Chapter 109: Beyond The Dream
Eddie absently opens the front door of the house as she goes through the mail in her hands but when she sees movement in the corner of her eye she quickly swings the door closed and sticks a foot out "NO!" She tells Reagan as she stops him from heading out the door "Did you not learn your lesson?" She lightly chides the cat "I don't care that we can track you now, you can not go out the front door." She adds with a shake of her head as she turns her attention back to the mail "Bill, bill… junk…" she mumbles as she flips thought it but suddenly she pauses as she looks at an envelope "Well… what's this now…" She wonders as she heads for the study to grab the letter opener…
…..
Eddie stares at the invitation in her hand in amazed awe but when she hears a noise back in the living room she looks out to see Jamie "Hey mail!" She calls out to him causing Jamie to change course and head in her direction. "Including bills." She adds as she puts the invitation down and picks up the other envelopes waving them at him.
"Yippee." Jamie flatly accepts as he enters and swipes them from her hand.
"Oh don't pretend you don't love plunking those numbers into that little app of your." Eddie challenges with a smirk as she watches him round the desk.
"You mean the one that lets us all know we can keep affording to live here?" he tosses back as he sets to work opening the envelopes.
"That's the one." Eddie confirms "I know Rosa super loves it when her phone dings once a month with her cut of the amount due."
"You know you could do this if you want." Jamie challenges his wife.
"And deprive you the joy?" Eddie tosses back "Ah no."
"Yeah. Uh huh." Jamie deadpans "That's what I thought."
"So?" Eddie then jokingly prompts "Should I start packing?"
"Would you give me a second?" Jamie tosses at his wife as he opens the bills tracking app on his phone.
"One." Eddie announces "How about now?" She prompts in amusement.
Jamie shakes his head at his wife's antics as he busies himself with plugging the numbers in and Eddie's eyes drift back to the invitation laying off to the side on the desk and she ponders how exactly she wanted to tell her husband.
"Good news." Jamie suddenly announces "We can keep living here for another month."
"Yay!" Eddie happily accepts while laughing before her laughter dies away and she turns serious "But seriously we're okay right?"
"Yeah." Jamie confirms "Might even be able to put a little more in the college fund this month – either that or start a 2nd fund for the backyard obstacle course. I figure I have a few years to save up for that yet."
"A few?" Eddie questions "Jamie, she's not even born yet!"
"Ah but in another few years Mia will be… ugh I can't believe I'm saying this…" Jamie adds in disgust "Dating age so if I'm gonna build it, I might as well get the most bang for my buck."
Eddie's mouth falls open "Jamie I was kidding!"
"Well I'm not." Jamie seriously counters.
Eddie sucks in an unhappy breath of air "Jamie." She warns.
"Don't start." Jamie warns right back.
"Yes I will start!" Eddie insists "Because there will be no mud pits in my backyard! We have a dog and a cat and I don't need that being traipsed through the house!"
"I'm not putting in a mud pit Eddie." Jamie promises "Give me a little credit here!"
Eddie narrows her eyes at her husband "Then what are you putting in?"
Jamie shrugs in deflection "Still in the planning stages so I'm open to suggestions."
Suddenly a thought hits Eddie "Oh my god, you're going to bring this up at Sunday Dinner aren't you?"
A wide grins appears on Jamie's face "No better group of experienced people to draw ideas from."
Eddie let's out a breath of air as she tries to remain calm "Unbelievable."
"Is it?" Jamie challenges "You knew who we were when you married into this family."
"So now I married the family?" Eddie tosses back.
"Am I wrong?" Jamie challenges.
Eddie sucks in a breath of air and suddenly she knows exactly where and when she's going to bring up that invitation…
"What?" Jamie questions at seeing her look.
"Nothing." Eddie deflects right as the baby kicks "She's just kicking me that's all." Eddie adds as an excuse to cover.
Jamie's eyes light up "Yeah?"
Suddenly Eddie winces slightly "Really good actually." She breathes out as she looks down "Holy crap what are you doing down there? Trying to bust your way out? Ugh I think she's gonna be a boxer." She adds as she moves to sit on the edge of the desk for support and put both hands on her stomach as Jamie gets up and rounds the desk to come stand in front of his wife "Here." Eddie instructs as she reaches for his hand and places on her belly "You feel that?"
"Holy crap is right!" Jamie breathes out in surprise as he looks at Eddie in shock.
"Yeah and if you feel that imagine how I feel." Eddie deadpans "Jesus." She mutters out as she shifts her body around trying to find some relief "God help me during actual labor."
Sensing his wife's discomfort, Jamie crouches down in front of his wife "Baby Girl." He begins in a fatherly tone "You need to tone it down in there." He instructs as he rubs a hand over the spot the baby is kicking "You're making Mommy uncomfortable and remember, when Mommy is uncomfortable Mommy takes that out on me." He explains causing a look of annoyance to appear on Eddie's face "You don't want that to happen right? Now come on…" he soothingly prompts as he leans forward and places a light kiss on Eddie's stomach "…curl back up and have a nap okay?" he pleads as he slowly pulls back and looks up at his wife with questioning 'did that work?' eyes.
Eddie's expression turns to one of pondering as they both wait and a few seconds later Eddie shakes her head in awe "Still kicking but not nearly as intense."
"I guess we'll take that?" Jamie questions as he stands.
"I don't have much of a choice do I?" Eddie tosses back.
"I love you?" Jamie hopefully promises causing Eddie to huff out an exasperated laugh.
…..
Eddie is in the kitchen making food when a ruckus of barking and cat screeching erupts in the living room.
"HEY!" She authoritatively commands as she rounds the kitchen island to go investigate "PLAY NICE!"
Hearing her voice, Reagan and Jamko break away from each other and scurry to different parts of the room.
"Better." Eddie tells both pets before turning to walk back to the kitchen as Jamie comes running up the steps from the basement where he sees his wife shaking her head as she goes back to making food.
"Everything okay?" he prompts in concern.
"Yeah." Eddie sighs "They are just feeling each other out, testing the boundaries I guess. I just really hope they work it out before she gets here." She adds as she glances at her belly. "Last thing we need is to get her to sleep and then those two wake her up because of a tiff they are having."
"A tiff?" Jamie questions.
"Well what would you call it?" Eddie challenges "One minute they are all zen with another, but the next minute all hell breaks loose and I feel like I'm back on patrol breaking up a street fight and don't you dare say I told you so!" Eddie warns before glancing back to the living room as Jamie holds his hands up in amused surrender.
"See look!" Eddie prompts as she gestures to the pets "Back to living in harmony." She adds as they watch Reagan jump up onto his cat tree and Jamko sit beside the tree as they both look out the bay window.
Jamie chuckles "Well when they have a common goal it's easy."
"I know." Eddie sighs as she moves to the pantry to grab a bag of chips "They are waiting for Mia to come home." She adds as she opens the bag and grabs a handful to put on her plate.
The sound of the crinkling causes Reagan and Jamko to both race for the kitchen thinking it's time for food. They sit down on the floor at Eddie's feet and both look up at her expectantly.
"No." She chides them "This is not for you." but that doesn't deter either pet as Jamko wags his tail in anticipation and Reagan gets up and circles Eddie's legs meowing.
"Ugh." Eddie groans as she reaches for their respective treat bags and tosses them both at Jamie "Go see him." She prompts.
"HEY!" Jamie protests as he struggles to catch and juggle both bags while Jamko and Reagan move to sit before Jamie.
"I'm busy feeding your daughter." Eddie shrugs in deflection before picking up her sandwich and taking a bite.
Jamie glances at his wife then opens the treat bags and gives each Reagan and Jamko a treat.
Suddenly Eddie swallows and let's out a snicker.
"What?" Jamie prompts as he reaches to give each of them a second treat.
"We are so domestic." Eddie notes with a laugh.
Jamie looks over at his wife slightly confused "And that's a... bad thing?" he slowly questions.
"No." Eddie immediately rejects "I just… If you had asked me 15 years ago if something like what we have now is possible I probably would have smiled and said sure but deep down I never really would have believed it because this life - the life we have only happens in the movies."
Jamie nods his head in agreement as he gives each pet another treat "Okay last one each." he tells them before turning his attention back to his wife "I had a similar thought while jogging with Jamko one morning."
"You did?" Eddie notes in surprise.
Jamie nods "But you know what I really realized?"
"Hmmm?"
"We're beyond the American dream." Jamie begins to explain "I mean look at us, even our pets are named after us. How pretentious is that?"
At hearing her husband's words Eddie can't help but laugh but nod her head in agreement "People must think we are really stuck up."
"Completely." Jamie wholeheartedly agrees.
"If they only knew though." Rosa's voice suddenly sounds as the back door opens and she enters.
Startled, Jamie and Eddie turn to look towards the voice "Where did you come from?" Eddie questions in surprise.
Rosa shrugs "Live with a couple of seasoned cops, you pick up a thing or two about stealth."
Jamie looks at Rosa then turns to look at Eddie while pointing at Rosa "Oh we're going to have to keep an eye on her now."
"Hmmm." Eddie muses with a nod of her head "Agreed."
Rosa laughs "I was outside gardening and the window is open so…"
"Do the math." All three say in unison.
"You know it's great that you like gardening." Eddie states "Because I suck at it."
"Well it's great that you agreed to do the vacuuming and dusting while I garden." Rosa counters "Because I hate those things."
"You know now that we have TWO pets though…" Eddie points out "We should renegotiate that term because there is a lot more dust and pet hair to clean up now."
Rosa nods and ponders that "A lot more holes in the flower beds to fix because of all that paw action of digging too."
Eddie scrunches her nose up in thought before both she and Rosa look over at Jamie.
"Oh don't look at me." Jamie counters "I somehow got stuck with litterbox, throw up and pooper scooping duty."
Eddie blinks her eyes a moment at her husband's statement then just bursts out laughing "Oh my god we are soooo domestic." She just repeats when suddenly the front door opens and Mia calls "I'M HOME!"
Jamko and Reagan turn and race to greet their youngest master.
"Hi everyone!" Mia happily greets her pets "How was everyone's day?"
"Totally domestic." Rosa agrees as the three adults head towards Mia to join in the fun.
...