Jack's voice floated up the stairs. "Hey, Beth? What time is their flight supposed to arrive?"

"They landed a few minutes ago. They should be here in a little over an hour." I peeked into the bassinet, making sure Teddy was still asleep. His chest rose and fell rhythmically with his breath, his dark hair was sticking out in all directions.

"Okay. My mom should be here any minute." He entered the room. "How's our boy?"

"Good. Still sleeping. Looking very cute." I smiled as his little fingers twitched in his sleep.

Jack chuckled. "He does look very cute when he sleeps. His bedhead is the best."

I met his eyes and ran my fingers through his hair. "That's because he takes after you. Your bedhead is pretty great, too." I stood on my toes to kiss him.

Jack stepped closer to me, sliding one arm around me before leaning in to kiss me again, his other hand reaching up to my cheek.

We were interrupted by a knock at the door. Bronte barked.

He sighed, obviously unhappy at having been interrupted. "That's probably my mom." He squeezed my hand and left the room.

I carefully lifted the baby from the bassinet, trying to avoid waking him. He squirmed a bit, but thankfully, he didn't wake fully.

I heard Jack answer the door as I came down the stairs.

"Hi, mom."

"Hey, son."

Jack pulled her into an embrace. I approached them quietly, Teddy still nestled in my arms.

"Lizzy, you look great." Charlotte hugged me gently.

"Thanks. I don't really feel it, though. I feel like I haven't slept in a month. This little man is definitely a handful."

"Sounds like his daddy." She winked at Jack as she took the baby from my arms. A smile spread across her face as she looked down at him. "Wow, he looks just like his daddy, too."

I laughed softly. "That's what everyone keeps saying, but Jack doesn't see it. I don't get it, because Teddy looks exactly like him. There's no denying that Jack is his father."

"I mean, he kind of looks like me, but I don't think he looks exactly like me. He's got you in him, too."

"No, she's right, Jack. He looks exactly like you. This brings me back to the day almost twenty-seven years ago when I held you for the first time. I'll need to bring some baby pictures next time, and then maybe you'll see it."

We moved to the living room. Charlotte and I sat down beside each other on the sofa, while Jack took a seat in the armchair.

"So, how does it feel to be a grandma?"

She grinned, her eyes still locked on Teddy's face. "Wonderful. How does it feel to be a mom?"

"It's exhausting." We all chuckled. "But amazing. And Jack is an amazing father, which helps a lot."

"I expected nothing less. He's wanted this for a long time." She met his eyes, and he responded with a grin.

Teddy woke up and started squirming in her arms. I glanced at the clock on the wall. "Right on time."

She passed him to me. "I remember those days. Sometimes it feels like all they do is eat."

I smiled. "That's exactly how it feels with this one." I stood up. "I'm going to take him upstairs so I can change his diaper, too." I settled into the glider in my bedroom, situating Teddy in my arms. "Time to eat, Teddy Bear."

As he ate, I could hear Jack and Charlotte talking softly downstairs.

"So, little man, what do you think of your Grandma Charlotte? We like her a lot. I haven't known her for very long, but I know she already loves you very much. You know, you're her very first grandbaby. That makes you very special. I'm sure she's going to spoil you rotten." I stroked his cheek. "She's your daddy's mom. Your daddy has a brother, too, your uncle Tom. You'll get to meet him someday, hopefully soon. I'm sorry you won't get to meet your daddy's dad. I never got to meet him, either, but I'm sure he would've loved being your grandpa."

Thirty minutes later, I was wiping Teddy down as he proceeded to spit up all over himself—and me. I stripped him out of his now-soaked onesie, laying him in the bassinet in nothing but a diaper while I changed my own shirt.

"Okay, little man. I hope that's all out of your system, because we don't need you spitting up all over your grandparents. I know you can't help it, but we can try, okay?" He cooed as I carried him down the hall to the nursery.

As I was changing his diaper, I heard the front door open, and Jack's muffled voice called out.

"Did anyone order some Thatchers?"

I smiled down at Teddy as I fastened the fresh diaper on him. "Sounds like your nana and papa Thatcher are here, bud. They're my mom and dad. What do you say we get you looking extra cute for them?"

I put him in a gray romper with a teddy bear face on it. It was a happy coincidence that we happened to receive so many outfits for him with bears on them, all before we had chosen his name.

I turned when I heard Jack enter the room.

"Hey, babe. I'll be right down. He just ate and had a diaper change, and then he had a bit of a spitting-up incident, so then he got a nice cleaning. He should be nice and happy now."

He laughed. "Wow, sounds like I missed out on all the fun."

After slipping some little socks onto his feet, I passed him to Jack, and we headed downstairs to greet my parents. They were standing by the sofa, talking to Charlotte.

"Hi, mom and dad. It's good to see you."

"Hi, Elizabeth." They smiled and welcomed me into their arms.

"Hey, I'm here, too." My sister stepped into the room, having apparently been hiding in the entryway.

"Julie? No one told me you were coming." I walked over and hugged her tightly.

"I wanted to surprise you. But in all honesty, I'm mostly just here to meet my nephew."

Everyone crowded around Jack, who shifted the baby in his arms so they could all get a better look at him.

"You got here at the perfect time. Somebody decided to spit up all over himself—and I mean all over—so he just got a thorough cleaning."

"Oh, look at you. Aren't you just the cutest little thing?" Julie eagerly held out her arms, wanting so badly to hold her new nephew. Jack carefully handed him over. "Hi, Teddy. I'm your auntie Julie."

Charlotte and Jack and I stood and watched my family interact with the baby. Charlotte put her hand on Jack's arm. "Your dad would have loved to be here. He would have loved that beautiful boy of yours."

He pulled her into his embrace. "I love you, mom."

I moved back toward my family, giving Jack and Charlotte a moment to themselves. In the months since I had married Jack, I had learned that it was best to leave them alone to process with each other.

"Oh, Elizabeth, he is just perfect." My mom stroked his cheek.

"It told you that you guys would make beautiful babies." Julie smirked. "He definitely takes after Jack, though. I guess there's no question who his father is."

I grinned, wishing Jack was next to me to hear yet another person mention how much Teddy looked like him. "Definitely. He's one-hundred percent Thornton. He even has Jack's dimples."

"Okay, it's nana's turn to hold him." My mother carefully took him from Julie.

Teddy spent the next hour and a half being passed from one family member to the next, until he decided he was ready to be fed again.

I peeked under the blanket as Teddy ate. His little fingers grasped the edge of my shirt. His eyelids fluttered as he tried to stay awake. I smiled as I watched him filling his belly.

Jack spoke up. "Okay everyone, what kind of pizza sounds good? I know Elizabeth wants-"

"Pepperoni with extra cheese."

"No peppers or onions?"

I scrunched my nose and shook my head. "Your son is the one who likes those. Now that he's out of me, I'm back to my dislike of peppers and onions."

My mother and Charlotte both chuckled. "Ah, I remember the days of pregnancy cravings."

"I'm glad those days are over."

"Until you decide to have another one." Charlotte raised her eyebrows.

I laughed softly. "That won't be happening for a while."

Everyone glanced at me when there was a knock at the door.

I shrugged. "Don't look at me. I didn't invite anyone else."

There was silence for a moment after Jack opened the door. When he finally spoke, the conversation was slightly muffled, but still clear enough that we could hear what was being said.

"Tom?"

Julie immediately perked up when she heard the name, trying to peer into the entryway to catch a glimpse of Jack's brother.

"Hey, big brother."

"What on earth are you doing here?"

"Mom and I talked the other day, and she mentioned she was coming down to see the new baby, so I thought I'd come, too, and surprise you. I hope that's okay."

Their voices grew louder as they came into the room. "Well, you're just in time. I was about to order some pizza."

Charlotte got up to hug her youngest son. "Good to see you, son."

"Make yourself comfortable, Tom. We're all just hanging out in here." I resituated Teddy beneath the blanket. "Everyone else has had a chance to hold him already, so as soon as he's done eating, you can get a turn."

"Thanks." He hesitated for a moment before finally sitting down beside Julie.

I had never seen my sister look so shy in her life. She stared down at her hands, clearly trying to avoid looking up at Tom. He was sitting up straight, trying to maintain a bit of distance between them.

Jack was either oblivious to the awkwardness that settled in the room at the reunion of our siblings, or he was just trying to ignore it. "So, we've got one pepperoni pizza with extra cheese. Any other preferences?"

...

"Jules, can you come help me with something?"

"Sure."

She followed me as I carried Teddy up the stairs to his room.

"So, what did you need my help with?"

"Nothing." I laid Teddy on the changing table. "I just want to know what's going on with you and Tom. I've never seen you so quiet or uncomfortable before, especially not with Tom."

She crossed her arms and sighed. "Honestly, I have no idea what's going on with us. We talk on the phone pretty regularly, but I haven't seen him since your wedding. I don't know how he feels. I'd say we're friends, but I don't know if he wants us to be more. I don't know if I want us to be more."

I smiled down at Teddy as I finished changing him. He looked up at me with wide eyes.

"Maybe this weekend will be a good time to talk to him."

"Not with mom and dad around. And you and Jack, no offense."

I laughed softly. "Well of course I don't expect you to talk to him about this stuff around all of us. Maybe you two could take a walk tomorrow after church or something."

"Maybe."

...

That evening, after spending the day getting to know the newest little member of the family, our families headed to a local hotel because we were tight on space in our house. I imagined they also didn't want to be awakened every few hours by a fussy baby, for which I couldn't blame them.

Jack came into the room after they all left. Teddy was dozing in my arms as I rocked slowly in the glider; he was nearly finished with his last evening feeding. Once he turned away from me, Jack and I traded places. It had become a routine for Jack to burp Teddy and put him to bed every night, and he loved having that time with our little boy..

Once the baby was asleep, Jack slipped into the bed beside me. "Is it bad that I'm kind of happy that our families aren't staying the night here?"

I laughed softly. "I hope not, because I'm happy about that, too. I'm really glad they're here visiting, but we all need a break sometimes, especially Teddy. We don't want him to get too overwhelmed."

"You're a really good mom, Beth." He pulled me into his arms and kissed the top of my head.

"Thank you." I tilted my face up to kiss him. "For the record, you're a really good dad, Jack Thornton." I snuggled closer to him. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

...

I slipped Teddy into his little white outfit, fixing the collar so it laid flat. "You look so handsome, Teddy Bear. Everyone at church is going to love you." I pulled his socks on and fastened his tiny shoes.

I was thankful that Charlotte was able to find an outfit for him to wear for his baptism. When Jack and I decided to have him baptized while our parents were visiting, we hadn't even thought about the fact that we had no dress clothes for him.

Jack poked his head in the door. "Are you about ready?"

I nodded as I lifted Teddy from the changing table.

Jack grinned as he looked at our son. "Look at you, little man, so fancy for church. My mom did a good job picking out that outfit."

"Mhmm. We better hope his diaper doesn't leak all over it."

Jack laughed. "That would be very unfortunate."

I handed the baby to him. "Can you put him in his car seat? I'll get the diaper bag."

Ten minutes later, we were in the car on our way to the church. I couldn't help but be a little nervous, given that it was Teddy's first outing that didn't involve being checked over by a doctor. I kept peering over my shoulder to make sure he was okay.

"You're going to hurt your neck if you keep that up."

"I told you I should've sat in the back with him."

He touched my knee. "Beth, he's fine. We'll be there soon."

Our families were already at the church, sitting in the pew behind Abigail, Cody, Becky, and Clara and Jesse—who had just gotten engaged a few days prior. Jack set the car seat on the pew beside him; Teddy was still fastened inside, fast asleep.

I turned around in my seat. "Thank you for the outfit for him, Charlotte. It's perfect."

"Oh, you're welcome, Lizzy." She leaned over the back of the pew to get a glimpse of her grandson.

Julie followed suit, craning her neck to look at her nephew. "He's such a handsome little man."

"That's because he takes after his daddy." I smiled as I touched Jack's cheek. He rolled his eyes playfully.

Teddy remained asleep for most of the service, only waking when I lifted him from his car seat to go to the front of the church.

As godmother, Abigail joined me and Jack up by the altar while the pastor baptized little Jack Edward Thornton. He looked thoroughly confused when a man he didn't know dripped cold water onto his head. I held my breath, hoping he wouldn't cry. Thankfully, he just squirmed a little.

Our parents, siblings, Becky, Cody, Clara, and Jesse all joined us as we prayed over him. I felt tears in my eyes as I glanced around at everyone who was there to support our son. Jack squeezed my hand.

After we all said "Amen," Jack reached up and wiped a tear from my cheek.

The pastor returned Teddy to my arms. I smoothed down his now-wet hair. Now that he was awake, he was becoming a bit restless, and I knew it wouldn't be long before he realized he was hungry.

Once the service was over, we took entirely too many pictures of Teddy with various combinations of family members. Jack glanced over at me as Tom snapped a few pictures of just us and Teddy.

"You know, I just realized that it's almost exactly nine months ago that we got married right in this spot."

"It's kind of crazy that now we're standing here with our son."

"Crazy and wonderful." He leaned in and kissed me softly. "I love you, Elizabeth Thornton. Thank you for giving me a son."

"You're welcome, and thank you, too." I laughed softly before I kissed him again. "I love you so much."