"Daddy," Harrison's voice floated up from the back seat of the car, "I'm hungry."
"Well, Miss Beth said she'll have some breakfast for us when we get to her house."
"Okay." He was quiet for a few moments. "Daddy? Can you ask Miss Beth to be a mommy for my brother?"
Jack coughed, not expecting that question. "I don't think so, buddy."
"Why not?"
"Well, it's not that simple, having a baby."
"Where do babies come from?"
"They come from a mommy's belly. You know that."
"I know, but how does a mommy get a baby in her belly?"
"Um," he rubbed the back of his neck, trying to come up with an appropriate and truthful answer on the spot. "A daddy helps put it there. It's really really small at first, so it has to stay inside the mommy until it's big enough to be born."
"Oh. Could you help Miss Beth put a baby in her belly?"
Jack groaned internally. "Technically, yes. But Harrison, usually people like to be together for a while before they have a baby. Miss Beth and I have only been together for a month."
"Maybe when I'm five?"
He chuckled. "Maybe, but I'm not promising you anything."
A few minutes later, they pulled into Elizabeth's driveway.
Harrison peered out the window, looking up at the house. "Miss Beth lives here?"
"Mhmm." Jack helped Harrison out of his carseat. "Let's go say hi."
Elizabeth opened the door before they reached the porch. "Good morning, and happy birthday, Harrison," she greeted them, a grin on her face. "Come on in. I have breakfast ready in the kitchen."
Jack smiled as he walked passed her and into the house, lightly touching her arm on his way.
"Daddy, I gotta go potty." Harrison bounced up and down, his legs crossed.
"The bathroom is right back there, Harrison, at the very end of the hallway." Elizabeth pointed toward the door. "We'll wait for you."
"Be right back!" he yelled, sprinting down the hall.
Elizabeth chuckled. "So much energy for so early in the morning."
"Tell me about it." Jack took a step toward her, pulling her into his arms. "Good morning."
"Good morning." She stood on her toes, pressing her lips to his. "How has your morning been?"
"Interesting." He smiled and shook his head. "On the drive here, Harrison asked me where babies come from."
"Oh, goodness. Where did that question come from?"
"Faith is pregnant, so now he's very curious about all things baby. I think he's asked me for a brother at least three or four times since Faith arrived."
She laughed. "And what have you told him?"
"That his brother would need a mom. And then he, uh," he cleared his throat, "he asked if you could be a mom for his brother."
Her smile dropped, and her breath caught in her throat as she thought of the possibility of having babies with Jack.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have mentioned that."
"No, it's okay." She put her hand on his arm. "I just…this relationship is still so new, I hadn't thought about things like that. But if I'm being honest," she moved close to him again, "it's a nice thought."
A smile played on his lips as he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, leaning in to kiss her again.
"All done, daddy!" Harrison exclaimed, running back into the room. "I washed my hands, and I didn't get my cast wet. My fingers smell like lemons now."
Elizabeth stifled a laugh as she pulled away from Jack. "It sounds like you're all ready for breakfast now. How do you feel about chocolate chip pancakes?"
He gasped. "I LOVE chocolate chip pancakes!"
"Well, let's go." She held her hand out toward him. "I have a whole bunch keeping warm in the kitchen. And I have some chocolate milk, because your daddy told me that's your favorite."
"This is the best birthday EVER!"
Jack laughed as he followed them into the kitchen. "And it's just getting started, bud."
...
They slowly made their way through the zoo, Elizabeth telling them the names of many of the animals, along with some funny stories of things the animals liked to do. As they stood, watching the lion pace while he waited for his feeding, Jack slipped an arm around Elizabeth's waist, pulling her close.
"Miss Beth?" Harrison tapped on her arm. "Are we almost to the meerkats?"
"Almost. They're just around the corner there." She pointed down the pathway to their left.
He gasped, jumping up and down in excitement. "Daddy, come on! We gotta see the meerkats now!"
The lion let out a low roar in the exhibit behind them.
"Come on, Jack." Elizabeth took a step away and gently tugged on his hand, giving him a smile. "The meerkats are waiting."
Jack froze. The dream he had had weeks before came flooding back. They were standing in the same place; Harrison and Elizabeth said the same things they had in that dream.
"Are you okay?" Elizabeth put her hand on his arm, concern on her face.
He took a deep breath and nodded. "I'm fine."
"Are you sure?"
"Positive." He took her hand again. "Let's get over to the meerkats before this little man runs over there himself."
Harrison skipped off ahead of them, and by the time they caught up, he was pressed against the glass watching the meerkats running back and forth.
Jack chuckled. "I imagine we'll be here for a while."
"Miss Beth?" Harrison didn't turn away as he spoke. "Who takes care of the meerkats when you aren't here?"
"My friend, Clara. She's one of the other small mammal keepers here."
"Oh. How many meerkats are there?"
"Nine." She stepped up beside him. "If you can't find all of them, try looking over there." She pointed to one corner of the exhibit, where a meerkat was sleeping, her fur blending into the surroundings. "Honey likes to hang out over there, but sometimes it's hard to see her."
"Like camouflage?"
"That's right." She ruffled his hair. She watched him for a few moments before returning to Jack's side. She snuggled up to him, putting her arm around his waist. "Jack? What was that earlier? It was like you'd seen a ghost."
He sighed. "This is probably going to sound weird, but I had a dream a few weeks ago where Olive was talking to me. She basically told me to let you into my heart." He touched her cheek. "Then she was gone, and the dream shifted. I dreamt that you and Harrison and I were here, in that exact spot. Then what you both said, even the lion roaring, it was exactly like my dream."
"Wow."
"Mhmm." He nodded. "Sometimes, I talk to her still. I had asked her for a sign not long before I had that dream."
"A sign for what?"
He moved his fingers from her cheek to her neck, feathering the hair there. "A sign that it would be okay to pursue a relationship with you."
"Well, that sounds like some divine intervention."
"I agree. Elizabeth…" he paused, trying to gather his thoughts. "I know we haven't been together for very long, but this—us—it feels right."
A smile played on her lips. "Jack."
He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I love you."
She sucked in a breath, caught by surprise. She certainly hadn't expected to hear those words from him so soon. In response, she leaned up and pressed her lips to his. "I love you, too."
"You two kiss a lot." Harrison announced, wedging himself between the adults.
Elizabeth's cheeks burned, and Jack let out a nervous chuckle, as they hadn't heard the little boy approach.
"Sorry, bud. I can't help it."
Elizabeth cleared her throat. "Um, we should actually get going. I seem to remember I promised a certain young man that I would introduce him to one of our vets, and she'll be waiting for us."
A few minutes later, they walked up to the small on-site animal hospital, where a young woman was waiting for them.
"Hi, Fiona," Elizabeth greeted as they approached her.
"Hi, Elizabeth." Fiona hugged her. "This must be the young man you've told me about."
Elizabeth beamed proudly as she brought Harrison over. "This is Harrison Thornton. Harrison, this is Dr. Miller. She's one of our vets here."
"Hi, Harrison." Dr. Miller crouched down to his level. "It's nice to meet you. Miss Elizabeth here tells me you want to be a vet when you grow up."
He nodded shyly. "Do you take care of meerkats?"
"Sometimes, when they're sick, or when they need a checkup." She offered him her hand. "I don't have any meerkats inside right now, but I do have something else that's pretty cool."
He took her hand, letting her lead him into the building. Elizabeth followed, reaching for Jack's hand as they walked inside.
"This little guy is a golden-headed lion tamarin." Fiona lifted Harrison from the ground so he could get a better look at the tiny primate seated in the cage.
"He looks like a grandpa."
Fiona chuckled. "He kind of does. He's in here because he hurt his hand. That's why he has a cast."
"I have one too!" Harrison held up his arm, showing her his cast.
"Well, look at that. You and Sam are cast buddies."
"Fiona, if we promise not to tell anyone, could Harrison give Sam a snack?"
The little boy's eyes lit up. "Could I?"
"Go wash your hands." She lowered Harrison to the floor and nudged him toward the sink before retrieving a small container of diced fruit and vegetables.
At the sight of food, the little monkey started to squeak.
Harrison giggled. "He sounds funny."
"He's just excited to eat."
"Jack, why don't you go over there, too?" Elizabeth gave him a gentle shove.
He lifted his son from the floor, and they took turns passing pieces of fruit through the bars of the cage, Harrison giggling all the while.
...
Jack took Elizabeth's hand, pulling her down into his lap.
"Jack." She laughed. "You know your family can see us."
"I know." He pressed his lips to hers. "But I'm not hiding you anymore. Harrison tells them everything, anyway."
She smiled, putting her arms around him. "I love you."
"I love you, too." He kissed her again. "Have I thanked you for everything you've done for Harrison today?" He glanced over at his son, who was busy telling Tom and Faith about his trip to the zoo, all the while clutching the little stuffed meerkat that Elizabeth had given to him. "I think this will probably be his favorite birthday ever."
"I'm glad I could do something to make him happy. But just think how much happier he'll be when you bring home the puppy."
He looked at his watch. "Speaking of, don't let me forget, I need to head over there in about an hour to pick up said puppy."
"I'll stay with Harrison while you go."
"Are you sure?"
She nodded. "I think it'd be nice for me to have some time with him."
Over the next half hour, many of the guests left, until only the family was left. Charlotte and Tom left shortly after, wishing Harrison a happy birthday once more and promising to see him at church the next day.
"Where are you going, daddy?" Harrison followed Jack to the door.
"I have to go pick up one more present for you."
"Can I go?"
"Nope. Your present is a surprise. I'll be home with it soon, though, and you'll get to stay here with Auntie Faith and Miss Beth in the meantime."
He pouted. "Okay."
"Be good, Sonny boy." Jack leaned down and kissed the top of his head. "I love you."
"Love you, daddy."
Just after Jack left, Faith's husband called to talk with Harrison. Faith sat with Elizabeth while Harrison recounted his day to his Uncle Carson.
"So," Faith began, "you and Jack have known each other for a while?"
Elizabeth nodded, taking a sip from her glass of water. "We met in high school. I was a freshman when he was a senior. I know it's probably weird for you to see him with someone else, since he was married to your sister—"
"It's a little weird, but it's good to see him so happy. He was devastated when Olive died, and over the past few years, we've all worried that he would never let himself move on. It's wonderful to see him opening up his heart again."
Elizabeth felt a flush rise in her cheeks. "I'm glad he gave me a chance."
...
Elizabeth met Jack at the door, leaving Harrison and Faith in the backyard. The puppy was curled up in Jack's arms, looking around at his new surroundings. "Oh, my goodness. Look at this cutie." She scratched the puppy's chin, and he let out a little whimper.
"Is he back there?"
"Yes, and he's very eager to find out what his surprise is."
Jack smiled. "I think I might be as excited to give him the puppy as I think he'll be to get the puppy."
"I'll go make sure he's got his eyes closed."
"I'm right behind you."
Elizabeth returned to the backyard and took a seat on the ground beside the little boy. "Okay, Harrison. You need to close your eyes, and your daddy will bring your present to you."
The little boy covered his eyes with his hands. "What is it?"
"Just be patient." Elizabeth chuckled. "Your daddy is coming out with it right now."
Jack grinned when he saw them sitting side by side in the grass. The little puppy in his arms started squirming, and he set him right in front of Harrison. "Okay, bud. Open your eyes."
Before he could remove his hands from his face, the puppy had climbed up into his lap, excitedly licking his chin.
"A puppy!" Harrison exclaimed. "My puppy?"
"That's right." Jack joined them on the ground. "This is your puppy, so you have to help me take care of him, okay?"
He nodded, hugging the little animal. "What's his name?"
Jack shrugged. "You get to pick."
He looked over the puppy, from his tan body to his floppy ears and black muzzle. "Simba," he declared. "His name is Simba."
"Good choice, bud."
"Thank you, daddy." He leaned over and hugged Jack.
"You're welcome. I love you, Harrison."