"Honey, really?" Goldie could tell her mother was doing that thing she did with her eyebrows when she was upset, even though she couldn't see her. "Thanksgiving, too? You realize we haven't seen you since July?"

"I know, mom, and I'm sorry, but I can't leave them. It's a full time job, literally. It's not like he can call in a substitute nanny for when I'm off. Jeff needs me every moment the babies are awake."

"I get that, but Grant actually got Thanksgiving off, which just doesn't happen for residents, you know? It's like a miracle. So he's going to be here. I just thought it would be nice to have both of you home at the same time. I mean, who knows when it's going to happen again?" Her mother sounded resigned.

"I'm sorry," Goldie said again, and she was. She hadn't seen her brother in nearly a year, and would love to catch up.

"Oh, I know!" Her mom's voice nearly took her ear off. "Why don't you just bring them with you? Jeff and the triplets?"

"What? Mom, are you crazy?" Goldie actually held the phone away from her ear to stare at it. "You want three one year olds crawling around the house, pulling the cats' tails and breaking the dishes?"

"Oh, I'm sure we can keep an eye on them," her mother said. "Please, at least consider it. We have plenty of room, you know we do. It will be fun!"

Finally, more to shut her up than anything, Goldie told her mother that she'd ask Jeff.

"I'm not promising anything, though, okay?" She hung up, shaking her head.

She was still shaking her head when she went downstairs to talk to Jeff.

Surprisingly, he wasn't against it.

"Sounds sort of fun," he said with a smile.

"Funny, that's what she said," Goldie said. "Are you nuts?"

"No, really, I think we could swing it for a couple of days," he insisted. Just buy one of those thingummys, you know, the little boxes that they sit in?"

"A playpen?" Goldie supplied.

"There you go!"

"You really want to go?" Goldie asked seriously, putting a hand on his arm.

"I don't want you to miss the opportunity to see your family," Jeff answered, putting his arms around her. "You're right, I can't do without you for that long, so the only way this will work is if I go with you. So let's go."

Goldie laid her head on his chest and shrugged. "Okay. Let's go." She looked up at him. "You know it's, like, a five hour drive?"

"Smashing. I love long car drives."

"You're nuts," she repeated.

"I probably am," he agreed comfortably.

"Let me call my mother back, then," Goldie said, resigned. "She's going to be so happy, Jeff, thank you."

Jeff dropped a kiss on her nose. "My pleasure."

"Dada? Dadada?" Pippa called through the monitor. "Godie?"

"I'll go up, you call your mum first," Jeff said, heading upstairs.

Goldie nodded and pulled out her phone.

*

"Oh my god, we look like a traveling circus," Goldie declared.

"Complete with monkeys," Jeff added, smiling at the girls, who were in the back seat of the rented SUV, buckled into their car seats. The back of the SUV was filled nearly to the top with their luggage and a collapsible playpen, which would double as a crib.

Goldie climbed into the driver's side as Jeff buckled himself into the passenger seat, and they headed off into the bright morning sunshine.

It was the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, and the weather was cold, but clear, and they got an early start, partially to beat the traffic, and partially because a snowstorm was moving in later that day.

The girls were looking around with large eyes, taking everything in.

"I don't think they've been in a car since they came home from hospital," Jeff remarked, smiling at their curiosity.

"Really?" Goldie looked over at him in surprise. "Not even a cab or an Uber?"

Jeff nodded. "Everything's walking distance, even the pediatrician, right? And I don't like putting them in cabs, there are no car seats," he explained.

"Well, if they're like regular babies, they'll conk out within an hour, and sleep most of the way up," Goldie predicted. "And it's a gorgeous day for a drive, too, at least until the storm hits."

So they wound their way north through New York state, enjoying the leafless apple orchards and rolling hills, the picturesque small towns with steepled churches and town squares.

"So would you rather keep what's going on between us just between us while we're at my parents'?" Goldie asked as she drove.

"Oh," Jeff said, looking over at her. "I hadn't really thought about it, if I'm being honest. Does it matter?"

Goldie shrugged. "Not to me. I thought it might matter to you? Do you want to keep it private? I mean, are you worried about people finding out?"

Jeff laughed. "Is your family going to call the papers? No, I'm not particularly worried."

Goldie nodded. "Okay, then, I'll just tell them not to spread it around."

Jeff reached over, lifted her hand and kissed it. "Sounds grand."

They arrived on the outskirts of Old Forge just as the snow began to fall.

"What a pretty little town," Jeff exclaimed. "Straight out of Currier and Ives, isn't it?"

"I guess so," Goldie answered as she pulled up to a red light. "I found it kind of boring when I was young, couldn't wait to get the hell out of Dodge, you know?"

The girls woke up as the SUV pulled up in front of a large, comfortable looking farmhouse with nestled between some shallow hills that were already white with fresh snow.

"Just in time," Goldie declared. "Didn't even need the four wheel drive, though we might for the drive home."
A woman who looked a lot like Goldie came flying out of the house, a huge smile on her face. "Goldie! You made it!" she exclaimed.

"Mom!" Goldie jumped out of the car and ran to the woman, hugging and kissing her. "Where's Dad?"

"He's in the basement, messing with the furnace," the woman said. She turned to Jeff expectantly.

"Jeff, this is my mother, Harriet, Mom, this is Jeffrey Ormonde," Goldie said, smiling.

"A real pleasure," Jeff said, extending a hand. "I see why Goldie is so pretty. My goodness, the resemblance is striking, isn't it?"

He found himself enveloped in a bone crushing hug. "I love him already, Goldie. Nice to meet you, Jeff. Now, where are those babies?"

They turned and got the girls out of the car. All three of them, who had been fussy from just waking up, became quiet as they were pulled out of the warm car and into the falling snow. Their eyes were huge as they looked around at the quiet whiteness.

"Is this their first snow?" Harriet asked.

"No, but it might be the first they remember," Jeff answered, enjoying their surprise and delight. "Darlings, this is snow, isn't it lovely?" He held out his free hand to catch some flakes.

"Can you say 'snow'?" Goldie prompted. "Snow."

"No," Genie, always the fastest, mimicked. "No." She, too, held out a chubby hand to feel the flakes.

"Well done," Jeff praised.

"Aren't they beautiful?" Harriet gushed, looking from baby to the other. "Come on, then, let's get them out of the cold before they catch their deaths. You can get your things after Tom comes up from the basement."

They entered the house, and were immediately surrounded by two dogs, a black and yellow lab, tails waving madly.

"Hello, Edgar, hello, Allan," Goldie greeted them.

"Goggie!" Jemma gasped. "Goggie!" she turned to Jemma, eyes round. "Goggie!" She began wiggling in her father's arms, wanting to get down to see them up close.

"Hold on, Jemma, just a mo. Um, are there a lot of breakable things in here?" Jeff asked. "Any valuable things you don't want them to touch?"

Harriet led them from the entry to a large living room and ushered them all in. It was very warm, and Jeff saw to his dismay that there was a fireplace, in which a bright fire blazed and crackled merrily. It was a comfortable looking room, with large, overstuffed furniture and dog beds, hooked rugs and baby toys.

Baby toys?

Harriet closed a baby gate behind them, locking everyone, human and canine, in the living room. "We baby-proofed this room," she explained. "The fireplace cover just arrived this morning, see?"

Jeff saw for the first time that the fireplace was completely covered by a firm, black grate.

"We removed everything heavy and glass, and Tom screwed all the bookcases to the wall, too, so no little fingers can pull them over, though I suppose they could still pull the books out," Harriet went on. "I guess we'll just have to watch them around the books? And of course we covered all the outlets."

"Ms. Sorenson—"

"Harriet, please."

"Harriet, then," Jeff continued. "You didn't have to do all this. We're only going to be here for three days, my goodness, I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything," Harriet responded, holding her hands out to Jemma to see if she'd come to her. "It gave us old farts something to do while we waited for you."

Jemma considered her, blinking blue eyes as she looked at the older woman. She finally leaned away from her father, holding her arms up.

"There we go, Jemma, is it?" Harriet said as she leaned in to smell Jemma's hair. "Do you want to see the doggies, sweetie?" She sat down on the floor with Jemma in her lap, and Edgar and Allan were right there, sniffing curiously, as Jemma smiled and laughed.

Genie and Pippa suddenly wanted down as well, and within ten seconds Goldie and Jeff were sitting on the floor, too, with everyone in an amiable circle, the dogs in paroxysms of delight as they sniffed and licked the babies. "Goggie! Goggie!" the girls exclaimed.

"Well, I see you made it okay," a voice called from the hall.

"Dad!" Goldie rose, leaving Pippa with Jeff, to go hug her father.

Jeff also began to rise, but was waved back.

"No, don't get up, stay with your babies," the tall man said, coming to hunker down next to him. "I'm Tom Sorenson," he said. "I won't shake hands because mine are filthy from messing with the flinging flanging furnace, but I'm happy to meet you."

"Happy to meet you as well," Jeff answered with a smile.

"Let me go get cleaned up, and I'll help you with your things," Tom went on, rising with a hand on his back. "Man, I'm getting creaky," he said to no one in particular.

"When's Grant getting here?" Goldie asked her mother.

"Any time now," she answered, making faces with Jemma and not looking at her daughter.

Jeff reached over and scratched one of the dogs behind his ears, and the dog turned and licked his face.

He looked at Goldie and smiled, and she smiled back.

"I think this is going to be an absolutely wonderful Thanksgiving," he declared.