A couple days had passed since Aaron's illness, and he was as healthy and happy as ever. Rosemary had recovered, and Vivian was doing well at school. Thanksgiving was also growing steadily closer and Rosemary's plans were coming together. One afternoon, she dropped by the café. "Good afternoon, Abigail," she said as she walked in.
"Afternoon." Abigail looked up. "What can I do for you?"
"I was wondering if I could trouble you to watch Aaron for me for a couple hours."
"Of course. I'd love to!"
"Oh wonderful. I'm going to out to the new house to see the progress, but I'll be back in time to pick him up before I get Viv from school."
"Not a problem." Abigail said as she took Aaron. "We'll have a great time."
"Thank you so much! I'd better be going; I have to hurry out before Viv gets out of school." Rosemary gave Aaron a kiss, then hurried right back out the door. She walked right out to the build site, where Lee was overseeing.
The house was coming together. Already all four walls were up, and so was the roof. Lee's men were working on the inside walls, and Lee was standing by the lumber wagon. "Hey, sweetheart," he said as Rosemary approached him.
"Hello." Rosemary gave him a kiss. "How's it all coming along?"
"Good, I think. Do you want to go take a look inside?" Lee offered.
"Absolutely." Rosemary took his hand and he led her inside.
He opened the door and the smell of freshly cut lumber greeted them. "Welcome home, Rosie."
"Oh Lee..." she let go of his hand and walked to the middle of the room. "It's beautiful. It's coming along so well. We'll definitely be able to have Thanksgiving here!" She softly twirled around. "And it's so big!"
Lee chuckled as he watched his wife's enthusiasm. "Is it everything you wanted?"
"Yes! It's amazing. I can't wait until this is our home."
"Me neither." He agreed. "My men are finishing up the interior walls, and then I'm going to put heating in it tomorrow, so it should be ready for the dinner on Friday."
"That'll be perfect. Oh, it'll be so nice to have a larger space for everyone. I love it!"
They walked around for a little while longer, talking and dreaming. "Well, I should get back to pick up Vivian and Aaron," Rosemary said as she paused in the living room.
"I should get moving too," Lee came to stand beside her. "I have to check on Nathan's build, then head back to town. Do you want a ride?"
"Thanks, but I need to head back now and I would think that you're gonna take a while."
"Yeah, I probably would." Lee chuckled. "Alright, I'll see you at home then." He gave Rosemary a quick hug.
"Bye!" Rosemary called back as she hurried towards town. She first went to the school yard to get Vivian.
"Hi Mama!" Vivian called as she came running towards Rosemary.
"Hey Viv," Rosemary gave her a hug. "How was your day?"
"Fun. Where's Aaron?"
"He's with Aunt Abigail, and we're going to go pick him up now." Rosemary turned and she and Vivian headed towards the Café. She enjoyed listening to Vivian talking about her school day. When they reached the café, Rosemary and Abigail talked for a little while about the Thanksgiving dinner. They made plans to meet, along with Elizabeth, at Rosemary's new house to cook the food. Then Rosemary and the kids headed home. When they got home, Rosemary put Aaron down for a nap and sat down with Vivian to help her with some printing.
Once Vivian was done with that, she played by herself and Rosemary started supper. By the time Rosemary heard Lee's car pull up, the house smelled amazing and supper was nearly ready. "Papa!" Vivian exclaimed as Lee opened the door. She ran to hug him.
Lee set his things down and then knelt to pick her up. "Hey Viv, how was your day at school?"
"Fun! Mrs. Thornton is teaching me sounds, and we colored pictures of pumpkins too, for Thanksgiving."
"Oh well that does sound like fun," Lee said as he put her down. He walked over to Rosemary and gave her a kiss. "Hi sweetheart. Smells amazing. Can I do something to help?"
"Thank you." Rosemary smiled. Just then, Aaron started crying. "Can you go get Aaron?"
"Absolutely." Lee hurried upstairs to the room that Aaron and Vivian shared. "Hey little man," he soothed as he picked Aaron up. "How are you doing?" He continued talking as he brought Aaron back downstairs. When he re-appeared, supper was on the table and Rosemary had got Vivian to sit down.
"Here, I'll take him," Rosemary offered.
They sat down and began to eat supper together. Rosemary held Aaron for some of it, then placed him in his crib downstairs to play while they finished up. After supper, Lee and Rosemary cleaned up while Vivian played with Aaron. Then Lee and Rosemary joined the kids in the living room. "Mama," Vivian came bouncing over to Rosemary. "Can you read me a story? Please?"
"Definitely!" Rosemary grinned. "Do you want to choose one?"
Vivian drew out a book from behind her back. "This one."
"Of course." Rosemary took the book and opened it. Vivian scrambled up beside her, and Lee came to sit down with Aaron too. They all listened as the story came alive from Rosemary's lips. Characters took on unique voices and settings came to life as Rosemary weaved the story. She added extra details here and there to spice it up, but Vivian didn't even notice. She was enthralled by Rosemary's retelling. Even Aaron was smiling and cooing for most of it. Lee just watched and shook his head. He knew that Rosemary had a special talent, and he loved to watch it in action.
Later, after both Vivian and Aaron had gone to bed, Lee and Rosemary sat in the living room. "What's your plan for Thanksgiving?" Lee asked.
"Well, Elizabeth, Abigail, and I are going to cook the food at the new house and then everyone will be there by about five-thirty." Rosemary leaned back against Lee. "When will your men be done work?"
"It's Thanksgiving, so they won't be working."
"Oh." Rosemary chuckled. "Of course. I forgot. I'll have both Vivian and Aaron with me there, as well as Allie and Jack."
"I'll come at five-thirty with the rest."
"Sounds like a plan." Rosemary nodded.
On Friday, Elizabeth and Abigail met Rosemary at the house. It was the first time that they had seen the house since the frame had gone up. "Wow," Elizabeth exclaimed as she walked in. "It's huge."
"It is," Rosemary agreed. "Lee is putting indoor plumbing and heating in, just like the fancy houses in New York."
"I asked Nathan to put indoor plumbing in our house too." Elizabeth smiled. "It's one thing I miss from Hamilton."
"Vivian, why don't you and Little Jack play over there?" Rosemary directed Vivian.
"Allie, do you mind getting them settled? Then you can come and help us." Elizabeth added.
"Of course." Allie nodded.
The ladies walked into the kitchen. "Lee made sure everything was ready for today." Rosemary said as they unloaded all the stuff they had brought. "He even has the oven put in, and the water already running."
"You'll be able to move in soon then," Abigail commented.
"We're hoping to be in by end of October." Rosemary agreed. "What needs to be done?"
"Turkey in the oven, potatoes, carrots, stuffing, squash, everything ready and then set the table and enjoy." Abigail said.
"Let's get started then!" Rosemary exclaimed as Allie came to join them. While they peeled and cut, their conversation changed to wedding talk. "Have you set the date yet?" Rosemary asked.
"Yes, we have." A huge smile lit up Elizabeth's face.
"Well?"
"The date is set for April 23 of the new year."
"That gives us six months! Perfect!" Rosemary put the potatoes on the stove. "Have you thought about colors? Food?"
"Not really." Elizabeth admitted. "I'm sure we'll discuss it though."
"You'd better. This will be a long-anticipated event!" Rosemary declared as she turned away from Abigail and Elizabeth.
"I'm sure it will." Elizabeth said as she shared a smile with Allie and Abigail.
The food was cooking, the turkey beginning to smell good, and the house warm when they sat down for a break. Rosemary fed Aaron and talked with Vivian while Little Jack also went down for a nap. He was getting a little bit old for naps, but Elizabeth was trying to hold onto it as much as possible. Clara, Faith, Fiona, Florence, and Molly arrived at five o'clock, and they helped set the table and get all the decorations out. Rosemary had gone all out for their dinner.
The ladies were just beginning to put the food on the table when Lee, Nathan, Jesse, Ned, Mike, and Bill arrived. "You're just in time!" Rosemary called as they entered the house. Lee walked up to her and gave her a quick kiss, then picked up Vivian and swung her around. Little Jack ran right to Nathan, followed by Allie. "Everyone can sit down now." Rosemary raised her voice over the noise and conversation.
Everyone found their spots, and then Lee blessed the food. "Thank you, Father, for this wonderful meal and for all our family and friends who are gathered with us today. Amen."
"Amen!" Rosemary declared as she opened her eyes. She picked up the pot of potatoes and served Lee, then herself, then Vivian, and passed it on.
Conversations began as the food was passed around and eaten. "This is delicious, Rosemary," Fiona commented.
"Thank you." Rosemary beamed. "It wasn't all me, though. Abigail and Elizabeth helped too." Abigail and Elizabeth exchanged a smile.
As Rosemary watched her family and friends talk and laugh, she couldn't help but be overwhelmed by the number of blessings she had. A wonderful husband, two beautiful children, so many friends, and a brand-new house. Just as she finished her food, Aaron began to cry.
"I'll get him," Lee offered.
"I've got him." Rosemary assured him as she got up. She walked over to the crib and looked down. "Hey little guy. I'm thankful for you too." She picked up Aaron and gently rubbed his back, then walked back to the table and sat down. Aaron waved his fists and cooed as everyone around the table tried to interact with him. Rosemary just kept smiling. She looked over at Lee, and he was smiling. She looked over at Vivian, who was happily sitting beside Allie and Clara.
"Can I hold him?" Faith asked.
"Of course." Rosemary replied, handing him over. "Why doesn't everyone move the chairs to the living room and we can talk there?"
"We'll do that." Lee said as he and Nathan, and the rest of the guys got up to move the chairs while the ladies quickly cleared the table. Then they all went to sit down while Rosemary grabbed a few things from the kitchen. When she came back to the living room, she settled in a chair next to Lee. "That was a delicious meal, sweetheart," he said as she sat down.
"Thanks. It sure is nice to have everyone here in our new home." She said softly as Vivian came up and sat on her lap. "Hey Viv, are you having fun?"
"Yeah." Vivian nodded. "But I'm tired now."
Lee and Rosemary chuckled. "Just sit right here and you can cuddle with me," Rosemary assured her.
Conversation went on until Aaron, Little Jack, and Vivian were all asleep. Then the guests began to make their way home. Rosemary and Lee put the last things away and then drove back to the rowhouse. Aaron didn't even stir, and Vivian fell right back asleep once Lee laid her in bed. Rosemary put some of the stuff away and Lee helped her when he came back down. "It was a good idea to have everyone over," he said as they put the last of the things away.
"I only have those." Rosemary pointed out with a smile.
"It's true." Lee chuckled. He turned to give her a hug. "Happy Thanksgiving, sweetheart." He stepped back, still holding her hands. "I'm so thankful for all you do."