Rose stood in front of the floor-length mirror and stared at her reflection. She was dressed in an off white dress and her hair was tied back into an intricate braid. She sighed and shook her head, unable to believe what was about to happen. She and Jack were about to take their son to Eau Claire to elope. It was so crazy...so romantic...it reawakened the seventeen-year-old girl inside her that believed in love at first sight and how it conquered all.
"Mother, you look beautiful," Olivia gasped, standing in the doorway, looking lovely herself in the lacy lavender dress that she had chosen to wear to the event. She sighed wistfully, again wishing for her mother's beauty, unaware that she had it all along. "I wish I looked like you."
Sensing her daughter's self-depreciation, Rose walked over and wrapped her arms around the girl, remembering how she had wished that her mother would do the same. "Darling, you do look like me. According to both your father and Jack, you look just like me, especially when I was your age. In fact, you are even more beautiful. You're my beautiful Olivia."
Rose sighed, love, and awe filling her as she caught sight of herself and her daughter in the mirror. It was amazing that this beautiful girl was hers, was a part of her. She always felt a sense of awe and delight in the presence of her daughter. She at times wondered if this was the way her own mother had felt about her. Somehow she doubted it. She made sure that her relationship with Olivia was nowhere near what it was like between herself and Ruth.
Olivia pulled away with a bright smile. She released Rose and took a step back, modeling the dress she was now wearing. "Do you think this is nice enough to see Jacob married, mother? I gave Sarah the white version."
"That was very kind of you, darling. And yes. That dress will do fine. Where are your brothers and Sarah? It's best that we're on our way as soon as possible."
"Outside in the car with Jack. We're all ready to go," Olivia explained, giving her mother a speculative look. There was something on her mind, she just wasn't sure if her mother would go for it.
Noticing her daughter's expression, Rose sighed, picking up her purse. "Is there something that you want to say?"
"Yes. I...I think that you and Jack should get married too. Today. Make it a double wedding!"
"Pardon me?" Rose blinked, completely taken aback.
"You and Jack should get married along with Jacob and Sarah! It'd be doubly romantic!"
Rose couldn't help but laugh and shake her head. It was a nice, even romantic thought, but it was so out of the blue and last minute, she doubted that Jack would go for it. "I'd marry that man this minute, but I doubt very much that he'd want to get married on such short notice."
"You don't know that. You should at least bring it up. See what he says. It wouldn't hurt," Olivia continued, remembering the night she had found her mother kissing Jack on the stairs as if they were the old lovers that they were. It was so terribly romantic!
"Oh Olivia, darling. You are so much like your grandma Helena. She had these notions of romance as well," Rose smiled, kissing her daughter's cheek and running her fingers through her dark hair.
"I just want you to be happy. Jack seems to do that."
"He does. He makes me very happy. I never thought I'd ever be this happy again. It's truly a miracle when you think about it."
"I think daddy would want you to marry Jack. He wouldn't want you to be alone and unhappy. Not anymore."
Rose paused at the mention of Cal. He had risen up in her mind once in a while since Jack's reappearance in her life. She had even wondered what he would have thought about these changes in events. The Cal on Titanic would have hated this! He would be outraged that Jack had returned to her life and that his children seemed to like him. That his own daughter was advocating for marriage. But the Cal that she had married, the one that had saved Jacob and raised and loved him as his own...he would have agreed with Olivia. He wouldn't want Rose to be alone for the rest of her life and he would have been glad that Jack had survived after all to be the man that Rose lived the rest of her life with.
"You're right. He would have wanted this for me...for all of us. I can't speak for Jack, but if he proposed, I wouldn't say no. I'll leave it at that."
As if he had been summoned, Jack gently knocked on the door and stuck his head into the room giving Rose an approving look. "You look nice."
"Thank you," Rose blushed, feeling like she was once again Olivia's age.
"Are you two lovely ladies ready to go?" Jack asked.
"Of course. Livvie and I were just finishing up," Rose nodded, grabbing her purse. Following Jack and Olivia out to the car, Rose worked to forget about the notion of her and Jack getting married. She'd love to, but she was certain that the idea hadn't even crossed Jack's mind.
...
Rose stood next to Jack and quietly watched their son exchange vows with the girl he seemed to be so fond of. On the one hand, she couldn't believe it. Her baby, the little boy she had married Caledon Hockley to keep custody of, was getting married, and not only that, Jack was alive after all to see it. On the other hand, she was so proud that her son had grown into such a fine, compassionate young man that seemed to have inherited the best of both of his parents. Jacob was everything she had hoped he'd grow to be. She couldn't ask for a better son.
Jack glanced at Rose, spotting tears in her eyes. She must have so many emotions swirling around inside her right now. Her baby has grown up and was now starting a family of his own. This was a big moment for her. But how did he feel? He hadn't known Jacob for long, but from what he's seen, he saw a lot of his own father inside of the boy. Jack couldn't help to be proud. His father would do what Jacob was doing right now. There was no question about it. As the couple finished their vows and sealed their union with a kiss, Jack wrapped his hand around an object in his pocket, knowing that now was the time if there ever was one. Jack had two prized possessions besides his portfolio. Two possessions that his parents had handed down to him just a week before his death and had been kept in a safe deposit box for safekeeping until his return. Now it was time to part with at least one of those possessions.
Applause rang out as the justice of the peace announced the couple husband and wife and he smiled as Rose's head rested on his shoulder, pulling him away from his thoughts.
"Our son is married," She sighed happily.
"Yes he is. I've never felt so proud before," Jack chuckled. "I wish my father was alive to see him. He would have been so proud as well."
"I bet you are a lot like him," Rose giggled, reaching a hand up to caress his cheek. "Handsome, sweet, and heroic."
"He would have loved you, for sure," Jack smiled, feeling himself becoming lost in her eyes, not for the first time. Every time he found himself making eye contact with this woman, it felt like the first time all those twenty years ago.
"I wish I could have met him."
Jack wish that she had too. He had a feeling that if it had been his parents here insteaad of his aunt and uncle, things would have turned out a lot differently than they had. They would have accepted Rose and Jacob with open arms. They would have taken care of them until Jack returned home at last. But that was wishful thinking. Besides, if his parents would have been here, he wouldn't have met Rose at all. There would have been no reason for him to flee Chippewa Falls the way he had. Everything had a reason for how it worked out. All they could do was roll with the punches instead of thinking bout what-ifs that would never happen.
But there was something that he could do...something that would ensure their future together and make sure that nothing would ever come between them again. There was a chance in front of them that Jack did not want to pass up. So swallowing down his nervousness, he pulled a small ring box out of his pocket.
Rose frowned, watching Jack take the small object out of his pocket and gasped when she saw what it was. Her eyes widened as she looked from Jack, over to Olivia who had just glanced over and was now staring with wide eyes herself.
"Jack...what are you…," Rose began but was cut off as Jack opened the box to reveal a simple diamond ring. "Oh my god..."
"I know it's short notice…I was thinking about it but wasn't planning on doing this now but...it's the perfect time, don't you think? Our son is embarking on a new life with the girl he adores and it's long past time that I did the same, don't you think? I mean...it's been twenty years, Rose and I….I love you so much...maybe even more than back then because I know you even more now. I know the woman you've become and you're even more amazing than you were back then and...I know for a fact now that there's no one else I would ever want to spend the rest of my life with. I love you, Rose. I loved the girl you once were and the woman you are now. I love you, our son, I even love your beautiful twins that have your fire burning bright inside them. We can have a good life together, Rose. All the separation and all the struggles...it brought us to this moment...to the moment where I ask you to marry me...will you? Will you become officially Rose Dawson? Make me one of the happiest men alive?"
Rose felt hot tears in her eyes as she listened to Jack's speech. She hadn't even known that he had been thinking about marriage and the fact that he had...it touched her deep inside. She had loved and lost Jack Dawson. She had mourned his loss and had rejoiced his return into her life. It's been two years since Cal, another man she had loved and lost , had died and had been certain that she would never love again, but Jack had returned and with him, the love she held for him had reawakened with a fiery passion. Looking into his eyes, she saw his sincerity. The love he had for their son was there and so was a fondness for her twins and a promise to take care of all of them if she allowed it. Her heart only had one answer to that answer, but she was too choked up with emotion to say the words, so she just nodded through her tears of happiness and held out her hand for him to slide on the ring.
"Yes, she will!" Olivia happily answered for her mother, happily clapping her hands, overjoyed for her mother.
Everyone laughed as Rose finally found her voice. "What Livvie said...I mean, yes. Yes, I will! I do!"
Laughter again filled the room as Jacob turned to the justice of the peace. "Sir, do you have time for one more?"
Rose's eyes widened even more. She had not been expecting this at all! Things were moving so fast! "Now? You want to get married now?"
"Only if you want to. I mean, if you rather we wait and have a big ceremony with the town there, we can," Jack blushed, rubbing the back of his neck, afraid that he had overstepped some boundaries.
"There's nothing that I want more than to marry you right here and right now, Jack Dawson. We've waited for twenty years for this. I don't want to wait anymore."
Jack's smile was bright and happy, reminding Rose of that twenty-year-old young man that he had once been. "I love you, Rose. Now and forever."
"I love you, too Jack. I always have. Even when we were apart," She sighed, kissing him deeply as everyone watched on.
"Mom, he has time for one more, but it'll have to be quick," Jacob cleared his throat, disrupting the kiss.
Rose looked into Jack's eyes, feeling the wild pounding of her heart. "I'm ready if you are."
"I was born ready," Jack winked, taking her hand in his. His eyes met hers, full of promises of forever. "You jump, I jump."
Rose simply nodded as together, they stepped up before the justice of the peace to finally join their lives together, once and for all.