“Laney!” Rosie saw her as soon as they stepped through the door and wrapped her in a hug before doing the same to Ben. “I was wondering where you two were.”
“We were sitting on the porch of our new house.”
Rosie clapped her hands to her chest, her eyes wide. “So we don’t have to keep it a secret?”
Ben laughed. “No, we stopped over there first because I knew Josh would tell you and I didn’t want you to have to suffer.”
“You’re a good boy. Keeping secrets is hard on me, you know.”
Laney held up her left hand. “I won’t ask you to keep this one, then.”
Rosie squealed and then Laney and Ben were swallowed up by hugs and congratulations. But after a few minutes, she was able to extract herself and head to the couch, where there were two little bundles of joy she was there to meet.
Paige and Katie each had an end of the couch. Sarah was curled up against her mom, looking ready for a nap, but she perked up when she realized she had a fresh audience.
“I have a baby sister,” she told Laney and Ben, pulling at the pink blanket.
“Easy, honey.” Paige lifted the baby’s head, so they could see her little face.
“Her name’s Charlotte,” Sarah told them. “She’s going to play dolls with me. But not ’til she’s bigger because she was only borned three weeks ago and she can’t hold them yet.”
“She’s beautiful,” Laney said. “Just like her big sister.”
“Look at Nate, too! He’s my cousin and he was just borned, so he can’t play dolls, either.”
Katie looked exhausted, but she laughed as she folded back the blue blanket, which had obviously been knit by Rosie. The newborn was asleep, and Laney kept herself from touching him so she wouldn’t risk waking him.
“He’s such a handsome boy,” she said in a quiet voice. “Congratulations.”
Katie smiled. “He looks like his daddy. And congratulations back at you. Your ring is gorgeous!”
Laney felt a rush of happiness and wondered if, at some point, the thought of marrying Ben would stop making her feel like that. She hoped not. “Thank you. I don’t want to take any attention away from these babies, though.”
Katie laughed. “More reasons to celebrate are never a bad thing. And Mom’s probably baking you a cake right now.”
“I am not,” Rosie said, and Laney jumped. She hadn’t realized she was standing so close. “Because there was room to write in Ben and Laney’s names on the big sheet cake.”
“Did you tell her the rest of the good news?” Paige asked.
“Not yet.” Rosie was already beaming, but her face seemed to light up even more. “Emma’s expecting. And she didn’t say, but I think she and Sean conceived that baby while they were here. They’ve been trying for so long, and that just makes it even more special.”
She didn’t even hesitate to wrap her arms around Rosie and give her a big squeeze. “I’m so happy for them. And for you.”
“So many babies. And a wedding.” She sniffed and dabbed at her eyes. “I didn’t think one woman could be this happy.”
“Uh-oh,” Josh said as he squeezed past the women to sit on the arm of the couch next to his wife. “I told Mitch we should have boxes of tissues on every flat surface. Like party favors.”
Laney felt Ben’s hand at her back and leaned into his touch. There was a lot of talk—about babies and houses and goings on in the family—as the party went on, and they milled around, making sure they talked with everybody. There was food and cake and a lot of laughter, and Laney knew they would gather like this to celebrate for her and Ben, too. Their wedding. Maybe a baby.
There would be visits to Rhode Island, too. She’d been talking to her mom on the phone more often, and they were making progress. And she and Ben had met her parents in Boston for lunch so they could meet him. It had gone better than she’d hoped. She knew, when the time came for them to throw her a bridal shower, Rosie would make sure her mother was invited, and she was actually excited for her mom to see how happy she was in this unexpected place.
The sampler Sarah Kowalski had stitched so many years ago caught her eye.Bless This Kitchen.And it was. Filled with family and love and laughter, the kitchen of the Northern Star was definitely blessed.
“Are you okay?” Ben asked. “You look like you’re going to get weepy on me.”
“I should stitch one of those for our house.”
He followed her gaze and then smiled. “You should. But instead of those dove things at the corners, you should make pink flamingos.”
