Chapter 137: Poker Face
"You want that money?" Jamie challenges.
"Yes." Eddie playfully decides so Jamie walks to the shelves on the wall in the living room behind the couch and swipes something into his hands. He walks back to the kitchen table and slaps a deck of cards down onto it "Then earn it." He prompts.
A smirk plays on Eddie's face "So you want to what? Play poker with me to 'win' your money back?" She laughs as she begins to wave the stack of money in the air "You got any money left to anti up with there Bub or am I holding it all now?"
"No I don't." Jamie admits "Which is why I'm offering up the alternative anti that is sometimes used in poker games."
"Alternative anti?" Eddie questions.
"Yup." Jamie confirms as he pulls out a chair at the table for his wife "The anti used in strip poker."
In an instant Eddie is springing off the couch "Well now this just got interesting fast." Eddie admits as she hurries to slide herself into the seat her husband has pulled out for her "Thank you." She accepts.
"Knew that would get your attention." Jamie laughs as he moves to take his seat across from her.
"So just to clarify though…" Eddie begins "I anti up money and you anti up clothing?"
Jamie nods "I think we are intelligent enough to be able to combine both antis and make it work."
"Well I'm certainly willing to try!" Eddie giddily agrees.
"But I'm also not real worried either." Jamie honestly admits "I've seen you play poker Eddie, your terrible at it."
"Maybe I just need the right incentive…" Eddie reasons "…and you Jamie Reagan losing clothing – by the way do I get to pick which article of clothing you lose?"
Jamie indifferently shrugs "Sure."
Eddie giddily shrieks a little in delight "Now THAT is what I call incentive!" she quips "Now come on do your dealie thing." She instructs as she gestures to the deck of cards "Let's get this show on the road!"
So Jamie swipes up the cards and starts to deal…
….
Eddie studies the cards in her hands and then looks across the table at her husband to see his eyes 100% trained on her "Prepare to lose your shirt there Bub."
"Yeah. Sure. Uh huh." Jamie unconvincingly accepts "Are you calling or what?"
"Hmmmm…." Eddie ponders as she picks up a bill from her money pile and toys with anting it up "If I throw in another $20 can I make it the pants too?"
"Whatever gets me my money back faster." Jamie accepts.
"Now hang on…" Eddie protests as she pulls her hand with the $20 sightly back towards her "This is not your money this is our money."
"That you are currently holding hostage from me." Jamie points out.
"I am NOT holding it hostage!" Eddie rejects "You told me to buy something pretty and that is exactly what I'm doing!" She adds as she tosses the $20 onto the center of the table "Now here's another $20 and I call because I want you in your boxers!"
Jamie lets out a scoff of a laugh "Oh so I'M your something pretty?"
Eddie grins widely and nods her head up and down in confirmation.
Jamie shakes his head at his wife then gestures at the money she just threw down "You reeeeeeally sure you want to do that?" He questions deciding to be nice and give her an out.
"Yes." Eddie impatiently replies instead though "Just show your cards Jamie."
"Okay." Jamie accepts as he lays his cards down and Eddie's mouth falls open at his hand.
The next second she simply tosses her cards onto the table in defeat.
"And that's a hand for me." Jamie arrogantly notes as he sweeps the money towards him.
"Hmph." Eddie huffs out.
…..
Jamie and Eddie eye each other across the table.
Suddenly Eddie takes a bill and slaps it in the center of the table "I still want the shirt."
Jamie eyes his wife then reaches for one of the bills he now has and also slaps it down on the center of the table "Same." He announces.
A look of surprise appears on Eddie's face "Wait, what? What are you doing?"
"I'm playing poker." Jamie simply replies "Now I have money so I can buy articles of clothing too. I want your shirt."
A huge smirk appears on Eddie's face "That's changing the rules Jamie."
"Not at all." Jamie dismisses "You have money, I have money. You want clothing, I want clothing. Seems pretty fair to me."
Eddie eyes her husband "Alright." She accepts "You're on."
"Great." Jamie accepts "I cal..."
"WAIT!" Eddie protests "Time out."
"Time out?" Jamie repeats "Eddie there are no time outs in poker."
"Well like you said I'm not the best poker player so I need to ask a question – but you can't use it against me – you'd do that for me – your wife, right?"
Jamie scratches his head at the highly unorthdoxed request "Okay..." he finally relents.
"The highest hand you can have is a royal flush right?" Eddie inquires as she looks at her cards "That's like the ten through ace all in the same suit right?"
"Yes." Jamie confirms.
A great big smile graces Eddie's face "Okay!" she quips as she slides her entire stack of money towards the center of the table.
Jamie takes a moment to study his wife "Okay you're bluffing." He decides in rejection "You do not have a royal flush. There is no way."
Eddie flippantly shrugs "I'm going to want all your clothing for that pile of cash."
Jamie eyes his wife another few seconds to see her happily, giddily and eagerly awaiting his decision. Finally, he throws his cards down onto the table "I fold."
"That's a shirt!" Eddie declares in glee as she brings all the money back towards her "Start striping."
"Show me your hand." Jamie demands as he begins to remove his shirt.
"No way!" Eddie rejects as she gathers all the cards back together "You folded."
"You clearly aren't as bad at poker as I thought you were." Jamie admits as he tosses his shirt across the table hitting his wife in the face.
"Why thank you!" Eddie accepts laughing as she puts the cards down, takes his shirt, fans it out, then swings it around to rest on her back as she loosely wraps the arms around her neck like a scarf "Oooooo it's still warm! Hope you're not getting a chill over there."
"I'm good." Jamie deadpans back "Just deal."
….
"Shirt." Jamie repeats with determination as he slaps money on the table.
"Pants." Eddie again requests as she slaps her own money down meeting his challenge word for word and look for look.
"I see you my pants." Jamie states as he picks up another bill "And raise you your pant."
"Wow." Eddie notes with mock impressiveness "Someone thinks he's got quite the hand huh?"
"Oh I know I do." Jamie promises "And don't pretend you don't know that too." He suggestively insinuates.
It's impossible for Eddie to stop the blush that creeps up onto her face at his words.
"Call, raise or fold Eddie." Jamie arrogantly prompts.
Eddie sucks in a breath of air as she looks at her cards, then at her husband "If I fold it's just the shirt?"
Jamie nods but then Eddie gets an idea "Can it be your shirt?" She hopefully inquires.
"No." Jamie deadpans in rejection so heavily sighing, Eddie throws her cards down in defeat causing a grin to form on Jamie's face as he swipes the money towards him but his eyes are focused on his wife removing first his shirt from around her and then her shirt.
"See something you like?" Eddie shoots at him as she tosses her shirt at him too.
"Very much so." Jamie admits as he takes her shirt and lays it across his lap.
"I'm cold now." Eddie unhappily grumbles.
"I know." Jamie replies with a grin as he gestures to her chest "I can tell."
Eddie looks down then up again and rolls her eyes "Well enjoy the show cuz that's are far as you'll get." She promises.
"You know I like a challenge Eddie." Jamie prompts in amusement as he deals the cards back out but stops when he sees his wife putting his shirt on now instead "What are you doing?"
"I told you I'm cold." Eddie replies.
A look of disbelief appears on Jamie's face "Eddie you understand the rules of strip poker right? You can't redress in the middle of it!"
Eddie picks up a $20 and tosses it across the table at her husband's chest "Here I'm buying the right to stay warm."
"Unbelievable." Jamie mutters as he quickly fumbles with his hands to catch the bill.
"Oh what are you complaining about? You're getting your money back aren't you?" Eddie challenges "Wasn't that your entire goal in this game?"
"Well sure to start." Jamie agrees as he adds the money to his pile "But you are half naked now - my priorities have changed."
"Ugh." Eddie groans out "You are such a guy."
"Um yeah. Where ya been?"
"You know…" Eddie shoots back "…and here I told Badillo he could take a lesson from you in how to treat women."
Jamie raises a curious eyebrow "Did you now?"
Eddie bobs her head up and down "I did."
"Well I'm sorry Eddie…" Jamie defends "…but when my wife is – sorry WAS - sitting across from me at our table dressed only in her bra it turns me on and I remember how much I love and want her – sue me."
Eddie narrows her eyes at her husband at his ability to compliment and piss her off all at the same time "Damn you." Eddie mutters out as she reaches to lift Jamie's shirt up and off over her head "Fine. I will sit here and freeze for you. Happy?"
"Hmmm." Jamie ponders "Well if you're not happy I'm not happy."
Eddie frees mid removal "So I can put it back on?" she hopefully prompts.
"Never said that either." Jamie counters.
"Then what Jamie?" Eddie prompts in frustration.
"Well in the spirit of not letting my wife freeze might I suggest a change of venue?"
"Like?" Eddie suspiciously questions.
"We play on the bed under the covers."
Eddie stares at her husband a second then swipes her money up and bolts out of the chair heading for the archway.
Jamie laughs as he also stands and gathers his money and the cards "I TAKE IT THAT'S A YES?" he calls after her.
"YES!" Eddie's voice returns so Jamie walks to the bedroom and when he gets there he sees his wife sitting in the center of the bed already under the comforter and still adjusting it around her.
"Warmer?" Jamie questions as he climbs onto the bed to sit across from his wife.
"Yes." Eddie appreciatively states "Thank you."
"Don't thank me yet." Jamie arrogantly warns as he settles in "I'm still going to want the rest of your clothing, your money and let's go…" he prompts as he gestures to the cover around Eddie "…I get half that comforter."
"Oh that's your game." Eddie laughs as she lets go of one side of the cover and let's Jamie grab it to pull it around his back but both Jamie and Eddie have to shimmy themselves closer together in order for each of them to be encircled in the cover "Well isn't this cozy." Eddie quips as Jamie picks up the deck of cards and begins dealing "No peaking at my cards." She prompts as she begins to pick hers up.
"I was going to say that to you." Jamie tosses back.
Eddie's mouth falls open in mock shock "I would never!"
"Sure you would." Jamie counters as he swipes his cards up "Oh yeah I'm definitely getting the pants this time." He notes as he picks up a bill and slaps it down between them.
….
Many hands later an array of removed clothing is strewn across the bed and Jamie and Eddie have their comforter wrapped around their mostly naked bodies as they silently eye each other and the cards in their hands.
"So what is it you actually have left now?" Eddie questions "Just the socks?"
Jamie shifts around under the covers and moves a foot towards his wife "One sock." He clarifies right as he touches his bare toes to Eddie's leg so she yulps out a "That's cold!" and quickly shifts her body away before turning to glare at her husband.
In response Jamie arrogantly grins back at his wife.
Narrowing her eyes and now looking for payback, Eddie gives the covers a hard yank pulling them completely off of Jamie and fully towards her.
"Hey!" Jamie protests as he reaches over to try to grab them back but Eddie wraps them around her holding them tight against her "Give me my half back!" he demands but Eddie turns the front of her body away from her husband and curls up into a ball trying to keep the ends of the comforter away from him.
"Oh no you don't." Jamie promises as he crawls over his wife trying to reach around her and grab an end.
"NO!" Eddie laughs as she doubles down trying to curl up into an even tighter ball.
"YES!" Jamie counters as the couple struggle with one another for control of the comforter "That comforter is half mine!"
"Possession is 9/10th of the law!" Eddie laughs back right as Jamie manages to gain the upper hand and turn her body around so she's lying on her back beneath him
"I've got you now." Jamie arrogantly warns but out of nowhere Eddie somehow manages to lift her hips and flip Jamie over onto his back beside her and she opens the comforter up to allow herself the room to scramble herself up and over her husband now pinning him to the bed beneath her and the comforter.
Trying to catch her breath, Eddie let's out a "Hah!" in triumph as she hoovers over her husband "I win!"
Jamie looks up at his wife above him "Really?" He challenges "Because my wife is mostly naked on top of me under the covers on our bed." He points out "That's a complete win in my book and if she lets go of my arms I can guarantee it will be a win in her book too." He suggestively adds.
Electricity sparks between the couple as they simply stare at one another – nothing but the sounds of their heavy breathing between them before Eddie's hands release their grip and in an instant Jamie is reaching for his wife and pulling her down towards him into a passionate kiss…
…..
Having reached their peak and falling over it, Jamie rolls off his wife and onto his back beside her.
Breathing heavily, they both simply stare up at the ceiling a moment trying to catch their breathes.
With her heartrate slowly coming back down to normal, Eddie absently searches the bed with her hand. When it comes in contact with a couple of bills, she grabs them then lifts her arm and reaches to toss them at her husband's chest "Here." She breathlessly offers "You were worth every penny."
Jamie huffs out a laugh at her move "Oh I feel so cheap now." He jokes back at her "And how is it you can say a line like that and get away with it but if I said that I'd be getting an elbow in the ribs?"
Eddie rolls over onto her stomach to face her husband "You'd never say a line like that." She rejects with a knowing smile.
"I wouldn't?" Jamie curiously presses.
Eddie shakes her head "No, because you're too much of a gentleman…" She replies "It's a huge part of the reason I love you so much."
"Hmmm." Jamie muses "I'll take that answer."
"Good because it's the truth." Eddie continues "You have way too much respect for women." She adds as she leans up to give him a soft kiss "So thank you for that."
Jamie smile down at his wife "My pleasure – literally." He then suggestively adds with a playful grin.
"Ugh!" Eddie groans out with a roll of her eyes "You just had to go ruining the moment by being a guy again didn't you?"
"I AM a guy." Jamie points "And I think I just proved that!"
Eddie goes to bury her face into her husband's side at his words but not even a second later she is lifting herself off her husband slightly "Hang on." She instructs as she reaches down between their bodies and a second later she brings her hand back up to reveal a crumpled up $20 in her hands "You know when people say you have no idea where this money has been… well this just gives it a whole new meaning to me now."
Jamie nods his head in agreement at his wife "Should we launder it?" he jokes a second later causing Eddie to let out a laugh.
"Might not be a bad idea." She admits "Gotta find it all first though." She adds as she sits up a little and starts to feel around the bed searching for bills causing Jamie to do the same.
….
Eddie sits on the bed watching as Jamie counts all the collected bills "Yup that's all of them." He confirms when suddenly Eddie snatches the pile from his hands and before Jamie can stop her she tosses the pile up into the air above them.
"EDDIE!" Jamie chides as the bills rain down around them "What did you do that for?"
Laughing Eddie dismissively shrugs as she watches the bills flutter down around them "Sorry." She apologizes as she begins to regather them "I just had this sudden urge to do that – hey maybe we were Bonnie and Clyde in another life – robbing banks and then rolling around in the money after a heist in celebratory romp in the hay!"
"Really Eddie?" Jamie laughs "Bonnie and Clyde? Romp in the hay?"
"Hey you never know." Eddie insists.
"So what in this life, it's just instead of being the criminals…" Jamie challenges "…we catch them?"
Eddie looks at her husband impressed at his insightful thought "Maybe." She admits.
"You're ridiculous." Jamie tells his wife.
"What you don't believe in reincarnation?" Eddie prompts.
"No."
"You're no fun."
"Really because 5 minutes ago I'm pretty sure you'd have been giving me a different answer."
"That's what we should be for Halloween…" Eddie just continues on in her own little world "Bonnie and Clyde."
Jamie looks at his wife in confused awe "Since when do we dress up for Halloween?"
"This year!" Eddie decides.
"No." Jamie rejects as he reaches for his pants.
"Why not?" Eddie whines as she watches him pull his wallet out of his pocket "It will be fun!"
"You and I have very different definitions of fun." Jamie counters as he opens his wallet and slides the money in.
"So not laundering it then?" Eddie prompts her husband "Because we are definitely going to need to take a shower and change these sheets – and this duvet."
Jamie let's out a heavy breath of air in defeat as he simply tosses his wallet at his wife "Ugh I hate changing the duvet."
END OF FLASHBACK
"Most rewarding game of poker ever." Jamie notes as his eyes meet his wife's and with just a look, the electricity they both feel sparks between them but knowing they can't go there, a moment later Jamie clears his throat "Yeah I'm going to go back downstairs." He announces before simply spinning on his heels and disappearing out the door.
Eddie watches him go then blows out a breath of air as she looks down at her daughter "How I ever thought me and your Daddy would never have sex again is beyond me."
But then Eddie looks ups in thought "You know Jessie, that was the day your Daddy met your sister Mia." but then Eddie looks back down at her daughter "Yeah we'll explain that to you when you're older."
….
Erin stands in the kitchen rinsing dishes when Danny walks in with more plates.
He stops in the entrance and takes in the sight of his sister alone so Danny starts on this path to the sink again. He walks up behind his sister and as he reaches around her and to the side to put the dishes in his hands on the counters he says "I delivered her. I delivered Jessie. I held her first. I delivered our niece and I held her first!"
Erin whips around to point a rubber glove covered finger at her older brother "HAH! That's $3!"
Danny smirks at his sister then looks around the room "Really?" he challenges "Cuz I don't see any NYPD commanding officers in the room. Just you and me so suck it up Erin, I DELIVERED HER!" he adds for extra measure in giddy glee before spinning on his heels and walking away but before he can make it out of the kitchen a wet soapy cloth hits him in the back of the head "HEY!" he protests as he whips around to face his sister to see her smirking and shrug in deflection at him "What?" She innocently deflects.
Danny narrows his eyes and points a warning finger at his sister right as Jamie walks in the room "Children behave." He admonishes with an air of authority as he passes Danny on his way to the sink with more dishes.
"Oh look at this one testing out his new fatherly tone!" Danny tosses out at his brother "He has one kid and thinks he's the next Mister Rogers."
Suddenly Jamie lifts his head and gets a melancholy look on his face "That was a great show. They don't make shows like that anymore."
"No they don't." Erin agrees.
"Yeah now Jessie's going to get all her lesson's from Instagram and TicToc and that Twitter turned X or whatever." Danny notes causing Erin to nod her head in agreement.
"Yeah…" Erin agrees "…I don't envy you at all." She adds as she looks at Jamie "It was hard enough raising Nicky when I did but I couldn't imagine doing it now in this day and age."
"Agreed." Danny adds with a nod of his head causing Jamie to frown as he looks back and forth between his brother and sister
"Why are you all trying to rain on my parade?"
"Ah cuz that's what older siblings do?" Erin playfully needles with a slight laugh before relenting "We're just kidding. You'll be fine."
"Well I'm not so sure now." Jamie admits as he blows out a breath of air and moves to plop himself down into a chair at the kitchen table before absently staring off into space in defeat.
It's a move that causes Erin and Danny to immediately turn serious and exchange a worried look.
"Hey." Danny soothes as older brother and sister move towards their younger brother to each pull out chairs and sit down at the table with him.
"We were just kidding Jamie." Erin reassures her younger brother.
"Yeah." Danny chimes in "Jessie will be fine. She's got good support all around her."
"I know that." Jamie agrees "It's the rest of the world I'm worried about."
Danny looks at Jamie, glances at Erin then back to Jamie. He reaches into his pocket, pulls out his wallet and removes a dollar bill "I delivered her." he announces before slapping the dollar bill down on the table in front of his brother.
It's impossible for a smile not to form on Jamie's face as he slowly lifts his head to look at his brother and when he does, he sees Danny giving him a pointed look "Thank you." Jamie states as he sweeps the dollar bill into one of his hands while pulling out his own wallet with the other.
Suddenly both Jamie and Danny's phones ding with notifications as Frank comes walking into the kitchen heading for the door while talking on his phone and pulling his jacket on "Are they likely?"
And the expression on his face says the answer is not good "I'm on my way." He adds as he just opens the door and leaves.
Erin watches her father leave then looks between her brothers to see solemn looks on their faces as they both read their phones "What happened?"
"Two partners shot while on tour." Danny replies "And its not looking good."
"Oh man." Erin breathes out and as Erin and Danny continue their conversation their voices fade out in Jamie's head for suddenly all he can hear is his father's voice saying
"So I look the other way, you get married, the two of you get taken out in the same action – what do you want me to do with your kids?"
And now having Jessie, the reality of those words hits him like a whole new ton of bricks but before his mind can go too far down that rabbit hole Danny's voice breaks into his thoughts.
"Jamie? Hey Jamie? You okay?"
Jamie shakes himself free and comes back to the moment at hand where he plasters on his best poker face "Yeah, I'm fine."
...
