“Gray, grab the keys from my pocket and open Mom’s door, would you?”
After stuffing his hand in my front pocket, he pulls out my keys, unlocks the doors, and opens the passenger side. Molly looks exhausted when I set her down in the seat. While the kids make noises getting in their seats and buckling up, I take the opportunity to ask her quietly, “How’s the pain?”
“Manageable.”
I’ll take manageable over what she just went through.
Leaning in, I press a soft kiss against her lips before I close her door and walk to my side. As soon as I’ve got the car started, I reach over for Molly’s hand, needing to touch her in some way to keep myself calm and sane.
What in the hell am I going to do once she’s gone?
Chapter Nineteen
MOLLY
A big grin splits across my face as I read the last couple of lines in Anna’s latest journal entry.
Twins. A boy and a girl. And they are the most precious beings I’ve ever seen.
I am so incredibly excited for her and Jack, whom she married two years ago in her time. So much has happened in the two journals I’ve read of hers so far. I read as she and Jack fell in love. The worry over what her father would say when he found out. The surprise when he and her mother gave their blessing. Jack became sort of like a son to her parents over the year he was their gardener. So much so that Joseph, Anna’s father, after seeing how hard a worker Jack was keeping up the grounds, decided to hire him part-time at the factory he owned. It wasn’t long after that that he stopped working the grounds to work full-time at the factory. Seeing his dedication to the job, Jack was soon being trained for a higher position. At just over eighteen years old, he became a supervisor. The two years while Jack was living in the cottage, he and Anna fell in love. At nineteen, Jack approached Joseph about his feelings for his daughter and asked for her hand in marriage, never expecting to receive it. Anna and he made plans to run away together if her parents didn’t approve. Luckily, they did. As a wedding gift, Joseph informed them both that he would be training Jack to one day take over the company.
It was very uncommon back in the day for the owner of a company to pass down a legacy to someone other than a blood relative. But it was even more uncommon for it to be passed down to a female relative. Women’s rights were very much suppressed back then. It goes to show just how much he trusted Jack, to not only take care of his only beloved daughter, but to also ensure his company would continue to prosper.
After they married, Anna and Jack moved off of her parents’ property but stayed close enough for Jack to apprentice under Joseph and for Anna to see her family as often as she wanted.
To say they were both overjoyed when Anna found out she was pregnant was an understatement. Tears sprung to my eyes when she described Jack’s reaction. He fell to his knees before her, hands shaking, and simply stared at her belly with tears falling down his face. Just from reading the words on the pages, I knew it was a beautiful and touching moment for them both.
Jack surprised both me and Anna. Apparently, the excuse Jack gave her about why he was there the night he rescued her from the schoolboys was a lie. His initial excuse was he happened to be strolling by when he heard the boys taunting someone and came to investigate. He was actually there on purpose. Anna wasn’t the only one who grew fascinated the first day they saw each other in town. Anna intrigued him enough that he followed her home. He explained he had a mysterious sudden urge to protect and care for her. That day started his vigilance of following her around when he could so he could keep an eye on her. Thank goodness he did, because he was there that night and saved her from a horrifying fate.
With a smile still on my face, I get back to reading.
Jack Jr. and Isabelle.
A flutter of warmth hits my midsection at the name Isabelle. That’s my middle name. I feel honored to share that name with Jack and Anna’s daughter.
Those are the names we chose. Or rather, Jack chose Isabelle and I chose Jack Jr. Jack hated the idea of his son carrying his name at first, claiming that it had only ever brought him shame. But after I told him he had nothing to be ashamed of, that had his life been any different, including something so simple as his name, there was a chance we would have never met. I never cared that Jack came from a poor family and lived on the streets after his parents died. The only thing I ever wanted from him was his love, and to me, that was invaluable. These two little beings, who are a part of both me and Jack, are so incredible. I find myself constantly watching them, like I still can’t believe they are real. It’s been two weeks since I delivered them. Until Jack, I never knew such a love existed. Now with our two babies, sometimes I wonder if my chest will burst with the amount of love I have for my small family. That feeling grows when I watch my husband with our two little ones. He’s so attentive and careful with them. And the love that shines in his eyes when he looks at them is my favorite expression of his. How is it possible to be this happy? How did I ever get so lucky to have this wonderful life? I ask God that often, and when I don’t get a response, I always thank him for blessing me.
The entry ends, so I flip to the next page. I pick at my nails as I continue to read.
The babies are a month old, and it seems like they’ve already grown so much. I woke up the other night to a noise. I didn’t know what it was at first. When I reached for Jack, he wasn’t in bed, and for a moment, panic hit me. But then I heard the noise again. It was coming from the nursery in the next room, and I knew what it was. I got up and tiptoed to the door leading to the babies’ room. I wanted to be as quiet as I could, so I didn’t disturb them. Thankfully, the door was already cracked enough for me to see inside, and what I saw made my heart melt. Jack was sitting in the rocking chair, Jack Jr. in one arm and Isabelle in the other. He was humming a soft tune as he looked from one baby to the next, over and over. This isn’t the first time I’ve caught him with our children like this. Jack revealed to me one night while I was still pregnant that he worried he wouldn’t be a good father because his own father was a tyrant. Of course, I told him he had nothing to worry about. I never doubted his abilities to be a good father, and each time I see him with our babies, I know I wasn’t wrong.
I look up from the journal, my mind moving to the times I caught Lincoln in Gray or Gemma’s nursery singing or humming to them. Those moments are so precious to me because they show how much he loves our kids. Lincoln never voiced his doubts on being a good dad, but I believe all parents have that worry in the back of our minds. Like Anna, I never doubted Lincoln, and he proves me right every day. I can’t imagine Gray and Gemma having a better father.
All of a sudden, my legs tighten, the pain coming a second later. I grit my teeth and suck in a sharp breath. I drop the journal to my lap and begin massaging the tight muscles. Lincoln would throw a fit if he knew I didn’t call for him so he could massage them himself. He’s out in the workshop right now, and I don’t want to bug him when I’m perfectly capable of doing it myself. Massaging doesn’t give me much relief, only enough for me to ride out the spasms, which seems to happen more frequently and is lasting longer and longer each day. How long before I lose total control of my legs?