After the vows were made and the papers were signed, the wedding party made their way to the Dawson house, where everything was set up for a small reception. At the moment, Jack and Rose stood in the center of a circle of their family and friends. Everyone, but Lily held a champagne glass in their hands. Charlie stepped forward, his glass raised in preparation for a a toast.
"As Jack's best man, it is my duty to give the speech. What can I say about Jack? Well, when Aunt Irene and Uncle Albert were alive, Jack and I hardly knew each other. I was older than hm of course and was living up in Michigan. Then when that horrible fire took my Aunt and Uncle's lives, I came here to find Jack long gone. Off to see the world. I couldn't fault him for leaving. It must have been painful, losing his parents the way he did. But I couldn't just leave town. I stayed and kept the home fires burning and finally my cousin returned. A shadow of his former self. Hope and I, we worried for him. The Jack I had known was a happy, optimistic boy, but the Jack that returned, he was miserable and Lily was the only one that could bring a smile to him. That was until Rose came along. Rose came to town and Jack was full of sunshine. He was back to being the Jack I remembered. Rose, I owe you a debt of gratitude for that, for bringing Jack's smile back for good. Welcome to the family sweetie and I wish for you both a long and happy future together," He raised the wine glass for a toast. "To Jack and Rose!"
"Jack and Rose!" Their friends repeated, raising their glasses before drinking down the wine.
Rose blinked back the raising tears in her eyes as she sipped her champagne.
"Hey, why are you crying?" Jack asked, noticing the tears.
"I'm just so happy. I never thought it was possible to be this happy," Rose chuckled, accepting the handkerchief that Jack had in the pocket of his suit to dab away her tears. "This has been the most wonderful...most romantic day."
Rose and Jack smile as music floated out from the house. Hope had ducked inside to put on a record.
"Let the bride and groom have the first dance everyone!" She called out as she spotted Jack's friend George and Lisa about to step out.
Jack smiled as he sat down his now empty glass onto a nearby table and pulled Rose close. They swayed slowly to the song, comfortably listening to the music.
I am dreaming Dear of you, day by day Dreaming when the skies are blue, When they're gray; When the silv'ry moonlight gleams, Still I wander on in dreams, In a land of love, it seems, Just with you. Let me call you "Sweetheart," I'm in love with you. Let me hear you whisper that you love me too. Keep the love-light glowing in your eyes so true. Let me call you "Sweetheart," I'm in love with you. Longing for you all the while, More and more; Longing for the sunny smile, I adore; Birds are singing far and near, Roses blooming ev'rywhere You, alone, my heart can cheer; You, just you. Let me call you "Sweetheart," I'm in love with you. Let me hear you whisper that you love me too. Keep the love-light glowing in your eyes so true. Let me call you "Sweetheart," I'm in love with you.
"This is such a nice song," Rose sighed, leaning her head against Jack's shoulder, feeling warm, comfortable and loved. Finally, she was where she belonged. Jack's arms.
"It is. And it describes us perfectly, don't you think?"
"It does. I'm so in love with you Jack. I can't see straight."
Jack laughed. "I think you see just fine," He grinned. He turned serious, the detective coming to mind. "You were pretty upset this morning. Are you alright now?
Rose nodded, embarrassed by her mini freak out. "I'm fine. I had just panicked. I didn't like being reminded of Cal. Not today of all days."
"I know, sweetie, and I'm sorry. I gave the fella a piece of my mind."
"You did?" Rose looked at Jack, almost not believing him.
"I sure did and when I was done, he was very sorry about having bothered you on our special day," Jack nodded. He wondered if he should tell her about the rest of it. About the Boston Dawsons wanting a family reunion and his idea that maybe contacting them would be the best way to protect her from Cal.
"I noticed that he had left. Did you throw him out?"
"No. He had left on his own. He did tell me something interesting though,," He decided to go ahead and tell her. He wanted no secrets between them. He didn't know how she would feel about having fled from money and unknowingly marrying into money anyway, but at least she knew that he wasn't Cal. That no matter what these rich Boston Dawsons had in mind, nothing with them would change. They were still going to travel, they were still going to make their dreams come true and Rose was free to be herself. No matter what high society had to say. Rose was his companion, not his property. That was the way it was always going to be.
"What was it this time? Some skeleton in Cal's closet that he found? That maybe Cal is a secret cross dresser or something?"
"What?" Jack laughed and shook his head. "No, nothing that scandalous, even though I guess in your old group of friends this would be considered scandalous."
"What?"
"Well, turns out the search for you, sent Cal's detective digging into my family tree and coming in contact with the Boston Dawsons. The ones that we're distant relatives of. Turns out they want a family reunion."
"What? You have got to be kidding?"
"I'm afraid not. He gave me the number and address of a Lewis Dawson and told me to call him."
"Oh my god, Lewis Dawson? Jack, do you even realize who he is? Oh my god, mother would probably faint if she knew!"
Jack frowned, completely confused. To be honest, this was the first time he had ever heard of the man. "Um...no I don't. Just that he's some relative that wants me and Charlie to call him for some reason."
Rose laughed, loving how easy going Jack was about all of this, like it was no big deal and she guessed to him, it wasn't. "Jack, Lewis Dawson is not only a very old man wanting a family reunion with you. He is the richest man in Boston. The Boston Dawsons, they own half of the city. Their descendants go way back, some even say they've come over on the Mayflower, even though Cal's father insists that's a rumor. But one thing is for sure, they are even richer than the Hockleys."
"Oh."
"Oh?" Rose laughed. "I love you Jack and that oh is the very reason. You don't care that you may be a member of the richest family in Boston do you?"
"No, not really. I'm more concerned about being a member of a family that I have no idea about. It's always just been me, mom, dad, Charlie, and his parents. I have no idea who these other people are or what they want. The detectives says the old man wants to pull the Dawsons back together again, whatever that means."
"That means that if mother was here, you'd be her most favorite person right now," Rose snorted.
"Too bad she had already shown her true colors, isn't it?" Jack laughed.
Rose just laughed and nodded. "It is. Now she'll have to take back her nasty attitude towards you," Rose sighed. "That is when she and Cal show up on our doorstep. But enough about them, what about this thing with the Boston Dawsons? What are you going to do? Does Charlie know?"
Jack nodded. "I talked to him about it before the wedding. I think he's going to look into it. He seemed rather excited. He said he was going to wait until we're back from Santa Monica, but I'm not going to hold him to that. He may not have a choice if the old man contacts him before we get back."
"Do you think he will?"
"Maybe. I don't see why not. That fella gave him the information of where we were. It wouldn't surprise me if he showed up here in Chippewa Falls."
"Maybe along with Mother and Cal even. Wouldn't that be interesting?"
"Well, whatever it is this guy wants, it won't change anything, Rose. Not for us. We'll still be Jack and Rose. We'll still do everything that we've planned and you'll still have the freedom that Hockley and your mother were trying so hard to take away from you," Jack hugged her close. "That man's money is not going to change anything.
Rose smiled, knowing that the promise may be impossible to keep. Money always changes things, but she appreciated the sentiment. "Don't make promises you can't keep Jack. Only promise to love me forever, no matter what and I'll be happy."
Jack smiled, looking into her eyes. "Well that definitely is a promise that I can and will keep. Nothing will ever stop me from loving you. Nothing."
Rose smiled and pulled him into a kiss that had a promise of his own. A promise to always stand by his side, through thick and thin. She didn't care if this new discovery made him richer than Cal or poorer than he already was. What mattered to her was that they were together and will always be together. That truly, there was nothing on this earth that could tear them apart.