Julie sat next to Mike at dinner that night. Autumn and Alissa sat on the other side of her.

"So, how did you two meet?" Jack asked, curious.

"Grocery store," Julie said. "I had gone in to pick up something and so had he. Apparently my taste in cereal is the same as a five year old," she said with a laugh.

"Lucky charms!" Alissa said with a giggle.

"In my defense as a father, she doesn't eat those every day. It's just a once a week thing."

"I don't have an excuse," Julie said. "I love them."

Elizabeth laughed. "You've always had a sweet tooth."

"Says the woman who could eat half a chocolate cake in one sitting," Julie teased.

"I won't deny it," Elizabeth laughed.

Carter let out a whimper over the monitor. "I'll get him," Jack offered. "You finish eating."

"So Brady, are you excited for your big day?" Julie asked him.

"Yeah! Its gonna be great."

"You're right. Beth and Jack are pretty awesome."

"They're the best."

"Thanks, honey," Beth said, with a smile.

Jack walked back in the room with a fresh but hungry Carter. "Sorry, babe. He needs you."

She took him and headed into the living room.

They finished dinner and Autumn and Alissa begged for a sleepover.

"Please?!" they pleaded in unison.

Mike and Jack looked at each other and chuckled. "I'm okay with it if you are," Jack told him.

"What about your PJ's, Liss?"

"I can borrow some of Autumn's. Please?"

He kissed the top of her head and smiled. "Okay. Have fun."

"Thank you!"

Jack went upstairs to make sure Elizabeth didn't need help, leaving Julie and Mike alone.

"I'm going to clean up," she told him. "Would you like to help?"

He smiled and gathered her in his arms. "I can't believe I work for your sister's husband."

"Small world," she told him, kissing his cheek.

"Yeah." He slowly lowered his head and brushed his lips against hers. "I really like you, Julie."

"I really like you too."

"I want you in our life. I'm ready to see if we can make this work."

She kissed him this time. "Me too, but right now, let's clean up so Beth doesn't have to."

Brady's adoption, December 5th

Jack helped Brady tie his tie while Elizabeth helped Autumn get dressed and then Carter, before it was her turn.

"Nervous?" Jack asked him, noticing his fingers twitching.

"Yeah. I am."

"Why's that?"

"What if my dad shows up and says he changed his mind? I don't want to go back with him."

"He won't, Brady. He is in jail for a long time. You are mine and Elizabeth's forever now."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Completely sure."

"Ok." Jack turned him so they were both looking in the mirror.

"I love you, Brady."

"I know. Can I go to work with you again sometime?"

"Sure, maybe Saturday. I'll let your mom know. Can you do something for me?"

"Yeah."

"Can you go let Annie out and then stick her in her cage? I don't want Autumn to do it and get dirty in her dress."

"Sure."

Jack headed into his and Elizabeth's bedroom to find a frazzled Elizabeth with a crying Carter and Autumn next to him on the bed, trying to shush him.

"Honey? What's going on?"

"I'm trying to find something to wear," she said from the closet.

He picked up Carter and softly bounced him to soothe him. "You said you knew what you were going to wear last night."

"Yeah well, I can't really fit into it."

"Oh. You have that sundress, that blue and white one that you wore at the beginning of your pregnancy. I bet that would look nice."

"It's December though. I don't want to freeze."

"Babe, wear a sweater. We need to leave in the next ten minutes."

"Okay, okay." She was mumbling something as she dressed in the closet.

"What was that?"

"I said, I'm not sure how time got away from me this morning. I thought I had enough time to feed and dress Carter, Autumn, and still have time for me, but I guess I was wrong."

"I got the kids. You just worry about you now."

"Thanks, babe."

He took Carter and Autumn downstairs and got them all in the now warmed up car.

"Dad, Carter just puked," Brady told him.

Jack grabbed a cloth from the diaper bag and handed it to Brady. "Here, wipe him up with this."

"Gross." Brady said wiping his little brother's chin and shirt.

"I'll be right back, guys. I'm going to get your mom." He dashed inside and called for her. "Honey? We really need to go."

"Yeah, I'm coming. I need two maybe three minutes," she yelled back.

He waited for five and then looked up. "Hey, you look beautiful, Elizabeth."

"If you say so."

He stepped really close to her, slipping his arms around her waist. "I do. In fact, if we didn't need to be somewhere right now, I would prove it to you."

"How would you do that?" she flirted back. "Because it has been like ten days since Carter was born."

"I have my ways." He gave her a long, deep kiss and then helped her put her coat on. "Which I will enlighten you on later. Now, let's go make Brady official."

"Okay." She smiled and he led her by the hand to the car, only about ten minutes behind schedule.

The adoption hearing went smoothly. "Brady Thomas, you are now a Thornton forever," Judge Yost told him with a smile and a handshake.

After pictures with the family, they all went to the pizza place that Brady had picked for his dinner. He had wanted Jack's parents and Grace and Julie there so they were invited and also Abigail.

When Brady sat down at the table he requested to hold Carter, so Elizabeth handed him over, grateful to have free hands to eat her meal.

She headed up to the buffet with Jack to get her and Autumn's pizza. Jack slipped his arm around her waist and kissed her cheek. "I love you."

"I love you too."

They got their kid's pizza and then sat down to enjoy the meal. Elizabeth was sure that Carter was going to want to eat at any moment so she ate her cheese pizza, letting Jack cut up Autumn's for her.

Brady held onto Carter like a pro as he ate his pizza and breadsticks and then he smelled something. "Uh, Mom?"

"Yeah, bud?"

"I think he's got a nasty diaper."

"I'll change him," Charlotte offered. She stood and took Carter and the diaper bag and headed to the restroom. When she brought him back he was starting to show signs of being hungry so Beth covered herself with a nursing cover Julie had bought her and fed him right at the table, grateful for the larger sweater she had found to go with her stretchy long skirt.

After dinner, the group, minus Abigail, went back to the house to play games and watch movies. Brady wanted his new family to stay with him as long as possible so he had suggested coming over.

"Dad, can we make popcorn for the movie?" Brady asked as they walked in the door.

"Sure, bud."

"I'll help him," Charlotte offered.

"Thanks, Nana."

Tom Sr. made hot cocoa for everyone and Julie and Grace got the Star Wars movie Brady wanted all set up.

Upstairs in Jack and Elizabeth's room

"I seem to recall a promise you made earlier, Jack," Elizabeth said as she changed Carter's diaper.

"Mmhm."

"Are you planning to make good on that promise?"

"Yep. But we have quite a few family members downstairs right now."

"True, but I'm guessing they won't miss us much." She stepped close and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Mommy!" Autumn yelled as she ran in the room.

"Yes, Autumn. Inside voice please."

"Mommy...I don't like Star Wars."

"Its Brady's choice tonight, babe. It's his big day, remember?"

"Yeah."

Julie appeared in the doorway. "Autumn, I'm not a fan of Star Wars. Wanna read books instead?"

"Yeah! Let's...go!"

Jack closed the door, locked it and wandered into the bathroom, starting the water for a bath.

"Whatcha up to, husband?"

"Just pampering my hardworking wife a bit. She deserves it."

He poured lavender bubble bath in the hot water and lit three candles, the vanilla ones she loved. Then he turned on soft music and walked towards her.

"You just fed Carter so I'll put his pajamas on and take him downstairs and you can relax."

"You're not going to join me?"

He kissed her and stepped back. "Too much of a temptation," he admitted. "I'll be back in a half hour for round two of pampering." He kissed her again and smiled. "I love you. Enjoy."

Elizabeth undressed, shut the light off and sunk into the nice hot bubble bath. It soothed her sore muscles from giving birth ten days before and eased her tension in her neck and back.

She could get used to being pampered, not that she expected him to do that all the time. Knowing her astute husband though, he would pay attention to her needs and make sure it happened more.

"Beth?"

"Hmm?"

"The water is getting cold and it's been an hour. Why don't you get out and warmed up so you don't catch a cold or something."

"An hour? I just got in here." She sat up, confused.

"You fell asleep. As did Carter."

He held a towel out for her but she hesitated. "Um, can you maybe go out?"

"You want me to leave?"

"I'm not comfortable with my body right now, Jack. Please."

"Okay." He didn't understand. She was beautiful but he respected her wishes.

She walked back out a few moments later into the bedroom where he had lit more candles and brought her tea.

He moved his pillows and hers so she could be as comfortable as possible. "Who wants a foot rub?"

"I do!"

"I thought you might."

She reclined back on the bed, all four pillows behind her and picked up her tea. She watched as he took her cocoa butter lotion and massaged it into her feet and ankles and then moved up her legs.

"Holy moly, you are good at that."

By the time he finished with her feet, legs, back and shoulders, she was almost asleep again. "I'm going to check on Autumn. You go to sleep."

"Mmm," she said, completely relaxed into the pillows. "Love you."

"Love you."

He wandered downstairs. It was 8:30 now and the next day was a school day so the kids needed to be in bed.

Autumn was curled up in the recliner with his dad and Brady was in between Grace and Charlotte on the couch.

"Pumpkin, time for bed."

"I wanna...stay with...Papa."

"You have school tomorrow, honey. Time to brush teeth and hit the sack."

Tom gave her a hug and kiss. "Love you, sweetheart. Goodnight."

"Night, Papa."

"Give both Nana's and Brady a hug and a kiss too." He kissed the top of Brady's hair. "When the movie is done, bed for you too."

"Okay, Dad." As Jack walked away, Brady stopped him. "Wait, Dad?"

"Yeah, bud."

He threw his arms around him and held on. "Thank you for adopting me. I love you."

"I love you too, son."

Q