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“No no, the cucumber water. I don’t know what Eddie did to it, but it’s perfect.” The eagerness accompanying her desire and the ease in her expression settled some of my last nerves.
I’d keep a closer eye for now. She and Bubba still had a few stops left on the tour. The doctor didn’t say she couldn’t go, but selfishly, I kind of wished she had.
A few minutes later, dinner served out and Frankie eating with gusto, I had to hide a smile. She wasn’t exactly racing through the food but she was devouring it at a good clip.
“I’m really rather glad I made extra,” Dad said, a bemused look on his face.
Her cheeks flushed with a hint of pink, but then she just shrugged. “What can I say,” she told him after dabbing her mouth with her napkin. “It’s excellent. Your grandchildren approve. Oh…”
“Moving?” I was out of the chair like a shot and around the table. The kids had been moving more and more, but we couldn’t always feel them, even when she could. I palmed the bump and Frankie moved my hand.
There…
The feeling was fleeting, but it was there. Then another and this one had a little more force. I reveled in it. In the not too far distant future we were going to meet these little gremlins.
I couldn’t wait.
“Eddie?” At her invitation, Dad glanced at me.
“C’mon, you can get that inside line on spoiling these grandkids first.”
“Oh, good call,” Dad said as he stood then moved to Frankie’s other side. The kids were definitely being active.
“Here,” I told him and he put his hand where mine had been. His quick grin said the twins weren’t hiding at the moment.
“It’s not too much for you, right?” His check with Frankie made me appreciate him more. The past few years had been a revelation in our relationship. His fondness and connection with Frankie had also flourished and I loved it for both of them.
Not to mention for the kids.
But I got it. I got why she’d been trying to encourage him to date. Dad deserved so much better than he’d gotten. He wasn’t ready yet, but not yet didn’t mean forever.
The twins entertained us for the next half hour. I moved so I could keep one hand on her belly while she ate. I wanted them to settle enough to let her relax. Dad kept glancing at her and the bump with fondness.
I totally got that.
“Can I ask if we’ve discussed names?” Dad waited until we’d finished dinner and moved back to the living room. Frankie smothered a yawn, then gave him a shy smile.
“Sorry, full tummy and I feel like the kids. I want to nap.”
I settled my arm on the back of the sofa and stroked my fingers through her hair. “You can sleep in the car on the way back.”
“I love you.”
“I know.” I chuckled and she grinned. Then I glanced at Dad. “Well, we’ve discussed one name for one of the girls if there are two girls. We’ve been disagreeing on the other name.”
“Then there’s if one of them is a boy.” Lips pursed, Frankie studied Eddie. “I know tradition would be to name him Edward Archibald Standish the IV.”
“God that’s a mouthful,” Dad said and I chuckled.
“Right?”
“But the custom has been to name each of the kids using the initial of their biological father. So it works perfectly for our girl name, not so much for a boy.”
“The girl?” Dad asked and I shared a glance with Frankie.
Her quiet nod made me smile. “Amelia.”
Dad’s expression shifted. “For Mom?”
