Joe stood in the entryway of the sunroom to find his youngest cousin sitting on the ground, surrounded by a variety of toys and pillows. The ten month old was playing with a small activity cube and was focused on trying to figure out what shape should fit in the star shaped hole. He watched as she tried fitting a variety of shapes in there before getting frustrated and pushing the cube away from her then crawling away to find something else.

Jamie and Eddie had gone to run an errand after family dinner and left the baby at the house with the family. He had been in the kitchen with everyone cleaning up after dinner when Erin asked him to check on the baby to make sure she was okay.

Joe didn't have any cousins from his mother's side of the family so being around to welcome a new little one was a completely new territory for him. But if he was being honest, it was actually pretty sweet to get to be apart of it. He saw the emotion in his grandfather and great-grandfather's eyes and the pure joy from Danny and Erin when Jamie and Eddie made the announcement that she was expecting. He felt the excitement along with everyone else when Jamie and Eddie would arrive with a new sonogram picture to show off. And he'll never forget the elation he felt when he was informed that Grace had finally made her arrival. It was special for him to see her grow up and be apart of her life.

He stepped into the room and Grace immediately took notice. She looked over at him curiously before finally giving a smile and crawling toward him. The little girl was actually quite a fan of her oldest cousin, always happy to be held by him even though she didn't see him very often. He never spent much time with babies before Grace came along but he ended up falling head over heels for her, just like everyone else in their family. She was small and so unbelievably cute that he would do anything for her.

"Hey there munchkin," Joe smiled as Grace was finally at his feet. He leaned down and picked her up. "You found me."

Grace giggled at him as she tugged at the cross pendant around his neck. She was known to have a particular liking for jewelry. If it was in her reach, she would try to grab it. Eddie and Erin had both experienced earrings yanked out of their ears by Grace's quick hands.

He gently unclasped her hand from around the pendent and quickly hid it in his shirt before she completely pulled it from his neck. The little girl let out a small cry and frowned at Joe.

"You definitely didn't like that," he chuckled. He looked around for a quick distraction and spotted one on the coffee table.

"Let's go look at some photo albums," he said. He walked over to the recliner on the other end of the room and sat down, then sat her down in his lap. He reached out and grabbed one of the many albums laying on the coffee table and opened it up so him and Grace could see. Joe smiled as Grace laid back against him. She really loved photo albums and would sit perfectly still when someone was going through one with her. "Let's see what we got here, Grace."

The first page actually had a few recent pictures of the family. Erin was always taking pictures when everyone got together, especially now that Grace had arrived.

"Look," Joe said, pointing at one of the pictures. It was one of Frank feeding Grace some of his food at family dinner. "Is that you and Grandpa? Can you say Grandpa?"

The ten month old replied with a bundle of gibberish then looked up at her cousin with a proud smile.

"Not quite but you're getting there," he laughed, then pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "Our grandpa... I've only known him for a few years now but I can tell you for sure that he's one of the best people that I know. I got to know him later in my life but I guess that's the way it was suppose to happen. He's going to be in your corner always but if you're wrong, he'll definitely let you know it but still be there to support you."

Over the years, Frank had grown to become a fatherly figure for Joe. If there was something going on in Joe's life, he would never try to interfere but would step in, even discreetly, if needed. It was something that Joe had learned to appreciate, especially since he never really had that with anyone besides his mother.

"And who's this guy?" Joe asked Grace. He pointed to a picture of Henry and Grace together, her curled up on his lap as they watched the Mets game together on T.V. "Is that you and Pop-Pop?"

He stared at the picture for a long moment. Seeing how the family had been with Grace for the past ten months, he couldn't help but wonder how they would've acted with him if he would've been around when he was that age. It made him even wonder how his own father would've been with him. The thought made him realize how much he's missed out on.

"Our great-grandpa is pretty great too," he continued. "He's always an open ear if you need one. If you have any issue or just need to talk, he's there for you. He's been through it all. He can give you a piece of advice for any type of situation you're going through and is usually very spot on. He'll definitely be a person that you can lean on with anything."

Then, they moved onto another picture. Joe laughed. It was a one of Danny and Erin sitting together in the sunroom, her clearly annoyed by something that Danny had done or said. He's learned quite a bit about his aunt and uncle in the short few years he's been apart of the Reagan family. They both could be hardasses at times but were soft on the inside. They would help you if they could and weren't afraid to be hard on you.

"And Uncle Danny and Aunt Erin," Joe said, adjusting Grace on his lap. "You'll learn a lot from them. I've turned to them quite a bit over the years. They'll be tough on you if they have to but will love you even more. If you have a problem, they'll help you with whatever they can but will ultimately leave you to it so you can see it all the way through."

Grace cuddled up to her cousin as he spoke. Joe smiled down at the little girl and tightened his arm around her. He propped his feet up on the coffee table that was close by so they could be more comfortable then helped Grace flip to the next page. The first picture they saw was one of Jamie and Eddie at the first family dinner after Grace had arrived, fast asleep on the couch. He remembered those days fondly, everyone relishing in the excitement of Grace's arrival.

"And who's that?" Joe asked his youngest cousin as he pointed to the picture. "Is that your Mama and Daddy?"

"Ma," Grace let out softly. "Da."

"Yeah that's your Mama and Daddy," he replied. "Good girl, Grace."

Joe couldn't help but smile at the picture. Out of everyone in the family, he felt that he had grown closest to Jamie and Eddie. A few days after his first family dinner, Jamie had reached out to him and said that if he had any questions or ever needed anything, he could always call him. It took him awhile, but he did eventually reach back out to Jamie and ask to meet up with him. Joe went over to Jamie and Eddie's apartment and it was there where they all started to bond.

"I'm sure you know this already munchkin but you have great parents. I feel like I've grown the closest to them over the last few years. Your mom has grown to be more like an older sister to me. She's strong, hardworking, and loyal. There's no better role model that you could have as you grow up. She's helped me in understanding and dealing with our family, which I'm sure she'll do for you too. They're a tough bunch but I'm sure you won't have any issues, especially considering how cute you are," he said, pressing a kiss to the top of Grace's head.

"And your dad... along with our grandpa and great-grandpa, he's another one of the greatest men I know," he continued. "We've had our disagreements here and there but there's nothing I wouldn't trust him with. I know he's technically my uncle but I see him more like a big brother, especially now. He's taught me a lot about the job, life, and actually made me realize a few things about myself. Your dad is the type of guy that you want fighting beside you if you're in trouble... and we actually have but that's a story for when you're older. I think you're a really lucky little girl to get to grow up with him as your dad."

Suddenly, Joe noticed that Grace's attention was on another picture on the page. Her small finger ran down a picture of his father and Jamie posing together. He took the picture out of the album and held it in his hand. He let out a small shudder when he looked closely at the corner of the picture to see that it was dated only a month before Joe passed away.

"I really wish I could tell you about this guy," Joe said sadly, holding the picture down in front of Grace. "I never got to meet him and I hate that you won't either. I heard that he was pretty great and that everyone loved him. But you know what? You have a really great dad so I think mine would've been alot like him. Even though my dad isn't here anymore, I think both of us are pretty lucky to have yours, don't you think?"

Grace smiled up at her cousin. On the other side of the wall, huddled in the corner of the dining room, Jamie and Eddie smiled at each other as they listened. They had actually walked back into the house a while ago to pick up Grace and go home but when they heard Joe talking to her, they decided to stay.

"I think all of us are pretty lucky to have you," Eddie whispered gently, wrapping her arms around Jamie and laying her head on his chest.

Jamie flashed a small smile and hugged her back. Then, he let out a small sigh as he laid his head on top of his wife's.

"Hearing him really makes me miss Joe," he said, a tinge of sadness evident in his voice. "He would've been such a good dad. I hate that he never got to meet his son..."

"I know, Bub," she replied, rubbing circles on his back. She lifted her head and looked up at him. "But you know what? I know you're not Joe but I think you're one of the best resources that his son has. You've taught him a lot... all of you have. And I'm sure your brother is looking down very happy right now."

He nodded and kissed the side of her head, "I love you, Ed."

"I love you too."

They stood quietly for a moment before Jamie spoke up again. "I don't hear Joe anymore," he said.

"Me neither," she responded.

They peeked into the room and couldn't help but smile at the sight. Joe and Grace were now fast asleep. The little girl's face was buried in her cousin's neck while one of her arms was across his chest. Eddie pulled out her phone and took a quick picture to add to the photo album before going in and taking the baby so they could head home.