Elizabeth held up the full skirt of the white dress so she wouldn't trip as she stepped out of the dressing room. Her sisters, mom, and Rosemary were all waiting for her.

"Oh, Liz!" Julie exclaimed. "You look wonderful!"

She stepped up to the mirror, gazing at her reflection. The dress had a ball gown silhouette, with a full skirt and a sweetheart neckline. "I like this one, but I don't think it's the one."

"Maybe something with a smaller skirt?" Rosemary suggested.

Elizabeth nodded. "That's what I was thinking. And I'm not sure how I feel about it being strapless. I don't need long sleeves or anything, but maybe cap sleeves?"

"You do look gorgeous in this one, though."

"You're going to say that about every dress she tries on, mom. You did the same thing when we went shopping for my dress." Viola chuckled, placing a hand on her little baby bump that had just started showing.

"You know what," Julie began, "there was that one I showed you with the lace. I think that had cap sleeves."

"Oh, yes! I wonder if we can find that one."

Julie pulled her tablet out of her bag, finding the photo to show to the consultant.

"I don't think we have that exact dress, but I think there might be one that's very similar. I'll be right back." She crossed to the other side of the store, leaving all of the women alone for a moment.

Elizabeth stayed in front of the mirror while they waited. "I just can't believe I'm trying on wedding dresses." She shook her head, letting out a breath. "It's surreal. I mean, a year ago, I didn't even know Jack existed, and now I'm going to marry him. I never expected things to happen this quickly."

"Well, when you know, you know."

"Exactly. I knew within ten minutes of meeting Lee that I would marry him someday."

"You two really are perfect for each other. You'll have a lovely life together."

Elizabeth smiled. "I hope so."

The consultant returned with a dress in her arms. "This is the closest I could find to the dress in the picture."

"Let's try it."

A few minutes later, Elizabeth was in the dress. Tears filled her eyes when she looked into the mirror.

"This is it. This is my dress."

"You look stunning, Elizabeth."

"And just imagine it with your hair and makeup done," Julie gushed. "And a veil! Oh, it's perfect."

She wiped her eyes. "I think I like this one even more than the one in the picture."

"Jack isn't going to know what hit him."

...

As they left the bridal shop, Rosemary pulled Elizabeth aside.

"Rosie? Is everything okay?"

"Everything's great. I just wanted to thank you for inviting me today, and for including me in the wedding party. I'm not even technically related to Jack, so I didn't expect to be included."

"Of course we want you to be involved, Rosemary. You're his family, which means you're my family now."

Rosemary pulled Elizabeth into a hug. "Thank you." She tucked her arm into Elizabeth's as they continued on toward their cars. "I'm so glad you and Jack found each other. I've known him for something like twelve or thirteen years now, and I've never seen him as happy as he is when he's with you."

Elizabeth blushed, a smile playing on her lips. "He makes me very happy, too."

"Now, how soon are you two going to give Declan a cousin?"

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "Now there's the Rosemary we all know and love."

...

"And the honeymoon is officially booked," Jack closed his laptop and set it aside, "so that's one more thing to cross off the list."

"Where are we going?"

"Lake George, New York. It's not tropical, but it'll be warm when we go and there are beaches, plus a ton of other things we can do. If we ever decide to leave our cabin, that is." He gave her a playful nudge.

"Jack Thornton." Her cheeks reddened.

"I'm kidding, sweetheart." He cupped her face in his hands. "Don't worry. We'll take things as slow as you want."

"Thank you." She closed the gap between them, brushing her lips across his. "Only five more months to go."

"It's going to be a great day."

"Oh, I got my dress."

"What's it like?"

"It's white."

"And…?"

She rolled her eyes. "You know the rules. You can't see me in the dress, you can't know anything about the dress."

"Who made these rules? I'd like to have a talk with them."

"Patience." She touched her finger to his lips. "I promise it'll be worth the wait."

He pulled her into him, keeping his arms wrapped around her. "I think I'm running out of patience. I'm so ready to be married to you."

"I know what you mean." She leaned her head on his chest. "And speaking of having no patience, Rosemary was asking me when we're going to give Declan a cousin."

He chuckled. "Why am I not surprised?"

"That is something we need to talk about, though. We both want kids, but how soon do we want them?"

"Maybe we wait a little before we start trying? Like a few months or a year. Or maybe we just don't do anything to prevent it, and then if it happens, it happens? I don't know which option is better. What do you think?"

"I keep going back and forth, too. But luckily, we have some time to decide."

He kissed the top of her head. "I'll keep thinking about it."

"Me too." She took his hand and squeezed it. "In the meantime, why don't you show me some pictures of Lake George?"

"Okay." He reached for his laptop again. "I booked the cabin for a week, so we'll have plenty of time for sightseeing or sunbathing or whatever we decide we want to do."

"Perfect."

...

A few days later, Elizabeth arrived at Jack's apartment after he got off work. He hadn't answered his phone when she called to see if he wanted to do anything, but she had seen his car in the lot, so she knew he was home.

She knocked on the door before letting herself into the apartment. "Jack? It's me." She found him on the sofa, his head in his hands. "Jack, are you okay? What's wrong?"

He looked up at her, shock covering his face. "Doug died."

"Who's Doug?" She furrowed her brow, confused.

"Doug Burke. He trained with me at the academy. He worked for TPD. I hadn't seen him a lot recently, but we were close during training, and we've kept in touch."

"Oh. I'm so sorry, honey." She sat beside him, putting her arm around his waist. She didn't say anything more, just letting him feel whatever he needed to feel.

"His mom called me. I guess it happened a few days ago while he was on the job." He wiped his eyes. "It was a domestic violence case. Those are some of the most dangerous cases to get involved in, and he knows that. Knew that," he corrected himself, shaking his head. "I can't believe he's gone."

She still said nothing, leaning into him.

"Will you go to the funeral with me? It's Thursday at three."

"Of course." She leaned her forehead against his temple. "Do you need me to get you anything? A glass of water? Something to eat?"

He shook his head. "No, but can you just sit with me?"

She tucked her legs beneath herself. "For as long as you need."

...

Elizabeth left school early on Thursday, stopping by her apartment to change into a black dress before meeting Jack at his place.

He was quiet, only saying a few words to her as they headed to her car. She drove them to the church where the service was being held. Doug's mother invited them to sit with her.

Elizabeth watched Jack throughout the service. He was clearly hurting from the loss of his friend. His jaw was clenched as he fought the tears that threatened to fall.

He spoke softly to Doug's mother for a few minutes before they all made their way to the cemetery.

Once again, Elizabeth just stood by his side, providing the quiet comfort he needed. She squeezed his hand as they watched the casket get lowered into the ground. He still hadn't cried, but she could see tears pooling in his eyes.

He was silent as they drove back to his apartment afterward. Clearly, he had a lot on his mind.

He sank down onto the sofa, loosening his tie.

"I'll make us some dinner. You just relax." She gave him a quick kiss and entered the kitchen. She rifled around in the pantry, finding some soup and crackers.

A few minutes later, Jack appeared beside her, leaning against the counter. "Elizabeth, we need to talk."

"Okay. About what?" She set down the ladle, turning to face him.

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

"'Do this?' What are you talking about, Jack?"

"My job is risky. You could lose me."

"You think that's going to scare me off?" She put her hands on his shoulders. "Jack Thornton, I knew what I was getting into when I said yes to you. Tomorrow isn't promised for any of us. And whether I get one day with you or eighty years, choosing you will always be worth it."

He leaned in, kissing her deeply. She snaked her arms around him, trying to get closer.

"Jack, why don't we just elope?"

He pulled back, meeting her eyes. "But we're in the middle of planning our wedding. You just bought your dress."

"We can still have that ceremony, but that's five months away. I don't want to wait that long to marry you. Let's just go to City Hall tomorrow after work. Tom and Julie can be our witnesses."

"You're serious?"

"Yes, Jack. Like you basically just said, life is short. Let's just do it."

"Okay. Let's get married tomorrow." He smiled, leaning in to kiss her again. "I love you, Elizabeth."

"I love you, too."

"Where are we going to live?"

She waved him off. "I'll just stay here until we find a bigger place. Now kiss me again."

...

Elizabeth placed a few more shirts in her suitcase before going back to her dresser and pulling out some jeans.

Julie appeared in her doorway, a mug of coffee in her hands. "Liz? Why are you packing?"

"Oh." She put the jeans into the suitcase. "I'm staying at Jack's tonight. And the next night, I guess. And the foreseeable future."

"Elizabeth Thatcher! You're moving in with him? That's a little more scandal than I would expect from you. What happened to my sister who was panicking just a few months ago because she kissed a guy she wasn't dating yet?"

"It's not what you think." She zipped up the suitcase. "We're getting married."

"In five months, yes. But you aren't married yet. I thought you wouldn't live with a man unless you're married."

"You're right, I won't. But we're getting married this afternoon, and we want you and Tom there as witnesses."

Julie coughed, nearly choking on her coffee. "I'm sorry. What? You're eloping?"

"Yes."

"Well I know you two had that no sleepovers rule, so I doubt you're pregnant…"

"No, I'm not pregnant. We both just had a bit of a wake-up call this week about how dangerous Jack's job can be, and I decided I don't want to wait. I want as much time with him as possible. So, he agreed to get married today."

"What are you going to tell mom and dad?"

She shrugged. "I'll tell them exactly what I just told you."

"And you're sure about this? You don't feel like you're rushing into anything?"

"When Jack and I first got engaged, you told me you'd marry Andy as soon as he proposed."

"I'm just asking you these things because eloping is something that I would do, but it's not really something I'd ever imagine you doing."

Elizabeth smiled. "I'm absolutely positive about this. I love Jack, and I want to marry him so badly it hurts. So what does it matter if we get married today or in five months?"

"What about all the plans you've made? The flowers, the cake, your dress?"

"We're still going to have the big ceremony in August. Just because we're eloping doesn't mean we don't want to celebrate with everyone else." She reached out and took her sister's hand. "So, what do you say? Will you be there as a witness?"

"Of course. What time do you need me there?"

"Four. And can you bring your camera?"

"I'll go get it right now so it's ready."

Elizabeth hugged her. "Thank you, Jules."

...

That afternoon, Jack and Elizabeth stood inside City Hall, Julie and Tom waiting off to the side.

"Sweetheart, are you absolutely sure about this?"

"You sound like Julie. She interrogated me all morning to make sure I knew what I was getting into." She squeezed his hands. "I am one-hundred percent sure about this. I want nothing more than to marry you today."

"You look beautiful." He brushed a lock of her hair behind her ear.

She glanced down at the dress she had found in the back of her closet—the closest thing she could find to a wedding dress on such short notice since the tailoring on her dress wasn't finished yet. It was a knee-length, white lace shift dress with three-quarter-length sleeves. "Thank you. You look very handsome yourself." She ran her fingers over his red bowtie, the one she had given him for Christmas. "This is a nice touch."

"I thought you'd appreciate it."

A young man came out to usher them into the room.

"Well," Jack took a deep breath, "let's go get married."

Within minutes, they were pronounced husband and wife. Jack gladly pulled her toward him, kissing her soundly.

Julie sighed happily, while Tom averted his eyes and chuckled.

After everything was signed and official, they all drove to a nearby park to take some pictures.

Jack kept his arm around Elizabeth, kissing the top of her head as Julie snapped a few photos. "I can't believe we did this. We're married."

Elizabeth put a hand on his chest, grinning so wide her cheeks began to hurt. "We are. It's you and me, forever."

"No regrets?"

"None at all." She leaned in and kissed him deeply. "We've probably gotten enough pictures. Now I think it's time for you to take me home, husband."

...

Elizabeth carefully got out of bed and slipped her robe on.

"Sweetheart, what are you doing?"

"It's dinner time. I don't know about you, but I need to eat."

"I don't have much here. Why don't you come back to bed, and we can order something?"

"You know we can't spend all of our time in this bed."

"We aren't having a real honeymoon for like five more months. Humor me, please."

"Okay." She sank back down onto the bed, grabbing her phone from the nightstand. "What sounds good for dinner?"

"Hm…" he wrapped his arms around her, toying with the tie on her robe. "Tacos."

"Tacos?"

"Tacos. Perfect wedding night food. They'll help keep up our energy."

She laughed. "Whatever you say."

A few minutes later, she set her phone back down.

"Okay. Dinner will be here in about half an hour. Just what can we do with that time?" She smirked, trailing her fingers across his bare chest.

"I like the way your mind works, Mrs. Thornton." He reached up to touch her cheek. "You're okay, right?"

"I'm wonderful, Jack. This day has been absolutely perfect."

He grinned. "I love you so much."

"Prove it."