After Rose made her appearance, after Gwen had taken some pictures and saw that Iris was going to be cleaned up and the delivery room converted into the room where the new little family would spend at least one night, Gwen went to the hospital coffee shop for coffee and whatever breakfast she could find. When she got back to the room a half hour later, Iris was resting, little Rose was in the baby bed beside Iris and Seth was pacing.

“Oh, good, you’re back. I want to step out of the room and make my calls.”

“You can go to the coffee shop. I had a nice little microwaved egg sandwich down there. You can stake out a corner, have some coffee and something to eat and use your phone.”

“Dad’s been here all night,” Seth said.

“I noticed,” she said.

“Have you talked to him?”

“There isn’t much to say. I’m glad he was here for you, Seth. Even if he couldn’t be in the room.”

“I’m going to send him in to see the baby now.”

“Sure,” Gwen said. “Of course. We’re not going to fight.”

Seth gave his mother a kiss on the cheek. “Thank you, Mom. You were wonderful. Thank you.”

“I’m glad I was invited.”

After Seth left, Gwen gave Iris a soft kiss on the brow. “Sleep, sweetheart. I’ll be here watching over the baby for you.”

Iris just mumbled and rolled over.

It was only a little while before Rose started snuffling around in the bed and for that Gwen was most grateful. She happily picked up the little bundle and held her close. She hummed very softly, so softly she wouldn’t wake Iris.

Then Norm walked in, head down, hands in his pockets. He walked right over to where Gwen sat and looked down at the baby. “She looks like Seth,” he said. “But with medical science being advanced like it is these days, that can probably be fixed.”

She smiled in spite of herself. “You sure it’s advanced enough?”

“Oh, sure,” he said. “They pulled my gallbladder out through a straw.”

He pulled a chair over right next to Gwen and sat beside her, studying the baby. “Looks like she might have Iris’s crazy hair,” he said.

“She’ll be beautiful like her mama.”

They communed in silence for a few minutes.

“You just about all settled down now?” Norm asked her.

“I’m completely calm. What are you getting at?”

“I’m getting at—let’s call a truce. We have a new baby in the family. These kids don’t need all the ruckus.”

“Don’t go blaming me,” she threatened, but she did so softly. “I wasn’t the one flirting with a pack of men on the cruise.”

“I knew that’s what it was. I wasn’t flirting. I was pleasant as pie and it just pissed you off.”

“No, it didn’t. It hurt my feelings. It hurt my feelings very much.”

“I thought that’s how you wanted me to be,” he said. “You worried and harped about it all the way to Seattle! I did just what you wanted.”

“I suppose. Except I wanted you to be pleasant for me, not for a bunch of women we barely met. And I don’t care what you say—they were flirting!”

“That ain’t my problem. My problem is the only woman I ever wanted to be nice to me was sour as a rotten peach the whole time. I can’t win.”

“I am nice to you,” she said.

“Gwen,” he said in a low whisper. “I just wanted you to be happy for once. I tried hard as I could.”

“But you tried to please them!”

“They were the only ones nice to me! If you could be half so nice, I’d sure be grateful. You’re the only woman I ever wanted to fuss over me.”

“I am?” she asked.

“A course you are! Over forty-five years now. Do I have to say it every damn day?”

“Once a year would be a big improvement.”

He was quiet for a minute. “I’ll mark it down on the calendar,” he said. “Now can we please stop this tomfoolery? I’m too old for it.”

“Do you want to hold the baby now?” she asked.

“You gonna let me back in my own house?”

“I never did see any lawyer,” she confessed, passing him the baby.

“’Course you didn’t. We been through too much to get divorced over a bunch of flirty widows. There wasn’t a one of ’em I’d have, anyhow. Yap, yap, yap. Pack of yippy poodles woulda been easier on my nerves.”

“Norm,” she laughed. She leaned toward him and he gave her a little peck on the lips.

“There. That’s better,” he said.

Gwen glanced at Iris. Her eyes were closed. But she smiled.

* * *

Thanksgiving at Winnie’s house had been a happy day. Lin Su took care of Winnie and helped Grace prepare the feast. The day was sunny, so a little time throwing the Frisbee on the beach occupied Charlie and Troy. Mikhail enjoyed one of his extra-long walks and had finally traded his board shorts for pants.

After a robust meal, when everyone in the household felt sluggish and lazy, Blake helped Lin Su clean the kitchen. Winnie was napping, Grace and Troy went down to their quarters to rest, Mikhail was on the sunny deck, Charlie was on the couch with his computer on his lap and, feeling almost alone, Blake stole a couple of kisses in the kitchen.

Charlie caught them and smiled with satisfaction. Blake knew it was not because he was thrilled that his mother was having a nice romance. It was because he was counting on his mother being in love with Blake and therefore would go easy on Charlie when she found out about his family research. Blake had invited Charlie and Lin Su to come next door for lunch the next day, the Friday after Thanksgiving. That’s when Charlie was going to tell her.

* * *

Blake made a green salad, a bowl of fruit and a bunch of sandwiches, cut in small triangles.

They ate and talked; Blake asked Charlie about what was coming up at school and had he made any plans for his Christmas break. Lin Su had heard that Iris had gone into labor a little early and delivered a baby girl just that morning. And Charlie was clearly nervous, so Blake thought he’d do him a favor and just rip that Band-Aid off.

“Charlie has something he wants to tell you, Lin Su.”

“Oh?”

Charlie glared at Blake. Then he took a deep breath and said, “Mom, try to stay calm.”