Chapter 89: Reaffirming Positions

Freshly showered – for a second time – and now squeaky clean dressed in sweats and a tshirt, Jamie walks out of his bedroom and heads down the stairs. He gets to the bottom and seeing movement to his left so he looks over into the formal living room to see Rosa setting a box down and hissing a bit in pain.

Jamie cringes at the sight "Rosa." he sighs.

The sound of Jamie's voice behind her causes Rosa to immediately snaps her back up into an upright position – something she then regrets.

"Are you okay?" Jamie asks.

"I'll be fine." Rosa promises but she refused to turn around and face him.

Jamie immediately picks up on her awkwardness which just makes him feel awkward.

Suddenly the front door swings open and Mia enters "I'm home!" She sings before abruptly stopping not expecting to see Jamie right there "Hi!" She enthusiastically greets.

"Well seems you had a good day." Rosa notes as she turns to face her daughter.

Mia looks over "Hey Mom!" she greets "It was great! REAGAN!" she then bellows "I'M HOME! WHERE ARE YOU BUDDY? Anybody know where he is?" she asks Jamie and her Mom "He's usually here to greet me…" She adds in confusion.

"Nope." Jamie replies.

"Haven't seen him." Rosa adds on.

"REAGAN!" Mia calls as she starts up the stairs to look for him leaving Jamie and Rosa once again alone but now semi facing one another.

The awkwardness returns.

Beat.

"Okay this is crazy." Jamie finally states "I didn't see anything." he reiterates again.

"Look… let's just forget it." Rosa insists.

"REAGAN!" Mia's voice continues to call.

Looking back up the stairs, Jamie sees Mia moving from room to room look for her cat.

"Rosa if we don't sort this out..." Jamie begins "...Mia's going to pick up on that and then this really WILL be awkward when we have to try to explain to her why we're being so awkward!"

"Stop saying awkward." Eddie hisses out as she descends the stairs but keeps glancing backwards looking for Mia.

"Fine." Rosa relents in exasperation.

"Okay he's not upstairs." Mia states as she suddenly comes bounding back down the stairs walking right past everyone on her way into the right side of the house looking for him "REAGAN!"

Rosa, Jamie and Eddie all watch her disappear before turning to look at one another again.

"Let's just forgot about it." Rosa suggests.

"Fine by me." Jamie immediately agrees.

"REAGAN!" Mia calls again.

"Look where is that cat?" Rosa begins to wonder as she moves around Jamie and Eddie to start looking herself "It never takes him this long to show up. REAGAN!"

So Jamie, Eddie, Rosa and Mia all fan out looking and calling the cat.

"REAGAN! REAGAN!" they all just keep repeating as they go.

Something makes Jamie move to the garage and open the door and the second he does Reagan comes bolting into the house. "Oh there you are. FOUND HIM!" he calls out into the house "Wait what do you have?" Jamie wonders when he notices something in Reagan's mouth as Mia comes running into view.

Reagan runs towards the area he eats and drops a dead mouse onto the floor.

Mia stops short and her eyes go wide. She points at the mouse "Is that?"

"Oh geez." Jamie breathes out as he looks between Reagan and the garage and Reagan again before sighing "Well at least you are earning your keep."

"MOM!" Mia excitedly calls "REAGAN CAUGHT A MOUSE! GOOD JOB REAGAN!" She proudly praises.

Jamie raises an eyebrow at the young girl "That doesn't freak you out?"

Mia looks at Jamie "He's a cat – that's what he's supposed to do. It's his job."

"I'm sorry did I just hear that Reagan caught a mouse?" Eddie inquires as she walks into the room and sees the answer to her own question. She heavily sighs.

"He caught it in the garage." Jamie explains.

"Well let's hope they haven't made their way inside here." Eddie huffs out before pointing a finger at the cat "I want patrols every day Reagan." she commands "Multiple times a day. Leave no crevice unchecked."

Jamie listens to his wife's word and a little grin creeps up on his face "So what I'm hearing you say is we have a Reagan on patrol again."

Eddie slowly raises her head to meet her husband's eyes and when Jamie lifts his eyebrows in an amused challenge, Eddie huffs out a good laugh "I guess we do!" She quips in agreement.

"You found him?" Rosa questions as she walks in the room.

"Uncle Jamie found him!" Mia quips as she points at Reagan "He was hunting!"

Rosa looks down and her eyes go a bit wide at seeing Reagan chowing down on a mouse "Oh. Lovely."

"He caught it in the garage." Jamie again explains "He must has slipped in there when I came home and I was too busy picking food out of my hair to notice."

Mia looks up at her uncle "Why did you have food in your hair?"

Suddenly an awkwardness returns to Rosa and Jamie.

Eddie looks between then them down at Mia "Hazards of the job." She quickly explains trying to cover "You're uncle had to tackle a perp into a pile of garbage bags today and some of them broke open when he landed on them."

"Ewwwww." Mia states – repulsed at the thought.

"Police work is not all glam and glory Mia." Eddie adds "Exact opposite actual."

At that moment Reagan finishes his mouse so he gets up and heads back to the door leading into the garage. He looks back at everyone and meows asking to be let back out.

"Yup might as well let him keep hunting." Jamie deduces as he opens the door and lets him back out.

Reagan bounds down the stairs on a mission.

Mia heads to follow but Rosa stops her.

"But I want to watch." Mia protests.

"Cats work alone." Rosa explains "They need silence and stealth. You go in there and he won't catch anything. Just check on him again in 10 minutes or so."

"Fine." Mia relents before blowing out a breath of air "So other then the disgusting tackle how was everyone's day?"

All three adults plaster smiles on their faces.

"Good." Great." "Uneventful." they all rattle off on top of one another in deflection.

"Nice." Mia commends simply accepting all their answers "Well I had fun at school. I wasn't sure about this new place but it's not bad…" She starts to ramble "My teacher is nice. I like her and oh apparently there is a bake sale. I'm going to need to bring something."

Rosa turns to look at her daughter "A bake sale?"

Mia nods.

"There was never any bake sales at your other school." Rosa states as she looks at her daughter then glances up at Jamie and Eddie in confusion.

Mia shrugs.

Eddie sighs "Welcome to the suburbs."

Rosa sighs in defeat "I guess I could make cookies… or something…"

"When is this sale?" Jamie inquires.

"Tomorrow." Mia replies.

Rosa's mouth drops open "Tomorrow?"

Mia nods "And its my first bake sale so I want to make a good impression."

Rosa stares at her daughter then just looks around in exasperation at everything still in boxes "Do we even have flour? Or… or anything I need? Eddie, did you see any of the cookie sheets when we were unpacking?"

"Um…no." Eddie slowly admits as she looks around wondering where they went.

"Great." Rosa grumbles with a sigh.

Seeing the defeated look on Rosa's face, and feeling like he somehow needs to make it up to her, Jamie pulls out his phone and starts to compose a text "I'll take care of it." he promises.

For the first time since everything in the bathroom went down, Rosa looks Jamie straight in the face "How?" She flat out challenges.

Jamie only silently shrugs at her as he concentrates on what he is typing. He hits send then waits. A few moments later his phone dings with a reply so Jamie reads it then smiles "When the doorbell rings in about and hour and a half, its for you." He tells Rosa "Until then, don't worry about it." he states before just turning to walk away.

Rosa watches him leave then slowly turns to look at Eddie with questioning eyes.

Eddie shrugs "He does that all the time, you'll get used to it but don't worry, if he says he'll take care of it, he'll take care of it."

….

True to Jamie's word, the doorbell of the house rings about an hour and a half later so Rosa heads to the front door to answer it. She swings the door open to see Henry on the other side with a couple of bags in his hands "Henry!" She greets in total surprise "What are you doing here?"

At hearing the doorbell, Mia comes out of her room and stands at the top of the stair to see Henry lift the bags up and say "I hear we need to make cookies!"

"COOL!" Mia quips as she comes bounding down the stairs while Rosa's mouth just drops open.

"Here..." Henry adds as he holds the bags out in front of him indicating for Rosa or Mia to take them "…take these I need to get the rest of the stuff and pay the Uber driver."

"You took an Uber all the way out here?!" Rosa queries in disbelief as she watches Mia take the bags.

"I got it." Jamie promises as he appears out of nowhere and scoots past everyone and out the front door, down the steps and path to the waiting car in the driveway.

"Great!" Henry accepts before leaning back out the door "Don't forget the pans in the trunk!" He calls to his grandson.

"Got it!" Jamie calls back.

"Shall we?" Henry prompts as he gestures for Mia and Rosa to lead the way to the kitchen.

"Oh you're the solution." Eddie realizes with a laugh the second her eyes see her grandfather in law "Nice."

"Hey." Henry tosses back "I wasn't going to give up the opportunity to test this kitchen out. I want to see what it can do!"

"See two birds. One stone." Jamie states and he walks in and places a few trays and a few more bags on the kitchen island "Is that everything?"

Henry looks over and takes stock "Yup, that's everything."

"Great." Jamie accepts "Let me know when the cookies are ready. I can taste test them." He adds before turning and walking away and into the study.

Still blown away with what is happening, Rosa just stands there speechless.

"Rosa…" Eddie prompts in amusement as she leans towards her ear "Snap out of it."

"Oh um right." Rosa mutters "Sorry."

Eddie laughs "Well I'll leave you three too it!" She quips before also walking away towards the study. She steps inside to see her husband opening a box and pulling out papers and files and just generally unpacking "That was really sweet what you did."

"Hmmm?" Jamie mutters as he tries to figure out where he wants to put stuff.

"You calling your grandfather to come help make the cookies." Eddie explains.

"Oh well after what happened earlier, I figured I owed Rosa at least that much."

"You? Hmm interesting..." Eddie notes in amusement "Because I'm pretty sure it's Henry in the kitchen I see helping her and Mia make cookies not you."

"Well you want them to be edible don't you?" Jamie tosses back causing Eddie to heartily laugh.

"True." She admits "You're good at heating buns in the oven but not much else."

"Hey!" Jamie protests "I can make them too!"

"You can make buns?" Eddie states in slight surprise.

"Uh hello?" Jamie arrogantly states as he points at his wife's stomach as he sits down at their new desk "Bun in oven." He adds as he opens drawers to put stuff away.

Eddie groans "Oh that was bad."

Jamie shrugs "I thought it pretty good."

"You know..." Eddie begins as she moves around the desk to deposit herself on her husband's lap just as Rosa walks towards the study door "If I'm not careful, I might just have Rosa fall in love with you too."

Rosa immediately stops walking, freezes and stiffens her body up as she finds herself listening in.

Jamie huffs out a laugh as he wraps his arms around his wife's waist "Um no. Pretty sure you have nothing to worry about."

"What you think that's not possible the way you keep doing nice stuff?" Eddie presses.

"Yeah because when I look at her..." Jamie replies "...I see another version of Erin and pretty sure she said I'm like the brother she never had."

"He's right." Rosa confirms as she steps into the doorway startling Jamie and Eddie "Sorry." She then apologizes as she quickly glances back to the kitchen to see Henry and Mia having a blast together before stepping inside and shutting the door "Look…" she begins "Jamie is right Eddie. I promise you - you have nothing to worry about. I love my husband – he's done some crappy stuff but I still love him and the idea of you and me?" she adds as she gestures between herself and Jamie "Um no offense, but no."

"None taken!" Jamie quips in return.

"You two really are like the brother and sister I never had…" Rosa continues "Your whole family actually because never in a million years did I think I would ever be standing in a kitchen with someone as amazing as Henry watching him make cookies with my daughter and giving her those wonderful memories so thank you. Just… thank you."

"Rosa..." Eddie begins.

"No!" Rosa protests as she holds her hand up "I've said my peace now I have to get back to the kitchen because I kind of want in on that memory too so just… carry on!" she adds as she blindly waves her hand at Jamie and Eddie before opening the door and walking out to the sound of Mia's laughing voice

"NOOOOOO! We can't use raisins! It HAAAAASSSSS to be chocolate chips!"

"I LIKE RAISINS!" Jamie just can't help but call out causing Rosa to stop, turn and look back at him.

Eddie turns to look at her husband as well "No you don't."

Jamie shrugs.

Eddie rolls her eyes "Stop messing with her." she chides as Mia comes running up to the study door.

"Uncle Jamie, you want raisins instead of chocolate chips? WHY?" She demands to know.

"Um because you need to learn how to share?" Jamie tosses back.

Mia's face scrunches up "Why?" She now repeats in confusion.

"Because maybe not everyone likes the same things you do." Jamie points out "You'll be a big sister soon." he reminds her "What if this baby likes raisins instead of chocolate chips?"

Mia scoffs "Oh I highly doubt that."

"Humor me." Jamie deadpans.

"Your uncle is right Mia." Rosa chimes in "You're going to need to learn to share things so in this case you want chocolate chip cookies, your uncle wants raisins – what do you do?"

Mia ponders that then looks back towards the kitchen to see Henry intently listening to the conversation "Can we split the batch? Make half chocolate chip, half raisin?"

A grin breaks out onto Henry's face "Oh course we can, come on!" he prompts as he beckons Mia over so she goes running back to the kitchen but Henry again glances towards the study and his smile proudly grows "Nicely done." He quietly commends his grandson under his breath.

"YOU SERIOUSLY WANT RAISINS?" Mia calls out one last time just to double check.

"NO MAKE THEM ALL CHOCOLATE CHIP!" Jamie calls back just for the hell of it.

Everyone throws their hands up in the air in defeat as Rosa turns to look at Eddie "Yeah you can definitely keep him."

"HEY!" Jamie protests while Eddie just chuckles and snuggles herself into the crook of his neck "All mine."

Rosa shakes her head "Get a room. Wait here you go." she adds as she reaches over and grabs the doorknob "Just lock it okay." She prompts before shutting the door leaving the couple alone inside "So full chocolate chip huh?" She announces as she rolls up her shelves and heads back to the kitchen to help Henry and her daughter.

...