MID December
"Julie! It looks wonderful." Elizabeth had gone over to Julie and Mike's to see their nursery for the twins. They had found out a few months before that they were girls so that had Julie's creative juices flowing.
The room was a peach color, almost pink. The peach looked great with the light gray wood floors and white shaker cribs and dresser. In one corner sat a matching white rocker and in front of that, a white fur rug on which Fin now sat and played.
Julie had become quite adept at thrift store shopping. The only thing in the room that had been bought at a regular store was the lamp on the table and it had been a gift.
"Thanks, Beth. I love it!" She rubbed her belly, which now surpassed Elizabeth's in size, even though she was five weeks behind her.
Elizabeth touched Julie's belly and smiled. "What's it like having two of them in there?"
"Well, I have nothing to compare it to but sometimes it feels like they're playing the drums on my ribs and playing soccer with my bladder."
Elizabeth laughed. "That's quite the description." Elizabeth sat in the rocking chair and immediately Fin crawled over and pulled herself up.
"Mamama."
"Hi, Finny." Elizabeth picked her up and cradled her as best she could with her own belly in the way.
"How are you feeling, Beth?" Julie asked as she folded tiny pink and yellow onsies that she had paid a quarter each for.
"Ok. Tired but good. Finny wears me out." She had just started walking the week before and the girl could crawl faster than Elizabeth had thought possible. "Thank goodness for baby gates." She had resorted to shutting the gate in the doorway to her nursery just so she could do a load of laundry without stopping every minute to chase her down.
"I have an idea, Beth."
"What's that?" Elizabeth asked with her eyes closed.
"Well, I say call Charlotte and ask her to watch Fin tomorrow and we can go to the spa. Doesn't a mani/pedi sound heavenly?"
"Yes it does but…"
"Don't worry. I have a gift certificate from the girls at work. They threw me a shower."
"Oh. Yes, let's go to the spa tomorrow then."
"Perfect. You call Charlotte, I'll call the spa."
…..
The next morning, Jack went to work at dispatch while Elizabeth took Fin to the lake house.
Bill met them at the door. "There's my girls!"
"Mmmpa!" Fin said, holding her arms out to him.
"Hi, Fin. How's my big girl?"
Elizabeth stepped inside to put Fin's bag down. "Ok, so there is formula in here and a few bottles. Just follow the directions on the can. There are also these cool little pouches of baby food."
"Instead of jars?"
"Yeah." She pulled one out and showed him. "Fin likes to just open her mouth and you can squeeze a little in at a time."
"Ok."
Bill looked at Elizabeth. "You feeling ok, sweetie?"
"Yeah. Just tired. This spa idea of Julie's is a great idea."
"Sounds like it. Well, don't worry about anything here. Just enjoy yourself."
"Thank you." She kissed Fin's cheeks. "I love you, baby." Then she kissed Bill's cheek. "Love you, Pop."
"Love you back. Now go relax."
….
An hour later, she and Julie were side by side in reclining massage chairs, their legs and feet in hot, sudsy water.
"Julie, this was the best idea I think you've ever had."
"Right?"
"Ok, so names? What names have you and Mike picked out?"
"Claire and Kendall. I fell in love with Kendall and Mike picked Claire."
"Those are beautiful, Jules."
"What about you?"
"Well, it's still going to be Joseph Thomas if it's a boy. A girl, I picked Austyn but Jack doesn't like it at all."
"What did he pick?"
"Eden."
"Which you don't like?"
"Not at all. So right now, if it's a girl, she's nameless." Elizabeth smiled and rubbed her tummy.
"What about Harlow? Or Ryan?"
"Maybe. I don't know. Hopefully we will just hear one and it will be perfect."
….
They had eight more weeks to go before meeting the newest member of the Thornton clan and in between there, they were flying to Madison for Christmas.
Elizabeth had cleared the short flight with her doctor, telling him she would recline in her chair and promise to rest as much as possible.
Jack and Mike, however, had arranged for William and Grace to come to Hunter Creek for the holidays again, as a surprise to Elizabeth and Julie.
After work, he and Mike were picking them up from the airport.
"Ready to go, bro?" Jack asked Mike.
"Yep. Let's do this."
As they drove Jack called Elizabeth. "Call Beth."
"Hello?"
"Hey, babe. I just have a stop to make before coming home."
"Ok. Can you get some diapers, please?"
"Um, sure. Anything else you need?"
"Just a nice long kiss. I've missed you today."
"I missed you too." He grinned over at Mike who was trying not to laugh.
"Oh, you might as well get more formula too. We need to take it to Madison."
"Ok. Formula and diapers. I'll get those and be home in about an hour."
"Thanks, Jack. Love you."
"Love you too."
Mike chuckled when they disconnected. "I'm going to call Julie."
He touched the screen of his phone and then waited for her to pick up. "Hey, babe. Jack invited us over for dinner. I'll be home in an hour to pick you up."
"Oh. Ok. Beth didn't mention anything to me about dinner."
"It was a last minute thing. I'll see you soon."
"Ok. Love you."
"Love you."
About thirty minutes later, with their wives' parents in tow, Jack dropped Mike at his car and ran into the grocery for diapers and formula.
He came out ten minutes later. "Ready to go surprise Beth and Julie?"
"Absolutely. I can't wait to see them," Grace told him. Jack saw tears in her eyes. Grace never cried.
Jack turned around and looked at her. "Grace? What's wrong?"
She shook her head and smiled as William took her hand.
"Grace, you don't cry and I see tears." Jack reached back and squeezed her hand. "You can tell me."
Grace looked up at William and he nodded. "I found another lump. In my breast." Jack's heart plummeted to his stomach as he waited for her to continue. "Please don't tell the girls until after they have their babies. I don't want them to get upset."
"What do the doctors say?"
"This one is larger than the one before. I need to have a biopsy and then I may need to have a mastectomy depending on what it shows. We are flying back on the 26th for my test."
"Grace, there are so many advances being made with technology and medicine. It's amazing what doctors can do."
"I know. The tears are more because this has made me treasure family and life and everything else more. When you mentioned them, I just got emotional. I love them and you and Mike and Will so much."
"We love you too, Mom." Grace's eyes met his when he called her that, causing her to cry again.
Jack got out of the car and walked over to her side. He opened the door and helped her step out and hugged her tight. "Thank you, Jack."
He pulled back and kissed her forehead. "Let's go see them."
….
"Jack Thornton, you know how I feel about secrets!" Elizabeth playfully scolded, hands on her hips.
"It wasn't a secret, babe. It was a Christmas present."
"Hmm. I suppose you have a point." She stepped close and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Thank you. It's a wonderful present."
He laughed when he felt a big kick to his stomach from hers. "Hey, baby." He rubbed her tummy and kissed her forehead. "I love you, Elizabeth. More than I could ever say." She saw him turn serious and that worried her.
"Jack, what's going on?"
"Nothing. I just wanted to tell you that. Let's go take this ice cream and pie in the other room." He picked up the tray of dessert and headed into the living room. She grabbed Fin's bottle and followed him.
…..
Later, Elizabeth and Jack lay on their bed, Fin sleeping between them. "I can't believe she's a year old," Elizabeth said, running her fingers through her wispy curls. "This year went so fast."
"Yes, it did and the next one will too, I imagine."
Elizabeth noticed the same serious expression pass over Jack as he stared at her tummy. "Honey, what's on your mind?"
Just like before, the look disappeared and was replaced by a smile. "Just that long kiss you mentioned on the phone earlier."
"Mmm. Yeah that sounds good."
Jack scooped up Fin and placed her in her crib and then slipped back in to bed. "Come here, hot mama," he said quietly, a gleam in his eye.
"Oh stop," she said with a giggle as he kissed her neck instead of her lips. He kissed his way from her ear, down her jaw to her chin. She felt his fingers slip under her t-shirt, causing her to tense with anticipation. Instead of continuing however, he just moved her shirt up, exposing the evidence of the life they and God had created. He kissed her soft skin and laid his ear by her belly button.
She figured he must just be feeling sentimental so she didn't ask questions, she just ran her fingers through his hair as his head rested there. She saw him smile when they felt a kick. "Daddy loves you," he whispered. "I thought of a girl name, Elizabeth. Well, I heard it and I think it's perfect."
"Ok. Whatever it is, I'm up for it."
"Hadlie. Hadlie Charlotte Thornton."
He kissed her belly again and then leaned up on his elbow to see her reaction to the name. "It is perfect. I love it."
"Good." He leaned up and gave her a long sweet kiss. "I love you."
"I love you too." She rolled on her side and pulled his arm around her middle and held it there.
"Goodnight, babe," he said with a kiss to her shoulder and cheek.
"Night."
….
Across the hall…
Grace sat against the headboard, leaning against Will's shoulder as he read his book.
"Gracie, I don't think we should hold Jack to that promise of not telling Elizabeth."
"I don't want her or Julie to get upset right now."
"I think you underestimate our daughters. They are really strong women. Much like you, my dear." He kissed the top of her head. "And they each have a husband who will support them and help keep them calm."
"Let's at least wait until Christmas is over, Will. I want this holiday to be great."
He nodded and flipped the light switch before slipping further under the covers. As Grace fell asleep with her head over his heart, like she did every night, he thought about their 29 years of marriage.
He thought about when they first met, at a coffee bar in Madison, both 22 years old. Her, a recent graduate of Wisconsin University and he, having gone to Harvard business. When he sat at the back booth with his espresso and newspaper, his eye caught hers, a dark haired beauty walking in the door. She smiled and then looked away as she headed up to the bar to order.
When she got her drink she walked toward him, boldly, and asked if she could join him because she didn't like to drink alone, even if it was only coffee.
He, of course, gestured to the seat across from him and hadn't stopped smiling since. He fell for her that day. They exchanged numbers, and called each other every night. Within six months they were married and three months after that, she was pregnant with Viola.
"Will?"
"Shhh. Go back to sleep."
"I love you."
"Love you too, dear." More than he could ever express. And if this lump turned out to be cancerous, he would fight it alongside the strong woman who slept in his arms.
…..
Jack cooked breakfast with Fin sitting in her high chair next to him. "Dada!"
"Finny!" He smiled at her and gave her another squeeze of her pear/apple puree thingamajig before flipping the pancake in the pan.
"Good morning," William said as he walked in the room.
"Morning, Dad." William kissed the top of Fin's head before pouring himself a cup of coffee. "How are you this morning?"
"Just fine. Where's Elizabeth?"
"In the shower. Finny and I make breakfast while Mama takes her time, right, Fin?"
"Dada!" Jack squeezed more fruit into her mouth and smiled as she grinned her mostly toothless grin back at him.
"How's Grace?"
"Ok. She's asleep so I figured she must need it."
"Morning, everyone," Elizabeth greeted as she wandered in.
"Mama!"
"Hi, babe," she said as she kissed her daughter's nose.
Then she walked up next to Jack and stole a piece of sausage. "Do we have pickles? Sausage and pickles are perfection."
Jack laughed and grabbed the jar from the fridge. "Silly question, love. We always have pickles."
"You're the best." She reached up and kissed him and then took a bite of the spear she held in one hand and the sausage from the other.
Will looked at her in disbelief and then laughed. "Ah, Bethie. You're wonderful."
"Because I love pickles?"
"Yes and because you just are." He kissed her cheek and then took his coffee cup to the table. Elizabeth finished her snack and then gave Jack another kiss.
"Morning, Jack." He grinned at her and finished the last of the pancake batter.
"Mamama," Fin whimpered, raising her arms.
"Ready for a bottle?"
Elizabeth grabbed the bottle from the microwave, screwed on the top and then joined her dad at the table.
Grace walked down the stairs and stopped next to Will, setting her hand on his shoulder. "Beth, Jack. I invited Julie and Mike over for lunch today. We need to have a family meeting."