Still my plot, not my characters, second to last chapter.
He knew right there that she and him were meant to be. A week or so later, Thanksgiving came along. Cate and Ed prepared food together. He prepared the turkey; she did all the rest. As they were cooking, Ed kept flirting with Cate…and Cate kept giggling. The twins were due late December, and she knew he was excited to be a dad again, maybe even do things he never got to do with his other children. Ed was a workaholic; that was what cost him his first marriage. This time around, he was always around, and didn't spend as much time at a job as he used to. These days, he wanted to be prepared when it was time for the twins to enter the world. As Thanksgiving progressed, Ed took over getting the food out of the stove, as Cate was too tired to lift any more pans. Cooking was enough for her. After everything was done, the girls, Rory, CJ and Jim, along with Ed, set the table and put the food on the table. Everything looked amazing, and everyone sat down. The family joined hands and said the grace, and Ed said he was thankful to have a woman like Cate in his life, and two little blessings on the way. Cate smiled, and kissed his cheek. He put his hand on her leg, and patted her leg. The family cheered, and CJ howled. Everyone but Bridget, who was a bit silent. "You okay, Bridget?" Cate asked, in between spooning mashed potatoes on her plate. Bridget snapped out of her funk quickly, as she knew it was suspicious to the family. "Yeah, I'm fine," she said with a bit of a brighter tone to her voice. Kerry looked at her, and then looked at the family and Ed. "Excuse us a moment," she said, grabbing Bridget's hand and rushing upstairs to the room they shared. When they entered, Kerry closed the door. " What's going on, Bridg? Every time you see Mom with Ed, you get so down." Bridget hesitated, and began welling up. " I just don't want Mom to ignore us when the girls are born." Kerry shook her head, and said," Look. We're Mom's first children. Rory is too. Mom's not going to let that change, and you know that." She patted Bridget's shoulder, and handed her a tissue. " Now wipe your eyes, and lets eat with them." Bridget nodded, and Kerry and her walked out of the bedroom and headed downstairs to join everyone. Cate looked up from her plate as Bridget walked downstairs.
"Feeling better, Bridg?" she asked cheerfully.
Bridget looked at her," Totally."
She sat down and finished her meal, and even joined in on family discussions. Ed brought up the fact that he was planning on marrying Cate sometime after the twins were born. "That way," he said, with the twinkle in his eye," These girls will know their daddy." He patted the bump gently. Cate grinned when he said that, she was so happy he was committing his love to her. Ed then said, "I have one more thing to do." He pulled out of his pocket something that appeared to resemble a ring box. " Cate, I've loved you from the first I laid eyes on you. You bring light to my life. I'm really glad we found each other again. This ring will not only symbolize togetherness, but I want it to symbolize the love I have for you." He placed the ring on Cate's finger, she let her eyes glaze over the diamond, and then glanced at Ed."Oh its so beautiful!" Cate said as she threw her arms around him, her eyes in tears; tears of pure happiness from within. Ed kissed her on the lips, and the family clapped.
Later that night, Ed and Cate sat together on the couch. The girls had gone out, Rory was in bed; CJ and Jim were at the bar on a double date. So Cate and Ed had the house all to themselves. Ed turned to her and said," Do you want to watch a movie, dear?" Cate shrugged her shoulders, and said," I guess. What do we have?" Ed fingered through the collection of movies until he found one they could watch. Ed popped in the DVD, and retreated to the couch and lay down. Cate lay in his arms. They had decided no movie snacks, only because Thanksgiving meal stuffed them both, and Cate felt like she was too bloated to eat more. They began to concentrate on the film; Ed wrapped his arms around Cate, his arms resting on the stomach. Halfway through, Cate felt nauseous, and ran to the bathroom. Ed sat up and asked, " Are you alright?" Cate looked at him, and said, " I probably ate too much, that's all." Ed smiled," Too much turkey, maybe." He leaned over to talk to the belly. "You guys must have had too much…didn't you?" He let the top of his palm rest on the top of the bump, and soon enough, felt kicking. Ed looked at Cate, and she mouthed "Ow…" Cate placed her hands over her stomach, and it soon felt better. They loved these moments with the twins. Everyday, as they grew inside her, Ed and Cate would talk to them. Ed really enjoyed this time with him and Cate did too…it helped their relationship to become stronger. Ed assured her each day that she looked great, and that gaining baby weight wasn't going to change her. They had celebrated at home when they found out they were expecting twin girls. Cate remembered how Ed took the time to cook her a meal of her favorite things, and he being quite a good baker, baked her a cake. He gave her a necklace, and they talked. Ed cared about her; he'd take the whole day off just to be with her. Thinking of that day, Cate remembered how much she loves him and everything about him. Ed was there for her.