Since meeting Jamie's parents and Gracie a few weeks ago, Eddie had grown very fond of the rest of his family. They had welcomed her into their family instantly, and she thought Jamie's mom really was the sweetest.

Eddie and Gracie bonded especially fast. They adored one another. Eddie never suggested Gracie stay with her grandparents so she could spend time with Jamie. She always thought of the little girl first, and she never wanted Jamie to feel like he had to give up time with one, for time with the other.

Jamie, on the other hand, feared that once Eddie experienced the real deal of living with a toddler, she would change her mind about being in a relationship with him. He knew he would have to face that reality soon, but for now, if he wanted Eddie to spend the night, he made sure Gracie would be with his parents.

It was Friday afternoon, and Jamie and Gracie were headed into Manhattan to surprise Eddie. He had to leave work early to get Gracie from his parents since his dad was coming down with a cold, and when he picked her up and asked her what she wanted to do the rest of the day, his almost two-year-old daughter's one-word response melted his heart. Eddie.

She wanted to see Eddie, and since Jamie always wanted to see Eddie, he decided they would surprise her and hoped that together, he and Gracie could convince her to leave work early and join them for pizza.

It was an unusually slow Friday in the D.A.'s office, so when Jamie strolled down the hall with Gracie on his hip, smiling as the ladies there ogled over his little girl, he found Eddie in her office. Eddie could hear the squeals coming from Gracie before she saw them.

"Hey. This is a nice surprise," she says as she stands to walk towards her guests.

Gracie is already reaching for Eddie, and she smiles as she takes her from her father, squeezing the little girl in a hug, with a wide grin on her face. Jamie loves to see the interaction between the two of them, and he leans in for a brief kiss.

Erin sits back silently observing the entire encounter and thinks to herself that they really do look like the perfect, complete little family.

"We were hoping we could convince you to take the rest of the afternoon off," he smiles childishly at her as he takes Gracie back.

He hasn't noticed Erin yet, and then hears someone clearing their throat behind him. As soon as Gracie sees her aunt, she is reaching for her and Jamie and Eddie are both laughing. Erin is smiling at all three of them as she reaches out for Gracie. Erin has no objections to Eddie leaving early, but she does turn down an invitation to join them.

The threesome has just sat down with their pizza, and Jamie is cutting Gracie's into small pieces when he starts to explain that their weekend plans will change a little because Gracie can't go to his parents.

Eddie wonders if it is too soon to question why he insists his daughter be gone for them to spend time together, but she just nods instead. After his third apology, she decides to ask him anyway.

"Jamie?"

He hears a question in her tone and looks up from his pizza. She takes a deep breath before she continues.

"Is there a reason you don't want me to stay the night with Gracie there?"

It is obvious that he doesn't, and she can't figure out why. It can't be about sex, Gracie is too young to understand anything like that, so what is it then, she wonders, but waits for an explanation. She isn't a parent so she knows she really can't relate on Jamie's level, but she hopes he can make it clear for her at least.

He is caught off guard at the directness of her question and hesitates for a moment. He wants her to stay so bad, he hates cutting their dates short or pawning his daughter off, but he is so afraid that the reality of it all really will scare her away.

Someone else's child jumping in the middle of them, first thing in the morning. Could Eddie really accept that? Or the meltdowns and tantrums typical of a toddler. He loves his daughter more than anything, but all these things are very true and very real, and he is honestly afraid that as soon as Eddie sees all of those not-so-adorable moments, she might have second thoughts.

He doesn't want to tell her all this, but he knows he will have to let her into that part of his life, and he should do it sooner rather than later. She is still patiently waiting for his answer to her question, and she smiles at him softly, hoping she hasn't crossed a line.

"It's not like that, Eddie," he says to her genuinely.

She crinkles her eyebrows just a bit, silently asking what it is then? Jamie takes a deep breath before he continues.

"I…it's just…a lot to handle…having a toddler around all the time."

She is smiling at him as she reaches across to wipe the corner of Gracie's mouth.

"I guess I just didn't want to…," he pauses for a second as he looks into her eyes and she finishes for him.

"To scare me away," she says softly, and a nervous smile appears on his face.

"Jamie, I'm not going anywhere," she assures him and reaches for his hand across the table.

After their early pizza dinner, they took Gracie to the park for a while before Eddie went back to her apartment, and Jamie and Gracie went back to Staten Island. Jamie had decided that now was as good a time as any and invited her to stay the weekend with them. Eddie said she would come over Saturday after she finished her morning errands, and she would be all theirs for the rest of the weekend.

It is Saturday morning, and Eddie has just finished packing her things for her weekend in Staten Island when she notices another package from her mom and opens it. She had been especially busy in court the last week and had neglected her usual household duties, and the stack of mail continued to grow.

Before heading out, she thumbs through the package of mail to find another unsettlingly familiar yellow envelope in the stack. She knows exactly what it is the moment she reaches for it.

Now, sitting at her counter, she inhales a courageous breath before she opens it. Her heart rate isn't as steady as it was a few seconds ago as she feels the onset of panic. Just as quickly as it comes, it fades away when she reads the first sentence.

Jake Singer has been denied parole and she can rest easy for a little while longer. Still, she knows the day will come when she will have to accept his freedom, but that isn't today and she can lock that fear away for now and enjoy her weekend with her two favorite people.

In Staten Island, Jamie is attempting to keep himself busy as he anxiously waits for Eddie, and Gracie is playing with the pig that has been her new favorite thing to annoy her father with for the last few weeks. He would never let it show, but he did let Eddie know about it every chance he got, and she found it especially humorous.

Moments later, he is welcomed with the sound he has been waiting for all morning as Eddie knocks on his door. He feels ridiculous at his own excitement as he scoops Gracie up so they can greet Eddie together, and his heart is full when he opens the door and his daughter instantly reaches out for her, again.

Eddie happily takes Gracie in her arms as she trades Jamie for the bag on her shoulder, and peppers the little girl with sweet kisses before reaching up to meet Jamie's lips with a different emotion.

Gracie led Eddie to her spot in the living room, excited that she was there, and Eddie participated without protest. She enjoyed spending time with the little girl almost as much as she did her father.

After dropping Eddie's bag in his room, Jamie pulled a couple of beers out of the fridge for him and Eddie, along with the prepared meal he was ready to grill. He handed Eddie her drink and guided his girls to the backyard.

As soon as he opened the back door, Gracie darted out for her plastic slide in the yard, and Eddie began to follow her. Before she could get out the door though, Jamie swung an arm around her waist and pulled her into him for a deep soulful kiss, now that they had a second alone.

Eddie gracefully accepted his embrace and parted her lips slightly. Their kiss lasted a few seconds and then Jamie pulled away, leaving her breathless.

"You deserved a proper hello," he told her.

His eyebrows flicked upward as he walked passed her out the door, leaving her a little disheveled as he smirked at her, and she tried to compose herself before she followed him outside.

Gracie hadn't noticed their stalling as she was happily sliding in the yard, but she did notice immediately as they walked outside and ran straight for Eddie. Jamie was sort of feeling like second fiddle to his daughter right now, but he didn't mind a bit. He loved the way Gracie had grown attached to Eddie and couldn't be happier.

Jamie cooked while the girls played, and soon it was time to eat. They gathered around the table on his patio and enjoyed what Eddie claimed to be the best burger she had ever had, and once again, she was eliciting those little moans with each bite.

Jamie was happy that his cooking was the cause of those sounds, but he couldn't wait for his mouth to be the cause of them later. Together, they cleaned up and spent a little more time entertaining the toddler before it was time for bath and bed.

Gracie's bedtime routine didn't go so smoothly. Jamie had done bath and story time and tucked her in, twice. He and Eddie were planning on watching a movie before going to bed themselves, but after Gracie's third return to the living room that night, Eddie thought her being there might be the cause.

"Jamie, do you think I should go," she asks him softly as he stands to take Gracie back to her room, again.

She isn't upset about it, and Jamie can tell, but he doesn't want her to leave.

"Please don't," his eyes beg as he walks towards his daughter, trying to hide his frustration at the situation.

"She is just not used to anyone being here at her bedtime. I think she's just excited."

Eddie thinks for a second before she speaks again. She doesn't want to leave either, but she doesn't want to be a hindrance to Gracie's regimen. She isn't sure what Jamie will say about her next suggestion, but she figures it is worth a try.

"Ok. What if we let her watch a movie with us," she asks and tries to read his expression. "I know it's late for her, but…"

Before she can finish, Jamie is smiling at her as he carries Gracie back to the couch. He loves how understanding she is in this moment since he had been worrying that when she saw the real struggles of raising a toddler, she would pull away, but she is doing the opposite.

He sat Gracie on the couch, and she immediately snuggled into Eddie's side and Eddie wrapped her arm around her. Jamie sat down on the other side of Gracie, smiling his appreciation to Eddie. It was a smile that said I love you, and he knew he would tell her soon.

Gracie didn't take up much space between them and Jamie reached his arm around them both, gently massaging the back of Eddie's head. It wasn't long into their movie when he realized both girls had fallen asleep and he was in love with the scene in his living room.

He picked Gracie up gently, careful not to wake either of them and carried her to bed. He would come back for Eddie and do the same.

Eddie woke when Jamie swept her into his arms, and hers went around his neck as he brushed his lips against hers. He would have been ok just sleeping with her in his arms tonight, but by the time they got to his room, she had other ideas.

She wanted him, she needed him, and he would never deny her. They wasted no time connecting. It was soft and slow and passionate and full of love. They held each other tight, their chests rising and falling against one another as they found their release together, both drifting into a deep, restful sleep after.

Eddie blinks her eyes open slowly in response to the soft whimpers coming from Gracie's room, and pushes herself up on her elbows, glancing over at Jamie. When she realizes he is still asleep, she decides to let him be and goes after the toddler down the hall.

Approaching Gracie's room, she enters slowly, not sure how Jamie's daughter will react to her first thing in the morning, in place of her father, but Gracie is perfectly content with Eddie's presence, reaching her little arms out for her.

Eddie laughs to herself momentarily at the toddler waiting in her bed for someone to get her, when just last night, she refused to stay there.

"Morning Gracie," Eddie coos as she lifts her from her bed.

Gracie giggles and wraps her arms around Eddie's neck, and with that gesture, she knows she isn't only in love with Jamie; she is in love with his little girl too. She showers Gracie with sweet kisses as they walk towards the kitchen, careful not to wake Jamie.

"You want pancakes," she asks her in a playful voice as she sits her down in the middle of the counter.

With excitement, Gracie offers her best attempt at repeating pancakes as she claps her little hands together.

"Ok, let's make pancakes for daddy. But we have to be quiet because daddy is sleeping," she says, and Gracie makes the sweet motion of covering her mouth with one finger, letting Eddie know she understands.

Jamie wakes up, still in a daze and stretches his arm out for Eddie, only to find an empty space and cold sheets. He reaches for the phone on the nightstand to check the time, when he realizes Gracie hasn't ever let him sleep this late and wonders why he hasn't heard her yet.

Then he is welcomed by the sweet sound of laughter coming from Gracie and Eddie in his kitchen, and he smiles to himself as he crawls out of bed.

His heart melts at the discovery as he rounds the corner, and he stops in the entryway of his kitchen. Neither girl notices his arrival, and he leans against the door frame, his arms crossed over his chest and he takes it all in.

Gracie is sitting in the center of the counter, messily stirring batter in a large mixing bowl with Eddie's help. They are both covered in the sticky concoction as Gracie reaches for a strawberry chunk and sweetly feeds it to Eddie, then points towards the can of whipped cream. Eddie picks it up and offers the little girl a tiny spray of fluff that gracefully lands all over her face when she closes her mouth too soon.

"Don't tell your daddy," she smiles as she squirts a glob into her mouth next, and Jamie can't help but laugh as he pushes himself off the wall and starts towards them, thinking to himself, now is the perfect time.

Gracie notices her father before Eddie does as he walks up and plants a good morning kiss on the top of her little head.

"Hey! We were going to surprise you," Eddie says, a little disappointed that he spoiled their plan, and then he is reaching for her, swiftly pulling her into his arms, landing a hungry kiss on her lips.

He tastes the cream that lingers on the corner of her mouth and slowly pulls away. She is gazing into his eyes when he takes her hands in his.

"I love you," he says softly, and he is the most sincere he has ever been.

That catches her off guard, and she tries to hold back the tear that is threatening to escape.

"I love you too," she responds with the same emotion and she brushes another soft kiss on his lips as he pulls her into a hug.

Gracie is giggling at them when Jamie pulls away and reaches for her.

"I love you too, Gracie," he coos as he wipes the cream off her cheek with his thumb and leans down to kiss her nose.

"No more whipped cream for you though," he tells her, and she is laughing at him.

"What's so funny little miss," he asks her, his back to Eddie now, and Gracie points her sticky finger over his shoulder.

He turns around to find Eddie standing there with the spray can in her hand, aiming directly at him. Before he can react, she is squirting the fluffy sweet cream in his face with a devilish grin on hers.

He is a good sport, and as soon as Eddie tries to escape what is surely coming next, he is grabbing Gracie off the counter and together they are chasing her around the kitchen, laughter filling the house. She doesn't get far before he is grabbing her around the waist and pulling her back in to land a sticky kiss on her lips.

A/N: Good news for Eddie. Jake doesn't get out of prison yet, but don't get too comfortable.