A/N Thanks for all the sweet comments! I'm having so much fun writing about J&E preparing for baby T (if you've read my other story, you know that I absolutely love writing about E being pregnant). I hope you all enjoy reading about this growing family!

...

I leaned back on the paper-covered exam table while the technician prepared the ultrasound machine. Jack sat beside me, running his fingers through my hair.

"Okay, let's take a look at this baby."

A few moments later, an image appeared on the screen. Tears filled my eyes as I saw my baby for the first time. All I could think was that the tiny bean-shaped spot on the screen was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen.

The technician clicked a few buttons, and the room was filled with the whooshing sound of the baby's heartbeat. Jack squeezed my hand, tears glistening in his eyes.

The technician smiled. "That's a good strong heartbeat. Now, let's see if we can get this little one to stay still so we can get some measurements." She clicked a few more buttons. "So, with these measurements, I'd put you at nine weeks."

"And everything looks good?" Jack squeezed my hand again as he spoke.

She nodded. "It looks like everything is right on track." She pointed at the screen. "That's the head right there, and if you can see here, it looks like the little one is waving at you."

I laughed softly as I watched the baby's tiny arm moving on the screen.

The technician checked a few more things and took some photos before sending us on our way.

Jack slid into the driver's side of the car after helping me into the passenger seat. He glanced over at me, a grin on his face. "I'm so glad I got to be there for that."

"Me too." I leaned over and kissed him. "It feels so much more real now. We just saw our baby, Jack. There's actually a little person growing inside me, a little person that we made together."

He kissed me again. "I love you, Elizabeth."

While Jack drove, I looked at the pictures that the technician had given us. I could just make out the baby's arms and legs. I moved my hand across my stomach, amazed that the tiny baby in the pictures was really inside me, getting bigger every day. In seven months, that tiny baby would be in my arms. I couldn't wait.

...

"Thanks for inviting me over." Rosemary hugged me, taking care not to squish the baby in her arms. "And thank you for letting me bring Alina."

"Of course. I'll take any excuse to see my girl."

She passed the baby to me, and we settled on the sofa. As I looked down at the baby in my arms, I thought about the baby I was carrying inside me, and a smile played on my lips. I knew I couldn't wait any longer to tell her.

"So, I actually invited you over because I have some news… I was going to wait until a little later to tell you, but I can't wait anymore." I took a deep breath. "I'm pregnant."

"What?!" Rosemary squealed with excitement. "Congratulations! I didn't know you guys were trying right away."

I shook my head. "We weren't. I guess this is a lesson on how things don't always go according to plan." I laughed softly.

"How far along are you?"

"About two months."

"Haven't you only been married for two months?" She raised her eyebrows.

I felt my cheeks color. "Yes, but…"

She shook her head. "You don't need to explain yourself. I get it." She smirked. "I am so happy for you, Elizabeth."

"Thank you, Rosie. Now, you and Abigail know, and Jack said he'll tell Lee today, but no one else knows. So you have to promise you won't say anything to anyone. We aren't even telling our families until the holidays."

"My lips are sealed." She grinned. "Oh, this is so exciting! Alina will have a new little friend." She reached over and touched her daughter's hand. "Did you hear that, sweet pea? Auntie Beth and Uncle Jack are giving you a friend!"

"I'm due in June, so this little one," I put one hand on my stomach, "should only be about eight and a half months younger than Alina."

"Who would've guessed that we would have babies less than a year apart? You hadn't even met Jack when I got pregnant."

"Wow, you're right." I smiled. "But I wouldn't have it any other way."

"So is this why you took off work for a few days a couple weeks back?"

"Yes, nosy Rosie." I smirked.

"Hey, I've been your neighbor for over two years; I know your schedule pretty well. I just happened to be taking a walk with Alina, and I noticed your car in the driveway in the middle of the day."

"Yeah, the morning sickness has not been fun. I hate that I had to take off work because of it. I mostly have it under control now, though."

"I do not miss that. But let me tell you, all the sickness and pain is totally worth it when that baby is finally in your arms."

Alina started fussing in my arms, and Rosemary reached for her.

"I'm sorry, she's hungry."

"Don't apologize, Rosie."

She resituated herself so she could feed the baby. "I'm surprised she's not like thirty pounds at this point." She laughed softly. "It seems like she's always hungry. I think she inherited Lee's appetite."

I brushed my hand across my stomach, wondering what my baby would be like. Would it be a girl or a boy? Blue eyes like me or hazel like Jack? Would the baby have curly hair and dimples? Would the baby inherit my stubbornness? Or Jack's sense of humor?

"Elizabeth?" Rosemary's voice drew me from my thoughts. She smiled. "Thinking about your baby?"

I nodded. "Just wondering what this little one is going to be like."

"Well, you'll be finding out before you know it."

...

I passed the stockings to Jack, and he hung them on the mantle.

"I guess next year, we'll need another one of these for baby T."

"Baby T?" I looked over at him with my eyebrows raised.

"Baby Thornton. I figure we need a nickname or something until we decide on an actual name for the little one." He moved toward me and placed his hand on my stomach.

"Do you think we should we find out what we're having?"

"Well, I kind of assumed we were having a baby."

I rolled my eyes. "Ha. Ha. You know what I mean."

"I'll leave that decision up to you. I really don't care either way."

"I don't know." I pulled some more decorations from the box. "I kind of like the idea of having it be a surprise, but I also feel like it would make planning easier if we knew."

"We have time to decide, don't we?"

I nodded. "We wouldn't be able to find out until I'm about twenty weeks, so sometime in January or February." I slipped my hand into his. "Jack, I just realized this messes up some of our plans."

"What do you mean?"

"I'll be six months pregnant in March. It may not be a great idea to go to Vancouver then. I mean, it would probably be okay, but I don't know how I'll be feeling then."

He kissed my temple. "I'll take you there some other time, then."

"And we probably won't be able to go camping for your birthday, since the baby will only be a few months old."

"Elizabeth." He pulled me into his arms. "We have plenty of time to figure all of this out. Don't worry about it right now. Besides, I don't care if we don't get to do those things. This baby will be so much better than any trips we could take."

"I seriously don't know how I was lucky enough to find you, Jack Thornton."

He brushed his thumb across my lips before he leaned in and kissed me gently. "How many times do I have to tell you that I'm the lucky one?" He slipped his fingers under my shirt, and heat spread from his fingertips as he kissed me again.

I took his hand and moved toward the stairs. "We can finish decorating later."

...

I rolled over and snuggled into Jack's chest, pulling the quilt higher. "What do you think of Jane?"

"Hmm?" He slid his arm around me, resting his hand on the small of my back.

"If the baby's a girl. Jane Thornton."

"After Jane Eyre?"

"Well… yeah."

He brushed his fingers through my hair. "How about Jane for a middle name?"

"I guess I can compromise." I kissed his chest. "Do you have any ideas for names?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. I kind of like Nora. Or Evelyn. Maybe Charlotte or Grace after one of our moms."

"What if we have a boy?"

"Well, that's easy. If it's a boy, we call him Jack Junior."

He smirked, and I rolled my eyes. "We'll see."

"In all seriousness, though, I think William and Thomas should be in the running, after our dads."

"Okay." I raised my head and kissed his chin. "If Jane is in the running for girl's names, then I also want Edward in the running for boy's names."

"After Edward Fairfax Rochester?"

"What can I say? I really like that book."

He kissed the top of my head. "All our kids are going to be named after book characters, aren't they?"

"If you don't like those names, we don't have to use them. They're just suggestions. I want us to agree on names." I brought my arm around his shoulder.

"I'm kidding, Elizabeth. I like those names. Besides, we have six and a half more months to decide on a name we both love." He lifted my chin and kissed me softly. "Enough talk about names right now."

"You read my mind, Mr. Thornton."

...

Jack had one hand on the steering wheel, the other held mine.

"It was nice of your mom to invite us for Thanksgiving."

He nodded. "It gives us a really good opportunity to tell her about the baby."

I expected him to look happy. After all, we were about to tell his mother that she was just months away from meeting her first grandchild. Instead, he looked almost sad.

"Hey." I squeezed his hand. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah. I'm just thinking about my dad. There's something about holidays that makes me miss him more than normal." His voice was quiet, as if he was trying to keep it from breaking. "And now that we're expecting a baby, I'm thinking about how much he's missed, how much he's going to miss."

I kissed his fingers. "I wish I could've met him."

"He would've loved you." The corners of his mouth crept up. "He would've thought you were too good for me."

"Don't you mean he would've thought you were too good for me?"

He laughed softly. "Nope. I meant what I said." He quickly met my eyes and gave me a smile before turning his attention back to the road.

I smiled and brought my hand to my stomach. We were both quiet for the rest of the drive, content just to be near each other.

...

We all stood at the counter, working on various parts of the meal.

Jack finally spoke up. "I have a question for you, mom."

"Yes?" She looked up at him, a little wary.

"Which do you prefer: grandma or nana?"

"Hmm… I haven't really thought about it before."

Jack grinned and looked over at me as he waited for her to process his question.

"Wait. Why are you asking me this? Are you telling me…?" She turned toward me. "Are you pregnant?"

I nodded and moved my hands to my stomach. "Due in June."

"Oh, Lizzy!" She wrapped me in a hug. "Congratulations."

"Thank you, Charlotte. We're very excited."

"So can you believe you're going to be a grandma?" Jack put his arm around her.

"Grandma Charlotte." A smile stretched across her face. "I think that sounds pretty good." She hugged Jack. "Your father would be so proud of you, son. He would've loved being a grandpa."

Jack nodded, tears filling his eyes. "He would've been the best grandpa." He turned back toward me. "No offense to your dad, Elizabeth." He laughed and wiped his eyes.

I stepped over and linked my hands behind his back. "I'm sure your dad would've been a wonderful grandfather to our baby."

He wiped a tear from my cheek. "Okay, enough of this sentimental stuff. All of this food is going to burn."

A little while later, the three of us sat around the table. Jack said grace before we passed the dishes of food around.

Jack kept one hand on my leg under the table as we ate. I thought back to Thanksgiving just a year before. I had spent the holiday with Rosemary, Lee, Abigail, Cody, and Becky. I didn't even know Jack existed.

Now, just a year later, I was sitting in his mother's house. I was his wife. His child was growing inside me. I had so much to be thankful for.