Chapter 121
Grace was holding little Jack and smiling at him. "Charlette, we have the most adorable grandchildren ever. He looks so much like Jack, but he has Elizabeth's eyes."
"Your right on both accounts. Elizabeth looks so much like her mother. She has Jack's dimples."
"When they're finished with their bottles, what do you say about changing babies?"
"Perfect." Charlette smiled. "You know, I believe that's the hardest part for us having twin grandbabies."
"What's that?"
"They're just too much cuteness to behold at once."
Grace let out a small laugh. "I agree. I love all of my children, but if I knew grand children were so much fun, I believe I would have had them first."
Charlette laughed. "I completely agree." She admired Elizabeth for a few moments. "She is doing well with the bottle. She is almost finished."
"So is Jack."
Both ladies looked up from the couch when they heard a knock. Immediately following the knock, Adam opened it and walked into the house.
"Where's my grandbabies?" Adam stated. "I have gifts for them."
Adam's smile grew when both babies reacted a little to his voice.
"Adam, we said you wouldn't get them anything else since Christmas is just a couple of days away." Charlette chided her husband.
"Well." He smirked with a small, silly grin as he sat the two gift bags down and took off his jacket. "I never actually said those words. You said I shouldn't."
Grace leaned over to whisper to Charlette. "Does he always look so adorably silly when he does that?"
"You have no idea." Whispered Charlette as her face turned a little red. "I don't know how, but it works every single time."
"Hummm…" Chuckled Grace.
"I won't even talk about that old, silly tool belt he has." Charlette closed her eyes while her smile grew.
"You go girl." Grace smiled.
"Now, which of these two do I get to hold first?" Adam clapped his hands as he walked toward the women.
…
Henry was sitting at the corner booth talking with Emily. Henry worked in the café during the morning shift. He was trying to make extra money to purchase Emily's Christmas gift. Emily's mom dropped her off after Henry's shift was over so they could have lunch and do a little shopping around town.
"Henry, are you ready?"
"I am. How much time do we have?"
"My mom will be back here in two hours."
"Great. Let's go."
They went to Draw-N-Things. Henry knew Emily was beginning to sketch. She really loved the homework assignment from then Ms. Thatcher. She grew to love sketching since then. Henry wanted to purchase her some sketching supplies.
…
Julie and Viola sat on the edge of Julie's bed. Both of their minds were running through the possibilities of the tests they were waiting on. For Julie, she is about to begin her student teaching. Then she will be graduating in May. Her hope was that she would be working as a teacher either in Elizabeth's school or the high school. Viola was beginning her new job. She knew the bank would work with her. She was still thinking about working in the construction company. James brought up some great points. Working with her husband would give her enough freedom to take care of the baby and still work. She wanted to work so she could help with the family. James made a good living. She wanted to help provide for her family too.
Both ladies were lost in their thoughts when Viola's timer on her phone buzzed. Both ladies jumped. They were nervous. Not because the tests may be positive. They were nervous because it may be negative. They're greatest desire was to be pregnant. Viola looked at her little sister and offered her a small smile.
Instead of going to check on each test individually, they decided to check on Julie's test first since they were closer to her bathroom. As they stood, they held hands and slowly made their way to the bathroom.
…
"Alright Charlette, are you ready to get these two little ones changed?"
"I am. Did the outfits arrived?"
"Oh yes. I have them in my room."
"Hey, where are you taking my grandbabies?"
"We'll be back soon." Charlette stated without looking back over her shoulder.
The ladies laid the babies down on Grace's bed. The ladies weren't sure, but they thought the babies were smiling at them.
"I think they know."
"They are the smartest babies ever."
"I think you're right, Grace."
Grace had the same gentleman who made her and Elizabeth's jerseys a special outfit for the babies. After changing the babies out of the onesies they were wearing, the grandma's began putting the new onesies on them.
"These are absolutely adorable." Gushed Grace.
"I can't believe he was able to do this." Stated a smiling Charlette. "They look adorable."
The onesies were the same color as the football jerseys. On the front of the jerseys was the phrase 'our uncles can beat your uncles'. On the back of the onesies, on the bottom, were all twelve jersey numbers of their football uncles.
"I have to take a picture and text it to the guys." Grace stated as she grabbed her phone.
"Oh, they are going to love it!"
…
Jack and Elizabeth smiled at Henry and Emily as the young couple walked out of the café as they were walking into it. Elizabeth smiled as Jack pulled back the chair from the table for her to sit. The afternoon has been perfect. The doctor appointment did go well, but their time together afterwards was everything they needed. They reconnected with each other. During the afternoon, they held hands or touched the entire time shopping. Elizabeth smiled when Mary walked to the table.
"Hey you two." Mary smiled. "You look great, Elizabeth."
"Thank you, Mary. May we have two teas and a large piece of chocolate caked with two spoons?"
"I'll have it here in a couple of minutes."
Jack and Elizbeth enjoyed their time at the café. They chatted while holding hands and looked lovingly into each other's eyes. They're dessert was great, but the company was so much better. Elizabeth pulled out her cell phone when it buzzed. She smiled at the image on the screen. Charlette and Grace were holding the babies while they were sleeping. Each grandma had a huge smile on their face. Jack smile when Elizabeth showed him the picture from Adam.
A – Take your time. The babies are good
E – Thanks. We should be home in an hour or so
A – Perfect. Would it be ok if we order food for dinner?
Elizabeth showed Jack the text. His smile grew. "That's fine with me. You?"
"My father will be arriving sometime later today."
Jack nodded his head.
E – Fine with us. My father will be there sometime later
A – I'll order enough for everyone
Elizabeth smiled. "I love our whole family."
"Yeah…"
"Before we go home, there is one more thing I would like to do."
"That sounds perfect. Where are we going?"
…
"Alright ladies…I believe it's time to put them down so they can finish their nap." Adam stated without looking up. When he did, he was instantly afraid. He looked directly into the eyes of two grandmothers who had absolutely no interest in giving up their hold on their grandbabies. Their eyes were narrowed and looking through him, not at him.
He slowly rolled from his toes to his heels. "On second thought…" he began. "Jack and Elizabeth will be here in about an hour. Why don't I figure out food to order for dinner and I will put the dirty dishes in the dishwasher?" He asked as he began to slowly step back. He sighed a sigh of relief when the two ladies' eyes slowly opened their eyes a little.
"I believe that's a great idea, young man." Charlette stated.
"Would you two like the remote? Play music? Something to drink?"
Grace looked at Charlette with a smirk. Her look was understood. "We'll take something to drink, please." Charlette's face softened a little.
"Yes ma'am. Would you two like some ice?"
Grace chuckled. "Yes please." Both ladies laughed.
Grace leaned over when Adam walked into the kitchen. "You have a very good man."
"Yes." She looked at Adam with adoration. She loved that man greatly. "He is a very good man."
"I'm impressed how he stepped into this family and stepped into the leadership role."
"He did without ever trying to step into it."
"I think that was the important aspect of it. He didn't seek it out, it found him instead."
"Charlette, our family is truly blessed in finding each other."
"It is."
…
Elizabeth took Jack's hand and pulled him out of the café. She missed her babies, but she knew they were in good hands. This perfect afternoon with her husband was something they desperately needed and she wasn't in a hurry for it to end.
"Wait, you need to put your gloves on." He stated.
"Jack…let's go. I'll put my gloves on the way."
"We're walking?"
"We are."
Since her and Jack began walking when she was pregnant, she grew to love it. She never enjoyed exercising, but she grew to love walking. Many times, her and Jack would walk the neighborhood or the path to the pond. She wasn't sure if it was the exercise or just being with Jack that was the most favorable, but she did miss it when she couldn't walk due to the progress of the pregnancy. Now, she just wanted to walk even though it was cold.
After Elizabeth placed the last glove on her left hand, Jack reached for her hand and interlocked their fingers. Their matching smiles glowed as they stepped out in the cold. Jack pulled her closer to him hoping to keep her warm. She welcomed the closeness of her husband.
Jack smiled as she turned to head to the park. While it was terribly cold, he was just excited to be with his wife.
When they reached their spot in front of the fountain by the bench, Elizabeth turned to stand in front of her husband.
"Jack, would you please dance with me?"
"You want to do the Thorton?" He sassed. He knew she hated that their dance was named after them.
"Yes, but please do not call it that." She sighed.
When Jack stepped forward and place his hands on her hips, she gasped. He moved his right hand and placed it on the small of her back. He pulled her a little closer. Elizabeth placed her forearms on his shoulders. She began to play with the hair on the back of his head. Even though she had gloves on, he loved her touch.
They swayed slowly back and forth while staring in each other's eyes. Every so often, they would try to move closer to each other. She would smile when he kissed her nose.
"Jack, I love you."
"I love you, Elizabeth."
After a few minutes of dancing, Elizabeth thought she heard something and looked to her left. "Oh…good…grief…" She let out a long, deep breath while she buried her forehead against his neck and shoulder.
Jack looked to his right and noticed a couple dancing in the same way they were. Then he looked behind her and noticed two older couples dancing. Then he looked to his left and noticed a teenage couple dancing too.
"Well, looks like we have started a trend."
"Please don't say it." She lifted her head from him.
"You mean…the…"
"Don't officer!"
"That's Chief ma'am."
…
Henry and Emily walked through the sketching store looking at different types of pencils. They really had no idea of what to look for. After a couple of minutes, Steven walked up asking if they needed any help.
"Yes sir. I would like to purchase a few things for Emily to begin sketching."
"Have you sketched before?" Steven asked.
"Just during a school assignment last year in school. I fell in love with it. I doodle some in my bedroom, but nothing really."
Steven smiled and showed the two young kids around his store. He gathered them some supplies that was great for a beginner. He also took a few minutes with some pencils and an old sketch pad to show Emily a few techniques to help her not be too frustrated.
Henry stood back and smiled at Emily's excitement. Her facial expressions would change to excitement when she tried a new technique and finally figured it out. He didn't know why her excitement made him feel so good, but he didn't question it too much. He was just happy she was happy.
Steven mentioned a few things that she needed to get. When he looked at the pile he had gathered, he noticed how big it was. He quickly thought that was too expensive for kids to buy. He looked up toward Henry remembering this was his gift to her.
"Alright…everything is buy one get one free. It's a Christmas Eve…Eve sale." He said with a grin. After ringing everything up, he stated before looking up. "Now, we apply the sventy five percent off too." When he looked up, he saw the surprised look of Henry. Henry just nodded his head and handed over the money.
…
While holding Viola's hand, she reached for the test with her opposite hand. She slowly picked it up and look at the little window. Viola leaned over Julie's shoulder to look. Vi released Julie's hand and quickly hugged her with a shout. "Julie! You're going to be a mom!"
Both ladies began to cry as the test fell to the floor. They were so overwhelmed with the news that Julie didn't care. They held each other and cried as the news soaked in.
"Vi, we need to go and look at your test." Julie stated wiping away tears.
As the sisters walked into the guest bathroom, they were having trouble seeing because of the tears.
"Give me a second."
"Why?" Julie asked.
"I can't see." Viola laughed wiping away a few remaining tears.
She walked up to the vanity and picked up the test. Just like before, both ladies leaned in to read the test at the same time.
"Vi! You're going to be a mom!"
Both ladies hugged each other and held on for several minutes. They were overwhelmed with the recent news. After a few minutes, they leaned back from the hug.
"How are you going to tell Tom?"
"I don't know. You?"
"The same."
After thinking for a few moments, the sisters agreed to tell their family at the Christmas Eve dinner at Jack and Elizabeth's house tomorrow night. All of their family will be there.
…
Jack and Elizabeth walked into the house a couple of hours after their doctor visit. The house was quiet. Both moms were sitting on the couch with a sleeping baby in their arms. Adam was in the kitchen eating a piece of pie sitting by the kitchen island.
Rip came running up and past the couple. He was out the door in just a second. Jack laughed. "I'll be right back." He walked out behind the dog to make sure he ran off his energy.
"How are they?" Elizabeth asked nodding toward the sleeping babies and moms.
"They are good. I made the mistake of asking if they wanted me to put the babies in their crib."
"The mistake?"
"Yeah, I was banished to the kitchen for my mistake of asking." He laughed.
Elizabeth let out a loud laugh. She walked up to the island as Adam placed a piece of pie in front of her. "How was the appointment?"
"It was really good. Everything is going great. She took me off the blood pressure medicine. I just have to keep and eye on it to make sure it doesn't climb."
"Oh Elizabeth, that's great."
Elizabeth and Adam spend a few minutes chatting while they enjoyed their pies. Jack walked in with Rip in front of him. He walked up to the counter. "Is there a piece for me?"
"Nope." Adam laughed. "These were the last two pieces."
Elizabeth laughed at Jack's expression. She pushed her plate over with a half a piece left. Jack smiled at her generosity. "Thank you."
"I know it's your favorite."
"I do love blackberry."
"Oh Elizabeth, you have to see this." Adam pulled out his phone and showed the pictures of the onesies that the babies are wearing.
"Oh…my…that's so adorable."
Jack laughed as he leaned over and looked at the pictures.
"Grace sent the pictures to all the boys."
"Please send me the pictures." Jack and Elizabeth both stated.
…
Henry walked into his home with Emily and two huge bags of items from Draw-N-Things. They looked up to a questioning look from Frank.
"Where did you get all of that stuff?"
"We went to Draw-N-Things. We talked to Mr. Steven and bought these things."
"You had that much money for Emily's gift?"
"Well…not really. Mr. Steven was showing Emily what she needed. Then he said everything was buy one get one free. Then he gave me seventy five percent off after that."
"He did?"
"Yeah."
Frank made a mental note to stop by and thank Steven for his kindness.
"Dad, can we watch a movie?"
"Sure. Dinner will be ready in an hour. Emily, will you be staying with us?"
"If that is ok with you?"
"I'll call your mom and let her know."
"Thank you Pastor Frank."
…
Tom walked into his home after a long day of work. He would be off for a few days for Christmas, and it felt like everyone knew that. It was a good day, just very busy. When he placed his wallet and other things down on the small table, he looked up to a bouncing Julie. Even though he had a long, tiring day, his wife's excitement was contagious. He loved that woman.
"Are you that excited for Christmas?" Tom laughed.
"I have a gift for you."
"That's great. Are we opening it when we go to our siblings' house tomorrow or waiting for Christmas morning?"
"No. I want you to open it now."
"Now?"
"Yes. Now."
"Julie, it's too early for gifts." He laughed at her excitement that only increased since he walked in the house.
"Now, Tom Thorton. You must open it now!"
Tom raised his right eyebrow with the amount of excitement. Somethings up he thought to himself.
"Ooookkkk…" He elongated. "Why?"
"Tom!" She exclaimed. "Open it now!" She gave him a warning tone while handing him a small gift bag.
"Julie, what's with all the excitement? If I didn't know better, I would think you're…" Tom stopped and turned his full attention to his wife. He looked at her intently and looked deep in her eyes. When he saw it, he gasped. "Julie…we're…having…a…baby." He stated. It wasn't a question. His mind was trying to wrap the idea around his head.
Julie nodded her head up and down. "Yes…we're having a baby." She stated just above a whisper.
"Julie!" He screamed. He dropped the gift bag and picked up his wife and twirled her around a couple of times before placing her down on her feet. "A baby!"
…
William knocked on the front door of the Thorton's home an hour after he thought he would be there. There was a slight delay in his flight. He was just happy it was a small delay. Jack opened the door and gave William a nod.
"Mr. Thatcher. Let me help with your bag."
"Thanks Jack."
Jack took his bag and walked up the steps to take the bag to their room. When he came back down, he noticed that Adam and William had the babies sitting on the couch. He leaned in toward Elizabeth. After giving her a kiss, he asked. "How did they get them away from our mothers?"
"I think they snuck and took them when mother and mom wasn't looking."
Jack look into the direction of the women and they didn't look happy. Jack walked toward his mom and kissed her on the cheek.
"You have to share." He smirked at her.
"Sharing is overrated." She huffed.
"I would always get my bottom swatted a little bit when I would say that to you."
"Don't you dare!" She glared at her son.
"Do you have anything to say?" Grace looked at Elizabeth.
Elizabeth couldn't hold her laughter. She pinched her lips shut and pretended to throw away a key. Everyone laughed at the group and their pouting. When the doorbell sounded, Jack walked toward the front door. Adam told him on his way to the door that it was probably dinner he ordered earlier.
"Jack, it's already paid for."
Jack nodded his head when he reached the door.
…
As much as Viola tried, she couldn't keep the excitement under control. When she parked her car in the driveway, she noticed James' truck was already parked in his usual spot. She slammed the door and ran from her car to the front door. She hit her shoulder on the door because she was trying to walk through it before she opened the door.
"Stupid door." She exclaimed as she finally was able to open it. "James! James!" She shouted closing the door.
James' stood from the couch thinking something was terrible wrong because of her actions. "What's wrong, V?"
"James! We're having a baby! James! We're having a baby!" She was shouting so loud and so fast James couldn't understand her.
"What?" His confused look made her laugh.
"James." She began slower. "We are having a baby. You're going to be a father."
She waited, then her smile grew when the look of realization came across his face. "V! You better not be playing with me!" He exclaimed as he shook his finger at her. "We're having a baby!" He shouted at the top of his voice. "A baby!" He picked her up in a bear hug and spun her around.
"Yes. A baby." She stated as he lowered her back to the ground. "I took two home pregnancy tests, and they were both positive. I need to make a doctor's appointment after Christmas, but I'm having your baby."
She didn't think his smile could grow any bigger, but it continued to grow. "A baby." He whispered. "Are you feeling ok?" He asked concerned.
"I'm feeling fine now. That may change, but I'm good for now."
"Are you ok?" She asked as he was quiet for a few minutes.
"Yeah…" He stated very slowly. "I don't really know what to think. This is so overwhelming and in a good way."
She smiled at her husband. "Yes…yes it is."
…
Elizabeth was exhausted from her day. She didn't even hear Jack get out of bed at two in the morning. He woke up just before the babies. He took a pack of wipes and grabbed two diapers and threw them on the couch before walking into the kitchen and prepared two bottles. He placed the bottles on the coffee table and quietly walked into the nursery and took both babies into the living room. After carefully changing their diapers, he placed both babies in his arms laying on a pillow. Once comfortable, he sat back and watched his babies eat their bottle.
"I don't know how your mommy does this." He stated shaking his head. He was having trouble balancing the babies and keeping the bottles in their mouths. "She is a super mom." He laughed when the babies would just look at him. His Cinderella would awkwardly reach for him but never grabbing anything. He leaned down and kissed his children's foreheads.
Not like Elizabeth, he couldn't burp them together. So, when baby Elizabeth finished her bottle first, he propped baby Jack up on a pillow and burped his daughter first. He propped her up on the pillow on the opposite end of the couch and did the same for his little man. Once he was done with him, he grabbed another pillow and placed him beside his sister. Both babies were wide awake now. Jack was grateful they weren't crying. Elizabeth has been a great mother. So, he was thankful she was still sleeping and getting some extra rest.
He reached for the TV remote and quickly found his favorite channel. "Oh, good. One of my favorite Christmas movies is on." He looked at his babies. He smiled when they were looking at him. He repositioned himself where he was sitting on front of them. Their feet were touching him. They were laying on pillows that were against the arm rest. He placed a pillow beside his Cinderella so she couldn't accidently fall off the couch. He placed his left hand on the babies' little legs. Jack chuckled a little when Rip walked to the couch and laid down in front of the babies. Rip has been very protective of the little ones.
"Now, here's the deal. You can't tell your mother about this, ok?" He looked at his babies. "I take your silence as agreeing. So, no telling mommy about this." He tapped his finger on his babies' stomachs.
Jack didn't realize that Elizabeth was listening to every word. She had woken up when Jack was feeding the babies and trying to burp them. She stood at the doorway for a few moments. When he positioned himself beside his babies and turned on the TV, she knew he was going to turn it to the Hallmark Channel. She wanted to know what he was going to do. Plus, she thought he was so adorable when he spoke to the babies as if they understood every word he said.
She lowered herself against the wall beside the door frame sitting on the floor. She was grateful that Jack hasn't noticed her. She had to cover her mouth so her giggling wouldn't give her position away.
Jack turned the Hallmark movie on just loud enough so he could hear it. "Now, this is one of my favorite movies. It's called the Christmas Card. In it, there was an Army soldier in Afghanistan named, Cody. He was having a difficult time there. He received a Christmas card that greatly helped him. It was from a woman named Fath. He didn't have any family and the card was what he needed when he needed it the most. He carried it everywhere he went.
"Once he was home, he went into a café after meeting the widow of his friend, and by chance met Faith. The widow and Faith lived in the same town. They ordered the same meal by coincidence and that was how they started to talk." He laughed. Him and Elizabeth often ate the same meal at Abagail's early in their get to know dating. "He quickly falls for Faith, but she has a fiancé. Now." He whispered. "In all Hallmark Christmas movies, there is always a man and a woman who meet, begin to fall in love, have an issue they have to overcome, then fall in love with each other."
He laughed at the absurdity of every movie on the Hallmark Channel being exactly the same. However, he loved every one of them.
"There is always a little bit of trouble. All it does is cause a little bit of drama, but don't worry…the guy always ends up with the girl in the end." He smiled when little Elizabeth kicked her legs against his leg.
"That's right, Beth. They end up together in the end. This movie is really great."
"Now, Faith's family has a logging company, and it is having a little bit of trouble. Her fiancé is some guy who works in selling wine or something. He doesn't like the country living at all. He's rarely around. Faith falls for Cody pretty quickly, but she is still faithful to her fiancé. This is the little problem we talked about earlier."
Jack laughed when Jack kicked his arm. "Yes, I know, but Cody couldn't help but fall in love with her. He tries to do the right thing, but his heart is drawn to Faith."
Elizabeth tried to stifle her laugh, but it slipped out before she was able to cover her mouth. She just couldn't believe that Jack loved these types of girly movies and now he was up late with the babies watching the movie with them.
When Jack heard his wife's giggle, he leaned toward his babies and whispered in a voice loud enough for Elizabeth to hear.
"I have a feeling that we are being spied on. Mommy isn't as sneaky as she thinks she is." He stated gently poking his babies' bellies making them kick.
As she stood, she began walking toward the couch where the trio was sitting. "What are you doing, officer?"
"It's chief."
She nodded toward the babies and then the TV. "What's this?"
"I finished feeding them and they were wide awake. So, I just decided to turn on the TV hoping that would sooth them so they wouldn't cry and wake you up."
"Really?" She asked skeptically. "And the TV channel just happened to be on the Hallmark Channel?"
"Who knew? I didn't want to channel surf, so we just watched what was on."
"Right. When father went to bed earlier it was on the news when he turned it off."
Jack smirked knowing he was caught. He shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know what to tell you."
Beth kicked his leg. "Seriously?" Jack looked at his daughter. "Are you already telling on me?" He reached down and gently tickled her sides. She began to kick even more, and this caused her brother to join in. "You too?" Jack asked and began to tickle his son too. "I thought we had a deal?" He asked shocked.
"Their mommy's babies." Elizabeth laughed at the scene in front of her. The sight in front of her was more precious than she could ever describe.
Jack scooted over so Elizabeth could sit on the couch. She sat between Jack and the two babies. She placed her hand on the babies' legs and the other hand on Jack's thigh. "So, what are we watching?"
Jack told her a brief synopsis of the movie. Making sure not to give her too much detail. He didn't want his wife to know that he knew the movie well.
"So, this is your favorite Christmas movie?"
"Yeah…wait. How long were you hiding?"
"I wasn't hiding." She defended herself. "I came to the door and leaned against it for a few minutes then I sat in the floor with my back against the wall. I was in full view." She smirked.
"Sure." He stated as he tickled her knee. "This is a good movie." He stated.
"So, this is a new tradition?" She nodded toward the babies and the TV.
"I'm not sure. I knew you were tired, and I woke up before the babies. I was able to feed them, but I had to burb them separately. I don't know how you can do that all by yourself. Once they were changed, they seemed like they were wide awake. So, I just turned on the TV."
"And found the Hallmark Channel." She sassed.
"And we began to watch a movie." He sassed right back. "They seem happy."
"They do seem happy, but I think that has more to do with daddy than the TV."
Her compliment caused a smile to come across his face. He loved his new title.
"Elizabeth, this." He waved his hand over his babies and her legs. "This…this is absolutely perfect." He settled in closer to her. He was sitting so close that their whole bodies were touching each other.
Elizabeth placed her head on his shoulder and tried to settle even closer. "I completely agree."
