Chapter 12

"So we still don't know?" Dad asked as he brought our drinks over. We were at his apartment in the city. Even though it was the week after Christmas, he was still working despite giving most of the staff the week off.

"No," Frankie said with a half-smile tossed in my direction.

"Yeah, yeah," I teased her. "I know I'm impatient. But we still have a very shy one."

"Or…" Frankie prompted me before she accepted the glass of water from Dad. "Thank you, Eddie."

"More than welcome." He passed a soda over to me. Normally, we had cocktails when Frankie and I came to dinner in town, but since she couldn't have them, none of us were.

"Or, it's two girls." Anticipation threaded through me.

"You don't sound thrilled?" Dad frowned as he reclaimed his seat. Frankie rubbed her hand up and down my arm. I let out a huff. She was the one growing rounder by the day. She shouldn't have to comfort me.

"It's not about being thrilled or not, it's about—not knowing for sure. I want—I want to plan. I want to get everything ready, and the nursery redesign is just waiting for the final colors."

"You know, we discussed that we could just go with blue. We all like blue and blue is soothing." It would save us some time. The blue sky paint was still on the ceiling. We could do some touchups.

"I know, but in my head blue is for boys."

"How very traditionally sexist of you." Yeah, I deserved the tweak. "But I do understand. The fact we're decorating for two and doubling up on everything."

We'd used the same crib for all three of them, this was the first time we'd actively gone in search of a new crib. Then we weighed our options on matching or not.

"I'm sorry," I told her, putting aside my drink and covering her hand on my arm. "I know I'm obsessing…"

"You're fine," she said, squeezing my arm before leaning toward me. I accepted the invitation and kissed her lightly. "I know how much you want to know and the fact our child is being quite obstinate should not come as any surprise to either of us."

Dad suddenly let out a laugh. "Listen to Frankie, Archie my boy. You were such a stubborn baby. I was half-convinced you learned to talk early so you could tell everyone off."

"What was Archie's first word?" The question had me sliding her a look, the fact she wore a soft, intrigued smile just made me adore her more.

"Pretty sure it was ‘no,'" Eddie said, as he rubbed his chin. "Check with Jeremy, but I'm almost positive. I know the first word I heard Archie say was a very emphatic no."

"Like I said, I like to know things and I like having a firm grasp on everything that is going to happen when."

"Well, we have one more shot at this," Frankie assured me. "We definitely know at least one is a girl. That may be all we get until they get here."

I didn't have to like it so much as just accept it. When she eased forward, I stood and held out a hand to her. Standing and sitting were growing more challenging. There was a little more swelling in her hands this time. The rings had been absent for a while.

She wore her bracelet more and more. The bracelet that had new charms for our life after marriage. She also had little heads with their names and birthdays inscribed on them for the kids. Once our new pair arrived, I'd add two more.

"You okay?" I checked and she nodded.

"Yes, I just have the world's smallest bladder. So, if you two will excuse me."

Dad was also standing. Old habits, ingrained throughout his life. I got it. Frankie stood, so did I. It wasn't quite so firm for other women. Not that I paid any attention to them.

"Food will be ready shortly," Eddie told her. "I thought about holding it a little later for us to make together…"

Her pout was downright adorable.

"Then I remembered what your appetite is like pregnant, so I put it all together earlier and slid it into the oven a little while ago to heat."

"I adore you," she said, pausing to give him a kiss on the cheek and he returned the affection easily enough. "Excuse me, gentlemen."

After she made her way down the hall, I glanced at Dad to find him studying me. I retrieved my glass and took a seat and he followed suit, albeit more slowly.

"Spit it out," I told him.

"I don't know if you really need any advice from me." Not unfair. Once upon a time, I would have agreed with him.

Once upon a time…

"Well, we won't know until you give me the advice," I told him.

He looked at his glass, then set it aside. "Don't be in such a rush all the time."

I raised my brows.

"You want to know and you want to know yesterday. I get it. You like knowing things. You want to be in a position to anticipate everything. It's—you like to fix things. You like control even more. It's a fundamental part of what makes you, you."

I couldn't really argue with the assessment.

"I know we might not find out about the gender and that's fine." It wasn't but I would accept it because what else would I do. "They did offer to do a blood test."

"Feels like cheating, doesn't it?" Dad asked, his brows raised and I spread my arms wide.

"Thank you. It does. There's something about seeing it on the screen or in the scan when they brought them home. I just—I want to know. But… I can wait. The important thing, the only important thing is that Frankie and the babies are healthy. Babies."

I made a face and he grinned.

"I will say that twins surprised me," Dad mused. "Not that it isn't amazing. It absolutely is, but usually, it runs in the mother's side of the family and I don't remember Maddy having that many twins. A lot of only children, but no twins."

He let out a long sigh.

It was my turn to ask. "You okay?" I flicked a look toward the hall Frankie had disappeared down then back to Dad.

"Some days, I can think about her and I'm fine. Other times…I miss her. Then I wonder why I miss her when so much was wrong. It's a challenge."

"You're allowed," I told him. "I know I never liked her. I hated what she did to Frankie. The more I've learned about her, not a huge fan of what she did to you."

"We've never really discussed her," Dad said, then he spared a glance toward the hall. "We don't have to start now."

"You and Frankie talk though." I knew this. I'd heard them and I left it alone. Her feelings toward her mother would always be complicated. Just like Dad's were. Mine were much more delineated.

"Sometimes. She reminds me of her mother, but—not in a she is just like Maddy way. Not remotely. But, she's all the good pieces of Maddy if she had—if she had let herself be happy with life."

Hard for a sociopath to be happy, I supposed. But then again, I wasn't sure how much of her issues were mental health and how much had been she was just a bitch.

"You kids being together…"

We were hardly kids anymore.

"I don't know," Dad groaned as he pushed to his feet. "I guess I'm feeling my age. Frankie suggested I start dating again."

"I thought you had gone on a couple of dates." I glanced toward the hall and then followed him into the kitchen. I had a feeling she was giving us time.

"More business acquaintances," he said, then opened the oven. The smell of the Beef Bourguignon filled the air as he removed the covered pot. I'd seen Jeremy use those before—it was a brassiere or a braiser maybe…whatever, it cooked food. "More often than not these are business meals."

"You're not ready," I said, folding my arms. "Do you need me to do anything?"

"Absolutely not," he told me as he set the covered pan on the top of the stove. "We've both learned we have weaknesses in some areas."

I chuckled. "Look, at least you don't mind it when I walk in the kitchen here." The table was already set or I would offer to do that.

"You blew up Jeremy's oven—twice. I can understand why you are still grounded from the kitchen."

We shared a grin, and then his smile faded.

"I'm not ready. I just told her that a few months ago. I know she worries about me. But I think I'm—alright with being on my own. I've still got to win favorite grandfather, and the lack of dating means I have more time to win over the grandkids." The lack of any sarcasm promised he wasn't kidding and at the same time…

"You know, I'm alright with it if you decide you do want to try dating."

He lifted the lid on the Beef Bourguignon and the scent was enough to make my mouth water. He opened a warmer and pulled out fresh dinner rolls that had a bit of honey on them, or at least they smelled like they did.

"Have you been raiding Jeremy's recipe box?"

Dad chuckled. "Actually, yes and no. Jeremy got that recipe from your grandfather. This is the first time I've been able to make it right. It seemed appropriate."

Yeah. It did.

"As for you being alright with me dating, I appreciate it. I really do. Maybe I'll get there, eventually. I'm pretty satisfied with my life right now. I have you kids, I have your kids and soon, we're going to have two more babies to spoil."

Frankie drifted out of the hall and the small smile on her lips suggested I hadn't been wrong about her giving us time. "You okay?" I checked regardless and she held up her cell phone. "Oh, Izzy sent pictures of—what is that?"

I stared at it, frowning.

"Flowers," Frankie said. "From a boy at school."

I scowled. "They aren't back at school yet."

"Nope." Her smile was so cat with the canary, I couldn't fault her but at the same time. Who was giving flowers to our little girl? "Apparently, his mother drove him over and he rang the bell and delivered them. He also added a card."

She swiped the screen to the left and the little greeting card with his careful little handwriting did not make me feel better.

Roses are red,

Violets are blue,

Flowers are pretty,

And so are you.

"That's quite sweet," Dad said as he came to look. "Is this young man well? Or was one of the other fathers right there?"

Frankie's giggles were worth the question, cause I wanted to go and roll security footage back. "She's seven."

"Almost eight," Dad reminded me and I scowled at him. "I'm just saying, it sounds like the young man has the right idea."

"Hmm-hmm." Seven was too young for me to beat up.

"I think Eddie is right," Frankie said. "It's sweet. She wasn't as impressed, however, and wanted to know how long she had to keep them before she could throw them out."

Now I grinned. That was my girl. Excellent.

Frankie swatted me and I didn't mind in the slightest. "Anyway, dinner smells amazing, Eddie."

"Speaking of which, let's get you seated and I'll bring the food out."

"I can help," she offered automatically, but I intercepted and turned her toward the table.

"Absolutely not, since I can actually serve food even if I'm not allowed to cook it, I'll help and you sit."

She wrinkled her nose at me but let me usher her to a seat. I didn't miss the faint tightness to her expression when she sat down or how quickly she tried to smooth it over.

I squatted and studied her closer. "What's up?"

"Just a little sore," she admitted.

"Sore?" I raised my brows then glanced at our bump then at her.

"A little sore. More my back than my—" She glanced toward Dad who had joined us, his concern mirroring my own. "It's not like when I was dilated with Charlie before."

"Okay. Do we need to call the doctor? Or head to the hospital?"

Thankfully, she didn't downplay it. "I don't think so. Just my back is achy and it could be because they are both in rapid growth phase. Doctor Patterson did say we would notice more changes in the third trimester."

The doctor had also indicated that was the time when more complications might also be an issue.

"I promise," Frankie said, cradling my cheek. She glanced at Dad once then back to me. "I'm a little sore, nothing terrible. I will report if it changes and maybe I can talk someone into a foot and back rub tonight."

"You want it, it's yours," I said. "But would you like to sit somewhere more comfortable?"

"This is fine but I would not object to the flat pillow for my back."

"You got it," I kissed her knuckles, then her palms before I stood. I went back out to the living room and snagged her pillow. Dad had found it when she was pregnant with Izzy. Now the pillow only came out when she was pregnant. It was shaped perfectly for her back.

"We're good then?" Dad asked, glancing between us and her smile was drenched in warmth and affection.

"Absolutely. I'm starving though and dinner really does smell good."

"Then let's get you fed." He was on the move while I helped her with the pillow.

"I'll get you some more water, or do you want the iced tea with lemon?"

"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?"

I nodded. "For Nana, if we did go the IV route, we'd probably call him Teddy."

"For Dad." Dad nodded slowly. "They would be so damn proud of you and they would love that. They would also tell you to follow your heart and not custom if that wasn't what you wanted to do."

He wasn't wrong. "I think since we're having twins, then Amelia can by my initial, but bump number two, male or female, needs to have an F name."

"I am not naming a girl Francesca." She absolutely steadfastly hated her name.

"Well there are other F names," I reminded her and she made a face. "Thus, the disagreement on the second name."

A chuckle left him, but he nodded. "I can see the issue. Why don't you write your favorite names down for girls and boys on slips of paper, put them in separate bowls, then each of you draw one? You seal them in an envelope for girl and one for boy. Then you open it when you find out."

Frankie frowned. "Then we decide on a name without deciding."

"Something like that. But if you only put the names in that you both agree on or that you both love, then you are guaranteed the right name when you draw them."

She glanced at me and I lifted my shoulders. "If we ultimately don't like whatever is drawn, we have time to change our minds."

"True," she murmured. "We can think about it. We have time."

We absolutely did. Another twelve to fourteen weeks. I hoped. That was if they went full-term.

"Well, now that we solved that," Eddie said. "What other problems can I solve for you two? I need all the best grandpa credit I can get."