Chapter 11

"Are you sure about this, little brother?" Danny asked Jamie, as the two packed up Jamie's apartment.

"Danny, for the tenth time, yes I'm sure. It's not like I'm moving in with her to fuck her. I'm moving in to have a better relationship with my daughter." Jamie said, rather crudely. "She wants her parents to live together. What the hell am I supposed to say when she stares at me with those adorable blue eyes?"

"It's a big step. And you say things won't happen, but mistakes do. Maybe you should get to now your daughter a little more before you have another one."

"Danny, Eddie and I have only had sex once and that was 9 years ago. We're not dating, we're not friends with benefits, we're just friends, partners, and coparents to a beautiful little girl. You don't have anything to worry about."

"If you say so."

The two continued packing, and were able to finish everything within two hours. They stopped for a short lunch break, and then headed over to Eddie's, now Eddie's and Jamie's, apartment.

"For the record, I'm glad you're finally happy. Whatever form that happiness come in." Danny said, as they carried the first two boxes up.

"Thanks, Danny."

They carried the first two boxes into the living room, greeting Eddie and Josie on their way in.

They brought in all the boxes pretty quickly, and then sat down for a beer, Jamie's payment to Danny. Jamie went to start unpacking somethings, leaving Danny and Eddie nursing beers alone.

"Jamie told me that you think the family is mad at you."

"I told him that in confidence. I didn't think he'd tell you." Eddie said, slightly upset.

"Nothing is sacred in this family. Everything is fair game."

"Good to know. So, are you guys mad at me?"

"No, we're not mad at you. We understand that you were just trying to do what you thought was best. I guess I can't really speak for the rest of the family, but I know I'm not mad."

"Even back when I was a kid, I knew that a teen pregnancy in an Irish Catholic family wouldn't have boded well."

"I hate to say it, but you're right. I don't think my parents and Grandfather would've been very happy. With that said, you didn't have to hide her from him."

"I realize that now. I see how good of a father he is. Whoever he marries will lucky to have him as their father of their children."

"What makes you so sure that person won't be you?"

"Jamie and I don't see each other that way."

"Stop kidding yourselves. When he talks about you and Josie, he has this little twinkle in his eyes. He talks about both of you like you're the best things in the world, and certainly the best things in his life. It's only a matter of time."

Eddie didn't know what to say to that. Truth was, she felt the same way about Jamie. She just didn't know how to tell him that.

Danny left a little while later, after finishing a beer and spending a little time with Josie.

That night, once Josie had gone to bed and Eddie and Jamie were sitting together on the couch, Eddie decided to bing up the conversation she and Danny had had earlier.

"Danny and I talked earlier. He told me he didn't think your family's mad at me." Eddie started.

"See, I told you." Jamie said.

"He and I also talked about you. He said that when you talk about me and Josie, you get a tinkle in your eyes. You talk about us like we're the best things in the world. Something tells me he didn't just pull that out of thin air."

"Eddie, I don't know what you want me to say." Jamie was nervous about where this conversation was going.

"Jamie, I want you to tell me how you really feel about me. About us. Not just as partners and friends, but as more than that."

Jamie took a deep breath, thought about his next words, and then began talking.

"Danny's right. I think of you and Josie as the best things in the world. I love that you came back into my life and brought Josie with you. And since you came back into my life, I've been trying to deny my feelings for you. I've been telling myself that what I felt for you wasn't right and that I shouldn't feel this way. I can't deny myself anymore. I think I'm falling in love with you."

"To be honest, I think I'm falling in love with you too."

At a loss for words, Jamie leaned forward, and placed a sweet kiss on Eddie's lips. Eddie kissed him back, passion practically spilling out of her. They continued the kiss until Eddie pulled back, needing oxygen. She leaned her forehead against Jamie's, trying to regain composure.

"Where do we go from here?" Jamie asked, not even about a whisper.

"I don't know, but I know that I really liked that." Eddie said, then planted another chaste kiss on his lips.

This continued for awhile, until Jamie finally pulled back. Jamie wrapped his arms around her, and planted a kiss to the top of her head. They didn't know where things would go next, but they were happy they'd finally got things off their chests.