Elizabeth was right about being ready soon. Almost a week later, her water broke as she was making breakfast. Everyone was talking at the table.

"Maddie!"

Maddie looked at her mother for a moment. "Ma?"

"My water broke. Can you get the doctor please?"

"Yes." She ran out the door, grabbing her coat at the last moment.

"Everyone? Listen up!" Everybody stopped talking. "Its time to go see Papa and Grandma. The baby is coming."

Em took everyone, leading the little ones in a chain, to the boarding house. Abbie cried as they went, not understanding what was going on. She just wanted Mama.

Jack helped her up the stairs and into a clean nightgown.

"Jack," she moaned, clutching his shoulder. "I need to push."

"What? How long have you been in labor?"

"A few hours." She panted as a contraction started, holding tight to his fingers. "Check me!"

He checked. "Ok, babe. Next pain, push." He grabbed a clean blanket off the rocking chair to be ready for this impatient child of theirs.

Ten minutes later, their daughter was born into her Daddy's hands. "It's a girl, Elizabeth."

"You were right," she said through her tears.

Maddie and the doctor walked in as he was drying her off. "Hey doc! Got clean scissors?"

The doc held the scissors he had over the flame in the fireplace for a moment and then cut the cord.

"Congratulations, Jack and Elizabeth. She sounds healthy. Let me have a look."

Jack handed her to the doctor and went to sit by Elizabeth.

He smiled and kissed her temple and then her lips for a moment. "Good job," he whispered.

Maddie brought her sister to her parents. "What's her name?"

Elizabeth looked at Jack. "Kylie Hope."

AN HOUR LATER

The doctor pronounced them both in good health so he went home, promising to come back in a few hours to check again.

Maddie went back to the boarding house to let everyone know about their new sister.

She walked in to find not only her family and grandparents, but also Nate. "Hi everyone." She walked over and stood next to Nate.

"How's the labor going?" Charlotte asked.

"All done. By the time the doctor and I arrived, Dad had already helped her deliver the baby."

"Oh! Is it a boy or girl?"

"Girl. Dad named her Kylie Hope."

"Another girl?" Will asked. "I wanted another brother."

Jake smiled. "Girls are the best, Will. You can't live without them." He winked at Charlotte. "At least, I can't." He snuggled Abbie closer.

THE THORNTON HOUSE

Jack stared at his daughter, propped up on his knees, sleeping peacefully.

Elizabeth smiled, leaning on his chest. "She has your lips, babe. Heart shaped and kissable." She tilted her head up and kissed him. "Perfect."

He touched Kylie's soft cheek and then her blonde curls. "She is beautiful, but I knew she would be. Look at her mother." He smiled and kissed her back.

She started making sucking noises so he handed her to Elizabeth to eat. Elizabeth settled her and then closed her eyes, putting her head against his shoulder.

An hour later, all the kids came pouring in the door downstairs. Jack picked Kylie up from her cradle and carried her carefully downstairs to introduce her to the kids.

"Daddy! I want to see her!" Carlie shouted.

"Carlie, Shhh. She's little and sleeping. Let's go sit down and everyone can see her if they want."

All the kids followed him into the living room. "Maddie, can you put another log on the fire please? It's important that she stays warm."

Maddie took care of the fire and then sat on an arm chair with Jay on her lap.

"Me Me? Bebe?" He pointed at Kylie.

"Yep, that's Baby Kylie. Let's go say hi."

"No, no bebe."

She kissed his forehead, holding him tight.

Abbie was watching her Daddy holding the baby. Apparently she was ok with it because she held Kylie's hand and kissed her cheek and then climbed up next to her Daddy on the couch.

Em made her way upstairs to see her mom. She peeked her head in the door.

"Mama?" she whispered.

"Yes, babe?" She moved herself in to a sitting position.

"Can I come in?"

"Of course." Em climbed up on her Dad's side of the bed and snuggled up to her mom. "Something bothering you?"

"No."

"Where is everyone?"

"Downstairs with Dad and the baby." She paused for a moment. "Evan kissed me Ma," she blurted.

"Oh yeah? When?"

"About a week ago." Elizabeth didn't know what to say. "I don't know what the big deal about kissing is, anyway. It's weird and mushy."

"Em," Elizabeth said with a laugh.

"Was your first kiss weird and mushy?"

"Well, no." It was perfect, she thought. "But I wasn't thirteen and your dad had kissed people before."

"Well now that I know what it's like, I'm not in a hurry to try again."

Elizabeth marveled at how different her oldest daughters were from each other. In this case, Maddie was finding it hard to wait for Nate, and Emmy was perfectly ok to wait because she wasn't ready for all that a relationship entailed.

THAT NIGHT, GIRLS ROOM

"Maddie, is there something wrong with me?"

"No, of course not. Why?"

"Evan kissed me. I didn't like it."

"What?! When?"

"Last week. We went fishing. He looked at me when I was talking to him and before I knew it, his lips were squished against mine."

"Em, I can't believe you didn't tell me."

"First of all, you kept your first kiss from me too. Second, that isn't my point. I didn't feel anything except the need to stop kissing him. I wanted my first kiss to be perfect."

"Well, maybe it will be better next time he kisses you."

"Are you kidding? I'm not letting him kiss me again."

"Ever?"

"No."

"Don't you like Evan?"

"He is more like my brother. I don't like him like a boyfriend."

"That's probably why you didn't enjoy the kiss."

"What's it like when Nate kisses you?"

"What do you mean? It's special. I love him and it's wonderful when he kisses me. It's like him telling me how he feels without words."

Em sighed. "Night Maddie."

"Night Em."

REGINA

Caleb watched Amy wash dishes, humming to herself. She seemed happy and he was grateful.

"Ames?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you almost done?"

She turned and looked at him. "You know, you could help me and it would go faster."

"I could. Would you like me to help?"

"Yes, Mr. Thornton, I would." She tossed the towel over her shoulder at him. "Wanna dry?"

He hopped up and wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, making her giggle. "I'd rather do this." He kissed her ear, and behind her ear, and her earlobe, giving her goosebumps. Then he moved her dark, silky hair to the other side of her neck, making it easier to kiss the side he was on.

She turned and sighed. "I'm almost done, then why don't we sit by the fire?" He gently backed her up against the counter, kissing her and burying his fingers deep in her hair. "Wow, Caleb. What's gotten into you?"

"I missed you."

"I guess you did. Will you check on the twins for me?"

"Mmhmm. Then I'll meet you on the couch." He kissed her again and walked off, leaving her to try to concentrate on the task.

She hurried through it and then went into their bedroom. Mason and Meri were both in his arms, smiling up at him and babbling. The babies, at eight months could sit up on their own for a bit and get up on their hands and knees. They also started saying "Mamama" when she walked in the room. It melted her heart when they said it for the first time.

She went to the dresser pulling out her newest creation, a lovely baby blue cotton nightgown with lace edging. It was shorter than usual, about three inches shorter, but he would like it. She walked into the hallway and down to the bathroom to change and then to the couch to wait.

Caleb didn't want to leave his kids but he wanted to be with Amy. The last three months of training had been extremely difficult on his heart. It hurt that he missed milestones such as their first words and starting to crawl. They were his babies, but he only saw them once a week. It didn't seem right, even though he knew it was necessary.

"Dadada," Mason said quietly. Caleb almost didn't realize he had said it.

"Did you say dada?" Mason smiled and gave him an open mouthed smooch on his chin.

Caleb immediately began to cry, realizing how much he loved his family with such a simple thing.

"Oh I love you so much." He kissed them both on their soft heads. "I'm sorry that I'm gone all the time. I wish there was an easier way."

Amy walked back in to see what was holding him up. "Sweetie?" She saw his tears. "Caleb, what is it?"

"He said Dada. To me, he said it. I didn't miss it."

"Dada," Mason said louder, bouncing in Caleb's arms.

Caleb noticed his wife's nightgown. "Wow, Ames. You look amazing in that." The hem hit her about mid-thigh, showcasing her beautiful legs.

"Mama!" Meri said as she walked by. "Mama."

"Hi, big girl." She picked her up, propping her on her hip. She started tugging on the top of Amy's nightgown. "You hungry? If I feed you, will you go to sleep so I can spend time with Daddy?"

Amy sat on the bed, against the headboard and fed Meri. "Honey, can you bring me Mason?"

"Sure." He took him over and then decided to get ready for bed himself.

Within ten minutes, the babies were out and Amy met Caleb on the couch. She sat down next to him, not even a centimeter separating them. He put his arm around her shoulders and kissed her temple. "Hi," he whispered.

"Hey." She touched his cheek where the stain from a stray tear was. "You ok?"

"Yes. When he said it, I just realized how much I'm missing by being away and I was so grateful I heard him say it." She nodded. She had wondered how he had been feeling. He usually paid attention and was concerned about how she was more than himself.

"I love you, babe."

"I love you, Ames."

She stood up. "I'll be right back." She walked out a moment later with something in her hand. "This is for you."

"A journal?"

"Yeah. I think that since it has helped me so much, you should try it too. Just write in it whenever you miss us, or have something on your mind."

"Thank you." He grabbed a pencil from the table and started writing.

She nudged him with her foot, since he was now sitting on the other end of the couch. "I didn't mean right now."

"Well, I have something I want to say so I figured I should write it down." She watched him, his eyes reflecting the fire burning a few feet away.

When he finished, he shut the book and handed it to her.

She opened to the first page.

TONIGHT I REALIZED AGAIN JUST HOW PRECIOUS TO ME MY WIFE AND CHILDREN ARE. HEARING MY SON SAY "DADA" WARMED MY HEART AND AT THE SAME TIME, BROKE IT, KNOWING I COULD HAVE MISSED IT.

NOW, MY WIFE SITS NEXT TO ME, LOOKING INCREDIBLE, AND ALL I WANT TO DO IS…TELL HER THAT WE ARE GOING HOME FOR CHRISTMAS!

MERRY CHRISTMAS, MY LOVE

"Caleb! Are you serious? We have three weeks?"

"Yes, Swift told all of us that he was feeling generous and decided we can have an extra week."

"That's wonderful. When do we leave?"

"A week from today. So when I get off next Saturday, instead of coming home, I will meet you at the depot."

"Oh! I have so much to do. I need to make a list and…" She trailed off as she stood and started to walk away.

"Ames! Tomorrow we can make a list." He grabbed her hand and pulled her down on his lap. His hand played with the short hem of her nightgown which had become much shorter. "Tonight, we have other things to do."

HARRIS TOWN, THE AVERY HOUSE

Theresa sighed as she sat on her bed. She had been so busy in the kitchen. Abigail had graciously offered her a job as cook at the restaurant and she took it out of necessity and want. She loved to cook and needed something to keep her busy. She had always wished for her own home and a husband and children to cook for, but since that hadn't happened, she would take advantage of what she did have.

The thing she really appreciated was that she was so busy, that sadness didn't enter into the picture until she was alone in bed, and then, she was so tired, she fell asleep without shedding a tear most nights.

Theresa fingered the ring that hung around her neck. "Love you, Mama. I'm trying to make you proud." She kissed it and then fell asleep.

THE THORNTON HOME

Jack took fussy Kylie downstairs so she wouldn't keep everyone awake. Kylie was a crier. She was not easy like Jay or Abbie had been. It seemed, if Elizabeth, or whoever was holding her, kept moving, she was fine. Put her down or stop walking and the whimpering and crying began.

Jack kept walking and then decided to sing to her, to see if that would help.

Maddie walked into the kitchen but just watched and listened for a moment. Her dad was walking around the kitchen with his tiny little girl in one arm, singing. What a good father.

"Hi, Daddy," she said quietly.

"Hi, Bug." She walked up and hugged them.

"I love you," she told him. "You are the best father."

"Thanks babe." He kissed her cheek and smiled. "That's very sweet of you to say."

"Its true. For example. Why are you down here with Kylie?"

"She's fussy and I didn't want her to bother anyone else."

"Exactly. Not a lot of fathers would even spend the time. They would let their wives take care of the baby."

"Well, maybe, but that's not me."

"That's my point. We are so lucky to have you as our dad." He smiled, his eyes filling with tears.

"I'm the lucky one." He truly felt that. His heart was filled with love for his family.

She looked up when she heard a cry from upstairs. "Why is Jay awake?" She ran upstairs to the boys room.

"Me Me! Hold Jay!" He cried holding his arms up, impatient for her to hold him.

"Shhh. What's wrong?"

"Bad! Me Me, hold Jay!"

She figured he must have had a bad dream. She picked him up and took him downstairs to the living room. She sat on the couch and cradled him, running her fingers through his light brown hair. He had tears on his warm pink cheeks.

She didn't know if his newly four year old brain could explain his dream, so she just comforted him as best she could.

Jack sat down next to them. "You know, you'll be a great mother one day."

"I hope so. I would love to be a Mama."

"You've gotten a lot of practice with this one."

"Yeah. I can't imagine loving a child more." She looked down at him and smiled. He was sleeping again, his hand on her chest. "I'm going to try to put him down and go to bed. See you in the morning." She kissed his cheek and walked away.

Jay would not let her put him down, so she took him to bed with her and laid him between her and Emmy. He whimpered a minute, but stopped when she wrapped her arm across his stomach. "Love you Jay."

"Mama!" Jay yelled a few minutes later.

"Shhh. Jay. Mama is sleeping."

"No! Mama go," he cried. "Want Mama stay!"

"Buddy, Mama isn't going anywhere. She's just sleeping."

Maddie picked him up and left the room. As she got to her parents door, Jack came out. "He must be having bad dreams."

"Dada! Mama no go!"

Jack took him and held him. "Jay, Mama is not going anywhere."

"Want Mama, pease?"

"Thanks, Maddie." Jack took him in their room and shut the door. "See, Mama is sleeping."

Elizabeth opened her eyes. "I'm awake."

"Mama!" Jay ran over and climbed up on the bed. "Mama, me seep and Mama go. No go Mama. Stay."

"Did you dream that I left you?"

"Ya Mama. Love you." He wrapped his arms around her neck and held on.

"I love you too, Jay."

"Moon back, Mama?"

"Yes, to the moon and back."

Everyone was grumpy when they got up the next morning. Jay was grumpy because he didn't sleep much and he caused everyone else not to sleep either.

Maddie yawned as she got ready for church. She really just wanted to go to bed but she wanted to see Nate worse.

"Em, you going with me?" Maddie laughed as she heard a groan from the bed.

"Ok, but I need your help with breakfast before I go." She uncovered her sister and pulled her out of bed. "Up please. I'm taking Abbie."

"Ok." Em picked up Abbie from her crib. "Hi, Abbie. Hungry?"

"Ya. Mama eat." Abbie put her head on Em's shoulder and sighed. Em changed her diaper and then took her downstairs to the kitchen. "Mama?"

"How about eggs?" Em didn't want to bother their mother. Em watched her sister start to cry. "Wanna help me cook?"

"No, Mama!"

Maddie walked in as Em picked up Abbie to calm her down. "Mama is sleeping Abbie. We need to be quiet."

"I can take her, Em, if you want to make breakfast," Jack offered when he walked in the room.

"Dada! Mama?" Abbie whined, her arms out for him to take her.

"Hi, baby. You want Mama?"

"Ya, Mama eat."

"Ok, sweetie. Let's go see her."

Elizabeth was feeding Kylie when they walked in. "Mama!"

"Hi, sweetheart."

"Eat," she said as she watched Kylie doing what she was wanting to do. She sat on Elizabeth's leg and watched patiently.

"You are such a good girl, Abbie. Mama loves you so much."

Jay finally woke up but was not patient. "Mama, eggs pease."

"Hi, Jay. Me Me made you eggs downstairs."

"No, Mama make eggs."

"I'm feeding your sisters right now. Why don't you go with Daddy. He can take you downstairs."

"No!" He crossed his little arms and pouted.

"Jay, you need to listen."

"No!" Jack walked over and picked him up.

"Jay, you are going to sit right here. You need to listen to Mama when she tells you something and you don't tell her no."

"No! Want Mama." Jack put him in the rocking chair and left him there. Jay proceeded to get up at least ten times, yelling each time, finally breaking down in tears when Daddy kept putting him back in the chair.

After two minutes of him finally staying in the chair quietly, Jack made him apologize for telling her no and not listening.

"Sorry Mama. I listen. I say yes."

He gave her a hug and kissed her cheek. "Dada, eggs pease." He looked so pitiful with tears running down his cheeks and a little red nose.

"Ok, bud. Let's get eggs."

Needless to say, Maddie was the only one who attended church that day, riding with Nate and his family.