"We almost there?" Scarlett asked curiously, glancing out of the window at the wide mountain range as they drove by.
"Just a few more minutes, munchkin," Jamie reassured, glancing back at her in the rear view mirror.
Eddie smiled back at her daughter. She had been looking forward to this trip for weeks. It was the first time that her, Jamie, and Scarlett would be able to bond without any outside distractions. Jamie had quite an itinerary planned for them and wouldn't give anything away until they arrived.
"I'm so happy to get away for a few days," she said, reaching over and interlinking their fingers over the center console. "It's been so long since Scarlett and I have been able to get out of the city. Thank you."
"No problem," he smiled, kissing the back of her hand. "You two deserve it.
"We almost there?!" Scarlett asked again with a little more urgency. "I 'ungry!"
"We're almost there, sweetheart," Jamie promised. "Don't worry. We'll eat as soon as we get there. What you want to eat?"
"Mac n Cheese!" she exclaimed.
Eddie facepalmed while Jamie let out a laugh. The little girl had been on a mac and cheese kick ever since she had tried Erin's at her first Reagan family dinner. She was in love with it and didn't seem like she would get tired of it anytime soon.
"I don't think I can look or smell mac and cheese anymore," Eddie cried with a small chuckle.
Jamie put a hand on her thigh, "We'll get her to try some different things, babe."
A little while later, they finally arrived. It was a small, secluded cabin, just fifteen minutes away from the nearest town and sitting right along the Hudson River. Scarlett excitedly unbuckled herself before they parked and hopped down from her seat, trying to open the back door.
"Scarlett!" Eddie said, immediately turning around and grabbing the little girl, pushing her to sit back down until Jamie parked.
The three year old started to whimper softly, knowing that she was in some sort of trouble. She had recently learned how to buckle and unbuckle herself in her car seat and always insisted on doing it herself.
"We do not unbuckle ourselves until the car is parked," Eddie said, turning around after Jamie had parked the car to look at the little girl, who was wringing her hands together as she looked down at her feet.
"Yeah munchkin," Jamie added gently, reaching back and touching her leg. "You could've gotten hurt if we were on a main road."
"I sorry," Scarlett finally mustered, looking up and Jamie and Eddie, letting out a small sniffle. "I no do it again. I in trouble?"
Eddie sighed, "No, you're not in trouble but if you do it again then you will be, got it?"
Scarlett nodded, "Yeah Mama."
"Come give me a hug." Scarlett immediately jumped forward into her mother's outstretched arms.
"Sorry Mama," she whispered.
Eddie nodded and kissed her cheek, "It's okay, baby. Just don't do it again."
They all got out of the car with Jamie grabbing their luggage while Eddie and Scarlett went inside to get a look at the cabin. Even though it was small, it had everything that they needed for a memorable stay. It even had a jacuzzi, a fun touch for Scarlett but even more fun for them once the little girl went to bed. They quickly unpacked their clothes and decided to have lunch on the deck, with Jamie deciding to grill the burgers he had bought along. Eddie put together the sides, even Scarlett's much loved mac and cheese.
"So what are we going to do today, babe?" Eddie asked as they all sat down to eat.
"There's a resort near by that has a lot of activities that Scarlett will love. It has an indoor water park, horseback riding, and a movie theater. We could have dinner there or come back and make something here," he said. "Tomorrow, we can get a lay of the land here and go for a nice hike, maybe even build a fire for some s'mores. On Sunday, we can go into town and do a little shopping before going home on Monday."
Eddie smiled, "That sounds great."
After finishing their lunch and taking a quick power nap, the trio headed over to Glenmere Cove Resort for the water park. It was quite busy as they expected but thankfully, there was a section of the park that was specifically for toddlers. They walked over and found that it was pretty empty so they took advantage of one of the empty pools and got in. Scarlett hung on to Jamie as he floated around the pool since she didn't know how to just swim yet.
"I think it's time to teach her," Jamie said to Eddie. "Before you know it, summer will be here and I don't want her to go head first into a pool and not know how to save herself."
Eddie nodded in agreement. They tasked themselves with wrestling the little girl's floaties off her arms, much to her dismay.
"No!" she cried. "I don't wanna take'em off!"
"I got you," Jamie reassured gently once they threw her pink floaties to the side of the pool. "I won't let you go. I promise."
Jamie's reassurances appeased Scarlett for the time being as she calmed down. Eddie sat on the side on the pool and let him take over the swim lesson. She watched as he calmly went through things with her, step by step. He went underwater with her a few times so she could see that it wasn't all that bad and walked right alongside her as she furiously kicked her little legs as she gained confidence swimming. If you would've told her a few years ago that this would be her life now, she would've never believed it. Being so in love with a man who loves her just as much and having a beautiful daughter who keeps her on her toes. Life was treating her pretty good.
"Look Mama!" Scarlett called out. "I doing it!"
"I see that," Eddie replied, getting back into the pool and walking over to them. "Good job!"
Soon, she grew confident enough to swim without either of them walking beside her and was going up and down the pool by herself, under their watchful eye.
Eddie pulled Jamie close and kissed his cheek, "Thank you."
"For what?" he questioned, wrapping an arm around her waist.
"Just... everything. Thank you."
He pecked her lips, "You don't need to thank me. I'll do anything for you two."
She smiled and laid her head against his shoulder as they watched Scarlett swim.
Later, Jamie and Eddie relaxed in the warm jacuzzi after they got back to the cabin and had an early dinner, where Scarlett adorably fell asleep on her mother's shoulder with her fork still in her hand.
"It's really beautiful out here," Eddie said gently, glancing up at the starry night sky. "We need to get out of the city more often."
Jamie nodded, "We do. The city is great and all but nothing beats this."
She smiled, "I agree."
He reached out and pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her waist and giving her a long kiss. They pulled apart after a few minutes to catch their breath.
"Today was a good day, wasn't it?" he said, running his hand up and down her back.
"It was," she agreed, leaning into him. "It was a really great day. Scarlett got worn out at the waterpark, which I thought was crazy because it's impossible to wear out that girl with anything."
Jamie smiled cheekily, "That was all apart of the plan. I've figured the munchkin out already. I knew a simple hike or playing in the park wouldn't cut it. Plus, I wanted to get you to myself for a minute."
Eddie chuckled, "Oh gosh. Well, nice job. Now, you can try to conquer bedtime. You see how she fights me on it most nights."
He kissed the side of her head, "I got you, babe. You can count on me."
They stayed together in the jacuzzi for awhile longer, enjoying the quiet time together. It was times like this they relished the most, just being able to enjoy each other's company without any distractions. Life is hectic for them most of the time so they really appreciated these moments since they're few and far between.
Jamie wrapped his arms around her as she laid back against him then leaned down and pressed a small kiss to the top of her head. If he was being honest, besides his family, all he needed in his life was woman in his arms and the little girl sleeping soundly inside the cabin. They were his world now.
"I love you, Ed," he whispered.
She smiled up at him, "I love you, too."