Christmas Day dawned bright and clear. Nathan felt the sun shining on his face as he slowly opened his eyes. He smiled, remembering the fun and festivities the previous evening at the Coulters. They had gathered for a delicious feast with their family and friends. Colleen and Steve were there along with Carson and Faith. The dinner was perfect, and they exchanged gifts afterward and played a variety of games. Once the sun went down, they had gone caroling through the neighborhood and finally ended the night with Christmas Mass. It had been a beautiful Christmas Eve. Now Christmas Day itself was dedicated to each of the individual families. Nathan was looking forward to spending time with Elizabeth and their girls; the twins' first Christmas.

"Good morning," Elizabeth said softly from her spot beside him.

Nathan turned to look at her, seeing her lying on her side and regarding him with a smile. "Merry Christmas, Nathan," she said.

He reached out to take her hand. "It's already a wonderful day," he said, relishing the warmth of her hand in his. "And it's quiet." He glanced at the clock. "I'm surprised the girls aren't up yet."

"Mmm," Elizabeth murmured, pushing the covers back. "So am I, but maybe you and I can have a cup of coffee together before they wake up. They had a lot of stimulation yesterday and went to bed very late. Hopefully they sleep for another hour or so."

Nathan sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed. "That would be a lovely Christmas present," he said, grinning.

Elizabeth chuckled, straightening her loose satin pajamas. "It certainly would be." She looked down at herself, then at the dresser, then at Nathan. She gave him an impish smile. "We can just wear PJs all day, right? I know we talked about taking the girls to the beach later, but until then I feel like lounging around in these today."

"I'm all for that," Nathan said, agreeing readily. "PJs are comfortable. I think I'll keep mine on too."

They walked hand in hand to the kitchen, where they prepared coffee and a simple breakfast of eggs and toast. The twins were still sleeping when they finished eating, so they took their coffee to the living room and sat beside the tree.

"Why don't we exchange our gifts now?" Nathan suggested. "When the girls wake up, we can introduce them to opening present."

"Alright," Elizabeth agreed. She grinned, reaching for one of the gifts under the tree. "Here's yours," she said, handing it to him.

Nathan produced her gift as well, then motioned for her to go first. Elizabeth opened it and gasped in delight. "Nathan!" she exclaimed, raising the circular pendant out of the box on its chain. "This is lovely." She studied it, a smile creasing her face. "Are these the birthstones for ourselves and the girls?"

"Yes," Nathan said, nodding. "It's a family tree. The final stone is an emerald since our baby will likely be born in May."

"I love it," Elizabeth said, reaching up to clasp it on her neck. She leaned over, giving him a kiss. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," he replied, his lips lingering on hers. Eventually they pulled away. Elizabeth patted the gift on his lap. "Your turn."

Nathan opened the box. Inside lay a new watch. Elizabeth smiled as he pulled it out. "I noticed your other watch broke a couple weeks ago. I thought you'd like a new one."

"It's perfect," Nathan said. "I felt like I wasn't fully dressed with it gone. Thank you, sweetheart. I love it."

A small cry came from the bedroom. Nathan and Elizabeth chuckled softly. "I guess it's time to get the girls up and fed," Elizabeth said, standing. "Why don't we get them ready and then see how they like presents?"

They worked together to ready their daughters, then brought them into the living room and placed them on a blanket by the tree. Arianna and Cecilia were equally mesmerized by the boxes in front of them. Cecilia pushed herself onto her hands and knees, staring at the colorful paper, while Arianna tore at the paper, delighted with the sound it made. The twins spent nearly twenty minutes playing with the boxes while their parents watched and snapped pictures.

Elizabeth pulled Arianna onto her lap, placing the now-paperless box in front of her. "Like this, baby," she said, helping the baby to open the box. She pulled out a baby farm set. Arianna squawked happily, but she was more interested in the box for the time being than the toys.

Nathan chuckled, doing the same for Cecilia, who received a baby castle set. "I think next time we just need to get them a bunch of boxes," he laughed, watching as Cecilia scooted herself into the box. "They are having the time of their lives."

"Yes," Elizabeth agreed, a huge smile on her face. "They are so adorable."

"Absolutely," Nathan agreed. "Though we might be biased as their parents."

"Nonsense," Elizabeth said, giving him an innocent look. "Everyone agrees, so it must be true."

Nathan laughed, pulling Elizabeth close to his side. "They are amazing babies. We're lucky to be their parents."

"Yes," Elizabeth said, leaning her head on his shoulder. "We're very blessed."

They sat for a long time watching their girls play. Nathan felt a sense of contentment sweep over him. With Elizabeth at his side and their daughters playing happily by the Christmas tree, he felt life couldn't get much better than it was at this moment.


A couple weeks later, Elizabeth held Arianna tightly in her arms, feeling a sense of nostalgia wash over her. Her girls were now a little over six months old, and Arianna had just started crawling. She'd crawled right to Elizabeth and gripped her skirt tightly. Elizabeth picked her up, holding her close and nearly weeping. Her babies were growing up quickly. Cecilia was rocking back and forth on her hands and knees, close to crawling herself. Watching her sister seemed to have lit a fire in her as well. She moved one hand forward, then fell to her stomach, squealing her frustration and flapping her hands and feet.

Elizabeth chuckled, bending down to pick up Cecilia as well. Holding both twins, she kissed their cheeks. "Are you ready to try baby food for the first time?" she asked, nuzzling their little faces. She carried them to the kitchen, settling them in their respective high chairs. She placed sippy cups in front of them, letting them drink some pumped breast milk while she mashed a banana.

"Alright," she said to herself, placing half the banana on a baby plate for each daughter. She brought the plates to their high chairs. "Time for some yummy fruit," she said. "I think you're going to like it."

The twins stared at the unfamiliar food in front of them. Arianna reached out and put her hand in the banana while Cecilia looked at it with a puzzled expression.

"Yum!" Elizabeth said, dipping her index fingers in the banana and holding it to the girls' mouths. Arianna cautiously sucked the fruit off her finger while Cecilia watched her twin. Arianna's eyes widened, and she looked down at the food in front of her. Taking her hand from the plate, she started sucking on it, smearing banana over her face while wearing a look of delight. Cecilia continued to watch for a few moments, then mimicked her sister. Soon both babies were eating the sweet fruit with gusto. Elizabeth laughed happily, thankful that they were enjoying their first experience with solid food.

The front door opened. Nathan came in, talking to someone on his phone. He smiled at Elizabeth and pressed a kiss to her head, motioning that he would join them shortly. Elizabeth nodded, watching him disappear into his office.

"Daddy's home early," she said, smiling at the babies. "Maybe we'll all take a trip to the beach today."

Cecilia clapped her hands together, inadvertently flinging some banana into Elizabeth's face. She chuckled, wiping it away with a hand towel. "I'm glad you're happy about that," she said, dropping a kiss onto Cecilia's soft blonde curls.

Once the girls finished eating, Elizabeth wiped their hands and faces with a warm cloth, then wiped down their high chair trays. Nathan appeared in time to help clean up.

"Did they enjoy their food?" he asked, lifting Arianna from her high chair.

"They loved it," Elizabeth said. "I think we'll keep them on bananas for a few days, then try sweet potato."

"Mmm," Nathan said, making a face at Arianna. She chortled in delight, placing her hands on her father's face. Elizabeth watched, warmth filling her. "She looks so much like you," she said. "If her hair was brown, the two of you would be twins."

Nathan chuckled. "And Cecilia looks like you. It seems our girls got a balance between the two of us." He shifted Arianna to his hip. "I know we talked about a beach trip. I'm done with work for now. Why don't we head out?"

"Perfect," Elizabeth said. They got the girls and themselves ready, then started the short walk to the beach by their house. As they walked, Elizabeth remembered a conversation she'd had with her sister that morning.

"Viola was wondering if she and Julie can visit in February," she said. "They would stay at the bed and breakfast down the street. She was talking about staying for a whole month if that's okay. I think they're planning on visiting some of the other islands while they're here."

"That sounds good to me," Nathan said. "I'm sure you would love having your sisters nearby."

"I would," Elizabeth admitted. "It would be fun." She smiled. "I'll call Viola when we get back from the beach and let her know."

They made it to the beach and spent the afternoon splashing in the shallow water. Arianna and Cecilia loved being in the water. Their baby laughs prompted smiles from people around them. Finally they went back to their beach towels, tired but happy. They sat under the shade of an umbrella. A twin lay asleep on each one of them.

Elizabeth rubbed Cecilia's back, looking at Nathan. "Arianna decided to start crawling today," she murmured. "And Cecilia isn't far behind. They're growing up so fast."

"So fast," Nathan acknowledged, holding Arianna a little closer. "Before we know it, they'll be teenagers wanting to date boys."

"Don't say that!" Elizabeth groaned. "I'm not even close to ready to think about that day coming. Right now, I just want them to stay our babies."

Nathan nodded. "I agree. We have lots of time before we have to worry about them growing up." He smiled, his eyes tender. "We'll just have to cherish every moment and every milestone."

"Yes…" Elizabeth gasped, placing a hand over her stomach. The child within her kicked, making its presence known. "Nathan, our baby is moving!" she exclaimed, reaching out for his hand and placing it over her stomach. Just as she did, the baby kicked again, pressing firmly against Nathan's hand. Wonder filled his eyes, as if he had never felt a child kick before. "This feeling never gets old," he murmured, his hand flat over her stomach.

"It really doesn't," Elizabeth said, joy filling her. "It's like the baby wants to be a part of this moment with all of us."

Nathan's hand rubbed gently back and forth against her belly. "Can you believe that in a few short months, we'll be a family of five?" He shook his head with a little laugh. "That's amazing."

"It is," Elizabeth replied softly. "I'm so thankful. We have a beautiful family."

"That we do," Nathan said.


A month later, Elizabeth sat in Carson's office as he ran the ultrasound probe over her stomach. "Everything is looking good," he said finally, smiling at her. "You said you wanted to know the baby's gender, correct?"

Elizabeth nodded. "Yes, but not right at this moment."

Carson's brow wrinkled. "What do you mean?"

As he wiped the probe jelly from her stomach, Elizabeth explained. "I want Nathan and I to know at the same time. Since he is watching the girls, I was wondering if maybe you could write down the baby's gender and put it in an envelope. That way we can open it this evening."

Carson smiled. "That sounds good. I'll do that. Be right back." He vanished from the room. Elizabeth changed into her normal clothes, then sat in a chair as she waited for Carson to return. He was back within a few minutes, holding an envelope. "Here you go," he said.

"Thanks, Carson," Elizabeth said, giving him a hug. "I'll see you and Faith for game night tomorrow."

"Yes, you will," Carson said. "Have a good evening."

Elizabeth headed back home, the envelope safely tucked into her purse. She walked into the house to hear one of the twins screaming and another crying. Putting down her purse, she hurried to the babies' bedroom. Nathan was trying to change Cecilia while Arianna wailed in her crib. He looked a little frazzled. Elizabeth's heart went out to him. It was rare that both girls were this upset at the same time. She picked up Arianna and bounced her a bit, trying to calm her down. Nathan looked her way apologetically. "I don't know what's going on," he said. "They were doing fine and then suddenly got upset."

Elizabeth had a suspicion. Placing a finger in Arianna's mouth, she swept gently over her gums. Sure enough, a new tooth was making its appearance known.

"They're teething again," she said. "I have some gel rings in the freezer. Let me grab those and see if they help."

Within two minutes, the girls had calmed down. Blessed quiet returned to the house as Nathan and Elizabeth sat in the living room as the girls gnawed on the cold rings. Nathan sighed, leaning back against the couch. "You're a lifesaver," he said, giving her a grin.

Elizabeth laughed. "I don't know about that, but I do know that teething is not comfortable for babies."

"Apparently not," Nathan said. He was quiet for a moment, then looked at her. "How was the appointment?"

"Good," Elizabeth replied. "Carson said our little one is healthy and strong. He gave us the gender too. It's in an envelope in my purse. I thought we could open it together."

Nathan smiled. "Thank you, sweetheart. That was thoughtful. Why don't we open it after the girls go to bed?"

Elizabeth agreed. A few hours later, once the twins were safely tucked into their cribs for the evening, Elizabeth got the envelope and sat beside Nathan on the couch. "Ready?" she asked, smiling at him.

He nodded, looping an arm around her shoulder. "Ready."

Elizabeth opened it and held up the paper. Carson had written the words in blue: It's A Boy.

"A boy!" Elizabeth exclaimed. "How exciting."

"Very," Nathan agreed, beaming. "I can't wait to meet him."

Elizabeth put the paper down, resting a hand on Nathan's chest. "I want to name him after you," she said.

"Oh, Elizabeth," Nathan said, shaking his head. "I want him to have his own name. What if we gave him Nathan as a middle name, like we did with your name for Arianna?"

Elizabeth tilted her head, considering it. "I suppose that's fair," she said with a little chuckle. "Do you still like the name Anthony for a boy?"

"I do," Nathan said, his nod firm. "I think it's a good, strong name."

Elizabeth smiled. "This feels rather easy, doesn't it? Coming up with a name just like that? Anthony Nathan Grant."

"Perfect," Nathan said. His hand came to rest on her stomach. "Hey, Anthony," he said, his head close to the spot where their baby rested. "How does it feel to have a name?"

As if in response, Anthony pressed against Elizabeth's stomach, his tiny foot leaving an imprint for a moment. Nathan and Elizabeth smiled. "I think he likes it," Elizabeth said, leaning her head on Nathan's shoulder.

"So it would seem," Nathan said, pulling her close. He pressed a kiss to her head. "Have I told you lately how much I love you?"

Elizabeth smiled, nestling closer to him. "Yes, but feel free to say it again."

Nathan grinned. "I love you, Elizabeth Grant. I'm thankful we get to live life together."

Elizabeth lifted her face to receive his tender kiss. "I love you too," she whispered. They snuggled together on the couch, happy together and at peace. They fell asleep in each other's arms to the distant sound of waves crashing rhythmically against the shoreline and the wind blowing in the trees.