Ennis showed up at the door with another box of goodies for Momma and babies. His mother was bound and determined that the twins, and their mother, were going to be clothed in Jamaican attire for the next two years, it seemed. The delivery had come just in time for Ennis' trip to visit with Gabi, and possibly Gordon. At first, he'd felt reservations towards Gabi's father, and he was nearly certain that Gordon had felt the same towards him. But, as the months progressed, they seemed to ease into a distant friendship. Still, Ennis was hoping that Gabi was home alone. Wearing a dark blue snow parka, a pair of jeans, his multicolored raz and a pair of thick soled boots, he was the image of ready for winter as he knocked upon the heavy wooden door.

As luck would have it, she was home alone, Gordon having gone up to the big house to coo over the newest baby in the Granger family and give his daughter some needed headspace. It took a little while for Gabi to respond to the knock on the door, her girth slowing her down somewhat these days, but eventually the familiar sound of her waddling footsteps made itself known. There was a pause as she rose on her toes to look through the peephole before pulling the door open with a wide smile. "Ennis! You didn't say you were coming over today!"

"Gabrielle," he smiled, his accent thick as her name rolled off of his tongue. Once the door was opened, he stepped inside and shifted the box to the side so he could give her a one armed hug and a kiss to her cheek. "How is da mudder o' m'boys t'day?" Somehow he'd managed to maneuver enough around to get the door closed behind himself. "And I t'ought I'd su'prise ya wit all da stuff m'own mudder be sendin'. Dat woman be determined."

She laughed cheerfully at his announcement of yet more bits and pieces from his mother. "Wouldn't it just be easier for her to come here and poke the bump, rather than trying to drown me in baby clothes?" she asked a little impishly. She was in a good mood today; not just because she'd been allowed a little headroom and space to get a good start on the nursery, either. She was, however, spattered in paint, her hair up in a messy ponytail. There was even paint on her bare feet, thankfully dried on before she'd left the room in question. "I'm good. I got a letter from Cian."

Ennis gave her a "you'd think" grin and placed the box out of the way so he could get a better look at her. And though he was ready to scowl at her for working on the nursery without help, the good news about her brother broke the frown that had begun to form on his face. "Didja now" What y'brudder have to be sayin' den" He be all right, by the look upon y'pretty face." As usual, when Ennis was near Gabi and his hands were free, they were placed upon her ever swelling baby boulder. He could feel the flutter of movement and any signs of that frown were now completely gone.

"He's been busy, that's why he hasn't written before," she told her friend, happy to let him fondle the bump as the babies within rolled over and pushed at the invading pressure. At 30 weeks, it really wasn't long now. "He says he'll be home before the boys are born, and he's bringing his girl with him. She's got a beautiful name, I just can't remember it." She shrugged. "It's in the letter, anyway. How're you?"

Ennis was glad to hear that Gabi had finally received a letter from her brother. He knew that she worried over him. Bending at the waist, he pressed two kisses to her belly before standing upright to take a slight step back. "I be all right, worried bout m'girl and boys. I want t'be here, Gabi. Y'don't know when dey be comin'." He still bore that warm, friendly smile, but he wasn't joking about wanting to move in until the birth of their children.

"And I told you, I don't want to have to choose between you and dad and Cian if you're all here when the time comes," she reminded him, showing a rare display of backbone for the shyest of the Grangers. "It'll be stressful enough without knowing two of you are resenting the other one for being in there with me, so none of you will be. If Miranda's here, she'll be my birth partner; if she isn't, Caroline said she would be. I'm not going to leave you out of the loop, Ennis, but I'm not going to be bullied by any of you on this. My decision."

"Bu..." he sighed, shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. "I know you won't be leavin' me out. I jus' don't know if yer family will." He honestly didn't know any of them, other than Gabrielle and Gordon, and wasn't likely to trust anybody he didn't know. "I just want t'be here for ya, gurl. I helped t'put ya in dis, I should be here to help ya out o'dis, too."

"They won't leave you out, either," she told him pointedly, poking him in the stomach. "I know I'm a mouse most of the time, but I can lay down the law to my own family, you know." She blinked, realizing they were still standing in the hallway. "Oh! You should come in and get your coat off and stuff. Would you like a drink?"

Putting his hands upon his hips, he shook his head and rolled his eyes again. He considered her for a moment, then shrugged and began to take his coat off. He obviously was wanting much more from her than she was willing to give and the wear of trying to keep that hidden was beginning to grow thin. "Y'got rum' I think I could be usin' a drink, mawn." The days to the birth were becoming shorter and Ennis was getting anxious about Gabi's and the babies' health.

She frowned a little at the way he looked at her. While the months since they'd ended their romantic involvement had actually enabled her to grow up a lot more, to realize she didn't need to lean on anyone to be capable of living her life, she had a horrible feeling that Ennis was starting to regret that she'd said no when he'd asked her to marry him. If he was in love with her, it couldn't be a bigger disaster in Gabi's mind. She wasn't in love; it wasn't ideal, but she knew they could work something out with each other and the babies. Breaking his heart wasn't part of the bargain. "Um, I can have a look," she offered, gesturing toward the living room. He knew the way by now.

He saw the frown and knew that she knew his little secret. Nodding that he knew the way, he turned from her and headed into the living room. Now things were going to be more tense and less ideal. Still, he couldn't help what his heart and his pride were telling him was the right thing. He'd fathered the children out of love and it pricked at his sensibilities that the children were going to be raised, one parent at a time. He couldn't understand how she could be so hard-headed. Instead of sitting down once he reached the living room, he paced about. There wasn't anything in the room that Ennis hadn't seen a hundred times over, yet he still walked up to knicknacks and held them close for inspection as if it had been the first time ever seeing the object.

Wary of him now she sensed the change in his mood, Gabi was silent as she slipped across the living room to the kitchen, lowering onto her knees to rummage in the very back of the deepest cupboard. If there was any alcohol in the house, it would be there, though she didn't hold out much hope. She didn't drink, and Gordon ....well, a former alcoholic, however sober, didn't like to be near it too much. "I'm sorry, Ennis, we don't have any," she called, drawing herself back up onto her feet. "Is there anything in particular you'd like instead?"

Ennis put down the small statuette he'd been looking at when she called from the kitchen. "I get it, Gabi. Y'should be restin' gurl." He turned on his heel and walked into the kitchen. "Now, what would it be dat you be wantin?" He knew where the glasses were, the lemonade and soft drinks. And if the elephant in the room were to be addressed, it was better to do it before the babies arrived.

"Oh, um, it's fine, I can do it," she offered awkwardly, already pouring water into the kettle to heat. "I'm drinking vast amounts of ginger tea at the moment. Lots of heartburn." She nodded, attempting to smile in the face of the tension bleeding through the room.