I woke when I felt Jack's lips on mine.
"Good morning." He kissed me again. "Happy birthday, Beth."
"Mm, thank you, Jack."
"I have a present for you. I'll be right back." He slid from the bed, and I immediately missed his presence beside me. He pulled a small package from the back of the closet. He handed it to me and smiled, settling in beside me once more.
I peeled back the paper, revealing a frame holding two pictures. Both photos contained the two of us standing in front of the waterfall, one from our honeymoon and one from our Spring Break trip.
I looked up at him, a smile stretching across my face. "Thank you, Jack. I love it." I glanced between the pictures, noticing how much had changed in only half a year. "You know, I'm very obviously pregnant in one of these pictures, but it's possible that I was pregnant in the other one, too. Or at least I was very close to becoming pregnant."
"I guess you were." He kissed me and brought his hand to my stomach. "You are so beautiful, Elizabeth. Especially with my baby in here." He brushed his thumb back and forth, his lips curling into a smile. "It's been so amazing watching you grow our baby these past eight months. You're amazing."
I leaned in, pressing my lips to his. "You're pretty amazing, too, Jack Thornton."
He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. "Sometimes I just can't believe how much I love you."
"I know exactly what you mean. And this little one, too." I looked down at my stomach, resting my hand where the baby was pressing his foot. "It's not that I didn't believe people when they talked about how much they loved their babies even before they were born, but goodness. I love him so much more than I ever thought I could love someone—especially someone I haven't even met yet."
"Who knew we would find so much love in a little town in Oklahoma?"
...
There was a bouquet of purple roses on my desk when I walked into my classroom. A smile spread across my face as I read the card.
Happy birthday, beautiful! You've been alive for a whole quarter of a century now! So old! ;) I hope you have a wonderful day at work. I can't wait to see you later. I have something special planned for you.
Love,
The father of your child
I laughed softly. "Jack Thornton, you sweet, romantic goof."
I dialed his number quickly, taking advantage of the few minutes I had before my students would arrive.
"Elizabeth? Is everything okay?"
"I just wanted to thank the father of my child for the lovely flowers."
The smile was evident in his voice. "You're welcome, beautiful. I had to get lovely flowers for my lovely wife."
I felt a blush rise in my cheeks at his sweet statement. "By the way, babe, twenty-five is not old."
"I guess not, because that would make me ancient."
I laughed. "Three months from twenty-seven is far from ancient. Oh, I'm also curious about this 'something special' you have planned for later."
He chuckled. "Don't even try to get me to tell you. It won't work."
"But I'm carrying your child."
"And…?"
"And that should be enough reason for you to tell me what you have planned."
"Nice try, Mrs. Thornton. While I'm eternally grateful to you for carrying our baby, I'm still not going to tell you my plans."
"You know I don't like surprises." I rested my hand on my stomach when I felt the baby shift inside me. "The baby is telling me that he doesn't like surprises, either."
"Still not telling you."
"What if I ask really nicely? Pretty please will you tell me what your plans are?"
"Well, since you asked nicely…I'm still not telling." Though I couldn't see his face, I knew he was grinning.
"Fine. I need to get ready for my students, anyway."
"I love you, Beth."
"I love you, too. Even when you're being infuriating because you won't tell me what you're planning."
I could hear him laughing as the call was cut off.
...
I leaned back against Jack, his legs on either side of me and his hands resting on my stomach. We had just finished a wonderful meal of chicken pot pie—with extra onions for me—and gooey butter cake for dessert.
Now, we were sitting together on a blanket spread on the grass in the backyard. A warm breeze blew through the yard, ruffling my hair. The sun was just beginning to set beyond the fence.
"You know, if someone had told me on my last birthday that, in only a year, I would not only be married to you, but I would also be eight and a half months pregnant, I would've thought they were crazy. We weren't even engaged yet on my last birthday."
"Well, I, for one, am so glad that you're married to me and eight and a half months pregnant." He rubbed his hand across my stomach and kissed the top of my head. "I love you so much."
"I love you, too. Clearly." I chuckled quietly, placing my hand on top of his. "If this baby doesn't say 'we really love each other,' then I don't know what does."
"That's a pretty complex statement to expect a baby to be able to say."
I rolled my eyes. "Already starting with the dad jokes, are we?"
"Well, I am about to be a dad, so it only makes sense." He smirked.
"I can't believe we're only a few weeks away from meeting our baby." I moved my hand across my stomach to the place where the baby was kicking, thinking about how soon it would be before the baby was in my arms.
Jack tightened his arms around me. "I can't wait. You are going to be the very best mother, Beth."
"Jack… Thank you for saying that." I reached up and touched his cheek. "You're going to be a great father. Our baby is so lucky."
He kissed the top of my head again. "Do you still think we're having a boy?"
"You keep asking me that. I've been thinking it's a boy for the entire pregnancy. I'm probably not going to change my mind about that at this point." I watched bulges appear and disappear across my stomach as the baby shifted inside me.
"What if you're wrong?"
"You keep asking me that, too. I'll tell you what I've told you before: I'll love our baby no matter what, but I'm pretty confident at this point that we're going to have a son."
"I guess we'll find out soon."
I sank further into his arms. "Hey, are we ever going to start the movie?"
"Oh yeah, that's why we came out here." He winked, turning on the projector.
I was surprised when I realized what movie he had chosen. "We aren't watching Sound of Music this time?"
"I thought we should change it up for once." He pressed play, then slipped his arms back around my waist. "I figured Jane Eyre was a safe bet."
"Not necessarily."
He raised his eyebrows. "Should I run inside and grab something else?"
"No. I was just saying that it isn't necessarily a safe bet, because I only like one of the movie adaptations. You chose wisely, though."
He let out a breath. "Thank goodness. I'll remember that for the future." He pulled me closer. "So is this a good surprise?"
"It's a great surprise." I looked up at him with a smile. "Okay, now hush and watch the movie."
He laughed softly and kissed my cheek.
A little while later, Jack softly nudged me awake.
I yawned. "I'm sorry for falling asleep. I'm sure that wasn't part of your plan."
"There's no need to apologize. You've had a long day. Let's just get you to bed."
I nodded sleepily, allowing him to lead me back into the house and up to our room. He slipped into the bed beside me, wrapping his arms around me.
"Thank you for today."
"You're welcome." He kissed my forehead. "Good night, Beth. Happy birthday."
...
I picked up my phone when it started buzzing on the counter.
"Elizabeth, I have a huge favor to ask of you." Rosemary's voice was full of concern.
"Yes?"
"Could you and Jack watch Alina for the weekend?"
"This weekend?"
"Yes. Lee's parents are both sick, and he wants to go help out for a couple days. We would bring Alina with us, but I'd rather not risk her getting sick since she's still so young."
"How long will you be gone?"
"We're planning to leave tomorrow evening and return Sunday afternoon. I know it's last minute, so if you can't watch her, that's fine. We'll be able to figure something else out."
"No, we can take her. We're her godparents; it's what we're here for. Besides, it'll be good practice for us." I smiled as I brought my hand to my stomach.
"Are you positive? Two nights with an infant is a lot, and I know it's exhausting enough being so close to your due date."
"I'm sure, Rosie. I need to get used to sleepless nights, anyway. Don't worry about a thing. We'd be glad to watch her for you."
"Thank you so much. We owe you big time." She sounded much more relaxed. "We'll bring her over tomorrow, and I'll give you all the instructions then."
"Okay, I'll see you then."
Jack stepped into the room and dropped a kiss on my cheek just as I was hanging up. "Who was that?"
"Rosemary. I know I should've talked to you before I agreed to this, but we're watching Alina this weekend."
"Are you sure you're up for that?" He reached out his hand and rubbed my belly.
"Jack, I'm pregnant, not an invalid." I put my hand on top of his. "Besides, you'll be here to help me. It'll be great practice."
He pressed his lips to mine. "Okay."
...
The following evening, Rosemary and Lee brought Alina over, along with bags of milk, bottles, baby food, clothes, and anything else she could possibly need in the two days she would be with us.
Rosemary thanked us more times than we could count before they finally stepped out the door.
"Well," Jack stood in the middle of the living room, Alina wiggling in his arms. "Now what?"
"You can play with her. There are some toys in the bag." I picked up the bag containing the bottles and milk. "I'm going to put all this away. Make sure you keep an eye on her; she's a fast crawler."
When I returned from the kitchen, Jack was sprawled out in the middle of the floor, and Alina was climbing all over him. I smiled at the sight, imagining him doing the same thing with our own child.
"Seems like little Miss Alina is really having fun with her uncle Jack."
He looked up at me with a grin. "If this is what it's like to have kids, I would like us to have twelve, please and thank you."
I smirked. "Let's see if you still feel that way when she starts crying or you have to change her diaper."
It wasn't long before he got to experience both of those, and he decided that maybe one baby was all we needed. Before we knew it, Alina was ready for a bottle and bedtime.
She fussed for a while before Jack was able to get her to take the bottle, but once she was full, she fell asleep quickly.
Jack slipped into the bed beside me after he put her down. He wrapped me in his arms, leaning his head against my shoulder.
"You're good at the dad stuff."
"You have no idea how much it means to me to hear you say that."
I rolled over to face him, bringing my hand to his cheek. "I always knew you would be a good dad."
"I've always wanted to be a dad, especially once I met you, but I never thought I would be this nervous." He sighed. "It's one thing to imagine having kids, but it's completely different to know what to do when the kid is real. I think maybe I'm so nervous because I was still a kid when I lost my dad. He never got to teach me how to be a dad."
"Jack…" I brushed my fingers through his hair. "I'm sorry that your dad isn't here to help you with this. He may not have gotten to tell you how to be a dad, but you were watching him, learning from him in the ways he interacted with you and your brother." I kissed him softly. "I know that I never met him, but I'm sure that he would tell you that you'll be a wonderful father. Half of being a good parent is loving your child, and you already have that down."
He gave a small smile and brought one hand to my stomach. "That's true. I love this baby so much, I can hardly stand it."
I put my hand on his. "So start with that. We're both going to make mistakes as parents, but what really matters is that this little one knows how much we love him."
"It's times like this when I'm really glad that I married someone so much smarter than me." He grinned and kissed my nose. "I love you, Beth. Thanks for making me feel better."
"Anytime." I leaned my head against his chest. "I love you, Jack. And I know deep in my heart that you will be an amazing father."
...
The following day, we took Alina and the dogs to the park, taking advantage of the beautiful May weather. I had packed a picnic lunch, and we spent hours laying in the sun, walking by the pond, and pushing Alina in the swings.
We were all exhausted by the time we returned home in the afternoon.
Rosemary called to check in while Alina was napping. After asking what seemed like a thousand questions, she finally seemed satisfied that her daughter was perfectly fine in our care.
The rest of the day passed quickly, and it was soon time for a bottle and bedtime once again.
...
"Hey, mom. What's up?" I put my phone on speaker and placed it on the counter while I warmed up a bottle.
"Elizabeth? Do I hear a baby crying? Did you forget to tell me something?"
I laughed softly. "No, mom. My due date is still a month away. Jack and I are babysitting our goddaughter this weekend."
"Just checking. Your father and I are still planning to come visit when the baby is born, so you better let us know when that is."
"You really think that I would forget to tell you when your grandchild is born?"
"Well, no." She laughed. "But it can get kind of crazy when you're in labor. I just don't want to miss anything."
Jack stepped into the room with a fussy Alina. I passed the bottle to him, and he quickly got her settled. "Don't worry, Mrs. Thatcher. I'll make sure she doesn't forget to tell you." He gave me a smug look.
"Thank you, Jack."
I rolled my eyes playfully. "Okay, mom, we all know you like Jack more than me. Now what was it you called for in the first place?"
"I really just wanted to see how you're doing, being so close to your due date."
"I'm feeling pretty good, or at least as good as I can feel at this point." I grabbed my phone and followed Jack into the living room. "I'm moving a lot slower now, but I'm still pretty comfortable. I'm just glad I won't still be pregnant when it really starts heating up." I sank into my spot on the sofa. "I sent you pictures of the nursery, right?"
"Yes, and it looks wonderful."
I sighed happily, resting my hand on my stomach. "I just can't wait until I finally get to hold him."
"There's nothing quite like holding your baby in your arms, knowing that she's a little piece of you and the man you love. You are going to be a great mother, Elizabeth."
"Thank you, mom."
"Well, I'll let you go now. You need to get all the rest you can before the little one comes. Don't forget you can call me if you have any questions about anything."
"I will, mom. I love you."
...
On Sunday, Rosemary and Lee pulled into their driveway shortly after Jack and I had arrived home from church. Rosemary came over straightaway, obviously in a hurry to see her little girl. Jack immediately handed the baby over.
Rosemary snuggled Alina to her chest. "Oh, my sweet girl. I'm so happy to see you. Daddy and I missed you so much." She looked up at us. "How was she? I hope she didn't give you too much trouble. Thank you so much again for watching her. It was really wonderful of you two to do that for us."
I chuckled as I brought the rest of the bags to the door. "She was great. We had a wonderful time with her, and we are more than happy to watch her whenever you need it."
"How are Lee's parents?"
"They're much better now, thank you for asking," Lee replied as he stepped through the doorway. He lifted the bags from the floor. "Well, we should probably get Alina settled back in at home. Thanks again for watching her."
"Anytime."
"Enjoy your baby-free house—at least for a little while longer." Rosemary winked as they headed back to their house.
Jack turned to face me. "I miss her already."
I pulled his hands to my stomach, smiling. "Well, our little one will be here very soon, and we won't have to give him back."
"I can't wait."
...
A/N Stay tuned because baby T is coming very soon!
