The next evening

Elizabeth made dinner for herself and Lucas in what would be her kitchen in just a few weeks. She bought a rotisserie chicken the day before because raw meat made her cringe right now. She got a bag of salad and made a fruit salad for dessert.

He texted at about 5:30 that he would be home within 30 minutes so she warmed up the chicken and then sliced it, arranging it on a platter. She next put the salad in a bowl, added some tomatoes and cheese and cucumbers and then grabbed the salad dressing, putting everything on the table.

"Honey?" he called, walking in the door.

"Kitchen," she called back.

"Hi. You made dinner?"

"Well, made is not the right word. I sort of cheated. Rotisserie chicken, a bag of salad and some fruit."

"Easy is good," he told her, kissing her hello. "Did you talk to your parents?"

"Yes. Dad apologized for his reaction and said they'd like to have both of us over before I move out of the state."

"I took the third weekend of July off to come help you move so I think you should schedule dinner with them."

"I will."

She wrapped her arms around him and held on, taking in his scent. What an amazing man she was marrying. "I missed you today."

"I missed you." He touched her cheek and leaned down to kiss her. "How are you feeling today?"

"I was nauseated earlier. Then I read that if I eat lots of tiny meals throughout the day and drink enough water, it will help. So I started doing that and I feel pretty good."

"That's good."

"And Julie told me that with her kids, watermelon was her go-to so I was wondering if I could borrow your car and go get some?"

"Nope."

"No?" He winked at her and held her close.

"I'll take you. It could be like a date. We don't get enough of those."

"Aren't you tired?"

"Yes, but I really want us to spend time together so maybe after we eat, lets go."

"Okay, that sounds great."

…..

As they drove, they chatted more. "So when is your appointment?"

She squeezed his hand and smiled. "Thursday at 1pm. I asked Rosemary who she goes to and she told me Dr. Carter is amazing so that's who I'm going to."

Lucas groaned. "What, babe?"

"Rosemary now knows and I'm sure the whole city of Ann Arbor will know by the end of today."

"You're exaggerating."

"Uh, no. I'm not."

"Luke, I told her I was moving here and just needed to find a gynecologist. I didn't tell her I'm pregnant so I think we are safe."

"Okay. We will see."

Lucas' phone rang through the bluetooth on his car. "Lee," Lucas said, cutting a look at Elizabeth and mouthing, "I told you so."

"Dude, Beth is moving here? When?"

"By the end of July."

"That's great. If you need help moving her things, let me know."

"I will."

"So, Rosie mentioned that Elizabeth asked for a doctor referral. Anything you want to tell me?"

"No, and just so you know, bro, you are as bad as your wife."

"How's Julian doing?" Elizabeth asked, changing the subject.

"Hi, Beth. He's great." Then they heard him crying in the background. "Really, he is. He's just having problems adjusting to sleeping in his room. And potty training is a nightmare and then there's the fact that he can't communicate in English very well and we don't know Spanish so…"

"I know a bit of Spanish so I can help a little bit," Elizabeth offered. "Plus, once I move here I will have a little time on my hands so I would love to come help Rosie."

"That would be awesome. Do you have time while you are here on this trip?"

"I don't really have a car during the day when Lucas is at work. If Rosie wanted to come over to our house, we could do that."

Lucas loved hearing her refer to his house as their house. That made him excited for everything that was coming up.

Once they hung up, he couldn't stop smiling.

"What, Lucas?" she asked, giggling at him.

"You said, 'our house' and that made me very happy."

"Oh. Well, I'm glad."

Later, as they wandered the aisles of the grocery store, Lucas left her for a moment while she was looking at the fruit. She grabbed a small watermelon and some oranges.

He joined her just a little bit later with a bouquet of white roses in his hands and a pair of the tiniest and cutest baby shoes she had ever seen.

"Oh my goodness. They are so cute."

"I thought so. The flowers for my love and the shoes for our little one. I can't think of anything more that I could ever want than to be with you, have a child with you, marry you."

She put the flowers and shoes in the cart and reached up, cupping his cheeks in her hands. "You are so wonderful, Lucas Bouchard. Thank you."

After a couple of kisses in the fruit section, they continued wandering the aisles and enjoying their date.

…..

Thursday, Ann Arbor Women's Health

"So, I'm calculating your due date at February 7th," Dr. Carter told them.

"I was pretty close," Lucas said, winking at Elizabeth.

"Good job, babe."

"So is there anything she shouldn't do, like fly? What are the best things for her and the baby to eat? Oh and when can we find out the gender?"

"Luke, I don't know if I want to find out the gender."

"Why not? Then we can plan the baby room and clothes and…"

"We can talk later?"

He sighed. "Sure."

Dr. Carter smiled at them and crossed her legs, noticing that these two were first time parents and that Lucas in particular had a lot of questions.

"Flying shouldn't be a concern," Dr. Carter told them. "If you are on a long flight, more than just a few hours, you should get up and move around a bit to prevent blood clots. Same with long car rides. As far as what she should eat, healthy foods with lots of protein and veggies are good. Throw some fruit in there."

She patted Elizabeth's knee. "Listen to your body. If you are tired, take a nap or sit down and rest for a bit. If you're hungry, eat. That will help with keeping nausea away. Drink your water, eat well, take a walk everyday. Try to limit worry. You are healthy and strong. I don't see anything to be concerned about."

"Okay. Thanks, Doctor."

"You're welcome." She turned her head and looked up at Lucas. "And you, Dad. Same for you."

"All of it?"

"Yep. You and Elizabeth are in this together. A team. What she does, you do. Take care of her and all three of you will be fine."

…..

Elizabeth was going to leave Sunday morning, but Friday afternoon, Rosemary brought Julian over.

"Hola. Que lindo," she said quietly, waving at Julian. He looked at her curiously.

Elizabeth gave Rosemary a hug and tried not to squish Julian or make him feel uncomfortable.

"What does that mean?" Rosie asked.

"It means, hello, you're cute."

"Alright. Que lindo."

"Are you hungry?" Elizabeth asked. "Tienes hambre, Julian?"

He nodded, reaching for Elizabeth. "What…how did you do that? What did you ask him?"

"I asked if he was hungry. Kids are so smart and they are like sponges so I figured if we say a few things in English and Spanish, he will learn both. What do you think?"

Elizabeth grabbed some cheerios out of the cupboard. "Cereal? Cereales."

"Si," he whispered.

"I'm such a bad mom," Rosie sobbed, covering her face with her hands.

"What? No, you're not."

"Yes, I can't even talk to my son, Elizabeth. I don't know what you are saying so how can I talk to him?"

"Do you have your phone, Rosie?"

"Of course. What does that have to do with anything?"

"You need to download the google translate app. You can type in a word in English and it will translate it to Spanish. Easy peasy."

Rosemary was so tired. Being a mom was not easy. At all. Especially to a little boy who didn't know her, who didn't speak English and didn't understand what she was trying to tell him.

"How do you say, 'I love you?'" Rosie asked.

"Te amo."

"And Mama loves you?"

"Mama te ama."

Elizabeth hugged her again, sliding Julian into her arms. "Julian, Mama," Elizabeth said, pointing at Rosie.

"Mama," he nodded.

"Mama te ama," Rosie repeated. "So much. Mama loves you, Julian." She started crying again. Julian watched as the tears poured down her face and sensing that she needed comfort, he put his head on her chest and patted, repeating Mama over again.

"See? He loves you too, Rosie. You are a good mom."

"Mama," he said again.

"I'm okay, baby. I promise."

"Why don't you see if you can take a nap?" Elizabeth mentioned. "The couch is free. I will watch Julian."

"Oh that's okay. I'm…"

"Exhausted as any new mother would be. Does he have a sippy cup? I can give him milk and maybe he'll sleep too. Leche?" she said.

His eyes lit up and he once again reached for Elizabeth. "Leche, Julian?"

"Si, Leche."

Rosie was tired, Elizabeth had seen it. She was going to curl up, just for a few minutes.

"Mama?" Julian asked, pointing when they walked in the room.

"She's sleeping. Can you say sleep?"

He shook his head and put the sippy cup in his mouth. Elizabeth sat down in the recliner and rocked, stroking Julian's curls, humming a random song. Before long, Julian was asleep too so Elizabeth let her mind wander to her own little one that would be with her in less than a year.

Maybe it would be a boy that had her curls and Lucas' dimples and grin. Oh and his eyes. So dreamy.

Lucas walked in around dinner and found three peaceful sleepers in his living room. He headed down the hall to take a shower, not wanting to disturb them. Before heading down there though, he took a look at his soon-to-be wife holding a sleeping toddler, looking completely at home and comfortable.

He could stand there looking at her all day long and never grow tired of it. He shook his head at himself.

He couldn't believe the amount of love he felt for her and for their tiny human. It was overwhelming, to say the least. He thought about the fact that less than a year before, he didn't even know Elizabeth. He had been with Janette. Unhappily, but still. Now, he was engaged, having a baby and moving his fiance in with him next month.

When he came out, all three were awake and Julian was crying. "What's wrong, bud? Que pasa?"

"Does everyone know Spanish except me?" Rosie asked, on the verge of tears again.

"What's happening, Rosie? Are you alright?"

"Just tired, I guess." Julian squirmed and reached for Elizabeth.

"See, he doesn't even want me!"

"Julian?" Elizabeth asked. "Shhh. Time to go home and see Papa."

Elizabeth hugged Rosie. "You are a good mom. He's just trying to learn lots of new things and doesn't understand everything. He will get there. So will you. I promise."

"Can you move in with us?" Rosie joked, tears still on her face.

"Sorry, she's going to live here, Rosie. But I'll share her with you sometimes."

Rosie hugged both of them and carried a whimpering Julian out to her car.

Once he shut the door, Lucas walked over and kissed Elizabeth, twice. "You are a very good friend, hon."

"The poor thing. Rosie is exhausted and frustrated and I guess I could say the same thing about Julian."

"You looked so beautiful sleeping with that little guy on your lap."

"Thank you."

"I can't wait until you're holding our little one."

"Me either, babe."