“How about that, pal? You get to be a big brother just like Jonah.”
That brought a wide grin. “Can we go get it now?”
Lily chuckled. “Not just yet, Andy. Our baby is right here inside my tummy. It has to grow until it gets big enough, then it will pop out. But you’ll be able to see it on the outside soon because my tummy will get bigger and bigger.”
“You’ll be big and fat like Henry Hippo,” he said, referencing a character from one of his favorite books.
“Let’s hope I’m not that big.”
“Nobody else knows about our baby yet,” Anna said. “That means now we get to go downstairs and tell the whole family. Everybody’s going to be happy, just like they were when we told them you were coming to live with us forever. You remember that?”
He tugged on his bottom lip thoughtfully and shook his head. “What’s the baby’s name?”
Lily shot her a warning look. “We haven’t named it yet. Your mom and I have some ideas and I bet you will too. Once we find out if it’s a boy or a girl, we’ll talk it over, okay?”
When they were satisfied they had answered all of Andy’s questions, they moved downstairs and assembled the family in the great room. Kim held Alice and cuddled with Hal in the center of the sofa. George sat squeezed into an armchair with Jonah, who had refused to sit on his lap. Martine perched on the arm of the sofa, one eye still on the kitchen where something simmered on the stove.
“We have a little news we’d like to share,” Anna said, pacing casually in front of the hearth where Lily sat with Andy on her lap. “We were planning to wait until we all sat down to Thanksgiving dinner but thought we’d just get this out of the way so we can focus on Mom’s delicious turkey tomorrow.”
“Right, it’s not a big deal or anything,” Lily added with a comical air of nonchalance, “just a little update on what’s been happening in our world.”
Anna continued, “I told Dad last week I thought we should make Thanksgiving in Tahoe a family tradition—or anywhere else as long as we’re all together. Something very special happens when we all gather under one roof, whether it’s here, or at the Big House, or even at our usual table at Empyre’s. That’s because being with all of you gives me the warmest feeling in the whole world and I know Lily feels the same way.”
“And so does Andy.” Lily nudged him and he covered his face coyly. “When I lost my mom I thought it was the end of the world, but you guys picked me up and gave me a new home, and then you turned around and did the same thing for Andy. I don’t even want to think about where we’d be if it hadn’t been for the Kaklis clan.”
George cleared his throat. “You’ve picked us up too, you know. Martine and I always say we’re very lucky that our daughters chose such wonderful people to bring into our family. And giving us these beautiful children…what parent could ask for more than that?”
Anna quietly marveled at how much her father’s sentimentality had grown over recent years—ever since the earthquake that had nearly claimed her life—as though he was determined to leave nothing important unsaid. Judging from how he had welcomed all three of his grandchildren, news of a fourth would put him over the moon.
“So yes,” she went on, “I’d like it if we’d all plan to keep this holiday for each other. There’s nothing I’m more grateful for than my family, and I like having us all together so I can say that.”
“But next year…seriously, guys,” Lily interjected, “can we get a bigger place? We don’t have enough room for the baby here.”
“Right, it doesn’t have to be huge. We don’t mind sharing a room with the boys, but it would be a lot easier on everybody if we all had our own space.” Anna fought to keep a straight face as she took in the perplexed expressions on her family’s faces. “That way if our baby cries at night, we won’t have to step over
That brought a wide grin. “Can we go get it now?”
Lily chuckled. “Not just yet, Andy. Our baby is right here inside my tummy. It has to grow until it gets big enough, then it will pop out. But you’ll be able to see it on the outside soon because my tummy will get bigger and bigger.”
“You’ll be big and fat like Henry Hippo,” he said, referencing a character from one of his favorite books.
“Let’s hope I’m not that big.”
“Nobody else knows about our baby yet,” Anna said. “That means now we get to go downstairs and tell the whole family. Everybody’s going to be happy, just like they were when we told them you were coming to live with us forever. You remember that?”
He tugged on his bottom lip thoughtfully and shook his head. “What’s the baby’s name?”
Lily shot her a warning look. “We haven’t named it yet. Your mom and I have some ideas and I bet you will too. Once we find out if it’s a boy or a girl, we’ll talk it over, okay?”
When they were satisfied they had answered all of Andy’s questions, they moved downstairs and assembled the family in the great room. Kim held Alice and cuddled with Hal in the center of the sofa. George sat squeezed into an armchair with Jonah, who had refused to sit on his lap. Martine perched on the arm of the sofa, one eye still on the kitchen where something simmered on the stove.
“We have a little news we’d like to share,” Anna said, pacing casually in front of the hearth where Lily sat with Andy on her lap. “We were planning to wait until we all sat down to Thanksgiving dinner but thought we’d just get this out of the way so we can focus on Mom’s delicious turkey tomorrow.”
“Right, it’s not a big deal or anything,” Lily added with a comical air of nonchalance, “just a little update on what’s been happening in our world.”
Anna continued, “I told Dad last week I thought we should make Thanksgiving in Tahoe a family tradition—or anywhere else as long as we’re all together. Something very special happens when we all gather under one roof, whether it’s here, or at the Big House, or even at our usual table at Empyre’s. That’s because being with all of you gives me the warmest feeling in the whole world and I know Lily feels the same way.”
“And so does Andy.” Lily nudged him and he covered his face coyly. “When I lost my mom I thought it was the end of the world, but you guys picked me up and gave me a new home, and then you turned around and did the same thing for Andy. I don’t even want to think about where we’d be if it hadn’t been for the Kaklis clan.”
George cleared his throat. “You’ve picked us up too, you know. Martine and I always say we’re very lucky that our daughters chose such wonderful people to bring into our family. And giving us these beautiful children…what parent could ask for more than that?”
Anna quietly marveled at how much her father’s sentimentality had grown over recent years—ever since the earthquake that had nearly claimed her life—as though he was determined to leave nothing important unsaid. Judging from how he had welcomed all three of his grandchildren, news of a fourth would put him over the moon.
“So yes,” she went on, “I’d like it if we’d all plan to keep this holiday for each other. There’s nothing I’m more grateful for than my family, and I like having us all together so I can say that.”
“But next year…seriously, guys,” Lily interjected, “can we get a bigger place? We don’t have enough room for the baby here.”
“Right, it doesn’t have to be huge. We don’t mind sharing a room with the boys, but it would be a lot easier on everybody if we all had our own space.” Anna fought to keep a straight face as she took in the perplexed expressions on her family’s faces. “That way if our baby cries at night, we won’t have to step over
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