Jack stepped into the café, finding his children seated at various tables with his mother, the Coulters, the Flynns, and Abigail.
Jane stood up when she saw him. "Is mom okay?"
He nodded. "She's doing just fine. So are the babies. They're all at the infirmary with Dr. Shepherd right now, but I'm going to take them home shortly."
"Jack." Abigail approached him with a basket in her hands. "I packed up some food for you two. The children have already eaten."
"Thank you, Abigail. Do you mind if the children stay here a little while longer? I'd like to let Elizabeth and the babies get settled in before they all come home."
"Of course. You know they're always welcome here."
"Daddy." Audrey tapped his arm. "Do I have sisters?"
He gave her a smile, lifting her from the ground. "You'll find out soon, sweetheart. You be good, Audie Lu, and grandma will bring you home later. Okay?"
"Okay, daddy."
He kissed her cheek and lowered her back to the floor. "Ma." He waved Charlotte over, and they moved to the other side of the room. He hugged her. "Thank you for watching them."
"Of course, son. I'll bring them home in about an hour?"
He nodded. "That should be plenty of time to get the babies settled."
"And do I have to wait to find out what they are?"
He lowered his voice. "Both girls, and both are healthy and beautiful."
She grinned, hugging him again. "Congratulations, son. I can't wait to meet them."
"I love you, ma." He kissed her cheek. "I'll see you in an hour."
...
Jack stopped the car in front of the house. He glanced in the back seat, where Elizabeth was sitting with both girls snuggled up in her arms. "Well, here we are." He got out of the car, taking Laurel from Elizabeth before helping her out of the car. "Are you feeling okay?"
She cradled Eva to her chest. "As well as I can feel just a couple of hours after giving birth to two babies."
"You're amazing, Elizabeth." He kissed her softly. "Let's get these girls inside."
"Well, little ones, this is home." Elizabeth stepped quietly through the house. "Don't let the silence fool you; it's very rarely this quiet. You girls have three more sisters and three brothers. Plus, we have a dog and a cat in the house and even more animals out in the barn. It can get a little crazy around here."
"Crazy might be a bit of an understatement." Jack chuckled, depositing the basket of food on the table. "Do you think you can handle the stairs? Because I can bring the cradle down here for the girls and get you a blanket so you can get comfortable on the sofa."
"Thank you, but I think I can make it upstairs. I'd rather be in our room."
"Okay." He reached out with his free arm to take Eva from her. "I'll get the girls settled, then I'll be right back to help you."
"I can go up the stairs without your help, Jack."
"Elizabeth, just a few hours ago, these babies were still inside you, and by some bit of magic, you pushed them out. Please, let me help you."
She smiled. "Fine. Just don't leave me waiting long."
"I wouldn't dare." He shifted the babies in his arms. "Okay, girls, let's go see where you'll be spending most of your time for the next few weeks."
...
Elizabeth situated the babies on the bed beside her, using pillows to help prop them up. She smiled when Laurel yawned, her tiny face scrunching up. "I love you both so much, my beautiful girls."
Eva cooed, settling in the pillow before closing her eyes. Elizabeth stroked her soft cheek.
"How are things going in here?" Jack appeared in the doorway, leaning against the doorframe.
"Good. Eva just fell asleep, and it looks like Laurel isn't far behind."
"Are you hungry? I brought you some of the food Abigail packed for us." He held up a small plate of food.
"Are those biscuits?" She eagerly reached for the plate, immediately taking a bite of the buttery, flaky biscuit. "Mm. I still can't get my biscuits to taste like this. Remind me to thank Abigail the next time we see her."
He chuckled. "Okay."
Beside her, Laurel started to squirm and whimper.
"I've got her." Jack lifted the tiny baby into his arms. "Hi, baby girl."
Elizabeth smiled, watching him snuggle their daughter against his chest. "I forgot how good you look holding a baby."
He rolled his eyes playfully. "Whatever you say."
"I love you, Jack."
Laurel's whimpers grew louder, and Jack shifted her to his shoulder. "Oh, sweetheart. What's wrong?"
"Neither of them nursed at the infirmary, so she might be hungry."
"Well, I can't help her with that." He laughed softly, carefully passing the baby to Elizabeth. "Can I get you anything?"
"Some more water, please." She nodded toward the empty glass sitting on her nightstand.
"Of course. I'll be right back."
He stepped out of the room, and Elizabeth got Laurel situated in her arms.
"Are you hungry, sweet girl? Let's get you fed before your sister wakes up again." She continued to speak quietly to her as she nursed.
When Jack returned, he just stood for a few moments, watching the two of them. A smile played on his lips, and his heart seemed to overflow with love for the woman in front of him.
"Hi." She spoke when she noticed him in the doorway. "How long have you been standing there?"
"Not long." He placed the glass of water on her nightstand. "I've missed this. The bond between you and our babies is pure magic."
"I've missed this, too. Although I haven't missed the struggle it can be in the beginning when they're still trying to figure out how to nurse." She shifted Laurel in her arms. "She hasn't quite gotten the hang of it."
Jack carefully lifted a still-sleeping Eva from the bed, then sat next to Elizabeth. "Hopefully these little ones won't give you as much trouble as Ben and Daniel did."
Elizabeth groaned at the memories of pain and crying in the middle of the night as they struggled to get their boys to eat. "God willing, these girls will figure it out much faster."
Jack laughed softly, looking down at Eva as she made quiet noises in her sleep. "I still can't believe we have two more daughters." He reached over, touching Elizabeth's cheek. "Thank you for carrying all of our babies. I know it hasn't always been easy."
She leaned into his hand, a smile spreading across her face. "Thank you for being such a good father to them."
...
Charlotte and the children filed through the front door, crowding around Jack.
"Hi, daddy." Audrey jumped into Jack's arms. "Where's mama?"
"She's upstairs with your new baby sisters."
"Sisters?!" She squealed.
"Shh, Audrey. The babies might be sleeping, and you don't want to wake them up."
"So they're both girls?" Ellie questioned.
"Yes. They aren't identical, though."
Levi frowned. "I had a feeling they'd be girls, because I was really wanting another brother."
"I know, bud." Jack put a hand on his shoulder. "To tell you the truth, I was hoping for another boy, too. But you're such a good brother to your sisters, and I know you'll love these new babies, too."
"I want to see them." Audrey bounced, unable to contain her excitement.
"Okay, but we have to be very quiet. The babies have been a little fussy, so we don't want to overwhelm them."
Charlotte touched Jack's arm. "I'll stay down here. One less person crowding in there."
"Are you sure?"
She nodded. "I'll have plenty of time to meet them later. Now go, before Audrey goes crazy."
...
"Mama!" Audrey scrambled up the stairs.
"Audrey Lucille, I told you to be quiet." Jack followed her into the room, the rest of the children coming in behind them.
"But I'm excited!" She looked up at him.
"I know you are, sweetheart, but you need to stay calm around the babies. We don't want to upset them. Okay?"
"Yes, sir."
"Come here, Audrey." Elizabeth patted the bed. "Come meet your sisters."
Audrey climbed up the side, scooting closer to Elizabeth and the babies. "They're little, mama." She peeked over the blanket.
"You used to be that little, way back when you were first born."
"And Jane and Ellie and Levi and Daniel and Benny, too?" She looked around at her older siblings, who had all crowded around the bed to meet their baby sisters.
Elizabeth chuckled. "Yes. They were all little when they were born, too."
"What are their names?" Jane spoke up.
Elizabeth pointed at each baby. "This one is Laurel, and this one is Eva."
Audrey glanced between the babies. "What are their other names?"
"Their middle names? Anne and Caroline. So their full names are Laurel Anne Thornton and Eva Caroline Thornton."
"And my name is Audrey Lucille Thornton."
"That's right, sweetheart." She glanced around at her children. "Do any of you want to hold one of them?"
"I will," Ellie offered.
Jack helped her get Laurel situated in her arms.
"This one is Laurel?"
Jack nodded. "Laurel Anne."
"I want to hold one, mama." Audrey held out her arms.
"Okay, I'll help you with her, sweetheart." Elizabeth lowered Eva into Audrey's waiting arms, showing her how to support the baby's head.
Jane sat on the edge of the bed beside Elizabeth. "How are you feeling, mom?"
Elizabeth took her hand. "I'm feeling okay right now. I'm sure I'll be sore later."
"If you need me to help with anything, I'm happy to."
"Thank you, Jane."
Eva started to whimper, squirming around in Audrey's lap.
"Mama, what do I do?"
"I'll take her back." Elizabeth shifted Eva back to her own arms. "I think she's just hungry."
"Auntie Abigail gave daddy some food to bring home."
Elizabeth chuckled. "Your sisters aren't quite big enough to eat that kind of food, Audrey."
"Oh."
Jack reached for Audrey's hand, helping her off the bed. "Audie Lu, how about we all take Laurel downstairs, and we can introduce her to grandma."
"Can I hold her?"
"Once we're downstairs," Jack confirmed.
"Thank you," Elizabeth mouthed to him as he led the children out of the room. "Okay, Eva," she touched the little baby's cheek, "it's just you and me now. Let's get you fed."
...
Elizabeth passed Laurel to Jack after she finished nursing so he could change her diaper.
"Okay, little one," she spoke softly to Eva," your turn." She leaned back against the headboard once the baby was nursing. "We need to start feeding you and your sister at the same time, don't we?"
"That would certainly make things easier on you." Jack wrapped Laurel up in a blanket and lowered her into the crib.
"Have I thanked you for helping me with them in the middle of the night?" She gave him a tired smile. "You make things easier on me."
"I'm happy to help in any way I can. You're the one who did all the work growing them and giving birth to them, and now you're the one who nourishes them. Anything to ease your burden."
"I really wish I knew what I did in my life to deserve someone as wonderful as you, Jack Thornton."
"I could say the same about you." He leaned down to kiss her gently. "I love you."
"I love you." She kissed him again.
They were quiet for the next few minutes while they watched Eva fill her belly. After a while, she dozed off. Jack quickly changed her diaper and placed her in the crib with Laurel.
He returned to Elizabeth's side, sinking beneath the covers with her. "Good night. Again."
She chuckled softly. "I had forgotten how exhausting it is having newborns in the house."
He brushed his lips across her forehead. "Well, they're both asleep, so now we can rest."
She snuggled into him. "I love you, Jack."