Their Warm Ray of Joy – Extended Epilogue

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One Year Later

“Are you even listening to me?” Henry shouted at Teddy from his spot sitting on the side of his and Iris’s bed. “I said up to the right more, and you just keep putting it up to the left!”

Teddy sighed, exasperatedly rubbing his temples. “Henry, do you mean my left or yours?”

“Mine of course!” Henry cried. 

“That’s not what you said five minutes ago!” Teddy said in the calmest voice he could muster. “All right. Up to your right.”

Teddy hoisted his painting of the sunset on the night of Amelia’s passing up to his left and Henry’s right a little bit more. They had been trying to re-hang the sunset painting in the room that he and Iris now shared. He had moved out of the tiny room when they’d gotten married eleven months ago. That would have meant that Penelope would have been moved to that room, however, so Teddy constructed a whole little cabin for his aunt just a few feet from their back door. That way, Penelope had her own space where she could retreat to when she needed some peace and quiet, but she could also spend much of her day inside the main house with everyone.

“How is that?” Teddy asked his grumpy father-in-law. 

“Fine. I suppose,” Henry said gruffly. 

Teddy breathed a sigh of relief, put the nails in the wall to hang it up right where it was, and then took a step back to admire it. 

“I think she’ll love it,” Teddy said quietly, mostly to himself. 

“I’m still surprised that she loves you,” Henry still answered him. “I thought I had put good enough sense in her head to know that you Montgomerys were folks to steer clear of.”

Teddy put his hands on his hips and turned around to face Henry. “And yet you were the one who carried a grudge against my family that started because of a minor land dispute for… how long again? Almost forty years and long after both of my parents passed away?”

Henry looked like he knew he had been caught out but still grimaced in Teddy’s direction. “I knew I never should have told you why that all was started. I was feeling too charitable the day that I told you. Should have kept that to myself.”

Teddy chuckled, and Henry did just a little bit too. The older gentleman remained thoroughly unimpressed that Teddy had even so much as liked his daughter, but after much, much convincing by Iris, Zeke, and even Aunt Penelope, he had allowed Teddy to marry her. They’d been married in the yard at Iris’s home in a beautiful ceremony throughout which Birdie stood at the altar between them both, holding their hands. Iris had moved in with the family immediately, much to her new daughter’s delight. 

“Should you go check on her, make sure she’s sleeping all right?” Henry asked Teddy.

Teddy shook his head. “I’m sure she’s sleeping soundly on the chesterfield, Henry. When I last checked her, she and the baby were well-positioned and comfortable.”

Iris had gotten pregnant three months after they were married—an unexpected, but very exciting development. Iris had taken over managing the newspaper in Hanna, so it did make that tricky. However, Iris being the remarkable woman that she was worked right up until she was so large that she couldn’t sit comfortably any more. She finally gave in to Teddy’s pleas to stay home until the baby arrived not but two days ago.

“Who’s well-positioned and comfortable?” came a voice from the doorway. Henry and Teddy both turned their heads to look back at the same time and saw Iris with her oversized stomach standing in the doorway. Teddy beamed at her and walked over to her.

“You, my sweet,” he said, walking up to her and giving her a gentle kiss. He then rubbed her belly and spoke to it. “Did you have a good sleep too, little one?”

Iris chuckled. “She certainly did. Didn’t even kick me once.”

Teddy looked up at her suddenly. “She?”

Iris nodded. “I’m certain of it now. A woman just knows.”

“She’s right about that one,” Henry called from behind them. “Amelia made the same prediction about Iris not but a few hours before she arrived in this world.”

 They both turned to look at the older man, who had made a full recovery after taking all of the medication that had been prescribed to him. He was doing so well now that he didn’t even need Iris to come over and tend to him so frequently. Right now especially he was downright refusing that she make the journey to the house at all. 

Iris began waddling over to her father, but he threw up his hands to stop her. “Don’t you make one more move than you have to with that gigantic belly of yours! I’m coming to you!”

Iris laughed as her father came up to her and hugged her. Teddy took a step back to give them a moment together. When they broke apart, Iris looked to Teddy.

“Thank you for finally hanging that in here, by the way,” she told him with a gently mocking smile on her face. “Now has Birdie returned from the walk early as she said she would?”

Teddy shook his head. “Not yet, but I expect her any moment.”

Birdie had gone out on a walk with Aunt Penelope and Zeke, who had been seeing a great deal more of each other ever since Teddy and Iris had announced their engagement. In fact, they were getting so close that Iris, Teddy, Henry, and Birdie were all convinced that Zeke was going to pluck up the courage to ask Penelope to marry him any day now. That was part of the reason why Teddy had whispered to his daughter to come back to the house just a little bit early from their walk—he thought Zeke might ask his aunt that very afternoon. 

It was as if Birdie had heard her parents talking about her because a moment later they both heard the front door fly open and slam shut again. Birdie’s frantic footsteps followed down the hall not but a moment later. When she reached the bedroom, her face reflected the urgency of her footfalls. 

“Mama, Papa, Grandpa!” she cried, looking at all three of them in succession. “I left Aunt Penelope and Uncle Zeke a little early, just like you said I should—and when I turned around to see what they would do, Uncle Zeke had taken Aunt Penelope’s hands and was looking very romantically at her!”

Iris gasped and took Teddy’s hand. “Are they nearby, Birdie?”

The little girl nodded enthusiastically. “They’re just beyond the fence!”

That sent everyone into motion. Henry went ahead and took Birdie’s hand as the little girl led him into the sitting room. Teddy took his wife’s hand and they plodded down the hallway as quickly as they could. When they arrived, Henry and Birdie were already looking out the front window, very indiscreetly. 

“Birdie…” Teddy began to chastise her, but then he looked out the window and saw what was happening. He couldn’t tell what Zeke was saying, but he had both of Aunt Penelope’s hands within his own and was looking mighty nervous. Teddy brought his wife to the best position in the front window and then stood behind her and put his hands under her belly. When he lifted upwards he took most of the weight of the baby off of her, allowing her to enjoy the moment that they were watching unfold in front of them to its fullest. 

Everyone watched Zeke and Penelope in excited silence. Zeke was now gesturing with one of his hands, and Penelope was giggling—a sight that Teddy had never seen before. He held his breath, praying that Zeke would have the guts to propose to Penelope right here and now so that they wouldn’t have to wait any longer to celebrate. 

“Come on, Zeke!” Henry said, sounding very irritated. “You took long enough to begin courting Mrs. Tucker. Ask her to marry you already!”

“Yes, ask her to marry you already!” Birdie mirrored and both Iris and Teddy chuckled. 

Zeke kept talking for another minute, and then everyone saw him reaching into his pocket. 

“Oh my goodness,” Iris whispered, placing her hand on her daughter’s shoulder. “Birdie, do you think Uncle Zeke is really going to do it?”

Birdie nodded. “Absolutely. I’ve been coaching him on it all week!”

Everyone’s heads swiveled to look at Birdie at the same time. 

“You… you what?” Teddy asked her in disbelief. 

“Yep!” Birdie said happily. “Uncle Zeke said that he was so nervous about this that he wasn’t sure he would be able to do it. So we practiced what he was going to say, and by the time we were done, he was so much better than he had been at the start!”

They all chuckled in astonishment, and Teddy gently ruffled her hair.

“You never cease to amaze me, my girl,” Teddy said. Birdie beamed up at him but then went right back to looking out the window. She gasped and pointed, her little finger bending under the pressure against the pane of glass. “LOOK, LOOK!”

Everyone looked back out again and Zeke was on one knee with the ring in his outstretched hands. He didn’t seem to get too far, however—Aunt Penelope dropped down onto her knees and kissed him. He was so surprised that he dropped the ring out of his hand and everyone, including the family that was watching at the window, froze.

“No!” Birdie cried out. Before Teddy could stop her, the little girl ran out the front door and went to go help Zeke, who was now madly rummaging through the long grass, trying to find it. Teddy jogged over to the door, unsure if he should call Birdie back. By the time he had them all within his view, however, Birdie was holding up the ring triumphantly. Zeke and Penelope cheered, and then Birdie handed the ring right to Aunt Penelope. She kissed her great-niece on the cheek and then slipped it onto her ring finger. 

Birdie cheered as Zeke and Aunt Penelope shared another sweet kiss, and then the little girl looked back at her father.

“PAPA,” she cried, “DID YOU SEE THAT? THEY JUST GOT ENGAGED!”

Teddy nodded, laughing, and then beckoned his daughter towards him. She looked confused but came running and Teddy met her halfway on their front lawn. 

“We should give them a moment to themselves, little Bird,” he said lovingly, guiding her back towards the house. 

“Fine,” Birdie said reluctantly. “But if they’re upset because we didn’t celebrate with them soon enough, I’m blaming you!”

Teddy chuckled. “I’ll take the punishment for that when it arrives.”

But then, both Teddy and Birdie froze when they heard Henry shout to Teddy. They looked up and saw him standing in the doorway, looking panicked.

“You had better come in here, son… your baby just announced its imminent arrival!” Henry shouted to them.

Teddy gasped, suddenly petrified. All of the wonderful plans that he and Iris had made together about how the delivery was going to go suddenly flew out of his mind. He stood there, unsure of what to do for a split second, and then felt his daughter tugging on his sleeve.

“Come on, Papa,” she said ecstatically, “it’s time to meet my new sister!”

“Right!” Teddy exclaimed, and then he and Birdie charged into the house. Iris was sitting on the chesterfield, looking like she was already in a bit of pain. When she saw them enter the room, she looked up at Teddy, he gave her a reassuring look, and then ran to her, taking her hand and slowly guiding her to her feet.

“Come on, my love,” he whispered to her as they walked down the hall with Teddy leading the way, “let’s get you as comfortable as we can.” 

The next seven hours were such a blur that Teddy could hardly separate one moment from the next. He remembered congratulating Zeke as soon as he got in the house and then in the same breath demanding that he go and fetch the midwife. Zeke sprang into action, hopping on his horse and returning with the knowledgeable woman within thirty minutes. Meanwhile, Iris was set up in bed and dealing with her contractions like nothing short of a hero. Teddy couldn’t imagine how painful it must have been for her, and he did everything he could to make sure that she was as comfortable as she could be.

Aunt Penelope did a masterful job keeping both Birdie and Henry distracted, for Iris’s father needed just as much reassurance that Iris was going to be fine as Birdie did. As the hours went on, Iris was getting weakened by the pain, but soldiering on as best as she could The midwife, Mrs. Heathedge was a marvelously talented woman, and tended to all of Iris’s needs as they arose. 

And then finally, right when it seemed that Iris could endure no more of the pain, Mrs. Heathedge said the words that both she and Teddy had been longing to hear: “It is time to push, Iris.”

Teddy held Iris’s hand as tight as he could and kissed her on the forehead. “You can do this, my love, I’ve never seen you more prepared for anything in your life!”

Iris chuckled the tiniest bit and gave him a weak smile, and then began pushing with all of her might. It only took about five minutes of pushing for the baby to be born, and when the midwife held up the child for the new parents to see, they couldn’t have been happier or more surprised—it was a boy!

The midwife placed the baby in Iris’s arms right away and as they both gushed over their new son, Teddy covered Iris’s face in kisses.

“You were amazing, just amazing!” he applauded her. “I never could have done that, but you, you miraculous, incredible woman, you did it!”

Iris cried the happiest of tears as she looked down into her son’s eyes. “No, I didn’t do this—we did this together, Teddy.”

She looked up at her husband’s face, and they kissed each other. And then, they returned to gazing lovingly at their newborn son. 

Once Iris had been given a little while to breathe and begin to recover, the family was invited in to see the baby. Henry began crying the moment he saw the little boy—a surprising reaction for him. Next came Birdie, who also started crying and smothered the little boy in kisses.

“I love him!” she sobbed through her tears. “I just love him so much! T-thank you for giving me a baby brother, Mama!”

Both Iris and Teddy chuckled and let the little girl fawn over her brother for as long as she wanted. Eventually, Aunt Penelope quietly came to say hello to the new little life as well, with Zeke shyly following behind her. 

“Congratulations you two!” Iris said happily as they came to see the boy. “I’m sorry that this little one decided to steal your thunder!”

Penelope was too taken by the baby to say anything, but Zeke chuckled and replied, “I don’t think you have anything to be sorry for, Iris. This was the best way to celebrate our engagement!”

They all laughed, and then the happy new couple congratulated the happy new parents. Penelope then began herding everyone out of the room, saying, “Iris needs rest, as does the little one. You can see them all again in the morning!”

Birdie complained mightily, but finally let her father and mother have a little bit of alone time with the baby. When the door clicked softly shut, Teddy gently kissed Iris and then walked over to the window. He stood there for a moment, looking out until Iris called to him.

“What are you doing?” she asked, sounding slightly annoyed. 

“I’m making sure that I remember all of the details of this sunset,” he said, looking back at her. “Now that we have this little man here, I think that I have another sunset painting to make.”

Iris’s face melted into adoration and she beckoned for him to come to her. Teddy took one last look at the sunset and then returned to his wife’s side. He looked down at his remarkable little boy who was currently dozing in his mother’s arms. 

“What do you think we should call him?” Teddy asked her gently. “In all of our conversations, we never decided upon a name.”

Iris smiled fondly at him. “I was thinking… Albert Theodore Henry Montgomery. What do you think of that?”

Tears sprung in Teddy’s eyes. “Albert for… for Albertine?”

Iris nodded. “And for Albert Watts, the second finest sheriff that Hanna was ever blessed with.”

Teddy chuckled. “I think that’s just perfect. Birdie and Bertie!”

They both laughed, but then stopped abruptly. 

“Teddy,” Iris asked, “how did you decide on Birdie’s name?”

Teddy looked at her in astonishment. “There… there were two little doves on the blanket that she was wrapped in, and so I said ‘two little birdies’ and she laughed.”

Iris gasped. “She heard the word ‘Birdie’ and laughed?”

Teddy nodded. “Do you think…”

Iris nodded. “Teddy, do you know much Spanish?” He shook his head. “Albertine’s last name, Paloma? It means dove.”

Teddy’s eyes widened. “Birdie was really named after her mother, wasn’t she? Albertine… Bertie… Birdie…”

“A perfect nickname for her last name,” Iris said, beginning to chuckle. “You named your daughter the nickname that her mother gave her!”

They both laughed quite hard at this realization. And then Teddy regained his composure. “Well, when we go to visit Nancy the next time, we’ll have to pay an extra special visit to Albertine’s grave to tell her that funny story. And introduce her to Birdie’s little brother… Henry.”

Iris chuckled and shook her head. “I suppose we can’t have two Berties in the house, now can we? That’s wonderful. Henry Albert Theodore Montgomery. That should get you in my father’s good books for the rest of your life!”

The couple laughed together, and then they gazed lovingly down at their darling son. Eventually, they all fell asleep together in bed all cuddled together, and Birdie joined them not long after. It was the happiest Teddy had ever been in a long time. He couldn’t wait for the rest of his life with his remarkable children, his beloved aunt and soon-to-be uncle, his father-in-law, and most importantly, the woman who had made him the happiest man in the world by being his wife.

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OFFER: A BRAND NEW SERIES AND 2 FREEBIES FOR YOU!

Grab my new series, " Faith and Love on the Frontier", and get 2 FREE novels as a gift! Have a look here!

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