Forty-two.

There were no limits to the number of guests per student allowed at Kindergarten Graduation, and there were also no tickets, so Ed and Olivia arrived early and reserved an entire row of seats for the rest of their family. Sarah and Justin arrived with Caroline, and Brooke and Sonny filled out the row with a fussy and teething Sofia. Sonny bounced her in his arms and remarked that it was perfect he was seated at the end. Caroline took the baby for a few minutes but returned her to her father once the program began.

"I need to focus my attention on my favorite," she said.

"Grandma!"

Caroline shrugged, folded her hands in her lap, and waited patiently for the Lower School's representative to give opening remarks. Soon after, the children paraded in. Sarah and Brooke whispered that Noah was the most sharply dressed in his gray suit. The group sang three songs and took their seats. Noah stayed standing and made his way to the main microphone.

"Welcome to Grad'ation!"

After a thundering round of applause, Noah continued.

"I'm Noah Tucker, da EMCEE!"

Noah grinned at the additional applause. He glanced down at the podium. "First, Mr. B, Miss Taylor, and Miss Lissy will talk!"

Noah sat down and folded his hands in his lap as the teachers reflected on the school year. There was a break for more songs, and then the awards ceremony took place. When Noah didn't receive excellence in math, science, or English, Ed and Olivia got antsy but not terribly concerned.

"What the hell?" Sarah muttered.

Ed gripped Olivia's hand. "They can't give him an award for everything."

"But he should get something!" Olivia hissed.

Caroline patted Olivia's hand. "Dearie, they're saving the best for last."

Sure enough, once everyone thought the awards had run out, the headmaster took the stage. He boasted about how proud he was of the younger students and challenged them to become the next leaders of the school. Then, with the help of the Kindergarten teachers, he motioned for a second cart of medals and trophies to be wheeled out from behind the curtain, and presented the most prestigious awards.

"For highest achievement in math, Noah Tucker!"

Noah marched up to the podium and bowed his head so the medal could be placed around his neck.

Three more academic medals were given, and the art teacher took her place at the podium. She explained how each student completed a major mural project and pointed out the paintings adorning the walls of the auditorium. The paper used was about three feet in length and fifteen or so inches tall. The children had used different paints, pastels, and charcoals to create their masterpieces, and the artwork was pretty much what one would expect from Kindergarteners-a mishmash of color, uneven lines, and amorphous shapes. On her cue, two upper school students brought out one more painting. This one was matted and framed and superior to the others, most notably because the subject was clear. The artist had drawn an abstract cityscape of Manhattan featuring the Empire State Building, taxi cabs, and a green space that was probably central park. Lining the sides of the page were streaks of blue representing the East and Hudson Rivers; one one side, featuring prominently, was a gray strip dotted with scooters and bicycles-the Hudson River Greenway.

"Our Young Artist's Award goes to Noah Tucker for his mural he titled My City. The mural will be hung in the school's main office for a year and then Noah and his family will have the option to add it to the learning commons or take it home." The teacher took a plaque with an embossed painter's palette and motioned for Noah to come and take it. "Congratulations, Noah. Thank you for making our school a little more beautiful."

Brooke, Sarah, and Olivia grabbed for tissues. Ed tried to decipher what Noah said to the teacher as he accepted his award. Caroline clapped furiously and whistled-an action for which she would normally be admonished but the Tucker clan was so emotional nobody bothered to say anything. Maggie and Wyatt were playing with a few toys in the aisle next to Ed and paying zero attention.

The rising first graders sang one more song and lined up to receive their completion certificates. They were ushered off stage and into the school's courtyard where they met their families. Olivia led the way from the auditorium and she nearly burst into tears again when she saw Noah. Tables were set up and volunteers served pieces of cake, cookies, and drinks; most of the children were clustered in small groups, sipping fruit punch, and chatting with mouthfuls of chocolate chips. Noah, however, stood off to the side, his face pressed against a temporary fence. He was ultra-focused on something Olivia couldn't see right away.

"Sweet boy," she said softly so she wouldn't startle him, "Whatcha lookin' at?"

"There's a bee and a butterfly on dat pink flower," Noah whispered.

"Wow…"

Olivia waited patiently. A minute or so passed before the butterfly flew away. Noah spun around on his heel. "That butterfly wasn't afraid of da bee! They were friends jus' sittin' on da flower."

"Amazing."

"Yep!"

"Sweet boy, I'm so proud of you. For your medal, and your certificate, and the art trophy. Your mural is so beautiful." Olivia hugged him tightly. "You are such a special person, Noah. I love you."

"Love you!"

"Grandma wants to take us all out for lunch now," Olivia said, "Should we say goodbye to Mr. B. and go? Or do you want to stay for a little while with your friends?"

"Go," Noah replied, "I'm HUNGRY!"

Maggie and Wyatt ran over. They each had cookies in their hands.

"Coo! Coo, No!" Wyatt gave one to Noah and turned back to Ed. He balled and unballed his fist. "Coo, Dah! Coo!" Ed hustled back to the cookie table and gave Wyatt another one.

Olivia grinned.

Ed shrugged and mumbled, "Two hands, two cookies."

"Guess we're havin' dessert first!" Noah said, giggling.

"I guess so, sweet boy," Olivia cooed. "Come on. Everyone's waiting for us by the steps."

Olivia and Ed shouldered two bags full of Noah's awards, work, and belongings and the five of them left the courtyard hand in hand.

….

Inside a cluttered, crowded indoor artists' market near NYU, Ed followed Wyatt as the boy meandered through the displays. Wyatt and Noah were the more careful shoppers of the three youngest Tucker kids, or, rather, Maggie had a sharper sixth sense of where to find perfect gifts. When Ed took Maggie Christmas shopping, the two of them spent more time enjoying various drinks and snacks than they did browsing in stores. The only food Wyatt requested was an old-fashioned peppermint stick which he kept in his mouth as he wandered around.

Ed was starting to get a tad bored when Wyatt finally stopped in front of a display case. "These are nice," he said with more excitement than he'd expressed all morning. "Daddy, I like these-I can get Mommy and Maggie the same!"

Ed crouched and followed Wyatt's gaze. He was intrigued by two burgundy-toned clusters hanging from edgy-looking cable chains.

A clerk approached them and explained the pendants were made from agate, gemstones symbolizing strength and harmony.

Wyatt nodded. "Strength mean strong," he murmured, "...yeah...Daddy, I wanna buy those."

"Okay, bud," Ed stood up and asked if the clerk could take some links out of one chain. "It's for my seven-year-old daughter," he said.

"Sure."

While they waited for the clerk to operate on the chain and box the items, Ed asked Wyatt about Noah's present. He hoped Wyatt had some insight, for he and Olivia had been at a loss about what to give him for Christmas.

"I'm gonna get him a shirt that says Knickerbockers! Noah loves dem, but he only has t-shirts, he needs a sweatshirt with a hood!"

"Good idea bud." Ed paid for the jewelry, "We'll head over by the Garden and get that then, you wanna go for pizza?"

"Yup! To Pizza Suprema!"

"Sure thing. And...what are you hopin to get from Santa?"

"A chess board," Wyatt answered promptly as if it had been weighing on his mind.

"A chess board?"

"Yep. Like those guys play in da park by Sare Bear's. I wanna learn. We watch 'em a lot when we walk by."

Ed wasn't surprised Wyatt had a fascination for chess or the men who played in Union Square. Wyatt had a penchant for solitude and for getting lost in his thoughts. His bedside table was cluttered with a variety of puzzle books. He and Noah often played checkers, and Ed remembered marvelling at how quickly Wyatt picked up the game. Maggie played too, but she was more reckless, more prone to take chances, and she often lost. Wyatt was able to see moves three or four turns ahead, and he was difficult to beat.

The best thing about Wyatt's gift for Noah and his own desire to have a chess board was the simplicity of the items. The kids were constantly bombarded by ads promoting the newest technological gadgets, they owned many of them, but they still preferred to play and hang out as a trio. It was a rare occurrence for the three Tucker kids to spend evenings in their separate spaces.

When they approached the west side and the imposing Madison Square Garden came into view, Wyatt stopped in his tracks. Like Noah, he was awed by the city's buildings, even the lesser attractive ones like the Garden. "There it is!" He exclaimed. "Home of the Knickerbockers!"

"Yep."

"Daddy, why they only call them Knicks now?"

"It's shorter," Ed replied, "Easier to say."

"I like to say da whole thing."

"You can say whatever ya want, pal. Hey, ya know, the hockey team, the Rangers play here, too. Would you like to go and see a hockey game sometime?"

"Yeah," Wyatt replied, "We watched it on TV, those guys skate fast! We go skating but we don't skate that fast! They ZOOM around!" Wyatt pretended he was skating and made swooshing sounds as he pushed off the concrete. "But!" Wyatt opened his eyes wide, "Those guys crash into each other! In basketball, ya can't do that!"

"Right. Different games have different rules."

"I like basketball the best."

"Well," Ed gnashed his teeth and hoped he wasn't giving away to much of a hint about his and Olivia's family Christmas gift, "Would ya like to go to more Knicks games?"

"Yep! They're super fun!"

"We'll have to do that." Ed and Olivia had started taking the kids to basketball games when Maggie and Wyatt started Kindergarten. Unlike football and baseball, the games didn't last long and they were typically filled with nonstop action. Also, the Garden was a short taxi or subway ride from their apartment and the kids had a variety of favorite restaurants along the way. For Christmas, they had purchased a partial season ticket package.

"Alright, Wyatt, food or shopping first?"

"Food!"

"Alright, Pizza Suprema here we come. Pepperoni?"

"Yep! And olives!"

"Right. Gonna have orange soda?"

Wyatt looked up at Ed conspiratorially. Soda wasn't the rarest of treats, but orange soda was. "Yes!" he said. "You gonna have orange?"

"Nah, I'll get a Coke."

Wyatt sidled up to Ed as they waited to cross the avenue. "Den I'll get a Coke too."

"Or we can get one of each and share."

"Okay!" Wyatt said brightly; he had obviously been torn between drinking the same thing as his Daddy and having the orange soda treat. "Sharing da drinks and da pizza!"

"Yep. Good way to spend the afternoon, huh?"

"Uh-huh! An' it's extra good 'cause only you and me like olives on pizza, right Daddy?"

"Right, pal."

Ed grinned at Wyatt. He remembered his mother constantly gushing about his good looks and his smile grew even wider. Caroline had been right, and Wyatt hadn't outgrown his cuteness. Wyatt boasted a multitude of contrasting features-deep, thoughtful blue eyes and soft round cheeks gave way to a sharp, Olivia-esque jawline and a perpetually serious default expression that made him look older and seem wiser beyond his years. Maggie attracted people because she was outgoing and silly. Noah was smart and, at thirteen, a better conversationalist than most adults. People gravitated to Wyatt because he looked like he possessed the most treasured, most valuable secret in the history of humankind.

"Hey," Ed said after they'd crossed the street. "Whadja get me for Christmas?"

"Good try, Daddy."

Ed shrugged.

"But, I'll give ya three hints!"

"Okay."

"But you haveta guess with questions about da present. Like, is it red? Or, can I use it at the beach?"

"Got it."

…

Everything about Sarah's wedding trended toward the traditional. Justin's sister and Brooke served as bridesmaids, Justin's brothers and two good friends were groomsmen, they were not deviating from the wedding mass, and Sarah's dress included a veil which covered her face and a long train affixed to her dress. She had planned to have Maggie and Wyatt carry part of the train so they could be part of the processional, but after five failed attempts on the night of the rehearsal, it was decided the twins would simply walk down the aisle with Noah, who was getting his second turn as ring bearer.

While the priest led the wedding party through the different parts of the mass, Maggie and Wyatt chased each other in and out of the pews. Wyatt had a toy truck in his hand and he occasionally stopped to send it flying down an aisle. Olivia shadowed them and kept glancing apologetically toward the front of the church, for the twins' delighted shrieks were extra echoey and amplified in the cavernous space. The cathedral was huge, though, and Olivia was always reluctant to put the lid on any type of fun her kids were having. She played along with their game, appearing suddenly at the ends of the rows and causing Maggie and Wyatt to squeal, pretend to be frightened, and run in the opposite direction.

The actual rehearsal did not last long, and everyone reconvened a bit later at a waterside restaurant which Ed and Olivia hosted. Olivia felt a bit guilty about serving as "host." She and Ed hadn't done anything other than provide their credit card; the venue's staff was used to handling all the details.

She and Ed welcomed people as they made their way inside. There weren't many invited guests, maybe twenty or so in all, and, during lulls in traffic, Ed told Olivia how gorgeous she looked in her light yellow shift dress.

"I don't know about this color," Olivia said, "But that's the theme...it's Sarah's favorite."

"You should wear that color everyday."

"Ed."

"Liv."

"We have to get home at a decent hour," she said, "The twins are way too wound up. They can't be like this tomorrow."

"Ah, if they are, it'll give one of us the chance to get outta there."

"Ed!"

"It's mass."

Olivia swatted his chest. "You're terrible."

Sarah had a hand in the dinner plans. Since the reception was casual, she insisted the dinner be buffet-style and as far from pretentious as possible. The menu was simple-roasted chicken, potatoes, a vegetable medley, and, for dessert, individual strawberry tarts. Before any of the formalities got started, Ed and Olivia prepared plates for the twins. Brooke and Sonny helped them eat. Noah insisted on being treated like a big kid and waiting to eat at the same time as the adults.

"Thank you all for coming and for being part of Sarah's and Justin's lives," Olivia began. "Ed and I are so happy to be able to sit down with you and have a nice meal and drinks and really connect. Sarah and Justin, we both love you so, so much, and we wish you all the happiness in the world. You are both special people, and we are looking forward to the years to come."

Olivia handed the microphone to Ed and he took it after kissing Olivia's cheek.

"My wife said it all," he said with a smirk. "I second it. Please, eat, drink, and enjoy yourselves and we look forward to more celebrating tomorrow." Ed took Olivia's hand and they strode back to their table. "Should be dancing here," he murmured under his breath.

"Tomorrow," Olivia said.

He kissed her on the cheek once more. "Promise?"

"Promise."

…

Ed tightened the screws on Noah's first-ever scooter. Testing his work, he rolled it back and forth, leaned on the handlebars, and turned the front wheel from side to side.

"All set," he said.

Olivia was sitting on the sofa sipping a tumbler of bourbon and admiring the way Ed's t-shirt hugged his chest as he worked on the scooter. "Thank you," she said. "And, thank you for letting me leave it here."

"No problem." Ed stood and swigged the rest of the beer he'd opened at the onset of the project.

Olivia was so comfortably buried in the sofa cushions she felt dwarfed by Ed. Maybe it was the presence of tools or the sight of him so casually attired in jeans and the t-shirt or, perhaps, it was his naturally ruddy face made a bit ruddier from the minor exertion of the scooter assembly project...he was practically oozing sex appeal.

"Got time to grab somethin to eat?" He asked, oblivious to the amorous thoughts running through Olivia's mind and also hat him being unaware of her admiration made him even more attractive.

"Sure. Well, maybe, we can go have a drink? Pick up food and eat at my place?"

"Sure."

Ed started to walk toward the back hallway and his bedroom. Olivia practically leapt to her feet.

"Ed," she grabbed him by the wrists. "Seriously. Thank you. I don't know why, when I ordered that thing, I thought it would come assembled."

"Happy to help."

She kissed him, released his wrists, and put her palms on his chest. She had to. She had to feel the muscles she'd been admiring for some time now. Ed, however, perceived the touch as a cue to stop and he stepped away.

"I'll, uh, I'll get changed," he said.

After a moment of confusion, Olivia realized what was wrong and grabbed his wrists again. "I didn't mean for you to stop," she said softly.

He smirked and she both felt and saw him relax. He leaned in for another kiss. This one was decidedly more passionate than any they'd previously shared. Ed held her in a tight embrace for the duration but kept his hands on her shoulders and the middle of her back, still wary of crossing too many lines at once.

"Olivia Benson…"

She grinned, stared into his desirous blue eyes, and tapped his chin with an index finger. "Ready to head out?"

He was most definitely not ready to head out. He wanted to take her into his bedroom and make love to her, but they had other plans and he was committed to baby-stepping their way to whatever it was they were becoming.

"Yeah. Be right back. You, uh...you want somethin' in particular for dinner?"

"Tacos sound good."

"Want me to make 'em? It's my specialty."

"Seriously?"

"Very serious."

"Well, then...tacos it is, Tucker."

…..

Ed hung all the family's wedding attire from the crown molding in the living room. He, Noah, and Wyatt were wearing tuxedos and yellow bow ties. Maggie's dress was made from the same silky material as the bridesmaids' and Olivia's knee-length A-line number was a lacy-patterned goldenrod piece in line with Sarah's color palette but original enough to set her apart as mother of the bride.

"Gotta have a lotta clothes to get married," Noah remarked.

Slightly tipsy, Ed giggled and whispered to Olivia that being married meant people needed fewer clothes. She lovingly rolled her eyes and fed him a bite of the pepperoni rolls they'd ordered after returning home. Neither she nor Ed had eaten much at the rehearsal dinner.

"Do you like the yellow, sweet boy?" Olivia asked, changing subjects.

"It good."

Ed refused to bow out of the conversation. "Bud, when you get married, what color are you gonna want?"

"Prolly blue and green. Gramma gonna like that too, 'cause we're Irish, so we have blue and green."

"Good idea."

"Sweet boy, are you going to dance with me tomorrow? At the reception?"

"Yep! And I gotta dance with Maggs and Wyatt and Mia!"

Caroline had not backed off her intention to take Mia to the wedding. Mr. Bianchi was bringing her to the Tucker apartment in the morning.

"It's going to be so fun!"

"Uh-huh! And Daddy you gonna dance with Mommy 'cause you LOVE dat!"

"I do, bud. When you get married and have a wife you're gonna wanna dance with your wife all the time."

"Cept when ya have ta go to work!"

"Right."

"Pre'soon Mommy's gonna be r'tired so then ya gonna dance all the time!"

Ed sidled up to Olivia and put his arms around her waist. Noah was rifling through the toy box and the noise, coupled with the twins' babbles, made the ensuing utterance inaudible to everyone but himself and Olivia.

"Damn right," he rasped into her neck. "Few weeks...we're gonna be dancing all the time."

…

#Tuckson