Before sunrise on Saturday morning, Jack ventured into the early October chill for a run. He made his way down the street toward town, thankful for the earbuds that allowed him to listen to his favorite workout music as he ran.

He let himself get into a rhythm. As he did, his thoughts wandered. He was looking forward to today's zoo trip. He was excited to spend time with Allie and Nathan and even Elizabeth. It wasn't his usual passtime, but it had quickly become something he was looking forward to. Allie was a sweet child, and he felt a connection with her. It made his heart happy to see her little-girl smile when he told her stories, especially knowing she had been through some kind of tragedy. He didn't know what it was, but he knew she had lost her mother and that it had affected her greatly.

His mind turned from Allie to Elizabeth. He was surprisingly calm about the fact that Elizabeth had turned him down so quickly. Normally a woman shutting him down like that would have wounded his pride, but Jack could see that she and Nathan were right for each other. It was obvious. He wondered how long it would take Nathan to realize that. His neighbor seemed like the kind of man who was more cautious about things, and Jack couldn't blame him. He didn't know the full story, but when Nathan had revealed that he knew what it was like to be rejected, Jack knew someone had hurt him deeply, maybe even scarred him in a way that made him leery of love.

Just like Jack.

If he was honest with himself, he rarely thought in terms of long-term relationships. When Rosemary had broken their engagement, she had broken Jack's heart. Seeing her again reminded him that he still hadn't gotten over that pain. And he still hadn't been able to forgive her.

Jack sighed. He knew Nathan was right. He needed to talk to Rosemary. It was time to let go of the past and move into the future.

Absorbed in his thoughts, Jack didn't pay attention as he rounded a corner. He ran smack into another person. With a small shriek, the woman teetered backwards. Jack reached out quickly to steady her. "I am so sorry!" he exclaimed. "I should have been watching where I was going."

The woman looked up at him, catching her breath. She was wearing running clothes as well, and she smiled when their eyes met. "Jack," she said warmly. "It's good to see you again. Even if you just about ran me over."

Her blue eyes sparkled, the sass coming easily. Jack recognized her immediately. "Hello, Faith," he said. "It's good to see you too." He placed his hands on his hips, breathing deeply to catch his breath as well. "You're an early morning runner too," he observed.

She nodded. "There's something so invigorating about a run when it's chilly out and most of the town is still asleep. I love it."

Jack grinned. "That's why I love it too. Have you been running long?"

"About an hour," Faith said.

Jack laughed. "I meant have you been a runner long."

A mischievous look filled Faith's eyes. "I knew what you meant. I was teasing." She laughed lightly. "I've been running since I was a teenager. It's always been my favorite form of exercise."

"I only got into it within the last year," Jack admitted. "Never saw the appeal until I had to chase down some bad guys and realized being in better running shape would go a long way in improving my policing ability."

Faith tilted her head, studying him, then glanced at her watch. "I have to get going," she said. "I'm meeting a friend for breakfast." A shy expression crossed her face, but she plunged ahead anyway. "I'd love to hear the rest of that story, Jack. Will you have dinner with me tonight? I'll cook."

Jack's mouth fell open in surprise. "Really?" he asked. He was used to women asking him out, but for some reason he hadn't pegged Faith as the type to do so.

She nodded, biting her lip. "If you would like to," she said softly, not backing down but giving him an out if needed.

It wasn't needed. "I would love to," Jack assured her. "Why don't you give me your number, and I'll call you. We can go over the details then."

Faith's face lit up in a bright smile. "Perfect." She took the phone Jack offered her, typing in her name and number before handing it back with another smile. "I'll see you later."

"See you later," Jack echoed, watching as she waved and ran down the street. He smiled to himself, remembering how he had contemplated asking her out when they first met.

She had beaten him to it.

Jack resumed his run with an extra bounce to his step. He was very much looking forward to his date with Faith.

"What do the bears say, Allie?" Nathan asked, grinning at his niece as she rode on Jack's shoulders.

"Roar!" Allie responded, baring her teeth and clenching her little hands into makeshift claws as they took in the bear exhibit at the zoo.

Jack laughed. "Very good, Allie! You sound just like a bear."

Allie giggled, resting her hands on Jack's head. "You roar, Mr. Thornton."

Jack did his best bear impression, making Nathan, Elizabeth, and Allie laugh. Looking at Nathan, Jack tilted his head. "'Mr. Thornton' sounds way too impersonal, Nathan. What would you think about Allie calling me Mr. Jack instead, or even Uncle Jack?"

"Uncle Jack?" Allie asked, eyes wide. "Like Uncle Lucas?"

"Exactly," Jack said. He arched a brow at Nathan. "What do you think?"

Nathan smiled, beyond thankful that Allie had connected with another person so quickly. "I think Uncle Jack would be just fine," he said. "What do you think, munchkin?"

"Yay!" Allie said, clapping her hands. Her eyes fell on Elizabeth. "Can I call her Auntie Thatcher?"

Elizabeth chuckled. Nathan smiled and shook his head. "Afraid not, sweetie. She's your teacher, so you have to keep calling her Miss Thatcher."

Allie shrugged. "Okay." She pulled Jack's head back so she could see his eyes. "Can we go see the gorillas?" she asked.

Jack looked over at Nathan, who gave a nod. "Sure, Allie," Jack said. "Here we go!" He started skipping toward the gorilla exhibit, much to Allie's delight.

Nathan fell into step with Elizabeth as they followed at a slower pace. His wager with Lucas hung over him like a lead weight, but he couldn't bring himself to ask Elizabeth directly if she was seeing Jack. Instead, he tried a subtle approach. "Jack is a really nice guy."

Elizabeth looked in the direction Jack and Allie had disappeared. "He is," she said. "Anyone who is that good with children, especially a child who is so reserved, has to have a good heart."

"I'm sure he'll make a great father one day," Nathan continued.

Elizabeth looked at him. "I suppose so," she said. "Though it seems a little early in our acquaintance to make that kind of assumption, don't you think? What if Jack doesn't want children?"

"He said he might someday," Nathan replied, remembering his conversation with Jack about settling down at some point.

Elizabeth didn't respond to that. Instead, she turned the question on him. "What about you?"

"What about me?" Nathan asked, blinking.

"Do you want children of your own eventually?" she asked.

"I do," Nathan admitted. "If the right woman comes along. But it's not just me I have to think of. Allie comes first. Anyone who would marry me would be taking on my daughter as well, and then any other children we would have." His cheeks reddened slightly as Elizabeth's gaze pierced him.

"The right woman would be happy to take on Allie as well as you," she said, her blue eyes unwavering. "In fact, she would consider herself blessed."

Time froze once again. Nathan had never experienced that feeling before, but it had happened more than once with Elizabeth. Everything faded away, and it was just the two of them. He sensed that her words held a deeper meaning, and he held his breath, caught in her gaze.

Magnetism. That was the word for what happened between them. He was drawn to her by a force he couldn't explain. He wanted nothing more than to close the distance between them and take her in his arms.

"Elizabeth, I was wondering…" he started.

"Yes?" she breathed.

"Are...are you...seeing Jack?" he stammered. He felt a strange combination of relief and anxiety as he said the words. He waited for her answer, bracing himself for a yes.

Surprise covered Elizabeth's face. "No!" she exclaimed, shaking her head. "He was interested, but I told him I just wanted to be friends."

Nathan let out the breath he hadn't realized he was holding in. "I'm sorry," he said quickly. "I saw you two on Monday and just assumed…" He trailed off as Elizabeth arched a brow.

"You assumed what?" she asked, placing a hand on her hip. "That we were dating? Because we were at dinner?"

"Um...well, no," Nathan said, rubbing the back of his neck. "I saw him with his arm around you, and then you kissed his cheek. That's why I assumed."

Understanding lit Elizabeth's eyes. "Nathan, that was a friendly gesture," she said softly. "He had said something that meant a lot to me. That's all it was." She stepped closer to him. "Jack is a friend. I'm not interested in him romantically." Her eyes were boring into his as she said the last sentence. Nathan got the distinct impression that she was telling him something

And he understood.

Clasping her hands in his, he closed his eyes and brought them to his chest. After what had happened with Jenny, he was scared to death to take a leap like this, but he knew he couldn't live in fear. Opening his eyes, he looked down into hers as the words fell from his lips.

"Would you like to have dinner with me tomorrow?" he asked, once more holding his breath.

A full smile appeared on her face. "I would love to."

Nathan felt himself smiling back. They were standing in the middle of the zoo, unmoving, goofy grins on their faces, but it seemed like the most perfect thing in the world. Nathan remembered Lucas's instructions for the dinner date. "How's 7:00 at Bouchard's?" he said. "Formal attire."

"Formal?" Elizabeth said, both brows hiking up her forehead. "At Lucas's place?"

Nathan chuckled. "Trust me on this."

She looked like she wanted to ask more questions, but instead she smiled once more. "Alright. I accept."

"Great," Nathan said, his grin widening. "I'll pick you up at your house."

"Wonderful," Elizabeth replied. Her hands were still in his, pressed to his chest. Nathan drew in a breath and slowly released them.

"I suppose we should catch up with Allie and Jack," he said, though he didn't want to move from this little world that only held the two of them.

"Mmhmm," Elizabeth agreed. They started walking once more, and Nathan decided to take another chance. He reached down, taking Elizabeth's hand and intertwining his fingers with hers. She smiled up at him, moving a little closer as she let her fingers close around his hand in return.

Nathan knew there was a long road ahead of them. Their relationship was a complicated one. They were crossing an unspoken boundary. But he couldn't help feeling perfectly happy here in the moment. It felt like the start of something.

Something good.

As Allie and Jack came into view, Nathan let go of Elizabeth's hand. She couldn't help feeling a little disappointed, but she understood. They had to be careful. They were treading dangerous waters, and it was smart to keep any sign of their attraction from the public eye.

Including Allie.

The child caught sight of them and lit up. "Look!" she hollered, pointing to the exhibit. "They're so big!"

Elizabeth had never seen Allie so animated. She clearly loved animals. Her eyes were fixed on the gorillas in fascination as Jack held her up to see them better. An idea formed in her mind, a way to engage Allie in the classroom. If the little girl liked animals, Elizabeth would start a theme based on that. Normally she would do a zoo theme in January or February, but thankfully kindergarten was flexible. She didn't normally go into work on Sundays, reserving it as a day of rest, but she would make an exception this once. Anything to help Allie come out of her shell.

"Gorillas!" Allie exclaimed as two came close to the glass, looking at her with calm, serene eyes. Allie giggled. "Pretty gorillas!"

Jack chuckled. "I hope they're girls, Allie, or they might object to being called pretty."

Allie looked back at him. "Why?"

Jack shrugged. "Most boys like being called handsome."

Allie wrinkled her nose. "I like pretty." She turned, taking his cheeks in her hands. "You're pretty, Uncle Jack."

Elizabeth had to stifle a laugh at the look on Jack's face. Nathan wasn't able to keep his from escaping. Jack shot them a look, but then grinned. "Allie-girl, coming from you that means the world." He kissed her forehead. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," she said, turning back to the exhibit.

Elizabeth sidled up to them. "I'm calling you pretty from now on," she said under her breath, grinning.

"Don't you dare," he muttered back, though she could see that his eyes were twinkling.

"Can we go see the giraffes now?" Allie asked, looking back at the three adults.

"Of course," Nathan replied.

Allie skipped over to him, taking his hand. "Come on, Daddy! I think we can feed them leaves." Her brown eyes were sparkling with excitement and joy. Elizabeth wondered if that was how she had been before the accident.

When they reached the giraffe exhibit, Jack passed around the large leaves, and they each took a turn feeding one of the tall creatures. Allie was giggling almost non-stop. Elizabeth leaned toward Nathan as Jack held Allie's attention on a baby giraffe. "Is this the real Allie?" she asked softly.

Nathan nodded. "It is. She was such a happy girl. These moments remind me that she's still in there, under all the grief and pain."

Elizabeth smiled gently. "She will come out again, Nathan. Once she processes what happened, I believe she will be what she once was."

"I hope so," he replied. He gave her a soft smile. "Thank you for caring, Elizabeth. And thank you for the recommendation for a therapist. I gave her a call yesterday, and she said she would be happy to meet with us on Tuesday."

"Oh!" Elizabeth said, her hands going to her heart. "Nathan, that's wonderful! I'm so glad you're taking that step."

He nodded. "You were right. It's in Allie's best interest. That's what matters."

Elizabeth looked at Allie once more. She was squealing in delight as the baby giraffe licked at the leaf in her hands, her small face happier than Elizabeth had ever seen it.

She hoped Allie could get back to that on a permanent basis. She deserved to experience a happy childhood.