Chapter 69: You'll Know It When You Find It
Jamie enters the apartment to find Eddie asleep on the couch – a now frequent occurrence. He smiles, walks over, lifts the cover off the back of the couch and gently tries to cover his wife with it but Eddie stirs "Hey." She greets with a small smile and a stretch "How was the battle?"
Jamie sighs "Mia presented her case. Dad listened. Dad handed over two of his own courtesy cards..."
Eddie lets out a cross between a chuckle and a scoff as she slowly sits up.
"Yeah I know." Jamie muses in agreement. "Pop gave her ice cream then I took her to Donovan's so we could both blow off some steam."
"Wow." Eddie lets out in awe "You really do love her if you took her there."
For a moment a tiny smile crosses Jamie's face.
"What?" Eddie prompts.
"When Mia and I were in the box with Witten I made some comment about how soon I'll have one of my very own of these referencing Mia as I explained to Witten that you were pregnant and you know what Mia said to me? She said 'love you too Uncle Jamie.' It was sarcastic…" Jamie admits "…but she still said it."
Eddie's face breaks out into a wide grin "Aww Jamie!"
"I just... I wasn't expecting it." Jamie admits "So when you just said - you really do love her - I mean, I do."
"Well did you tell her that?" Eddie prompts.
"Um no." Jamie admits.
"Right. Never mind." Eddie dismisses "Let's not forget how long it took you to tell ME you loved me."
"Okay, low blow." Jamie counters "And even after I was being so considerate by taking Mia to Donovan's instead of just coming here because I knew you'd be asleep on the couch and I didn't want us disturbing your nap."
"Aw my knight in shining armor." Eddie giggles "Got nothing to do with the fact that you both couldn't hit the same bag here at the same time though right?" she challenges.
Jamie purses is lips together at being called out "Maybe." He reluctantly admits.
Eddie leans over and pats her husband's arm "Well at least you admitted it."
"It was practical." Jamie defends.
"I know." Eddie muses in return.
"Oh!" Jamie then remembers "Then we went to grab a quick bite and guess who we ran into - JOE! He's back in the city! Reintroducing those two was a hoot!" Jamie laughs.
"Oh, I bet." Eddie notes in understanding but then she watches Jamie's brow crinkle in conflict "What?" She prompts.
"Then Rosa came." Jamie slowly states "And Joe… well Joe started to get a little tongue tied around her."
Eddie raises an eyebrow "You mean like?..."
Jamie nods "He denied it when I confronted him but…"
"You confronted him?"
"Well yeah." Jamie admits "Rosa's married. There will be none of that. Not on my watch and I told him that flat out."
Eddie looks up at her husband and can't stop herself from grinning.
"What?" Jamie prompts.
"So you're like her protector now too?"
Jamie looks at his wife and starts to get a little tongue tied himself "Oh. Um. Well I um… I mean…"
Eddie laughs "Oh you are so cute when you get all flustered! You can relax. I'm not mad or jealous if that's what you're worried about. I think it's actually quite sweet."
Jamie sinks down to sit next to his wife "Okay good." he accepts in relief "It's just Rosa has been through so much this year. She doesn't need something like that on top of everything else."
"You think she noticed?" Eddie wonders in thought.
"Noticed what?" Jamie questions.
Eddie rolls her eyes "That Joe was into her!"
"Oh." Jamie realizes "I don't think so."
Eddie shrugs "Too bad."
Jamie looks at his wife in surprise.
"It's like you said." Eddie explains "She's been through a lot. It might have been nice for her to know she's still 'got it'. It would be like a little confidence booster for her."
Jamie just stares at his wife in disbelief.
Eddie sees the look her husband is giving her "Oh don't look at me that way. All I'm saying is its nice to be noticed sometimes that's all."
"Are you saying I don't notice you?"
"Jamie we aren't talking about us. We are talking about Rosa but if you must know, yes you notice me just fine." She replies as she lightly pats his leg in reassurance.
"It was just so weird." Jamie admits "I was sitting there watching my nephew make goo goo eyes at my god daughter's mother who I realize I now see like… like a sister and it… it was just… just…so…"
"Shakespearean?" Eddie laughs.
Jamie groans in realization "Yeah." he admits with a shudder.
Eddie laughs as she wraps her arms around his arm and leans her head on his shoulder "Oh you poor boy."
"It was traumatizing Eddie." Jamie tries to seriously joke "It truly was."
"Well if you need me as your muscle to keep Joe in line just let me know." Eddie offers "I'm pregnant so he won't dare even think about going anywhere near Rosa again once I get through with him."
Jamie laughs as he leans over and gives his wife a quick kiss on her temple "Man I love you."
"See." Eddie happily quips "Noticing!" She adds before heavily sighing in realization.
"What?" Jamie prompts.
"It's just now that you brought it up, I see that Rosa doesn't have this anymore." She states as she gestures between herself and her husband "Not as long as Manny is in jail. That just sucks for her!"
Jamie sighs "I know but she does have Mia and as we both know, with that girl around we could barely keep up and there was two of us. Rosa is by herself so I doubt she has much time to dwell on anything."
Eddie nods "Thank god for small Milagros!" She jokes.
"Just one Milagro." Jamie corrects with a laugh "One is plenty!"
Suddenly Eddie looks up in remembrance "Hey, hand me my phone would you." She instructs so Jamie reaches over to the coffee table, picks up Eddie's phone and hands it to her.
Her fingers begin flying over the phone as she types, then pauses, reads, types, taps, reads, taps, types, reads.
"What are you doing?" Jamie curiously inquires.
"I'm researching names that mean miracle." Eddie absently explains as she taps and reads again.
Suddenly Eddie pauses and stares at her phone "Jamie…" She breathes out a moment later as she looks up at her husband in awe "I think I just found the perfect name." She announces before turning her phone around to show him.
Jamie takes her phone and reads. He tilts his head slightly thinking "Uh." he breathes out as he ponders what he just read "Really?" he states in wonderment.
"What are the odds right?" Eddie presses.
"And it fits all the criteria." Jamie notes "Shorted version would end in 'ie' and be unisex."
"RIGHT?" Eddie presses "So?" she eagerly prompts.
Slowly a smile creeps up on Jamie's face "I think we have a winner."
Eddie's face happily beams with a smile.
"But we still need a middle name." Jamie reminds his wife as he holds her phone out to her.
The smile drops from Eddie's face.
"Sorry." Jamie apologizes.
"No, you're right." Eddie sighs as she takes her phone back "At least we're half way there – wait – how come you don't have a middle name?"
Jamie shrugs "What are you asking me for? I didn't name me."
Eddie turns her phone around and begins to compose a text message.
Jamie sighs "You're messaging my Dad aren't you?"
Eddie nods in confirmation.
Jamie reaches over and takes Eddie's phone out of her hands.
"Hey!" Eddie protests "Give me that back!"
"Dad is knee deep in reports." Jamie points out "He's busy."
"That's why I was sending a text and NOT calling." Eddie retorts annoyed "So he can answer when HE CAN now give me my phone back right now!"
"No." Jamie rejects.
Eddie narrows her eyes at her husband "If I wasn't pregnant I would so jump on your back again right now."
Jamie grins "I know! I finally win!"
"Yeah…" Eddie warns as she settles herself into the couch "You keep thinking that."
Jamie eyes his wife then a moment later silently holds her phone out to her.
"Good choice." Eddie commends in appreciation as she moves to take it but Jamie quickly lifts it back up out of her reach.
"I am asking you to not text him." he simply but seriously requests.
Eddie eyes her husband "Fine." She relents.
"Thank you." Jamie accepts as he hands her back her phone.
"I'll just ask on Sunday." Eddie announces instead.
"I knew you would." Jamie tosses back as he turns to head to the kitchen.
...
