"Are you coming to bed?
"I'll be there in a minute," Elizabeth called out from the bathroom as she dried her face. She turned off the light and stepped into the bedroom. "What are you so eager about?"
"I want to talk to the babies."
She shook her head and chuckled. He had gotten in the habit of talking to the babies every night before they went to bed, which she found both adorable and hilarious.
"What? You can talk to them all the time. I can only talk to them when you're next to me."
She settled down in the bed beside him. "Go for it."
"Hi, girls." He put his hands on either side of her stomach. "It's daddy again. Guess what, babies. Mama and I are getting close to picking names for you two. We just have to narrow the choices down a little bit more. I wanted to give you two names from Scotland and Ireland, like Skye and Erin or some other names like that, but mama said no for some reason."
Elizabeth rolled her eyes playfully. "I told you why. It's because in the future, when they ask why we chose their names, we'd either have to lie or tell them, 'oh, because mama and daddy made you while we were on vacation in Scotland and Ireland.'"
"So?"
"When you were a kid, did you want your parents to tell you where you were conceived?"
"Point taken." He chuckled and returned his attention to her belly. "We can't wait to meet you girls, but you take your time growing in there. Okay? We want you to be nice and strong when you come out into the world, so just enjoy this time being nice and cozy in mama's belly."
"Whoa." She gasped, putting her hand next to his.
"What? Are you okay?"
She nodded. "I'm fine. One of them just kicked me."
"Is that the first kick you've felt?"
"No. I've felt them moving for a couple of weeks now, but it's mostly been flutters. This one was stronger."
"I can't wait until I can feel them." He spread his fingers wider.
"Oh, there was another one. I think that was the other baby." She rubbed her stomach. "Are you two letting me know you hear your daddy talking? Your big brother used to do that, too."
"I still say Micah kicked to get me to stop talking."
She laughed softly. "No, he kicked because he loved you, even then. If the same is true for these babies, they're destined to be daddy's girls."
"I love them so much already. How is that possible?"
She shrugged. "That's one of life's great mysteries."
"I know I was around for your whole pregnancy with Micah, but it still blows my mind that you're literally growing tiny people inside of you. And this time, I helped make them. They're a little bit of you and a little bit of me. It's amazing." He leaned up and kissed her softly.
"It is amazing," she agreed. "The whole concept of pregnancy is wild when you really think about it." She touched his cheek. "But don't think about it too hard. It'll make your head hurt."
"You know what else is wild?" He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "It feels like it was just yesterday, but it's been about two and a half years since you were at this point in your pregnancy with Micah."
"Oh, don't say that. That means he'll turn three on his next birthday, and he's not allowed to grow up."
He kissed her again, gently. "Just try to remember that, no matter how old he gets, you'll always be his mama, and a boy always needs his mom."
"Even when he's grown and has his own kids?"
"Especially when he's grown and has his own kids. My mom is probably sick and tired of me asking her questions all the time."
She threaded her fingers through his. "What kind of questions do you ask her?"
"Um, I don't want to say."
"Oh, come on. I'm carrying your babies. Two of them. At the same time. You have to tell me."
He kissed her temple. "I don't think you want to know."
"Jack Thornton, you tell me right now or I'll…"
"You'll what?" he questioned, looking amused.
"I don't know."
"Fine." He sighed. "Mostly I just ask her about pregnancy mood swings, morning sickness, cravings, aches and pains, things like that."
"You know you can ask me about that stuff, since I'm currently pregnant and all."
"I know, but I just don't want to bother you with that. I want to do what I can to help."
"You're the sweetest husband, Jack Thornton."
...
Jack lifted Micah from the ground. "Hey, little man, are you ready to go see Uncle Tom and Aunt Sarah?"
He nodded emphatically. "We eat? I hungry."
Elizabeth chuckled as she slung the diaper bag over her shoulder. "Yes, little bug. We'll eat there."
"Ready to go?"
"Mhmm, but you need to grab the pie."
"Your hands aren't full."
"I'm pregnant."
He chuckled. "Fine." He put Micah back on the ground. "You go to the car with mama. I'll be right out."
Elizabeth was buckling Micah into his carseat when Jack returned with the pie.
"Hey, I was just thinking, since we know the babies are girls, does that mean we can break the twin news to people now?"
"Yes." She nodded, climbing into her seat. "We probably need to. I feel like I'm looking big enough that people are going to wonder, anyway." She paused for a moment, cradling her belly. "I don't want to tell people they're girls just yet, though. I want to keep that to ourselves until they're born."
"So the names are staying secret, too?"
"Once we actually settle on them, yes."
"And nothing outrageously girly in the nursery?" Jack walked around the car and slipped into the driver's seat.
"No. As far as furniture and bedding goes, we probably want mostly neutral stuff, anyway, in case we decide to have another baby in the future. And we can use some things I still have from when Micah was a baby."
"But we can get some girl clothes for them, right? Those can be hidden in the closet or in our room or something."
"Have you been thinking about these things? Getting them clothes and stuff?"
"Well…a little. I mean, obviously they need some OU gear, and I've seen some bows that would be cute, and some dresses."
"You're adorable. I love that you're excited about things like bows and dresses."
"I love anything that has to do with our children."
"You're a wonderful dad, Jack Thornton." She reached over and touched his cheek. "I don't think I tell you that enough."
...
"Look at you!" Sarah hugged Elizabeth as she walked through the door. "You look great."
"Well, thank you. I feel huge."
"How much longer do you have?" She took the pie from Elizabeth and led her toward the kitchen.
"I'm due at the beginning of April, so just over four months left. Micah was two weeks early, though, so who knows."
"Your anniversary is around the middle of March, right? You guys could end up with an anniversary baby."
Elizabeth smiled. "Maybe. So, anyway, how are you feeling?"
"I'm doing okay. Recovery is definitely harder with a C-section, and add onto that the fact that I'm almost ten years older than I was when I had Opal. I'm not springing back quite as quickly as I did with her."
"Well, you look wonderful."
"Thank you. It does help that Opal is old enough to have responsibilities around the house, and she loves helping with Alec."
"I can't wait to see how Micah handles being a big brother."
"He's a wonderful little boy. I'm sure he'll be a great brother."
"I'm sure he will," Elizabeth agreed, gazing off in the distance. "Well, what can I help with in here?"
"Tom is smoking the turkey out back, so it's just sides and desserts in here." She pointed at a baking dish on the counter. "If you want, you can get the green bean casserole ready. The recipe should be right there."
She washed her hands and found the recipe Sarah was talking about. "On it."
Outside, Jack and Tom were standing on the deck, Tom making sure the turkey was cooking properly.
Jack looked out into the yard, making sure Micah wasn't getting into trouble as he ran around with Opal.
"So," Tom started, "Elizabeth's halfway through her pregnancy now, right?"
"A little over halfway, actually."
"Do you feel ready?"
"Does anyone ever feel ready to have a newborn around?" He chuckled. "Mentally, I think I'm as prepared as I can be. But with everything else, I don't think we're ready at all. We haven't started on the nursery, we haven't pulled any of Micah's old things out of storage, we're having trouble narrowing down the list of names." He sighed heavily. "There's just so much we need to get done. I know we have time, but I also know that the next few months are going to fly by."
"Well, Christmas break is coming up. I'm sure you guys can get some things done then."
Jack nodded. "We'll have almost a whole day traveling up to Chicago, so I expect we'll at least talk about what we need to get. We did spend last Christmas break looking for houses, so baby stuff should be a cinch."
Tom chuckled. "Oh, you have no idea, man."
"There are my boys." Charlotte stepped out onto the deck.
"Hey, ma. The girls kick you out?"
She nodded, putting her hands on her hips. "They seem to think my culinary skills aren't needed. Can you believe that?"
"Oh, I believe it."
"Nana!" Opal ran over when she noticed her grandmother was outside.
Micah was toddling behind her as quickly as his little legs would carry him. "Nana nana!"
"Well, hello, you two!" She pulled them both into a hug, kissing the tops of their heads. "I missed you both."
"Nana, come see the project I made for school! It's about brown bears!" She took Charlotte's hand and tugged her toward the house.
"I guess I'll catch up with you boys later." She waved at her sons before disappearing through the door.
...
Charlotte said grace before they passed the dishes around the table, everyone filling their plates.
"Dig in, everyone," Sarah stated.
"Wait, mommy! We have to say what we're thankful for!"
"Oh, you're right, honey bun. Do you want to start?"
"Yes. I'm thankful for my baby brother Alec and my boyfriend Philip." Opal turned to Jack. "Your turn, Uncle Jack. What are you thankful for?"
"I'm thankful for my baby brother," he winked at Tom, "and that he invited us to have Thanksgiving here." He turned to Elizabeth and squeezed her hand, giving her a tiny nod. "You're up, love."
"I'm thankful for all of you at this table, but this year, I'm especially thankful for the healthy little babies in here." She rubbed her belly.
Charlotte's fork clattered against her plate when she dropped it. "Did you just say 'babies,' plural?"
Elizabeth nodded. "I did."
"How many babies are we talking about?"
"Just two. Identical twins."
"So when you told me I was getting a new grandbaby, you really meant I'm getting two new grandbabies?" She turned her gaze to Jack, raising her eyebrows.
"Hey, don't look at me like that." He put up his hands. "It was Elizabeth's idea to keep it a secret. I'm honestly surprised neither of us accidentally let it slip the past couple of months."
Opal set down her fork and looked at Jack. "Aunt Elizabeth, you said they're identical twins? Does that mean they'll look alike?"
"Yes, sweet pea. They have the same genes."
"Jeans? Like pants?" She scrunched her forehead, looking confused.
Everybody chuckled.
"No. Genes, spelled G-E-N-E-S. Everybody has different genes they get from their parents, and those genes determine things like what color your eyes and hair are, or how tall you'll be. Identical twins have the same genes, so they look alike."
"Oh. Okay. Mommy, it's your turn to say what you're thankful for."
...
"Hey, little man." Jack pulled a sleepy Micah from his carseat. "Let's get you inside."
"Daddy," he mumbled, leaning his head on Jack's shoulder.
"I'll let Luna out. Can you put Micah down on the sofa, please? He needs a bath before bed tonight."
"Will do." He followed her into the house.
Elizabeth let the bouncy dog out of her kennel and fed her before letting her out in the yard to run off her pent-up energy.
"Micah's asleep on the sofa. I'm going to change."
"Okay. I need to call my parents and tell them about the twins. Do you want me to wait for you?"
"No, you go ahead." He kissed her cheek. "Good luck." He winked and disappeared down the hall.
Elizabeth took a seat on the sofa beside Micah and scrolled through her phone until she found her mom's number. She propped the phone up in front of her, waiting for her to answer.
"Hi, honey."
"Hi, mom. Hi, dad. Happy Thanksgiving."
"Happy Thanksgiving, sweetheart."
"You spent the day with Jack's family, right?"
She nodded. "We went to Tom's house, so it was him and Sarah and the kids. Charlotte came down, too."
"How's Micah?"
"He's good. He's sleeping right now." She chuckled. "He definitely inherited Patrick's appetite. I think he ate more than I did, and I'm eating for three."
"Oh, that boy. We miss him."
"Wait." Grace's eyes grew wide. "Did you just say you're eating for three?"
"Um, yes."
"Elizabeth Reed, is this your way of telling us you're having twins?"
"Mhmm." She smiled and cradled her belly. "You have two new grandbabies on the way."
Jack came up behind her, holding an ultrasound photo in front of the phone. "Say hello to the Thornton twins."
"They're beautiful. Congratulations, you two."
"I'll send you that picture later so you can see it better." She took the photo from Jack as he sat beside her.
"So, boys or girls? One of each? What are they?"
"Grace, calm down. They may not know what they are yet."
"Jack and I know, but we're keeping that a secret until they're born." She rubbed her stomach. "I will say they're identical, so it's not one of each."
"Identical twins. This is so exciting!"
"You're still planning to come for Christmas?"
"Yes. We'll be there the twenty-third."
"Okay. Well, I'm sure you need your rest. We'll let you go. Love you."
"Love you, too. We'll see you soon."
...
A couple of weeks after Thanksgiving, Jack walked into the house after work, noticing how quiet it was. "Elizabeth?" He wandered from room to room, finally finding her in their bedroom. Her back was to him as she stared out the window. He took a seat on the bed beside her. "Hey, love. What's going on?"
"It's Pat's birthday."
"I know," he sighed. He put a hand on her back. "I'll be fine with Micah for a little while if you want to go see him."
She shook her head. "I think…I want to take him with me this time."
"Okay." He kissed her cheek. "I'll make dinner tonight. Take your time."
"Thank you, Jack."
Half an hour later, she pulled into the cemetery.
"Okay, little bug," Elizabeth lifted Micah out of his carseat and set him on the ground, pulling his coat on and zipping it up. She took his little hand and reached for the bouquet of flowers sitting on the seat. "I haven't brought you here in a while, but I want you to see something."
She walked slowly across the grass, making sure his little legs could keep up.
"This is where your dad is buried, Micah." She touched the stone, brushing her fingers across the name carved there. "This says 'Patrick John Coulter.' That's your dad's name. I so wish you could've met him, sweet boy." She tugged his hat down over his ears. "He would've been a great dad to you, Micah Patrick."
He looked at the stone then up at her. "Dad?"
"That's right, little bug. Your dad. He died when you were just a little baby in my belly; you were even smaller than your sisters are right now. Sometimes I come here to talk to him. Daddy comes here sometimes, too, and when you're bigger, if you ever want to come talk to your dad, you can ask me or daddy to bring you here. Okay? Now, today I brought you here because it's your dad's birthday."
She placed the bouquet on the ground and rested her hand on top of the stone, smiling sadly.
"Happy birthday, Pat. I miss you." She sighed. "I brought Micah with me today. Our son. You wouldn't believe how big he's getting." She smiled at Micah, who was now sitting in the grass at her feet, his chubby fingers exploring the letters carved in the stone. "He's two years old now, believe it or not. He can walk and run now, and he's talking more and more every day. He's such a good boy. He's just like you, Pat, so smart and kind and curious. But the big news is that he's going to have two little sisters in a few months."
She rubbed her stomach as one of the babies kicked.
"Jack and I are having twin girls—which is still hard for me to believe. Jack is thrilled. He absolutely loves being a father, and he's so good at it. Micah will never doubt that he has a daddy on Earth who loves him, which I know is what you would want for him. But don't worry; he knows he has a dad in heaven who loves him, too." She blinked back a few tears. "I still love you, Pat. Forever."
She kissed her fingers, then touched them to the top of the stone.
"Okay, little bug, are you ready to go back home?"
"See daddy?"
"Mhmm. Home to daddy."
...
Elizabeth let Micah into the house, then walked straight into Jack's arms. "I love you."
"I love you, too." He kissed her temple. "Are you feeling better?"
She nodded into his chest. "Much. What's for dinner? We have a little boy who's very eager to eat."
Jack chuckled, releasing her from his embrace. "Lasagna."
"Yum. You get to bathe Micah when he's all covered in tomato sauce, though."
He grinned. "I'll go get the little troublemaker."