Thirty-five.

Olivia could tell Ed took a liking to Pittsburgh. As the pair meandered through the city's distinctive neighborhoods, he commented on the architecture, the gritty charm of the rust belt footprint, and the varying stages of gentrification. Unexpectedly, Ed approved of many trendy-looking bistros and cafes that had popped up in formerly working-class neighborhoods. He saw the care the owners took in making sure the refurbished building exteriors maintained historical integrity, and the menus posted outside were not as eclectic as what he'd seen in New York. They weren't as pricey, either.

"Thinking about relocating?" Olivia teased.

He matched her jest. "Maybe. We can buy one of these old houses, fix it up, be Steelers fans."

"Never," Olivia snapped.

Ed put his arm around her shoulders and kissed her cheek. "I know."

Lunch was a Primanti Bros. sandwich-pastrami, coleslaw, and french fries between two slices of thick French bread. Ed and Olivia both knew about the lore surrounding the restaurant and the sandwich. With each bite, Ed held it up and examined the contents with his brow furrowed.

"Something wrong?" Olivia asked.

"I dunno," Ed mumbled, "I saw this on Bourdain's show...and...well, it's good but it's not that good. Fries are a little soggy, sorta bland...maybe we need to drink more to get it."

Olivia laughed. She pulled up the map on her phone and found a place of interest she'd noted earlier. "There's a store around the block called Pennsylvania Libations. All local bourbons, whiskeys...you interested?"

Ed took her hand and let his eyelids droop. "Olivia Margaret, I'm interested in going anywhere with you."

Cheeks flushed, she broke into an abashed grin and ducked her eyes for a second.

"Y'alright?"

"Yes," she replied, "You have this skill...it's...making it seem like this is our first date, like, I get chills and...a little nervous."

"Well," Ed crumpled the parchment paper and swigged the last of his beer, "Let's go get ya some bourbon and calm you down."

The first thing Ed noticed when they approached the liquor shop was a sign advertising a "try before you buy" offer. "Excellent idea," he remarked. There were three customers standing and sampling at a small back bar, and the clerks nodded hellos to Ed and Olivia but otherwise left them on their own to browse.

"Pumpkin spiced bourbon…" Olivia said, holding up a bottle for Ed to see, "I bet that's good."

Nose crinkled, Ed replied. "Pumpkin?"

"I know, I know, pumpkin has gotten out of control," Olivia gently elbowed him, "But let's try it anyway." She marched to the bar. Before pouring the quarter-ounce samples the clerk ticked off facts about the origin and style of the liquor. Olivia tasted first and nodded approvingly. It wasn't too sweet, there were hints of allspice, nutmeg, and cinnamon, but the bourbon burn and taste still dominated.

Ed downed his mini-shot. "It's good," he said, sounding a bit reluctant to admit it. "Real good. Let's get a bottle." He turned his attention to the clerk, "Will you put this aside for us? We'll look around a little more."

Selecting bottles and reading the label descriptions quickly became a new type of science for Ed and Olivia. They sampled whiskeys, other infused bourbons, and a couple of types of vodka. Since neither was a fan of rum, they avoided that area until a white-and-black label adorned with a friendly-looking skeleton caught Olivia's attention.

She dashed over and plucked the bottle from the shelf. "Maggie's Farm Rum," she said, grinning from ear-to-ear. She pictured her little girl who, at the moment, was probably running Sarah and Justin ragged, and smiled even wider.

Ed grabbed another version-a coffee liqueur-and brought both bottles over to the bar. "We have to try it," he said, "I bet we'll like it."

"We will." Olivia ran her finger over the words on the label. She whipped out her phone and sent a quick check-in text, hoping a photo would accompany the reply.

Ed and Olivia left the store with three large bottles and a small, sampler pack of the Maggie's Farm rums. They joked about showing the kids the label and having to get bottles featuring "Noah" and "Wyatt" to complete their collection.

"Great," Olivia quipped, "Some families collect pictures and teddy bears...we collect booze named after our kids."

Ed scrunched up his face, "Who collects teddy bears?"

"Some people."

Ed looped a finger through one of the belt loops on her jeans and pulled her close. "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah."

They traded a few kisses standing in the middle of the narrow Strip District sidewalk. When Olivia tried to move them along, Ed refused until he got one more kiss. After that, he took her hand and they began strolling aimlessly yet in the general direction of the hotel.

"Should we, maybe, get an Uber back?" Olivia suggested, noticing Ed kept shifting the heavy bag.

"Yeah, let's do that. Drop the bags. Maybe get in the hot tub before we go back out?"

"Don't you have to prepare something for tomorrow?"

"Nah," Ed tapped his head, "Everything I need is in here. And," he squeezed her hand, "right here."

"And here," Olivia showed him the photo Sarah sent. The three kids were standing around the coffee table, an extra large pizza in front of them. Noah had his arms around his siblings. The gesture was both one of affection and one of practicality, for both Maggie and Wyatt were leaning forward, ready to attack the pie.

…

Six-month-old Sofia slept through most of her time at the Tucker apartment which frustrated Noah. He commandeered his parents' phones and flipped through pictures of Maggie and Wyatt as infants. He concluded his siblings never slept as much as baby Sofia did. Maggie, on the other hand, was perfectly content with snoozing Sofia, for whenever the baby was around, Maggie was on guard, ready to hijack the attention of her mother, Ed, or Justin if they paid too much attention to her.

When Sonny and Brooke returned from the matinee performance of the latest Broadway hit, Sofia had only been awake for an hour and she was sitting on the play mat, bewildered at the whirlwind of activity happening around her. Her eyes darted all around, trying to keep track of Maggie, Wyatt, and Noah who were bustling about in their latest imaginary world.

After batting around dinner ideas, they decided to try a new family-friendly pub in the area. It offered large, cozy banquettes with private video screens but also an area with a mini golf course, bean bag toss, and old-school whack-a-mole among other games. When the restaurant first opened, both Ed and Olivia regarded it with skepticism, but it seemed to attract a loyal following.

The party of eight were seated immediately and Noah delighted in choosing music from the video screen's jukebox app. The tunes played from recessed speakers and the three Tucker kids bopped their heads and wobbled their shoulders to the familiar songs Noah lined up in the queue. Their drinks arrived quickly and it wasn't long before Noah asked to go to the game area.

Ed looked at Olivia.

"Go ahead," she said, "We'll order in a little bit."

Before sliding back out of the booth, Ed leaned in for a kiss. Olivia tickled Ed's neck as their lips touched and they smiled sweetly at each other afterwards.

"You want me to take Sof, Brooke?" Sonny asked.

"Let me take her," Olivia said. Maggie was already rushing for the neon-light-lined entrance. Olivia outstretched her arms for the smiling baby and held her so Sofia was sitting on the edge of the table. Olivia wasn't sure who Sofia resembled. She had fair skin, wisps of brownish- blonde hair, and blue eyes. Her face was round like Brooke's. When she smiled she looked a lot like Carisi, but she didn't overwhelmingly favor either one of her parents.

"Are you happy, sweetheart?" Olivia cooed, careful to avoid using "sweet girl" for fear that Maggie would somehow hear it and come sprinting back to the table.

Sofia grabbed a napkin and started waving it around. Brooke took it and started playing peek-a-boo. "She loves this. I swear I entertained her for a half hour the other day doing it."

"I remember Wyatt loving it," Olivia said, "He still does...Maggie would always punch through whatever I was using."

Brooke laughed, "She's so funny. She seems like she's the more independent one, but she really loves you and Dad. She doesn't like being away from you. Or sharing you."

"That's for sure. That's why...as much as I don't want them to grow up too fast, I am looking forward to being able to talk to them, have conversations. I love hugging them and cuddling them, but...talking, it's so important."

Brooke stared straight ahead, losing herself in her thoughts. Talking had never been her strong suit, at least, talking about things that mattered. When she was working, she was great at talking-talking about students, their families, and what the community could do to improve its schools and its neighborhoods. But when the conversation focused on her, more often than not, she struggled for words, shut down, and tried to change subjects as quickly as possible. Tonight, however, she got the sense Olivia was going to use these moments of alone time to try and extract some information out of her. Brooke issued a preemptive strike and asked the first tough question.

"How are you doing? With your arm?"

"I'm good," Olivia said, genuinely sounding upbeat and positive, "Physical therapy starts next week. Stitches are out. Still a little sore, but nowhere near what it was. Picking up the kids is still a little challenging, though. It's like...a deep tissue bruise, I told your Dad at first it was a hundred times worse than a tetanus shot, now it only feels like one."

"It must have been horrifying."

Olivia held Sofia's toy as she gummed it. She had been going back to therapy on a regular basis and she and Ed had had several heart-to-hearts about how they were feeling, but Olivia hadn't thought about how the shooting was affecting Brooke and Sarah. Sarah, of course, in her typical way, was doting and syrupy-sweet, but Brooke was busier, lived farther away, and Ed had kept everyone at arm's length until the twins' birthday party, and no serious discussions were going to happen there.

"It all happened so fast," Olivia said, "And the first thing...I remember Fin coming up to me, and I had to call your Dad because he wasn't going to believe I was okay if anyone else called. So, it wasn't horrifying then, it was scary later when your Dad and I really were honest about...the worst case scenarios."

"You know what I like most about you and Dad?"

"What's that?"

"You trust each other so much. Like, I bet you tell each other everything, eventually."

"We do," Olivia paused for a few seconds, "You and Sonny don't?"

"I don't think we intentionally hold things back, it's more like...we don't know what exactly we're supposed to say." Brooke saw Olivia's confused expression and clarified, "Like, I, um, well, Dad knows and so you know, I was a little down the day of Justin's party because of my mom...but I didn't tell Sonny. I didn't remind him it had been a year. And why? Is it because I expected him to know? Or because I just prefer dealing with it by myself?" She sighed, "I don't know why I do and don't do things…"

"There's no playbook on how to respond to tough times," Olivia said, trying not to sound condescending or patronizing, "But, remember, you don't owe anyone anything. Everyone responds differently, there's no right or wrong reaction."

Brooke played with the corner of her napkin, wishing it was paper so it could be torn. "It...I...I don't know. I feel like there is an expected reaction. Or an expected time frame to...get over it."

"Sometimes there is no getting over it. And you, Brooke, you've had so much to deal with in the past year. And maybe I should have made you talk to me...but after Sofia was born, you seemed so much happier."

"I was. And I guess I am." Brooke smiled at her daughter who returned the grin, drooling in the process. "I think the year anniversary really got to me. And it got to me because...my life isn't really different without her, you know? Isn't everyone supposed to be crushed when their parents die? And us? We just kind of...buried her and went back to normal."

Olivia spent several minutes telling Brooke about Serena. She and Sarah knew the basics, but Olivia revealed how she'd felt the same way after her mother died. Conflicted and almost relieved she was gone because that was one less source of drama in her life. "I learned, though, that it was not my fault," Olivia said, "It was hers. And even...because of what's she'd been through, not even hers."

"Yeah…"

While Olivia had Brooke's attention and her willing participation, she decided to pose another, more personal question. "And Sonny? He doesn't talk to you?"

"He's gone so much," Brooke said, "So when we're together, it's usually all about Sofia."

"You have to take some of that time and make it about you. And him. I'm glad you went out together today." Olivia looked into Brooke's eyes, "I worry about you."

Her look was so intense, Brooke blinked as if she'd been thumped in the forehead. "Why?"

"Because you remind me of me. And you and Sonny are so young and have so much in front of you. I think about...how I didn't get that time with your Dad. And I want you to enjoy it. Use it."

Brooke chuckled sardonically. "Like Sarah and Justin."

"Well...yeah."

"I don't know," Brooke settled in to the back of the booth and relaxed a bit, "I have a hard time getting to where Sarah is. I have a hard time getting her half the time. She lives and acts like nothing terrible has ever happened to her, like, if I got married and then divorced less than a year later? I'd beat myself up forever! What does she do? Moves back to New York, gets a million dollar a year job, gets married again, and acts like nothing ever happened. I can't shake things off that easily. I remember, for God's sake. And I guess I'm always waiting for the bottom to fall out."

"I know exactly how you feel."

"You say that, but you don't live like that."

"Not anymore." Olivia shifted Sofia in her arms so she could reach for Brooke's wrist. She squeezed it tightly before taking her hand. "Find more time to spend with your husband," Olivia said, "Sofia will always love you. She'll always need you. But, you and Sonny, you love each other. You understand each other. I know it. I've seen it. But...you have to work at it, especially because you're so independent, you're so used to handling things on your own. That's me, and it took so long for me to learn how to lean on your Dad without thinking I was weak or pathetic."

"I just wish I was more optimistic about the future. I don't feel settled."

"Have you ever felt settled?"

Brooke pondered the question for a couple of minutes. She and Olivia watched the others. Ed helped Maggie and Wyatt toss the beanbags. Noah and Sonny were having a putting contest on the mini-golf course.

"I don't think so," Brooke finally answered, "I have my moments, but no, overall, I haven't."

"Have you and Sonny thought about going away together? Just the two of you? We'll take Sofia."

"The last time we went away together, Dave shot Kyle in our loft."

Olivia smiled, "Well, maybe you should try it again, like...a sort of reset."

"Okay, I'll suggest it tonight."

"It works wonders for us."

Brooke laughed and rolled her eyes, "Like the two of you ever need a reset."

"Not a reset," Olivia gazed lovingly at her husband who, as usual, sensed her eyes on him and turned to return the smile, "More like...a reminder...that we have more in common than the kids. That we...really do like each other."

"If Sarah were here she'd be on the floor swooning right now," Brooke said, starting to laugh, "I am so going to brag to her later that you told me all about what happens when you and Dad go away together."

"What'd I say?" Olivia looked genuinely confused.

"We really do like each other?" Brooke repeated, "She would get a lot of meaning out of that."

"Oh…" Olivia smiled and her cheeks reddened. "Well, she gets a lot of meaning out of the most boring things...good for her."

Olivia saw Ed hoist both twins up and perch them on either of his hips. He said something and Wyatt giggled. Maggie strained to look around, but she kept one arm possessively around her Daddy's neck. Ed was wearing a navy, short-sleeved polo and his biceps stretched the material. Sunlight had already started to tan his thick forearms, and the twins appeared a lot smaller than they actually were while in his grasp.

"Like the look on your face right now," Brooke smiled and nudged Olivia, "You love him so much."

"I can't help it," Olivia said softly, "He's amazing."

…..

Every year on a Saturday in mid-September, a Hudson River pier turned into the West Side County Fair. Live music blared from a portable stage, food and drink vendors abounded, game booths lined the guard rails, and performers on stilts and unicycles mingled with the attendees. Ed had already won Noah a stuffed elephant at the bottle toss, and had flipped open his wallet at the shooting gallery, confident and intent on winning the inflatable taxi cab Noah had spotted as they passed by.

"Ed, these games are rigged," Olivia warned as she watched him pick up and examine the air rifle.

"Maybe, but I'm a good shot." He stretched his shoulders and clarified the number of clown faces he needed to hit in order to win the taxi.

"Ten in a row, sir."

"No problem."

Olivia couldn't believe her eyes. With each hit, the clown faces popped up more quickly and in different places, but Ed deftly spotted them and mowed each one down. Minutes later, he handed over the inflatable to Noah. The little boy could barely get his arms around the new toy and he squealed with delight.

"TAXI! TAXI! TAXI CAB!"

They pulled over to the side and tried to wedge the cab into the stroller's storage compartment, but it wouldn't fit. When Olivia pulled the plug and started deflating it, Noah fussed. Ed picked him up and suggested they put it in his seat.

"I'll put ya on my shoulders, bud, how about that?"

Seeing his new toy safely in the seat, Noah calmed down and enjoyed the view from his high perch. He held onto Ed's ears and occasionally shouted out observations as they strolled down one side of the pier.

"I think I'll forever be impressed you won that thing in one try," Olivia said. She was walking close enough to Ed so their arms bumped every few steps.

Ed puffed out his chest, "Yeah, always knew that sniper training would come in handy."

"Sniper training?"

"Yeah. Everyone on the Hostage team gets it whether they want it or not. Tryin' to spot hidden talent I guess."

Noah nearly fell backwards as he tracked a man selling gigantic bundles of blue and pink cotton candy. Olivia reached up to catch him and tracked his line of sight.

"I suppose it wouldn't be a county fair without cotton candy," Olivia remarked. "There's a bench over there, want to grab it?"

"Sure." Ed started to reach for his wallet.

Olivia patted his arm. He'd already bought lunch, drinks, a sno cone, tickets for rides, and, of course, the games. "I got this one," she said, grinning. "Just...get the bench."

They spent a while sitting there, picking at the cotton candy, people watching, and laughing as Noah's face became caked with the sugary strands. They had arrived fairly early, but the sun had already begun its descent. Olivia realized she hadn't checked her phone or her watch all afternoon. She snuck a quick peek. Nothing. No missed calls. No texts.

"This fair...it reminds me of a scene in You've Got Mail," Olivia murmured, "Have you seen that movie?"

"Sounds like a chick flick."

Ed saying "chick flick" made her laugh harder than was probably warranted. "Yeah," she said, "It is. But you didn't answer my question. Have you seen it?"

"No."

"We'll have to watch it sometime. It's good. If anything, it's a nice tribute to the Upper West Side."

"It's a date."

Noah was standing, facing backward on the bench, and paying no attention to the words exchanged around him. Ed moved positions so he was directly facing Olivia. He slung one arm across the top slat protecting Noah while simultaneously reaching out for her shoulder.

"Next weekend?" Ed asked.

"I was thinking sooner," Olivia replied. She had butterflies in her stomach, but she craved Ed-his touch, his presence, and the ease with which he fit into their lives. "Tonight?" She grinned at his semi-shocked expression. "We're having such a good day...why not keep it going?"

"Yeah, why not?" Ed smirked at her. There was a playful, impish glint in his eye. He and Olivia had, until fairly recently, been tiptoeing around one another, sharing flirty after-work drinks and occasionally meeting for dinner, but in the past couple of weeks she'd opened up her entire world to him; he had been to her apartment a few times and Noah no longer regarded him as a stranger.

"We can order pizza…" she said, "Or-"

"-I make a mean burger."

"Even better." Olivia patted Noah's back. "Ready to move on, sweet boy? We'll see the rest and go home?"

"Bell!" Noah exclaimed, pointing toward a child-sized high striker game. "Bell!"

"I bet you can hit it hard enough to ring the bell, Noah," Ed said encouragingly. "Let's go over there."

"You hittit, Ed?"

"No, bud, you're gonna hit it. I'll show ya how."

They tossed the rest of the cotton candy and made sure the elephant and taxi cab were secure. Ed hoisted Noah back onto his shoulders. Olivia pushed the stroller with one hand and patted the center of Ed's back with the other. Careful not to run into anyone on the densely packed walkway, she glanced adoringly at him for a few seconds. She was still processing her feelings for Ed Tucker, but, at the moment, she was thrilled that their day together was not going to end here at the fair.

…

Clad in his barnyard animal pajamas, Wyatt sat in the center of the kitchen island watching his mother make breakfast. She was scooping cantaloupe into small serving bowls with a melon baller and the process fascinated Wyatt. Behind them, on the stove, bacon and sausage sizzled in a skillet. Two bowls-one with beaten eggs ready to be scrambled and another containing pancake batter-sat nearby. Olivia was trying desperately to have everything ready at the same time.

"Want some melon, sweet Wyatt?"

"Choc'milk!"

"Okay," Olivia smiled sweetly. "Chocolate milk it is." She kept one hand on his leg, plucked a clean cup, and opened the refrigerator for the milk carton. "Here you go, honey."

"Tayooo!"

"You're welcome. So polite. Good thank you, Wyatt."

He took a sip and blurted out an exaggerated, "Ahhhhhhhh!"

"Good?"

"Good, Mama!"

The bacon crackled and spewed a few droplets of grease in the air.

"OOO!" Wyatt pointed to the stove, "OOO! Mama! Crack! S'hot!"

"Yes, Mommy's got it." Olivia flipped the pieces and turned down the heat. She finished with the fruit and set the bowls in the refrigerator. It was almost seven-thirty, and she was shocked she and Wyatt were the only ones awake. They were out later than usual the night before, but the apartment was usually fully alive by this time, even on the weekends. "This'll be good for our surprise for Daddy," Olivia said to Wyatt.

"Pize! Daddy!" Wyatt flailed his arms and smacked the granite with the cup. "Pize! Hap'birday!"

Olivia laughed. "Come here, sweetheart." She held out her arms and Wyatt jumped to her. Olivia snuggled him for a few minutes, relishing the feel of his body against hers and reminding herself the twins were still little, still her babies, even though they were talking more and more, moving away from diapers, and developing their own distinct personalities. She inhaled the scent of the baby shampoo and their fabric softener which seemed to cling mercilessly to the twins' clothing, mixing with their baby scent, and, was, quite possibly the most pleasant aroma in the world.

She eventually divided the pancake batter between two bowls and she and Wyatt dropped chocolate chips in one and diced strawberries in the other. She gave him the smallest of their wooden spoons. "Mix it up, sweetie." She showed him how and Wyatt copied the motion perfectly.

"Mix, mix, mix," he said, deeply concentrating on the task. "Mix, mix, mix!"

"MA! MAMAMAMA!"

"Oh!" Olivia opened her eyes wide, "It's your sister! Maggie's awake!"

Wyatt copied his mother's expression and squirmed to get down. "MAGG! MAGG UP!" Wyatt scampered toward their room and almost ran into Noah who was skipping in from the hallway.

"Ope! Hey Wyatt!"

"NO!" Wyatt's faced expressed the utmost urgency, "MAGG!"

"We gotta get small sister?"

"YAH!" Wyatt continued on to the bedroom.

Olivia intercepted Noah and scooped him up. "Good morning sweet boy!" She kissed his cheeks and gave him a tight hug.

"Morning mommy! Whatcha doin out here?"

"Making breakfast. We're going to give Daddy breakfast in bed."

"Daddy?" Noah grinned. "We always give you br'feast in bed!"

"Well, Daddy's had to work extra hard lately, so we're going to give him a little treat."

Noah gently touched Olivia's arm. The sling and bandage were gone, but the scar was there. "Cause your arm...from p'lice…"

"Yes, honey. But it's all better. See? I picked you up and I couldn't do that last week!"

"When you're not p'lice anymore you won't get hurt."

"MA! MAMAMA!"

Maggie's and Wyatt's screeches were getting louder and louder, but Olivia couldn't peel her eyes from Noah. His observation broke her heart.

"MAMAMAMA! OUT! MAGG OUUUUUUT!"

The twins needed her.

The pancakes needed to be made. Eggs had to be scrambled. Coffee was waiting to be brewed.

Olivia crouched in front of Noah. "Sweet boy, sometimes people get hurt. In accidents. They happen. But...the good thing is, we have doctors and nurses and people like Justin to help us get better."

Noah brightened. His demeanor hadn't been all that gloomy in the first place. His statement was spoken in a pure, matter-of-fact manner. "Yeah! Justy saves us! He showed us how he save people when we were at his house! I know how ta use ALL da stuff!"

"He's a good man to have around," Olivia said. "I'm glad he's going to be Sarah's husband."

"Me too."

Olivia hugged Noah again. This time she held him for longer as if she were trying to squash any anxiety lurking in his body.

"Mommy?" Noah asked, his mouth squished against Olivia's shoulder.

"Hmm?"

"Those babies are loud."

Olivia grinned and released him. "Let's go get them. And then you can wake up Daddy while I finish cooking."

"Daddy's a sleepyhead."

"He sure is."

….

#Tuckson