Rosemary answered the door. "Well hello, godmother. And where are the Thornton men this afternoon?" She ushered me into the house.

"We had a little incident with Teddy spitting up and his diaper leaking all at once. Jack offered to bathe him so I could still come help set up. They'll be over in a little while."

"He's such a good dad."

"He is." I smiled. "So is Lee. We both got lucky, didn't we?"

"That we did."

Alina toddled up to me and raised her arms. "Bet. Up."

"Hi, sweet girl." I lifted her from the floor, and she grinned at me. "So, I'm Auntie Bet now?"

"I guess you are." Rosemary brushed her thumb across her daughter's cheek. "You love your Auntie Beth, don't you?"

Though Alina had looked just like Lee at birth, she was beginning to show more similarities to Rosemary as she got older. Her dark hair had lightened considerably, now much closer to blonde. Her wide smile and toothy grin were also clearly inherited from her mother.

I carried her through the house, following Rosemary to the backyard. "How is she already a year old?"

"I have no idea. It's like I blinked and suddenly she's a toddler."

"I know what you mean. Teddy's almost four months old, and it feels like it was just yesterday that he was born."

Alina squirmed in my arms, and I lowered her to the ground. She took unsteady steps across the grass until she reached Lee, who was hanging a banner along the fence.

"What can I help with?"

"Balloons need to be filled, cupcakes need to be decorated, fruit needs to be sliced."

"I can do balloons." I chuckled. "I'm least likely to mess that up."

...

A few hours later, the party was winding down. Alina had opened all of her presents and had her first taste of cake. Rosemary was carrying her around the yard, giving everyone a few minutes with the birthday girl. I excused myself and quietly entered the house.

Jack was sitting on the sofa, Teddy sleeping against his shoulder.

I smiled. "There are my guys. I was wondering where you ran off to. Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah." He stood carefully, ensuring that Teddy didn't wake. "Should we say bye?" He nodded toward the back door.

I shook my head. "I already did. I told them we needed to get Teddy home. They said thank you for coming."

He followed me out the door and across the lawn toward our house. "I can't believe she's already a year old."

I tucked my hand in his arm. "Me neither. Remember the first time you held her?" I thought back to that day, how he was so gentle with her, how natural he looked with a tiny baby in his arms. "That was when I knew you'd be the best father."

"It's crazy to think that little man already existed then and we had no idea." He kissed the top of Teddy's head while I unlocked the front door. "Crazy to think we could have another one soon." He raised his eyebrows.

"Maybe. We still aren't trying until Halloween, though. So, if that was your attempt to convince me to change the timeline, good effort, but no." I smirked.

"Wow, and I thought I was being subtle." He chuckled.

"Subtlety is not your strong suit, babe."

...

Cody tapped Abigail on the shoulder. "Mom, can I go outside with Mr. Coulter and Mr. Flynn?"

"Sure, Cody. Stay out of the street, though."

"I will, mom. Thanks!" He hurried out the back door behind Lee and Jesse.

Abigail stood. "So, who wants some tea?"

"I'll take some." I shifted Teddy in my lap as he dozed.

She excused herself to ready the tea in the kitchen.

"Oh, before I forget to tell you ladies, I had my twenty-week ultrasound the other day." Clara smiled as she pulled an ultrasound photo from her bag. "We found out we're having a little girl. Her name is Ally Mae Flynn." She passed the picture around the room.

"Oh, congratulations, Clara." Rosemary smiled as she looked closely at the picture.

"That's a lovely name."

"Jesse actually chose it." She placed her hand on her stomach.

"You know, Faith, this means you and Carson need to have a boy to even it out again." Rosemary raised her eyebrows.

A flush rose in her cheeks. "Oh goodness, it's only been a year since we started dating. If we have kids, and that's if, it probably won't be for a while."

I almost reminded her that, a year after Jack and I started dating, I was already five months pregnant with Teddy.

"You do realize that you're sitting in a room with three women who got pregnant when they weren't planning it."

"Four." Abigail set down a tray full of teacups. "Noah and I weren't trying when I got pregnant with Peter."

"Okay, what birth control have you all been using? Because clearly, I'll want to use something different."

We all chuckled.

...

"Well hello, my sweet boy. Did you have a good nap?" Teddy grinned up at me from his crib. "What do you say we get you fed and changed into your costume?"

I settled into the glider to feed him.

"We're going to dress you like a Mountie. That's what your grandpa Thornton did for his job. Your daddy would probably be a Mountie if he still lived in Vancouver."

I brushed back his hair, and he stretched his arm toward my face.

"You're my favorite little guy, Jack Edward. I'm so glad you're ours."

"I'm glad he's ours, too."

I looked up and met Jack's eyes. "Hi."

"Hi." He came over and kissed the top of my head. "You never call him Jack."

I shrugged. "Sometimes I do. It is his name, after all." I pulled him to me and kissed him softly. "How was work?"

He knelt down beside the chair and gently stroked Teddy's cheek. "Lots of paperwork, so it was pretty boring. How was Sunday lunch?"

"Good. Clara and Jesse found out they're having a girl. They're naming her Ally."

"That's great."

I laughed quietly. "And now Rosemary is trying to convince Faith to have a boy to even things out again."

Jack chuckled. "Well, maybe our next one will be another boy."

Teddy turned away, and I passed him to Jack.

"A few more days until Halloween, and then we can start trying. It's up to you to make it a boy." I winked and traded places with him, so he could burp Teddy.

"Way to put all the pressure on me." He laughed.

I rifled through Teddy's closet and pulled out his Halloween costume. "Are you sure you're up to going tonight? You've got to be exhausted after working all weekend."

"Well, you've convinced me that Teddy's too young for trick-or-treating, so this Halloween festival is my only chance for matching father-son costumes."

I laughed and shook my head. "Our kids are probably going to be so happy that you love Halloween. I don't even remember the last time I dressed up."

"You're dressing up today, though. Aren't you?"

I nodded. "Only for you, babe."

"Are you going to tell me what your costume is?"

"No, sir. You'll find out soon enough."

He pretended to pout. "Fine. I think little man is in need of a fresh diaper, and I need to go get changed." He held the baby out in front of him.

I took Teddy from him as he pressed a kiss to my cheek and headed down the hall.

Teddy squirmed on the changing table as I changed his diaper and replaced his onesie with the little Mountie costume.

"We were right, Jack. He really is the cutest Mountie ever." I finished buttoning up the costume and turned toward Jack.

He stood in the doorway, wearing his father's dress uniform.

"Wow." I had always had a thing for a man in uniform, and seeing Jack standing there, I was almost speechless.

"Do I look silly?" He straightened his arms out in front of him and flexed his fingers.

I shook my head. "Not at all. You look very handsome, Jack Thornton. So handsome, in fact, that I may make you wear that forever."

He chuckled and tugged at the collar of the Serge. "Maybe not forever. I don't think this would be the most comfortable outfit to sleep in."

"We should get a picture of you in that to send to your mom."

"I think somewhere she has a picture of me in it when I was little, the sleeves dragging the ground and the hat covering my eyes."

I scooped Teddy off the changing table. "We'll have to look for it next time we visit." I shifted Teddy so he was leaning against my chest, facing out into the room. "Look at your daddy, Teddy Bear. He matches you. You both look so handsome."

Jack took our son from me and snuggled him close. It was an adorable sight, both of them in red, grins on their faces revealing their matching dimples.

"Now that is an image that I wouldn't mind seeing forever."

"Well, then take a picture and then you need to get into your costume, whatever that is."

I snapped a quick photo of them on my phone and sent it to Charlotte before traipsing down the hall to get dressed.

I sifted through Jack's side of the closet until I found what I was looking for, and I slipped the shirt on over my gray tank top.

I peeked into the hallway. "Are you still in the nursery?"

"We're downstairs."

I stood at the top of the stairs. "Put Teddy down and close your eyes."

"Why?"

"Just do it."

"Fine." He huffed, and I heard him snap Teddy into the bouncy seat. "They're closed."

"Okay, now you know I'm not big into Halloween, so you can't get mad that this costume isn't anything extravagant." I stopped directly in front of him and touched his cheek. "Open."

He blinked, slowly taking in my outfit. "My Canucks jersey?"

I shrugged. "It was the scariest thing I could think of." I winked and pressed my lips to his cheek. "One of these days, I'll convert you to a Blues fan."

"How about this? I'll root for the Blues if they ever make it to the Stanley Cup finals."

"I'm going to hold you to that." I stood on my toes and kissed him. "Now let's get going. We need to show off our little Mountie."

...

"Well, aren't you three just adorable?" Abigail pulled me into a hug. "May I?" She held out her arms, and I passed Teddy to her.

"I'm going to find Lee." Jack kissed my cheek and headed off toward the games.

I tilted my head as I watched him walk away, a smile hinting on my lips.

Abigail gave me a knowing grin. "So, you like him in that uniform, huh?"

My cheeks reddened. "Very much. We picked Teddy's costume first, and then Jack decided to match him. I'm normally not big into Halloween, but I could get on board if he wore that every year."

She chuckled. "Come on, let's go show off your little man."

We found Jack with Lee, Rosemary, and Alina, who were dressed as a knight, a princess, and a dragon, respectively.

"Oh my goodness, I think that might be the cutest baby costume I've ever seen." Rosemary reached over and touched Teddy's cheek.

"I don't know, Alina makes a very cute little dragon."

She grinned at me, then tucked her head into her mom's shoulder.

"It's crazy to think that next year, there'll be another little one in the competition for cutest costume."

Jack met my gaze and raised his eyebrows, and I knew he was thinking the same thing I was. Maybe two more.

"Speaking of, where are Clara and Jesse?"

Abigail shifted Teddy to her other shoulder. "Clara wasn't feeling well, so they decided to stay home."

"Oh. Is everything okay?"

"She's fine, just really sore."

"I remember those days." Rosemary chuckled. "It's a good thing babies are so cute, because growing them is not easy." She rubbed her nose against Alina's cheek, eliciting a giggle.

Jack reached over and squeezed my hand. He was so ready for another baby.

...

I grinned when I stepped into the bedroom and saw that Jack was still partly in his father's uniform. "You took off the jacket but not the hat?"

"Well, I wanted to give you one last look at me in it." He smirked. "Did Teddy go down fine?"

"Mhmm. He's fast asleep." I slowly walked toward him. "You know, I wouldn't mind if you wore this uniform more often. Maybe we should move to Canada." I grabbed his suspenders and pulled him closer, brushing my lips against his chin. "You'd make a great Mountie. Plus, you already have the horse."

"I haven't taken you out on Sergeant in a while. We should do that soon."

"Only if you wear this." I ran my fingers along the brim of the hat and pressed a soft kiss to his lips. "I just can't get over how good you look in it."

He slipped his arms around my waist. "Not as good as you look in my Canucks jersey."

I pulled away from him and turned slowly. "Take a nice long look now, because I'm never wearing this again. I think my family would disown me if they knew I was wearing it right now."

He laughed, removing the hat and pulling me in for another kiss. "Well, we can't have that, can we?" He reached for the hem and inched it upward.

I placed my hands on his. "Let's make a baby, Jack."

Confusion flashed across his face. "It's not Halloween yet."

I shrugged. "Close enough."

...

I woke when Jack pressed his lips to my shoulder.

"Good morning, beautiful."

I rolled over to face him, resting my hands on his chest. "Morning, babe."

"We might have made a baby last night, Beth."

"Maybe." I kissed him softly. "But remember it might not happen as quickly this time. It could be a few months."

"Well, we'll just have to keep trying, then." He grinned and kissed me deeply, his fingers dancing across my waist.

"Jack," I pushed him away, "as much as I would love to, we can't try right now. We have work. And a son who's going to want to be fed as soon as he wakes up, which should be in about," I glanced over at the clock, "two minutes."

"Two minutes? That's very specific."

"Just wait." I pulled his arms around me. "Our son is very punctual. Haven't you noticed?"

He laughed and kissed my hair. "Well, he didn't get that from me."

Almost exactly two minutes later, the baby monitor crackled and Teddy could be heard whimpering.

"How did you do that?"

"Magic." I gave him a quick kiss and slipped out of bed to tend to our son.