Elizabeth unbuckled her seatbelt and reached for her carry-on bag before slipping her fingers into Jack's. "I've loved having this past week to ourselves, but goodness, I can't wait to see our boy."
Jack squeezed her hand, his heart warming at the words our boy. "Just a few more minutes, and we'll have him back with us."
"So, I was thinking we could order something for dinner tonight since we don't really have much other than snacks in the house right now. Maybe Italian?"
He chuckled and shook his head. "You and your pasta."
"And we should probably go to the grocery store after church tomorrow."
"Okay."
"Or we could stay home from church since we just got back. Are you up to going?"
"Yeah." He glanced down the aisle, noting that the line of people had yet to begin exiting the plane.
"You okay?" She looked up at him, concern touching her eyes. "You seem like your mind is somewhere else."
"I'm fine. Just ready to get home with you and little man."
"Soon." She leaned over the armrest to kiss him deeply, forgetting about the plane full of people still surrounding them.
"You two are adorable," the woman sitting at the end of their row said.
"Thank you." Elizabeth blushed and buried her face in Jack's shoulder.
"Honeymoon?"
"Yes, ma'am," Jack replied. "We're just returning. Got married a week ago." He slipped his arm around Elizabeth's shoulders.
"Congratulations."
"Thank you."
Elizabeth glanced down at her phone when it buzzed as a few messages came in. "Oh, good."
"What is it?" Jack glanced at the screen.
"Marie said she and Leland are waiting in the baggage claim area with Micah." She sighed. "Oh, I can't wait to see him."
"Almost there."
...
"Hey, Micah, I think I see your mama over there." Marie pointed toward the doors, where a crowd of people was beginning to come down the hallway.
He twisted in Leland's arms to follow her finger. "Mama!" he shrieked when Elizabeth came into his line of sight.
"Hang on, buddy." Leland tightened his hold on the little boy as he began to squirm. "She'll be over here soon."
"Hello, little bug." Elizabeth immediately reached for him. He snuggled up against her shoulder. "I missed you so much, Micah Patrick. I love you." She kissed the top of his head, her eyes filling with tears.
"Love mama."
"Oh, my sweet boy."
Jack shook Leland's hand and hugged Marie. "Thank you so much for watching him for us."
"Of course. We loved getting to spend time with him." Marie smiled and reached out to rub Micah's back. "He's so much like Patrick was at that age. Just the sweetest little thing."
"And he's looking more and more like him as he gets older." Jack ruffled his hair. "So much like your daddy. Right, little man?"
Elizabeth smiled and tightened her arms around her son. "So much like Patrick. I keep saying if he hadn't come out of me, you wouldn't really know he's mine."
Jack nudged her. "You're in there somewhere."
She chuckled. "Yeah, yeah. Anyway, should we get our bags and get home?"
"Let's go."
...
Micah sat on Elizabeth's lap, leaning back against her chest as he drank from his sippy cup of milk. Elizabeth smiled and sighed.
Jack draped his arm across her shoulders. "What's on your mind, love?"
"I just can't believe we're here, finally a family." She brushed her fingers through Micah's hair. "When Pat died, I didn't think I would get to experience these little family moments. I was so sure Micah and I would be alone."
He trailed his thumb across her cheek. "Even without me, you and Micah wouldn't be alone."
"You know what I mean."
"I do." He leaned in and kissed her softly.
"I'm so thankful for you, Jack Thornton, more than you can know. Thank you for marrying me."
"Thank you for marrying me. And thank you for giving me the opportunity to be a dad to the greatest little man in the world." He grinned and touched Micah's cheek.
He reached for Jack. "Dack."
"Hey, sweet boy." Jack took him from Elizabeth, settling him on his lap. "Are you so happy to be home with your mama?"
"Mama." He pointed at Elizabeth, then settled back against Jack's chest, still sipping his milk.
"I think it's probably time for a story, and then someone needs to go to bed." She reached over and tickled him, eliciting a little giggle.
Half an hour later, he was fast asleep in Elizabeth's arms as she rocked slowly in the glider. Jack closed the book and set it back on the shelf.
"Good night, Micah." He kissed the little boy on the forehead.
Elizabeth lowered him into his crib, smiling as he rolled onto his side and stuck his thumb in his mouth. She pushed the hair back from his forehead. "Good night, my darling boy." She just stood and watched him for a few moments, trying to make up for the week away from him. "I forgot how much I love just watching him sleep. He's so perfect."
"He is," Jack agreed. He slipped his arms around her, resting his head on her shoulder. "Have I mentioned lately how much I love you?" he whispered. "Both of you."
She turned to face him, placing a hand on his stubbly cheek. "And we both love you, too." She stood on her toes to kiss him before returning her gaze to her son. He sighed and stretched out his legs. "I hope he's okay sleeping in his own room tonight. I never bothered moving his crib out of my room at the other house, so he's hardly ever slept alone."
"Would you like me to move the crib into our room?"
She took his hand and led him into the hallway. "Jack, we just got married. Do you really want a toddler sleeping in our room?"
"Good point." He gave her a crooked smile. "Shall we?" He motioned toward their bedroom.
"Isn't it still a little early for us to go to sleep?"
He slipped his fingers under the hem of her shirt and gave her a mischievous look. "Who said anything about sleeping?"
...
"Jack, honey." She nudged him gently. "You need to get up and get ready for church."
"Mm, five more minutes," he groaned, rolling onto his back and throwing his arm over his face.
"I gave you an extra half hour already." She kissed his cheek. "Hop in the shower, and I'll have breakfast ready when you're done."
True to her word, she had a plate of pancakes and bacon waiting on the table when he emerged fifteen minutes later.
"Dack!" Micah mumbled around a mouthful of pancakes.
Jack chuckled and ruffled his hair. "Morning, little man. Are you enjoying your breakfast?"
Elizabeth passed him a bottle of syrup as he took a seat. "We only have about twenty minutes before we need to be out the door, so eat quickly, please."
"Hey, are you okay?"
She nodded and sat across from him. "Just a little flustered. Rosie's been texting me all morning, and somebody," she glanced over at Micah, "has decided to be difficult today."
He reached over and took her hand. "Why don't we just stay home this morning?"
"No. It's fine. I don't want us getting in the habit of skipping church when one of us has a rough morning."
He squeezed her fingers and let go. "Okay."
They arrived at the church just a few minutes later than Elizabeth was hoping and slipped into their usual pew beside the Rosemary.
"Good morning. How are the newlyweds?" She asked with a grin.
"We're good. Wishing we were still on our honeymoon, though." Jack winked at Elizabeth and shifted Micah in his lap.
"You had a good time then?"
"We had a wonderful time." Elizabeth squeezed Jack's hand. "Where are Lee and the kids?"
"Leo needed a diaper change and Lorelei needed to go to the bathroom, and he offered to take them."
"Auntie Lizbeth!" Lorelei hurried down the aisle, getting ahead of Lee.
"And I guess they're back now." Rosemary chuckled.
"Hi, honey." Elizabeth lifted Lorelei into her lap. "I missed you."
"You and Uncle Jack are married now?"
She nodded. "Remember, you were there when we got married."
"You have a new house?"
"Mhmm, we do. You and your mom and dad and brother will have to come visit us sometime."
She looked over at her mother eagerly. "Can we, mama?"
"Of course, baby. Auntie Elizabeth and I will plan a day that we can go visit. Okay?"
She nodded enthusiastically. "Okay."
...
"Uncle Jack!" Opal launched herself into his arms the moment he opened the door. "I missed you."
"I missed you, too, sweet pea." Luna barked and jumped up on him. He laughed, giving her head a scratch. "Hey, Looney Luna. Did Opal take good care of you?"
Opal nodded. "I fed her and brushed her and played with her in the yard and took her on walks."
"Thanks for watching her for us." He directed his comment to both Opal and Tom.
"Of course, big brother." Tom clapped him on the back, following him into the house. "So how was the honeymoon?"
Jack lowered Opal to the ground, and she turned her attention to the dog. "It was wonderful, and perfect, and a thousand more adjectives like that. I forgot how beautiful out there. Those views are just incredible."
"And I bet you had some nice views inside, too." Tom winked.
"Hey." Jack smacked his arm playfully. "That's my wife you're talking about."
"I am happily married to Sarah, and I personally think she's the most beautiful woman in the world, but that doesn't mean I haven't noticed how pretty your wife is." He chuckled. "Anyway, are you and Elizabeth going to give Opal another cousin anytime soon?"
"Wow, right to it, huh? We've talked about having another baby someday, but not anytime soon. We're going to wait a little while."
Opal glanced up. "I'm getting a brother soon, Uncle Jack!"
"Opal Jean," Tom spoke sternly.
She quickly covered her mouth, her eyes going wide. "Sorry, daddy. I forgot it's a secret."
"That's okay, honey. Just don't tell anyone else, please."
"So?" Jack looked at him curiously.
Tom nodded, smiling sheepishly. "Yes, Sarah's pregnant. Due in October. And, despite what Opal says, we don't know if it's a boy or a girl yet."
"Congrats, man."
"Thanks." He put his hands on his hips and sighed. "Well, we should get out of your hair now. Come on, Opal. Say goodbye to Luna and Uncle Jack."
"Bye, Luna." She kissed the dog's head, then ran over to Jack, throwing her arms around his legs. "Bye, Uncle Jack."
"Bye, sweet pea."
...
Elizabeth smiled when she entered the house and heard Jack speaking to Micah in the kitchen. She set her bag down and crossed the room. "Anyone home?" She peeked into the kitchen.
"Mama!" Micah squealed from his high chair, cracker crumbs covering his face.
"Hi, little bug." She kissed the top of his head.
"What about me?" Jack pretended to pout.
"Don't worry. I haven't forgotten you." She stepped into his open arms. "I missed you today."
He kissed her deeply. "I missed you, too. A whole week of being together nearly twenty-four seven, and now we have to be apart nine hours a day."
"We should just quit our jobs so we can be together all the time again."
Jack chuckled and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "If only we could."
She leaned into his chest, savoring the feel of his strong arms around her.
He kissed her hair. "I'm making stir fry for dinner, by the way."
"Yum. That must be why it smells so good in here."
"I thought that was you." He gave her a crooked smile.
"Are you saying I smell like stir fry?"
He laughed. "No, that's not what I meant. You just always smell wonderful. Like lavender and mint."
"Have you been reading my shampoo bottles?" She chuckled. "I'm not sure I smell great right now, though. I probably smell like play-doh and bubble soap."
"Play-doh and bubble soap? What do you even do at your job?"
"Therapy." She shrugged. "Anyway, I'll go get changed, and then I can help you finish dinner."
...
As the week went on, they got more settled in their routine. Elizabeth took Micah to daycare before work, and Jack picked him up after. They cooked dinner together and spent some time with Micah before putting him to bed.
Once Micah was asleep, they typically sat together at the dining room table while Jack prepared his lectures and Elizabeth planned some therapy sessions for the following day. Then, they went to bed and started it all over the next day.
By the time the weekend arrived, they were more than ready to relax and spend some time together.
Saturday morning, Elizabeth walked into the master bedroom, Micah dozing in her arms. "Micah has a fever."
"I think I might have one, too." Jack shivered and pulled the quilt up to his neck.
She touched the back of her hand to his forehead. "Yes, you do. Okay, you two are staying in bed for the rest of the day. I'll call Rosie and tell her we'll need to reschedule dinner." She lowered Micah onto the bed beside Jack. "Do you want anything in particular for breakfast? I can make you some toast or oatmeal, or something else if neither of those sounds good."
"I'm not hungry."
"Jack, you need to eat something. Toast or oatmeal?"
"Not oatmeal." He grimaced, shaking his head. "Toast is fine. With just a little bit of butter."
"Water, milk, or juice?"
"Water, please. And a small glass of orange juice, too."
She kissed his forehead. "Coming right up."
When she returned to the bedroom a few minutes later, she found that Jack had fallen back to sleep, this time with Micah resting on his chest. She set the tray with his breakfast and Micah's sippy cup on the nightstand.
"My sweet boys," she whispered.
While they slept, she took the opportunity to unpack a few more boxes in the guest room. Having moved in just a week before leaving on their honeymoon, they hadn't quite finished unpacking things.
An hour later, the boxes were empty. The guest room now had pictures on the wall and fresh bedding on the bed, and the bathroom that Micah would share with whatever other children they would have was ready to be used.
She walked back to the master bedroom, quietly peeking in. Jack was awake this time, and she noticed that the breakfast tray she had brought for him was now empty.
"Hey." Elizabeth sat on the edge of the bed. "How are you feeling?"
"A little better, but I'm still feeling really achy. I'm not as sick to my stomach now that I've eaten a little."
"Good." She ran her fingers through his hair. "You still feel warm. Do you think some medicine might help? I can bring you some ibuprofen."
"Yes, please."
She returned shortly, pill bottle in hand.
"Thank you." He took a couple of the pills, then handed the bottle back to her.
"How's Micah been?"
Jack glanced over at the little boy, who was stretched out beside him. His little cheeks were flushed, his hair plastered to his forehead. "Tired. He woke up for a few minutes while I was eating, so I got him to drink a little bit then before he fell back to sleep."
"I hate that you're both sick."
Jack took her hand. "I hate that you're having to take care of us. This is not how we should be spending our two-week anniversary."
"No, but this is our life, hon. In sickness and in health."
"We're already testing those vows, huh?" He laughed softly.
She kissed his forehead. "I'm going to get some crackers for Micah. Do you need anything?"
"Could you bring my laptop in here?"
"As long as you promise not to do any work. No working while you're sick."
He smiled and gave her a little salute. "Scout's honor."
"I'll be right back."
...
Elizabeth leaned back against the headboard. Micah sat in her lap, alternating between nibbling on a cracker and taking sips of water.
Jack had pulled up Netflix on his laptop, and they were all watching the show that was playing with varying degrees of focus.
Jack turned toward her. "Hey, I know you've already taken some time off work this year, but do you have any more vacation time left?"
"Some, I think. And I can work some half days on Saturdays to make up for what I miss. Why?"
"Would you be up for a big trip this summer?"
"We just went on a big trip for our honeymoon."
"I'm thinking international this time."
"Like where? England?" She nodded toward the laptop, where an English landscape was being shown on the screen.
"Actually, Ireland. Maybe Scotland, too."
"And it would just be the two of us?"
"Well, I was thinking we would bring Micah." He reached over and touched Micah's cheek. "Unless you want it to be just the two of us. That's fine, too. I just thought it might be fun to show you some of the places I've told you about, and there are some places in Northern Ireland I'd like to see."
"That could be fun. I'll have to talk to my supervisor about taking some more vacation days. When were you thinking?"
"It'll have to be sometime in July or the beginning of August. I'm teaching an intersession class in May and June, and then regular classes start back up in the middle of August."
"Okay. I need to make sure my passport hasn't expired, and we'll need to get a passport for Micah." She kissed the top of his head. "What do you think, little bug? Do you want to go on a big family vacation to Ireland this summer?"
Jack grinned. "Family vacation. I love the sound of that."
"Well, the three of us are a family now. Forever."
He leaned over and kissed her forehead. "I love you, Beth."
"I love you, professor."
