Chapter 27

Jack held me in his arms, refusing to let go. I didn't mind, of course; I needed to be in his embrace just as much as he needed to hold me. He let go of me after a moment and just stared at me. "Rose?"

I smiled at the way he said my name, at the way he was so much better in real life than I had made him out to be in my thoughts and dreams. "I'm here, Jack," I said quietly. I placed my hand against his cheek and pulled myself up on his shoulder. I placed my lips against his, only kissing him for a second, but Jack pulled me back and kissed me deeper.

After a second, Jack released me but took my hand and led me to the couch. "How are you here?" He asked, holding my hand in his. "How did you get out of there? How are you… alive?"

I didn't understand why he was asking how I was alive… why wouldn't I be? I followed Jack's gaze to a newspaper on the table and saw that it was open to the front page, with a headline saying that I was dead. "Oh…" I sighed. "I didn't think that'd happen so fast." I turned back to Jack, who looked perplexed. "The agreement was that Cal could say that I was dead, and he could marry someone else, someone who could give him an heir. I would get to be with you and Mia here, and I can't ever return to Pittsburgh… not that I'd want to anyway."

Jack's emotions were reserved, held back, as if he was afraid to be excited. "So… you're saying…"

I smiled, placing my hand on his cheek, then moving it down to his neck. "I'm saying that Cal and I are divorced," I watched as a smile started to seep through and spread across his face. "I'm here, with you, forever."

He pulled me closer to him and then wrapped his arms around me. "Good," he whispered, before he leaned forward and kissed me. My whole body ached as it received the love and physical touch that it had been deprived of for so long. I pulled away for a moment, but my mouth was still close enough to his that I could feel his breath. "I love you."

I stared at him as a slight smile appeared. "I love you too." He gave me a quick peck, touched my cheek, and smiled.

Now that the initial shock was over, I was finally able to think straight. I realized that Mia still didn't know that I was back. "Mia…" I began. "Is she asleep?"

Jack shrugged. "I tucked her in and said good night, but she hasn't really been sleeping much." My heart sank as I realized that my absence must have affected Mia more deeply than I anticipated. Of course it had; of course she would be affected by her mother disappearing, seemingly forever.

This had to end now. Mia had to know that everything would be okay, and I wanted to see her again. "Can you go wake her for me?" I asked. Jack smiled and nodded, kissing the top of my head. I stood up and smoothed out my dress. This would all be over in a few minutes, once I could hold Mia in my arms and promise that I was never leaving again.

I heard Mia's bedroom door creak open and Jack's footsteps continue as he walked inside. "Mia, wake up," he whispered, and his voice carried through the house. "Mommy's home."

Immediately after, I heard her tiny little footsteps move down the hall, and down the stairs, until she came into view. "Mommy!" She squealed. She ran towards me, jumping into my arms.

I lifted her off the ground and held her close to me. "Mia," I whispered, holding her close. "I missed you so much, my sweet girl." I opened my eyes and saw Jack standing against the wall, smiling as he watched us. I glanced at the clock, noticing that it was now past midnight, which meant it was Mia's birthday. I almost forgot about it, only remembering in the car coming here. "And happy birthday."

I suddenly felt tired, my arms hurting from the bruising and holding Mia. I could feel myself getting more tired as the pregnancy went on. I took a deep breath before sitting down on the couch with Mia on my lap. I motioned for Jack to come over, to sit next to us.

"Are you back... forever?" Mia asked.

I smiled and tucked a curl behind her ear. "I'm back forever," I told her, and I kissed her soft cheek. "I'm never leaving you again, I promise."

"But what about Father?" She asked.

"Well…" I paused, holding one of her curls between my fingers. "You won't have to see him ever again, Mia. I promise." I had my hand supporting her back. "It's just going to be you, Jack, and me… and the baby." I touched my stomach. Just then, the dog walked into my room, jumping up on my legs. "And the dog, I suppose. Do we have a name yet?" I looked back and forth between Jack and Mia. "Nothing?" I looked back and forth between Jack and Mia. "Alright, well enough is enough. What should we name this little guy?"

We all sat in silence. "No ideas?" Jack asked. Mia leaned her head against my shoulder, and I leaned down and kissed it. "What about… Barkater?" He looked at me, a goofy grin spread across his face.

I almost stopped breathing. "Barkater?" I asked, laughing hysterically. "As in, Bukater, but Bark?" I continued to laugh.

"Oh, come on, it's a good name!"

I looked at Jack and wrapped my arm around Mia, holding her closer. "Are you really suggesting we name this dog, this canine, after my family?" Jack threw his head back and continued to laugh. "This isn't funny!" I was laughing too, despite my attempts to hold it back.

"Alright, since you don't like that name, what are your ideas, Rose?" Jack crossed his arms playfully and leaned back.

I looked at the dog and pet his head, playing with his fur. "He really has grown," I commented, noticing how the puppy was now double his original size. "What about… Bear."

Jack smiled. "I like that," he said, looking down at the dog. His golden brown fur shone in the firelight. "We're gonna call you Bear," Jack smiled, then pet the dog himself.

We sat in silence for a moment or two, just enjoying each other's company. I was sitting, leaning against Jack's chest, and Mia was on my lap, leaning against me. "We're a real family now," I said quietly, though only a moment later, I realized that I was mistaken. "Actually, we always were."

"Yeah," Jack whispered, kissing my forehead. He adjusted his position a bit, then looked down at Mia. "Mia… I know I haven't been around for very long, and I know you have a father already-"

"I have a father, but I don't have a daddy," she said, looking up at him with big blue eyes. "You can be my daddy." Jack and I exchanged emotional looks as we both understood exactly what Mia was saying.

I kissed the top of her head and held her against me. "Hey, it's really late," I said quietly, and Mia looked up at me. "Why don't I take you upstairs and put you to bed."

"I don't wanna go to bed," Mia answered, and her arms tightened around me. "What if I go to sleep, and you're not here anymore when I wake up?"

"Oh, Mia," I closed my eyes sadly. "I'm not going anywhere, I promise. I'm going to put you to sleep, and you'll wake up tomorrow morning and come to Jack and me like you always do. And then, we can do whatever you want tomorrow, because it'll be your birthday."

"Okay," she jumped off of my lap, and then I slowly stood up. I took her hand and walked with her upstairs to bed. I lifted her and placed her under the covers. "I missed you," she whispered.

I climbed into bed next to her and held her in my arms. "I missed you too," I whispered, kissing the top of her head. "You know… I was in your old room, at your father's house, and I brought back a few of your things-"

"I don't think I need them," she answered tiredly, her eyes shut. "I have all my things here." I smiled and kissed the top of her head again. Being back with her reminded me just how much I missed her, and even as I held her in my arms, I still missed her.

After a few minutes, Mia fell asleep. Still, I stayed where I was and held her in my arms, unwilling to let go. I closed my eyes and began to fall asleep as well. Only a minute or two later, Jack opened the door. He mouthed something to me that I didn't see, but I just nodded and looked down at Mia. I slowly started to free myself from her grasp when I accidentally woke her. "Mommy?" She opened her eyes and stared at me. "You promise you'll still be here when I wake up?"

I nodded, leaning down and kissing her cheek. "I promise," I whispered. I pulled the blanket up to her chin. "Sweet dreams, baby girl." I walked over to Jack and took his hand, walking with him right next door, into Jack's- our bedroom. I walked into the room first, and Jack closed the door behind him. I walked closer to him, wrapping my arms around his neck and almost touching my lips to his. "I missed you," I said quietly, before I closed the gap between us and kissed him.

I pulled away and smiled, noticing the sadness in his eyes. "Are you alright?" I asked, staring into the dullness that wasn't there before. "Jack, talk to me… please."

Jack sighed and took my hand and walked with me to the bed. We sat on the edge of the bed and looked at each other for a moment before Jack kissed me again, more powerfully this time, and then moved down to my neck. "Jack," I whispered, trying to get him to slow down. "Jack stop," I said finally, and immediately, he stopped. I knew he would, and that he would never carry on doing something when I asked him to stop. "Please just talk to me." He looked down, not saying a word. I took his hand and held it, giving it a squeeze. "It's alright, just tell me. Whatever it is, it's okay."

Jack looked down, not saying a single word. "I don't want to tell you about it, Rose. I mean, the things that happened while you were gone… it's just too upsetting to tell you about. Why can't we just… move on?"

I noticed the sadness in his eyes, and it made my heart ache. "To move on, we need to talk about what happened." Jack avoided looking at me, and he just shook his head. "I'm out of there now, I'm here with you and Mia and… look, whatever it is, I can take it."

"I was just so heartbroken about you leaving, and I never really let myself feel it," he said quietly. "I guess I was in denial, and Mia… well, Mia needed me." He shook his head. "Mia was… all I can say is that I hope you never see her that way. It was… heartbreaking."

"Why?" I asked nervously, my heart starting to pound. "What was she doing? What was she like?"

"She was…" he paused, struggling to find the words, I believe. "She wouldn't sleep, and when she did, she'd wake up in the middle of the night, crying for you after having a nightmare. She wouldn't eat anything, I had to convince her to eat and that you would want her to eat. And she wouldn't do anything during the day but lay on the couch with her bunny and cry. It… God, it broke my heart."

Just hearing about how broken Mia was broke my own heart. What would have happened if I didn't get back here? When I was in Pittsburgh, the only comforting thought was knowing that I could find Mia when she was eighteen. Now that I had seen what one week without me had done, I knew that those years would have been impossible for her. I closed my eyes, shoving the thought from my mind. "And you?" I asked, trying to stop myself from picturing Mia that way. "What are you thinking?"

"I… I don't know, Rose," he sighed, looking down at his hands. "I spent all of my time worrying about you, about what Cal was doing to you, about the baby… I didn't give myself a chance to miss you, because if I did, I probably would've fallen apart."

"I'm so sorry, Jack," I whispered.

He looked back up at me and shook his head. "You have nothing to be sorry about, alright? Nothing." He touched my cheek, where Cal slapped me the first time. "Did he ever… did he hurt you again?"

I didn't want to say yes. I knew that we were being honest, getting everything out in the open so we could move on, but I didn't see what good could come from Jack finding out what Cal had done to me. "No," I lied. "He didn't care enough. He just left me alone."

Jack smiled, one of the first times I had seen him actually smile since I got back. "I'm glad," he whispered. He leaned over and kissed me, making me smile instantly. "You must be hungry. Can I get you something to eat?"

I smiled and nodded. "That would be great," I said. "Thank you." He went to take my hand but I stopped. "I'll meet you down there. I'm just going to the bathroom." Jack smiled and kissed my cheek before going downstairs, leaving me alone in our bedroom. I went into the bathroom and looked at myself in the mirror, noticing the bags under my eyes from the exhaustion and the amount of crying I had done in the last week. I pulled up my sleeves and looked at the bruises at the top of my arms, then the ones on my back. They hadn't gone away yet, and I knew they wouldn't for a few weeks. How could I hide this from Jack?

Maybe I should have told him the truth, that Cal did hurt me, but that it didn't matter because I was safe now. It was too late to go back. I just wanted to protect him from the anger and sadness he would feel if he found out that Cal had hurt me, but also that I felt like I had to lie to him.

I took one last look at myself before going downstairs to the kitchen, where Jack was making a grilled cheese. His back was to me, so I walked up to him and wrapped my arms around his torso, placing a kiss on his shoulder. "Grilled cheese… what a surprise," I whispered, leaning my head on his shoulder.

"It's comfort food," he said with a smile. He took my hand and brought it to his lips. "Besides, I know you love grilled cheese too." He took a plate and put the grilled cheese on it, then turned and handed it to me. "Here."

I smiled, and took it from him. "Thank you," I whispered, then leaned forward and kissed him. We sat down at the kitchen table and I took a bite. "Oh my gosh, this is so delicious." I smiled as I took another bite. Jack was watching me, amused. "Sorry, I just… haven't been eating much."

"What? Why not?" Jack asked worriedly.

I shrugged. "Well, no one could know I was pregnant, so I was eating the same as I had the last time I was there, which meant eating a small salad as my dinner. I sometimes snuck into the kitchen if I was still hungry, but I still didn't eat much."

"I'm just so glad you're out of there," Jack said after a moment, and he took my hand in his. "It's all over now." I smiled and nodded. Jack was right, it was all over now. "You're so smart, Rose. The fact that you convinced him to let you go…"

"Actually it wasn't my idea," I confessed. "Cal's mother… she gave me the idea. It's a long story, but she wanted me to have the life that she never could have. So, she told me exactly what to say to Cal in order to convince him to let me go."

"Well, whoever's idea it was, I'm glad you're free."

•••

We were back in our bedroom. I was brushing through my hair while Jack was in the bathroom. My face was clean of all makeup, my hair was loose, and I was still in my dress from earlier.

Jack walked back into the room and kissed the top of my head, then walked over to the dresser. "Do you want me to take out a nightgown for you?"

"That's alright, I can get it," I answered. "I actually haven't slept in a nightgown since before I left." Jack turned and looked at me. "I took one of your nightshirts with me, just so I could have a piece of you with me."

Jack smiled sadly. "Alright then," he walked over to the drawer in his bedside table and took out a nightshirt. "Here, you can wear this one tonight, if you'd like."

I smiled and took it from him. "Thank you," I said, as my hand touched his. I walked into the bathroom to change, which probably confused Jack. I got back, standing only in my underwear and Jack's shirt. My bump was fully visible now, though not too big. Jack stood up and walked over to me, taking my hand in his. "Sorry if I'm acting… strange," I whispered, feeling like I had to explain myself. "I just don't feel like myself yet, after everything."

Jack knit his eyebrows. "Is everything alright?" he asked, wrapping his arms around me and placing them on my back. I jumped as he touched my bruises, traumatized from the last time someone placed their hands there. "Rose, what's wrong?"

"I-It's nothing," I lied, taking Jack's hands from my back and holding them in mine. "I'm fine!"

Jack fought against my grasp, then grabbed the back of my shirt and lifted it, revealing the bruises on my lower back. He gasped and stared at me. "You said he didn't do anything to you," he said quietly, tears gathering in his eyes.

"I know," I sighed. "I know it was wrong to lie to you, but… it's over, Jack. He is never going to see me or touch me again, and I just didn't see what good telling you would do. I'm sorry I didn't tell you the truth, but I promise, I'm alright."

Jack sighed, and I put my hands on his collarbone. "I…" he cleared his throat, emotion taking over him. "You're not alright, Rose. You're physically and emotionally damaged by him, just like you were when you first got here." My heart sank as I realized he was right. I was so excited to be back with Jack and Mia that I didn't even notice, didn't let myself think about the lasting effects of being back at the Hockley estate. "I have no doubt that you will be okay, that we can get through this, but right now… right now, you're not alright."

"I know," I said quietly. "I know that I'm not alright, but, Jack… even with this damage, we have more than we had when I left. We have a future now. We have our entire lives together, without the threat of being torn apart at any moment. I'll take that life with you any day."

Jack smiled, finally relaxed. He leaned down and gave me a light kiss. "Just… promise me you'll tell me if the pain gets worse, or if there's something I can do to help you." I nodded, smiling. "And tomorrow, we're going to the doctor to check on you and the baby."

"Okay," I smiled, giving him another kiss. We let go of each other and walked to our separate sides of the bed, climbing under the covers.

Jack and I quickly found each other again. My head rested on his chest as his arm carefully wrapped around my waist and draped over me. I wrapped my arms tighter around him as he kissed the top of my head. "I love you, Rose," he whispered, and I smiled back.

"I love you too."