I was in the hospital emergency room bed resting when Kayden and Lincoln showed up.

With wild eyes, Lincoln’s gaze went to my IV line then back to my face. “Are we okay? Is everything okay?”

Kayden frowned. “No monitor on your stomach? Are you staying? We called the family.”

Tyler groaned while sinking down into the single chair in the room, and I grinned. “I'm being released in the next hour. Everything’s fine.”

They looked from Tyler to me. Finally Kayden sat on the end of the thin bed and said, “Explain ‘fine.’”

“I'm fine and our baby is fine.” I beamed at them. “I'm eight weeks along, and the pain I was experiencing was my uterus and stomach muscles stretching to accommodate our little bundle. Apparently, it's pretty typical for first timers.”

Kayden wore a dopey grin. “Eight weeks, huh?”

Lincoln smacked him upside the head while Tyler rolled his eyes. “Don't go there.”

Kayden batted his hand away. “I'm just saying... October was a good month.” He flashed a megawatt grin my way. “Lots of action, if I'm not mistaken.”

Tyler chuckled. “It doesn't matter. This kid gets my name on his birth certificate. Lincoln gets the next one, and you”—he smirked—“will get the third child. If we're brave enough to have more, it will go back around.”

I spoke up before either of them could argue. “I think that's a great idea.”

Kayden shrugged. “It doesn't matter to me. Either way, I'll have fun making them.”

Lincoln shoved him. “Way to be romantic.”

I giggled and took Kayden's hand in mine. “It’s a great perspective to have.” I winked at him and he looked dazed. “I love my time with each of you.”

Kayden swung his head toward Tyler. “What did you do to our wife? She's in a hospital bed and talking about sex!”

My eyes went wide as another giggled escaped. I squeezed his hand. “Shhh!”

“Yeah,” Tyler chuckled. “Want the whole world to know what we're talking about?”

Feet shuffled outside the curtain screen as it drew back.

Lincoln moved out of the way. “Too late.”

***

The hospital kept me for two hours longer than needed, then sent me home with prescriptions to fill.

Tyler kept to his phone, answering calls while Lincoln drove the Jeep home. I sat in the back, wanting some space from smothering husbands, and Kayden took the truck to pick up my medication.

As we pulled up to our house, a furniture truck was pulling away along with another box truck. And that wasn't all. There were cars lining the driveway. “What in the world?”

Neither Tyler nor Lincoln seemed surprised. “Everyone wanted to do something to help,” Tyler said softly. He turned around in his seat to peer at me. “We told Sarah and our mom. Then word got out to your uncle and granny. Granny made all this happen.”

Tears flooded my eyes. “What did she do?”

Lincoln climbed out into the freezing cold and opened my door. With tenderness, he trailed one of his fingers down my cheek and under my chin, tipping it up. His eyes were light with happiness. “We didn't want you to stress anymore. She didn't either. So she made things happen. You should have told us she bought you furniture.” He dropped his finger and scooped me up.

Tyler headed up to the front door to open it for us while I tried to explain.

“See, here’s the thing. Perry and I showed up at the Granny Manto’s shop, looking for the lamp, and she wanted us to go with her somewhere. She took my purse, Lincoln. What was I supposed to do?”

Tyler chuckled. “Ask for it back?”

I buried my nose into Lincoln’s shoulder. “There isn’t any reasoning with that woman. She does as she pleases and ended up buying us furniture.” Granny Manto was notorious for her eccentric behavior.

“We're going to owe her,” Lincoln mumbled while walking up the porch steps.

I kissed his cheek and sighed. “I know. She said it was a gift, but we know how her gifts are...”

Tyler grumbled, opening up the door. Her generous gifts came with a cost or two.

Sometimes even a lifetime of favors, just like my Monday shop working day and my biweekly visits to her house. 

Lincoln carried me inside our home to a sweet-smelling scent and a warmth that had been missing before. Lincoln stepped into our family room, still cradling me in his arms. The furniture had been replaced with what I had picked out with Granny.

White wooden blinds covered the windows that Granny Manto had complained about, and in the center of the room was a country style rug with an old, weathered coffee table in the center of it. The new sectional we’d picked out held Brady and my father-in-law. My new console, which was more like a buffet table, held the tv they were watching football on. The two of them waved to us as we passed by on our way to the kitchen.

Sarah and Granny Manto were cooking on two griddles while Deb was stirring something in a crockpot. Our appliances hadn’t shown up yet since we just picked them out hours ago, but the dining space held the round mahogany table with the six chairs I’d selected. The table had slats in the center, so I could make it bigger if need be.

In the center of the table was a beautiful, pink rose flower arrangement. Tyler went over and plucked out the card.

He chuckled and ripped the card up.

“Hey. What did you do that for?”

He walked over to me and kissed my head. “Believe me, that card was more for us than it was for you.”

Not understanding this, I prompted Lincoln to put me down.

He tightened his grip on me. “No. I want to hold you a little longer.”

“Your arms are going to give out.” His mother mused as she found us. “Go sit down with her if that’s what you want to do.” She waved us out of the kitchen, and I caught a glimpse of the back room.

There were curtains on the windows. “Wait! I want to go look in there.”

Lincoln paused in the hallway and tucked his head into my hair. “Okay.” He breathed in before he headed that way. 

“Did you just sniff me?”

“Maybe.” His voice was light with laughter, as if he knew I was going to ask that question.

I left it alone as went entered our back living space. There weren’t curtains in the front of the house, just blinds, but in the back room that looked out over our property she had someone install soft, cream curtains on each window. It was smart of her. Blinds would have ruined the view with their slats. Curtains could be spread open, leaving the outside view unobstructed.

Lincoln finally set me down on my feet and let me touch the fabric.

My nose burned and I knew the waterworks would soon follow.

What Granny Manto did for me, what they all did... it surprised me. Turning around, I looked past my husbands and the archway to see if I could spot that old woman.

“Where is she?”

Tyler came over and brushed back a lock of my hair. “She went home. Told Sarah that her bones can’t take much of the cold.”

“She outdid herself this time,” Lincoln mused before rounding Tyler and scooping me back up.

“Now can I sit down with you?”

I giggled. “Yes.”

He went back into the living room where the men were, and that is when I realized Bates and Sonia weren’t here. I asked Brady about them.

“At home. Sarah and I sprung for a babysitter so we could come over here.”

Lincoln sat into the recliner, taking me with him, my feet draping over the side.

“Hey, can you grab her a blanket?” he asked Tyler. “It’s still chilly.”

I snuggled into his chest, happy.

Even though today was eventful and scary, I looked forward to tomorrow and every day after that. Kayden was right this morning; we would get through the crazy days. Just one day at a time. Beard trimmings, toilet seat mishaps, and misunderstandings. They were a part of marriage, part of life. Together we could weather the storm of life and stay firmly planted. It just took a little give and take.

I was counting my pennies on it.

––––––––

The end... for now.