“Ben got called away?” Janine asked later that week at Ben’s parent’s house as they worked on wedding plans.
“Yes.” Treeny sighed. His leaving hadn’t been as hard this time because they were committed to each other now. She knew when he came home, he would return to her. She trusted him.
“Are you handling his leaving any better?”
“I’m learning. It’s hard to be so in love and have him leave,” she waved an arm, “whenever.”
“That is tough.” The sympathy in Janine’s voice eased the rest of her worries. Any woman would feel a little lost when her man left. But he was returning to her arms. She smiled to herself. He was hers.
Through all this she also realized how much she still loved her father. She had finally stopped blaming him for leaving her, and instead loved him for the years she had with him. If she lost Ben, something she couldn’t think much about now, she would have to appreciate whatever time they shared.
“Now, love, I like this color for the tables, what do you think?” Monica showed her a swatch from a palate of colors.
“That’s fine,” Treeny answered. She still preferred to elope, but the family would have none of that. So she and Ben took a leaf from Lainy and Mitch’s book, and another from KC and Max’s. They would marry in a couple of months, but with the family present.
“We’re already making plans,” Ben’s mom said.
“Plans for what?” Treeny asked absently as she stared at a gown, the perfect gown, splashed across the bridal magazine in front of her.
“Well with Ben’s crazy schedule and your working hours, we’ve decided—”
“To fight over which of us gets to keep your kids once they come,” Monica finished for Heather.
Janine glared at both women. “You can’t do that.”
“Do what?”
“You can’t exclude the rest of us from babysitting duties.” Janine planted both hands on her barely there hips.
KC took up a similar stance beside her, with Lainy on the other side. “Exactly,” Lainy agreed, her belly still not revealing the little life there.
General Emma turned to Treeny. “Looks like you’ll have lots of childcare volunteers, love.”
There in the course of a moment, the last of her major concerns vanished into the sunshine. She had been worried about them having children. Neither she nor Ben wanted to put their kids into daycare. They hadn’t figured out how to arrange that small aspect, but now they had the perfect solution.
Even though she planned to cut her hours while their children were small, they would still need someone to look after their kids during the hours she did work.
But who would be flexible enough to have kids dumped on them at any given moment? If Ben had them but was called up, he needed to have a safe place to take their children.
Looking at the beloved faces surrounding her, there was no doubt they had choices. Lots of them. More than they probably needed. She also realized in an astounding revelation that these folks, understanding that Ben wouldn’t always be there, had already rallied around and would willingly come to her aid should she need them.
She doubted she would even have to call. They’d all be there to support her when she needed support. Ben was right, things would work out.
***
“Treeny, a hot man to see you!” Vanessa called down the hall.
“What?” She turned to look at the nurse.
“Some hot man is in the waiting room asking for you.”
With the beginnings of grin, she excused herself and hurried to empty, for a short time, waiting room. What was he doing here? He’d only left two days ago.
Not that she was complaining.
She shoved open the door and there he stood. Ben Morrison, her husband.
Flying across the room, she threw herself into his arms. “What are you doing here?”
“It was just a training exercise, one that didn’t last long.” He kissed her soundly.
“I’m glad.” She snuggled closer.
“I got your message,” he said, looking worried.
“My message?” she flirted.
He offered a long suffering sigh that blew her curls every which way. She laughed and stepping away from him, took his hand to lead him outside.
What she had to tell him should be done in private.
His brows winged up, but ever the SEAL, he waited patiently. The door to the picnic area slammed shut and she turned to face him, hands on her hips.
“What do you want to tell me?”
“Remember how I was sick a few mornings in a row?”
He frowned. “Yes.”
“Remember how we decided the sickness would go away?”
He nodded, still looking slightly alarmed.
She tapped a foot. “It will.”
Ben relaxed. “Good, you figured out what it was?”
“Yes. It’ll leave in approximately two months.”
“Two months?” he echoed, looked puzzled again.
“Yeah. Since morning sickness tends to last three months.”
“Morning sickness?” he exclaimed and his eyes bulged. Then he whooped and grabbed her, gently, and spun her around. “When did that happen?”
“From my calculations, the second time we used The Closet.” They had escaped the noise and racket going on in their cabins since the two separate houses were being made into one larger, comfortable home.
“We were married the second time.” While they were dating it had merely been a relatively private space to kiss and do a little petting.
The Closet took on a whole new meaning after they were married. It was then they noticed a certain comfortable and at the perfect height ledge in there. “Yeah, and that’s what got us in this condition. We were planning to hold off on having kids, remember?”
“Oh, yeah.” His lips still tilted in a purely masculine, completely satisfied grin. “Go me. I’m the last male Morrison of my generation to produce a child in that closet.”
“Congratulations,” she said dryly.
But she could see his excitement and glee at the prospect of a child of his own. Although this was sooner than they intended, they were definitely having a child.
“Remember when we first started dating?” He led her over to the picnic tables they used for their first talk.
“Yes.” She smiled up at him.
“I was holding Macy and I think maybe that’s when I first thought about having kids.” Her heart flipped, as it did whenever he looked at her like that.
“You thought about kids that early into our relationship?”
“That’s when I started to realize our relationship was serious. I don’t know that I wanted them this quickly, but all the same, I’m happy.”
“That’s how I feel. I’m scared, but I’m also happy.”
“What about my being gone at random times?” He tilted her face up to his.
She kissed him before answering. “It’s still hard. It probably always will be. But a lot of my fears were taken care of before we got married.”
He leaned back to look at her. “They were?”
“Yes. The moms and sisters and cousins all informed me they were already fighting over who gets to keep our children.”
“What did they decide?”
“That between your schedule and mine, they all get to keep our kids.”
“But you plan to cut back on your hours when the baby comes?”
“Of course. But I’ll still work a few days during the week. I’m sure there’ll be times when our schedules don’t overlap,” she said tongue-in-cheek, and he grinned at her.
“Right. It’s nice to have childcare already wrapped up. So, when are you finished here, Dr. Deveau-Morrison?”
“Actually, I saw my last patient and was planning to catch up on paperwork, but I think I’ll worry about that when you’re not home.”
“Can I interest you in going home with me?” He wiggled his brows.
“You can interest me in a lot of things.” She slipped back inside for her things.
“I’m glad,” he murmured when she returned and led her to their car. Treeny savored the moment. She savored the man. Ben Morrison was hers for as long as they were given time on earth. And he’d already shown her how precious every minute was they shared.
They had moved into her grandpa’s house right next door to Rachel and Will, and her mother and father’s wedding picture was surrounded by other favorite family pictures in their living room. The nightmare had stopped, to be replaced by good ones of her and Ben and even her father. Now that she had finally made peace with his death, and the knowledge that life offered no guarantees, the burden dissolved.
Her daddy was gone, but the precious things he taught her were hers to keep. Plus, Treeny had a sneaking suspicion her baby might be a lot like her father. Their little one was sure to be like Ben too. Treeny rubbed her tummy in love and anticipation.
She loved Ben and the life they had embarked upon. A shared life. For as long as they had together, she planned to cherish every single moment.