“Good, good. It's been fun here,” she assured him.
“That's good. When do you think you'll be coming home?” he continued.
“I don't know, probably soon. Jameson came here to see his lawyer, who was actually in another city. They got together yesterday – Jameson's actually with him right now,” Tate explained. “So I guess as soon as they're done doing whatever it is they're doing, we'll head home.”
“Awesome. Sounds good. How's Ang?”
Tate snorted, resting her chin on her hands. She was laying on her stomach on the floor, in the middle of the suite's living room. She had a laptop opened in front of her, within arms reach.
“Good. Kinda weird, actually. We went out last night, and before I got back to my room, he got all, like, emotional, or something. I thought he was gonna tell me he had cancer,” she recapped.
“Nah, he's probably just glad to be back with his buddy again. You're a hard person to miss,” Nick assured her.
“Pfffft. You don't miss me,” she teased.
“I miss your jokes.”
“My jokes are horrible.”
“Yeah, they make mine look better in comparison.”
“Speaking of better looking, is there any chance I can get a peek?” she asked, smiling big, hoping that would butter him up.
“Tate, it's midnight here,” Nick pointed out, but he had trouble holding back his smile. He had a horrible poker face.
“I know, I know, but you know I love it,” she begged, pouting her lips.
“Yeah, yeah, you only talk to me for one reason anymore,” he grumbled as he leaned out of the camera's view.
“At least it's a good reason!” she laughed. The Skype's feed blurred with the movement of Nick's arm. Just pixels filled with dark and light. Then a shape moving behind Nick. Another blurry shape coming into focus as it was held in front of him.
“Hold on, watch this,” Nick's voice said, and then the camera cleared.
“Dadda.”
Tate squealed and waved her hands at the plump baby that was looking back at her. The little boy had his daddy's big brown eyes and mop of thick brown hair. The little tyke said the word several more times before Nick pulled baby Jake back from the camera and sat him on his lap.
“Is that his first word!?” Tate exclaimed.
“Yeah. Clearly a smart boy,” Nick explained.
“I don't know where he gets it from, I must've said 'mama' a million times to him!” the blur behind Nick laughed. Then it leaned over his shoulder, came into the light and focus of the lens.
“He's a boy, there's no accounting for taste,” Tate assured Nick's wife, Laura. The other woman laughed.
“Very true. I guess I should just be thrilled – he's only ten months old, pretty soon to be saying anything. Maybe he'll be a genius,” Laura said, smoothing her fingers over the baby's hair.
“As long as he knows how to throw a ball, I don't care how smart he is,” Nick added. Tate and Laura snorted in unison.
Two years ago, when Tate had left Nick in Tucson, she never would've guessed that a year later he would meet the woman he was going to marry. Or that they would immediately get pregnant and have a baby. It had been quick, but it was clear that the two really loved each other. And Tate got along great with Laura – another reason why she wished she could visit Nick more often. His family felt like an extension of herself. Laura was almost like the sister Tate wished she would've had, and baby Jake was her nephew. She loved them.
“When are you going to have a little Kane running around?” Laura teased. Tate made a gagging sound.
“God, can you imagine Jameson with a baby? It would shi-, er, ahhhh, need a diaper change, and Jameson would pass out. Or try to sell it for a clean one,” Tate joked.
“I bet he'd surprise you. But speaking of dirty diapers,” Nick said, holding Jake away from his lap. Laura groaned.
“Does it ever end? Good seeing you, Tate, come visit us soon!” she called out as she carried the baby away from the camera.
“I'll try! Give him kisses for me!” Tate yelled. Nick laughed.
“Seriously, I bet he'd be great with kids,” Nick went back to what they'd been talking about.
“Jameson? Have you ever seen him around kids? He looks like he wants to puke,” Tate pointed out.
“What about you? Do you want kids?”
“Well, yeah, someday.”
“Then he'll want kids.”
“You sound so sure.”
“Tate, the man lives to see you happy. The moment you're ready to have kids, he'll step up to the plate,” Nick assured her. She smiled.
“Thanks for having faith in him,” she said softly.
“You're very welcome.”
“Why did you want me to call you?” she asked. Nick shrugged.
“Just missed your face. Sometimes it feels like time is moving so fast, and next thing I know, something else big has happened. I just …, didn't want to miss anything,” he tried to explain. Tate frowned.
“What would you miss with me? Still the same ol' Tate and Jameson over here,” she pointed out. He nodded.
“I know. But like I said, sometimes things move fast,” he repeated himself.
Tate wanted to question him further, but she was interrupted by the door to the suite opening. She propped herself up on her hands and by the time she looked over her shoulder, Jameson was halfway across the room, taking his jacket off.