Field of Poppies

July 1909

            "Look at that." Amelia folded the knitted blanket over the railing of the cot. It had been a present from her employers at the grocery store. They had given her a couple of months off of work so she could deliver the baby and get settled. "All ready."

Tommy was sitting on the chest at the end of her bed. "Just need the baby now."

She smiled and rested a hand on her swollen abdomen. "Couple more weeks."

"Are you nervous?" He asked.

"I don't know." She admitted and adjusted the sheets on the cot. It was perfect, just waiting to cradle the little boy that was due. "I suppose I am but it feels okay, lie everything will be taken care of."

"It will be," Tommy promised. "You don't need to worry about a thing."

Amelia went to sit on the bed, leaning back on her hands to try and ease the ache in her lower back. "I can't imagine how things would end up without you, Tom." She murmured softly.

"You'd be alright." He stood up and stepped in front of her. Cautiously, he tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear. Although they had confessed their love to one another the month prior, neither of them took a step to show that affection. Either because they were always surrounded by family or they weren't sure what to do. How to allow things to begin.

Tommy and Amelia were very familiar with one another, being friends for so long. But being in love was so different that they almost had no clue how to handle it. It was new territory. Tommy had flings before, girls flocked to him. A combination of blue eyes and a reputation for trouble was alluring. But with Amelia, it was different. Tommy saw a future, which was very unlike him. Most of his plans were related to lifting his family out of the slums of Birmingham. He wanted to make others understand the hardships of the working man. But with Amelia, he saw a personal future.

She took his hands in hers. "I was thinking about what we could name him." The change of subject brought Tommy out of his thoughts.

"Yeah?"

"Remember I told you about the woman at the fair who I talked to for a bit?"

"With the baby?"

"Right, Maxine. I was thinking we could name him after her. I mean if Polly's right about the gender."

Tommy chuckled and gently grazed his thumb over her knuckles. "She's never been wrong yet. Me mum said she knew what gender each of us would be months before we were born."

Amelia smiled. "Well, then we'll have to name him Maxwell. Max for short?"

"That sounds like a fine name." He agreed. Tommy didn't want to suggest naming the boy after his father and he had a feeling she wouldn't want to name him after her father either. Neither of them was a role model.

"Maxwell Thomas Shelby."

Tommy looked surprised, wondering if he'd heard her right.

Amelia looked a little sheepish. "I mean if you don't mind if he takes your last name. I didn't really want to give him mine."

"I wouldn't mind at all but...you want to give him my name too?"

"Why not?" It was a no-brainer to Amelia.

"I just-" He shrugged and realized he was at a loss for words. The simple act of giving the boy his name was just solidifying the future he would have with Amelia. It was exciting but also petrifying. For the first time in his life, he was thinking about 'forever' and not just the brief moment. Everything suddenly had long term consequences. Things he couldn't walk away from. But he didn't want to walk away. He wanted to be by Amelia's side forever. "I'm never gonna leave you, Mel."