Chapter 37:
A month had flown by it seemed so quickly for Eddie and Janet. Their baby was growing every day and soon it would be time to see what they were having. Both of them wanted to know and were very excited to find out. Eddie was so surprised at just how happy he really was that they were having a baby. He hadn't really thought about it before since it was just so amazing to him that they were able to find each other again and then got married on such a spur of the moment. He thought to himself, "thank God we did that because planning a wedding right now would be absolutely insane. Now we can just focus on the baby."
Eddie left for work one morning after kissing his lovely wife of nearly 5 months. He had gotten very used to the routine the two had developed over time. Janet went back to Sully's after some time but only worked 6 hour shifts and only during the day. The latest she would work in the evening was 7pm so they could have dinner together every night. Eddie would adjust his schedule so on the days she did work until 7 he was working almost up to that point. It came in handy on some jobs and even helped them get some jobs done sooner then anticipated making their customers extremely happy and in turn giving them more business.
Eddie got into BFW. "Hey buddy what goes on today." Eddie said to Nick
"Well we have a job somewhat out of town on the ol' Gustopherson estate. There are a lot of windows so expect to be out there pretty much all day into the evening." Nick said still looking at the job calendar.
"Ok sounds good, Ikey is with me right?" Eddie said with a smile
"Yeah, he'll just meet you out there though…he said something about having to go somewhere this morning…I wasn't really listening so much." Nick said distractly
"Hey Nick, what goes on with you? You seem like you are a million miles away…everything ok with the Commander?" Eddie said with concern
"Yeah, he is ok. Hannah just dropped this huge bomb on me last night and I gotta say I kind of knew it would happen eventually but it is still throwing me for a loop." Nick said looking up and at Eddie for the first time.
"What did she say?" Eddie asked
"For starters, she finally admitted that I am Sam's father, which I think we both knew was the case – peanut allergy…" Nick said talking with his hands
Eddie looked at him and just shook his head as if to say "yeah that was a given."
"But then she starts talking about our relationship and how to work out arrangements for Sam and all this stuff…I was like hang on a second…I just found out I'm a dad and you want to start making plans and arrangements and days of the week…my head was just spinning and still is." Nick said exhaustedly
"I hear ya buddy but did you expect anything less from Hannah…you have known her for a long time…that sounds to me like typical Hannah." Eddie said chuckling
"Yeah I know but it was just a lot to take in and when I asked her to take a breath well lets just say it didn't go over very well." Nick said with a smirk
Eddie laughed. "To be a fly on that wall." Eddie said laughing outwardly now.
"It is just going to take me a minute or two to settle into it you know, I mean I have always thought I was Sam's father but all the in's and out's of it all well that is an entirely different story. On top of all of that, Aubrey tells me that she is in love with Ronnie." Nick says once again talking with his hands.
Eddie had heard a long time ago about some kiss between Ronnie and Aubrey but nothing ever seemed to come of it and when Hannah's marriage didn't happen Aubrey really started acting differently. During the year Janet was gone Eddie didn't pay much attention to anyone else's life really but he knew that things had cooled way down with Nick and Aubrey.
"So how do you feel about that?" Eddie asked slowly
"You know strangely enough I wasn't that upset about it. We haven't really connected in a long time and I could see the way they interacted with each other. They weren't doing a good job of hiding their feelings. I was actually relieved to be having the conversation after so much time. Now I just have to figure out what to do with the rest of my life." Nick said chuckling slightly
"I don't envy your task Nick, I have been there but one word to the wise, don't settle go after what you want and who you want. It is worth it trust me." Eddie said confidently.
Nick looked at Eddie as if this strange person was standing in front of him. How times had changed that Eddie was the strong, stable one with his life totally figured out. He was really happy for Eddie because being with Janet and now having a baby – this was the happiest Nick had ever seen Eddie.
"Yeah I know buddy, all I have to do is look at you. You are like the pillar of happiness." Nick said jokingly
"Make fun if you want to but I can't imagine my life without Janet in it but there are definitely things I would do differently given the chance. I'm just saying that you take the time you need but figure it out already!" Eddie said smackin Nick on the shoulder.
"Yeah yeah." Nick said
"Ok I am heading out to the Gustopherson estate. I will probably head home right from there so I'll catch ya tomorrow." Eddie said walking out of BFW
Eddie was heading out of town to the country side of The Ridge. It was very peaceful out there and there was the most amazing old houses with great landscaping. Eddie always noticed the landscaping even though that business was done and over with for him. There was always a part of him that missed being outside and working with the earth.
That is when he saw it, this huge Victorian style house that had a modest yard big enough but not overwhelmingly so. The landscaping was ok but he knew that there was so much potential there. The "for sale" sign had a name and number listed so he called it curious to see what he asking price was. The real estate agent said that the house had just gone on the market only a week or so ago and there hadn't been a showing yet. Eddie asked if he could schedule a time to see it. He couldn't wait to tell Janet because if the inside was as nice as the outside, he could really see him and Janet living there with their baby.
Eddie called Janet. "Hey beautiful what goes on?" Eddie said charmingly on the phone.
Janet had the day off so she was doing some laundry and catching up on her shows that she had recorded enjoying her alone time.
"Hey babe, not much going on here, just doing some laundry, pretty boring actually. Where are you?" She said so cheerfully
"I am heading out to the Gustopherson estate but I came across this house and I called the real estate agent. We have a scheduled showing tomorrow at 9am – can you make it?" Eddie asked so excited.
"Yeah I don't work until 11am so that will work. I wasn't aware we were looking for houses." Janet said
"I wasn't really but when I saw this house on my way to work I couldn't help but call. It is perfect Janet. I can't wait to see the inside. I think you are going to love it. It reminds me a lot of the house in Hope." Eddie said hoping that she would get as excited as him.
"Wow, well I guess we will see it tomorrow then. What time do you think you will be home tonight?" Janet said changing the subject.
"Ahhh, probably around 7 or so, why is everything ok?" Eddie asked worrying
"Everything is fine, just wanted to know when to have dinner ready is all." Janet said chuckling at how Eddie is so worried about her all the time now.
"Oh, Ok yeah I will do my best to be home than. Love ya babe." Eddie said before he hung up the phone
"We love you right back." Janet said smiling. She always said we now when she talked to Eddie knowing that it always made him smile when she referenced the baby.
The next morning Eddie was up bright and early. Even though his night was a lot later than he expected and he was exhausted when he got home he couldn't help himself now. Janet on the other hand had a hard time getting up and going for the day. The baby seemed to like to sleep in and therefore she seemed so much more tired then she ever had in the past. She was always a morning person but now she struggled to wake up. Eddie thought it was so funny because he knew how much it bothered Janet to not be in so much control.
They arrived at the house at exactly 9 am and the real estate agent was waiting for them. Eddie had this huge smile on his face as he drove down the driveway and looked around closer than he had yesterday. The yard could use a bit more work but that he could easily take care of and the porch was huge…he could picture wicker furniture and him and Janet sitting out there together drinking their coffee in the morning. Eddie couldn't help but picture them in the yard with their children running around free to play and be loud. He also couldn't help but think about that beautiful garden that Mrs. Edwardson had in Hope. He wanted so much to give Janet that garden and with this home he knew he could, he only hoped that the inside was half as promising as the outside.
Janet looked around the yard as they drove and couldn't believe her eyes. It was so similar to the house in Hope. The yard with big and the porch was amazing. She pictured herself being able to sit outside on the porch and read in the early afternoon sun and watch her children play in the yard. She also thought about her promise to Dwayne. She promised she would spread his ashes in a beautiful garden so when she was the happiest in her life he would be there to share it with her. She could see that garden in this yard. She looked over at Eddie and smiled. He looked like a kid on Christmas morning. She just had a feeling they would be leaving with a new home.
The real estate agent met them both on the top step of the porch and led Eddie and Janet throughout this beautiful home. It had 4 bedrooms and two bathrooms. It had an amazing kitchen that over looked the back yard and right off the dining room was a sun porch. It wasn't as big as the one in Hope but Janet saw the potential. The master bedroom was simply amazing. It was a big room with a huge bathroom attached. It also had French doors leading out to a balcony style porch off the bedroom. It wasn't huge but you could definitely put a small chair and table out there to read or drink your coffee. It was simply perfect in Janet's eyes. She saw a large bed with a sitting area and to top it off the one thing she hadn't expected was the huge walk in closet. Not as typical in a Victorian style home but the owners had made some alterations to the design when they moved in to accommodate their needs. As it turns out their needs matching Janet's to a T. Janet and Eddie were walking through every room with such joy and the overwhelming sense to scream with sheer happiness but knew that was not the way to handle this situation so they kept their excitement under wraps.
The real estate agent finished the tour and gave Eddie and Janet a chance to spend some time alone to talk while she went outside to "look around". Before Janet could open her mouth Eddie was grabbing her by the shoulders and blurting out all the things he loved about the house. At that moment, Janet was completely overtaken by the feeling she was having inside. She didn't know what was happening but it was taking her by surprise. She began to feel things that she had never felt before. She wanted so much to tell Eddie but he was so caught up in the house she was having a hard time getting his attention. Suddenly, she got this look on her face and grabbed her belly.
Eddie froze. He saw the look on her face and knew something was wrong. "Janet what's wrong? Is it the baby?" he said terrified of the answer.
Janet looked at him and suddenly this huge smile came across her face. "The baby, Eddie, I think I just felt the baby move." She said smiling
Suddenly Eddie realized that the look was not of fear but of happiness. He had heard about the first time you feel the baby move it feels strange but wonderful. "Really our baby moved…can I feel it?" he said anxiously
"I don't know Eddie but it happened again. It feels so amazing…I wish you could." Janet said grabbing her belly again
Eddie could not believe this was happening. It made it so much more real for him. He realized that this is exactly what he wanted from his life. He had the woman he loved by his side and now their baby was healthy and strong and making their presence known. Maybe the baby was trying to tell his or her daddy something.
"Janet what do you think about the house?" he said hoping she loved it as much as him
"Eddie I think this house is perfect. But can we afford it especially with the baby coming?" Janet said not wanting to get her hopes up.
"Yeah I think we can. You said you wanted to use the money from Dwayne for our future and I think he would be happy to use it here. We also got money from our accident so I think we have enough to cover the cost so we wouldn't even have a house payment. We could sell or rent out your house and use that money for the taxes and what ever expenses we would need. You wouldn't even need to work if you didn't want to." Eddie said the last part he wasn't sure how she would take.
"Money from our accident?" Janet didn't know what he was talking about
"Oh I am sorry Janet I guess you didn't know about that did you. The tow truck company paid all your medical expenses and replaced my truck and gave us a settlement due to the severity of the accident. It was quite a bit actually but you were in a coma and no one knew if you would survive especially once we all found out about the baby." Eddie said sadly as if the statement brought back the memory.
Janet just looked at Eddie stunned. She hadn't really thought about any of that but then again it made sense as to why no one ever talked about the bills or anything. "I am sorry Eddie that you had to go through all of that." She said grabbing each side of his face "but I think that this house would be an amazing start to our new life with our baby and just think of all the fun we could have in our bedroom here while we are still a two some." She said smiling trying to lighten the mood a bit
Eddie just smiled knowing exactly what she was doing. "Where do we sign!" he said grabbing Janet and kissing her passionately.
They walked out hand in hand to where the real estate agent was standing and before she could say "let's tour the grounds" Eddie said, "take the sign down we'll take it."