Part 22 **************** Noah bounded down the stairs, his eyes lit up with an excited gleam. “Momma! Gamma’s here! Gamma’s here!” He ran towards the front door, pulling it open as he threw himself at Claudia’s legs. “Gamma! You’re here!” Claudia leaned to kiss Noah’s head, moving into the house. “Well, isn’t this a wonderful hello?” Noah tugged on her hand, pulling her towards the living room. “C’mon, gamma. I want you to meet someone.” Claudia just giggled, enjoying the attention she was receiving. “Lead the way, my little prince.” Liz sat up from where she was sprawled out on the couch. “Gramma.” She smiled, trying to get up, but she couldn’t quite make it. Claudia waved off her attempts, moving to sit next to her. “Oh, don’t get up.” Her eyes lit up at the sight of a very pregnant Liz. There was something about the way her skin seemed to glow, the way her smile seemed to burn brighter, the twinkle in her eyes dancing with a happiness that made Claudia even more excited than she already was. “Oh, honeybear. Look at you.” Noah grabbed Claudia’s hand, placing it over Liz’s belly. “Gamma, I want you to meet Leah. She’s my baby sister, and she’s inside momma’s tummy.” Claudia’s eyes widened as she played along with Noah, listening to everything he was telling her. “I know it’s hard to believe, but she’s really in there.” He smiled proudly as he continued to explain. “She’s in there cos momma and daddy had so much love,” he held out his arms, demonstrating just how much. “That they didn’t know where to put it, so they created a whole ‘nother person.” Claudia chuckled at Noah’s grand explanation. “Well, that’s amazing.” A cheeky grin played against her lips as she joked. “Are you sure that babies don’t come from storks?” Noah shook his head, laughing. “That’s silly gamma. That only happens in make believe.” Claudia pulled Noah into her lap, giving him a kiss. “You’re so clever. You knew that I was just pulling your leg.” Noah cuddled with Claudia for a little while until Jeff and Nancy came inside the house with Max trailing behind. “Gramma Nancy. Grampa Jeff.” He ran towards them, pulling them up the stairs. “Come, I wanna show you the piture I drew. I wanna give it to you.” Jeff got a goofy smile on his lips. “You know what? It’s going right up on the refrigerator when we get home.” Max chuckled as he watched Noah drag Jeff and Nancy away, his voice working a mile a minute. He walked into the living room, sitting on the coffee table opposite Liz. He leaned forward, giving her a kiss. “How are you?” Liz rolled her eyes playfully, her hand connecting with Max’s chest as she pretended to hit him. “Max, you were only gone thirty minutes.” Max shrugged his shoulders. “Yeah, well a lot could happen in thirty minutes.” Claudia sat back, just enjoying the sight of Max and Liz. It was so refreshing to see, that after being together for five years, their marriage was still intact, and they seemed to be more in love than when she had last seen them. It was so common to see a lot of young marriages go bust only after a short while, but Claudia knew that that had no relevance to Max and Liz. They were different. They always had been. They were what she liked to call soul mates, and seeing them so happy made her happy. It reminded her of how she and her husband used to be. Claudia was broken out of her thoughts by Liz leaning over, giving her a hug. “I missed you so much, gramma. I’m glad you’re here.” Claudia squeezed her tightly. “It’s nice to see you too, honey bear.” She pulled back, smiling into Liz’s face. “So, how are you?” Liz held up her hands, smiling. “Well, I’m ready to have this baby, that’s for sure.” “When’s your due date?” “In two weeks. Actually, it’s a week after Noah’s birthday.” She sat back against the pillows, trying to make herself comfortable. “Noah’s secretly hoping that she’ll come on his birthday, you know, kinda like a really cool birthday present,” she laughed. “But either way, we’re still throwing him a great birthday party with all of the kids.” Max frowned, crossing his arms. “I told Liz not to push herself with planning Noah a birthday party when she’s so close, but she’s just so stubborn.” Liz made a face, defiantly sticking her tongue out at Max. Max shook his head playfully. “You see?” He pulled her feet to rest on his lap, giving them a massage. Claudia just held a hand to her mouth, laughing lightly. She couldn’t have picked a better time to visit.