Sydney made it clear that she wasn't coming back, and shortly after she left, Jamie received a package from an attorney at her old firm. She had told him he could do whatever he wanted with the apartment and signed away her parental rights to their daughter.
Jamie sold the apartment in Tribeca easily, which provided enough for him and Gracie to move into a quaint three-bedroom house in Staten Island, much closer to his parents and more suitable to his cop salary, and left a comfortable amount in savings for Gracie when she was older.
He took the sergeant's exam as soon as he was eligible and was promoted not long after. Having his parents close was nice, although Jamie only asked for help when he had to work. Frank and Mary Reagan were both retired and absolutely adored their granddaughter.
They had offered to keep her regularly while Jamie was working, something he was exponentially grateful for. He hated the idea of sending his baby girl to daycare and was relieved he was able to leave her every day knowing she was being cared for by two people who loved her as much as he did.
Gracie Marie Reagan was almost eighteen months old now, and the spitting image of her father. She had his mild disposition too. She was small for her age, with light brown hair just long enough for Jamie to pull into short little pigtails, and she had his hazel eyes.
Jamie worked diligently with her on puzzles and books, and it showed. She was a very bright little girl. They had a morning routine and a bedtime routine, and he was very particular about keeping her on a schedule.
It had been just over a year since Sydney left, and his mother and brother had encouraged him to get out a little. He needed to have a social life too, find a nice girl, or at least try. It had been long enough, they would tell him.
It's not that he was still hung up on Sydney, he had gotten over her rather quickly. She made it easy for him, leaving the way she did. But there was a new girl in his life now and Gracie meant everything to him.
Occasionally he would agree to go on a date set up by his mother or brother, just to buy a little time before they would start pushing him again, but the dates never went any further than that. After just one date, Jamie would let them down gently. He was happy just the way things were. At least that is what he would tell himself.
At an Italian restaurant somewhere in Manhattan, Jamie is settling the check for another date that he knows is going nowhere. She is nice, attractive, and a successful real estate agent in the city. There is nothing wrong with her, she is great. He should be interested in going out with her again, but he isn't.
Really, he just wants to get home to Gracie. He is a gentleman, however, and he will make sure she gets home safe.
"I had a nice time," she tells him softly. There is a glimmer in her eyes and she is patiently waiting, wondering if he is going to ask her out again.
She is very attracted to him. He is lean, but muscular, with light brown hair and hazel eyes. Most women found him attractive, but he wasn't interested in any of them.
"Me too," is all he says as he leads her up the steps in front of her building.
"Well, I um, I guess maybe I'll see you soon," she says.
He is trying to think of the nicest way to let her down though. He has no plans to call her again, it isn't her, it really is him, he only agreed to the date to get his mother off his back.
"Listen," he says gently, and she knows what is coming next. "It's not you… I'm sorry, I'm just," Jamie pauses and looks away. He can't think of a justifiable excuse and feels terrible.
"It's ok Jamie, I really did enjoy the date though, take care."
She smiles back at him as she walks inside and he breathes a sigh of relief. He is getting tired of having to let nice girls down easy. There is nothing easy about it and he will have to talk to his family about it soon. He just wishes they would back off and let him live his life the way he wants to.
It isn't long before he is back in Staten Island, opening the door of his house to find his daughter sitting on their living room floor playing with her favorite stuffed pig while her grandpa reads her a story.
"Hey son, you're home early," his dad says, as he softly closes the book he is reading, setting it down on the couch beside him. Jamie just smiles at his dad, heading straight for Gracie. The little girl sees her father approaching, and her eyes light up with excitement.
"Daddy…piggie," she says, as she holds the animal out to show him.
"Hey baby girl, daddy missed you," he tells her as he reaches down for her.
"She loves that pig, doesn't she," her grandpa says.
"Yeah, she does," Jamie coos, hugging her to him. His little girl is his whole world.
"How was your date,"
"Thanks for watching Gracie," Jamie responds, avoiding his father's question, and Frank shakes his head slowly at his son.
"Jamie, you are a great father, and it's ok to do something for yourself. You deserve happiness."
"I am happy dad," he says, but he is not looking at his father, his attention is 100% devoted to his daughter right now.
"Maybe you should at least try to enjoy one of these dates you go on, it won't make you a bad father, Jamie."
"I know that dad," Jamie looks up at him briefly, but continues to play with Gracie, now helping her with the farm animal puzzle she is putting together. Gracie doesn't need her father's help but loves his attention.
"It's hard being a cop with the crazy hours and all. I just don't want to spend what free time I have on a bunch of dates that are going nowhere when I could be home spending time with her."
Frank nods at Jamie, understanding what he means. "Gracie is lucky to have you, son."
"No," Jamie says softly, "I'm the lucky one." He can't tame the smile on his face as he watches his little girl.
"Well, any time you need me to watch this little angel, you know I will," his father tells him. And he would. Both of Jamie's parents would always jump at the chance to spend time with their granddaughter. Even though they had her while Jamie was working, neither of them could get enough of the sweet little girl.
"Thanks, dad."
As Frank stands to leave, he leans down and kisses his granddaughter on the forehead and pats his son on the back. "You are doing a great job Jamie, your mother and I are proud of you."
Eddie had been in New York for a few months, but the transition wasn't as smooth as she hoped it would be. She adjusted perfectly well to her new job. That was never a problem. She was passionate about her work and a very good attorney. Los Angeles' loss was New York's gain.
She was a force to be reckoned with, just like her grandma, and she had an impeccable talent as a prosecutor, just like her father, and Erin Reagan was thrilled to have Eddie Janko on her team. Outside of work, though, she was still having a difficult time.
Eddie especially struggled to establish a social life in New York, having a hard time leaving her past behind, and she hated it. The nightmares did slowly fade away, but she still felt like every man out there was just like Jake.
She would startle easily when men approached her, and she was very approachable. She was beautiful, small with naturally muscular curves. Her crystal blue eyes sparkled, and her blonde hair landed at the middle of her back. She was sweet and kind and caring, and she loved with her whole heart.
She wasn't in New York long before she was asked out on a date. She was checking her mail when a man from her building started towards her. She could feel him moving in, and it terrified her. She couldn't help it. Jake Singer was still too fresh in her mind. She recovers quickly when he begins to make small talk as he inserts his mailbox key into the slot.
"Hi," he says, smiling at her. She nods at him, a gesture that says hi, but she doesn't speak. He is tall, muscular, and very attractive.
"Haven't seen you around before, you just move to the building," he asks.
She knows she can't ignore the man, that would be rude, and that is just not who she is, but she really wishes he would stop talking to her.
"Yeah," she replies softly. She hoped simple one-word answers and no direct eye contact would be enough of a hint that she wasn't interested, but he is cocky and confident, and not about to give up.
"So, where did you move from," he asks. She wonders why he isn't getting the hint, and how much more of this she has to endure.
"California," she says, standing uncomfortably in front him with her mail in her hand now. She just wants this conversation to be over.
"Well, I'll see you around," she says as she turns to leave, but he isn't done.
"Wow, California, that's all the way across the country," he says, and Eddie laughs silently to herself, thinking that smarts certainly didn't accompany his looks.
She nods at him and offers a slight wave as she begins to walk away. That is the only way she thinks she can end the conversation since he still isn't taking the hint. As she turns her back to him, she hears him again.
"Maybe I can show you around New York, you know, be like a tour guide," she smiles because he thinks he is clever, and he really just sounds like an idiot.
She declines, telling him that he is very kind to offer and that maybe she will see him around as she heads for her apartment.
"Just dinner then," he shouts to her back as she walks away. She turns around again. She has to make him understand now.
"I'll pass, thank you." She ends the conversation once and for all and smiles softly as she walks away.
Eddie spent her time working, and when she wasn't at work, she was deep into a takeout box of her new favorite Chinese cuisine from the little place on the corner, accompanied by a glass of wine. Or she was reading law books, perfecting her practice in New York, or at the gym working off the Chinese. She couldn't convince herself to do anything else.
Eddie is spending another Friday night in her apartment in Midtown when she opens her laptop on her kitchen table and sits down with another bottle of wine and a box of chicken lo mein.
A few minutes pass, and she is greeted by her mother and grandmother on her computer screen.
"Hi mom...grandma," Eddie says as she stuffs a piece of chicken in her mouth.
"Hi honey," her mom responds, and her grandma giggles at the mess she is making with her takeout.
"Another night at home with Chinese, dear," her grandma questions.
"Yep, you guys need to come visit, we'll order in, it's delicious. Not like California," Eddie says as she continues to devour the dish.
"Honey, when are you going to get out of that apartment?" Her grandma asks.
"I get out every day grandma," she says, laughing.
"You know exactly what I mean, Eddie," her grandma is pointing at her through the camera on the screen and Eddie rolls her eyes jokingly.
"I will, eventually. Just focusing on work right now, nothing wrong with that, right," she asks.
Her mom and grandma hoped that Eddie would be able to start over when she moved to New York, but they were starting to fear that Eddie was still struggling with her past more than she would admit.
Eddie talked to Lena and Betty every night. She would tell them how work was going, and she would share what little details she could about the cases she was currently involved in.
As the weeks went by, she seemed more relaxed, like maybe she was finally moving on, and her mother and grandmother were growing more at ease with each conversation.
Still, those conversations were always inside Eddie's apartment. She would promise them that she was meeting people. She did join a gym and had a few acquaintances there. She also really liked her boss.
She told them about Erin Reagan and what a good leader she was at the DA's office, and how she was learning a lot from her. They had even become friends and had plans to go out after work next week. What Eddie didn't tell them was how many times she had already turned down previous offers from Erin, how uncomfortable she still was around men, and how hard it was for her to go anywhere alone.
Jake Singer had been incarcerated for six months. He sat in that cell every night since his conviction and thought about Eddie Janko and what he wished he would have done to her. He had two and a half years left on his sentence, and he was determined he would get out on good behavior before then.
In the beginning, his sole focus was to track Eddie down when that time came and finish what he started. It was her fault he was there. She never should have pressed those charges. She deserved what he did to her.
He wished he would have just killed her that night. He would get his chance as soon as he was a free man. He would make sure Eddie Janko paid for what she did to him.
For nearly six months, he had been the model prisoner and not a day went by where he didn't think about what he was going to do the next time he saw her, but the more time that passed, the more his feelings of anger turned to obsession. He still loved her and he had to have her back.
He didn't want to kill her anymore. He could forgive her and he would make her see that they belonged together. When he was a free man, he would stop at nothing to get her back.