When April hit, Daryl and Beth were still in their lovey dovey bubble. They took full advantage of living together, which really allowed them to spend more time with one another. Beth invited people over more, now that they had the space for dinner or more recently barbeques. The weather had gotten nicer, and Beth and Daryl had started to work on the landscape and exterior of the house.

They dug up all the older bushes and plants, and Daryl put in a new flower garden along the front of the house. They were going to get some professional painters in to paint the outside since it was a lot of work that Daryl didn't want to do. Abraham wouldn't have enough time as he began working full time at the hardware shop.

After the town meeting weeks before, the official mayoral race had begun. Phillip Blake had obviously thrown his name in, and Dale had gone in against him. There was a third candidate, Morgan Jones who recently threw his name into the running. He was pretty new to the town, which confused everyone, but he was quiet. He was retired from the army and was looking to settle down in the small town with his teenage son. They were having a candidate debate in a few weeks time and the town was anxious to learn more about this new man.

With their two days off, Beth was at home, working on the garden outside, while Daryl had gone out hunting with Merle. Now that they weren't living together anymore, the brothers were trying to spend some time together, hunting being the ideal opportunity. Daryl had also been going out to the bar some nights to have a few drinks with him, or Beth invited Merle over for dinner once a week.

The had fallen into their routines at home, still working on some things in the house in the evenings or days off. Beth was excited because next month, her family was coming out to visit and her niece would be here by then. She couldn't wait to meet the little one and get to spend time with her.

Beth felt her phone ring in her pocket and she got it out to see it was Maggie calling her. She was used to the daily calls from her sister, as she had gone overdue with the baby and was getting restless. She calmed her sister down most days and would talk about her new house and the business to take her mind off of things.

"Hi Maggie," Beth spoke lovingly, knowing her sister just needed someone to vent to.

"Hey Beth." Maggie responded tiredly. She didn't sound like her usual self, she sounded out of breath and exhausted.

"You have a bad night or something?"

"No, I'm just in labour," Maggie responded. Beth almost dropped the phone.

"WHAT?" She exclaimed loudly, "You're in labour? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm just having a baby," she laughed. Beth couldn't help but sigh at her sister's lame joke, "We just got to the hospital about an hour ago. All checked in and in my room. I'm about five centimetres dilated so we're getting there."

"Did you get an epidural?"

"Of course I did. I wasn't going through this without some heavy drugs."

"I wondered why you sounded so calm."

"Yeah. I can still feel some tightening in my belly and I'm out of breath but other than that, I'm fine."

"That's good. How's Glenn?"

"Sleeping. Stupid prick."

Beth giggled. Leave it to Glenn to do something like fall asleep while his wife was in labour.

"He'll be lively for the big event."

"Yeah, I should be sleeping, but I've got a lot of adrenaline rushing through me."

"Well yeah, you're having a baby!"

"I know. I'm so excited for her to come out and to meet her. Beth, I can't wait till you and Daryl have kids. This feeling is just so amazing."

"How much drugs did they give you?" Beth joked.

"Not enough," she laughed but was soon taken back by a pain, "Okay, I'll keep in touch and let you know how things are going. Or Glenn will."

"Good luck Maggie," Beth pocketed her phone and was bouncing with excitement. She didn't know what to do with herself. There was no point to head to Atlanta as she would just be waiting around. This could take hours or days depending on things so she was left to stay at home and wait for more news.

She finished up planting the flowers and moved back inside to make some lunch for herself. She had roasted a whole chicken the night before and would make a chicken salad with the leftovers. She thought about what it would be like having a niece and those thoughts quickly turned to having a child of her own.

Daryl had made it clear that he was ready to get married and have kids and he was willing to be patient with her until she was. The thought was always in the back of her mind, wondering when she would be ready. Was there a sign? Would she suddenly feel differently? What was it?

She was living with him now and they were more in love with each other than ever before so marriage wouldn't be any different. It was a piece of paper in reality. It was confusing for her because she was always taught that marriage was a serious thing but she and Daryl were just so natural around each other, it already felt serious between them.

Maybe her reservations stemmed from the fact that this happened so quickly and when she was least expecting it. She came to this town to open a bakery in her mother's memory and she found the man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. Maybe this was a sign from her mother that she was doing the right thing, being here in Woodbury with the bakery and being with Daryl.

So if she was coming to grips with getting married, were kids right around the corner too? Didn't those things generally go hand in hand? She wanted kids, she loved kids and she couldn't imagine having them with anyone but Daryl. But they just bought a house and they would get married and pay for the wedding, could they afford to have a baby right away? They still hadn't renovated the other two bedrooms, which one would have to be a nursery for that to happen? She was still young and had time but Daryl was approaching 39 soon and would probably be 40 by the time a baby came along.

A bing from her cell phone alerted her to a text message. It was from Maggie's phone and was probably an update.

Going fast, 8cm already. Mags doin great -Glenn

She smiled, knowing that things were moving along quickly and her niece would be here before she knew it. It was Wednesday and she would have time to go to Atlanta to visit her sister. But she wanted to respect their space and allow the new family time to bond once it happened. She hated this waiting but knew she had to.

She figured that her dad was probably in the same boat as she was, so maybe he could use some distraction. She grabbed her phone and speed dialed his number, hoping he was inside the house and not working the grounds.

"Bethy?" she heard from the other side of the phone. She smiled, automatically missing his voice.

"Hi Daddy, how are you doing?"

"Bout to become a grandpa, how you think I'm doing?" Beth giggled and understood.

"Yeah, I'm a nervous wreck too. Thought we could distract each other as we wait."

"I greatly appreciate that. Patricia has been running around the house, getting everything ready for when she comes home but it's already been done."

"I can't imagine how Maggie and Glenn are feeling right now,"

"Scared, I would think," Herschel chuckled. "I remember when your mother was in labour with Shawn. I couldn't tell left from right, got lost on the way to the hospital and I just sat around wondering when it was all gonna be over."

"Momma probably wasn't too impressed with your attitude."

"No she wasn't. But by the time we had you, I was a seasoned pro."

"I think Mom would have been the best grandma., Beth spoke softly, toying with the arrow necklace around her neck.

"She certainly was looking forward to. You were all still young but she still held out hope. She was only twenty-two when she had Shawn." Beth remembered her mother being so young, so full of life. It was so sad that she passed at such a young age when she had so much to look forward to.

"Can I ask you a question daddy?"

"Anything for my doodlebug."

"You were older than mom when you met and she got married young, and had kids. Did she ever wish she had waited longer?" Herschel sighed and took a moment to answer.

"I always thought it was me who was pressuring your mother to marry but she always said how it didn't matter if she was 20 or 45, she wouldn't change a minute of it." Beth remained silent, not quite sure if that answered things for her. "I sense there's something bothering you. Wanna let your old man take a stab at it?"

"Just thinking about things. Stuff with Daryl."

"You two just moved in together, I'm sure there was an adjustment period,"

"Oh it's not that daddy. We're great. I'm just wondering if I'm stalling things between us cause I think it's too fast."

"Look at your sister. She's married and having a baby right now. She knew right away that Glenn was the one for her."

"I guess I'm just worried about making a mistake."

"If your mother's passing taught me anything, is that we need to live each day to the fullest. If we go through life worried about making mistakes, we're not living." Herschel spoke with compassion and reverence."You have a big heart Bethy, but you're scared to get that heart broken. We can't control those things. You just need to have faith,"

"You always seem to know what to say."

"That and I like your boyfriend. It'd be nice to have someone in the family who could actually fix a tractor." Beth giggled.

"Daddy!" she scolded him. It was plain to see that Herschel enjoyed using Daryl's handyman skills but she did have to keep that in check so he wasn't constantly at the farm.

"I think you make good decisions Beth. Don't let fear keep you from what you want."

"Thank you daddy."

"I think we've distracted ourselves long enough. I need to keep Patricia from washing the bedding for the third time."

"Alright, hopefully next time we talk, there's a new baby in the Greene family." She finished the call with her father and set the phone down on the counter of the kitchen. He gave her good advice, as always, and left her with a lot to think about.

Maybe she needed to let any reservations she had go and just move forward. They both wanted to get married, and she was waiting for some magical reason why. Talking to Daryl should be the main priority, but she wanted to take a few days before she broached the subject with him. She didn't want to get his hopes up, but knowing they needed to keep communication open between the two of them was still important to her. It would be reassuring to him to hear that it was at the forefront of her mind and maybe they could move forward sooner rather than later.

It was dinnertime when Beth got another text message from her sister. This one made her smile the brightest.

Madelyn Grace Rhee. born at 3:39pm, 21 inches, 7lbs 10oz

Beth was headed down the halls of the maternity ward, looking for the room that housed her sister, brother-in-law and baby niece. She could barely contain her excitement the night before, wanting Maggie to keep sending her pictures of the baby. She almost got into her car and drove to the cabin, just to tell Daryl the great news. She held off, knowing he cared, but not enough to be coming with her today.

She held a small gift bag in her hand, something for the new mommy. She gave so many gifts already for the baby, that now was the time to spoil her sister after giving birth.

She found the room and pushed the door open to see Glenn sitting in the corner, a small blanket held in his arms, with a tiny little hand holding onto his finger. Beth could already feel the tears pricking in her eyes at the scene in front of her. She grabbed her camera from her bag, and snapped a quick photo before anyone noticed her coming into the room. She took a few more steps in and Glenn noticed her first.

"Madelyn, your auntie Beth is here," Glenn said, getting up from the chair to show his daughter. Beth bit her lip, trying to contain her emotion as she finally got to see the baby in person. Maggie was still in her hospital bed, watching the scene unfold in front of her, a few tears already streaming down her face.

"Oh my gosh, she's beautiful guys," Beth said looking down at her. She looked over at Maggie and smiled, "You did good sis."

"Hey!" Glenn pouted before handing over the baby to Beth.

"She did the work, you just had the fun," Beth responded. She placed the bag on small table and took the chair closest to Maggie to sit down in. Beth just stared down at the little baby whose eyes were open and looking around.

"Amazing isn't it? Everyone always said it happens so quickly, but you just don't believe it till it happens." Beth knew that Maggie was talking about the baby but she couldn't help but think of Daryl in that moment too. Things did happen quickly between them and there was nothing wrong with that.

"Glenn, can you grab a picture of me and the baby?" Beth asked, showing him where her camera was. He nodded and took a few pictures of aunt and niece together. After giving the baby back to Glenn to hold, Beth grabbed the bag from the table.

"These are for you Mommy," Beth said, giving the bag to her sister. Once Maggie opened it, she took a long sniff inside.

"What did you make me?"

"I knew you would want something a little sweet so I baked you some cookies, but they are special in that they are specifically for breastfeeding moms. Oatmeal Chocolate Chip."

"Oh, these are gonna be good. I can already tell."

"Yeah, I didn't try one, so I hope they taste good," Beth giggled before looking over at Glenn, "And you are not allowed to eat them." They all laughed and visited while the baby drifted off to sleep in her father's arms.

By the time Beth got home that night, she saw the lights were already on so Daryl must already be home. She parked her car and got inside. Sure enough, he was lazing on the couch with a beer, flipping through the channels.

"Hey, when did you get home?"

"Bout half hour ago. Just sat down actually. Was wondering where you were off to. You didn't answer my message."

"Sorry, I was driving back from Atlanta. Maggie had the baby yesterday."

Daryl smiled and got up from the couch, "And how are your niece and Maggie doing?"

"Great. Little Madelyn Rhee," Beth said grabbing the camera from her bag. She got to the close up of the baby and showed it to Daryl. He smirked when he saw the tiny baby girl.

"Little Korean baby," he chuckled.

"I know. She's so cute and makes the best faces. I'm so sad that I'm not gonna see her for another month."

"Well, I told you, they can stay here instead of the bed and breakfast. We can finish those rooms upstairs for your dad and them."

"No, I think they want to visit so we can babysit and they can take advantage of the time alone."

"Oh, gotcha," Daryl laughed. Beth put the phone down and put her arms around Daryl, kissing his chest.

"I might kidnap her. Just warning you in advance."

"You know we could just make one of those ourselves," Daryl said with a hint of laughter in his voice.

"I think we have a few more steps before that happens. But I think we can get on that soon enough," she spoke into his chest. She felt him hug her tighter and kiss her head and she knew that he approved.

EEEEEE, baby! Little Madelyn is here and has already captured her Auntie Beth. And we all know when you're around babies, you tend to get the baby fever very soon after.

Thanks to Brandy and Carla, for all the love.

I think you guys are gonna love the next chapter so stay tuned for Tuesday. You probably won't be able to guess what happens. ;)

I also hit 100k words which I never thought was going to happen so YAY!