sure. Here, try mine."

After briefly swapping drinks, they gladly switched back to their originals.

"I can't wait for Christmas," Sarah sighed happily, "It's gonna be so great. Christmas with children is the best."

"It'll be special," Olivia agreed. "I wish I could bottle all these memories."

"It's already gone by so fast," Sarah moaned, "And Noey's getting so old and mature. Do you know he actually told me at the restaurant that my food cost too much?"

"He did?" Olivia asked through a laugh.

"Yeah. We were talking about the menu and reading the numbers, and he said, 'Sare bear, yours is three-six and that's too much' omigod, omigod, omigod, I was dying." Sarah flopped her head against the lacquered mahogany bar and then flung herself back against her chair's padded leather backrest. "That little boy…Livvie…I love him so much. He's the best boy in the world."

Olivia scanned the bar area which was quite crowded for this time of day. The patrons were sharply dressed in suits and dresses, but there wasn't anyone who was as beautiful as her stepdaughter. Sarah was one of those people who would age at a snail's pace—there was no hint of a wrinkle or blemish on her face, and she always appeared put together, as if she'd just stepped out of a salon. Part of what made her so attractive was that her good looks were effortless. When she talked about people she loved, Noah in particular, her pale blue eyes sparkled with excitement and love and her pink cheeks blazed with bright pink enthusiasm.

"You know," Olivia replied softly, "Noah…he's blossomed since you and Brooke came into his life. You've made it so…full. He loves his sisters."

"And Maggie and Wyatt…I hope I get to be as close to them as I am with Noah."

Olivia raised her eyebrows, "Why wouldn't you be?"

"I dunno," Sarah said with a shrug, "There's just no…feedback when they're babies."

"I get it."

"But, then again, I looooooove making them laugh and smile."

"That's pretty strong feedback," Olivia said, her grin widening as she thought of her precious twins. "We have to think of a good idea for a Christmas card—think of how cute that'll be with everyone smiling."

"We could do something Kardashian-ish!"

Breaking into laughter, Olivia said, "Yeah, I'm sure your Dad will love that idea."

"He'll do anything you want."

"You're…certainly right about that."

"Is that ever…" Sarah paused, searching for the right words, "Is it ever scary knowing that?"

"I do worry about taking advantage of him. Sometimes…I still feel like he's not completely convinced I'm in this forever, like, he's still trying to win me over."

Olivia expected a classic Sarah swoon, but Sarah merely clutched her wrist. "That's the way it's supposed to be, Livvie."

"I know."

"You and Daddy are so relationship goals. Everyone knows it, too. The first time Hillary met you she was like wow, those two are so in love."

"How's she doing?"

"Good. Still freaked out about that deal almost falling through, but good. Getting all settled into her new place."

"What exactly happened there?"

Sarah succinctly explained how one of the companies in the merger hid old losses and made it clear it wasn't Hillary's fault. "Complete subterfuge on their part," Sarah scoffed, clearly still annoyed, "But, we fixed it."

"I'm no stranger to subterfuge," Olivia replied knowingly.

"I was so pissed. I mean, poor Hill, she'd thought everything went off without a hitch, well, we all did, then she's on the hot seat. Ugh. But…at least we learned our lesson. That won't happen again."

"Silver linings."

"That's for sure."

"What's the next project?"

"We're in kind of a lull right now and probably will stay that way through the end of the year. Nothing exciting…but that's high finance for ya…you go a thousand miles an hour for three weeks straight and then, boom, nothing."

"I imagine Brooke's job is similar," Olivia speculated, "High stress for the school year and then…summer."

"Yeah, they deserve that break. I can't imagine." Sarah was desperate to tell Olivia about Brooke's news, but she'd been sworn to secrecy and she didn't want to leak the information and put Olivia in a tough spot yet again. So, she went for something innocuous. "I wonder if Brooke will keep working once…once they get married and have kids."

"Has she mentioned not working?"

"No…I'm just planning her future for her," Sarah said, giggling, "You know how I am sooo good with working out other people's lives."

Joining in with the laughter, Olivia raised her glass and she and Sarah had a quick toast.

"It probably depends on whether or not they stay in the city," Olivia speculated. "And the cost of day care versus the cost of her working. And…if Carisi goes to the DA's office, he'll take a pay cut."

"Sonny will probably want to drag her to Staten Island."

"Poor Brooke," Olivia said with exaggerated sympathy.

"I know. I don't care how good the man is, I am not moving to Staten Island."

"Yeah," Olivia joked, "Total deal breaker."

Hearing Olivia use deal breaker made Sarah laugh even harder. "Oh, Livvie, you're so funny. I just love you." She put her head on Olivia's shoulder and cooed. "You're the best."

…

Olivia wasn't exactly sober when she arrived back at home. She'd let Sarah talk her into a second and third round which they drank quickly without eating anything. On the way home she did stop at the market and pick up a few things for dinner and she loudly dropped the bags on the island before searching for her family. She located them in Noah's room where the four of them were on the floor surrounded by a mess of train track, locomotives, books, rattles, stuffed animals, Noah's iPad, Ed's phone, and dozens of Hot Wheels cars.

"Hi Mommy!" Noah exclaimed. "We playin!"

"I see that," Olivia crouched down and kissed everyone.

Smelling the booze, Ed smirked, stood up, and told Noah they would be right back. He looked around for any small pieces the twins could potentially swallow, but the area was baby-proofed and he knew they'd be okay for a few minutes. He walked Olivia into their bedroom.

"You alright?"

She kicked off her shoes and tossed her sweater on the bed. "I'm fine. C'mere." She cupped Ed's neck and planted a firm, sloppy kiss on his lips.

"Lemme guess," he rasped, "You didn't buy dresses."

"Nor did we get the snowsuits. Sarah just wanted…she wanted to talk."

"Mmmmm."

"Are you mad?"

"Of course not. I knew an outing with Sarah had to, at some point, involve a stop at the bar."

Olivia kissed him again, just as passionately. "I'll get in the shower, get some tea, and I brought stuff for dinner."

"Why don'tcha save the shower for later? When…certain people are asleep?" Ed leered at her and leaned in to pepper her jaw with quick kisses.

"I guess I can do that."

"I'll start your tea."

"I'll get changed."

"Then we'll cook."

"Yeah." Olivia threw her head back. Ed's lips were now on her neck. "Captain," she gasped.

"Sorry," he mumbled, "You're so goddamn sexy…and…whadja have to drink? You taste so…good." Olivia couldn't answer right away because Ed moved to her mouth and swirled his tongue around hers. "Mmmmm. You gotta take me wherever you went sometime."

"I will."

They kissed some more until, finally, Olivia had to gently push him away. "One of two things have to happen here," she mumbled. "We have to lock the door or hit pause and resume later."

"Guess we better hit pause."

"We'll continue later." She patted his chest.

"I'm holdin' you to that, Lieutenant."

"I always keep my word, Captain." She replied with a wink. "Always."

…..

#Tuckson