5 months later

….

November, duplex construction

Elizabeth smiled as she put the finishing touches on the interior of the rental half of the duplex. Next week, her first renters were coming. She was so excited. And nauseated.

She had a pregnancy test that she would take when she had more time. Now, she was going home to make dinner and then she needed to run errands.

Her phone buzzed. "Love! Our anniversary trip is set!" Lucas texted. "A week in Venice. You and me!"

She giggled. He was so excited. Truth be told, she was too but now, with her rental business starting, was it a good time to leave the country?

"Awesome! Rental ready to go!"

"That's great too. The tile guy is coming for the new bathroom at 8am tomorrow. Also we need to pick out paint colors. Home Depot tonight?"

She loooooved decorating and spending evenings with her hot hubby at Home Depot but….she was tired and nauseated.

"Can we maybe take a rain check? I'm not feeling great and home sounds better tonight."

"Your stomach again? Babe, maybe you should go get checked out."

"Maybe. I'll just make us dinner and maybe I can fall asleep while you hold me and we watch a movie."

"Sure. Whatever you want, love."

Lynn knocked and walked in. "Beth?"

"Hey, Mom. Come in."

"Honey, guess what."

"One sec!" Elizabeth said, rushing to the bathroom to lose her lunch.

"You alright?" Lynn asked through the door a few moments later.

"Yeah. Just not feeling good."

"Flu?"

"That's lasted a few weeks?" she muttered.

"Ah. Taken a certain test recently?"

"Not yet. Will you stay while I do?"

Elizabeth opened the bathroom door and then brushed her teeth.

"Sweetie, maybe you should wait until Luke gets home."

"Yeah, maybe."

"If you are pregnant, how do you feel about it?"

"We want kids and we agreed to wait until after we've been married a year. Three weeks it will be a year. So…"

"You're just getting started with your BB thing though."

"Yeah. I am and that's my dream. Its finally happening."

Lynn gave her a hug. "Sweetie, children are a blessing and if you are pregnant, it will be wonderful."

"I know."

Elizabeth wandered to the kitchen and started a cup of tea to hopefully settle her stomach.

"You were going to tell me something?"

"Hm?"

"When you came, you said, 'Honey, guess what?'"

"Right! Yes. We are finalizing Abe and Carrie's adoption in two weeks!"

"Oh my!"

Abe and Carrie had been staying off and on with their temporary foster parents and with William and Lynn for the last three months. Abe was ten and had Down's Syndrome but was the most loving and lovable little boy Elizabeth had ever met. Carrie, Abe's biological sister was eight and she wore glasses, but was otherwise perfectly healthy.

"I'm so excited for you and Dad and the kids."

"We are too. I know you guys are going on a trip but we want to do a dinner after at our house and we want to make sure you can come."

"We wouldn't miss it."

"Great."

Lynn hugged her again. "Talk to that handsome hubby of yours and take that test."

"I will."

…..

He walked in the door a few hours later with a bag from the store which contained a pint of her favorite ice cream, a pregnancy test and a gallon of milk.

"Interesting choices, hon," she told him, kissing him hello.

"Well, there's a method behind my madness."

"Explain," she giggled.

"First you take the test. If its positive, you need to drink more milk. The website said you need more calcium for the baby. If its negative, I figured the chocolate ice cream might be needed to cheer you up."

"I love you so much. You are wonderful."

She led him to the master bathroom. "I have a test already and I thought I could do that and then we can have dinner."

He stopped and looked at her in the mirror. "Elizabeth, whatever the test says, everything will be fine. If we are going to have a baby, that's great. If not, we will start trying on our trip."

"Okay."

"I love you," he whispered, turning her and pressing his forehead against hers. "I can't wait to have a baby with you."

She wrapped her arms around his waist and held in her tears. She was so emotional and nauseated and exhausted and unsure about everything. She would be shocked if she wasn't pregnant.

"I can wait," he told her. "If you're not and you don't want to be right away, we can wait."

"I don't know what I want," she told him honestly.

"Alright. We will just see what happens."

……

"Pregnant" the test clearly said. Once she knew for certain, she realized how much their lives would change and how much she indeed wanted to be a mom.

"So?" Lucas asked, wondering how she was feeling.

"I need to throw up."

He left the room and gave her some privacy and then he entered again a moment later, sitting down on the floor and holding her hand.

"I can be happy for the both of us," he assured her.

"I'm happy. Just sick too."

"Okay." It wasn't too much of a date the rest of the night. She threw up a few more times and then fell asleep as they watched Casablanca for the hundredth time.

In the morning, she woke up to find a bottle of water and saltines by the bed with a note.

"Don't forget, tile guys coming at 8. I set your alarm. I hope you're feeling better. Talk to you at lunch."

"Tile guys," she mumbled, sitting up slow and grabbing a cracker.

"P.S., the website also said if you eat a few crackers before you move around too much, it might help with your stomach. Love you."

She loved that he was reading websites about pregnancy. She grabbed a few more crackers and drank some water. Then she texted him. "I love you."

…..

Lucas' boss called him into his office.

"Lucas, please sit," the man said. He was new within the last few months and have never really made a motion to talk to Lucas.

"Sir?"

"I see you put in for ten days off in a few weeks."

"Yes, sir. I put in for that months ago. Taking my wife to Venice."

"I'm sorry I can't let you leave for ten days."

"Sir, with all due respect, it was approved by HR and my last manager and our arrangements are already confirmed."

"We just can't afford to have you leave. Surely you understand. You are head of the condo project, our biggest to date."

"Yes and Allen can handle everything in my absence. He's more than capable."

"Allen Caplan?"

"Yes. He's been here a year and I trust him to handle it all. Sir, this is an important trip for myself and my wife. I can't just not go."

"Look, I know it seems like I am being hard on you but…you are one of the best architects we have. Ten days without the head of the project that means a lot of our income for the year…its disconcerting. However, I am letting you have the time off."

"Thank you." Lucas stood and shook his hand. "I appreciate it. As far as I know, I won't need to take anymore time off until late summer when my wife is due."

"Very well."

He called Elizabeth at lunch and told her what had happened. "Babe, I would have understood."

"No, love. This trip is our first anniversary. We don't have children yet or pets. It might be the last time we can do something like this for a while."

"I know but your job is important."

"You and me and our marriage is more important to me. I want to ride in a gondola at sunset and kiss you breathless while we eat fruit and drink sparkling water. I want to see the Trevi Fountain with you and the leaning tower of Piza. Its going to be the trip of a lifetime and I'm blessed enough to be going with my best friend and love of my life who also just happens to be carrying my child. How amazing is that?"

"Lucas Bouchard. You are the most wonderful man. I can't wait to do all those things either."

"Great. Get our passports ready, babe. We are going to have the best time."

……

William and Lynn's house

That night they stood together in the kid's room, first Abe and then Carrie's. They were initially going to share a room, mostly because Carrie helped Abe when he had nightmares. Abe loved his "Pop" or William and William was amazing in keeping him calm when things were scary. But sometimes, he needed his sissy, or Carrie. Lynn was 'Ma' and he loved getting hugs from Ma.

"One of our last quiet nights," Lynn whispered. He wrapped his arms around her and smiled, enjoying it.

"I love them, Lynnie," he whispered back. "I love you."

"I love them too and you. They need love so badly. I'm glad we have it and a safe home to give them."

"Me too."

William never saw himself as a father of more children after the three girls but Lynn made him want to be that again. He wanted to be the protector of Abe and Carrie and he'd do his best to be what they needed.

"Let's make dinner and dance a bit and then head to bed," he suggested softly into her ear.

"Music to my ears."

…..

"We should go see Gran and Grandpa," Lucas suggested the next day. "They will be so happy to finally be getting a great grandchild."

"We should wait," she told him. "I want to see the doctor first and then we can start telling people."

"Okay. Yeah, the website said that its safer that way. I guess I forgot that detail."

She touched his cheek and gave him a kiss. "I love that you are looking things up. That's so cute."

"Cute?"

"Extremely."

"I like to be informed."

"Also adorable."

He pulled her onto his lap as they lounged on the sofa, putting his hand on her belly. "Hello, in there," he said, putting his head down closer to the area he imagined the baby to be. "Its Daddy. I love you so much already. You just stay in there for the next 7 or 8 months, alright? Just until you are done cooking. Then you can come out and I promise you will have so much love from everyone."

She giggled and rested her head on his shoulder, relishing in his warmth and love. "I don't think the baby can hear you yet."

"I don't care. The website said that it's a good idea to get them used to your voice so I'm going to talk to he or she or them every day."

"Them? Oh dear. One at a time please."

"It would be a challenge, that's for sure."

"But a huge blessing. One that I'm already very grateful for."

He nodded and kissed her forehead and then her nose and finally her lips. "You and the baby are the joys of my life," he said, referring to their wedding song. "My heart is so full, love."