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Elmore Winters
Five years later

Elmore watched from the window as Mr. Washam sat in the grass with the children. He was getting older now and it was more difficult for him to get involved, but Mr. Washam was the best grandfather anybody could have hoped for.

 

Elmore's oldest daughter, Violet, hummed a quiet tune as she dug her little hands into the dirt. She was planting something, perhaps new flowers, while the younger two watched on. Her blonde hair was a messy halo about her head, the ends dirty, but she grinned broadly as Mr. Washam instructed her on her work.

 

The middle child, Lily, was too busy staring at something in the distance to take much notice of her sisters. Her blue eyes were fixed on what looked like a bird, although it was barely a dot on the horizon.

 

"Lily, Rose," Mr. Washam said, "would you like to help us?"

 

Although there was only a year between Violet and Lily, little Rose was only eighteen months old. She still had that soft, pudgy baby look about her as she grabbed big fistfuls of dirt and sent them raining down on her lap.

 

His daughters were a mess, covered in dirt and grass, but Elmore found it difficult to care. They loved nature just as much as he and Aurora did, and he was delighted to have fostered such enthusiasm within them. Yes, even if it meant washing dirt out of their hair and going through dresses more rapidly than they could grow out of them.

 

"Elmore," Aurora's voice called from the hallway, "are you there?"

 

"In the living room," he answered.

 

Aurora appeared by the door, a bright smile on her face. Recently, she had taken a healthy glow about her, a light tan that turned her usually pale skin a warm gold. She suited it, and it made her look even more lovely than usual.

 

"The children are outside with Father, I see," she said.

 

Now standing beside him, Aurora slipped a slender arm around his waist. She had hardly changed in the five years they had been married; yes, her hair was short, and the curls had relaxed, and she had small laugh lines around the corner of her eyes, but none of that mattered to Elmore. No matter how much time passed, the essence of her would always remain.

 

Elmore leaned his head against hers, her curls tickling his cheek. "I do think the girls love your father's garden more than ours," he stated, "perhaps we should make some plans for our gardens, too."

 

"Oh Elmore, where will we find the time?"

 

She was right, of course. With three young girls of five, four and not even two, free time was rare to come by. One of Elmore's staff had suggested a governess once, when Rose was just born, but he and Aurora had both dismissed the idea quite plainly. Elmore had been raised by a stern and rude governess, and he was not going to have the same for his own children.

 

So, yes, finding the time for anything else was tough, even with Lord Washam now in charge of their greenhouse. Nowadays, it was mostly muscle memory anyway; they had come so far from the beginning and had so many varieties of plant now, they all knew the greenhouse inside out.

 

"Should we tell them the good news?" Aurora asked, jolting Elmore from his thoughts. "I know that we were going to wait, but it's such a nice day and everybody is already together. Please?"

 

He couldn't help but smile, knowing exactly what news it was she wished to share. It had been on his own mind for two weeks, ever since Aurora told him, and Elmore had nearly slipped up more than once and told his family by accident.

 

He hadn't, though, and now did seem like the perfect time to say. So, he nodded, slipped an arm around Aurora's waist, and grinned.

 

"Let's do it now, while the children are still awake. I don't know if little Rose is old enough to understand, but Violet and Lily will be so excited."

 

Together, they slipped outside. It was warm enough to make Elmore's skin prickle, but there was a soft breeze that made it easier to ignore. It was fresh and bright and perfect, especially with the scent of the roses from the late Mrs. Washam's rose garden drifting across the property.

 

Lily looked up first, finally tearing her gaze away from the distant birds to wave hello. She had dark hair like Elmore, and it fell across her eyes as she turned.

 

"Papa!" she exclaimed, "Mama! There's a strange bird over there."

 

Upon hearing Lily's voice, everybody else glanced up too. Violet's face melted from a look of concentration into excitement, as she reached her hands out for a hug.

 

Elmore scooped her up with ease, uncaring for the dirt covering her knees. She rested easily on his hip as if she belonged there, weighing barely anything at all.

 

"Your Mama and I have some important news," she said to Violet, although he was addressing all three of his girls. "We were going to wait a little bit longer, but now seems like a good time."

 

From her position in the grass, Lily asked, "what news?"

 

Elmore glanced at Mr. Washam. He had heard three such similar announcements before, and his little smile told Elmore that he knew what to expect.

 

Elmore smiled back, moving closer to Aurora's side as she did so. He put a hand on her hip, although what he really wanted was to touch the barely-there curve of her middle.

 

"Well," Aurora said now, and her smile was beautiful. "Violet will remember this best; do you remember when I told you that I was having Rose and Lily?"

 

She nodded brightly. "Yes, you said that I would have a little brother or sister!"

 

"Yes, I did. And then, months later, your sisters were born. It's the same this time — I'm going to have another baby, and you three will have another sibling soon."

 

Understanding flashed across Lily's eyes as she nodded sagely. She was a daydreamy girl mostly, but now her little face had set into a look of determination. "I'll be an even better big sister to the baby than I am to Rose — and I'm already really good."

 

Elmore had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing. It was too sweet, and he appreciated her enthusiasm.

 

"You will all be wonderful sisters to the little one," Aurora said now. Her expression was so sweet, eyes wide with happiness, that Elmore couldn't resist pecking her cheek. When he did, her smile only widened.

 

"Will we have another sister?" Violet asked in his arm. "There are already so many of us!"

 

Elmore pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Well, we don't know for definite yet, but your mama has an idea."

 

Mr. Washam was just as imploring as the children. Climbing to his feet, he brushed dirt from his legs and asked, "well, what do you think, dear?"

 

Aurora beamed. "I've felt the same with all of the girls; not sick, exactly, but it's a very specific feeling around three months in. The physician says it's normal to feel that way if the gender of the baby is the same as my first."

 

"And?" Mr. Washam urged.

 

Elmore sent Aurora a loving smile, urging her too. He had already heard the news, of course, and yet he wanted to hear it again anyway. There was just something about the way she said it that made his chest pound, and his body light up with joy.

 

Aurora bit down on her lip. Then, "I really can't be sure yet, but... I don't feel the same way as I did with the girls. So I think — and I would love it if I was right — that I'm having a boy."

 

Alphonse held her a little tighter, his smile widening just a touch. In his arms, Violet wriggled excitedly and he had to press her against his chest to keep on squirming right out of his arms.

 

"A brother!" Violet exclaimed, "yes, I'd like a brother."

 

We don't know for certain, he wanted to repeat, like a mantra. It was true, they didn't know for sure. Yet he really did hope, and Aurora felt so sure that at this point, they both took it for fact.

 

"Congratulations," Mr. Washam exclaimed, and he was unable to hide his smile. "I'm so happy for all of you. Oh, isn't this exciting?"

 

Carefully, Elmore set Violet down so that Mr. Washam could pull him and Aurora in for an embrace. For a long moment they simply stood there, until Violet squeezed between them to hug Elmore's leg.

 

He pulled away from the embrace with a laugh, knowing that Violet would only get pushier if he didn't lift her up. He did so, resting Violet back in her usual spot on his hip, and she immediately quietened.

 

"It won't be so easy to do this with a baby around," he warned her, "you'll have to be more grown up and let somebody else have a turn now and again."

 

She only pouted, but it didn't hide her smile.

 

"Now," Elmore said brightly, "who would like to come inside for some cold drinks? I don't want anybody here burning out in this sun."

 

"I want lemonade!" Lily chirped, already scrambling to her feet. She had developed a cough like her mother in the last year and had a tendency to move slowly because of it, afraid of starting a fit — but Lily was getting better now, with a combination of wild bergamot and angel's trumpet. Soon, like Aurora, she wouldn't cough at all.

 

For now, however, she wandered slowly into the house to avoid getting too excited. Mr. Washam followed carrying Rose, who was still too little to manage the steps on her own. Together, the three of them went inside while Mr.Washam told them to wash up before lemonade.

 

Aurora didn't follow, not immediately, and neither did Elmore. They stood face to face with Violet between them, absently playing with a strand of her own hair.

 

"It seems that everyone is quite excited for a new addition," Elmore said with a laugh, "but what about names?"

 

"Names?" she asked, "oh, I hadn't thought of that. We have months yet."

 

Elmore hummed. "What do you think, Violet — any ideas for what to call your little brother?"

 

Violet tapped her chin in thought as her eyes wandered across the garden. She knew that they were all named after flowers — Rose to honor Aurora's mother, Lily for his own mother's favorite flower, and Violet for the color of her eyes.

 

Then an idea must have struck her, because her eyes went wide as she exclaimed, "Birch, like the tree! Or Oak, or Alder."

 

Elmore had to laugh, his whole body shaking with the force of it. "Flower names for girls, trees for boys? You're a smart little girl, Violet. What do you think, Aurora?"

 

She smiled too, and pressed a kiss to Violet's forehead. "I think Alder is pretty, and since we've already started our own theme, why not start a new one? Who knows, perhaps there will be more boys in our future to have tree names too."

 

Elmore didn't admit out loud just how much he adored that idea, but he did. Not just for the thoughtful naming theme, but for the idea that there was perhaps a fifth, or even a sixth, baby in their future. Elmore had never thought he'd have a big family; but now that he had it, he couldn't imagine anything else.

 

"Alder it is, then," Elmore said as he kissed Aurora's cheek. "Whatever name you want, you decide."

 

"You spoil me," Aurora chided, but she was grinning.

 

And so, their first boy was named Alder — and it was the most perfect name that Elmore could have imagined.

The End

 

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