Chapter Twenty-Seven

"You can pick his name," Eddie told her as she they back to the house. Mary was getting really tired, but she was so delighted to have a new friend. Mary didn't even have to think on that, "Cupcake...Joey said if we got a dog that he wanted to call it Cupcake."

Eddie's eyes teared up, "Yes he did, are you sure honey?"

"Yes, his name is Cupcake," Mary said with a yawn. Jamie shook his head, "Eddie, this thing is going to grow up to be 90 pounds plus, and it's a Shepard, a work dog, and it's a boy...she's calling it cupcake?" He shook his head.

"That's what she wants to name him Jamie, for her brother. Who are we to tell her no?" Eddie shrugged

He shook his head again, squeezing the bridge of his nose, this whole thing was making his head hurt. Eddie couldn't do anything but laugh, her first genuine smile in days.

Eddie and Jamie brought her home, tucking Mary in together, sitting with her until she fell asleep

"Mommy?" Mary asked as she snuggled. "Can we go in the big bed and all lay together. Even Cupcake?

"Of course honey," Eddie smiled picking Mary up and cradled her as she walked to their bedroom. The dog, who had already taken Mary as his person, followed and laid on the ground. It was pretty clear the dog had been owned, he was tame and he was housebroken, mostly.

Once she settled Mary looked up, "Daddy stay too please?"

"You wanna go ask him?" Eddie asked. She didn't want this but Mary did. They did that lot when the kids were sick.

Mary nodded, "Yes, Mommy I want you and Daddy here, both of you."

Eddie helped Mary go ask Jamie. She knocked on the door, "Daddy, can you come lay with us?"

Jamie opened the door smiling as he picked Mary up to kiss her head. "You want me to lay with you of course honey."

Jamie looked straight at Eddie, they hadn't laid in bed together since the affair. Eddie tucked Mary in between her and Jamie. They laid together silently, each stroking their little girl, feeling so sad and disheartened at the state of their situation.

Mary closed her eyes happy to have both parents together. If she had to be sick, at least she got to be with her parents.

It was painful for Eddie to lie there so close to Jamie and not even be touched or be able to touch him. They used to do this whenever Joey or Mary were sick, they would cuddle the child or children between them, hold hands, talk, laugh…it was over now, their life and their marriage. It was like a knife in her to lie here now, she couldn't handle it…she just couldn't.

Mary had a hard time falling asleep. She kept looking over at her new puppy, who went to sit on the pillow Eddie put on the floor with him. He was such a well behaved little pup. Eddie sang her to sleep and snuggled her to her breast. Jamie, out of habit, slid his arm around them both. The touch actually felt foreign to Eddie, and that hurt even more than the lock on the door, the lack of trust, anything. Eddie wanted to cry, she needed to cry. She found herself praying for Mary to fall asleep so that she could get away.

Mary did doze off about an hour after her normal bed time. Jamie had brought Bella in to feed and now she was now asleep as well.

Jamie looked down at his three girls. Mary and Bella asleep, Eddie looking like Joey died all over again even in her sleep. Jamie got up and lifted Bella first and put her in her crib. She wiggled but stayed asleep. Then he got Mary and put her in her bed, propping her swollen leg up. Cupcake followed Mary, he already knew who his main person was going to be. He laid on the rug near her bed. Jamie smiled and pet his head.

He went back to the bedroom, planning to tuck Eddie in only to find the bed deserted. He sighed, he knew the look on her face, she was in a lot of pain, and he had inflicted that. They had to stop this cycle or even six months wouldn't help them.

Jamie found Eddie on the sofa, her face lit softly by a single lamp on the lowest setting. "Hey, thought you were asleep."

"I was but," Eddie didn't look up or finish the sentence staring ahead at the wall of pictures

Jamie sat down next to her and followed her gaze. "Mary is so happy with the puppy, and while I was concerned we are moving it's probably a good place for a shepherd, a lot of property and all."

"She loves him already. He'll be happy there…a lot of space and love," Eddie nodded

"It might be just what she needs," Jamie replied. "But Cupcake?" he chuckled.

Eddie smiled, "It was her choice. I think it's nice she wanted to name him that for Joe."

"She misses him..." Jamie sighed. "We all miss him, Eddie. I can see how deeply you are hurting and..." Eddie didn't want to go there.

She got up, not answering, to look out the window pulling her bathrobe closed tighter.

She took a long breathe and turned around, "Jamie, I have been thinking a lot since you, uh moved to Joey's room. You're right, I don't think this is something you can force. We need to take time and we need to have space, especially you."

"I don't want things to be any more awkward then they are while we work on things," Jamie said softly

"Then we need to keep the space" Eddie replied. "So for now, I'll focus on the move, the kids, getting things ready for this family...and we'll see about the six months."

Jamie sighed and nodded, "okay I really want to work things out Eddie."

"So do I," Eddie replied. "I truly do, I have...we need to fix things and perhaps, once we move that will help it along."

"Oh, I think it will Eddie," Jamie looked at her. "I really believe it'll help us reconnect like we were."

"We'll never be like we were," Eddie replied. "Never. So much pain Jamie, I'm not sure we can. Ever." She turned around and headed to the bedroom, grief for her son and her marriage coming out as she did.

"Moving can be a lot of fun," Eddie told Mary. "One of the fun things is that you go through all your things and pick out what you want to take and what you want to get rid of."

"But I don't want to get rid of any of my toys mommy," Mary said. "I want them all."

"Okay, then you can take all your toys," Eddie told Mary. "What about some of these old clothes? Some of them don't fit you, what about picking a few things that you haven't worn and giving it to a little girl that doesn't have nice clothes like you?"

Mary looked at her clothes carefully picking two outfits she didn't like anymore. "These Mommy, someone can have these."

"Those are very nice outfits to give someone," Eddie smiled. "Good job! I'm so proud of you. Give Mommy a kiss."

Bella puckered her lips blowing raspberries at her sister and cooing softly.

"Oh, you are cute!" Eddie laughed hugging both her girls as Cupcake sat up and begged. "Oh, you want loving too, come here."

Cupcake ran right through Eddie's legs and stood on his two hind legs.

Jamie came home from work and heard the laughter. It was a lovely sound. Eddie had been doing what she had said, focusing on preparing the family for the move. She wasn't wearing special outfits, making special meals, or anything but making a home for them.

"Hey guys, what's going on?" Jamie asked finding them in Mary's room, as he stood in the doorway.

"We are packing," Mary told Jamie. "I'm giving some things to poor kids. Look I found my rag doll."

"Oh, that's so nice of you sweetie," Jamie smiled giving her a hug then went to Bella.

He picked her up and held her on his hip, her tiny feet hanging down, one sock on and one sock off. "Eddie, do you want to me to start dinner or do you want to go out for a bite?"

"Can you start dinner? I still have so much so much to do," Eddie answered not looking up at him.

"Sure. Chicken and rice okay with everyone?" Eddie agreed and kept working on Mary's things.

A few days later, Jamie got the call he'd been waiting for, Sheriff Paul from Lancaster County was ready to get his papers done and wished to host Jamie and Eddie at dinner within the next week.

"Will you please come with me, Eddie?" Jamie told her when the call was finished. "Sheriff Paul wants the wives to get to know each other and for us to get a feel for the area. Please think about it. My Dad will take the girls and Cupcake for the two nights, I'm sure of it."

Eddie took a breath, she had been so focused on preparing the family she never thought this might come up, but here it was. "Of course, I'll come Jamie. This is important to you and your new job, it's important we put up a good front so things happen like the should out there, but Jamie, I will feel more comfortable with this if we focus on the job, the moving preparations and getting things set for the girls, it's not going to be a time to work on us."

"We have to at least pretend to be husband and wife. We've done that before, we're good at it," Jamie replied.

Eddie got her back up there, "Jamison Reagan," she said firmly. "Until God or a Judge says different, you and I will be husband and wife. I'll be there by your side, just like I'd want you to be there by my side too. This is for your potential career, so I'll support you, as your wife."

"I'll talk to my Dad about the girls then, and Cupcake…" Jamie replied, still shaking his head at the dog's unfortunate moniker. "This is the first step in the rest of our lives maybe. I'm going to see this trip as a beginning of our healing. That's what I'm choosing to do."

Jamie had to let it all hang out, he did have intentions for this trip and that was to at least start communicating again about something besides Mary's doctors, square footage, and needing to get a second car. He had set the timeline, six months and one was already gone. At this rate they would be divorced before his next birthday, and that was not what he wanted to do, not at all.