Sean and Jack spent the rest of the holiday weekend around the pool. He grilled at night for dinner, and watched movies. After the holiday, Sean would pick up Jack from school and go to the park. They would kick the soccer ball together, he would watch him on the playground. Then he would take Jack to get ice cream. Things seem to be going good between Jack and Sean. Sean loved spending time with Jack.

They were coming home from their daily ice cream treat, Sean thought someone was following them. He had a feeling someone was watching him the day before but didn't see anyone. He needed to stop at the store but decided to go to the house and ordered pizza. Jack has some homework, just some coloring pages, he did that while he waited for dinner. The doorbell rang and Sean told Jack to stay in the kitchen. He answered the door expecting the pizza but instead found an unwanted guest.

"Sean. Haven't seen you in a while."

"Jessica. What can I do for you?"

"I need to talk to Aaron about getting Jack on Saturday for the day."

"I'm sorry but that isn't going to be possible."

"Is he on a case?"

"No."

"Is he at the office?"

"No."

"Listen Sean I need to talk to Arron not you, so can you please tell me where he is at?"

"If you must know, he is on his honeymoon?"

Jessica stared at him for a minute. "What did you say?"

"He married Penelope on Saturday."

"He couldn't have."

"What do you mean?"

"He doesn't love her?"

Sean stared at her for a minute. "How long have you been in love with him? Since he was married to your sister." She didn't answer him. "That's low even for you."

"I don't know what you are talking about."

"Don't play dumb Jessica. Remember, I know your secret and have for years." He said. "Listen Jessica and listen well. Aaron is happy, something I thought I would never see again after Hayley died. He's happy with Penelope. She makes him happy and she knows him, knows what makes him tick. But most importantly she knows how he believes in his job. Why he does it? She gets him. Something I don't think Hayley ever did. I know she loved Aaron, anyone one who knew her knew that."

"What does he see in her?"

"In Penelope? She's beautiful, funny, and she makes Aaron smile. Something he rarely does. You aren't around them so you don't see. He looks at her like she is all he sees. He always has a smile on his face plus she loves Jack like he is her son."

"She's not his mother." She snapped.

"Jack knows who his mother is but he loves Penelope so much that she is his mom. You need to get used to the fact that Penelope is in their life to stay. She loves them. She's giving Jack a brother. He is excited about that. Don't make trouble for them. Aaron and Jack deserve to be happy after everything they've been through."

"She will never make him happy?"

"And you will?" he laughed. "Get over it Jessica. Like I told you, you won't be getting Jack until Aaron and Penelope come back and you talk to them. So you need to go."

"Since I'm here, can I see Jack?"

"Not possible."

"Why not? Isn't he here?"

"When Aaron get backs you can talk to him about seeing Jack?"

Sean open the door and Jessica turned around, walked out the door. He sighed, then turned around and saw Jack standing just outside the kitchen door.

"Aunt Jessica is mean. She always talks about mom. It's not good."

"Don't pay attention to her." he said as the doorbell rang. "That's the pizza. Go get some drinks while I get dinner."

"Can we have soda?"

"Yes. Don't tell your mom."

"I won't."

Aaron and Penelope arrived in Italy. Penelope was beyond excited as they drove through the rolling countryside. Aaron told her that they were staying a bed and breakfast in Chianti. It was a castle that had been converted to a B & B. Aaron only stared at Penelope while she pointed out everything she could see. Soon they were pulling up driveway that led to the castle. Penelope was in awe. Once they parked and got out, they were met with a lovely old couple that owned the B & B. They checked in and were shown to their room. the room was beautiful: it had a queen size four poster bed, a sitting room and a bathroom that held a shower and a tub, and a wet bar. But what made the room breathtaking was the view from the balcony. It overlooked the olive grows and vineyards.

"Aaron this room is beautiful."

He came up behind her and pulled her back against him, wrapping his arms around her. "It is."

"Look at the pool, it looks so inviting."

"Would you like a swim?"

"I am very tempted but I want to call Jack and take a nap. I'm rather tired from the flight."

"Let's call Jack."

After a call to Jack and a two-hour nap, they went exploring. They took a walk on grounds, which was surrounded by groves of olive trees and grapes. Hand in hand they walked through the trees, taking in the scenery. The hills surrounding the castle with its lush green grass. They walked toward the patio, that was covered with tables set up underneath. The pool was to the left of the patio and the water was so blue, Penelope sat down and put her feet in the water. Aaron followed.

"What are going to while we are here?"

"We'll be here for five days and I have a lot planned for us to do"

She smiled at him. "I hope some of those plans have something to do with staying in our room."

He laughed. "You have such a dirty mind and I love it." He leaned in to kiss her.

"What did Sean tell you that made you so tense?"

He looked at her and sighed. "Jessica made a surprise visit to the house. She wanted to see Jack. Sean told her we got married and that we were on are honeymoon and that she need to contact me if she wanted to see Jack. She argued with him for a bit and then she left. She didn't see Jack; he was in the kitchen."

"Why didn't he tell me when we talked?"

"I guess he didn't want you to worry."

"He sounded like he was having a good time with Sean."

"He is and they are." Aaron said. "I didn't want to tell you because I didn't want to worry you."

"Should we go home."

"No. Jessica isn't going to do anything." He said. "I don't want to talk about her. Let's go to our room and soak in that big tub."

After a quiet dinner and a good night sleep, they woke up the next morning and started the day with a light breakfast. Aaron and Penelope walked to the village where they went for a guided tour of Chianti Classico, three of the most famous wine regions. Penelope was both and excited and sadden at the fact that she wouldn't be able to taste the wine. Aaron promised to buy her wine from each region for them to take home. The day was spent touring the wineries, having a light lunch on their second stop. By the end of their tour Penelope was tired of walking so the tour guide dropped them off at the bed and breakfast. She went straight to her room where she fell right to sleep. That night they went for a swim and then had dinner at the bed and breakfast.

The following day was spent shopping in the different villages in a car Aaron had rented. They went to Impruneta, which was famous for their terracotta. They watched in awe as they workers did their magic. Penelope bought terracotta vases for their home. Next they went to Greve and found a shop that had all sorts of delectable food. They sampled many different things before they decided on what they wanted. They saw a basket weaving store and bought a small basket to put the food in. They were going to have a picnic later in the day. Next came a store that sold dishes with distinctive patterns. They were beautiful and Penelope bought some pieces. They also bought some picture frames, a picture of the landscape and delicate table linens that Penelope fell in love with. She brought several and told him they were for the formal dining table. Later that evening they made it back to the castle where they unloaded their purchases and had their picnic by the pool.

Their third day was spent in bed where they made love several times, ate Italian pizza and gelato, which was fast becoming Penelope's favorite. They went for a swim and laid out in the sun. That night they went out to dinner in one the little restaurants in the village.

The following day had them taking cooking classes from the B & B where they learned how to make several different pastas from scratch. Penelope learned to make her favorite, ravioli. They used a cheese mixture for the filling instead of a meat mixture she loved. She learned how to make a sauce for the ravioli from scratch. When it was all done they ate what they had made and Aaron had said it was delicious. They walked away with recipes and she promised Aaron she would be making those dishes when they got back home, especially the spaghetti because she knew how much Jack loved it. That afternoon it was class on how to make Italian Ricotta cookies. She was definitely making sure she went to check it out.

The final full day of their visit to Chianti had them exploring the museums and churches in the area. In the afternoon they drove to Pisa, where the famous Leaning Tower of Pisa was located. They took pictures of the leaning structure and Penelope was in awe of it. Just seeing the look of wonder on her face, brought a smile to his face. He didn't think she knew just how much he wanted to give her everything she wanted, how much she meant to him; to his sanity when he saw so much evil around him.

At dinner at a local bistro, they went back to the b & B and packed. They were leaving in the morning to their next destination that was a secret. When everything was packed, a sock in the tub. In the morning they said goodbye to the elderly couple and thanked them for a wonderful experience. A car drove them to the airport where they boarded a plane.

"Where are we going?"

"London."

"What?"

"London. I believe that was the other place you had said you wanted to see on your honeymoon. We won't be there but for a few days but at least you get to go there."

"Oh my God Aaron, you are incredible." She whispered.

"I'd do anything just to see you happy."

They arrived at the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge Hotel where Aaron had a room booked for them. The room gave them a view of the Thames River. She had many regency era romance books and she was ready to see of the places mentioned in the books. They arrived mid-afternoon and Penelope was excited to get the sightseeing underway. The hotel was located close to everything she wanted to see. The first stop was Big Ben and then Westminster Abby and finally Buckingham Palace. The night ended with Penelope showing Aaron just how much she loved him.

The second day took them to Tower of London and Hyde Park. The park was something she always wished she could see, she closed her eyes and pictured the scenes in the books she read. She wasn't disappointed with what she saw. Next was Regent Park and dinner at the hotel. She was tired but so excited by the things she saw. The last day was spent visiting different shops where she bought things to take home. She joked with Aaron that they were going to need another suitcase. They went to bed early since their flight was early in the morning.

They were seated on the plane, holding hands. "Ready to go home?"

"Yes. I loved every second of our honeymoon but I'm ready to see Jack. I miss him, talking to him on the phone isn't enough."

"I know I miss him too. We'll land, go home and drop of the bags and go pick him up from school."

"I hope like the stuff we bought him."

Aaron laughed. "You bought him something from just about every place we visited. How could he not love his gifts?"

They landed, went through customs and made their way home. Sean met at the door and helped Aaron unload the bags. He asked how was their trip and they asked how Jack was. He told them that you could tell he was missing them. They hurried back to the SUV and drove to Jacks school. They made it just as they were letting out. They stood with all the other parents, Penelope's head bobbing, trying to get a glimpse of Jack. As soon as she saw him she called him. He stopped at looked at her. His smile was so big, he started running to her. She got on her knees and opened her arms. He ran straight into her arms.

"Oh Jack, I missed you so much."

"I missed you too mom, I missed you too."