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do.
    Making a trip to the bookshelf for two books, Evan approached the threesome. He waited for his wife to finish the sentence she was reading and look up at him. Evan’s eyes, however, were on Celia.
    â€œYou there, with the face,” he pointed at her playfully. “You sit right here.”
    Celia, in her adorable, pudgy way, crawled from her mother’s lap and into the chair her father indicated.
    â€œOkay, CeCe,” Evan said as he put the book in her lap. “You sit in this chair and look at this book.”
    â€œâ€™Kay.”
    â€œNow, Pete,” he continued, turning to his son, “this is your chair and your book. I think this is the one with bears.”
    â€œIf I finish this, can I get another?”
    â€œYes, but then get right back into your chair.”
    â€œOkay.”
    Evan saw the second child settled before turning to his wife.
    â€œAnd you,” he said, pointing to Bailey, “head upstairs to our room.”
    This was far from the first time he had done this, so Bailey went wordlessly to the stairs and started up.
    â€œAll right, you two,” he addressed his children one more time, “you stay in your own seats. No wrestling. We’ll just be a little while.”
    Evan took the stairs two at a time and ended up just a step behind his spouse. As soon as he followed her into their bedroom and shut the door, he spoke.
    â€œAll right. What’s going on?”
    Bailey hated being so transparent to her husband but still said, “I don’t know what you mean.”
    Evan heard the playfulness in her tone and kept his light too.
    â€œCome on now. Out with it.”
    Bailey turned to look at the man she had been married to for almost seven years. She adored him and knew the feeling was mutual.
    â€œI thought wives were supposed to be creatures of mystery.”
    Evan shook his head. “You’re going to have to work harder to pull that off with me.”
    Bailey stared at him and didn’t answer, but Evan still knew what was on her mind.
    â€œIf you didn’t want Lily to come, you should have said so.”
    â€œThen Gabe and Ash would have wanted a reason.”
    â€œWhat is the reason?”
    â€œDo you really not know?” Bailey looked crushed.
    â€œTell me; don’t just get upset with me.”
    â€œEvan, we’ve been waiting to get pregnant, thinking that when you slow down, it will happen. Now I’ll have another woman in the house to take care of, and I’ll be the busy one. I thought we both wanted another baby.”
    â€œWe do, but I don’t think Lily is going to be any extra work for you—not if she’s anything like Jeff has described.”
    Bailey looked thoughtful as she mentally agreed with him. Lily was a grown woman, not a child who would need looking after.
    â€œAnd you’re doing God’s planning for Him again, Bailey. Leave it to Him. You know your job, and that’s all you’re expected to do.” Evan added, “You just attack me every night at bedtime, and we’ll leave the rest to the Lord.”
    Bailey’s light laughter filled the bedroom, and Evan came to take her in his arms. He held her close, and Bailey sighed when her head rested against his chest.
    She realized then that she had had her mind on herself to the point that she hadn’t even prayed for Lily and Jeff. She knew right now they needed it more than she did.

    Lily came from the first dressing room, her face a dull red, her eyes down.
    â€œHow was it?” Jeff asked, trying not to laugh at the horror on her face.
    â€œI can’t do this,” she said, her voice so low that he had to bend to catch it.
    â€œLily,” he tried, but the laughter in his voice made him stop and start again. “Tell me how it looked.”
    â€œA lot of me showed.”
    Again Jeff wanted to chuckle.
    â€œWell,” he began, trying to be pragmatic and wishing he had asked Bailey