"You ready?" Jack turned in his seat.

I double checked that the carseat was secured and that Emilia was properly strapped in. "Ready." The little baby yawned, and I tucked the blanket around her. "I still can't believe how tiny she is."

"Me neither."

At just under seven and a half pounds, she was over two full pounds lighter than Teddy was at birth. I had been pleasantly surprised when I dressed her in a newborn sized sleeper that morning and it fit her comfortably.

I saw Jack smile in the rearview mirror. "So, since she wasn't big like Teddy, does that mean she won't be our last?"

"Well, she's only a day old, so let's just see how things go with the two we have for a little while before we think about having more."

"I guess you have a point there." He laughed softly.

"Gosh, I just love her so much." I touched her cheek. "She's like a little doll."

"We do make some cute babies." He smiled again as he turned out of the parking lot. "Oh, by the way, your parents said they were taking Teddy to lunch and then to the park for a bit, so they won't be there when we get home."

"I hope you reminded them to put his coat and hat on. It's freezing outside."

"Beth, they successfully raised three children, one of whom is you. I think they know how to keep a kid warm."

"Yeah." I sighed. "But he's our kid. I'm protective of him."

"I know you are. He'll be fine. Your parents just wanted to give us a little time to settle in with Em before things get crazy. I'm sure they won't be gone too long."

"Okay." I kept my eyes on Emilia as she slowly fell asleep. "How do you think Teddy will react when he meets Emilia?"

"I don't know. He's been around other babies before, so I'm sure he'll be fine."

"I guess we'll find out soon." I was quiet for a few minutes, just staring at Emilia's perfect face as she slept. "But what if he doesn't like her?"

"Then he'll have to adjust. Everything will be okay, Beth."

"I love you, Jack."

...

"Welcome home, Emilia." I removed her from the carseat, lifting her to my shoulder. "This is where we live, you and me and your daddy and your big brother and our dogs. Obviously, you've already met me and your daddy. You'll meet your big brother in a little while. His name is Jack, just like your daddy, but we call him Teddy. He's with your Nana and Papa Thatcher right now, so you'll get to meet them, too."

"Beth?" Jack put his hand on my back. "Do you want something to eat?"

"A sandwich and a glass of water, please and thank you."

"Coming right up."

"I'm going to take her upstairs, see if she wants to eat."

"I'll help you."

"Jack, I'm fine."

"I know you are." He put his arm around my waist. "But I want to help."

"Okay." I knew it was no use to argue with him, and I had to admit that I was still feeling sore, so having him there to physically support me was helpful.

He kissed my forehead once I was settled on the bed with Emilia nestled in my arms. "A sandwich and a glass of water?"

"Yes," I confirmed. "And a cup of tea, too. The kind in the jar by the toaster. Please and thank you."

"On it."

I smiled as I watched him leave the room. "I don't know if you've realized this yet, sweet girl, but you have the very best daddy in the entire world. I couldn't have dreamed up a better dad for you and your brother."

She looked up at me, blinking her big blue eyes.

"Are you hungry, Emmy? Let's get you fed."

When Jack returned a few minutes later, Emilia was happily filling her belly, her tiny fingers grazing the edge of my shirt.

Jack grinned as he set the plate of food beside me. "I'll never get tired of seeing you with our babies."

"I feel the same way when I see you with them."

"Goodness," he just barely touched the top of her head, "she's just perfect, isn't she?"

I looked up at him. "She gets it from her dad."

"No, she's all you. I mean, come on. That nose, that chin, those eyes. She's a mini Elizabeth." A smile played on his lips and he shook his head, just slightly. "I can't believe we have a daughter now."

"One of each." I turned to meet his eyes, leaning in to brush my lips against his. "I love you."

"Not as much as I love you."

"Impossible."

We both fell silent as we watched our daughter. She eventually drifted off, and Jack took her from me so I could eat the lunch he had made for me.

He walked around the room slowly, Emilia cradled against his chest.

"Beth, look." He pushed the curtains open. "It's snowing."

I left the bed and joined him at the window. Huge flakes were falling from the gray sky, just barely beginning to cover the grass. "It's beautiful."

He shifted the baby into the crook of his elbow, then slipped his free arm behind my back. "Not as beautiful as my girls." He kissed my temple.

"You sweet talker." I leaned against his shoulder and sighed. "I just wish Teddy was with us."

"I called your parents to let them know we're home, so they should be back at any time."

"Good. It's been nice having this time with just you and Emilia, but I'm ready to have our son back."

"Me too."

...

Half an hour later, Jack and I were both dozing on the bed, Emilia fast asleep in my arms, when we heard the front door open. Bronte let out a low bark to alert us.

"Babe." I nudged Jack. "My parents are back with Teddy."

He stretched and stood up, running his fingers through his hair. "Time to introduce our kids to each other."

A few moments passed before my mom peeked around the bedroom door, knocking quietly on the frame. "Are you up for some visitors?"

I nodded, and she came into the room, followed closely by my dad, who was carrying Teddy.

"This little one just couldn't handle all the excitement." He laughed softly, rubbing Teddy's back as he slept against his shoulder.

"This will probably be the last time they're both asleep at the same time," Jack joked, taking a seat on the edge of the bed beside me.

He held out his arms, and I passed our daughter to him.

"So, does this granddaughter of ours have a name yet?" my mother questioned. Though we had let our family and friends know when she was born and that she was healthy, we had yet to tell anyone her name.

Jack smiled as he looked down at our little girl. "Her name is Emilia Elizabeth Thornton."

"What a beautiful name for a beautiful baby." My mom placed a hand on my shoulder, gazing over at Emilia. "Congratulations, you two."

"Thank you." I held out my hands. "Can I have Teddy?"

My dad lowered him onto my lap, and I held him against my chest. He stirred, blinking sleepily. He grinned when he realized who was holding him.

"Mama." He sat up and put his hands on my face. "Mama, love you."

"Oh, I love you, too, sweet boy." I hugged him and kissed the top of his head. "I missed you today and yesterday." I brushed my fingers through his hair. "Did you have fun with nana and papa?"

He nodded and glanced around the room, looking for his grandparents. He stilled when he noticed something—or rather someone—in Jack's arms. He looked back at me, confusion on his face. "Mama?"

"Remember how daddy and I told you that I had a baby in my belly? And we showed you pictures of her and you felt her moving around? Well, that," I pointed to the baby Jack held, "is your little sister, Emilia. She isn't in my belly anymore."

Jack turned so Teddy could get a better look at his sister. "You're a big brother, Teddy. What do you think about that?"

He leaned into me, clinging tightly to my shirt. A frown covered his face. "No."

"Someone doesn't seem very happy to have to share his mama." My mom chuckled. "Viola was the same way when you were born."

I kissed the top of his head and rubbed his back. "Don't worry, sweet boy. You're still my Teddy Bear. Your daddy and I love you very much."

"Hey, bud." Jack reached out and touched his cheek. "Do you want to hold your sister?"

He shook his head. "No, dada."

"Do you want to say hi to her?"

He furrowed his brow. "No."

"Here." My mother held out her arms to take the baby from Jack. "We'll take Emilia for a bit to give Teddy some time alone with you."

Jack passed the baby to her. "Thank you."

She and my dad took Emilia across the hall to the nursery, and Jack moved back to his side of the bed, leaning back against the headboard.

"Hey, little man." Jack leaned down to kiss the top of Teddy's head. "It's okay to be upset. It just been you and me and your mama for a year and a half, and now there's another little baby here taking our attention. That's a big change for you. It's a big change for us, too. We have to figure out how to have two babies living in our house." We both knew Teddy probably wasn't understanding much of what Jack was saying, but he kept talking. "I hope you know your mama and I love you so very much, no matter how many sisters and brothers you might have."

"And you know what, Teddy Bear? You're our very first baby and our very first little boy, so that makes you special."

"Mama." He snuggled into me.

"Yeah, I'm right here, Teddy Bear."

"How about I go get a few books and we read to him for a bit?"

"Good idea." I kissed him softly. "You're the best father, Jack Thornton."

...

My mother set a mug of tea in front of me and took a seat on the sofa.

"Thank you."

"She really is a lovely baby." She motioned toward Emilia, who was—once again—sleeping against my chest.

"She is." I smiled. "Mom, earlier you said Viola wasn't a fan of me when I was first born?"

She nodded in confirmation. "She wanted nothing to do with you until you were, I don't know, four or five months old."

"How did you and dad deal with that?"

"Well, the biggest thing we did was make sure to set aside some time just for her. Most of the time, our attention had to be split between the two of you, so we wanted her to have moments where she had all our focus. And you and Jack are already doing that with Teddy. It doesn't have to be anything big. Just taking the time to read to him alone, or go play with him outside," she nodded toward the back door. Jack and my father had taken Teddy out a few minutes before to play in the snow.

"I just want Teddy to like her."

She put her hand on my arm. "Don't worry about that right now. You and Jack just need to focus on loving your beautiful babies. It may take Teddy a while to adjust to having his sister around, but he'll get there. I promise. The small age gap can be tough when they're little, because they're still both very dependent on you, but sometimes it makes for a closer relationship once they're older. Just look at how close you and Vi are now."

"That's true." I reached over and squeezed her hand. "Thank you for being here, mom."

"I wouldn't miss it. You just gave me my first granddaughter."

...

I zipped up the sleeper and lifted Emilia from the changing table. "Okay, Emmy," I kept my voice low, since Teddy was sleeping across the room in his crib. "You're clean and dry, so now we can sleep. Right?"

I headed back across the hall, lowering her into her bassinet before slipping under the quilt beside Jack.

He pulled me to his chest, not even bothering to open his eyes. "Everything good now?"

I nodded, sliding my arms around his waist. "She's freshly diapered and sleeping again."

"Good." He kissed my forehead.

"Tomorrow, we need to move some of her diapers and a changing mat in here. I didn't think about the risk of waking Teddy whenever Emilia needs a diaper change at night."

"Oh, good idea. I didn't think about that, either."

"Can you believe we're officially a family of four, Jack?"

"It's crazy."

"I didn't know it was possible to be so happy." I brushed my nose against his neck. "Or so tired."

He chuckled. "Me neither."

"I love you, babe."

"I love you, Beth."