Mel settled back into the couch with a groan, a bit stunned when the baby continued sleeping in her arms. Joey snorted next to her. "Hey, I'm the one who just gave birth to her, Mel - you two haven't even begun to feel tired yet."

"You were in labor for literally four hours," Mel shot back with a grin, forever grateful her sister had agreed to be their surrogate.

"After several months of fertility treatments and then nine months of hell, Melinda." But Joey didn't mind one bit - she was so happy she had been able to do this for her sister. And bonus - she didn't have to take care of a baby now! Spoiling her niece rotten sounded like a fantastic plan.

"Stop," Jack teasingly chided. He shook his head in amusement at his wife and sister-in-law.

The baby opened her eyes but didn't - couldn't - focus on her mother. "Good morning, Josephine Faith. Are you awake now?" Mel murmured. But just as quickly as Josie opened her eyes, she closed them again. "Guess not. You've been through a lot, huh? Your big brother and sister are coming over to meet you soon - you'll love them, Josie."

Now sixteen months old, Jack's twins were thriving and he and Mel had managed to figure out how to co-parent with Charmaine (only minor issues popped up now but they had worked through their major problems). He absolutely adored parenthood. "Can't believe I went from no kids to three in the span of a year. What an absolute mind fuck," he mused.

Both Mel and Joey laughed. "It's a lot but you'll figure it out," Joey assured him with a snort.

Mel couldn't stop staring at her daughter, still trying to comprehend that she was finally here. Josie had a sister she'd never meet, which broke her heart, but Mel would make sure that she knew about her when she was old enough to understand. She glanced up for a second when the door opened, and Hope and Vernon stopped through. "Time to hold my surrogate granddaughter again," Hope sing-songed excitedly. She made her way over to the couch, and Mel reluctantly handed Josie over to her.

"Just as beautiful as ever. How are you feeling?" Vernon asked Joey.

"Better than I did a few days ago," she responded.

"I have the cutest outfits for you, Josephine, and can't wait to see you in them." Hope grinned at the sleeping newborn.

Vernon smiled at his wife and surrogate granddaughter, briefly kissing them both before joining Mel and Jack on the couch. "Get any sleep yet?"

Mel blinked at him. "We've only been home for four hours so the answer is no."

"I had to ask, Melinda."

"I'm going to be the best surrogate grandma you've ever known, Josie. You won't want for anything," Hope vowed.

Mel teared up and then had to bury her face in Jack's shoulder to hide her tears. He stroked her hair for a few minutes until she managed to calm herself down. She was so happy to have met Hope and Vernon and the fact that they had stepped up meant everything to her. She grinned through her tears at Jack and kissed him. "Love you, Mel."

"Love you too," she responded before wiping away the tears.

"Stop being so sappy, you guys." Joey winked at them before heading into the kitchen to grab a snack.

Hope and Vernon stuck around for about an hour or so but left when the baby started crying so as to not disrupt their day any further. Mel feeding Josie solved the problem immediately, and the newborn fell back asleep afterwards. "Look how far we've come," Mel marveled after reluctantly setting Josie down in her bassinet.

Jack grinned and wrapped his arm around her. "It's been a long road, that's for sure."

Joey giving them this, their most precious gift, was not to be forgotten - they'd never be able to repay her. Virgin River had been a new beginning for Mel in so many unexpected ways, and meeting Jack had changed the trajectory of her life. She couldn't wait to see their children grow up and become who they were meant to be. This town was the perfect fit for her, even if she hadn't realized it at first.