After hanging up from Elizabeth Jack couldn't help but be distracted. He was confident of Elizabeth's feelings for him. Believed that she didn't care for Michael in a way that should concern him, but he was also worried that Michael would realise what he had given up. The possibility of losing her unnerved him even if it was a silly thought to entertain.

An hour into their afternoon session Elizabeth had dropped him a message.

"I don't generally drop the L word lightly. Unless it's family or people that have been in my life forever. I have never taken for granted the weight of such four letter word. Maybe because I didn't know what it was until now. So hear me Jack Thornton when I say that I love you. That whatever this conversation brings, it doesn't change the fact that you are the only person in my life outside my family and inner circle that I've ever said those words to. That means more than whatever could ever come out of any conversation I am about to have with Michael. So at ease soldier. Stop thinking and get your plans built so you and I can have dinner tonight." Jack grinned upon reading her message,

"Stop poking around in my head. Thank you. I love you." Cara nudged Elizabeth's shoulder teasingly as her phone vibrated on the table. Elizabeth shrugged with a smile.

Elizabeth had told Jack that she would grab a coffee with Michael after training was over. She was pretty confident they would finish at 4 which gave them enough time to have a coffee before Jack finished work and came to pick her up. Elizabeth gave the girls a heartfelt hug as she said goodbye to them that afternoon. They had planned their next catch up but it wouldn't be for a couple of weeks due to all of their schedules clashing. Michael waited patiently in the background as she did so.

"See you soon Bea. Are you sure you don't want a ride? I'm surprised Jack isn't here waiting for you to finish."

"I told him to finish building his plans before coming to get me otherwise he's going to end up doing it at home which is not a fun thing to do on a Thursday night. I need to finish up a couple of things anyway. I'm good. You two enjoy the early mark."

"Okay, see you soon." Alexis said giving her friend's cheek a kiss.

Elizabeth opted to have coffee at one of the establishments inside the hotel where their training was conducted. That way she didn't have to get in his car or walk somewhere with him. If she were honest she just wanted to get their conversation over and done with. After the waitress took their order Elizabeth addressed him,

"You wanted to talk?"

"I wanted to say I'm sorry." Michael said solemnly.

"For what it's worth, I can see that you are. However, your apology as much as it clears your conscience I'm sorry is about a year too late." She said not pulling any punches. She was willing to hear him out, but she wasn't going to spare his feelings.

"I know. I was coward. From get go. You and I, we started so fast…"

"And ended so fast if I remember correctly,"

"That first date, that lasted what 6 hours and those that followed, they were the most incredible, revealing moments of my life. It scared me Bea."

"You didn't think maybe I was scared too? That I was freaked out too. We agreed to be open and honest and you did everything in your power to make sure I walked. You played at everything that you knew were my weakness and pushed the buttons that you knew would inevitably have me pulling the plug. When I finally did, you didn't even flinch."

"I'm not proud of it Bea, but it wasn't because I didn't feel anything."

"You could have fooled me. No one bolts the way you did if you actually felt anything."

"I felt too much."

"Is that why shortly after you all of a sudden had a girlfriend? Were there two of us at the same time and she was the less complicated one?"

"Yes," he confessed ashamed.

"You challenged me every step of the way. You challenged me to want to be better, to think outside the box. To want something more than what I had grown so accustomed to. I don't like change and you were so much change in so little time."

"Then you should have said something. You were the one who told me all the things you told me. I never pushed you to tell me. Of course I was going to encourage you to do something you've always wanted to do no matter how much it scared you. Believe that the opportunities that come your way is something you deserve to take. It's what friends do. All that BS about not having been in a relationship for a long time so you wanted to take your time. You were just collecting all the data to make the easiest decision. You're a coward. You should have just told me it wasn't me. At the very least you owed me that. Instead you made me question every move I made the whole time we were seeing each other. I blamed me, but it wasn't just me in that catastrophe and I am done owning all of it."

"I'm sorry Elizabeth. I never meant to hurt you."

"Then let us be done with this. You've said your peace. I've said mine. This isn't a conversation to start a friendship. That ship has long since sailed."

"Elizabeth,"

"No, we're done. I heard your side. I said I would and I have. Now we're done. Clearly our industry is small enough that we are at one time or another going to run into each other. That's fine. But aside from pleasantries, there is nothing else we need to exchange." Elizabeth stood to her feet and dropped a five dollar note to cover her coffee. Not waiting for a response, she walked out.

Elizabeth needed to clear her head before she met up with Jack. There was as sense of peace that came with finally being able to express how she felt. She was relieved to finally have had the opportunity to say her peace. To hear his. It was a conversation that was long overdue.

Elizabeth was well into doing her assignment from the course by the time Jack had arrived. She was waiting for him on one of the couches at the large lobby of the hotel. She had her glasses on, open books and typing madly on her laptop. She was completely in her zone and he took a moment to watch her. Sensing his presence she looked up and she smiled at the sight of him. He loved how she lit up at the sight of him. It warmed his heart and made it skip a beat. She stood to her feet as he walked over to her. As he hugged her, she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Hi Baby," she said looking straight into his eye. In that moment, it was like they were the only two people in the world.

"Hi Sweetheart," he replied before covering her lips with his, kissing her deeply.

"I missed you today," he murmured as he reluctantly pulled back to look at her placing one hand on her cheek.

"I missed you too. You were right. Day two is intense. I can't wait to be back in the office tomorrow."

"Do you have meetings tomorrow?"

"No, I am going to spend tomorrow building plans or finishing this assignment."

"You ready to eat?" Elizabeth nodded.

"Yes please. I'm hungry. There's a Vietnamese restaurant upstairs. Unless you have something else in mind."

"Vietnamese is good. Let's go." Elizabeth nodded and packed up her things before taking his hand to go to dinner.

They sat in one of the booths side by side instead of face to face. After ordering he placed a hand over hers as she looked at him knowing what he was asking without words.

"It went okay. We got to talk it out. He apologised. I told him exactly what I thought of him and what he did."

"And what did he say?"

"That he was sorry. That he was scared. That I challenged him in a way that no one else did and the connection we had was something he wasn't expecting. He admitted there was two of us at the same time and he took the easier route."

"What a…" Jack began and caught himself. Elizabeth smiled and kissed his jaw.

"He was, but if he wasn't we wouldn't be here so in the end, I win. Not that it's a competition but you know what I mean."

"We both win." He said capturing her lips in his.

"You're cute Thornton." She replied with a chuckle.

At dinner they talked more about her conversation with Michael, and she gave him a full disclosure which he appreciated. After dinner he drove her back to house.

"Jack, why are you driving towards my home. I thought I was driving you home."

"Kerry borrowed my car this afternoon and she dropped it off at your place and had Matthew pick her up from there. It's closer to their house than work."

"Did we run out of pool cars again?"

"Yeah, she thought she had booked one and only realised she didn't an hour before her meeting. So I drove her to my place to pick up my car."

"Ahh." As they pulled up at her place, she turned to him.

"Do you want to come up for a bit?"

"Sure, it's still early." Hand in hand they headed up to her apartment.

"Tea?" she asked as he nodded following her to the kitchen taking a couple of mugs out of the cupboard as she turned the kettle on. She watched as he took out the tea from the cupboard she stores them in.

"What?" he asked amused,

"Nothing," Jack put the tea down and drew her into his arms,

"I like being in your kitchen too," Elizabeth blushed realising that he had read her mind. She loved that he knew where everything was. How uninhibited he was in her space. How comfortable it was.

"Alright smarty pants." Jack laughed and kissed her nose before returning to the task at hand. As Elizabeth sat beside him on the couch he draped an arm around her pulling her closer to him. Elizabeth snuggled against him, head resting on his chest. Jack's arm was wrapped around her, his hand resting on her waist.