Easter Sunday April 9th 2023

The week had calmed down. Eddie somehow survived driving with Draves and starting Monday she was being transferred to another house. Casey and Eddie would be back to riding together.

"Eddie did you say there were b-a-s-k-e-t-s somewhere we had to take along?" Jamie hollered from the hall closet looking for whatever Eddie was talking about.

"No they're at your dads already I said there's a bag of c-a-n-d-y for the b-a-s-k-e-t-s in the closet that we have to take to add to everyone else's." She answered as she finished up getting Ryan dressed in his cute Easter outfit.

"A B C..." Alaina started saying the alphabet making them laugh.

"Oh my." He said smiling at her and putting the bag Eddie was talking about by the door with the diaper bag.

"Alright little man is all ready to go." Eddie said coming out of his room.

"Look how big he looks all dressed up." Jamie pointed out.

"I know! As long as he keeps this bow tie on for at least one picture I'll be happy." Eddie said. Jamie got Alaina and the bags and off they went to Frank's.

"Hello?" Jamie answered a phone call soon after they got in the car.

"Really...!?" He said and looked at Eddie with wide eyes.

"What!?" Eddie wanted to know.

"Well thanks for the heads up man...it'll be great...yup, can't wait...bye." Jamie hung up.

"Joes bringing Cassidy..." he told Eddie.

"Oooo! Must be getting serious! Ugh she's gotta be so nervous." Eddie said.

"Well...he's apparently proposing...after dinner...during the egg hunt." Jamie told her knowing she was going to freak out excited he braced himself.

"WHAT!!?" She jumped up in her seat and punched Jamie in the arm.

"Woah woah" he started laughing holding his hand up and trying to not get hit.

"Was that Joe or who!?" She wondered.

"Yeah he said beings he couldn't give us the heads up at church this morning he wanted to make sure we knew." Jamie explained.

"Awww that's so exciting!" Eddie exclaimed.

"Yeah I hope we like her." Jamie said.

"We will. If he likes her that much we will too." Eddie said.

——

When they got to the house the kids were easily distracted playing with Nikki and Sean. Eddie, Erin and Pop were finishing up the easter baskets for the grandkids.

"So do we know the plan for the proposal?" Erin asked pop.

"All I know is he wants to work it into the egg hunt somehow." Pop said.

"Oh okay. Have you ever met her?" Erin asked.

"Yeah what's she like!?" Eddie added.

"Only once, he stopped in to pick up something his dad had that he wanted." Pop said.

"Well what does she look like!?" Eddie asked.

"Lots of questions." Frank said coming in to see how they were making out.

"She's got kinda long dirty blonde hair, nice smile, little shorter then Joe." Pop said trying to give them all the information he knew for them.

"Sounds pretty." Erin said.

"Yeah she's a cute girl" Frank said.

———

A little while later Joe and Cassidy walked through the door.

"Everybody...this is Cass." Joe introduced her.

"Cassidy haha, same thing" she corrected.

"Hi!" Danny said.

"Hello!" Erin said.

"Nice to meet you!" Jamie said.

"Very nice to meet you finally!" Eddie said.

"Good to see you again." Pop said.

"I'm Nikki! Cute shirt!" Nikki said.

"Sean." He said smiling.

"Welcome!" Frank said.

"Thank you. This is a little intimidating but I can't hide forever" she said with a laugh, everyone else laughed.

"Oh don't be nervous. We're normal, we make fun and argue like any normal family." Pop said as Joe pulled out her chair for her.

"Good to know. Oh thanks babe." She said distracted by Joes chivalry.

"And who is this cutie pie I have the honor of sitting across from!?" Cassidy asked talking about Alaina in the high chair.

"Can you say hi?" Eddie whispered to her but she got shy, everyone smiled at the cuteness.

"Can you say your name?" Jamie added. She laid her head in Eddies arm embarrassed and shy all eyes were on her.

"Aww haha. Well this is Alaina... she'll be 2 this week! And then this is Ryan." Eddie said pointing to him on Jamie's lap.

"Super cute kids oh my word." She said.

"Thank you." Jamie said.

"Alright shall we say grace?" Frank said changing the subject.

"Yeah I'm starving." Danny said.

"What's new." Erin said making the family laugh.

After Grace they all filled their plates, Eddie cut up everything for Alaina, Jamie put Ryan in the other high chair beside him and let him have mashed potatoes and peas.

"So Cassidy what do you do for a living?" Erin asked. She finished chewing her food and began to speak.

"I teach preschool, and on some of my off days I volunteer answering phones for crisis hotline." She said.

"Wow." Erin replied.

"That's awesome." Eddie said.

"Good for you." Jamie added.

"Thank you. That's how we met actually...well sorta kinda haha." She said looking at Joe, he smiled and drank his water.

"You should elaborate." Danny said.

"Yeah!" Eddie wanted to know.

"Joe tells it better cause he seeked me out more." She said turning to him.

"Yeah you didn't see me coming. She was on a call outside, I was in line waiting for my lunch from a food truck nearby and it seemed like an intense conversation, she was upset when she hung up. So, I got my food and sat down next her and from there it's history." Joe told everyone and smiled at Cassidy.

"Aw!" Eddie was so happy for him.

"Well isn't that adorable." Danny said joking.

"It is!" Erin said.

"It's nice to hear in today's world people are still meeting in person, not on these phone apps." Pop said.

"Yeah well I miss the beginning stage of a relationship, when it's new and fun and exciting." Eddie said. Jamie turned to her listening with scrunched up eyebrows.

"You know what I mean!" Eddie told him, Jamie shook his head disagreeing.

They had a good rest of dinner, full of laughter and stories. They got to know Cassidy more, everyone was a fan and couldn't wait for the proposal!

——

Jamie, Joe, and Danny went out to hide the Easter eggs for the kids while everyone else cleaned up the food. Sean, and Nikki had Lainey and Ryan in the other room playing so they weren't in the way.

"Alright ready to roll." Danny said coming in the back door with Joe and Jamie behind him.

"Dad don't you think Nikki and I are a little too old for this stuff..." Sean asked.

"Nonsense!" Pop added.

"Yeah what're you talking about? You like candy." Danny said. Everyone laughed.

"It'll be fun for the little ones if you two join in." Frank said. They understood that and everyone went outside.

"Alright here, Alaina you hold this and put the eggs in it okay?" Jamie said knelt down to her. Ryan got his basket and started chewing on it.

"Older people leave the ground level ones for the kids..." Joe said.

"Wait I'm doing this?" Cassidy asked laughing when Joe gave her a basket.

"Heck yeah. We're a team though." Joe told her.

"Alright, ready?" Jamie said.

"Yeah, someone's getting antsy." Eddie added looking at Lainey wanting to just take off at one she saw.

"Alright go!" Jamie said and they went off.

"How longs he waiting?" Pop whispered.

"I think until close to the end...he hid it in that tree so hopefully no one finds it first." Danny said.

———

5 minutes went by and Joe made eye contact with everyone watching like "here we go". Eddie got her phone out to get pictures.

"Wow that's a good hiding place!" Cassidy said watching Joe get an egg out of the tree.

"What's in it?" Joe asked playing dumb, shaking it, he was getting nervous. Cassidy shrugged her shoulders, she didn't know obviously. Joe opened it and purposely let it fall in the yard so he'd have to get down on the ground.

"Oops." Cassidy said watching him look for whatever fell. He picked up the ring and looked up at her.

"Cassidy Ann Ryder...will you marry me?" He asked. Her face said it all, she was in complete shock, she covered her mouth with her hands and said yes wanting to just hug him.

Everyone watching started clapping and cheering. He put the ring on her finger and they hugged again. She was crying and so happy, they walked back to the patio.

"Let me see it!" Eddie said excited. It was beautiful, tear drop shaped diamond with diamonds on the band.

"Stunning!" Erin said.

"Gorgeous!" Eddie added and gave her a hug. The guys were all congratulating Joe, patting his back, shaking his hand. The girls eyes were filled with tears of happiness, the cousins stopped the egg hunt to celebrate.

"Welcome to our family." Frank said giving Cassidy a hug. Talk about overwhelming, she's never met any of them and now she's joining the family.

"Mommy ook!" Alaina ran over holding something in her hand.

"Wow! Good job!" Eddie said changing her attention to her daughter.

"I think this calls for dessert." Pop said. Everyone agreed and headed to the house.

"Ry come here bud." Eddie said watching him explore in the flower beds. Alaina ran off after him.

"Lainey no, go with daddy." Eddie said and went to go get Ryan beings he ignored her.

"No!" Alaina said.

"Hey, c'mon, do you want dessert? I saw cookies?" Jamie said trying to bribe her. Eddie got Ryan and went to the house, Alaina walked further away not interested in Jamie's bribe.

"Lain..." Jamie drawled out. She giggled to herself thinking it was a game. Jamie decided it was easier if he'd just go pick her up and bring her in, everyone was waiting.

"You need to listen." He told her when he got a hold of her. She started throwing a slight fit in his arms so he let her walk but held her hand so she wouldn't run off.

"Oh we wanna be miss independent today I see." Eddie said shaking her head and they finally got in the house for dessert.

———

Thanks for reading! Exciting time for the Reagan's, adding another family member! I picture Cassidy looking like the actress Olivia Holt (if anyone needs a mental image). Anyway leave your comments like always!