Elizabeth walked along the path to her home, filled with wonder and awe. Her hands were folded protectively over her unborn child, and she smiled as she walked. Joy rushed through her as she thought of meeting the precious little one. She'd only known for an hour that the child existed, and already she loved the baby more than she thought possible. With little Jack, the news of her pregnancy had been bittersweet. She had loved him immediately upon realizing she was pregnant, more fiercely than she ever thought possible, but the joy had been tempered by the loss of his father. She had wondered throughout that pregnancy how different it might have been to have her husband by her side through the ups and downs; this time around she would know.
An idea started forming in her head for how she could tell Nathan about their baby. She smiled to herself and hurried her steps. She needed to ask Rosemary if she could borrow something.
The next day, Elizabeth placed the borrowed items in a small box along with a piece of paper, then carefully wrapped it. She wrote Nathan's name on a tag and attached it to the wrapped box. Smiling, she set it aside to give to him before his birthday celebration that night.
She had debated giving it to him when everyone else was there, but had decided against it. She wanted him to be the first to know, and then they could tell their family and friends together. Lee and Rosemary were coming over with their children for Nathan's birthday dinner, and Elizabeth was planning on giving him the box when he got home from work before they came over.
Humming to herself, Elizabeth set about making the cake. Nathan loved blueberry cake with lemon glaze. She mixed the ingredients together, passing the dry ones through a sifter to make them fine. A pattering of feet caught her attention, and she looked up as Allie dashed into the kitchen.
"Hi, Mama," she said, her smile bright. She caught sight of what Elizabeth was doing, and her smile widened. "Can I help make Dad's cake?" she asked, folding her hands under her chin in supplication.
Elizabeth laughed and passed her a bowl. "Of course you can," she said. "I would welcome the help."
"I used to make his cakes all the time," Allie stated. "They weren't always the best, but I got good at making lemon blueberry cake since he likes it so much." She stirred the wet ingredients into the dry, mixing them together with a whisk. Holding up the whisk, batter dripping from it, she asked, "Does this seem smooth enough, or is it too lumpy?"
Elizabeth eyed the batter. "I think it's perfect," she declared. "Go ahead and pour it into the pans."
Allie poured the batter into two round pans, then carefully sprinkled blueberries on top. She patted them into the batter, giving it a little stir with a spoon, then placed the pans into the oven. She peered over Elizabeth's shoulder, watching as Elizabeth stirred lemon juice into confectioners sugar to make a glaze. "What are we making for Dad's dinner?" she asked.
"Pot roast," Elizabeth said, grinning at Allie over her shoulder. "Would you like to peel the carrots and potatoes?"
"Sure," Allie said, finding the peeler on one of the counters. She pulled a bowl full of potatoes and carrots close to her and started peeling them. She was quiet for a moment, absorbed in her work. After a moment she looked up and said, "Mrs. Stanton told me something interesting the other day."
"Oh?" Elizabeth said as she stirred. "What might that be?"
"She said you used to be a terrible cook," Allie said matter-of-factly. "Is that true?"
"She told you that?" Elizabeth said, mouth hanging open. She laughed good-naturedly. "Yes, I'm afraid it is true. I was hopeless in the kitchen."
"What changed?" Allie asked. "Because you're an awesome cook now."
"Thank you, Allie." Elizabeth placed the bowl with the glaze in a warm corner. "I think practice helped. Mrs. Stanton was a good teacher, too. She took the time to help me get better at cooking."
"Kind of like how you help us to learn different things and be good at them?" Allie asked.
"Exactly," Elizabeth said. "Learning doesn't stop when you become a grown up. You'll always be learning new things if you just take the time to practice."
"What are you learning right now?" Allie asked, looking up at Elizabeth, curiosity in her blue eyes.
Elizabeth smiled and ruffled Allie's hair. "How to be a wife and a mother to three children," she said, half-teasing, half-serious.
Allie wrinkled her brow. "But you already knew how to be a wife and a mother," she protested. "How can you be learning that?"
Elizabeth sat next to Allie, reflecting on the question. "In a way you're right," she said. "I was a wife before, and I've been little Jack's mother for two and a half years." She paused. "But in a way, I never really got to be a wife the first time, Allie. My first husband and I were only married for a couple weeks before he was sent on a training assignment, and he never came back. So I didn't really get to experience the ins and outs of married life with him. I've already been married to Nathan longer than I was married to Jack, and to tell you the truth I'm still trying to figure out how to be a good wife. As for learning to be a mother, it's so different being a single mother to one little boy than it is being a married mother to three children, two of whom are getting so grown up." She smiled and chucked Allie's chin gently. "There's a lot I have to learn, and there's a lot we're all learning together. But we're making it work and we all love each other very much. That's the important thing."
Allie put her vegetables down and leaned against Elizabeth, wrapping her arms around her waist. "I'm so glad you married Dad," she said in a whisper. "It was the best thing that ever happened to us." She smiled up at Elizabeth. "I love that you're my mom."
Tears sprang to Elizabeth's eyes. She kissed Allie's forehead, then rested her cheek on her head. "And I love that you're my daughter," she said. "You have been such a blessing to me, Allie. I love you very much."
They sat there for a few moments, and then Allie reached for the vegetable peeler again. "Well, let's get the food ready!" she said, eyes sparkling. "We're going to have a full house this evening!"
Nathan heard laughter as he walked into the house after work. He smiled to himself as he recognized Jack's toddler giggles, Opal's quieter laugh, and Allie's loud laugh. Following the laughter, he came to the kitchen and stood at the entrance, taking in the scene.
Allie and Opal were chopping vegetables and placing them in a large bowl. Elizabeth was whisking together a dressing to place on top when the vegetables were ready. Jack was standing on a chair next to his sisters, stirring ice into a lemonade pitcher. They all looked happy and relaxed. Nathan felt a surge of relief as he watched Elizabeth. She had looked so tired lately, but today she was glowing. He had been so worried about her in the last month, but she finally seemed to be coming around. For that he was thankful.
"How is my wonderful family today?" he asked, coming into the kitchen. The girls squealed and rushed at him, hugging him tightly.
"Happy birthday, Dad!" Opal said, grinning up at him. Allie nestled into his side, arms still around his waist. She had been up that morning before he left for work and had wished him a happy birthday then.
"Thank you, sweetheart," he said, smiling at her. "There's nothing I want more for my birthday than being with my family."
"That's sweet," Elizabeth said, coming up to him and giving him a kiss. "We're glad you're home."
"Dada!" Jack said, toddling over and reaching his arms up. Nathan scooped him up, settling the boy into the crook of his arm. "How's my big boy?" he asked.
"Good!" Jack said with a grin. "Happy bir'day, Dada!"
"Thanks, son," Nathan said, kissing Jack's head. He looked around the kitchen. "Do you need help with anything?" he asked Elizabeth.
"No!" she said in unison with Allie and Opal. He raised his brows, amused at their reaction. He put Jack down as his girls started pushing him out of the kitchen. "No helping on your birthday!" Allie said emphatically. "You go relax."
"Relax?" Nathan said with an exaggerated sigh. "By myself?"
"Yup," Opal said, pushing him further from the kitchen.
Elizabeth chuckled. "Actually, girls, I need to talk to your father for a moment. Can you keep an eye on Jack for me?"
"Yes, Mom!" they chorused. Elizabeth smiled and linked arms with Nathan. She had something under her other arm that Nathan couldn't quite see, but it looked like a present. He hid a smile and followed her lead.
She led him out the front door, and they walked to the gazebo. The summer evening was warm, and the sun was just starting to make its way toward the mountains. They sat on a bench in the gazebo. Nathan took Elizabeth's hand, and they sat there for a few moments drinking in the beauty of the evening. Elizabeth leaned her head on his shoulder, and he wrapped an arm around her. "You built this in the perfect spot," Elizabeth said. "It has the best view of the mountains and valleys." She turned her head to look up at him. Something was sparkling in her eyes, but he couldn't quite tell what.
Kissing her head, he smiled. "You seem to be doing well today, sweetheart," he said. "You don't look as tired."
"I saw Carson yesterday, and he said I am perfectly fine," Elizabeth said.
Nathan felt relief rush through him at those words. He hugged her closer to him. "You have no idea how happy that makes me," he breathed. "I was getting worried."
Elizabeth patted his hand. "I'm fine," she said. "Carson said the tiredness could last for a few more months, though."
"What?" Nathan's brow furrowed. "Why?" A thought came to him. "Do you think it's part of adjusting to being married with several children?"
Elizabeth shook her head. "That could be part of it, but I think it's normal."
How was that normal? Before Nathan could voice that question, Elizabeth handed him a wrapped gift. "This might shed some light on the subject," she said, a smile in her voice.
Nathan took the package, a little confused. "You want to give this to me now?" he asked.
Elizabeth nodded, a light in her eyes. "Absolutely," she said. "Open it."
Pulling the wrapping from the gift, Nathan found a carved box. He smiled. "The treasure box I gave you for Christmas?" he asked. The words Forever in my Heart peered up at him, reminding him of the promise in his heart when he'd asked her to marry him.
"Mmhmm," Elizabeth said. "It's what is inside that is your surprise."
Nathan smiled, opening the box. A pair of familiar white booties were nestled inside. He pulled them out. "Joy's baby booties?" he asked, trying to figure out what that meant. A piece of paper fell from the booties, and he picked it up and read Elizabeth's writing. Coming February 1919. Comprehension slowly dawned on him, and he looked at Elizabeth, mouth gaping. His eyes traveled to her stomach. "Does this mean what I think it means?" he asked in a voice barely above a whisper, excitement building inside.
Elizabeth took his hand, a grin on her face. "It does," she said, placing her free hand on his cheek. "We're going to have a baby."
"A baby," Nathan said, wonder in his voice. He drew Elizabeth closer and kissed her gently. "A baby!" he said again, joy filling him. He laughed, standing and pulling Elizabeth with him and swinging her around in a circle. "This is the best gift ever!" he proclaimed. Setting her down again, he searched Elizabeth's face. "How are you feeling?" he asked.
Elizabeth smiled. "Much better than I felt during my pregnancy with Jack," she said. "This time around I've just been tired. Last time I felt sick for parts of it."
Nathan knelt on one knee and placed his lips close to Elizabeth's stomach. "Hello, little one," he said. "I can't wait to meet you." His kissed her stomach, then stood again. "Do the kids know yet?" he asked.
Elizabeth shook her head. "Not yet," she said. "I wanted you to be the first to know. I thought we could tell everyone tonight at your birthday celebration."
He smiled, putting an arm around her again. "This is the best birthday yet," he said. "What a blessing to know our family will be growing."
"And we can give the girls the baby they've been wanting," Elizabeth said. "They're going to be so excited!"
Nathan grinned. "I can't wait to see their reaction," he said. He laughed. "We're having a baby!" he said again. Best gift ever.
Elizabeth and Rosemary cleaned up the kitchen while Bill and Lee helped with the dishes. Dinner was finished, and they were going to gather in the living room for a little bit before it was time for dessert. Rosemary put the last dish on the counter and turned to Elizabeth. "Nathan certainly seems happy this evening," she said. "I don't think I've ever seen him quite so happy before." She paused, then amended her statement. "Well, except on your wedding day."
"He is happy," Elizabeth said, knowing the reason for it but keeping it secret for a few more minutes. "I think being with his family makes him happier than anything else."
Rosemary smiled. "That's as it should be," she said softly. "I'm so glad you found him, Elizabeth. You two are perfect together and are so happy."
"We are," Elizabeth said, linking arms with Rosemary. "Why don't we go sit with Nathan and the children?"
They went into the living room, and Elizabeth sat on the floor beside Allie, who was playing with little Joy. Abigail was sitting there too, cooing at Patrick and helping him stand. Soon Lee and Bill joined the group, chatting with Nathan about work. Nathan caught Elizabeth's eye and gave a little nod, their prearranged signal for breaking the good news on their family and friends. Elizabeth turned her attention to Allie.
"You're so good with Joy," she said. "Jack and Opal are lucky to have you as a big sister."
Allie grinned, tickling Joy and eyeing Elizabeth. "Thanks, Mom. I'd like to be a big sister to a baby sometime soon too."
Elizabeth chuckled. "I think that can be arranged." The conversations around them paused, and all eyes were focused on Elizabeth. Abigail was still playing with Patrick, trying to hide a smile.
Allie stared at Elizabeth. "It can?" she asked slowly, blinking a few times.
"It can," Elizabeth confirmed, smiling at her daughter. A squeal from Rosemary turned her attention to her friend.
"Elizabeth, are you saying what I think you're saying?" Rosemary asked, hands clasped together tightly, her excitement barely contained. She looked between Elizabeth and Nathan, impatiently waiting for an answer. Opal looked wide-eyed at Elizabeth, hope glinting in their blue depths.
"Yes!" Elizabeth cried joyfully, laughing as pandemonium broke loose. A chorus of hugs and congratulations surrounded her and Nathan, with Allie and Opal in the middle of it all looking as if all their dreams had come true.
"We get to have a baby brother or sister!" Opal exclaimed, jumping up and down. Allie clung to Elizabeth's side, awe on her face. "This is so amazing!" she said. "We get to have another sibling! I hope it's a girl!"
"Did you hear that, Jack?" Bill asked, looking at the little boy in his arms. Jack looked unsure of all the commotion, and he leaned his head on Bill's shoulder, thumb in his mouth. Bill chuckled. "I think he'll warm up to the idea soon," he said to Nathan. Nathan nodded, patting Jack's back. "He's going to be a good big brother," he said confidently.
The rest of the evening was filled with more joy and excitement, as their friends expressed their happiness that Elizabeth and Nathan would be adding to their family. Elizabeth sat next to Nathan and listened to her friends and her daughters, one hand holding his and the other placed over her baby. Once again she marveled at how fortunate they were to have such wonderful people in their lives, sharing in all the ups and downs life had offered so far. They truly were blessed.