Seventy-five.

Perched on his knees on one of Caroline's dining room chairs, Noah carefully picked up each decades-old photograph, thoroughly studied the image, and placed it back on the table. He had rolled up the sleeves of his burgundy school uniform shirt, and the expression on his face was all business. After a day of traditional learning, Noah was getting a history lesson (and dinner) at his Grandmother's house.

"Gramma," Noah murmured, "In dese pictures you have long hair and it's BLACK!"

"When you get older you get white hair," Caroline replied matter-of-factly from the kitchen where she was slicing bread. "Look at the ones from when your Daddy was little. He had dark hair, too."

One of Noah's hands flew to his head, "I'm gonna have white hair?"

"Someday! But a very, very long time from now."

"This one looks like our street!" Noah exclaimed, "Cept there's no color."

Brooke, who had picked up Noah from school and drove him and Sofia to Riverdale for the visit, came over and peered at the image. "That's where Grandma lived when she first got married to Grandpa John. It's by...it's by where we go on the path to the water. You know? When we ride to the statue and see New Jersey?"

"Yeahhh," Noah replied slowly, "But I don't know Grandpa John!"

"I know," Brooke replied softly. She picked up a picture of her Grandfather and stared at it. Her father had inherited John Tucker's long, narrow face, but the rigid cheekbones and blue eyes were definitely from Caroline's side of the family. "He died a long time ago."

"Like Angela."

"Yeah."

"And like Eric."

"Who's Eric?"

"Our Tetra. He died and Daddy buried him by da park so he could get back to the water in fish heaven," Noah explained with grave sincerity.

It took every ounce of restraint Brooke had not to laugh. "Daddy buried it?"

"Yep. We had a funeral."

Caroline had heard the entire exchange. She came into the room with a tray of chips and dip, set it between Noah and Brooke, and took a seat at the opposite end of the table. "You're Daddy's a good man just like his Daddy," she said, "And you'll be a good man like them, too. Do you know what your Grandpa John liked to do?"

"What?" Noah asked, his eyes wide with interest.

"After a long day at work, he'd take your Daddy and your aunt and uncle and they'd go to the pub for a snack and a drink, then he'd get the kids a new spaldeen and throw stickball batting practice until supper. Then after supper the neighborhood game would start and go on until it got too dark to see."

"What's spal-deen? An stickball?"

"A spaldeen is a pink rubber ball," Caroline flapped a hand at Brooke, "Look it up on the Google, Brookey. And stickball is like baseball but the kids didn't use bats-they used broomsticks."

Brooke laughed softly at the description, but Noah was still as serious as ever. "There a picture of stickball in here?"

"I think so," Caroline rummaged through the box for a few minutes. Despite the disorganized jumble of snapshots, she seemed to be able to sense the general location of the desired picture. "Here it is! Yep. There's Grandpa-see, he's throwing the ball to your Daddy."

The expression on Noah's face startled Brooke. Though the corners of his mouth curled upwards, despair collected in his eyes and, for a second, he resembled a wounded old man. Brooke wondered whether or not he was old enough to feel regret for not being able to meet people who were no longer alive. She expected more questions, but not the one he asked.

"Gramma?" He asked softly, "Can I have dis?"

"Sure, sweetheart. Would you like a frame for it? I bet I have one around here somewhere."

Noah nodded, "I'm gonna put it on my table in my room. I love dis picture."

"It is a good one," Caroline said. She got up and kissed the top of his head. "I'll go find a frame."

"Thanks, Gramma."

"Anything for you, dear boy."

…

The bib number pinned to Noah's dri-fit t-shirt had worked its way loose at one corner and flapped in the breeze as he ran toward the finish line. Each year the NYPD hosted a 5K race and Fun Run to benefit the families of fallen officers. Olivia typically skipped these types of non-mandatory events, but her weekend was free thanks to the time she took off in the wake of Noah's adoption. Also, Ed Tucker had mentioned he was running and suggested Noah take part in the children's event. As Olivia speed-walked alongside Noah (she wasn't quite ready to let him go unaccompanied), she vowed to one day run the event herself. Maybe she'd train enough to compete with Ed who, despite smoking the occasional cigarette, still finished the course in under thirty minutes.

Olivia jogged a little ahead of Noah so she could snap pictures of him as he ran through the inflatable blue-and-white tunnel. Volunteers cheered and whistled and one of them placed a medal around Noah's neck.

"Good job, sweet boy!" Olivia exclaimed. She picked him up and swung him around. "You ran so fast!"

Noah inspected the medal. It featured the race's logo ringed with silver and gold. "Pize!" He said brightly, holding it in front of his mother's eyes.

"Yes, that's right! A prize! A prize for Noah!"

Olivia held him up high. The medal swung in the air and hit her chin. When she whirled around, she saw Ed walking toward them. Olivia did a double take. The sight of him in navy athletic shorts and a white sleeveless t-shirt was thrilling and a bit fascinating. Olivia inconspicuously checked out his surprisingly suntanned legs-she assumed he spent most of his days in suits-and his arms were solid, thick, and dotted with dark freckles. She imagined how those biceps would look if Ed held Noah how she just did and pleasant shivers tickled her spine. Ed Tucker was inching his way into her life, and Olivia wasn't quite sure what to make of it yet, but she couldn't deny his sex appeal.

"Look, Noah!" She said, "There's Ed!"

Noah buried his head into her neck but mumbled, "Hi Ed."

"Hey there Noah," Ed greeted him cheerfully, not at all daunted by the shy reception. "Good race. See you got a medal!"

Noah perked up, "PIZE!" He yanked the medal from between his chest and Olivia's and showed it to Ed. "No PIZE!" He cocked his head and peered more closely at Ed, "You pize too?"

"Yep. I got one, too."

Noah grinned. His grip on Olivia loosened but he remained glued to her hip.

"Beautiful day for this," Olivia said.

Ed wiped his brow with his forearm, "Yeah, there've been a few of these when it's been eighty and humid...miserable."

"So what does one do after running a 5K?" Olivia asked, her voice hinting at flirtation.

"Have a beer and eat something."

"Well, where to?"

"Let's head up a few blocks, away from the crowd, there's a little pub I like. They let kids in."

"Great. Let's go."

Ed glanced around. The awards ceremony was underway and dozens of runners and their family members milled about. The makeshift platform was decorated with balloons and streamers. "You want me to take a picture of the two of you?" He asked, "Don't wanna waste this background."

"Yes, please," Olivia replied. She handed over her phone and posed with Noah. Her smile grew wider when Ed coaxed Noah into a grin using a whimsical voice.

The crowd seemed to thicken around them in the minute it took to snap the photographs. Olivia switched Noah to her other hip. Her eyes darted around as she tried to find the best route out of the park. She felt a hand on her back and flinched a split second before she realized the hand belonged to Ed.

"Oh, sorry," he sounded truly apologetic but not necessarily regretful. "Instinct."

Olivia smiled, "It's okay...I…"

"No, no, my fault."

"I'm just used to being by myself," Olivia explained before she could stop herself. Somehow, Ed's touch had enticed her to be more transparent.

"So am I," Ed replied. He shot her a playful yet earnest smirk. "But today...things are a little different."

She returned his smile and intentionally bumped into him. "That they are, Tucker. That. They. Are."

….

Since Noah had spent the afternoon and evening at Caroline's, his getting-home-from-school routine took place later than usual. Brooke was in a rush to get home and put Sofia to bed, so Ed and Olivia gave their granddaughter quick kisses and cuddles, thanked Brooke, and she was on her way.

Wyatt and Maggie had had a fun afternoon and evening of their own. Ed and Olivia had taken them to swimming lessons and then for dinner. On the way home they ducked into a quaint toy store, the type that were quickly disappearing, and Ed purchased wind-up circus animals after Wyatt refused to relinquish the display set. While Ed paid the twins stood at his feet and tracked the animals as the box traveled from Ed to the cashier and into the bag. Olivia couldn't resist taking pictures of the scene. The hope etched on her babies' faces was precious and hilarious.

The thrill of winding up the animals and letting them speed across the floor did not dissipate quickly. Ed built a ramp with some cardstock and blocks and showed Maggie and Wyatt how to shoot the animals up the ramp. They squealed with delight when the zebras, elephants, and tigers flew through the air and crashed.

"Mama! You doit! Here, Mama," Maggie ran over and shoved an elephant into Olivia's hand. Maggie crouched and showed her mother how to send the animals toward the ramp. "YAY!" Maggie clapped her hands and giggled so hard she fell to the floor in a heap.

"PIE! BAY PIE!"

Wyatt hugged one of Ed's legs. Ed pretended to be dragged to the floor and Maggie and Wyatt piled on top of him.

"MAMA PIE!"

After the baby piling and a juice break, the twins went back to shooting the animals off the ramp and they were excited to show their brother their new trick. Ed and Olivia let the three play together for another twenty minutes and then used the divide-and-conquer strategy to prepare for bedtime. Olivia took the twins and Ed first sorted the contents of Noah's backpack before getting him into pajamas.

"T'morrow's Saturday," Noah remarked as he climbed under the covers and snuggled Bernie under his arm.

"Yeah bud." Ed started to hang the bag on its hook but it felt too heavy. He unzipped the front pocket and found a small object wrapped in an old scarf Ed recognized as his mother's.

Noah noticed the discovery. Playing with the twins had distracted him and he shot up, suddenly remembering the important piece of history stored in his bag. "Dat's da picture. It goes right here." He slapped his nightstand.

Ed unwrapped it and his jaw dropped.

"It's you and Granpa John!"

"Sure is," Ed replied slowly, not taking his eyes off of the younger version of himself and his father. "He's throwin' me batting practice. He always liked to do that when the weather was nice."

"An' go to da pub?"

Ed set the frame on the table and sat down next to Noah. "That's right. Grandma tell you that?"

"Uh-huh! She said you and him liked ta play ball and fish and fix stuff in da house! She said," Noah cuddled up next to Ed and bounced the book he'd chosen on his lap, "You gave him da tools and fixed everrthing!"

"He liked to make sure everything was workin' right," Ed explained, "You like this picture, huh?"

"Yeah," Noah looked around Ed to get another glimpse of the picture, "Itsa good one."

"We're readin' from the Irish book tonight?"

"Yes!"

"Which story?"

"Which one did Grandpa John like?"

"You know what, bud?" Ed crinkled his face, "I don't know. Grandma always did the reading and she never even used the book, all the words were in her head. Same thing with Grandpa's stories-they were all in his head."

"Oh…"

Ed gave Noah a few minutes to process the explanation.

"Daddy are you sad 'cause Grandpa died?" Noah's eyes were wide, curious, and concerned.

"I was really sad when he died," Ed replied honestly, "It was a long time ago, so...I guess I got used to how life is without him here," he checked Noah's expression and it seemed like the little boy was following, "But I do wish you coulda met him. He would have loved you, Noah. All the things you like?" Ed smiled as a grin formed on Noah's face, "He liked."

"Really?"

"Yep."

"What 'bout trains?"

"Loved trains."

"Pizza?"

"Yep."

"Da park?"

"Definitely. Especially when everything was green."

Noah sighed, "Daddy, you gonna tell me a story that's in your head?"

"Sure pal," Ed tossed the book aside and rustled up a tale, "I'll tell ya about an adventure of Finn McCool."

"Ooo! I like goin' a'ventures!"

"Finn had a lot of 'em. Ready for one?"

"Yep! Oh, but, Daddy?"

"Yeah?"

"C'we go on a 'venture tomorrow?"

Ed took another look at his dad and kissed Noah's head, "Absolutely."

….

The field day medals bounced against the twins' chests as they skipped down the street in front of Ed, Olivia, and Noah. Their sneakers were caked with dust, their skin smelled of sunscreen, and the corners of Maggie's mouth were temporarily dyed red from the sports drink she'd guzzled as the kids sat waiting for the results. Wyatt had a bottle of his own, but he'd chosen lemon-lime rather than fruit punch. He was also way more fastidious when eating and drinking than his sister. Their incessant chatter was mostly about Field Day. Wyatt's team won first place and Maggie was meticulously picking apart each of her team members' skills so she could pinpoint the exact reason her team had come in third. The bronze medal certainly wasn't her fault. In addition to winning the softball throw, Maggie had also been the fastest to complete the obstacle course. Ed and Olivia ducked away from their stations to see both kids run the course and they laughed in amazement at how Maggie and Wyatt, wearing determined expressions, hurdled, wove, shimmied, and sprinted their way to the end.

"Mommy," Maggie started walking backwards, "Are we gonna have early dinner?"

"Would you like to have early dinner?"

"Yes 'cause all they had was PIZZA for lunch and it was two slices but they were really small and I'm HUNGRY! And Wyatt is too and probably Noah too because they had cass'role for lunch today and Noah doesn't like that and plus he said he's sick of sandwiches."

"How do you know there was casserole if you had pizza on the field?" Twelve-year-old Noah challenged.

"It's on the menu on the fridge," Maggie replied matter-of-factly.

"The casserole is not good," Wyatt chimed in. "I like almost every other thing but not that."

"What's it have in it?" Ed asked.

"Chicken and broccoli and makes me wanna PUKE like Marco." Maggie replied gleefully.

Noah screwed up his face in confusion, "Huh?"

"Kid puked today after the relay race," Ed informed him.

"Puked on field day?" Noah asked incredulously, "Too serious."

"It's very ser'ous," Wyatt countered, "Because everybody wants a medal. I'm gonna put mine on the wall by my bed. Dad can you put a nail in the wall?"

"Sure."

"Tonight?"

"Yes."

"I think we need some nails."

"We have some," Olivia said, "In the drawer by the fridge."

After some debate, the Tuckers decided to go out to eat rather than use the rooftop grill at their building. They settled on a neighborhood tapas bistro that had been a family favorite since it opened a few months ago. Ed and Olivia liked the food, but they loved how they didn't have to worry about their trio being too loud. Diners were seated at long, wooden, communal tables and the cavernous space amplified everyone's conversations.

"Noah, when are you gonna have field day?" Maggie asked after they were seated and served drinks. Her face was almost fully concealed behind a gigantic non-alcoholic cocktail served in a wine glass and garnished with pineapple wedges.

"Next Friday."

"You have shirts?" Wyatt asked.

"We get them Monday. Mr. Ratzenberger had them today but he's not giving them out until Friday morning."

"That's dumb."

"Maggie, honey, why is that dumb?" Olivia asked, "Maybe he doesn't want kids to lose the shirts or forget to bring them."

"Cause I don't like how new clothes smell!" Maggie replied, adamant in her reasoning. "I like 'em with Downy! That's the best smell! If Noey doesn't get his shirt 'til Friday Daddy can't wash it b'fore!" Maggie was animated and her ponytail swung from side to side as she argued her points.

Olivia grinned at her smirking husband. Over the years, as much as she insisted on helping Ed with laundry, she finally gave in to the fact that she disliked the task and let him have full control over the washer and dryer.

Noah didn't buy into his sister's concerns. "It's gonna get all sweaty anyway."

Maggie sniffed her shirt and then leaned over to get a whiff of Wyatt's sleeve. He rolled his eyes at his sister's antics but agreed when she proclaimed the shirts still had a hint of the fabric softener. "That's 'cause Daddy puts extra 'cause he knows I loooooove Downy!" She announced with a grin.

Ed shrugged. "Just doin' my job."

"Mom, you look sunburned," Noah remarked.

"Do I?" Olivia picked up Ed's phone, typed in the code, and inspected her face, "Oh, yeah...I am a little red."

"Need the burn cream," Wyatt said.

Ed nudged his wife, "You were puttin' sunscreen on kids all day," he teased.

Olivia shook her head at the oversight and murmured, "Oops."

"Dinner then burn cream," Ed said.

"Hey!" Maggie frowned, "You promised gelato after dinner! It's gotta go dinner, gelato, burn cream!"

"You did promise gelato," Olivia said. She kissed Ed's cheek. "I think we can squeeze in dessert, don't you?"

Ed's eyes danced at the underlying flirtation in the question. He gazed into her eyes like he'd done so many times before and grinned. Olivia could still make him feel like a giddy teenager in love. "Always time for dessert," he replied.

Olivia patted his thigh and rested her hand there for a couple extra seconds before turning her attention back to Noah, Maggie, and Wyatt. "Alright kiddos," she said, "What are we ordering?"

…

When Ed was upset or bothered, which wasn't often, he went nearly mute and made love to his wife. He knew he wasn't fooling Olivia and he'd have to talk later, but it was easier to articulate his feelings when he was holding her in the afterglow. Deep down he admitted to himself that postponing the potentially painful conversation preserved his sense of masculinity. The other way around would have felt like pity sex, and he only liked pity sex when he was sunburned or injured or jealous because some random guy had smiled at Olivia.

"You gonna tell me what's wrong now?" Olivia ran an index finger across his lips and leaned on her elbow.

"Nothin' really wrong," Ed replied, "Noah saw pictures of my Dad today and he had a lot of questions."

"What kind of questions?"

"If I was sad, what he liked to do, what his voice sounded like, what he did at his job…"

"He's obsessed with knowing everything," Olivia said, "Not sure if that's a good or bad thing. But, in this case, are you sad?" Of all the details of their lives that had been shared, neither Olivia nor Ed had talked much about their deceased parents. Caroline referenced the memory of John Tucker more often than Ed. It wasn't that they avoided the subject; the subject simply did not arise very often.

"Disappointed," Ed sighed, "He would have been...gratified...to see all of this. To see me so happy. Things weren't so great when he died. He didn't spend a lot of time with Sarah and Brooke. I think he really woulda enjoyed bein' around Noah, Maggie, and Wyatt." Ed cupped Olivia's face. "And he woulda loved you. You make me so happy, Liv."

Olivia couldn't stop the tears from welling in her eyes. "Maybe...somehow...your Dad and my Mom know how everything turned out."

"I hope so."

A devilish grin formed on Ed's face.

"What?"

"I thought you were gonna say maybe they're lookin' down on us right now. And how awkward would that be?" Ed turned to his side a hooked a leg around hers.

Olivia shook her head and met his eyes. "We're the only ones who get to experience this. Only us."

"I think that's one of the reasons why I love loving you so much," Ed planted soft kisses all over her face, "I love the kids, I love our family, but this is the one thing just the two of us have. God, I can't get enough of you. Can Never. Ever. Get. Enough."

"I'll always be here Ed. I'm not going anywhere."

Ed looked up from her chest and smirked. "You stole my line."

…..

#Tuckson