Another chapter already as promised. This was a fun one to write so I hope you enjoy it :)
Jack came home from work early that Friday afternoon. The house was quiet which was an uncommon occurrence as Tilly had now become a very chatty and active toddler.
He hung his hat over the coat rack by the front door before heading upstairs and discovering his wife and daughter asleep together on their large feather bed. He noticed Tilly's hand resting on Elizabeth's stomach which was now carrying their unborn child that was due in only another month. A small smile played on his lips as he noticed the display of affection between his two girls.
Knowing that Elizabeth had been exhausted lately due to the pregnancy, he quietly made his way out of the room, deciding to let them sleep.
"Jack." He heard his wife whisper. He turned back around to see Elizabeth, now with her eyes open, and looking over at him from the bed.
"Sorry, I disturbed you." He said quietly, trying not to wake Tilly. He ever so gently placed a kiss on Elizabeth's temple, a slight bruise still apparent from the blow she had received from Cody only three weeks earlier.
"It's fine, we've been asleep for quite a while." She informed him as she lifted Tilly's little hand off her stomach and tried to sit up on the bed.
Jack helped her up off the bed as she stood, and she gave him a smile. Realising these once easy tasks were becoming much more difficult.
They both placed their pillows and cushions down the sides of the bed in case Tilly decided to move, and then proceeded to make their way out of the bedroom.
They headed down stairs and took a seat on the settee in the parlour, appreciating the alone time which was few and far between these days.
"You looking forward to your afternoon with Abigail and Rosemary tomorrow?" Jack asked as he wrapped his arm around Elizabeth, and she rest her head on his shoulder.
"I am." She yawned, placing a hand over her mouth as she still felt drowsy from her nap. "You and Lee are going to be alright with the kids?"
"Course we are. You know Lee and I love time with the kids."
"I do, but Tilly and Johnathan can be quite a handful when you put them together."
"We'll be fine." Jack replied casually, not feeling any need to be concerned. After all, how hard could it be to handle a two-and-a-half-year-old and an almost two-year-old, he thought to himself.
"All right, but you've been forewarned." She said, trying not to smile at the idea of what the kids might get up to while Jack and Lee took care of them.
Elizabeth and Tilly had spent many weekdays with Rosemary and Johnathan while the men were at work. She knew exactly what kind of playful mischief the children liked to get up to when they were together. They were never purposefully being naughty, but they certainly could get themselves into trouble.
"We will be fine. It's you I've been worried about. I'm glad your going to take a break tomorrow." Jack said, placing a kiss on her cheek, letting his lips linger there for a moment.
She felt his warm breath and the brush of his lips on her cheek, which made her forget to reply to his last statement.
Once he pulled away she turned to look him in the eyes. She noticed the worry he had for her as he tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear before leading his fingers to gently graze over the bruise at the side of her eye.
"It's ok now." She replied, knowing that he was now also concerned about the now fading bruise at the side of her eye.
He gave her a small nod as his eyes travelled to look directly into her own, and she noticed his look of concern transform into desire.
"I've been thinking about you all day." He whispered.
"You have?" She asked as she played with one of the buttons on his serge.
Jack nodded.
"You still have your serge on." She realised, as she returned her gaze from the button back up to his eyes.
"I was wondering why the house was so quiet when I got home, I guess I forgot to remove it."
"Jack…" She said, continuing to play with the button. "I could remove it."
"It's probably a good idea, otherwise you're going to pull that button off." He said with a grin on his face which caused her to smile.
He watched her as she carefully undid all the buttons before placing her hands inside his serge and pushing it off his shoulders. He sat up as it slid down his arms and he helped her remove it.
"It was getting a little too warm in here." He said, making up another excuse for why he needed to remove his jacket. It was the middle of the afternoon and their daughter was due to wake up any moment. He didn't see the point in pushing his luck.
"You think? Cause I was expecting the temperature to continue to go up, even without your serge…"
"Elizabeth…" He whispered, his voice sounding deep and husky as he pronounced her name.
She leaned in and kissed him, before he had a chance to utter another word, not that he was in any frame of mind to speak right now.
His arms instinctively wrapped around her waist and he pulled her closer as their kisses deepened.
They then heard the patter of little feet in the room and quickly pulled apart.
"Mummy! Daddy!" Tilly said excitedly as she tried to climb up on the settee, happy to see her parents, not at all phased by what she had walked in on. After all it wasn't the first time she'd seen her parents kissing.
"Hi sweet pea." Jack said pulling his daughter up onto the settee and sat her down between himself and Elizabeth, happy to see her even if it did mean a lost moment with his wife.
Elizabeth bit her bottom lip, now slightly coloured and swollen from their kisses. She tried to tidy her hair which had become mussed from Jack running his hands through it.
"You got yourself out of bed today I see." Elizabeth said, surprised that Tilly had quietly made her own way out of bed without becoming unsettled.
"Me big girl now." Tilly exclaimed proudly, and Jack and Elizabeth shared a small laugh.
"You are our big girl." Elizabeth said, somewhat disappointed at the thought. She was so used to hearing Tilly cry out for her whenever she woke.
"And you're going to be a big sister very soon." Jack reminded her.
Tilly lay one of her little hand on her Mother's stomach as she thought about the baby.
"In Mummy's tummy?" She questioned, asking for further confirmation as she looked up at her parents.
Elizabeth nodded, and Tilly frowned.
"No, I'm the baby" Tilly insisted.
"You'll always be my baby Tilly, but now there is going to be another baby. You're going to have a brother or sister." Elizabeth informed her.
"No more babies, I'm the baby." She cried as tears started to trickle down her rosy cheeks.
"I thought you liked being a big girl, you know since you're a big girl you can help Mummy with the baby." Jack said, pulling his daughter up onto his lap.
Tilly buried her head into Jack's chest and started to cry.
"You're going to be turning two in a few weeks Tilly…" Elizabeth started to remind her before Tilly interrupted.
"I don't want baby, I want Mummy to myself." She cried and climbed over onto Elizabeth's lap and buried her face into Elizabeth's chest and continued to cry.
Jack and Elizabeth looked over at each other, concerned with the sudden turn of events. Prior to this moment, Tilly hadn't displayed any sort of extreme interest or disinterest in the possibility of having a sibling.
Elizabeth wrapped her arms around Tilly, unsure of how to subdue her worries.
"Tilly, Daddy and I are always going to be here for you, just because a new baby comes along doesn't mean we're going to love you any less."
Tilly momentarily looked up at her Mother but still wasn't convinced, she buried her face back down into Elizabeth's chest, her cries subduing as she listened to Elizabeth's words.
"I know you love playing with Johnathan Coulter, when this baby is bigger you will be able to play with him or her too."
Tilly shook her head, still unconvinced, and Elizabeth gave Jack a worried look.
"I'm sure she'll be fine once the baby is here." He whispered, as he leaned over a placed a kiss on his wife's cheek, trying to reassure her.
"Let's hope so."
Tilly looked up, noticing the kiss and gave her parents a look that let them know she was trying to vie for their attention.
Jack and Elizabeth placed a kiss on either of Tilly's cheeks, and Tilly gave them a cheeky grin.
The following day
Jack and Elizabeth sat in one of the middle pews of the Church as Pastor Frank preached his sermon up the front of the Church.
It was cold outside as winter was nearing but Jack noticed how warm he was with Tilly asleep in his arms, and Elizabeth leaning into his side.
Alongside them in the pew were Lee, Rosemary and Johnathan. Johnathan was wriggling away in Lee's arms and Jack felt relieved that his own child was asleep.
After the service, both families headed over to Abigail's to share lunch together. Upon seeing Cody, Johnathan and Tilly became disinterested in their parents and went off to see what the older boy was up to.
The Thornton's and Coulter's were all seated at a long table in the dining room that Abigail had set up. Home had felt quiet lately for Abigail as she was dearly missing Becky who was away at school. She was relieved to have her friends over on her day off from Mayoral duties.
"So, should we leave the ladies to it?" Jack asked Lee after they had all finished cleaning up after lunch. Reminding his friend that they were on babysitting duties so the women could have a relaxing afternoon together.
"I'm ready when you are." Lee said, giving Jack a pat on the back before standing up at the table.
"Now you two men better watch those children." Rosemary started. "Those little rascals certainly have a tendency to get themselves in trouble when they're together."
"It's true Lee, I was telling Jack this just yesterday." Elizabeth said, trying to confirm that Rosemary wasn't being overly cautious for once.
"We'll be fine." Lee advised the women, not considering for a moment that Jack and himself couldn't take care of whatever could transpire between the children.
Back at the Thornton property
After getting the kids a drink, Jack and Lee decided to head out the back of the house with the kids. Jack had wanted to show Lee the new barn he had put up.
"You kids want to do some painting?" Jack asked.
"Yes Uncle Jack!" Johnathan exclaimed. Paints weren't something he had at home, but he knew that his Uncle Jack was a painter and had special paints he sometimes let Tilly and him use.
"Yes Daddy!" Tilly exclaimed.
Jack hurried back inside to grab some paints, brushes paper, and water, while leaving the kids with Lee.
Tilly and Johnathan jumped up and down as they saw Jack return with the paints.
Jack found a flat surface on the ground not far from the barn and set up all the items.
"How about we take your pretty Church dress off. Mummy will not be happy if you get paint on that." Jack told her and he stripped her down to her diaper.
Lee did the same with Johnathan, and as soon as they were set, the kids made a dash for the brushes and paint.
Jack and Lee left the kids too it and they head over a little closer to the barn.
"This is really impressive Jack." Lee said looking up at the barn.
"Well I didn't do it all myself."
"Don't talk yourself down, I know your work. I saw you build that Church and your house here."
Jack shrugged feeling humbled.
"Once Rosie and I finally get into our new place I'll have to convince her into letting me build one of these."
"Maybe if you build that theatre for her, she'll be easier to convince." Jack joked, knowing too well what Rosemary could be like, but also knowing he didn't think it would really take that much for Lee to talk her into letting him build a barn.
"I have my ways, hopefully it won't have to come to that." Lee said as they entered the barn and looked inside.
"I'm sure you do."
"I do intend to build that theatre one day though."
"I have no doubt."
"Once the railroad is in, maybe there would be more demand for one." Lee said, thinking as he spoke.
"You're a good man Lee." Jack said, patting his friend on the back.
"So, Sargent has a lot of space in here. Are you planning on getting more horses?" Lee said, noticing the stables.
"Elizabeth's horse is out in the paddock right now, we don't have plans for any more at the moment."
"Don't speak too soon. I've seen that daughter of yours around Sargent when you have him in town. Won't be long before that girl of yours will be begging you for a horse of her own."
"I have thought of that, but that will be a long time off yet, trust me."
Lee nodded.
They headed out the back of the barn and Jack showed Lee the chicken coup they had just finished building.
"You have some interesting looking goats here." Lee pointed out as he saw a strange coloured goat pass by the coup.
Jack saw the goat and stopped in his tracks.
"Matilda Elizabeth!" He called out, turning around and running through the barn and over to where they left the children.
Lee followed him and they stopped in front of the children. Both Tilly and Johnathan were covered from head to toe in multiple colours of paint. The children had stopped what they were doing, paint brushes held up in the air at mid halt. It was obvious they were about to continue painting each other.
"What have you been doing?" Jack asked shocked at the sight of paint everywhere.
"Painting, Daddy." Tilly exclaimed.
"I see that, but you know you are meant to paint on the paper."
"We paint Rip." She exclaimed happily, quite proud of herself and Rip howled.
Jack looked over at Rip who was now laying down near the children. He had obviously just sat there and allowed them to cover him in paint. Tilly had obviously gone overboard with the pink as she had the tendency to do with all her painting projects, and Rip also had multiple colours covering his ears and tail.
"Oh Rip, you poor boy. What am I going to do to get all this off you?" Jack said, looking down at his dog and then back at the kids.
"Rip pretty." Tilly said hoping to cheer her Father up as she noticed the disappointed look on his face.
"Rip Is." Johnathan agreed.
"Johnathan you're the older one, you should know better than this." Lee told his son, and Johnathan's face dropped as he realised he had disappointed his Father.
"Come on kids, let's get cleaned up before your Mothers see all this." Jack informed them. "Rip you stay out here. I'll work on you later."
Jack and Lee took their children's hand's, trying not to get paint on themselves and waled them up to the back of the house.
Jack went and got two big pails and filled them with water. He sat them out the back of the house and he and Lee placed the children inside them.
Jack handed Lee some soap and they both scrubbed away at the kids skin and hair.
"Maybe we should have listened to our wives…" Jack said, looking over at Lee
"I think you're right." Lee said, pulling up his sleeves so as not to get wet.
The pails of water coloured quickly and the men just as quickly were disheartened over the realisation that they had a difficult task ahead.
An hour later, after refilling the pails of multiple times with water, the kids still only looked half as clean as they did before they had started.
Both Tilly and Johnathan were not fussed by the experience at all. They enjoyed splashing in the water and receiving one on one attention from their Father's.
Both Jack and Lee had now pulled their shirts off, worried their wives would be furious if they got paint on their own clothes. They already knew they were never going to hear the end of it after what had happened today.
Jack then heard Rip barking from the front of the house and he winced. He knew that Rip wasn't much of a guard dog and didn't bark at many things so he guessed Elizabeth was home.
"Prepare yourself Lee, I think the ladies are here." Jack said, standing up from his squatting position in front of the pail.
Lee did the same and sighed, he knew he couldn't even imagine what Rosie was going to say when she saw this.
"Jack!" Elizabeth's voice yelled out.
Jack heard Elizabeth and he winced, knowing she must have spotted Rip.
A few moments later the women made their way around the back of the house. They stopped in their tracks as they saw their husbands standing in the wet dirt, their trousers drenched and were shirtless. What made it more shocking was their two toddlers were also wet, naked and covered in paint
Jack and Lee stood there, waiting for a response from their wives but all they heard from the women was laughter.
The kids seeing their Mother's went to run up to them, but Jack and Lee stopped them, realising the last thing they wanted was to spread paint further onto their Mother's clothing.
"So I'm guessing you're going to explain what happened here?" Elizabeth said walking up to Jack, realising it was difficult to argue with him while his bare chest was in full view.
He noticed her eyes avert down to his chest momentarily and a grin appeared on his face.
"Don't you go grinning now Jack Thornton, look at this mess." She said, trying to sound stern but Jack spotted a smile on her lips.
"I know I should have been more careful when allowing the kids to paint. I'll make sure it's all cleaned up."
She nodded and leaned in and gave him a quick kiss. She could see the humour in what had happened and knew that no real harm had been done.
"So you forgive me?" Jack asked, surprised that he received a kiss so quickly after what had transpired in their backyard.
"Of course I do." She said before leaning in a little closer and whispering into his ear. "Plus, you're hard to argue with when you look like you do right now.""
Elizabeth pulled away so as not to get wet and noticed Jack raise an eyebrow at her. They shared a smile before looking back at Tilly to see what she was up to now.
"Lee Coulter! Didn't I warn you about this!?" Rosemary exclaimed.
"Rosie…"
"Oh don't you "Rosie" me. It's going to take more than that for you to get yourself out of this one."
Lee sighed, unsure of how to talk himself out of this predicament.
"Sweetheart" He started, and Rosemary opened her mouth to speak but he placed a finger on her lips to halt her. "It's just paint, no harm done right? Look how much fun the kids had."
"Lee that's not the point." She replied, her voice a little softer than it was previously.
"Jack and I will have this all cleaned up, right Jack?" Lee said looking over at Jack for help now.
"We will. Really Rosie, don't worry about it." Jack replied.
Rosemary let out a breath she didn't realise she'd been holding in.
"Alright." She replied before looking back at Lee. "But next time you'll listen to me when I warn you about things like this?"
"I do listen Rosie, but I do need to apologise because I didn't take what you had to say very seriously."
Rosemary leaned over and gave Lee a gentle kiss while trying not to get too close so she wouldn't get wet. She still wasn't entirely happy with what had happened but she had forgiven him.
"Me a rainbow Mummy!" Tilly exclaimed as she looked at Elizabeth and then down at the paint still on her tummy.
"You do." Elizabeth said laughing. "But we need to try get more of that paint off you." She said to Tilly before looking back up at the adults. "How about Rosemary and I handle the kids and you boys clean up Rip and everything else out here?"
"Sounds like more than a fair deal." Jack said giving his wife a smile.
Elizabeth and Rosemary took their children's hands and headed into the house while leaving the men to clean up outside.
"Well I certainly didn't expect to come home to see all this." Elizabeth exclaimed as her and Rosemary ushered the children into the bathroom.
"Our shirtless husbands in your backyard?" Rosemary said, momentarily looking over at Elizabeth.
Elizabeth's jaw dropped, before she let out a laugh.
"Rosemary!" She exclaimed, surprised that even Rosemary had been so bold to point that out.
"What? We both know it was the first thing on our minds when we made our way around the back of the house."
"Maybe but…" Elizabeth started.
"We're all married now, no harm done right?" Rosemary said and the two women shared a laugh as Elizabeth started to fill the bath tub.
"No harm done." Elizabeth agreed.
Rosemary noticed the blush on Elizabeth's face and she gave her a small nudge. Elizabeth looked at her and they both shared another smile.
"I need to use the outhouse Mummy!" Johnathan exclaimed.
"Now you decide you'd like to use the outhouse?" Rosemary exclaimed. She had been unsuccessfully trying get Johnathan out of diapers for a while now.
Johnathan pointed at the toilet in the bathroom.
"Oh so that's why you want to use the "outhouse", Auntie Elizabeth has indoor plumbing here." Rosemary exclaimed, realising Johnathan's interest in the indoor toilet.
"He can use it, Tilly and I will step out for a moment and wait." Elizabeth suggested.
Elizabeth took Tilly out of the bathroom and they waited near the back door. Elizabeth watched the men cleaning up the backyard and she shook her head upon realising it was going to be well into the evening before everything was cleaned up. She smiled to herself thinking about what had happened as she continued to watch Jack scrub Rip in the pail of water. Tilly laughed as she noticed Rip covered in bubbles from his bath, but all Elizabeth noticed in that moment was her shirtless husband, covered in water, and his dishevelled wet hair…