"I love you both so much." Jack glanced between the tiny baby girls in his arms. "I still can't believe you're finally here. Your mama and I have been waiting a long time for you two."
It had been just two days since the twins were born, and Jack couldn't get enough of his girls.
One of the babies yawned, letting out a little squeak.
"Oh! Big yawn from Claire Bear. At least I think you're Claire." He glanced at the band on her ankle. "Baby B. Okay, I was right. You're Claire. It's too bad your mama isn't awake to know I got it right." He chuckled. "She's worried I'm not going to be able to tell you two apart."
He couldn't help but smile as he watched his daughters. They looked so much like Elizabeth with their clear, blue eyes and wisps of curly brown hair atop their heads.
"I know you'll be able to tell them apart. Eventually."
He looked over at the bed. Elizabeth was awake now, a smile on her face.
"Have I ever mentioned how good you look holding a baby? Seeing you with them just makes me love you even more."
"I can't believe they're ours, Elizabeth. They're so perfect."
"They are, aren't they?" She sighed contentedly. "We have three kids now, Jack."
"And they're the best kids in the world."
"You're biased."
He laughed softly. "Maybe a little. But look at them! They're amazing. We have the greatest little boy in the world, and now we have the greatest little girls in the world."
"We really are blessed."
...
Jack touched Elizabeth's cheek. "What do you say we give Micah a call now? Let him know we miss him."
"Put him on FaceTime, so he can see the girls."
"I will." He scrolled through the contacts on Elizabeth's phone and called Grace.
"Well hello, Jack. How are things going up there?"
"Things are good. I was wondering if we could talk to Micah."
"Of course. Let me go get him." It was quiet for a few moments until Micah's little face showed up on the screen.
"Hi, little man."
"Daddy!" Micah lit up when he saw Jack's face on the screen. "Come home?"
"We'll be home soon, Micah. Mama had surgery, so she has to get better."
"Mama sick?"
"No. Mama's doing just fine. She just has an owie on her tummy that needs to heal up." He walked toward one of the bassinets that sat beside Elizabeth's bed. "Hey, Micah. Do you want to meet your baby sisters?"
"Sisters?"
"Yeah, little man. Remember, mama had babies in her belly. They're out now, and we'll get to bring them home with us." He turned the phone to face the baby. "This is Claire."
"Where mama?"
"I'm right here, little bug." She shifted the baby into one arm and took the phone from Jack. "I have your other sister here. Her name is Ava."
"Aba?"
Jack chuckled as he reached for Claire. "Good job, buddy. Your baby sister Ava." He settled on the edge of the bed beside Elizabeth. "And your baby sister Claire."
"You're a big brother now, Micah. What do you think of that?"
"I brudder."
"That's right." Elizabeth smiled. "Are you being good for grandma and grandpa?"
"Ya." He nodded emphatically. "I good boy."
Grace appeared on the screen. "He's been very good. We're going to take him to the zoo after lunch."
"That sounds fun. Are you excited to go to the zoo, little bug?"
He nodded. "I see tiger."
William and Grace were staying at Jack and Elizabeth's house for a few days to take care of Micah and help them settle in once the babies came home.
"How are the girls?"
"They're doing great, even better than expected." Elizabeth looked down at Ava, who was giving a big yawn. "Although, they almost had to put Claire on oxygen last night, but she was able to get her levels back up on her own. Other than that, we've had no real issues aside from the normal newborn stuff."
"Oh, good. And how are you feeling, dear? I lucked out and avoided C-sections with you and your sisters, but I've heard the recovery is miserable."
"I'm okay. It's definitely worse than my recovery with Micah. I'm just very thankful for pain medication right now." She chuckled. "I'm sure things will be a little more difficult once we're back home without nurses and doctors to help us."
"And that's why your father and I are staying for a few days. Anything you need, we're here to help."
"Thank you for that, mom. Okay, Micah, daddy and I have to go now. We'll see you soon."
"Bye, little man." Jack waved at the screen. "I love you."
"Love you." Micah waved back.
Elizabeth ended the call, and Jack sighed.
"Gosh, I miss him."
Elizabeth smiled. "You know you don't have to stay here. You can go home for a while if you want. See Micah, take a shower, take a nap. We'll be fine here."
He shook his head. "I need to be here."
She watched him silently for a few moments. He cooed at the baby in his arms, laughing softly when she responded with a little grunt.
"Thank you, Jack."
"For what?"
"For everything."
...
Three days after the babies were born, they were discharged from the hospital.
Elizabeth double checked the buckles on both of the girls and ensured that the car seats were locked in place.
"Everybody ready to go?" Jack turned in his seat.
"I think so." She took a deep breath.
"Are you okay?"
"We're on our own with them now, Jack. No doctors. No nurses. Do you think we can do this?"
"I know we can." He reached back and took her hand, squeezing gently. "We're a team. And it doesn't hurt that your parents will be around for a couple of days to help us get settled in. We'll be fine."
"Right." She nodded. "We'll be fine. We can do this."
"Let's get our girls home."
He drove cautiously, nearly at a crawl each time he reached a bump in the road. Finally, they pulled up to the house.
"Well, girls, we're home. Are you ready to meet your brother and your grandparents?"
William met them in the driveway. "I'm here to help carry a baby."
"Thank you, dad." Elizabeth gave him a careful hug.
He kissed her cheek, then reached out to open the back door of the car. "Well, hello, sweetheart." He smiled at the baby resting in the car seat. "Who do we have here?"
"That's Ava."
"Ava Elizabeth, right?"
She nodded. "Ava Elizabeth and Claire Victoria."
"They're beautiful, Beth. They remind me a lot of you when you were a baby."
"Jack keeps saying they're my clones, but I don't know." She chuckled. "Although I guess I was due to have one look like me since Micah is one-hundred percent Patrick."
"We'll need to have another one so I can get my clone." Jack laughed as he carried Claire over in her car seat.
"Let's see how we do with the three we have first." She walked up to the door, opening it for the men.
"Mama!" Micah ran up, throwing his arms around her legs.
"Hello, little bug." Elizabeth patted his back. "I missed you so much."
"Okay," Grace walked into the entryway to greet them. "I need to see my new grandbabies."
"Let's get them into the living room, and we can take them out of the car seats."
As soon as the babies were unbuckled, Grace took one and William took the other, both settling on the sofa. Jack helped Elizabeth into the recliner, then scooped up Micah, carrying him over where he could see his sisters.
"These are your baby sisters, little man." Jack pointed at the babies. "Do you remember we showed them to you on the phone?"
"I hold."
"Let grandma help you." Jack lowered him onto the sofa next to Grace.
He immediately draped his arm around his sister. "Baby."
"That's Claire."
"Actually, that's Ava," Elizabeth corrected.
"Really?" Jack furrowed his brow. "I could've sworn that's Claire."
"Nope, it's Ava." She laughed softly. "Look," she pointed toward the baby's ear, "no birthmark."
"Dang it! We need to keep nametags on them or something." He took a seat on the arm of the chair. "Oh, wait, don't we have the hats with their names on them?"
"Yes, somewhere in the nursery. But for now, you can know Ava is in the gray pajamas and Claire is in the pink."
Grace chuckled. "Poor girls better get used to being mixed up. People are going to get them confused for the rest of their lives."
"Just as long as Jack figures out who's who eventually." She winked and squeezed his hand.
...
"Now what?" Jack stood with his hands on his hips, glancing between the two bassinets placed beside the bed.
"Well, we should probably take advantage of the fact that they're both asleep and get some rest ourselves. My mom said she or dad will check on Micah if he gets up, so we can focus on the girls." She carefully climbed into the bed, pulling the covers up.
He peered over the side of one of the bassinets. "Look how sweet they are." A smile spread across his face. "I can't believe how much I love them."
"You might love them a little less when they wake up screaming." She chuckled. "Which will happen sooner than you expect, so come to bed. Get some rest."
"Fine." He sighed, slipping under the covers next to Elizabeth. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm okay right now."
"Any pain?"
"A little, but I just took some medicine, so I should be fine once it kicks in."
"Good." He lifted his head, glancing over at the girls again. "Are you sure they'll be okay?"
"Jack, we're both right here. We'll hear them if they wake up. Trust me."
"Okay." He slipped his arms around her, pulling her to his chest. "I love you."
...
Jack jumped up as soon as one of the babies began to stir. "Hi, sweetheart," he whispered, lifting her to his shoulder. "Are you hungry, Claire? Let's get you to mama."
Elizabeth sat up slowly, her eyes still heavy with sleep. "Come here, little one." She settled the baby in her arms to nurse. After a few unsuccessful attempts at latching, the baby started to fuss. "Jack, she won't eat." She let out a frustrated sigh. "She's going to wake up the whole house if she starts crying."
"I'll make up a bottle for her."
"Thank you. There's fresh milk in the fridge. That'll heat faster than the frozen."
"Got it. Should I go ahead and make one up for Ava, too?"
She shrugged. "You might as well. If she doesn't have a problem nursing, we can just save the bottle for later."
He returned a few minutes later with two bottles. "Here." He held one of the bottles out.
"Why don't you feed her? That way I can feed Ava when she wakes up."
"If you're sure." He sat back on the bed, leaning against the headboard, before he took Claire from her. "Here we go, Claire Bear."
The little baby eagerly took the bottle, content to be filling her belly.
After a few minutes, Jack heard Elizabeth sniffle beside him. When he turned, she had tears in her eyes. "Beth? Are you okay?"
She nodded. "I'm just so thankful for you, Jack Thornton. When I brought Micah home, it was just me and him. I didn't have anyone to help me in the middle of the night. I didn't always have someone to help me feed him or change him. Sometimes," she took a deep breath, "sometimes, I just can't believe how much my life has changed, how lucky I am to have you."
"I feel like I'm the lucky one." He leaned over and kissed her. "I never imagined this would be my life. It hasn't always been smooth sailing, but look at us now. We've been married for a year, and we have the three greatest kids in the world."
...
Grace set her suitcase by the door. "Are you sure you'll be okay?"
"We'll be fine, mom. We have to figure out how to do this all ourselves eventually, anyway. Besides, Charlotte is coming down in a few days, and I'm sure Marie and Leland will come visit soon, too. We'll have plenty of help."
"Well, if you need any more help at all, don't hesitate to ask. We'll get on the first flight back down here."
"Thank you, mom." Elizabeth pulled her into a hug. "We're so thankful you and dad came down."
"We wouldn't have missed this for the world." Grace kissed her cheek.
William appeared at the door, putting an arm around Grace. "Everything is loaded up. Are you ready to go?"
"Just about. I just want to say bye to the kids one last time." She headed down the hall to the nursery.
William hugged Elizabeth. "We'll see you soon, sweetheart. Thank you for dealing with us for the past few days."
"No, thank you for all your help. I don't think Jack and I would've survived the past few days without you and mom."
"You would've been just fine. You two are wonderful parents, and your kids are so lucky to have you."
"Dad." She felt tears filling her eyes, and she hugged him again. "I love you."
He kissed the top of her head. "I love you, too, sweetheart. You take care, okay?"
She nodded. "Have a safe flight." She hugged her mother once more.
Jack put a hand on her shoulder. "You'll be fine with the kids for a bit? I can take Micah with me if it would help."
"The girls are napping. We'll be fine. Besides, this will give me a chance to spend some time with Micah."
"Okay." He kissed her softly. "I'll be back soon."
A few minutes after Jack left with William and Grace, Micah crawled up on the sofa, snuggling against Elizabeth.
"Hi, little bug." She kissed the top of his head.
"Where daddy go?"
"He had to take grandma and grandpa to the airport. He'll be back soon." She ran her fingers through his hair. "Do you want to read a book, Micah?"
He nodded. "Wead."
"Let's go to your room, and I'll read you something. Okay?"
"Ya!" He tugged on her hand, leading her to his room.
"Pick a book, little bug." She sat in the rocking chair while he rifled through the books on his little shelf.
"Dis book." He placed it in her hands, then crawled up into her lap.
She winced. "Careful, Micah. I still have an owie on my tummy."
"Mama owie?"
"Yeah, my owie is still getting better. Just try not to touch my belly, okay? Now," she flipped open the book, "let's read."
When Jack returned a while later, he found them on the sofa, Micah curled up and sleeping next to Elizabeth. One of the babies was snuggled up in her arms, the other still asleep in the bassinet.
"Everything go okay?" he whispered.
She nodded as he took a seat beside her, lifting the baby from her arms. "The girls slept almost the whole time, until a few minutes ago when Miss Ava woke up. So Micah and I had some time just the two of us. We read a few books and he colored a bit."
"Good." He kissed her temple. "I was thinking, if you're okay with it, I want to take Micah out for a little while tomorrow, just him and me."
"Why wouldn't I be okay with that?"
He shrugged. "You'd be alone with the girls. I just don't want you to feel like I'm leaving you to fend for yourself."
"That's not how I feel. I think it would be great for you and Micah to get some time away. But just know this means I'm going to leave you with the girls sometime so I can get away for a bit." She smirked.
"Just tell me when."
She leaned her head on his shoulder. "I love you."
"I love you more."
...
Jack lowered Micah to the ground and closed the front door behind them. "Beth?"
"In our room!" she called out. She smiled when Micah and Jack appeared in the doorway a few moments later. "How was your father-son time?"
"It was fun. We went to the park and played for a while, then we got some ice cream, and then on the way home, we stopped and got you something." He ruffled Micah's hair. "Can you give mama her present, little man?"
He held up a bouquet of flowers. "Fo' mama."
"For me?" Elizabeth gushed as she took the flowers from him. "Thank you, little bug. These are so pretty."
Jack leaned down and kissed her softly. "How were things here?"
"Good."
"That didn't sound very convincing." He touched Micah's shoulder. "Hey, little man. Why don't you go to your room and take off your shoes and jacket?"
"Otay, dada." He ran from the room.
"Now," Jack took a seat beside Elizabeth, "how were things here, really?"
"I think we might just need to switch Claire to a bottle permanently."
"She didn't want to nurse again?"
She shook her head. "No. But she took the bottle fine just like the other night." She sighed. "It's kind of frustrating."
"I know. It's a special thing that you're able to nurse them, and I imagine it's difficult to give that up."
"At least this means I can have help with feedings, and it'll make it easier once I'm back at work."
"True." He took her hand. "Oh, my mom called. Her doctor cleared her to drive, so she wanted to know if you're up for having company again."
"Sure. Let her know she's welcome anytime."
"Good. I'll call her later."
"Mama!" Micah barreled back into the room. "I eat cweam," he explained as he climbed up on the bed and snuggled up between her and Jack.
"You ate ice cream? What kind?"
"Clock-it."
She chuckled, running her fingers through his hair. "Chocolate? That sounds yummy. Chocolate is my favorite."
"Hey, little man. Guess what."
"What?" He looked up at Jack, eyes wide.
"Nana Charlotte is coming to visit soon."
"He's getting spoiled with all these visits."
"He deserves a little spoiling."
...
Charlotte came through the door and set her bag on the ground.
"Charlotte, it's so good to see you." Elizabeth hugged her carefully.
"You, too. How are you feeling, Lizzy?"
"About as well as I can feel considering I had twins a week and a half ago."
"I can't wait to meet them."
"Well come on in." She stepped to the side to let Charlotte pass. "They're just in the living room right now."
"Hi, ma." Jack smiled when they came in the room. "Ready to meet the newest members of the Thornton family?"
"Of course. Hand one over."
He passed Claire to her, then reached into the bassinet to lift Ava to his shoulder.
"Hello, beautiful girl." She grinned at the baby. "I'm Nana Charlotte, your daddy's mom."
"That's Claire. Jack has Ava."
"And where's my little Micah?"
"Napping," Jack answered. "He didn't sleep well last night, so he was tired."
"Poor guy. Have the babies been waking him up?"
"Surprisingly, no." Elizabeth chuckled. "For such tiny little girls, they certainly are loud—especially when they're hungry—but somehow Micah can sleep through all of that."
"Lucky him." Charlotte lifted the baby to her shoulder, touching her nose to the tiny head and inhaling. "Oh, that baby smell. There's nothing like it."
"It's intoxicating," Elizabeth agreed. "If I wasn't so sleep deprived and still recovering from a C-section, it would make me want another one right now."
"They are so precious."
...
"You okay, hon?"
Jack nodded and gave a sad smile. "I'm so glad my mom is here, but it's reminding me that my dad isn't here. He never met you or saw us get married. And he won't ever meet Micah and the girls. It's just hard sometimes."
"I know." Elizabeth put a hand on his back, rubbing gently. "It's not fair that you lost him. I think he'd be very proud of you, though. He'd tell you that you're a great dad."
"Thank you, Beth." He kissed her softly. "I don't know what I'd do without you."
"Hopefully you never have to find out."
"Hopefully," he repeated. "I love you so much."
"I love you, too."
...
A/N There's one more chapter (an epilogue) left in this story, so stay tuned for that!
