Finding someone you love and who loves you back is a wonderful, wonderful feeling. But finding a true soul mate is an even better feeling. A soul mate is someone who understands you like no other, loves you like no other, will be there for you forever, no matter what.
-Cecelia Ahern
When they met outside the 12th precinct almost eight years ago, Jamie never expected that one day, he and Eddie would mean so much to one another.
They clicked instantly. She understood him in a way that no one ever had before, not even his ex-fiancé. They were friends first, which is a big reason why he thinks they work so well together. He learned that she was a big foodie, evident by the amount of food she ordered when they first took a meal together. She loved all types of music, finding a beat to anything playing on the radio. He learned that she liked to keep her hair down, long and wavy, rarely styling it any other way unless she was at work. She was a major sports fan, always keeping up with the latest scores and rivalries.
It was after a double date with their two best friends when they had their first kiss. Neither of them expected it to happen, it just did. They really never discussed the kiss after that, pretty much trying to forget about it to not make things more awkward between them. To this day, they still say it was a drunken kiss but deep down, at least for Jamie, it was the start of a special journey for the two of them.
They would hang out often, from getting drinks together after work to being out in the city late at night, just having fun being in each other's company. Everyone saw something brewing between them, even the ones closest to them.
"I understand that you've been spending eight to twelve hours a day with this woman in a car and at the end of the shift, you're going out for drinks with her," Erin said.
"So?"
"So!?" she replied, dumbfounded that he still wasn't getting her point. "You know how special that is? Instead of looking for space at the end of a long day, you're looking to spend more time with her. I can tell you that if I had that with someone, I would not be sitting here with you wondering if I should pursue it."
As the years went on, she became a constant in his life, being there for him in whichever way he needed her. She was loyal and fiercely protective, unleashing a fury that no one would dare go up against if someone was a threat to him. He could be himself with her and knew she'd never judge him. She encouraged him when he got frustrated and made those dark days a little brighter.
He doesn't recall the exact moment that he fell in love with Eddie. He doesn't know how, he doesn't know why, he just did. She became the most important person in his world. The person he would do anything for and cared so much about. He had an unspoken commitment to her, even though she didn't know it yet.
Eddie getting shot was the worst day of his life, as her partner and most importantly, as the person who was in love with her. His heart dropped to the pit of his stomach when he saw her fall down the stairs. He quickly raced over to her and dropped to his knees, frantically ripping open her shirt and vest in hopes that the bullet didn't go all the way through. Thankfully, the vest had done its job that day.
It was then that he realized something that he hadn't before. He couldn't live without her. If that bullet would've gone though, he didn't know how he would've handled it. He needed her in his life.
He proposed on a late morning in May, while they were out playing mini golf. She was shocked but immediately accepted, pulling him close for a hug and a passionate kiss on the lips. Some people thought they were completely crazy for moving as fast as they did but quite frankly, he didn't care what they thought. They had passed the boyfriend and girlfriend stage a long time ago. They had become so much more than that.
She's right by his side to pick him back up through the bad times and there to celebrate the good times. She has loved him through all his faults and never given up on him, even though there were times he thought she would.
"I'm always going to be the guy that's going to worry about our bills and how to take care of our family ten years from now. Part of that is just who I am," he told her, clutching her hands in his.
"I know," she whispered.
"Can you live with that?" he asked.
She stared at him for a minute then broke out into a smile, "If I have to."
Marrying Eddie was the easiest decision he ever made. His love for her is true and very real. She's made him better in everyway possible and given him something that no other person has before: someone to call home.