Jack stood behind Autumn at the door.

"Who is…there?" she asked.

"Its Nana and Grandpa!" Charlotte told her.

"Nana!" Autumn opened the door quickly and hugged Charlotte.

"Hi, sweetheart!"

Autumn hugged Charlotte but kept her eye on Tom as he hugged Jack.

"Pumpkin, this is my Dad," Jack told her.

"Hi," she said with a shy smile. "Grandpa play…with Autumn?"

"Of course I can," Tom said with a similar grin to her Daddy. That made her feel happy.

"Play with…Mercy?"

"I will play with both of you, yes!"

Charlotte put her down and she took Tom's hand, pulling him into the house.

Charlotte and Jack laughed as they watched. "Where's Beth and Mercy?"

"She's in the nursery, rocking her. She loves her like she's ours, you know? She has such a big heart."

"So do you, son. Any child that stays with you, even for a day, is going to know that love. That's why you are perfect people to foster."

"You can go see her if you want."

"I think I will."

As Charlotte climbed the stairs, she heard Elizabeth's lovely voice singing.

"Come stop your crying

It will be alright

Just take my hand

And hold it tight

I will protect you

From all around you

I will be here

Don't you cry

For one so small,

You seem so strong

My arms will hold you,

Keep you safe and warm

This bond between us

Can't be broken

I will be here

Don't you cry

'Cause you'll be in my heart

Yes, you'll be in my heart

From this day on

Now and forever more

You'll be in my heart

No matter what they say

You'll be here in my heart

Always"

"That was beautiful, Elizabeth."

"Thank you," she smiled, still looking down at Mercy. "It's happened again, Charlotte. Not at first but I fell in love."

"That's a good thing, isn't it?"

"Well, yes, but if I do this with every child we foster, we are gonna end up adopting ten children."

Charlotte chuckled. "All the more to love."

Mercy sat up and smiled up at Elizabeth. "Hi, sweetie." She stood up and wrapped her arms around Elizabeth's neck. "Oh boy. Yep, I'm a goner."

Elizabeth's eyes spilled over as she wrapped her arms around her.

Logically, Elizabeth knew that she might not be able to adopt Mercy. She wasn't up for adoption at this point and depending on her parent's situation in jail, she might end up going back to them. She knew this, but she couldn't keep herself from loving her as if she would be theirs one day.

Downstairs, Jack and Tom sat on the floor and played a memory game with Autumn while they chatted.

"I cleared it with our social worker. She normally would need to do a background check on you and mom and meet with you in order for Mercy to stay with you but she made an exception."

"Great. Then we are happy to watch them for a few hours."

"Thanks, Dad. Elizabeth and I really need some time."

"Yes. I agree. You got married, remodeled most of a house, and had a child within just a few months. Now you have a second one. I'm not sure how this is working."

"Well, before Mercy, Autumn was at school so we had a bit of time. Now, yes, it's very difficult. Plus we have this little pumpkin head," he said, nudging Autumn and making her giggle. "Sleeping between us every night."

"Ah yes, the joys of parenthood. When sensitive ears aren't around, I have an idea how to fix that last one," Tom told Jack.

"Great. Thanks, Dad."

…..

That evening, Riverton Inn

"So remember when I said you were a genius?" Elizabeth said with a laugh.

"Changed your mind, huh?" he teased.

"Uh no. Quite the opposite, actually."

He had showed up at the bedroom door as she was getting ready with a red rose in his hand, looking sexy in his dark jeans, gray tshirt and leather jacket.

Two hours before….

"Hi, baby. Ready to go?" he asked, kissing her cheek, handing her the rose.

"Almost. I don't really know what you have planned. Do I look alright?" She wore a strappy black tank and jeans that sported stylish rips and tears on the knees and thigh.

"Yeah. Absolutely." She blushed as his eyes took her in. Head to toe.

"You too." She left the rose on the bed, slipped her oversized gray sweater over her head and smiled. "Ready."

They talked as they drove about themselves, trying to focus less on the girls and more on them. As they sat in the back of his truck, under a blanket, watching the sunset on Riverton Lake, they sipped hot cocoa and stole kisses.

"This is perfect," she whispered, not wanting to disturb the feeling. His lips met hers again and again, pulling her deeper into the bliss she had been craving.

"I got us a room at the Inn," he told her.

"Let's go."

Now, here they were, eating steak and potatoes in bed and drinking a glass of wine.

"This reminds me of our honeymoon," she giggled. "Dinner in bed is…." She had run out of adjectives.

"Yeah. It is."

She put her plate aside and looked at him. "Hon, I know we agreed that we would try not to talk about the girls but I need to tell you something."

"You love Mercy."

"Yeah. I do. I hope she will be with us forever."

"Me too but what if she isn't? Will your heart break if her parents get out of jail and want her back?"

"Yeah. I'm afraid it will but I know she needs a mother, and if it's not me….I'll deal with it."

Before they married, they talked extensively many times about the real risk of fostering and falling in love with children that would end up leaving. They had agreed it would be difficult but the main thing they wanted to remember was the children needed safety and love. They wanted to be the people to provide that.

They had never thought that the first two children who came to stay would be so deeply entrenched in their hearts so quickly.

"Am I wrong to feel like this?"

"Of course not, Elizabeth. Mercy is a sweetheart and if at some point we can adopt her, I'm all for it."

"Okay. Good."

"And if not, we will get through it. Together."

….

When they got home, the house was quiet. They peeked in Autumn's room and smiled. She was laying there and Charlotte was next to her in her bed. Jack bent down and kissed her forehead. "Love you, pumpkin," he whispered.

Elizabeth kissed her too and then they headed to their room. Mercy was asleep in her crib and Tom was on the bed, snoring away.

"Pop."

Tom stirred but didn't wake, so Jack tried again.

"Pop. Wake up," he whispered louder.

"What? Is she awake?"

"It's me. She's sleeping but we're home."

Tom sat up and ran his fingers through his hair, much like Jack did in the mornings. That made Elizabeth smile. "Did you have a good time?"

"Yeah. Thanks for watching the girls."

"You're welcome, son. They were angels."

"I'm glad."

Mercy stirred in her crib. "Mmmmommma" she whimpered. Elizabeth walked over to the crib and picked her up.

"Hi, honey bun. Mama's here."

Tom left the room and Jack changed, slipping under the covers to wait for Elizabeth. She walked the room slowly, lulling Mercy back to sleep.

Jack was a bit worried. He could see his wife's heart was going to break if Mercy had to go. He just hoped she would recover easily.

….

Six weeks later, Elizabeth sat at the kitchen table feeding her girls a snack. Autumn was thoroughly enjoying her apple cookie, which was an apple slice with peanut butter and mini chocolate chips. Mercy sat in her high chair picking at the mini chocolate chips.

"Dada?" Mercy asked as she pointed to the ceiling where the loud banging was coming from. Jack was working hard to finish the second bathroom upstairs.

"Yup, that's Dada. He's working on the bathroom. It's almost done!"

"On come on!" Jack cried out. His voice could be heard loud and clear through the ceiling.

"Or maybe it not "almost" done." Elizabeth laughed. They loved their old farm house. Even with its hidden problems.

Little Mercy had grown so attached to Jack and Elizabeth. Autumn too. Of course the feeling was mutual.

Elizabeth cell phone rang in the other room. She raced to get it and return to the girls at the table.

"Hello?"

"Elizabeth? Hi! It's Abigail."

"Oh, hi, Abigail. How are you?"

"Good. How are the girls?"

"Perfect as usual." Elizabeth smiled at her beautiful girls. "What can I do for you this afternoon?"

"Well, I have some news."

Elizabeth placed the girls in Autumn's room to play, just down the hall from the bathroom Jack was hammering away in. She needed to talk to him right away.

"Hey, babe." Jack said without looking up. "Look at this wall. Rot. I can't believe it. I removed the gross tile on the wall and found this. Why does every room in this house have hidden problems?"

"Rot, yeah. Gross."

Jack placed down his tool and stood. Something in his wife's voice didn't sound right. "What's wrong?"

"Abigail called. I guess a woman reached out to them. She's Mercy's aunt."

"Oh, well that's good right? I mean, family and all."

"We're her family. At least, we were becoming one."

Wrapping his arms around her, Jack held her close. This had been what he was afraid of. "What did Abigail say about this woman?"

"Her name's Lauren. I guess she's the mom's sister. They lost contact a few years ago when she tried to help them get clean, but Mercy's mom stole money from them and left."

"Oh man, that must have been hard. Where was she when the grandmother had her?"

"The grandmother was from the other side of the family, the dad's side. There was no communication between them." Elizabeth wiped away a few tears.

"I see. So how'd Lauren hear about Mercy?"

"Mercy's mother reached back out. She knows she will be in prison for a while and was worried about her little girl. I guess she wants the sister to raise her now. Lauren agreed."

"Wow. When?"

"She lives in Chicago. She's flying out next week to met Mercy and I guess if everything checks out, take her." Elizabeth sat on the cold tile floor, letting her tears fall.

"Mommy?" Autumn asked from the doorway. "Mommy... sad?"

"I'm okay, sweetie."

Elizabeth got up and walked back to the bedroom. Jack followed. They sat on the floor and played with their girls.

"I know this is probably good. She deserved to know her family if possible. I just hate to say goodbye."

"I know." Jack sat on the floor with Mercy in his lap. "We both let ourselves fall in love with this little one."

"Was that wrong?"

"No. We told ourselves we'd love every child that walked through our door, remember? Every child deserves to know love and feel safe. That's what we did, and we'll do it again. It doesn't make this heartbreak go away though."

"No, it doesn't."

Over the next week, Jack and Elizabeth did their best to live in the moment and enjoy every second they had. All the checks came back clear, and Lauren and her husband were granted temporary custody of Mercy until a formal adoption hearing could be arranged.

Jack and Elizabeth were then faced with the daunting task to try and explain to Autumn what was about to happen. How though, when they could hardly explain it to themselves? They sat Autumn down several times to try to explain.

"My sissy!" Autumn pouted. "Sissy…stay here!"

"You love Mercy don't you?"

"Yes! My sissy!"

"Mercy will always be your sister, in your heart." Elizabeth placed her hand over Autumn's heart.

"Autumn stay? Stay with Mommy and Daddy?"

"Yes. You are our little girl." Autumn's formal adoption hearing was two weeks away. Abigail assured them that all was set and Autumn would indeed become Autumn Thornton very soon. That gave the Thornton's some solace during this time.

The day before Mercy was set to meet her aunt, Grace came to spend time with everyone and be a moral support for her daughter and son-in-law. She was going to watch Autumn at the house while Jack and Elizabeth took Mercy to meet her aunt. Autumn was trying her hardest to understand what was happening and they didn't want to make it worse.

Later, after everyone in the house was asleep, Elizabeth got out of bed and stood by Mercy's crib. She watched as the beautiful little girl lay on her back, softly snoring.

"Beth?" Jack's soft voice called out from the bed. "You alright?"

"I guess."

Jack climbed out of bed and came to stand behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. "Let's pray for you. For us too."

"Jack, I don't think…" Her tears fell. "I don't think I can get words out."

"Want me to pray?" She nodded. "Dear Lord, we want to thank you for the months we've gotten to share with this precious child. It's no secret to you that our hearts are broken at having to say goodbye to her. You know we wouldn't have hesitated to keep her forever. Give us the strength to do what you're asking of us. Go with her and stay with her every day of her life. Bless our family, and bless hers. Amen."

"Amen." Elizabeth whispered.

On their last day together, they all bundled up in their fall coats. Elizabeth packed a picnic lunch and they took the kids to their favorite park to play. Before they left, Jack packed all Mercy's belongings in the back of the car. She was leaving them with far more than she came with, but that was okay.

Jack and Elizabeth ran around with the girls as if nothing had changed. Though inside their hearts were breaking. Grace and Charlotte sat on the blanket watching.

"You think they're ready for this?" Charlotte asked.

"I don't think anyone is ever ready for this, but they're strong. Together they can do this."

When it was time, Jack picked up Autumn, his little pumpkin and said. "Can you say, bye bye and I love you to Mercy? She gets to go be with her new family now."

"Autumn miss Mercy."

"I know. So will Mommy and Daddy."

He put Autumn down and she trotted over to Mercy, who was in Elizabeth's arms. Elizabeth knelt down so Autumn to see.

"Mercy go bye bye. Autumn keep you…here." She placed her little chubby hand over her heart. "You keep Autumn here?" She placed her other hand over Mercy's heart.

Mercy smiled. "Aut Aut." That's what she called Autumn. "Aut Aut."

Autumn gave Mercy a hug and a kiss, then hurried off to Grace's arms.

"She'll be alright." Grace reassured them. "We'll take care of her while you do what you need to do."

Charlotte and Grace said their goodbyes to Mercy and watched as Jack placed Mercy in her car seat, and kissed the top of her little head. "Ready, sweet pea?"

She smiled and clapped her hands. "Dada go?"

That was like a knife to Jack's heart. He kissed her again and closed the door. Climbing in the driver's seat he asked Elizabeth, "You ready?"

"No, but it's okay. Or maybe it will be."

They drove in almost complete silence to Abigail's office. When they arrived, Abigail lead them to a meeting room. It looked more like a playroom or living room than an office. Inside, there was a tall man and woman with the same coloring as Mercy. The woman, Lauren, being to cry as soon as she laid eyes on Mercy.

"Oh my goodness!" she cried. " You look just like your mama!" Lauren walked over and ran her hand up and down Mercy's back. "Will you come see me?"

At first the little girl tried to hide on Elizabeth's shoulder. With Elizabeth's encouragement, she turned and faced her aunt.

Lauren hugged her niece then turned to face Jack and Elizabeth. "Hi, I'm Lauren. Thank you for taking such good care of this angel. Mrs. Stanton told me just how great you've been for her."

"Our pleasure," Elizabeth said with a weak smile. "She's easy to love."

"I can see that." Lauren looked solemnly at Jack and Elizabeth. "This is hard for you isn't it?"

"Yeah," Jack replied. "You'll take good care of her, right?"

"I promise. We have two children already. Both boys. They're so excited to have a little girl in the family."

They stayed a little while longer, making sure Mercy felt comfortable enough. Lauren seemed to remind her of her own mother, which helped a lot.

"Jack," Elizabeth whispered through tears. "I think she's okay. We need to go."

He agreed.

They exchanged information with Lauren, who promised to send pictures and updates to the Thornton's. Jack didn't take Mercy back in his arms when Lauren offered, he knew it would have be too hard to let go.

"I love you, Mercy. Be good okay? You're in great hands now." He kissed the top of her head, a few tears falling as he did, then he stepped aside for Elizabeth to say goodbye.

Elizabeth hugged both Mercy and Lauren. "This is hard, but it would be harder if I thought you wouldn't be what's best for her." She kissed Mercy. "Bye, sweet girl. I love you so so much."

"Bye bye," Mercy said with a wave.