APRIL

"Beth, you and Jack wanna do lunch with Rosie and me this weekend?" Lee wondered.

"Sorry. It's Hunter's birthday, remember? I have Friday, Saturday, and Sunday off."

"That's right. Ok, well, we should plan something."

"Absolutely."

Lee walked over behind Elizabeth who was paying rapt attention to her phone. "Anything interesting on there, Beth?"

"I'm trying to find a recipe for frosting for Hunter's cake. I need it to be perfect. And black."

"Black frosting? Is that a thing? And since when do you bake?"

"Well, technically, I don't, but I've been practicing. And yes, it's a thing when you are trying to make the best darn Lego Batman party for your new son and it needs to be perfect."

Lee leaned against his desk and crossed his arms, his lips pulled into a smirk. "Beth, you don't need to try so hard. He's six. All he will care about is that you tried and that you love him."

In her heart she knew he was right, but in her head… He was her son and this was the first birthday since his adoption. It was going to wow him if it was the last thing she did.

It was Tuesday. His sleepover was Friday. She had three days.

…..

"Hunter, did you get any invitations back today?" Elizabeth wondered. There were ten invitations but she was hoping for a few less than that to accept. Ten six year old boys was a lot.

"Yup."

"Are they in your bag?"

"Yup," he said, taking a big bite of ice cream.

"Bud, slow down. You're going to get an ice cream headache," Jack told him.

"What's that?"

"If you eat ice cream too fast, it hurts your head."

"I wanna try!" Before Jack could stop him, he shoved a huge spoonful in his mouth. "Ow ow OW!"

Elizabeth scolded Jack with a look, for which she got a shrug that basically said, "boys will be boys."

After a good twenty seconds, tears running down his face, Hunter giggled. "That hurt!"

"You're done, bud. Bathtime."

"I'm clean!"

"Nice try. It's been two days."

"Can I use your bathtub, Mama?"

"Yes."

"Can I play submarine?" Jack had taught him how to use a snorkel in William and Grace's indoor pool over the last few months. He then got the grand idea to use it in the bathtub.

Jack picked him up off the stool and set him on the floor. "Submarine and one book or no submarine and two?"

"One book!"

Hunter ran upstairs and Jack handed Elizabeth the bowl and wrapped his arms around her, kissing her neck. "After bed, you, me, fire, wine?"

"I'd love to but I need to work on his cake. I can't get the frosting right and I only have two more nights after this."

"Why don't you go to the bakery? You can just buy his cake."

"Because I want this to be special, from me to him. I want him to say, "My mom MADE this and be proud. I don't want him to tell everyone that I bought it."

He turned her in his arms and kissed her gently. "Do you know what I heard him telling his buddy Josh today?"

"What?"

"That his mom is the best Sergeant around. That you keep us safe every night from bad guys and you're even pretty in your uniform."

"He said that?" Her eyes filled with tears. Knowing Hunter felt that way made her love him even more.

"Yes. He is proud of you. That being said, he won't notice if his cake isn't perfect. He's a little boy. That loves his Mama very much."

"Its full!" he yelled from upstairs.

Jack kissed her cheek and smiled. "You, me, fire, wine?"

"Yeah."

The next evening, Elizabeth was determined to get the frosting right. She had enough ingredients for one more try so she needed to be careful.

"Knock knock!" Rosie's bubbly voice called from the front door. "Everyone fully clothed in here?"

"Of course, Rosie. What do you think? We walk around in our underwear when our five year old goes to bed?" Jack asked.

"Well, I should hope not, Jack Thornton. But you are still newlyweds and for all I knew you might have sent Hunter off to your parents or something."

"Its Wednesday. He has school tomorrow. Now, what brings you here, with a years supply of food coloring and frosting?"

"I'm here to see your wife. Lee told me that she was having trouble with Hunter's cake."

"She's in the kitchen but don't be surprised if she doesn't let you help. She wants to do this on her own."

"Thank you." Rosie walked to the kitchen and Jack sat back down on the couch to read.

….

"Rosemary? Did Lee tell you I needed help?"

"Not in so many words. Well…he….he let me draw my own conclusions. But whatever the reason, I'm here to help."

"I want to do this on my own. Thank you for troubling yourself." She smiled politely.

"Lee also told me you would be stubborn."

"I bet he did but Rosie, this is Hunter's first birthday as our son. I'm new to this mom thing but I want to make this perfect for him. I want him to know that I made him something special. That can't happen if someone else does it for me."

"I see your point."

"Mama?" Elizabeth turned and looked at Hunter. He looked adorable in his black and yellow Batman PJs and his hair all messed up.

"Why are you out of bed, sweetie?"

"I heard a noise."

"What kind of noise?" She picked him up and turned him so his back was toward the crazy amounts of yellow and dark gray frosting in bowls.

"I don't know. It was loud."

"I didn't hear anything, sweetheart."

"Can you come check? I'm scared."

"Maybe it was just Rosie, " she whispered in his ear.

He giggled. "Yeah! Rosie's loud!"

"Hey, little man. You are loud too," Rosie retorted.

"All right, let's go to bed, Hunter," Elizabeth told him.

"Ok, but, Mama? Whatever you give me for my birthday, doesn't have to be perfect."

"You heard that?"

"Yeah. I love you no matter what, forever and ever."

Elizabeth hugged him tight and looked over at Rosie who was tearing up. "I love you too, Hunter James Thornton. Forever and ever."

She sighed and carried him up the stairs to check for "monsters."

"Going so soon, Rosie?" Jack said with a smirk as Rosie walked to the door. "She throw you out?"

"Nope, but she has things under control. She's an amazing woman, Thornton. Amazing."

"I agree."

"Tell her I'd be happy to help decorate on Friday but I have a hunch she won't need help."

"I'll tell her."

"Night, Jack."

"Night, Rosie."

Friday rolled around and the second Jack and Hunter left for school, she started covering every door in the house with a black or yellow table cloth and attaching the same color plastic plate to them, making them resemble huge legos.

Next, she quickly started blowing up balloons with the helium tank Charlotte and Tom had rented and brought over and tying ribbons around each one.

"Anyone need help in here?" Julie called from the front door.

"Julie? Yes, come in!" Not only had Julie come, but she had brought their parents. Jack's showed up shortly after.

"Ok, everyone! Did Jack tell you to come help me?" Everyone turned and looked at everyone else and didn't answer. "I won't be angry. I'm really grateful. I wanted to make this nice for my little boy. Well, actually, I think I may have used the word "perfect" a few times. But Hunter told me that I didn't have to be perfect or give him the perfect present. He loved me no matter what." She smiled and wiped her eyes. "I love him so much and I think I may have bitten off more than I could chew. So now, I just want to make it nice."

"It is, dear. It's great and Hunter will love it," Charlotte told her.

"I brought the Lego table from our house. Jack said you wanted to set both up in the living room?" William asked.

"Yes. I do. There are six little boys coming in addition to Hunter. I think that should keep them busy for awhile."

….

When Jack showed up with Hunter that evening and his friends pulled in right after, Hunter could barely contain his excitement.

"Dad! Look! The door is a huge Lego! Cool!"

"I see, bud. Let's go see what's inside, ok?"

The boys burst in and immediately both sets of grandparents and Julie and Tom shouted "Happy birthday!"

"This is awesome!" He ran around and hugged everyone. When he got to Elizabeth, he wiggled his finger to get her to kneel down.

"Yeah, bud?"

"Thank you, Mama."

She kissed his forehead and smiled. "You're welcome. Now go have fun!"

"Yes, ma'am!"

He did too. They had a bat shaped piñata filled with lemon candy and licorice. Jack, Tom Sr. and Tom Jr., and William barbecued hotdogs and chicken for dinner. The kids ate outside and then played an endless game of fetch with Bruce before heading inside to eat cake and play with the millions of Legos that were on hand.

By ten o'clock, all the kids had pretty much passed out in Hunter's room upstairs, Bruce among them.

Tom had taken so many pictures of the whole thing, including one of Jack, Elizabeth, and Hunter that he promised he would frame for their living room.

Charlotte and Tom tackled cleanup in the living room while Elizabeth and Grace cleaned the kitchen.

"Well, dear, you outdid yourself today."

"Thanks, Mom. He seemed to have fun."

"He had a blast."

"Good."

"Were you really worried he wouldn't?"

"I guess not. I just...I'm a Mom now. He's the most wonderful little guy and I'm so grateful I have him. And Jack, of course, so I wanted to make it memorable."

"All three of you are certainly blessed to have each other." Grace turned Elizabeth and hugged her tight. "I am blessed too. You are amazing. Don't ever doubt how much we all, including Hunter and Jack, love you. That will never, ever change. Got it?"

"Yes ma'am."

Later after cleanup was done, the kids were checked on, and a fire was started, Jack and Elizabeth snuggled on the couch and talked.

"Nice job, Beth. This was a very good day."

"It was."

"And the zoo tomorrow will be great too."

"Yes. I love the zoo. It's been years since I've gone."

"I was thinking," Jack started. "I really liked how Hunter and his friends interacted today. He'd be a great big brother."

"Yes, I agree."

"So, if you agree…"

"I still think we need to wait, babe. We agreed a year, right? That means we need to wait nine more months."

He nodded, a bit disappointed but understanding at the same time. He, personally, loved his job and his students and he loved making a difference. That being said, his job didn't define him. In his heart, being a husband and father meant more than anything and if he lost his job tomorrow, he wouldn't be heartbroken.

It seemed to be different with Beth. She loved her job and everything it entailed and deep down, beneath the womanly exterior of his wife and Hunter's mom, was a strong, hardworking police officer. It defined who she was and who she would be in the future. Because of that, she felt it was important to wait to have their baby and he was going to respect that.

"Jack?"

"Yeah?" He kissed her temple and pulled her closer.

"Are you angry?"

"No, of course not. I understand."

She lifted her head from his shoulder and looked into his eyes. "I love you."

"I know." He nodded to assure her and leaned down to kiss her. "I know."

…..

The next morning Elizabeth woke to find an empty bed. Well not completely empty. Snow was there, making herself completely at home on Jack's pillow. Last night's conversation hadn't ended how either of them had hoped.

Having more children was very important to Jack. It was for her as well. Just seemed even more for him right now. Maybe it was because of all he had lost. She'd have to ask him to be sure. They'd talked about children, but it seemed there was more to learn. The thought worried her, but excited her at the same time. Her husband was a handsome, wonderful mystery. One she would gladly spend the rest of her life learning and exploring.

Hearing the number of little voices down stairs, Elizabeth dragged herself out of bed and dressed in her Philadelphia sweats and a shirt to see how the breakfast portion of the birthday sleepover was going.

Downstairs in the kitchen Jack was busy at work making waffles with rainbow sprinkles baked in, bacon, and eggs. "Perfect meal for growing boys." he had said in his best batman voice when she'd entered. Her giggle gave away her location in the entrance to the kitchen.

"Morning little men! How are we this morning?"

"Dad's making waffles! You want some?"

"Maybe in a bit." She look over to Jack. "I need to fit in a run this morning. Save me a couple? Some bacon too?"

"Sure thing. It will be in the oven waiting for you when you get back."

"Thanks, love."

Jack turned his attention back to the small army in front of him. He'd just finished dishing up eggs, bacon and waffles on 7 of the leftover batman party plates, each with a yellow fork and knife. "Alright, we've got waffles with crispy bacon no eggs for Josh."

"Thank you, Mr. Thornton."

"No problem. And waffle with bacon, eggs, no cheese for our lactose free friend Abe."

"Thanks, Mr. Thornton."

"Of course!" Jack said with a smile as he started handing out the rest of the plates.

"Remember Keith can't have…" Hunter said waving his hands frantically.

"Keith is very allergic to nuts," Jack said. "I know. That's why Mom and I made sure we didn't buy anything with nut warnings on it for the party, okay?"

"Everything is safe for Keith?"

"Everything is safe for Keith."

"You know how to use his epipen just in case?" Hunter asked, very seriously. Elizabeth couldn't help but giggle. Jack was right. Hunter would be a very good, very protective big brother one day.

Jack leaned down to look Hunter straight in the eyes. "Yes, Hunter. I have everything under control. Trust me and eat your breakfast." He grinned.

"Alright, dad." He grinned back. It was beyond adorable, Elizabeth couldn't help but snort loudly.

"Weren't you going for a run?" Jack teased.

"Yes, I was!" She kissed them both and ran back up the stairs and changed.

Checking to see that all the boys were settled with their breakfasts in front of morning cartoons, Jack hurried up the stairs two by two, hoping to catch a moment or two with his wife before her run. She couldn't have possibly known the effect she had on him in her baggy sweats and loose tee she'd just been wearing. She could wear anything really and he'd be happy. He loved her. Even with their somewhat tense conversation the night before. The love and the desire they had for one another was always there.

He opened the door to their room just as she'd pulled on her light blue sports bra.

"Jack, what are you doing?"

"Really? You come down stairs looking like that and expect me not to come up for a little of this?" He pulled her in against his chest and kissed her deeply. "You look amazing."

"In my sweats and sports bra?" she laughed.

"Yes. I like both."

"These pants are 2 sizes too big, but they are ridiculously comfy. I love them."

"I love you," he whispered, kissing her again. "I'm sorry about last night. I didn't mean to push, I just…"

"No, I'm sorry. I'm excited too. I still want to wait, but I'm excited for that time of our life. You are an amazing father, Jack, and you weren't wrong. Hunter is going to be an amazing big brother someday. We have a lot to look forward to."

"We do. We really do." After a few more kisses Jack pulled away. "I better go. Who knows what they've done to our living room now and you need to run. Is Lee joining you?"

"Yeah. Then he's doing breakfast with Rosie. It will be much easier to run with him when he's living next door."

"I bet!"

"Dad!" Hunter called from downstairs. "Bruce keeps trying to eat our breakfast!"

Jack sighed. "Why'd we get him a dog again?"

…..

Outside, Lee was waiting by his car with Rosie who was already talking his ear off about their upcoming wedding. To distract Rosie from the fact that she had no immediate family to include for the wedding, she engulfed herself in every other possible detail and aspect. All Lee could do was nod and hope Elizabeth would surface from the house as soon as his bride to be went on and on. Suddenly the front door opened.

"There she is! Time to go!" He kissed her lips silently. "Breakfast when I get back? Nothing too heavy though."

"Oatmeal and berries sound good, honey bunny?"

"Yes! Except for the "honey bunny" part. That could use some work."

"Oh, be serious, Lee!" Rosie giggled.

"I am!" He laughed. "I'm a cop, Rosie. Do I look like a "honey bunny" to you?"

"Alright! Morning, Elizabeth! Will you be able to go dress shopping soon?"

"Definitely! Pick a date and I'll make sure it happens!" Rosie had asked her teacher friend, Susie Tanner, Elizabeth, and Julie, who she had become close to since meeting Elizabeth, to be her bridesmaids. She hadn't said who her maid of honor would be yet, but she knew. She was just waiting for Lee to pick his men first. It was hard for Lee. He didn't have any brothers, and his best friend had been Trevor. His next best friend was Elizabeth. He'd asked Jack, but so far that was it.

"Ready to run?" Elizabeth asked.

"Yes! Let's go!"

They were both quiet for the first mile and a half before stopping to take a quick break.

"You alright?"

"Why do you ask?"

"You looked like a convict sitting in interrogation when I walked up to you and Rosie earlier," she teased. "What gives, partner?"

"Weddings are a lot of work."

"Ah, yes they are."

"Jack is lucky you are so low maintenance. Rosie… not so much."

"Sorry, Lee."

"Rosie wants me to help with everything. I don't know these things. Like this morning, she listed off 4 different kinds of flowers for me to choose from and I didn't recognize one of them! How am I supposed to give her an opinion if I don't know what they are?"

"Tell her that?"

"I guess." He sighed.

"Listen Lee, you're her family. You're all she's got now, really. She has Jack, yes, and Charlotte and Tom but that's different. You're it."

"I know. And I'm trying, I really am. But at the end of the day I'm still just me, Beth."

Elizabeth thought for a moment. "I have a thought. Did I tell you Julie was going back to school?"

"No, to do what?"

"Art and design."

"Ambitious. Doesn't she already have a teaching degree?"

"She does. They should work well together. Anyway, she's about to be in between courses and bound to be bored out of her mind. I bet she'd love to help out with the wedding if Rosie would like an assistant. You could plant a bug in her ear."

"Perfect! It's like a built-in sister!"

"Yes! And I'll of course help out as much as I can."

"You're a lifesaver, Beth." Lee gave her a big hug. We better keep running and get you home and me to my breakfast and love." Lee rubbed his hands together and smiled.

"Alright, come on now, double time!"

….

By the time they made it back to the house, some of the parents were already starting to arrive to pick up their sons. Normally that would make Hunter a little sad, but not today. After everyone was picked up Jack and Elizabeth were planning on taking him to the Zoo for the rest of the day. Unbeknownst to his parents, he had the whole thing planned out.

Jack had all the kids playing in the backyard with Bruce waiting for the parents. Their belongings on the deck.

Jason, Josh's dad, who was one of Hunter's hockey buddies laughed as he walked through the gate and into the backyard chaos. "Jack!" He said coming over to shake Jack's hand. "You and your bride survive the night?"

"We did! The kids were great."

"Glad to hear it! You guys were pretty brave to take on this crew!" They laughed. "Margret and I usually put a lower cap on it. 4 I think is the biggest head count we've had."

"What can I say? Elizabeth wanted it to be special for him this year."

"I'm sure. Hey, did you get my email?"

"What email?"

"About summer hockey. See, in a moment of pure insanity, I volunteered to co-coach Josh's team this summer. But we need another guy. You interested? I know you do the high school boys and they won states this year. You'd be great."

"Oh, I don't know. We didn't sign Hunter up for the summer league."

"I'm sure if you coached, they'd wave the late fee and let him right in. They're pretty desperate. Josh would love to play with Hunt again. They're best buds."

Jack looked over and Hunter and Josh playing in the yard. "I'll talk to Elizabeth. Let the league know I'm thinking about it. though."

"Great!"