A few weeks after the proposal Faith had walked in on Friday night dinner sporting her engagement ring. Elizabeth had since figured out that Carson had already proposed and they refused to announce it knowing what was in the works.

"It's about time." She stated as they looked at her surprised. Elizabeth hugged her friends happily.

"I knew the moment you two started being cagey that something was up. It was either you had already proposed or the other thing." She said to Carson who just grinned at her.

"Busted," Faith chuckled. Elizabeth looked from Rosie to Lee.

"Go on, have at it."

"We're pregnant." Lee announced happily as an excited chorus amongst the boys erupted as the girls already knew.

"By we he means Rosie and they're expecting." Elizabeth clarified teasingly. The boys had taken turns hugging Rosie affectionately.

"You've been quite a secret keeper." Elizabeth smiled up at Jack as he sat beside her. He slipped his hands in hers and brought it to his lips before kissing her cheek.

On the drive home as Logan slept at the back Jack drove home in quiet pensiveness. Elizabeth habitually placed her hand on his leg as he drove as she lay her head back and closed her eyes. Jack's hand covered hers.

"How long have you known about Faith and Carson?" He asked. Elizabeth opened her eyes. She knew he would put all the pieces together eventually.

"Definitively today, suspected for months now."

"And Baby Coulter?" Elizabeth took his hand in hers intertwining their fingers,

"The night before you proposed."

"Did they not announce because of us?"

"Maybe," She answered honestly without providing details.

"I guess with all your planning they didn't want to take away from that. You know how those guys are."

Jack imagined that suspecting an engagement and hearing about your best friends expecting would have been to some extent hard to hear despite how happy she would have been for them when she didn't know what their future held.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"It wasn't my news to tell." She answered but he knew that wasn't the only reason. He had been scouring his brain for when she would have suspected and been told but couldn't pin point. She had remained the same with him. Which he appreciated and couldn't help but worry about.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I honestly thought you should hear the news from the Coulter's yourself and Carson and Faith were so tight lipped about their news that I didn't want to speculate."

"I'm not mad you didn't tell me. I'm worried why you didn't."

"You don't have to worry." She assured him. When he didn't reply Elizabeth removed her hand from his leg and looked out the window. Jack looked over at her as she turned her body slightly and closed her eyes. She was trying to diffuse the moment before it became an argument knowing that the root of his question was coming from a good place. He took her hand in his wordlessly. As he pulled up in front her house he turned to her.

"I'm sorry." Elizabeth turned and opened her eyes to look at him.

"You don't have anything to be sorry about."

"I just,"

"I get it. I do. This is exactly what I was trying to avoid. You told me you had a plan and that was enough. I told them they didn't have to do what they did but you've met our friends their all kinds of unreasonable protective."

"I just hate the thought…"

"I know Baby, I do. I get it. I'm okay." She tried reassuring him.

"We're okay." Elizabeth added placing a hand on his cheek.

"I love you." Jack murmured meaningfully as he brought his forehead to hers.

"I never doubted that for a moment." She replied. That was the truth, even when she doubted he loved her enough, she never doubted he loved her.

"You better get the little monkey home." Elizabeth said as she kissed him. Begrudgingly he agreed not ready to part with her yet.

"I'll see you tomorrow night." When he looked confused for a moment she reminded him of her plans with Auggie. Unbeknownst to anyone else they were doing some wedding planning recon.

"What are you up to?"

"A little brunch, a little shopping, not much. We just haven't really caught up since the night of the engagement so we thought it was long overdue."

"Why don't you invite him to dinner?"

"Are you sure?" she asked knowing that tomorrow night he had planned for Tom to sit Logan so he could have some alone time with Elizabeth.

"Yeah, the more the merrier. Invite Antoni too."

"Why don't you drop him a message. It would mean more to him coming from you than from me."

"I will do."

"See you tomorrow baby. I love you." She said giving him one last kiss. Jack went around to her side and as always opened the door for her. Elizabeth stepped forward and hugged him tightly.

"Drive safe, let me know when you get home safe."

"I will Sweetheart." Jack dropped his lips to her forehead.

Elizabeth took a long bath knowing by the time she was out and ready for bed Jack would be home and Logan would be tucked in. He generally sent a text the moment they walked in the door and called after Logan had been put to bed and he too was showered and ready for bed. She had just gotten into bed when he called,

"Hi Baby," she greeted affectionately.

"Hi you still awake?"

"Surprisingly despite the hour yes. Aren't you tired? You had such an early start thing morning."

"I'm tired of saying goodnight to you over the phone." He grumbled as Elizabeth chuckled. Ever since the proposal he had been more and more reluctant to part with her.

"Well when you're ready to talk dates take out your calendar. You're the one that has work trips scheduled all over the place."

"Elizabeth, you tell me when you want to get married. I can work around work. Our wedding is more important than work."

"You tell me. When do you want to get married?"

"Tomorrow, but I'm sure there'd be a long line of people who would kill me if we got married tomorrow."

"Just Rosie," Elizabeth replied amused.

"How about you? When do you want to get married?"

"I'd marry you tomorrow in front of a judge Jack Thornton, but I would never deprive my father the moment of giving me away."

"You deserve the wedding of your dreams Elizabeth,"

"The wedding of my dreams is marrying you. It always has been." She confessed.

"It was never about the place, or the theatrics, but the someone." Jack closed his eyes, whilst that admission filled his heart it also pinched at it.

"How about October? It's not cold anymore and it's not hot yet." He suggested.

"October sounds good. How about the 20th?"

"That's perfect. How about the where?"

"I'm not sure, that probably requires more research. Let's check out a few places. I want us to find a place where we both just know it's the right one."

"That sounds like a plan. How about on Sunday we go to the earliest service and go for a drive."

"That works."

They talked for a little while longer before Elizabeth began to fade. Elizabeth kept insisting she didn't want a big wedding. At the same time Jack didn't want to deprive her of the wedding she deserved. Whilst it was not his first wedding, it would be his last and her only one.

Elizabeth met Auggie for breakfast instead of brunch. Elizabeth had suggested the early start so she could help Jack prep for dinner for the four of them whilst Auggie went to get Antoni.

"So what did you want to do first? Dress? Invite?" Elizabeth shrugged feeling overwhelmed.

"I don't know where to start. I mean how does one plan a wedding?"

"Let's break it down. Close your eyes. When you think wedding day, what do you see first."

"My wedding dress?"

"Well, let's start with that. Nothing official, just a browse through to see what's out there. Realistically you will have to book an appointment to try the dresses out so think of this as window shopping." Elizabeth smiled at her friend.

"Thank you Auggie. This all doesn't quite feel real to be honest."

"In a wow I'm excited kind or a I'm waiting for him to take it back kind?" Elizabeth swallowed,

"A little of both maybe? It's more like disbelief we are actually here to worried the other shoe is bound to drop."

"After everything you have both been through that's natural. Where's Jack in all this?"

"I'm sensing a little panic from him. Like he feels like he's waited too long. He wigged a little last night when he found out that I had known all this time that Carson and Faith were engaged. That Lee and Rosie were expecting."

"He feels like he's been short changing you all this time. I guess knowing you've had to carry this extra information on your own worries him that you are bottling up how you feel."

"But I really wasn't. Everyone has been 'handling' me and whilst it's coming from a place of love it's unnecessary."

Dinner with Auggie and Antoni was lively and fun as always. Jack was amused by the nonsensical verbal and mostly non verbal conversations between Elizabeth and Auggie. Their friendship had definitely reached a new level of insanity post Europe.

"She's okay you know," Auggie said quietly as they began to wash up as Elizabeth and Antoni cleared the table. Jack raised his gaze to meet Auggie's.

"I know you're worried, she knows your worried but she has always known what she was walking into. She chose you. There's no changing her mind. She loves you. She believes heart and soul that you are the one God had intended for her. Grace is undeserved favour, take it. Keep God at the centre. Love her. See the very best in her. Challenge her to be the very person God called her to be and use the gifts he has given her. Allow yourself to feel worthy of her love because you deserve her as much as she deserves you. You worrying about this constantly only makes her worry. Don't step into marriage with that. Clean slate, new beginnings."

"Thank you Auggie." Jack said hoarsely overcome with emotion. He had known that what Auggie had said had come from God. That out of anyone in Elizabeth's world those words would not naturally come from Auggie.

"Sure man, no problem." With that Auggie wandered back into the dining room to grab more dishes.

After dinner Auggie and Antoni headed home. They needed an early night as they all had an early start the next morning. Elizabeth and Jack sat on the couch and picked up their respective books. Jack opened his arm out for her to slide in right next to him as she snuggled to his side, head on the crook of his arm. Jack dropped his lips to her head as his arm wrapped around her.

"So October 20," Elizabeth looked up and smiled at him,

"October 20."

"Have you told the girls we have a date?"

"No I thought we could announce it together at family dinner tomorrow night. We'd have a better idea after we scout places and confirm location." She answered practically.

"True."

"So is Logan standing as your best man or can we have him as a ring bearer?"

"I think we can have him as a ring bearer. I thought I would ask Tom to be my best man. How about you? Lee or one of the girls?"

"As Maid of Honour?" She asked as he nodded in response.

"I guess it would have to be Man of Honour as its going to be Lee."

"Was this something you both pinky swore and spit in your hand handshake about when you were five?" Elizabeth laughed,

"Maybe, but it's also because from there until now I can't think of anyone else standing beside me on my wedding day. Not even my sisters. Lee has from the moment I was born that person who got me, defended me, sheltered me, in my darkest moments Leland Coulter stood or mostly sat beside me and held my hand. For as long as I remember there was never a time that he wasn't there." Jack smiled,

"He pretty much said the same thing about you when he told us you were going to be his best man,"

"My parents may not have produced him but Leland Coulter has never been anything but my brother."

"So bridesmaids?"

"Abigail, Rosie and Faith? How about you? Groomsmen?"

"I was thinking Noah, Peter and Carson."

"I was thinking Cody and Becky as Ushers."

"You should have Katie and Teddy be your flower girls and have Will as the other ring bearer."

"Simple wedding out the window." She replied with a chuckle.

"Well that covers all the basis. Besides, having your God children in the wedding party would make it easier for your sisters to swallow that you didn't pick them as bridesmaids." He explained,

"Nice loophole."

"I do my best." Elizabeth glanced up and kissed his jaw affectionately. She appreciated his thoughtfulness. Jack his hand down her waist and lay it there as she draped an arm across his middle.

"When I look at our future this is what I see." He whispered as she nodded tightening and hold on him.

"Me too. I can't wait."