Eighty-six.

On the Monday before Election Day, Noah was allowed to skip school. He readied himself as usual and slipped into a navy blue suit fresh out of dry cleaner plastic. Ed helped him tuck in his white shirt and buckle the brand new belt, the cognac color of which perfectly matched his wingtips. Noah watched in the mirror as Ed tied his tie and mentioned he needed to learn that skill sooner rather than later. The outfit was capped off by a dual flag pin-one side the stars and stripes and the other the flag of New York City.

"Raf said I'm gonna have 'nother pin on this side," Noah slapped his right lapel, "It says Bar-ba."

"Yep," Ed replied, "You look sharp, bud. You excited?"

"Yes! I'm gonna say, 'Election day's tomorrow! Vote for Barba!' and then I hand 'em a flyer with all the things Raf's gonna do for the people!"

"Sounds great!" Ed eyed Noah's shoes. "I think we should put your other shoes in your bag just in case." The wingtips weren't brand new, but Noah had only worn them a couple of times. "You're gonna be walking a lot."

"I have to wear dese shoes!" Noah protested. "They match da belt and the guys wear shoes like this too!"

"You don't have to change," Ed said, "But we'll put them in the bag in case your feet start to hurt, okay?"

"Kay," Noah reluctantly agreed.

"You look so grown up. I think I should give ya some coffee."

Noah giggled, "Daddy! I don't like coffee! It's YUCK!"

"YUCK!" Maggie ran into the room and went straight for Noah's train table. She grabbed the yellow locomotive and ran it once around the track. Next she rearranged some of the trees and the buildings. Then she whirled around and peered at her older brother. "No, SCHOO!"

"Not goin to school today, Maggs! I'm going to WORK!"

Olivia came into the room with Wyatt on her hip. Maggie was still in her pajamas, but Wyatt was dressed in khaki cargo pants and a navy henley. His bedhead had been combed down and his face was clear of breakfast remnants. He too was curious about Noah's unusual attire and cocked his head inquisitively.

"I'm one-for-two," Olivia said, "Miss Maggie got away."

"Gonna stay in your PJ's all day, Maggs?" Ed asked.

Maggie collected a fistful of her shirt and shrieked "Jammies!" she held up one of the locomotives that featured people's profiles painted on the windows, "They go ni'night! Jammies!" She put the car under the covers of Noah's bed and wandered around the room searching for something else to play with.

"Alright, sweet boy, ready?"

"Yep!"

Noah shouldered his backpack. It included the extra pair of shoes, his lunch and water bottle, and his phone. He'd already slid his wallet in his back pocket. Ed opened a drawer and took out one of their better pens, "Here bud, put this in the jacket pocket, on the inside. You should always have a pen."

"Thanks, Daddy."

"You're welcome," Ed kissed Noah's head. "Love you. Knock 'em dead today." He and Noah fist-bumped and made explosion sounds. Wyatt and Maggie rushed to join in.

"BOOM!"

"BAM!"

Olivia kissed Ed on the lips, "I'll be back in a bit...after I make sure he's...settled in." At first, Olivia thought she would go along on the canvass, but after she learned the elementary-school-aged children of two other staffers were participating, she felt completely comfortable leaving Noah in their care. Besides, Noah was assigned to the crew which included Barba himself, and she knew her friend would keep a close eye on her son.

"Take your time," Ed said softly and glanced at the twins playing among the absolute mess of toys in the living room. He and Olivia were terrible about making the kids clean up after themselves. They usually straightened the room before going to bed, but they ignored the disarray last night. "I might have Maggie dressed and ready to go by the time you get back."

"Where those babies goin?" Noah asked.

"To get their flu shots."

"I go doctor!" Wyatt said.

"Be brave, babies!" Noah sagely advised, "Jus' a little prick! Den ya get ice cream!"

"That the way it works, bud?"

"Dat's da way!"

….

Fourth of July detritus littered the backyard and part of the deck. After the main fireworks show, Ed and Sonny lit sparklers for the kids and shot off the rest of the store-bought explosives in the yard while poor Justin was inside trying to soothe a fussy Mari. After sipping cocktails all day, Sarah had fallen asleep early and was snoring on the couch, oblivious to the boisterous "ooohs" and "aaahs" of the kids. Their afterparty was cut short though thanks to a short-lived but potent pop-up thunderstorm. Everyone made a mad dash for cover and, the next morning, charred remnants of the amateur display clung to the blades of grass.

"We did a shitty job of cleaning up last night," Ed took a hesitant sip of his steaming hot coffee and stretched his legs across the coffee table. Olivia sat down on the loveseat and slowly leaned back against him, careful not to spill her own drink.

"It was pouring," Olivia said, "We'll get it later."

Ed surveyed the deck. He and Olivia were surrounded with beach games and inflatables, towels laid out to dry, bottles of sunscreen, half-consumed cans of soda, and the thick plastic tumblers they used for frozen drinks. "Oughta make Sarah clean up out here," he said. "Punishment for bailing."

"I didn't think she had that much to drink," Olivia said.

"When ya drink all day…"

"True." Olivia craned her head backwards and kissed Ed's chin, "It was a good night. I thought the show was a lot better this year. Or...maybe longer?"

"Both," Ed rubbed her arm and eventually wove his fingers between hers. As was his habit, he fiddled with her rings. "Woulda been a lot longer if it hadn't been for that storm. Kids prolly stayed up all night."

"They had such a good time. I love their ages right now. So silly and happy and carefree. It's almost tragic to think they'll have to grow up and become adults and experience heartache at some point."

Ed spoke with his lips pressed to the side of Olivia's head, "When they do go through rough patches they'll have times like this to remember and smile."

For a few minutes, the sound of waves crashing and seagulls squawking were the only audible noises. Ed and Olivia were content with their coffee and being curled up with one another. But Olivia soon came up with a question. She brought his fingers to her lips, kissed them, and asked, "What memories make you smile?"

Ed replied quickly as if he'd been expecting the question all along. "A lot of 'em. But, in particular, some of our first times seein' each other, getting to know you. That was so exciting, talking to you, the anticipation of something more between us. Noah calling me Daddy for the first time. Watching the twins sleep when they first came home, those perfect babies and feelin' like I was in a dream."

"Good dream?"

"Best dream." Ed put his mug on the table and shifted so he could hold her with both arms. "And you, Olivia Margaret? What makes you smile?"

"So many things," Olivia murmured, "But, you know...there's one picture, of all of us, from last Labor Day, we were all piled on and around one of the chairs on the roof, Sonny put the camera on a timer?"

"Yeah, I remember."

"I need to print and frame that one. Everyone smiling, happy to be together, and that was a perfect day, too." Olivia kissed Ed's fingers again. "And...thinking about your mom, how she didn't blink once at me and Noah, just took us right into the fold. And you're right...sometimes I look at Maggie and Wyatt, they could be doing something as simple as getting themselves cereal and I feel so overwhelmed, so lucky."

"Hard to believe we almost had life without them."

"I know," Olivia replied in a near whisper, "But there's one more thing."

"What's that?"

"Staring at you after our first time making love," Olivia leaned back again, this time for a kiss on the lips. "Talk about surreal…"

"No kidding. Look," Ed held up an arm, "I still get goose bumps thinkin' about it."

"Your face...you were so...thrilled and, maybe...relieved? I don't know, you just looked so...satisfied."

"I was...but...I knew then I'd always want more of you." Ed bit her earlobe, kissed her cheek, and smirked when she turned her head and they fell into a deeper kiss. Inside the house they heard Mari's faint cries and knew Justin or Sarah would be downstairs soon to get her bottle. "You know, Liv," he held her head and gazed into her eyes, "I've loved every second of our life together. I don't think I've complained in at least a decade."

Olivia successfully suppressed her laughter even though she was flattered and heartened by the "every second" part of Ed's declaration. Ed complained all the time-teachers gave too much homework, coaches didn't give one of the kids enough playing time, their neighbors didn't replace the common area rooftop furniture after using it, the tourists took up too much of their beach space. However, his complaining almost always grew out of his protective nature. If something or someone stood in the way of his family's happiness, Ed first complained. If Olivia couldn't talk him down or divert his attention, he acted.

"We have so many more seconds to love," Olivia said, biting her lip because she was about to throw a barb, "But I think your no complaining streak might end right around Maggie's first date."

"Not gonna happen."

"Complaining?"

"No. The date."

More laughter ensued. Olivia's was haughty and sympathetic. Ed's was a bit sheepish. "You know," he said in an airy, whimsical voice, "I really thought I would be the one who brought up a sex memory. After ten years, you still surprise me, Benson."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

Ed grabbed Olivia's head for one more deep kiss before the end of their alone time, but something caught his eye and his head snapped up. "What the hell is that?"

Olivia followed his gaze and saw a large white inflatable unicorn. It had a pink crown and a golden spike on top of its head. "Oh my God that thing is terrifying," she gasped. "Must have blown over here last night."

"It looks like it comes alive when no one's watching," Ed joked.

"Now it's even more terrifying. Thinking about that thing prancing around in the dark."

"Well look this way then," Ed guided his face to hers, "Get that prancing unicorn outta your pretty little head." After the kiss he took another look at the unicorn. "Lemme get that thing outta here. I'm gonna have nightmares."

…

Whenever the twins or Noah got hurt, Olivia's heart broke. She hated seeing their little faces crinkle and redden then, a split second later, hearing their frantic, piercing cries. Nevertheless, she handled scrapes and bumps and even Noah's broken wrist better than shots. Though she wholeheartedly believed in the science, she hated watching the nurse whip out the needle and aim it into her babies' veins. Accidental pain was easier to stomach than the intentional prick to the arm.

Olivia and Ed each held a twin. Maggie and Wyatt babbled away and squirmed a bit until Ed let Wyatt play with his phone. Seeing this, Maggie leaned over and watched as Wyatt navigated around the DUPLO train app. Ed and Olivia laughed while Maggie cheered him on, shouting phrases like "Go, Wy! Tane Wy!" When the nurses arrived, one asked if they wanted to let the twins continue with the game while she administered the vaccines.

"No," Ed answered, "Let's not have 'em associate a fun game with a shot."

Olivia raised her eyebrows. Of the two of them, Ed was the most likely to frown upon distracting the kids with a phone or an iPad or TV, but not only had he given Wyatt the phone but he didn't want any negative connotations connected with it. Ed took the phone from Wyatt, and they held their babies tightly as the nurses assured them the pain would be short-lived.

Maggie yelped and jerked her head back and forth, looking at her parents, wondering how they could have possibly authorized this type of agony. A similar expression crossed Wyatt's face, but it was directed at the attractive nurse who resembled his on-screen mom Marisa. How could she hurt him? He sniffled and whimpered but bit his lip as the sting faded.

Ed kissed the side of his head and intoned "good boy" over and over until Wyatt was sitting up straight again, sufficiently soothed, and asking for the phone.

Maggie's reaction was delayed. The nurses were leaving the room when she let loose a guttural, spine-tingling wail...and then flung herself against Olivia and fell completely silent.

Olivia looked at Ed. Ed studied Maggie's face. She looked like she'd just returned from battle. Her lips rippled as she blew out distressed streams of air.

"Ice cream, sweet girl?" Olivia gently asked.

"YES!" Maggie shot up so quickly Olivia had trouble holding onto her. Once on the ground, Maggie stomped her pink Adidas against the carpet and demanded "Chocit EYEKEEM!"

On the way out of the office, the desk clerk offered the twins lollipops. Wyatt took his and cooed a sweet "tayooo!" Maggie refused the candy and confidently marched toward the door. She had been promised ice cream, and she was going to get it.

…..

Five minutes after Noah was strapped into the car seat he was asleep with his lips parted and drool dropping onto the sleeve of his jacket and possibly onto Ed Tucker's back seat. They day at Legoland had sapped the toddler of all his energy. In the front seat his mother swiped through the photographs she'd taken of Noah among the huge bricks, watching in awe as the buildings in Miniland gleamed and airships hovered overhead, attempting to save the captured princess during the Kingdom Quest ride, and constructing his own Lego car which he then tested on an adjacent race track. Since he'd enthusiastically shadowed Noah as he meandered through the exhibits, Ed appeared in many of the pictures. Olivia's favorite was a shot of the two of them side by side, deep in concentration, snapping together pieces of the car.

"This was such a great idea," Olivia said, "Fun day."

Ed reached over the center console and patted Olivia's thigh, "Glad everyone had a good time," he replied, keeping his hand on her leg.

Olivia pretended to look at her phone but she was actually staring at his hand. Intimate gestures like this one were becoming more frequent and, even though she was loving it, the ease with which he put his hand on the small of her back or, in this instance, grabbed her thigh took her by surprise. Ed was careful and respected their plan to take things slowly, but, more and more, Olivia saw flashes of how Ed would fit as a permanent part of their lives. He doted on them both but, lately, he was obviously eager to prove he was suitable and willing to be a father to Noah. At lunch he cut Noah's cheeseburger in half and swapped the regular straw given to him by mistake for a bendable one. All of this could have felt like an intrusion, but Olivia welcomed Ed's help. They were showing the early signs of becoming a team.

"You had fun, right?" Olivia asked.

Ed squeezed her leg, "Yeah, I'd go again next weekend."

"Maybe we can find another place to explore," Olivia said.

"I'll bet we can do that."

There was a hollowness in Ed's tone that bothered Olivia. They'd had a fantastic day, but something was apparently nagging at him. "Of course we can," she covered his hand with hers, "But...what's wrong?"

Ed smirked. It was not the first time and it wouldn't be the last time one of them picked up on the other's uncertainty. He glanced at Noah through the rearview mirror and his heart swelled. Not only was he in love with Olivia, he loved her son like he was his own. "Just wonderin' where you're at with...the three of us. I don't want to overstep, but, it's gettin' hard to keep my distance."

"Why do you think you have to keep your distance?"

The question momentarily stymied Ed. His grip on the steering wheel tightened and he turned over his other hand so he could hold Olivia's. "Gut feeling I guess? Or, well, we haven't talked about...Noah...and every step along the way, we've talked about where we're goin."

"He loves you," Olivia said, "And he has the benefit of not having to think about it, not having to question it or wonder if he's doing the right thing. Maybe we need to adopt that mentality. If you didn't have to think, if you were operating on instinct only, what would you do?"

"I'd be with you and Noah as much as possible."

Olivia clutched his hand and kissed his fingers. "Let's give that a try then," she said.

"You sure?"

"Yes." She looked at Noah, conked out but clutching the car he and Ed made. Her eyes darted around the interior of Ed's SUV-his wallet wedged in one of the cupholders, his phone stowed in the compartment in front of the gear shift-the SUV's black interior was clean and still gave off a hint of new car smell. Just being in Ed's car was comforting. "This feels right," she added. "I don't want to hold back anymore." She kissed his fingers again.

"Then grab my phone. I made a list of things to do with Noah in my notes."

Olivia grinned. She thought Ed had been joking earlier that week when he said he was researching child-friendly activities available around the city, but she should have known better. When it came to her and Noah and their burgeoning life together, Ed Tucker was completely honest.

….

At the prompting of Barba's staffers, Noah checked in periodically during the day. At mid-morning they had already stopped for a rally at a small neighborhood park and distributed half their flyers. At noon, Noah reported they were eating cachapas for lunch and he enthusiastically told Olivia they needed to visit this particular restaurant more often. He assured her he could save the lunch she'd packed for later. Noah explained that they were going back out and, before hanging up, he added a giggly, "Vote for Barba." Clearly, he was having the time of his life.

An hour after the call, the power went out. The overcast day didn't do much to illuminate the Tucker apartment, so Ed and Olivia lit candles and found their flashlights. Initially, Ed speculated the outage would be short-lived, but multiple, contradictory, news alerts flashed on their phones. Con Ed reported a "major failure" with one of its transformers and warned residents they could be without power for several hours. Outside, the dark windows of the buildings glared menacingly over the city. Olivia shuddered.

"You don't think they would have taken the subway, do you?"

"Nah," Ed came over to the window and kissed Olivia's cheek while keeping an eye on the twins. They were mesmerized by the candlelight and the sudden darkness. "Let's give 'em a call."

Noah beat them to the punch. Olivia's phone vibrated on the table and she rushed to answer it.

"Mommy, it's DARK!" Noah said without saying hello. "All da lights went out!"

"I know, sweetie! It's dark here, too! Can I talk to Raf or another adult with you?"

"Yep!"

As Noah made his way to Barba, Olivia heard people barking directions and car horns blaring. They seemed to be debating whether or not to continue. She heard Noah laugh and say "that's a good one." A few seconds later she heard her son gleefully say, "Vote for Barba! He'll get the lights on!" Olivia smiled but hoped Noah wouldn't forget his mother was on the phone and needing to talk to Barba. She breathed a sigh of relief when she heard her friend's voice.

"Hey, Liv," Barba said as if nothing was out of the ordinary.

"Hey, ah, where are you? I'll come and get Noah."

"We'll bring him home," Barba said, "Fewer cars on the road the better."

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely. We're finishing this block then sending a skeleton crew out to finish the canvass. Who knows if we'll even vote tomorrow...I hear it's bad. But give us, say, a half hour."

"Okay."

Barba heard the reluctance in her voice. "Liv, it's really okay. I know what you're thinking. We have a security detail with us. Everything's under control."

"Alright. Call when you're close."

"Will do."

Olivia turned from the window and saw Ed laying against Noah's beanbag. The twins were curled at his sides watching a show on the iPad. Olivia scratched the top of his head, "May want to save the battery," she said, "In case we need it for later."

"Oh, yeah, good idea. We'll finish this one and call it quits."

"DARK, Mama! Ni'night!" Wyatt grinned at Olivia and reached for her. "Wa'watch?"

"Sure, honey," Olivia grabbed another beanbag and joined them on the rug. "They're bringing Noah back," she told Ed, "I told them to call a few minutes before. It'll take us a few minutes to get down the stairs."

"Didn't think of that," Ed mumbled good-naturedly. "I'll go."

Olivia saw the way the walls reflected the flickering candlelight. She kissed Ed and played with Maggie's hair. Wyatt's head was getting heavier and his fist was in his mouth. "You know," she cooed, "This is inconvenient, but it's kind of cozy."

Ed smirked, "And romantic."

"Has potential to be very romantic," Olivia replied. She moved closer so she could nestle her head on his shoulder against the curve of his neck. "But right now-" she was going to say she wanted her little boy home, but her phone rang. It was Barba telling her they were less than a mile away.

While Ed went downstairs, Olivia took the twins to the kitchen. Normally, she would let them play on their own, but the candles and the toddlers partially unsupervised made her nervous. She sat Maggie and Wyatt on the island and opened the fridge, using her phone's flashlight to illuminate the contents.

"Juice for my sweeties," she said, placing three Capri Sun pouches on the counter and quickly closing the door to preserve the temperature. Maggie and Wyatt grabbed them and tore away the straw. Olivia inserted the straws and took the first sips even though the two-year-olds were adept at handling the containers without squeezing. "Noah and Daddy are on their way up," Olivia said, "And when they get back we'll show you how to make shadow puppets!"

Maggie and Wyatt had no clue what shadow puppets were, but Olivia's voice was cheerful and upbeat and they squealed with delight before sucking down more of the Capri Suns. Olivia smiled, smoothed their hair, and kissed their cheeks. "I love you, cutie pies!"

"Ooooo!"

"Lubbooooo, Mama!"

Olivia carried them to the window and they peered outside. Dusk was falling and rush hour pedestrians scurried up and down the streets and in and out of cabs. From this vantage point, the power outage did nothing to disrupt their lives.

It seemed like it was taking too long for Ed to return with Noah, but they did have to climb twenty-three flights of stairs. Olivia experienced a split-second of panic before remembering that she and Ed had eaten a good, healthy lunch and he'd been making sure to drink plenty of water each day since he'd been rushed to the emergency room. Surely, Ed could handle the steps.

When he and Noah finally arrived, they were winded but all smiles.

"Hi Mommy!" Noah bounded breathlessly down the foyer.

Ed, the backpack and Noah's blazer in his hands, trailed him. He brushed away a layer of perspiration on his brow and kicked off his shoes.

"Hi Noah!" Olivia gave him a huge hug, "I'm SO glad to see you! Was it scary out there with no lights?"

"Not scary," Noah said, "Raf's gonna fix da lights but we jus' stayed all together and were really careful drivin' back 'cause, NO STOPLIGHTS! Why da lights out, Mommy?"

"We don't know for sure, but we saw on the news that there's something broken at the power company so they're trying to fix it now."

"Good thing we got candles!"

"And flashlights!" Ed flipped the switch on their two flashlights and held them under his face. "Should we tell ghost stories?"

"Oooo!" Noah exclaimed, "Scarrrrry ghost stories!"

Olivia kissed the top of Noah's head, "Why don't you change clothes and, before we tell ghost stories, I want to hear all about your day."

"Kay," Noah started skipping back to his bedroom, "Noah stories den ghost stories! Babies, you sit with me! That way you won't be scared!"

Olivia and Ed grinned at Noah then turned to each other. "Do you know any ghost stories?" She asked under her breath.

"Nope," Ed replied with a shrug, "I figured maybe you did."

"I don't."

"Well then, we'll Google," Ed slid his arms around her waist and slapped her back pockets, "Then later, you and me, a drink, some music...if our phones aren't dead yet...we'll have our own little blackout party."

Noah jogged back into the room. "Got my diff'rent clothes on!" He said.

Maggie and Wyatt jumped at their brother's feet as they always did when he got home from school. They were always desperate to play with him. Ed and Olivia moved the candles so they lit the play area and the five of them sat on the floor. Noah simultaneously played with the twins and told his parents about his day on the campaign trail. Throughout the evening they fielded calls from Brooke, Caroline, and Sarah. Everyone offered their homes as a refuge, but Ed and Olivia decided it was best to wait it out in their own apartment. They had food and drinks. The heat wasn't working, but the temperature inside was still comfortable. If the outage lasted into the next day, they assured Caroline they would bunk at her place since she had the most room. For now, they were content and snug in their sweats showing Noah and the twins how to make shadow puppets on the wall.

…..

#Tuckson