6

They didn't meet on Friday as planned - an emergency at work, Sydney claimed. Then she was hesitant to reset the meeting until she got the work emergency resolved. Jamie tried not to worry or let his mind run wild about the other possible reasons for the delay, but that was getting harder to do as days went by. And it only felt worse with the family constantly checking in on him and his situation with no new answers to their questions. He really wanted to work this out with Sydney, but by Wednesday, he was starting to research New York family law to understand his rights.

Thankfully, he didn't get too deep into it because Sydney eventually called and they arranged to meet on a Friday afternoon once again.

He hardly slept. It didn't help that he was alone in bed again, but the truth was that he couldn't get his mind to shut off. Different outcomes of his impending meeting with Sydney played out in his head and they were all over the place as far as possible outcomes were concerned.

Jamie rolled out of bed at dawn and puttered around the apartment until he decided he needed a run to relieve some stress. He roamed the city, not following his usually well-times routes, and ran well into rush hour until fatigue and soreness set deep into his muscles. He was walking back to the apartment, a tired and sweaty mess, when a glance at his watch reminded him that Eddie would soon be home.

Jamie stood in front of the kitchen sink guzzling down a glass of water. He put it down and leaned back against the cool cabinets, giving himself a few minutes to rest. He was still there when his wife walked through the door.

"Hey, I'm back!" Eddie announced, expecting to find him somewhere around the apartment since he'd taken the day.

"Hey. How was work?" Jamie said, coming out of the kitchen.

Eddie raised a brow at his sweat-soaked tee shirt and bright red cheeks. "Quiet for the first time in a minute. What have you been up to?" she asked, turning to see if he had his indoor trainer set up in the living room.

"I went for a run," he said and took a step to meet her for a kiss. "Hi," he whispered before pressing his lips to hers.

Eddie moaned softly and brought a hand up to his chest before pulling back. "God, you're really soaked!" She laughed and took a step back to drop her bags on a dining room chair.

"It was a long run," he explained.

"What'd you do, run around all of Manhattan?"

"I probably came close. I couldn't sleep," he explained.

"That's 'cause you got a big day," she reasoned. She knew his sleep was limited over the last few weeks despite their mismatched schedules. The dark circles under his eyes were growing more prominent as was her concern for him.

"Yeah," he shrugged.

"You sure you don't want me to come with?" Eddie offered, wanting to be there to support him. And meet Sydney.

"I'd say absolutely, if I wasn't worried about making Sydney feel outnumbered. I think it will come across better if it's just me and her today," Jamie reasoned.

"I know. You're right," she sighed and stepped back to her work bag to sort through its contents.

Jamie could see her struggling with all of this, regardless of how supportive she was. He noted it all week but had been too overwhelmed to sit down and have a deeper discussion with her. That was his bad and he needed to fix it. Now. "Hey."

"Yeah," she responded automatically without so much as a glance in his direction.

Jamie took her hands in his to stop her fidgeting and ducked down, forcing her to make eye contact with him. "Thank you," he said sincerely.

"For what?" Eddie replied. She didn't feel like she had done much of anything lately.

"Uh, for being amazing with this whole thing for starters," Jamie said. "For giving me time to get my head on straight. For helping me figure out a plan and for being on board with it."

"Yeah, well, I'll always have your back." Eddie casually recited one of their vows and gently tried pulling away, but Jamie wouldn't have it.

He brought her hand up to his lips, pressing a sweet kiss to her knuckles. "This goes way past having my back, Eddie. I know this isn't easy for you."

Eddie looked away. This was when she should take Erin's advice but she felt guilty adding on to the situation.

Unfortunately for her, Jamie was persistent. "Tell me."

Keeping things from each other wasn't going to make this easier nor was it their style, so she drew strength from within and went with it. "Okay. Not gonna lie, but it makes me sad it's not us doing this parenting thing together the first time. And then I feel guilty for feeling that way. Kids are a blessing and I would never want you or God forbid, James, to think I resent either of you for his coming into our lives, no matter how it happened."

"I know you wouldn't, Ed. And you have every right to feel that way. I understand what you mean. That was one of the first things I thought about. You're the only one I wanted to do this with. And then I thought about it a lot more and realized there was another way to look at it."

Eddie shot him a questioning look and waited for him to explain.

"When we do have a baby, we really are going to go through that for the first time together. James is almost ten. Going through a pregnancy together, having a baby and raising it for all of its early childhood, it's gonna be ours to go through together for the first time. There's no taking that from us."

Eddie tilted her head and considered his words; that never occurred to her. "I didn't think of it that way, but you're right. I guess I just always thought I would be the one to give you kids. And it's weird that we now have your ex in our lives."

"I'm sorry about that."

"I'm not blaming you, Jamie," she said. "And since we are being so honest, I've probably cycled through all the same emotions you have about Sydney. I was angry at her for the way she handled this, for keeping you and James apart."

"And now?" Jamie wondered.

"I tried putting myself in her shoes to understand why she would do it and I realized that if it had been me in the same exact situation, breaking up after a long relationship and newly pregnant in a different country, I don't know what I would have done. I have all the time in the world now to sit here, judge and contemplate all of the options she had. But back then, when she was going through it, she must have felt the pressure of the world to make the right decision for her and the baby." She hoped, for all of their sakes, that they could leave any anger behind them.

"I thought the same thing one night when I couldn't get my mind to turn off. I also realized being angry at her isn't going to help matters any, not if I want us to be amicable."

Eddie smiled. This was why they would always be the best partners. "I agree."

"I love you Edit Reagan, don't ever forget that," Jamie declared, pulling her in close for a kiss.

Eddie moaned at the feel of his lips on hers again. Then the sensation of a damp tee shirt seeped through to her skin. She tried pulling away, but Jamie purposely tightened his hold on her, his kiss turning into a smile.

"Ugh!" Eddie growled as she playfully shoved him away. "It feels like you soaked the front of my shirt!" she laughed and peeled her top away from her skin for added effect. Eddie swatted his backside as she went to the bedroom. "Go change. Then you need to get me some food."

"I'm hungry for something else," he announced and followed after his wife.

The meet up with Sydney is next!