"Hey, babe? Why don't we have Max and Livy over? It's been awhile," Lee suggested to Em.

"It has. Why don't we also ask your parents? Might be fun for the kids."

"Ok. Sounds like a plan."

He laid in bed watching her rub lotion on her pregnant belly and arms and shoulders and neck in front of the fire. "Good grief. You're stunning."

"You're not so bad yourself, Lee," she said with a grin, her gorgeous dimples popping. She picked up her nightgown and peeked into Nick's crib before making her way over to the bed. She sat next to him and smiled.

"Not so bad, huh?" he asked, his fingers gently stroking her soft belly, hoping for a daughter this time.

"Actually you're very handsome. You make my toes tingle just thinking about you."

"Yeah? Your toes tingle?"

"Mm. Absolutely." She leaned over him and kissed his strong, soft lips.

"Are they tingling now?" He pulled her back down and kissed her slowly, his hands reaching around to her back.

"Nope." She reached for the lamp. "Now I've got butterflies."

….

"Mama!" Nick yelled from his chair at the table.

"Shhh. A little quieter."

"Mama," he repeated.

"Yes, Nicky?"

"Momomo."

"You want more?" He nodded. "What do you say?"

"Pease?"

"You got it, buddy." She gave him another spoonful of eggs and was rewarded with a dimple filled grin.

She enjoyed mornings with him. The older boys were off at school and Lee was working, so she had Nick all to herself. At times she missed teaching but being a mother at this point was more important to her. Maybe some day she'd teach again.

She looked up when she heard a knock. "Come in." Elizabeth walked in. "Good morning, Mom."

"Gam!" Nick said, his arms immediately in the air.

"Hi, sweetie," she kissed Em's cheek before she leaned over and kissed Nick.
"Mmm eggs?"

"Yum," he nodded.

"I'm glad you're building a house so close," Em told her. "I miss you and Dad."

"This is where we started and it's where we need to be."

Something about her mom's tone scared Em a bit, but she was hormonal so it might be nothing. "You're not sick, right?"

"No, sweetie. I'm just getting older. I'm feeling my heart yearn to be here."

"Mom, you're still young."

"Thank you but I'm fifty and feeling every moment of it. I loved the time in my life where I had babies. Feeding all of you and taking care of you…it was the most gratifying time I've ever experienced. I miss it very much."

"Now you have lots of grandbabies."

She nodded and smiled at Nick who was playing with his eggs now instead of eating them. "Not quite the same but yes, I have them now."

"What if you adopted again? A baby?"

"Oh, I don't know." She had contemplated it.

"You know Dad would love it. Why not?"

"I'm a grandmother now and when Mason and Marie's baby is born, I'll be a great-grandmother. As much as I miss having babies, I'm not sure I want to start over."

Em nodded and grabbed Elizabeth's hand, pressing it into her belly. Elizabeth felt the fluttery movement and smiled. Yes, she missed that very much.

"Will you be with me when I have this baby, Mom?"

"I wouldn't miss it. I already mentioned to your father about staying here after Christmas until you and Maddie had the babies."

"Good."

"Mama!" Nick yelled.

"Shhh," she reminded him. "Are you done, love?"

"Ya." He raised his arms for her to pick him up.

"Wait. I need to wash your face first."

Elizabeth spent the rest of the afternoon with Em and Nick and left just before dinner. They were leaving the next afternoon. She took comfort that they'd be back in three months.

….

That same evening…

"Nana and Pop are coming!" Em told the boys with as much excitement as she could muster. Since becoming pregnant, Rosie quickly got on her nerves and she knew it. Em was pretty sure she did it on purpose.

"Yay! Nana and Pop!" Zach said as he galloped from room to room. Em sighed and prayed for patience and then plastered a smile on her face just as Rosie made her entrance.

"Good evening, Rosemary," Em said as she took her shawl and hung it on the hook by the door.

"It's cold in here."

"Lets go in the kitchen. It's warm in there."

"Now as far as dinner goes…"

"Don't worry. I made a roast chicken with no spices, per your request."

"I sure hope you've been basting it regularly. I can't stomach dried meat."

Em didn't think commenting would get her anywhere so she changed the subject. "Would you like some tea?"

"No thank you."

Em sighed and turned to boil water for herself, almost wishing she had something stronger.

"Hi, Mom," Lee Jr. said as he walked in the room and hugged her.

"Darling! Don't you look handsome!"

"Thank you." He walked over and kissed Em. "Toes tingling yet?"

"You bet." She hugged him briefly but caught Rosie's look of disapproval over his shoulder. Just to get her goat, Em kissed him for a few seconds longer than necessary.

Max, Livy, and their kids showed up next. Isaac ran straight for Nana and stayed with her, soaking her attention up like a sponge.

Em's irritation bloomed throughout dinner as she saw Rosie loving on her grandchildren and chatting pleasantly with Livy but basically ignoring her.

Lee squeezed her hand when he noticed how unhappy she was. "What's wrong?" he whispered.

"Nothing." She stood and began to clear the dishes so she could at the same time clear her head.

Lee grabbed her hand and took her into the back porch into the chilly September air. "What's going on?"

"She hates me, Lee. I bend over backwards to make her comfortable. I make the food she will eat and buy the tea she drinks but nothing helps. What did I do to get on her bad side?"

"You didn't do anything. My mom can be moody sometimes. Don't take it personally."

"Lee! She walks in my house, complains about how cold it is in the house, tells me how I need to baste my chicken often because her stomach can't take dried out meat, and glares at me when we kiss. Then the second her grandchildren and Livy walk in, she's pleasant to them. How can I not take it personally?"

"Why don't you talk to her?"

She shook her head and cried. "I try to be nice and she hates me. It's just too much sometimes." She headed into the house and walked to her bedroom, shutting the door.

"Where's Em?" Livy asked.

"She's tired. Who wants dessert?"

Lee served apple pie to everyone and then after Livy, Max, and their family left, he sent the older boys to bed and fed Nick his bottle. "Mom, what's going on?" he asked Rosie.

"What are you referring to?"

"Are you angry at Em? She's feeling like you hate her and that upsets her. I would rather she stay calm while pregnant but she's not calm."

"Of course I don't hate her."

"Good. Why are you treating her like you are?"

"Son, I'd rather speak to her about it."

Em walked in the kitchen. "I'm right here."

Rosie looked at her daughter-in-law. She obviously had been crying. Her eyes were red and puffy. "I don't hate you, Em."

"Why are you angry then? I don't understand why you're sweet as sugar to everyone else but when it comes to me, you act like I'm your worst enemy." Her tears reappeared and slipped down her cheeks. "Nevermind. I think I need to go to bed."

She started to stand but Rosemary put her hand on her arm. "I'm sorry, Em."

"Why, Ma? Why treat her any differently than anyone else?" Lee asked.

"It wasn't my intention." Rosie took a breath and sighed. "I'm not proud of it, but I was jealous."

"Of what?" Em asked.

"How you two are together." Rosie's cheeks turned red with embarrassment.

"Me and Lee? What do you mean?"

"You're always touching each other, kissing, having babies. It's not easy to watch sometimes."

"Rosemary, we're married. We love each other. I'm not going to apologize for showing him that I love him."

"No, and you shouldn't have to. It's my own personal issue. I'm really sorry, Em."

Lee Sr. sat stunned. His wife was basically sitting there, saying that their marriage wasn't enough for her. Lee stood and walked out, partially from embarrassment, partially from anger that she never confided in him.

As he walked, he calmed a bit but he still wished their marital issues, which he hadn't known even existed, hadn't just been aired to his son and daughter-in-law.

…..

Rosie walked in her front door as quiet as possible. She knew Lee was going to be mad and she wanted to put off the yelling as long as possible.

"Finally decided to come home?" he said very calmly from his armchair in the dark corner.

"The kids wanted me to tuck them in." She hung her shawl up and sighed. Might as well get it over with. "Lee, I know you must be angry."

"Why would I be angry, sweetheart? Because you just told our son and his wife that I hardly ever touch you or kiss you? Or maybe because now they must think I'm a horrible husband. Why would that make me angry?"

His calm speech was very unnerving. She almost wished for the yelling that she deserved. "Lee, you're not a horrible husband."

"No? That's an interesting thing to say after what you told them." He stood up and walked over, a suitcase in his hand.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to stay at Livy and Max's."

"You're leaving me?"

"Apparently, I left you a long time ago, you just didn't think it was important enough to let me in on that secret." He walked past her and stopped. "Goodbye, Rosemary."

"Lee, please don't go."

She heard the door shut as he left the house, leaving only deafening silence behind.

Five minutes later, he knocked on the apartment door behind the library. Livy opened the door a moment later. "Pop?"

"I need a place to stay. Is your guest room still available?"

"Of course. Come in."

"Thank you, sweetie. I'm going to go to bed." He kissed her cheek and walked to the bedroom down the hall.

"Who was it, babe?" Max asked as he walked out of the bathroom.

"Your father. He said he needs a place to stay. He's in the guestroom."

"What?"

"Yeah. He seemed different somehow."

"Whatever happened must have been big for him to leave her."

Lee struggled to sleep that night. The empty space beside him was seemingly huge without Rosie in it. As he tossed and turned, he began to regret leaving her.

He got up about midnight just as Jayna started crying. He walked out into the living room and sat on the couch to think.

Jayna let out a squawk as Max walked into the room with her. "Dad?"

"Hey, Max."

"Can't sleep?"

"No. After sleeping next to someone for many years, it's hard when they're not there."

"Dad, what happened?"

Jayna whimpered and held her arms out toward Lee. "Come to Pop, baby girl," Lee told her. He rarely held the grandkids but only because they usually flocked to Rosie. Jayna grinned at him, making him laugh. "I love you, Jayna Coulter." She put her little chubby hands on his cheeks and grinned again. "Max, I made a mistake by leaving her tonight. This whole issue was an issue with both of us. I should have stayed and talked to her."

"Well, I guess maybe you should go home then."

"I should but I think I'll wait until morning." Lee smiled at the little angel in his arms. "Yes. I'm going to just enjoy holding Jayna right now." She laid her head on his shoulder and sighed. "You can go back to bed. I'll take care of her for a bit."

….

Rosemary arrived at the apartment at seven the next morning, ready to plead that Lee return home.

"Morning, Rosie. Come in," Livy told her, opening the door.

"Thank you."

"Well, come on Isaac. Let's go downstairs to start our day."

Isaac walked up and waved at Rosie. "Bye, Nana!"

"Bye, sweet boy." She kissed him gently on both cheeks and fought her tears.
"Nana loves you." Rosie sniffed and then kissed Jayna too.

"Lee is in the guest room. Take your time. We will be downstairs."

Rosie watched them walk down the stairs and then went to find Lee.

She paused for a moment and then knocked lightly.

"Come in."

She walked in and their gazes locked. He sat on the bed, still in his sleep clothes. "Hi."

"Hi." She sat down next to him and took his hand. "I'm so sorry, Lee." Her tears were almost his undoing. It hurt so much that she was hurting. She was always so strong.

"So am I." He pulled her hand to his lips. "I love you, sweetheart. With all that I am."

"You do?"

"Oh, Rosie. It hurts me so much that you have to wonder that. I'm so sorry I've failed you. You should have no doubt how I feel about you."

"You didn't fail me, Lee. This is my fault. I should have come to you."

"We both could have made better decisions."

"Please come home. I don't want us to be apart."

"I will but we need to talk this through first."

….

TRAIN DEPOT, THAT AFTERNOON

"We will see you at Christmas, ok?" Elizabeth consoled her grown children. Em, Maddie, and Will all stood there looking quite sad. "You all are acting like you'll never see us again." Will gave her another hug. "Will, three months, babe. I love you."

"Love you, Ma." He kissed her cheek and then hugged Jack.

"All Aboard!" the conductor yelled.

"Now, you two, take care of those babies." The girls hugged her and Jack again and then waved as they boarded.

Will headed back to the ranch leaving his sisters standing there.

"Want to take a walk, Bug?" Em asked her, slipping her arm through Maddie's, a grin on her face.

"Yes. Let's go."