What Are the Chances

by bbflabradors

Jack and Elizabeth have never met. However, a weekend away with their respective friends may change all of that. They are each under misconceptions, assuming that the cards are not in their favor. What are the chances that they could be wrong?

11. Chapter 11- While We Were Apart

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters within this story. All rights and much respect go to Crown Media, Hallmark, Brian Bird, Michael Landon, Jr., the actors, creators, and writers of the show "When Calls the Heart." Any real people or places noted in the chapter are just there for storyline purposes.

Chapter 11- While We Were Apart…

NOTE: There are several steamy sections in this chapter, so, if that isn't what you want to read, please look elsewhere.

Three and a half weeks prior…

Jack pulled into his apartment complex and before parking his truck, Blake sent him a text…

"Hey, getting guys together for a game. I'm sure you're busy, but if not, meet us at the gym…"

Jack sat in his truck for a moment. There was no surprise that he had some pent-up energy to release, and as such, he decided that meeting up with the guys for a game of b-ball was just what he needed.

He shifted his truck into reverse, backed out of his parking space and headed for the gym at the precinct.

"Whoa, I really wasn't expecting to see you…trouble in paradise?" Blake asked.

"No, what are you talking about?"

"We just haven't seen you except for work in months. You're always with your girl, but I can understand why," Blake laughed.

"Blake, knock it off," Steve stated before turning his attention to Jack, "Don't pay any attention to him."

Too late, Jack was intrigued, "What are you talking about?"

"Well, your girlfriend is rich; I'd hang on to her too. You're a lucky guy. Just think about it Jack, you can retire early," Blake quickly explained.

"Jack don't listen to him. Come on, let's play…" Steve remarked, hoping to sway the conversation in another direction, but realizing that it wasn't happening.

As Jack pushed, Blake was more than happy to offer the information he'd found. Not surprising, Jack obviously confused, excused himself.

Sitting in his truck he sent out a text to Elizabeth…

"U still up…? Wanted 2 talk 2 u about something…"

Thinking it was odd, but assuming maybe they needed to have another relationship talk she quickly returned the text… "Sure, come on over. It's a beautiful nite; do you want 2 talk out in the courtyard?"

"We need privacy…"

Glancing outside, she texted back… "Courtyard is empty, but now I'm concerned. Come 2 my apt…"

While waiting, she paced. Uncertain what this was pertaining to, she could only assume it had to do with needs and wants and what he wasn't getting out of the relationship. After all, it's one thing to say you understand and will wait, but it's another to be constantly slapped in the face with the need, want and desire and to be consistently shut down. She knew the feeling, and although she was the one shutting him down, she also felt the need, want and desire as well.

She was waiting at the door when he exited the elevator and the expression on his face told her that something was wrong, but she was unable to read into it further.

She held the door open as he walked inside; she closed the door behind him, walked into the room and offered him a seat.

"I think I'll stand," he stated in a curt tone.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

The accusatory tone was much like a punch in the gut as she decided to take a seat, "I'm sorry but I don't know what you're talking about."

"You're rich…?"

"Is that a question, or some type of accusation?"

"Is it true?"

"Jack, I didn't think it was important…"

"So, it is true. WOW, you must have thought I was a chump; I mean, taking you camping… you must have enjoyed the laugh."

Hearing Jack's tone of voice caused Baloo to leave his bed and sit next to Elizabeth, feeling the need to be her protector. Staring up at Jack, he was confused by this man he once trusted with Elizabeth, previously feeling that she was safe with him, but at this moment, he now wasn't so sure.

"Jack, please sit down," she asked as he began pacing the floor. "I loved camping; I love spending time with you, Jack."

"Elizabeth, we've been together for almost a year; I've met your parents, albeit at a restaurant, but no one apparently felt the need to tell me that you're rich?"

"Jack, I'm not rich; my parents are the ones with the money. They paid for my schooling, but I bought my Jeep, I pay my rent, and I wouldn't want it any other way. I work hard for what I have, and I take offense that you…you of all people would question my integrity."

As she took a much-needed breath, the words kept firing, "What is it about my life that makes you think I am anything like what you're portraying? Do I seem shallow, entitled, or have I ever given you the impression that I'm not happy with my lifestyle?"

"No, but you should have told me. I shouldn't have had to hear it from someone else."

"Who told you? I mean you left here to go home, so what happened between here and there?" she asked.

"I went to play basketball with the guys," he advised.

"Well, that's good. You need to spend more time with your friends; maybe both of us do. But how did the topic of my finances come up?"

"Blake told me. Everyone must be laughing at me right now. We've been dating so long and apparently I'm the only one left in the dark. So, thank you for the consideration, Elizabeth."

"Consideration? Consideration for what? Does the fact that my father has done well in business have anything to do with us?" she asked, her own voice taking on an angered tone.

"It's embarrassing; I can't even imagine what your dad thinks of me. There is no way that I can compete with your upbringing."

"What was I supposed to say, 'oh, I'll have the Chicken Marsala, and by the way, Jack, my parents are rich,'" she snapped back. "Besides, does it have any impact on how you feel about me? Because my understanding is that when you left here a little while ago, you loved me. I have not changed since then, but apparently you have."

"I still love you, but I feel like I've been lied to," he returned the quipped comment.

"You know, this is certainly not what I expected when you asked to come over, but since you're here and want to know, here it is…" she began, but felt the oxygen strangling her as her chest tightened.

"First of all, I have never asked you to compete for me, nor would I ever want you to. Secondly, my dad is a wonderful man. Yes, he has money, but he doesn't flaunt it, nor does he make others feel inferior if they don't have it. Thirdly, my parents think the world of you; they aren't laughing behind your back, nor are they disappointed because you don't have the financial means to give me everything; I already have everything I need, or at least I thought I did. And lastly, but probably most importantly, I thought you knew me, that you could see into my soul and knew me, the real me, but I guess I was wrong," her voice was sharp, piercing if you will, as he now knew that opening this Pandora's box was detrimental to what they were working hard to build between them.

"I do know you, or at least I thought I did, but I don't understand why you'd keep this from me."

"My father went to community college; there was a period where my two sisters and I shared a bedroom; there were a few years when my parents didn't have the money to give us a birthday party, so they said that family celebrations with handmade gifts were special, and there wasn't money in my family when we were kids for any of the girls to take lessons in dance, music or athletics so we learned things on our own. Oh, and at the age of sixteen, I got a speeding ticket and a parking ticket last year. I never mentioned those things to you either, but it's part of my life."

"Why didn't you tell me about your parking ticket?"

"WOW Jack, are you serious?" She couldn't believe his accusatory tone, wondering what was truly behind his change in attitude. "I didn't tell you because I didn't want you trying to take care of it for me. I parked in the wrong place; I did it, and I had to take care of it."

With Baloo standing by her side, Elizabeth walked to the door and turned the knob. "What are you doing," he asked.

"Before we say anymore; before we put out there things that can't be taken back, I think it's time that we said goodnight," she offered while standing by the open doorway.

"We're not done…"

She glanced into his eyes, "Oh yes, I'm done…"

"You're willing to just give up?"

"I've never given up on anything and I don't intend to now, but for some reason, money or the lack there of seems to be an issue for you, or is something else really the problem?"

"Lack of honesty is the problem."

"Look Jack, I have not been dishonest. But for some reason, you came over here treating me as if I had something to hide, something that I chose to keep from you. You couldn't be farther from the truth, but if that's how you feel, then there is no honesty and trust between us, in which case there is no us."

As the door to her apartment closed, essentially separating them, both were angry, but neither believed that this separation would be long lasting.

The following day, both Jack and Elizabeth erroneously sat waiting for the anger to ease and clearer heads to prevail, each one assuming that an apology from the other would be forthcoming.

Elizabeth sat at home, Baloo by her side, waiting on Jack to call and apologize. The call never came. Across town, Jack sat and waited for his phone to ring. Although he did receive several calls, none were from the person he wanted to hear from the most.

Hours turned into a day, and days turned into a week, and although each one wanted to talk to the other, neither one made the first move.

At the end of the first week apart, Elizabeth's news at being named 'Teacher of the Year,' would have been a pride filled moment, thankful for the recognition, and excited by the honor. However, without Jack to share in her joy, it simply felt much like a yearly 'excellent' evaluation in the classroom, an honor typically given by her principal…obviously something to be proud of, but not carrying the same prestige as the Teacher of the Year award.

It was now Friday morning, and Elizabeth was not looking forward to another day of having to put on a happy face in the classroom. But then again, the upcoming weekend alone was not looking promising either. As she begrudgingly walked out to the parking lot to head for school, she rode down in the elevator and to her Jeep with her next-door neighbor, Lauren Philcox.

"Good morning Elizabeth; I'm so glad it's finally Friday. I haven't seen that handsome boyfriend of yours around lately. What's his name?

"Jack…" she answered before realizing that technically he wasn't her boyfriend anymore.

"Do you guys have any exciting plans for the weekend?"

Elizabeth had gotten away with not talking to anyone about Jack, having taken this week to process the breakup and visualizing her life from here on out without him. She figured that she might as well let people know that they were no longer together, hoping that as she told one, and they spread the word that she wouldn't have to tell the story too many times. "Jack and I broke up last week."

"Oh, I'm so sorry; is there anything I can do?" Lauren asked.

Besides minding your own business, no, was what she wanted to say. What actually passed through her lips was, "No thank you. I guess it just wasn't meant to be. I'm fine."

"Maybe you'll get back together…" Lauren suggested. "Or there may be someone better out there for you."

Elizabeth prayed for the door to open, but the elevator seemed to be slower than molasses this morning, making Elizabeth wish that she had taken the stairs, a form of exercise that she actually loathed. "Nope, that's not going to happen."

"What, getting back together, or finding someone better?"

"Possibly neither. He made some accusations without any basis for truth, and I'm done. It's been a week and he hasn't called to apologize, so, I don't want to see him again."

"You won't be alone for long. There are really nice guys in this complex, and you may not realize it, but quite a few of them were disappointed to hear that you were taken."

"Lauren, I'm not interested, so please don't say anything," Elizabeth, initially wanting people to know so she wouldn't have to rehash the story over and over, now just wanted to keep things quiet. "I'm not used to being without Jack, and I'm not looking to get involved with anyone else right now."

"Well, I understand, and my lips are zipped. But, I have a friend coming in for a visit this weekend. So, if you're interested, it could be a girl's weekend out."

The elevator door finally opened, and the two women headed toward the parking lot.

"No, I appreciate the invitation, but I think I'm going to stay with my folks for the weekend. I rarely get a chance to spend time with them, and it will give me and Baloo an opportunity to get away."

"Okay, but if you change your mind, just let me know."

"I will, Thanks again," she stated as she stepped toward her Jeep and Lauren continued down to her Toyota sedan.

The day seemed to drag. Each lesson somehow reminded her of Jack. The spelling test consisted of 'L' words, with 'Love' being number 6. Their writing lesson was to copy sentences using their spelling words, with 'love' appearing in two of the seven sentences, and math dealt with a very simple word problem…

"Sally wanted to buy six apples and four oranges. The apples were $.10 a piece, and the oranges were $.20 apiece. How much money does she need to buy the fruit?"

"Miss Thatcher," Amy Carpenter called out as she raised her hand.

"Yes Amy…"

"She just needs to ask her daddy for the money," Amy responded, answering as though she believed her answer to be accurate.

Before Elizabeth could respond, Michael Prescott called out, "Miss Thatcher…"

"Yes Michael…"

"My daddy would tell Sally that she needs to get a job," the young boy advised.

"He would…?"

"That's what he always tells me when I ask him for money for ice cream or a toy."

"Do you have a job?" Elizabeth asked.

"Miss Thatcher, I'm just a kid, but my daddy will give me jobs around the house to do, and then he gives me money to buy the things I want, so I guess I do have a job…"

"Well, Michael, your daddy is teaching you a valuable lesson." Turning her attention back to Amy, Elizabeth stated, "It's nice as kids when we can do little jobs for our parents and earn money. But when you get older, you don't want your boyfriend assuming that your daddy buys you everything and that you don't work hard and pay your own bills."

"Huh…?" Amy's face was scrunched up, obviously lost by her explanation.

Elizabeth realized how off track she'd gotten; "Uh, never mind."

Thankfully, it was now afternoon and school was being dismissed. Although Elizabeth thought she was doing well with her 'happy face' expression, little Cathy Barnett, one of her students, walked up to her desk and handed her a candy bar that she pulled from her lunchbox. Placing it on Elizabeth's desk, she whispered, "You look sad, and I want you to have this. Chocolate always makes me feel better." Before Elizabeth could object, Cathy grabbed her backpack and was out the door and on her way to her awaiting bus.

From her teenage years on, Friday was generally considered 'date night' and although she was obviously without one, she couldn't help but wonder if he had already moved on. Being tired of working and then sitting at home waiting on a phone call that was apparently not coming, Elizabeth decided to follow through with what she'd told Lauren, assuming that this would be a perfect weekend to spend with her parents at her family home in Cary, North Carolina.

Elizabeth drove by her apartment, picked up Baloo, her overnight bag, and was heading for the door when her phone rang. Recognizing the ringtone as Rosie's, she vacillated between answering and hitting 'decline,' thereby keeping her best friend in the dark about her recent breakup.

Realizing that she'd have to answer her call some time, she decided that there was no better time than the present.

"Hey Rosie, did you have a nice visit with your family? I'll bet they loved Lee," Elizabeth stated as she answered the call, doing her best to sound happy and perky, but certain that she was failing miserably.

"Is something wrong?" Rosie asked.

Lying, Elizabeth stated, "No…why?"

"I've called you several times over the past few days, and you haven't answered."

Elizabeth knew that she had, but responded, "Hmm, my phone must be acting up. So, how did the visit go? I'm sure your family loved Lee."

"Yes they loved him, but we knew they would," she replied. "Elizabeth, you are just sound funny. Are you sure nothing is wrong?"

"No, everything is fine."

"Are you sure? Is Baloo okay? Your family? Jack?"

"Rosie, stop worrying, I'll be fine."

"You'll be fine…what's wrong?"

"I'm just tired. I haven't been sleeping well."

"Well, Lee and I are going to that wing place over on Southern, why don't you and Jack meet us there. You can get some wings, beer and I'll bet you'll be ready to sleep when you get home.""

"Uh…"

"What's wrong, do you and Jack have private plans?" Rosie asked.

"Rosie, Jack and I…" her tears again started to flow.

"Jack and you what…are you engaged, and you didn't call me?"

"No, Jack and I aren't together anymore."

"WHAT?"

"Please don't yell at me."

"Elizabeth, I'm calling Lee, and I'll be right over. The wing restaurant can wait for another night. Or better yet, Lee can go by and get Jack and talk some sense into him."

"No, you and Lee have a nice evening. I'm actually going to visit my family this weekend. I just don't want to hang around the apartment."

"You need to be with your best friend."

Looking over at Baloo, Elizabeth knew that Rosie was right. However, explaining to her that right now Baloo was who she needed to be with, she simply responded, "I appreciate that, and we'll get together soon. But right now, I just want to get away and I haven't seen my folks in a while."

"Are you sure?"

"Rosie, I'm fine…"

"Well, can you at least tell me what happened?"

"To be honest, I don't know."

"Well, that's not very enlightening, and hardly worth breaking up over."

"Rosie, all I know is that we were fine, great actually, and he left to go home. A short while later he called and wanted to see me."

"That sounds like he missed you; that's a good thing."

"I thought so too, but when he came inside, he didn't want to sit down. He paced and started accusing me of lying to him about being rich. He said that my parents and I must have been laughing at him for taking me camping, you know, like I'm not happy unless someone spends a boatload of money on me."

"WOW, I didn't expect that from him," Rosie responded.

"Neither did I, and then we both got angry, and I guess maybe we said some things that we didn't mean to…or at least I didn't mean to say, maybe he meant everything he said; I don't know."

"He hasn't called Lee to tell him. When did this happen? I'll bet he's going to call and apologize."

"Rosie, it was a week ago, and I haven't heard anything from him; it's over, and I just feel so sick. I thought he was the one," Elizabeth admitted as she continued to talk, even though she initially questioned blowing off the call. "I even questioned remaining a virgin, because I knew that the love we felt for each other was the real thing, true and long lasting. I'm glad I didn't do something stupid."

"Is that what you fought about…sex?"

"No, I told you he was making accusations about me being rich and lying to him."

"Well, you've been together almost a year, and haven't slept together, I'll bet those cold showers are really what's getting to him."

"Rosie, stop…we've talked about that, and although I know it's hard, he said he was willing to wait. If it was bothering him, he would have talked to me about it."

"I'll bet it is hard," Rosie teased, hoping to make Elizabeth laugh.

Thinking back to the many times that she'd been close with Jack, and had felt his growing urge, her heart ached even more. "Rosie, that's gross and not the least bit funny. I'll talk to you later, but I need to get going," Elizabeth was doing her best to end the call.

"Okay, but tell me how things ended?"

"What do you mean, how did things end; I just told you, we broke up."

"Elizabeth what was said?"

"I told him that I thought we didn't need to continue talking because we were going to say things that we couldn't take back…and apparently we did."

"That sounds like an argument, not a breakup."

"Well, then Jack asked if I was giving up, and…"

"Oh no, what did you say?"

"I told him that I'd never given up on anything in my life, but apparently he has a problem with money or the lack there of, and if he was accusing me of being dishonest, then there was no us…"

"Elizabeth, I'm so sorry, but I have your back, girl. I'll get you two back together."

"Rosie, I'm probably talking to deaf ears, but please don't do anything. I believe that things happen for a reason, and if Jack and I are meant to get back together we'll do it on our own. Please, promise me that you'll stay out of it."

"Elizabeth, I hate you feeling so down."

"I'm sad, I won't deny that. I miss him, and I won't deny that either. But I won't be with someone who says they can't trust me and accuses me of lying; that doesn't make for a strong partnership."

"Elizabeth, are you sure?"

"Rosie, it hurts. I mean not seeing him for a week has been hard, but to have him look me in the eyes and tell me that he doesn't trust me…he might just as well have reached in and ripped my heart out. I just feel so empty inside right now."

Please let me come over so we can talk…"

"Thank you, and I really appreciate your concern, but I think right now I need to take Baloo and spend some time with my parents."

"Call me when you get back so we can get together," Rosie mentioned.

"I will, but I'm not sure when I'll have the time. I have a lot of school stuff coming up."

"Elizabeth, make the time…" as they hung up the phone, Rosie's next call was to Lee, "Hey, have you talked to Jack?"

"No, are they going to meet us for wings?"

"Unfortunately, no; they broke up."

"WHAT?"

"I know, that's what I said."

"I'll be over to pick you up in a little while, but I think I need to call Jack first."

"Yes, I'd suggest that, and tell him what a Bozo he is for walking away from Elizabeth."

As this call ended, Lee dialed Jack's number, "Hey did you and Rosie have a great time? I'll bet her parents loved you," Jack stated hoping to direct their conversation away from his personal meltdown.

"Please tell me that I heard wrong…"

"About what?"

"Jack, did you and Elizabeth really break up?"

"Apparently so, but it was her choice."

"Jack, what happened?"

"Did you know that she's rich, or rather, she says that it's her parent's money, but still she wasn't honest with me."

"Excuse me? You mean to tell me that you heard her family has money, and you broke up with her?"

"Lee, she should have told me."

"Let me ask you, do you not like my sister anymore?"

"Of course, I like your sister, but what does one thing have to do with the other?" Jack asked.

"Well, you know the guy she married is wealthy."

"No, I didn't know that, but I wasn't dating her. Elizabeth and I have been together for almost a year, and she should have mentioned it."

"Jack, I've never known you to have an ego that caused you to forget about reality."

"Lee, I wanted to talk; she was mad and wanted to end things, so I guess she got her wish."

"Did you honestly just say that? Jack Thornton, Elizabeth is the best thing that has ever happened to you, and you're just going to throw what you two have away?"

"What am I supposed to do; she lied to me; you know how I feel about honesty."

"Excuse me…her family has money, and she lied to you…how?"

"She never told me. Can you imagine how I felt about taking her camping; I mean, her family was probably having a big laugh over the fact that I can't take her to fancy, expensive places."

"Who are you and what did you do with my best friend? You don't sound like the Jack Thornton I know. You have never cared about what others thought; you did what you knew to be right, so what else is going on here?" Lee asked. "Why did you really pick a fight with Elizabeth?"

Before Jack could assemble a mediocre response, Lee continued, "Well, you are my friend, but I have to say, you are making a big mistake. I don't understand what you think she did wrong," Lee firmly stated.

Lee had previously talked with Jack about Rosie and Elizabeth, and there was no doubt in his mind that Jack was madly in love, so to cause a fight didn't seem logical to him. "Talk to me, Jack. Tell me what's going on."

"I don't know…"

"Well, you'd better figure it out, because if you let this one get away, you are really going to regret it."

"What am I supposed to do; she kicked me out and slammed the door in my face. She doesn't want to see me."

"You call her; you go by and see her, and most importantly, you apologize," Lee adamantly suggested.

"I'll think about it."

"Don't think too long. If you continue to push her away, you very well may get your wish."

"I know what I'm doing, Lee."

"I'm not so sure, Jack…"

"Lee, I don't want to talk about it anymore."

"You know that Rosie isn't going to let this drop. She's already talked to Elizabeth, and she's upset."

"Did Elizabeth tell her anything?" Jack asked.

"I don't know. If she did, Rosie hasn't told me."

"Well, please tell Rosie to stay out of it. If Elizabeth and I are meant to work it out, we will."

"Okay, well I was calling to see if you and Elizabeth wanted to meet Rosie and I for wings, but since that's a no-go, will you call me sometime so we can meet for a beer or dinner or something?"

"Sure, you two go and have a nice time, and we'll talk later," Jack stated as he hung up the phone, knowing that the conversation between Lee and Rosie would most likely be quite explosive.

Heading to Cary, NC…

Across town, Elizabeth and Baloo jumped into her Jeep and headed for her parent's home and some much-needed family love and understanding. She cranked up the radio but found herself preoccupied and paying no attention to the songs that played until "Driver's License" by Olivia Rodrigo hit the airwaves.

I got my driver's license last week
Just like we always talked about
'Cause you were so excited for me
To finally drive up to your house
But today I drove through the suburbs
Crying 'cause you weren't around

And you're probably with that blonde girl
Who always made me doubt
She's so much older than me
She's everything I'm insecure about
Yeah, today I drove through the suburbs
'Cause how could I ever love someone else?

And I know we weren't perfect but I've never felt this way for no one
And I just can't imagine how you could be so okay now that I'm gone
Guess you didn't mean what you wrote in that song about me
'Cause you said forever, now I drive alone past your street

And all my friends are tired
Of hearing how much I miss you, but
I kinda feel sorry for them
'Cause they'll never know you the way that I do, yeah
Today I drove through the suburbs
And pictured I was driving home to you

And I know we weren't perfect
But I've never felt this way for no one, oh
And I just can't imagine how you could be so okay, now that I'm gone
I guess you didn't mean what you wrote in that song about me
'Cause you said forever, now I drive alone past your street

Red lights, stop signs
I still see your face in the white cars, front yards
Can't drive past the places we used to go to
'Cause I still freakin' love you, babe (ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh)
Sidewalks we crossed
I still hear your voice in the traffic, we're laughing
Over all the noise
God, I'm so blue, know we're through
But I still freakin' love you, babe (ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh)

I know we weren't perfect but I've never felt this way for no one
And I just can't imagine how you could be so okay, now that I'm gone
'Cause you didn't mean what you wrote in that song about me
'Cause you said forever, now I drive alone past your street
Yeah, you said forever, now I drive alone past your street

Elizabeth loved this song but had to admit that she'd never listened fully to the lyrics before, or the meaning behind them. Now, for the first time fully engulfed in the words and story behind the song, she understood that the woman was devastated that the man she loved was obviously no longer interested in her.

If her mind hadn't been spinning like a top, leaving her unable to think rationally, Elizabeth would have known that Jack was the real thing; his feelings for her were genuine and true. She would have also realized that Jack, a young, virile man, had been with her for nearly a year without the benefit of sex…that alone should have told her that he was truly in love with her. But all she knew right now was that she hadn't seen or heard from him in a week, and the silence was deafening.

Elizabeth's eyes watered, and as the road was obscured by her tears she wiped them several times. She was angry with Jack for the comments and accusations he'd made, but she also knew that she would have forgiven him in a heartbeat if he'd simply called or come by to see her.

Elizabeth was fairly certain that at some point her anger would dissipate, but the love she felt in her heart would never die. However, she wasn't at all certain that she could say the same for Jack.

She thought about the lyrics…

"And I know we weren't perfect but I've never felt this way for no one
And I just can't imagine how you could be so okay now that I'm gone
Guess you didn't mean what you wrote in that song about me
'Cause you said forever, now I drive alone past your street"

She sat for a quiet moment before stating with a frustrated breath, "Oh hell no… I'm not driving passed his place."

Elizabeth pulled into the shopping center parking lot a mile from her parent's home to freshen her face and remove any sign of the tears that had fallen. She knew that she'd have to tell her parents about their breakup, but also knew that right now she felt raw, and wasn't up to discussing it.

Cary, NC- Thatcher residence…

Pulling into the driveway of her parent's home in Cary Estates, she drove up to the house, suddenly seeing it in all of its magnificence, the way she now assumed Jack may have viewed it had he visited before. Growing up, it was just 'home' and she never thought of it as being bigger or grandeur that those belonging to her friends.

Thinking back, she now recalled several acquaintances in college who gave her the nickname "Snooty," an adjective that no one who truly knew Elizabeth would have ever used to describe her. However, once they found out where she lived, and how successful her father was in business, the green-eyed monster gained a strong hold on them, and making Elizabeth feel bad, somehow made them feel better.

Mr. and Mrs. Thatcher initially met Jack at the hospital, having rushed there following Elizabeth's attack. Assuming that he was simply someone on the police force who had saved their daughter, they invited him out to dinner to thank him for everything he had done to protect her. It was at dinner, that Elizabeth announced that they actually knew each other and were dating.

Maybe it was because Mr. Thatcher knew that Jack would go above and beyond to protect Elizabeth, or possibly he had decided to stay out of her relationship business, the latter being unlikely, but Jack was the first man she'd dated, that her father honestly felt comfortable with.

During the time that Jack and Elizabeth had been dating, it never dawned on her that her family's wealth would have such an impact on him. After all, the money belonged to her parents, not her, indicative of the fact that she lived in a small apartment, worked as a schoolteacher and otherwise seemed to live modestly.

The two occasions that Jack was supposed to accompany Elizabeth to her family home for special occasions, Thanksgiving and her father's surprise birthday party, he was called into work at the last minute. The first occasion was due to an uprising at the prison, and the second was an execution style murder that took place in the parking lot of a local shopping center.

Therefore, Elizabeth didn't feel as though she was attempting to hide anything from him, especially since it was Jack who had to turn down the invitations. All other dinners and family get togethers were usually held at restaurants closer to where Jack and Elizabeth reside, with one cookout being at Jack's apartment complex, where they surprisingly only had to share the courtyard area with one other family.

Now, sitting in front of her family's 7-bedroom, 8-bathroom home, she thought back to their argument, and his apparent concern over money, and social status. As she stared at her family home and the grounds where it sat, she wondered had he been able to attend the Thanksgiving dinner or her father's birthday party on the premises, would this break up have occurred much sooner, possibly before she'd become so invested in this relationship?

Doing her best to put a smile on her face, Elizabeth exited her Jeep and stood in the driveway as Baloo made his way from the side of the house to the front, hitting each piece of shrubbery, marking it as his own.

With this task completed, Baloo stood on the front porch awaiting Elizabeth who didn't move through the shrubbery as he had, but around it.

Once inside, Elizabeth called out, "Anyone home?"

Immediately she heard her mother call from the den, "I'm in here…"

Before Elizabeth made her way into the den, her mother stepped out into the hallway and quickly greeted Baloo. "To what do we owe this visit?" she asked before looking in Elizabeth's direction.

"I'm sorry, I've been busy with work, and counseling and just thought it would be nice to get away for the weekend."

"Where's Jack; is he outside?"

"No, we're not together."

"Well, I see that," she commented, observing that Jack was nowhere in sight. "Is he working?"

"I don't know…"

"Okay, I know you can't say. I guess he's working undercover. I'll pray that he stays safe."

"Well, actually," Elizabeth began to respond only to be silenced when her father stepped out of his office.

"Where's Jack; the Braves game is on TV."

"Honey, he's working undercover, so he's not with her, but we apparently get Elizabeth for the weekend."

"Well, I'll never look a gift horse in the mouth; I'm always happy to have my girls come home for a visit. Gosh, you can move back in if you want…"

"William, you know she has her own place; besides, I'd assume that at some point she and Jack will be getting married."

"Mom, please stop. That's not going to happen. When I said that Jack and I aren't together, I mean that we broke up."

Stunned, both of her parents remained quiet, waiting on Elizabeth to burst out laughing, before advising, "I'm just joking."

When that didn't happen, Mr. Thatcher opened his mouth, but nothing came out. During tempestuous board meetings, he was never at a loss for words, but now, with his middle daughter obviously upset, he suddenly wasn't sure what to say.

"Oh honey, I'm so sorry. What happened?" Mrs. Thatcher asked.

"Mom, I don't really want to talk about it. Is it okay if we don't make Jack a topic of conversation around here?"

Mr. Thatcher approached and wrapped her in his arms, "Whatever you want. I didn't like him much anyway; there's someone better out there for you, honey."

"Oh, daddy stop. I know you loved him, sometimes I felt like it was more than you loved me," she stated as her eyes began to tear. "And I was okay with that because I thought maybe he'd be the son you never had…"

"Honey, I will never pick him over you. I'm just sorry that he broke your heart?"

"Who said that my heart is broken? I'm fine; I always had my doubts that we'd last forever, and besides, it's his loss."

Elizabeth reached down and grabbed the handle to her bag, "I'm going to carry my stuff up to my room."

"Okay, but come back down so we can talk," her mother strongly suggested.

"Mom, please…I'm not ready to talk about Jack. I just want a quiet weekend so I can think, okay?" she dropped her bag back onto the floor.

"If that's what you want. But honey, I'm just worried about you."

"I understand mom. If you're worried about me, let's talk about my counseling, which went great, I might add," Elizabeth stated about the one thing that had gone really well in her life.

"It went great; does that mean you're finished?"

"Yes, I'm only seeing the counselor as needed now; I haven't had a nightmare in months, and she replaced the anti-anxiety medication that she'd previously prescribed with things like exercise and meditation."

"How is that going?"

"It was going great. Jack…"

"Jack what, honey?"

Elizabeth wiped her eyes. "Jack would come over in the evenings and we'd go for a run together. If the weather was bad, we'd have dinner and take time in the evening to meditate."

"He was a big help, wasn't he?"

"I see what you're doing, mom. Yes, he helped me a lot, and I know I wouldn't be here right now if it hadn't been for him. But right now, right at this moment, I'm not thinking very highly of him, and I just need time to process everything." Elizabeth picked her bag up from the floor, "Can you give me that time, mom?"

"Of course, she will, honey," her father spoke up. "Just know that we want to help."

"I know that daddy, but this is something that I have to deal with on my own," she stated as she started up the stairs with Baloo three steps ahead of her.

Jack's apartment…

Sitting in his den in front of the TV with a sports game on, Jack would have been hard pressed to testify in a court of law as to what he was watching, for although his eyes were glued to the screen, his mind was elsewhere.

Jack jumped up from his sofa, grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator and headed for his truck. Although he wasn't certain at this point what he was going to say, or that he was even the one who needed to apologize, what he did know was that this argument or breakup had gone on way too long, and they needed to talk.

Heading toward her apartment, Jack thought about the fact that the path from the precinct and his apartment did not take him anywhere near Elizabeth's home, yet he had admittedly driven past her apartment complex every morning before and every evening after work. On several of the morning drive-bys, he caught a glimpse of her walking out to her Jeep, and he longed to put an end to this absurd separation.

In the evening, it made him feel good to see her vehicle sitting in her parking space; that is until the end of the first week apart when he realized that if she were out on a date, she'd be leaving her Jeep at home anyway.

Having only driven by her complex for the past week, on this occasion, Jack pulled into the visitor space designated beside her assigned slot, and walked toward her building, having not even realized that her Jeep was gone. He was simply focused on what he was going to say, and how he was going to keep her from slamming the door in his face again.

Standing at Elizabeth's apartment door, Jack knocked several times, but received no answer. Her next-door neighbor, Lauren Philcox and her best friend, Neely Fairweather were exiting her apartment when she observed Jack standing at Elizabeth's door sans a bouquet of flowers, box of candy, an appropriate piece of jewelry or other item worthy of an "I'm sorry" gift in his possession or on the ground covering the threshold of her door.

"Elizabeth went out of town this weekend," Lauren stated as Jack stood there, his mouth dry, mind blank, and looking somewhat like a lost little puppy. "She went with Tim to the mountains for the weekend," Lauren blurted out, knowing that this was Jack, but never having been officially introduced to him before.

"Excuse me; are you referring to Elizabeth Thatcher?" he asked, his heart was pounding, and his thoughts were in overdrive.

"Uh, yeah…that's her apartment."

"Are you sure she went out of town with someone?" he asked, hoping that she'd made a mistake.

"Yes, she's out of town with him," although the him she really meant was Baloo, but Jack was left with the image of her in another man's arms.

Jack turned and trudged down the hall, deciding that he needed to blow off some steam by taking the stairs instead of the elevator. When Lauren and Neely reached the parking lot, Jack was standing in front of her empty space, "But her Jeep is gone…" Jack commented, barely able to release the words.

Thinking fast, Lauren stated, "Oh, well she followed him to his place, and they were leaving from there. I'll be glad to let her know that you came by if you'd like. What's your name?"

Jack took a deep breath, and although his mind was previously empty, it was now spinning like a tornado with visions of her and a new man, a new man that she was so quickly moving on to weekend visits with. He could only assume what they'd be doing. "Don't bother…"

As Jack walked away, Lauren turned to Neely and stated, "That serves him right."

"What do you mean?" Neely asked.

"That's Elizabeth's ex-boyfriend, and they broke up a week or so ago. Elizabeth told me this morning that she was done, and she never expected to see him again."

"Well, she may not expect to see him again, but yet here he is. You need to call and tell her," Neely responded.

"She's visiting her parents this weekend; I don't have her number…"

"Well, visiting your folks is a far cry from the romantic weekend you implied. So, if she's visiting her parents this weekend, who's Tim?"

"Oh, he lives in the apartment one floor below me."

"You are going to tell her that he came by, aren't you?" Neely asked.

"Maybe I'll tell her when she comes home; he needs to stew about it for a while," Lauren replied. "But if I don't see her, oh well, I'm moving in two weeks anyway."

Jack sat in his truck unwilling to believe that Elizabeth had forgotten him and moved on to someone else so quickly. He kept glancing to his right; each time he looked, the space beside him was empty, but he kept hoping that at some point her Jeep would miraculously reappear.

Nothing seemed logical; but then again, ten days ago if someone had said that he and Elizabeth would separate, he wouldn't have believed that either.

At this point he didn't know what the truth was. In his heart, he knew that Elizabeth wouldn't have moved on to another man so quickly, and certainly would not be spending the weekend away with him. But then his 'head' kicked in with the philosophy, 'everyone knows that when you break up with someone, you sleep with someone else to get over them.' Jack had not previously subscribed to that philosophy, but he knew other men who did. He just wasn't sure if women viewed breakups in the same light.

Jack drove home, grabbed a beer from his refrigerator and took a seat out on his deck. Hearing music from the courtyard, he glanced down and observed a couple, assuming they were alone, slow dancing. Their dancing led into kissing, first his lips to her neck and before Jack could look away, the man held her face in his hands, and their lips passionately met.

Feeling alone, angry and devastated, Jack called David Taylor, a friend and member of the Brothers in Blue, "Hey, are you busy tonight?"

"No, why?" David replied.

"I don't want to hang around here by myself, and I felt like going out for a drink. Want to go to Still Life?"

"Um, Jack that's a dance bar, and I don't want to tag along with you and Elizabeth."

"We broke up and I just want to get out and have some fun."

"Oh man, I'm sorry. I'd heard that rumor but didn't believe it to be true. Are you sure you want to go out?"

"I can't sit around here another night. I need to get out…"

"Do you want me to meet you there?"

"No, I'll come pick you up…" Jack hung up the phone, grabbed his wallet and headed out the door.

Walking through the courtyard, he couldn't help but to look for the young couple he'd only a short while earlier eyed from his balcony. Finding the area empty, he assumed that they had taken their passion upstairs to the privacy of their own home, and he had to admit that he was jealous.

Thirty minutes later, Jack pulled into the driveway of David's townhouse. David immediately stepped outside, and they were off. Jack wasn't certain what he was hoping for, but David's thoughts immediately hoped for an exciting and eventful evening, and as he put it, "Maybe we won't come home alone."

Jack smiled and although he knew that he and Elizabeth were not currently together, and he was free, as was she, to do as he pleased, he wasn't so certain that he could bring himself to accept a one-night stand. After all, he'd never had one, and since he'd met Elizabeth, no other woman appealed to him.

Having made the statement to gauge Jack's expression, David then asked, "What happened between you and Elizabeth? I always thought that you two were perfect together."

"Well, apparently this weekend she's perfect for T-iii-mmm," he stated as he dragged out the name of the man who Jack assumed would have the entire weekend to experience Elizabeth, touching her in places that he'd only dreamed about.

"Jack, are you sure about this? I mean, you don't want to do something that you're going to regret."

"Look David, she's out with another guy who knows where, doing who knows what, so apparently what I thought we had doesn't matter to her. Besides, right now I'm just regretting assuming that Elizabeth was different from other women…so no, I'm good, and I just want to forget about her for tonight."

Still Life Nightclub…

Sitting at the bar, Jack nursed a drink he used to say was named after him, Jack and Coke, although other than a beer here and there, he was never considered much of a drinker.

As Jack stared into his glass, focusing on the small ice cubes, David asked, "Hey, have you ever had a one-night stand?"

"What?" Jack diverted his eyes from the ice cubes and glanced in David's direction.

"Have you ever had a one-night stand?"

"No…"

"Well, if you come to a place like this alone, the likelihood is that you won't leave alone. If a woman interests you, would you say, 'yes' to a one-night stand?"

"Apparently, since Elizabeth is out of town with Tim, 'what's good for the goose is good for the gander.'"

"What's that mean?" David asked.

"You've never heard that?" Jack asked.

"Nope…"

"It means what's good for the woman is good for the man; and since Elizabeth has forgotten about me so quickly, I need to do the same about her."

"Here come two prospects at 9 o'clock," David stated as he observed two women approaching.

Jack glanced at his watch…

"No stupid, it's not 9 o'clock, she's coming in from the left, like at 9 o'clock on a clock, but don't look," David stated as Jack, against David's advice, turned as one of the women took a seat beside him while the other sat beside David.

David leaned over and laughed, "I told you that you wouldn't be alone for long. One-night stands are looking promising…"

The woman beside Jack introduced herself, "Hi, I'm Melanie. And you are…?"

"I'm Jack…" he responded. He hadn't even acknowledged her with his eyes, finding it safer to stare into his glass of liquid courage.

"Well, hello Jack. You look a little down tonight, is something wrong?" she asked.

David blurted out, "He broke up with his girlfriend. She's out with another guy, and he's feeling down and alone," a comment that warranted a glare and disapproving expression from Jack.

She took hold of his hand, "Well, I can take care of that. Let's dance." Practically pulling him from his stool, they left David and Maddie, his possible 'love for the night' at the bar where they continued to talk.

Although Jack had to admit that feeling the warmth of a woman against his body was quite stimulating, all he could imagine was the pleasure that Elizabeth was giving to Tim, whoever he was. These thoughts simply added to his anger over the entire situation, and a feeling of payback crossed his mind.

They continued to dance with Melanie taking every opportunity she had to rub her body up against his. She held him tight, taking her hands and squeezing his butt cheeks, assuming that once he was turned on, he would be hers for the night.

Returning to a table, Jack and Melanie took seats side by side, with her scooting over, practically sitting in his lap. She placed her hand on the inside of Jack's thigh, first resting it there as if they were simply a couple, and then giving it a gentle squeeze, as if they were on their way to a hotel.

"Hey baby, do you want to get out of here? We can go to my place if you'd like," Melanie leaned close and whispered in his ear.

As Jack seemed to hesitate, her hand went higher and higher until she was practically holding his penis. Taking her hand, they headed for the entrance, with David telling Jack not to worry about him that he'd call an Uber.

Although Jack felt the physical need for this immediate sexual release, the woman who held tightly to his hand was not the one who had his body on fire. His thought of Elizabeth and their close times together was the one who warmed his blood and on this occasion, subsequently tented his jeans.

Stepping into the quiet, empty hallway of the nightclub, Melanie pressed her body up against Jack's as his back felt the wall just outside the main office. Her lips made contact with the skin on his neck, accessible through his open collared shirt. "Baby, I can make all the hurt go away. You won't even remember her name when I'm finished with you," she breathlessly whispered.

Jack's mind was consumed with thoughts of Elizabeth, and, as such, his body was unable to conceal his desire for her. Feeling the bulge in his jeans, Melanie inaccurately assumed that she was the one who'd turned him on, "Oh baby, I want you too," and she pressed forward, trying to touch his lips with hers.

Turning away, there was something about not allowing her lips to touch his, somehow making what he thought he wanted too personal.

With the area empty except for them, Jack felt her hand fiddling with the waistband of his jeans. "What are you doing?"

Dropping down before him onto her knees, her fingers on the slider of his zipper, she was excitedly offering a sexual experience that she assumed he wanted, "Oh Jack, if I have to explain it, you need this more than I thought you did. Just relax, baby…"

'Relaxing' hadn't been a term Jack was familiar with since Elizabeth asked him to leave her apartment and closed the door in his face, and he didn't anticipate his body relaxing now either.

While Melanie managed to pull his zipper down an inch or so, Jack realized that this was not him; this was not how he behaved or treated women. He pulled his zipper up before taking hold of her arms and pulling her to her feet.

Jack knew that Elizabeth was in his head, his heart and his blood, and as such, he pushed Melanie away from him, "No, I'm sorry, but I can't do this. She may be able to, but I still love her. I'm sorry…"

Jack's body shook as he walked out, leaving Melanie to search for another companion for the night. Once at his truck, he called David.

"Hey dude, what happened?"

"David, I'm outside in the truck. If you want to stay, that's fine, but I didn't want to just leave you."

"Uh…"

"Stay if you want, but I can't do this, I thought I wanted to, but I can't."

"Well, I didn't think you could, but I'm gonna stay. I'll call an Uber."

"Okay, be careful…"

Jack, completely disgusted with himself, pulled out and headed for home. Upon stepping inside his apartment, he immediately stripped down, contemplated burning his clothes, and hopped into the shower to clean 'her' off of him. As he thought about Elizabeth, his body stirred, and he stood as the water washed over him. Thinking of the moments where they'd come close to giving into their desires, he cut back the temperature of the water from hot to what he'd become used to…cold.

As the temperature of the water passed from hot to lukewarm, and finally to ice cold, Jack barely felt the change, somehow beginning to feel numb to everything. He rested against the wall of the shower as his heart pounded and tears streamed down his face.

Jack could not recall any time prior where he'd shed a tear over a breakup, but now, all he needed to do was think about Elizabeth and his eyes immediately watered.

Standing outside the shower, Jack took a towel to dry off. He'd only run the towel harshly across his hair and face before stopping and staring into the mirror. His hands were on either side of the sink as his towel fell to the floor around his feet.

He glared at himself, and slammed his hand against the counter, causing a sound so loud that even he was startled. "Man, who are you," he yelled at his image in the mirror. He wondered what happened to make him ever think that spending time with another woman would allow him to forget Elizabeth…the only woman who truly still held his heart.

Cary, NC- Thatcher's home…

The following morning, Elizabeth woke early…truth be told she hadn't really slept. She slipped into her black shorts, her favorite grey, NC State "Wolfpack" sweatshirt and her white Reeboks, woke Baloo, and both headed out for a run through the neighborhood.

The air was crisp, and after a short while, her chest ached from the cold. Stopping, she took a seat on the curb, honestly believing that her tight chest had nothing to do with the cold air, and everything to do with her aching heart.

Walking home, a car passed them, stopped, turned around and approached. "Elizabeth Thatcher is that you?" a woman's voice passed through the open passenger side window.

"Hi April," Elizabeth replied to the young woman who had grown up in the house three doors down from the Thatcher's but was one of Julie's friends. "Are you still living here?"

"No, I was just showing my boyfriend…oh, this is Randy." Turning back to her boyfriend, she continued, "Randy, this is Elizabeth Thatcher. We grew up together. Her sister, Julie was one of my best friends."

"Hi Randy; it's nice to meet you," Elizabeth replied.

"We're actually here because Rachel Benson is having a big party tonight. You're coming, aren't you?" April asked.

"I'm actually here just spending some time with my parents, so I don't think so."

"Some of your old boyfriends will be there."

"Well, that's not a ringing endorsement to come to the party. After all they are old boyfriends for a reason."

Suddenly, Randy leaned over April's body in order to be closer to the window, "Hey, you're a real looker. I have a friend who's coming to the party." Turning back to April, he suggested, "Let's hook them up."

"No thank you. I just got out of a relationship and I'm going to spend time with my folks this weekend. But thanks…"

Randy continued, "Well, you know the best way to get back at a guy is to move on and sleep with someone else. And it's even better if it's with one of his friends."

"Nope, I didn't know that, but I'm still not interested," she stated as she pulled on Baloo's leash, "Well, we're heading out, but you guys have a nice day."

As Elizabeth started to back away from the car, she stopped, and bent down, looking through April's window in Randy's direction. "May I ask you something?"

"Sure, but just so you know, I'm taken."

Elizabeth nervously laughed, "No, as fascinating as that sounds, that's not it."

"Okay, so what do you want to know?"

"Well, you said that when a woman goes through a breakup that she gets over it by sleeping with someone else."

"Absolutely; everyone knows that."

Elizabeth didn't. "Okay, well, since you're a man, does a man go out and sleep with another woman to get back at the one he just broke up with?"

"When did you break up?"

"A week ago."

"Has he called you?"

"No…"

"You can believe me; he's already slept with someone…either a one-night stand, or he's found someone to replace you. I'm sorry, but it's just human nature. We guys have needs…"

"Oh, stop it, Randy; don't tell her that," April slapped him on the arm.

"Look, I'm just telling her like it is. Besides, she asked." Turning back to face Elizabeth, he continued, "I'm sorry, especially if you really care for him. But it doesn't matter who he is, it's been a week, he's moved on and he's found a honey to spend his time with."

Standing on the side of the street, Elizabeth felt her heart shattering even further. "So, have you changed your mind; Wayne is really nice, and he was just tested last week," Randy asked.

"Tested for what?" she asked wondering if it was for Astronaut School, Top Gun school, or something of the like.

"Yeah, he's clean; no STDs."

"Oh WOW, not what I was thinking, but as enticing as that sounds, no thank you."

As the car pulled away, Elizabeth squatted down, placing her knee on the pavement as she pretended to tie her shoe, "Maybe they should grow up. Why is it guys assume that sex is the answer to everything… I guess maybe to them, it is."

Not realizing that they were so far from her parent's home, they initially started to jog, but after three blocks, they were both back to walking. Exhausted when she returned home, she skipped breakfast, took a hot shower, hoping to scrub Randy's insinuation off of her skin and out of her mind.

Looking in her closet, Elizabeth pulled her favorite white robe which fell to her mid-thigh, detailed with the pink piping around the collar, pockets and sleeves, and slipped it on before rummaging through her bag searching for her journal.

She took a seat on her bed with her wet hair up in a towel and opened her "Keeper of secrets," flipping through several entries both before and during her relationship with Jack.

Reading through one entry, she remembered Jack, shortly after the courtroom drama, feeling as though he had let her down. She could recall sitting with him, telling him that he was the one who saved her, without him, her life may have ended in that moment.

Elizabeth recalled feeling safe and secure in Jack's arms and wanting nothing more than for him to understand what he meant to her. As passion built between them, and Jack's gentlemanly character took control, he excused himself and left the room. Elizabeth, left alone, pulled her journal from her bedside table and wrote the following entry…

"Communicating when you're excited takes little effort. The emotional thrill pushes the words passed your lips quickly and easily. On the other hand, communicating when the situation is uncomfortable may be difficult, seemingly impossible at times. Fear of opening up pockets of negativity leads to the possibility of misunderstandings and hurt feelings. Saying nothing leads those to feel that you don't care, are unconcerned or haven't even noticed the difference.

Assuming that your partner could not possibly understand your pain, you remain quiet, all the while allowing the hurt feelings to eat away at you. Your partner is left wondering what they did that caused the change and what they could have done differently. And still, you remain quiet. Maybe it's because you feel that they should know, or possibly it's because you don't even know.

No matter the precipitous, releasing the anger, fear, hurt and disappointment is the best way to heal, allowing you as an individual and couple to move forward. Knowing that you can discuss anything, the good and the bad, leaves no subject off limits.

Therefore, finding a partner is not about looking at one who is physically appealing, sexy, intelligent, charismatic, smart and successful. Those things may initially draw your attention. However, what will keep your interest and spark your desire is to find that one special person who makes you feel safe and comfortable, both physically and emotionally. It's the person who is willing to open themselves up, allowing you the opportunity to crawl inside and make yourself at home. It's that person who will fight their own uneasiness, letting you know that above all else, you matter. It's that one person who can and will brighten your worst day, just by the simple thought of them, and it's the one person who would break their own heart while trying to keep yours safe."

Elizabeth flipped the page; as she realized that she was now possibly starting a new chapter in her life, one without Jack. The thought both depressed and terrified her. She'd hoped that they would work through this issue, but now, after hearing Randy's proclamation, she didn't know what to expect.

The fact was, she knew Jack, or at least she thought she did. But whatever, she knew him well enough to know that he would not cheat while they were together, but once a breakup is called, all bets are off. So, was Randy right; was there a honey in the place next to him that she used to occupy?

She flipped the page, clicked her pen and hoped to clear her mind of the negative thoughts she now carried about Jack, and men in general…

"WOW today was enlightening. Men really do think with the brain in their pants. Living in their world, life must be easy with sex apparently fixing everything. You break up with someone, sleep with someone else. You have a bad day, you curl up in bed with someone, anyone, and it supposedly makes it all better. How can you ever trust someone who so callously throws their body around, sleep here, sleep there, who cares where you land, and love apparently doesn't truly enter the picture."

Elizabeth's eyes watered. Wiping them, she thought about her time with Jack. The times he'd made himself uncomfortable, just so she wouldn't be. The times he'd put himself in danger to make certain that she was safe. The times he held her hand when he knew that she was scared, and the times that he unintentionally pressed her for intimacy; angry at himself for pushing, accepting all of the blame, when in fact she was guilty of doing the same. In her heart she believed that Jack was nothing like the 'man' Randy implied, and she returned to her journal…

I don't know that we will ever resolve our issues, or if we will ever see each other again, but I want you to know that I loved it when you called me 'Baby,' told me I was beautiful whether I was dressed to the nines or wearing no makeup, a sweatshirt, and jeans with my hair in a ponytail. I love when you kissed me like you meant it and held me like you didn't want to let me go. I was thankful for your gentle touch when you brushed away my tears and told me how important I was to you. It meant everything that you didn't try to make me jealous of you with other women, but rather just by the way you treated me, they were jealous of me."

She sat her journal beside her as she took a moment to compose herself. Seeing an old Cosmopolitan magazine on the dresser, Elizabeth flipped through looking for articles on relationships. What she saw was a quote that struck her heart…

The heart that's meant to love you will fight for you when you want to give up, pick you up when you're feeling down, and will give their smile when it is hard for you to find yours. It is true that no relationship is all sunshine, but two people can share one umbrella and fight off the storm together. But when all else fails, sometimes it's necessary for two people to fall apart to realize how much they need to fall back together!

By the time she'd finished reading and writing, her tears were falling nonstop down her cheeks. They'd argued, this is true, but was it really worth throwing everything away. She knew that for her, all she wanted was to be with him again; to forget the words that were said, to put that moment behind them, and move forward.

Elizabeth pulled her phone from her purse and dialed his number, feeling certain that he'd answer her call. When her call went unanswered, several things ran through her mind…two of which simply added to her heartache…was he hurt or was he in bed with another woman. She scolded herself, for at that moment, she'd rather hear that he was hurt instead of cheating with another woman; although she understood that he was free to do as he pleased since they were not currently together.

Raleigh, NC- Police Precinct Gym…

That afternoon, Jack stood at the free throw line practicing shots as his brothers in blue sporadically arrived to play basketball. Jack left his bag, with his phone on top sitting on the third row of the bleachers, all alone until another detective, Allan Alvarez and his girlfriend, Casey arrived.

Alan placed his bag near Jack's on the third row, and Casey took a seat between them, watching as the men, all of whom were in great shape, filed in, many with their wives or girlfriends as they either took to the court or sat in the bleachers.

Two other women, employed by the precinct and previously working out on machines, took a break when they observed the 'guys' starting a game. Sitting behind Casey, as to get a clearer view of Jack, their conversation revolved around him, how gorgeous he was, how they'd dreamed of just one date with him and the fact that he was apparently now single, making the date dream, in their eyes, a possibility.

Jack's phone vibrated and Elizabeth's picture appeared. Glancing down, Casey, unaware of Jack's breakup from Elizabeth stood to let Jack know that he had a call.

"Sit down girl; she's been nothing but trouble to him. They broke up, just let it ride…" one of the women remarked as she put her hand on Casey's arm and pulled her back down on the seat.

"But shouldn't he be the one to decide that?" Casey asked as the call ended and Elizabeth's face faded from view.

"Look, I don't know who you are or how long you've been dating…actually, who are you dating?"

"Allan…"

"Okay, I don't know who you are or how long you've been dating Allan, but that girl almost got Jack killed. He's better off without her."

Having no idea what they were talking about but assuming that it wasn't her business, she returned her attention to the game, looking away as the woman picked up Jack's phone and deleted Elizabeth's call before placing it back where Jack had left it.

After the game, Jack walked up the bleachers and grabbed his bag and phone. "Hi, Casey; how are you?"

"I'm fine; hey, you got…ouch," Casey called out at one of the women behind her fell forward into her body, as Jack leaned over and caught her before she slipped down the remaining rows to the floor.

"Thanks Jack…" she stated, thankful that Casey 'hadn't spilled the beans, and realizing that Jack putting his hands on her was a plus she wasn't expecting. "Hey Jack, I've been meaning to ask you…" she took a deep breath, "I have tickets to the Charlotte Hornets game next weekend, are you interested in going?"

"Oh my God, she's asking me out on a date," he thought. Not knowing what to say, he simply responded, "I appreciate the offer, but I'm not really good company right now."

"I heard that you and Elizabeth had broken up, but I think if you get out and have some fun, you'll feel better." She leaned in and whispered, "Let me help you feel better."

"Thank you, but I'm just not ready. Ya'll have a nice day…" he stated before turning to walk away. It suddenly struck him what she was offering, and he turned back, "Hey Stacy…" he called out, his voice quickly gaining her attention.

"Did you change your mind?" she asked.

"No, I just wanted you to know that I love Elizabeth, and I'm hoping that we get back together…" he smiled; his lips remained pursed together as he turned his body and headed for his truck.

"Well," Stacy's friend giggled, "I guess he told you. Too bad that you're stuck with an extra ticket. I'll go…"

"I haven't even bought the tickets yet, so no, I don't have an extra one for you," she stated, her embarrassment leaving her face a shade of crimson. "Besides, I don't care; Jack Thornton isn't that great anyway," Stacy responded.

"Well, until he shot you down, you seemed to think he was."

Cary, NC- Thatcher's residence…

Later that evening, still wearing her sweatshirt, Elizabeth slipped into a warmer pair of sweatpants, and took a seat in the backyard staring at the covered swimming pool.

"She looks so sad," Mr. Thatcher stated as he looked out the window into the backyard.

"She's in love; if she wasn't, this breakup wouldn't hurt so bad."

"Maybe I need to go by and see him."

"William, if the 'him' you are speaking about is Jack, no, you do not need to go see him. Elizabeth is quite capable of handling her relationships, and she would die if she found out that you scolded him for breaking her heart."

"I knew he broke her heart, but she said last night that she was fine."

"Honey, what do you expect her to say; we women want you men to believe that what happened didn't bother us and that we are doing great."

"I know I can't do anything to help, but it breaks my heart when one of my girls are hurting."

"William, just be here for her. If she wants to talk, let her," Grace commented. "As a matter of fact, I think I'll go out and see if she wants to talk now."

Stepping out into the backyard, Grace walked over to Elizabeth, "Honey, do you need anything?"

"No mom, I'm fine, but thank you."

Taking this opportunity to sit with her daughter, Grace took hold of her hand, "Sweetheart, I'm here if you want to talk."

"I know mom, but I'm fine. I just wanted to be alone for a while."

"Okay…" Grace leaned over and kissed Elizabeth's forehead. She stood up and had only take three steps toward the door when Elizabeth blurted out, "Why is it that men think that sex fixes everything?"

Thankful that her husband wasn't close enough to hear Elizabeth's declaration, she sat back down. "Is that what happened between you and Jack?"

Elizabeth, barely aware that she had spouted the question out loud, glanced in her mother's direction, "What…oh no that's not it."

Seeing the look of confusion on her mother's face, Elizabeth continued, "Do you remember April from down the street?"

"Yes, 'Wild April,' why?"

"While Baloo and I were out for a run this morning, she and her boyfriend rode by and stopped to talk. They invited me to a party because her boyfriend wanted to hook me up with a friend of his. I declined, of course, but after they found out that Jack and I had broken up, her boyfriend advised me that the best way to get back at a boyfriend is to move on and sleep with someone else."

"Oh honey, that's coming from a man who I assume thinks with his penis…"

"MOM…"

"Well honey, there are men out there like that," Grace responded. "So, if that's not what happened between you and Jack, what was it? I mean you two were getting along so well, and you seemed like you were quite close."

"Mom, I'm no different than I was when we talked years ago. Jack and I are close, or at least we were, but not that close. I mean, I still want to wait until my wedding night before I make love for the first time."

Breathing a sigh of relief, Grace slipped her arm around Elizabeth's shoulders, "I'm so proud of you. In this day there aren't many women who feel that way, and if Jack was willing to wait for you, that also says a lot about the kind of man he is," her mother leaned over and pulled Elizabeth close. "Honey, if sex isn't what broke you two up, what was it that caused this rift between you?"

"Apparently Jack was playing basketball with some of the guys from the precinct and someone made some comment about me being rich."

"Are you; rich, I mean?"

"Don't be funny mom. He came over and started accusing me of hiding things from him. He said that we must have all been laughing at him for taking me camping. It was like he thought we considered him a poor schlump of a man, and it just wasn't true."

"Okay, well couples have arguments, but how did this escalate to a breakup?"

"He accused me of being deceitful, and I told him that if he didn't feel that I was honest with him, then there was no trust between us, and therefore there was no 'us.'"

"Elizabeth, it sounds to me like there may have been something else bothering him. Had he mentioned anything?"

Not wanting to go into particulars regarding their private time together, and the difficulty her Abstinence Pledge had actually been for each of them, Elizabeth simply stated, 'no ma'am.'

"Well honey, it's only been a week, so don't assume that it's over," her mother stated, wanting nothing more than to give Elizabeth hope. "When your father and I were dating, we had an argument and were broken up for nearly a month."

"What was your argument about?" Elizabeth asked.

"You know, both of us apologized, but the funny thing was, by the time we made up, neither one of us could remember what we'd argued about."

"Well, I think he needs to apologize to me first…"

"Elizabeth, sometimes you have to put your pride aside and look at what's best in the long run. I mean, I know I've apologized for things that weren't my fault, and your father has too. But with each argument, we've learned lessons, and you and Jack are learning a valuable one right now."

"I understand that mom, but I did call him, twice actually. I wanted to tell him that I missed him and that I was sorry for letting the argument get out of control and I wanted to tell him about being named the Teacher of the Year."

"You got the Teacher of the Year award? Elizabeth, I'm so proud of you, and I know your father will be too. Why didn't you tell us?" her mother responded, surprised that Elizabeth had kept such important news from them.

"Yes, I'm sorry, but they just recently announced it, and to be honest, I just haven't been myself lately."

"So, what did Jack say when you called?"

"I got his answering machine and mom, his recording sounded so happy, that it made me mad. He didn't sound depressed at all…I'm depressed, why isn't he?"

"Honey, did you leave him a message?"

"No, I deleted it and hung up."

"Is it possible that the message he's using is the one he had when you two were happy together?"

"No…of course not…well, maybe," she changed her answer several times, realizing that she hadn't replaced her recording either.

"I think you should try again; call him or go by and see him."

"Maybe you're right," Elizabeth replied as she contemplated placing another call.

Jack's apartment…

Jack was sitting on his sofa when his phone rang…

"Hey Jack…"

"Hey David, are you okay?"

"Yeah, but I must have left my keys in your truck; I can't get into my place. Are you home?"

"Yeah…"

"Okay, Maddie and I are on our way over."

"Who's Maddie?" Jack asked.

"Don't you remember; she was the girl I was with last night. Oh wait, you had your own action going on with Melanie…"

"Stop it David. We didn't do anything, and I don't want anyone thinking that we did."

"Okay, don't get upset. I stayed at Maddie's last night since I couldn't find my keys," David admitted. "We're on our way over now. Be there in a few…"

A few minutes later, an Uber pulled up in front of Jack's apartment complex. "Wait here, we'll be right back," David advised the driver.

Knocking on the door, Jack invited them inside as he walked to the kitchen counter for his keys.

"Do you mind if I use your bathroom?" Maddie asked.

"Uh, sure, it's the second room on the left," Jack stated, as he noticed that she was the other woman with Melanie.

Turning to David, Jack asked, "Man, I don't mean anything bad by this, but were the girls from last night professionals?"

"How am I not to take that bad? I mean Maddie was a nice girl, and she's hot in bed."

"Well, I'm just asking. Besides, she was with Melanie, wasn't she?"

"They know each other, but they weren't together. Are you calling Maddie a prostitute?"

"Uh, no…don't get mad, I'm just wondering, because all Melanie wanted to do was to get into my pants, why is that?"

"Did she ask you for money?"

"No…"

"Then I can only assume that she liked what she saw."

"Well, I don't know about that. I mean, I'm not a lot of fun to be around right now."

"That's it…you were a challenge to her."

"Look David, are you sure that you want to keep doing this…"

"What…?"

"Man, these one-night stands aren't going to make for a lasting relationship," Jack commented as he glanced down the hall to make sure that they were still alone.

"Well, no disrespect, but you and Elizabeth had what we all thought was a lasting relationship and look at you."

"I'm just saying that when you find someone special, your past is going to be brought up and the woman you want to marry may not think too kindly of your numerous one-night stands."

"Jack, I had a great time last night, can you say the same thing? This works for me, so just leave it alone…"

While Jack and David waited just outside the front door, Jack's phone, left on the kitchen counter rang. Having carried her phone with her everywhere since they last spoke on the chance that Jack would call, Elizabeth assumed that he was ghosting her, and gave him what she assumed was his wish. She hung up and blocked his number.

Thatcher's home…

The end of the weekend came quickly. Unfortunately, this quiet time with her parents didn't make Elizabeth feel any better, and the hope her mother had attempted to provide her disappeared when Jack didn't 'care' enough to answer her call.

Elizabeth ate dinner with her parents before gathering her bag, and Baloo for the ride back home, and the start of a new week.

Raleigh, NC… Elizabeth's apartment

The next school week started with Elizabeth doing her best to stay busy, which wasn't difficult due to testing requirements, progress reports being due, Parent-Teacher meetings, and a 'Girls Nights Out," arranged by many of her teacher friends upon learning of her breakup from Jack.

Elizabeth barely had time to take care of Baloo and fix dinner for herself, let alone worry about Jack, and yet she did worry about him. She couldn't help how she felt. She was angry with him, but she was also in love with him, and at different times of the day, she ran the gamut between a multitude of emotions where he was concerned.

Jack's apartment…

Jack went through the motions every day; he showed up for work, did his job, and in the evening, often staying at the precinct until after 10, he stopped off for a take-out meal that he took home and ate alone.

Late one night, Jack was sitting on the sofa with a Styrofoam container of Kung Pao chicken and a plastic fork in his lap. His phone rang and without thinking, he answered the call.

"Hey Jack…"

"Hey Lee, what's going on?"

"I've been trying to reach you for days; are you avoiding me?"

"No Lee, I'm just not in the mood to talk to anyone."

"I know; have you heard anything from Elizabeth?"

"I guess you haven't heard…"

"Heard what; are you guys back together?"

"Hardly…Elizabeth is already seeing someone else…"

"She's seeing someone else; who…?"

"I don't know; some guy named Tim."

Pulling his phone away from his ear, Lee called out to Rosie, "Hey, have you heard that Elizabeth is dating some guy named Tim?"

"No, she isn't," Rosie called out. "She isn't dating anybody, why?"

"I'm talking to Jack. He thinks she dating some guy named Tim."

Returning to his call, Lee advised, "Rosie said that she isn't dating a guy named Tim. Where did you hear that?"

"Her next-door neighbor told me. We'd been apart for a week, and I went by to talk to her. Her neighbor said that she was in the mountains with this guy named Tim."

"Honey," Lee called out to Rosie, "Jack said that he went by to talk to her a week or so ago and the next-door neighbor said that she was in the mountains with a guy named Tim."

"Tell him that he can either believe the next-door neighbor or he can believe me, Elizabeth's best friend. The only time she went out of town was to visit her parents for the weekend. I think the neighbor is yanking his chain," Rosie stated.

"Did you hear that?" Lee asked as he returned to his conversation with Jack.

"Yeah, is she telling me the truth?"

"Jack, Rosie and Elizabeth are best friends. If she was dating someone new, Rosie would know, and she'd be the first one to throw in your face that you lost a good one."

"Well, that makes me feel better."

"Jack, you two need to talk."

"I know you're right, but…"

"No buts about it, Jack. Call her or go by and see her," Lee stated as he ended the call.

"Is he upset?" Rosie asked.

"Of course, he is," Lee replied.

"Well good," Rosie fumed, just before her anger with Jack turned to tears.

"What's wrong honey?" Lee asked, although he already knew.

"I want my best friend to be as happy as me, and right now she's miserable. She won't talk to me. I've stopped by to see her, because I know if I tell her I'm coming over, she'll say 'no.'

"So, you've seen her?"

"No, I said I've stopped by, but she wasn't home," Rosie tersely replied. "We need to do something, Lee. We need to get them back together."

"Rosie, I believe you're right…Jack and Elizabeth belong together, but I think they need to find their way back on their own, and I have faith that they will," Lee continued to hold her in his arms.

"Do you promise?"

"Honey let's give them some time to work it out. If it doesn't look like it will happen, then we'll do something else."

Back at Jack's apartment, he held his phone in his hand. Tapping out her phone number, his call went immediately to phone mail…

"Elizabeth, us being apart is…well, it's just wrong. I'm sorry for what I said, and I just want us to meet somewhere and talk. Please call me back…"

Unfortunately, with his number blocked on her end, Jack was unaware, but his call went unnoticed.

Rosie's apartment…

"Please answer your phone…" Rosie snapped as she called Elizabeth to tell her about what her neighbor told Jack. No answer, so she ended the call and immediately dialed Elizabeth's number again. Again, no answer. Several more times she called, finally leaving a voicemail…

"Look Elizabeth, this fight between you and Jack has gone on too long. Your neighbor told him that you went out of town with some guy. He wants to see you. Please call him…"

Elizabeth's apartment…

Walking inside her apartment, Elizabeth pulled her phone from her purse, having heard it ring nonstop since she left school. Seeing call after call from Rosie and finally a message, she started to listen…

"Look Elizabeth, this fight between you and Jack has gone on too long."

Assuming that Rosie was pushing her agenda as usual without realizing that Jack wasn't answering her calls, Elizabeth hit the delete button, "Just let it be, Rosie…" she whispered as she placed her phone down on the counter.

Several days passed and Rosie still hadn't heard anything from Elizabeth. Antsy, and forgetting about what Lee had previously said, she made her own phone call.

"Hi Rosie…" Elizabeth finally answered the call realizing that she couldn't hide from her forever.

"Hi Elizabeth; thank you for finally answering. How are you doing?"

"Oh, I'm great. I'm sorry about before. I've just been really busy with school."

"Okay, but I know you're not doing great; did you get my message?"

"Yes, but Rosie I asked you not to get involved. Just leave it alone."

"You mean it doesn't matter to you that your neighbor told Jack that you went out of town with some guy after you two broke up?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Elizabeth, I called and called and then left you a message. Jack thinks you've moved on…"

"Who told him that? And why would he have believed them?"

"I don't know who it was, or why he believed them, but all I can say is that the mind plays tricks on you when you're separated, and you don't know what's going on."

"Well, he hasn't called or come by to see me, and I've called him three times. Apparently he doesn't want to see me…or talk."

"Well, apparently he did come to see you, or he wouldn't have met up with your neighbor," Rosie advised. "I'd assume that until he heard from me that you hadn't moved on, he must have believed that you had."

"Besides Elizabeth, both of you said things that you didn't mean, and sometimes it's hard to come back from that. But he talked to Lee, and I'm just as sure that he misses you, as I am that you miss him," Rosie provided a bit of sunshine in Elizabeth's otherwise gloomy existence. "Call him, or better yet, go by and see him."

"Maybe, I'll think about it," Elizabeth responded. Realizing that she'd blocked his number and any attempts to reach her would go unnoticed, she thought maybe giving him another chance was the appropriate next step.

Jack's apartment…

The following evening, Jack returned home from work, popped his leftover Italian lunch into the microwave, and hung his suit jacket over one of the kitchen chairs. Listening to his microwave meal tick the seconds away, he took a seat on the sofa.

Leaning back, Jack was nearly asleep when he heard a knock on his door. He remained quiet, much like he was hiding from trick or treaters and had practically decided not to answer when the knocking became more energized, louder and sounding much like an emergency. "Okay, hold onto your pants; I'll be right there."

Opening the door, Jack was shocked to find Elizabeth standing in his hallway. Barely able to pass oxygen in and out of his lungs, she asked, "May I come inside to talk?"

Jack opened the door wider as she stepped inside, and although she hadn't been sleeping well, he swore that she was still the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen.

No apologies were given; there was barely time for each one to say how much they'd missed the other before she stepped closer and his hands on her waist pressed her against the wall.

"Elizabeth…I…"

"Jack…I…"

"I've missed you so much," each one admitted before his mouth covered hers. His tongue pressed through the slight opening in her lips and brushed gently against the sensitive skin on the inside of her mouth.

She could feel the weight of his body against her, pressing her to the wall as her knees buckled, and she was thankful for his firm arms holding her securely upright.

His hands held her arms above her head as he stepped even closer, their bodies seemingly touching from lips to toes, arousing every nerve ending in their bodies that had been aching for the other's touch for weeks.

Kissing her hard, his body was more excited than he'd ever remembered being before. The truth is, he never had control over his body when she was near, and this was no exception. He had long since stopped being embarrassed by the often-arising erection whenever they were ever so close, and on this occasion, he admitted to himself that the ice-cold shower he would need to take would be well worth what he was experiencing right now.

"I've missed you…I love you so much, Elizabeth. I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry…"

"Shh Jack. I don't want apologies; I just want you to hold me; I need you to show me that you love me."

"Elizabeth, do you mean…" Her fingers on his lips quieted him.

"Don't look a gift horse in the mouth, Jack. I want to show you how much I've missed you."

"Elizabeth, you don't have to; I'll wait."

"Looks like there's a part of you that doesn't want to wait," she smiled coyly, surprising him when she reached down and over his trousers, she rubbed up against his erect member, not appearing to be the least bit nervous.

Preparing himself for her to stop their forward motion at any time, he leaned in and could see the deep blue in her eyes that always seemed to pull him in. He could smell the sweetness of her perfume, his favorite being whichever scent she chose to wear on any given day. His lips tasted hers, a lingering hint of caramel macchiato, indicating a visit to Starbucks just prior to her arrival.

"Are you okay?" he whispered.

"I'm better than okay; please don't stop."

"I don't want to stop…"

As his hand slipped under her shirt, he moved across her soft skin, up and down her back, giving her time to stop him. His lips started at her neck and moved slowly upward to her ear, "I'll stop if you want me to," but she still said nothing, she simply moaned.

Jack had to admit that they were getting dangerously close to a difficult stopping point, but since she wanted more, and he certainly did, his hand released the front clasp on her bra, slowly moving over until his hand cupped her right breast.

Inhaling sharply, he again asked, "Do you want me to stop?"

"No, don't stop. We're finally back together, and I don't want to wait anymore," Elizabeth breathlessly pleaded.

Pulling her shirt over her head, her bra easily slid down her arms as both garments fell to the floor.

Jack picked her up. Her legs wrapped around his waist, and if he wasn't already hard, her body fitting perfectly against him would have had him quickly rising to the occasion, and bursting from his trousers. Her upper body rested against his chest as he climbed the staircase to the second floor, proud of the fact that the only woman he had ever carried to bed was Elizabeth.

Once on the second floor, he stopped to first catch his breath, and then to ask her again if she was certain this was what she wanted.

Again, she assured him that she knew what she wanted, and on this occasion, both her body and her mind agreed, with no angel or devil sitting on her shoulder fighting over what each one knew to be right.

Jack continued to carry her down to the master bedroom, thankful that he'd taken the time recently to change the sheets and pick up his dirty clothes that had been scattered across most of the floor.

The room was simply decorated with bedside tables on either side of the queen size bed. A painting of Elizabeth lying in bed reading a book hung over the headboard, having just recently arrived, he'd planned to tell her about on their first night together. However, at this moment, their apparent first night together, it appeared that words were highly overrated, and in his mind, action was doing all of their talking.

He gently laid her on the bed, with her head on the pillow, and she took in his form as his back was to her when he took off his white dress shirt. His muscles bulged and she wondered how he could be so strong, and yet so gentle when he touched her.

He unbuttoned the top button of her jeans, unzipped them and pulled them down her long, slender legs.

Lying beside her, his lips found the sweet spot on her neck just below her ear. As he pressed gently against her skin, his hand rested on her abdomen, slowly moving upward as his lips moved south.

His thumb and forefinger rubbed against her nipple on her left breast as his tongue washed over the nipple on her right, making each one firm, much like his rock-hard penis, practically begging to be released from his trousers.

He could hear her breath becoming more shallow and rapid with each and every touch and the moans that passed through her lips told him that she was enjoying everything.

As his lips moved down her body, his hand moved upward, gently running along the inside of her thigh.

He felt her inhale quickly, "Do you want me to stop?"

"No, don't stop."

His hand reached the sweet spot of her body and his fingers pressed against her aching flesh. She could feel his warm breath on her skin as her hips rocked forward, feeling sensations that she'd previously only heard her girlfriends talk about, many of whom made it a point to tell her that she had no idea what she was missing. She now understood what they meant.

Much like a wild animal, Jack placed his hands on either side of her body, and slowly moved upward, his lips making certain to touch and taste every inch of her body.

With her eyes closed and a beautiful smile covering her face, he straddled her hips. Leaning over her, Jack whispered in her ear, "Are you sure you want me to go on?"

"Jack please don't stop. Please show me that you really love me."

"Crap, I don't have a condom…"

With a wind tunnel of thoughts filling her head, and knowing that drug stores were now closed, she pleaded, "Jack, I need you. Please don't stop."

"God knows I want you too, but what if you get pregnant?"

"Would a baby between us be so bad?"

Having thought about his future with Elizabeth which also included children, should she become pregnant, they'd deal with it later. Right now, all each of them could think about was giving themselves to the other, and thoughts of consequences for their actions were nowhere in sight.

"Elizabeth, I love you more than life itself, but if you have any doubts, we need to stop."

"I have no doubts Jack…" she lifted her head to meet the skin on his chest. "Please, Jack…"

Jack positioned himself between her legs, and as he slowly pressed himself inside her, he watched her facial expression. As she squeezed her eyes shut, Jack started to withdraw, but her fingers dug into the skin on his back, "Please Jack, I want to feel you inside me."

With his hands on either side of her head, he managed to hold his body above hers, and he continued to slowly press deeper inside her. Although initially painful, as Jack withdrew, her legs wrapped around his waist, locking at the ankles, "Don't stop…"

As his rhythm increased, her moans left him to believe that she had moved from painful, to uncomfortable and was now settled in pleasurable. "I love you so much," he breathlessly whispered as she managed to rock her hips forward to meet him as he pressed deeper inside her.

As his hips rocked away from her, her body felt empty, but was thankful when he again rocked forward and filled her up inside.

His rhythm became faster and faster as he wrapped his arms around her, rolling over and taking her body with him…BAM! The noise was loud as they both fell from the bed.

Shaking his head, Jack immediately called out, "Elizabeth, are you alright?"

Jack soon realized that not only was he not in his master bedroom with Elizabeth by his side, but he also lived in an apartment and there were no stairs to a second floor. He also realized that he had a picture on his phone of Elizabeth reading a book, but he'd never thought of having a painting done, although he made a mental note that it would look wonderful over the headboard of their bed, crossing his fingers that they would at some point share a bed.

He shook his head and realized that he was still on his sofa, or more accurately, on the floor beside his sofa. He was still dressed in his white shirt and trousers, and the microwave was still beeping to announce that his dinner was ready.

The smile that was initially on his face disappeared as he pulled himself up from the floor and returned to the sofa. He released a frustrated breath as he ran his hands roughly up and down his face.

Jack stood and walked toward the kitchen, feeling certain that he and Elizabeth had just made love. Although this may have been the most perfect dream he'd ever experienced, the truth was, he was no closer to her now than he'd been for the past three and a half weeks.

Jack checked his phone to see if Elizabeth had responded to his message. Seeing no text or phone message from her, he called again. Unaware that since she'd blocked his number all calls from him would immediately go to voicemail without her being aware, he left another message…

"Elizabeth, I know you're mad, and you have every right to be. I acted like a child, and I just want to apologize. Please give me a chance to make everything right between us. Call me; I'll meet you anywhere you want, please just call…"

Jack placed his phone on the table and headed for the ice-cold shower that he knew was in his immediate future. As he walked away, his iPhone screen lit up with the most recent calls he'd received, some taken and others he'd missed. About halfway down the screen was Elizabeth's number, in red, showing the call she'd made, but being tied up with David and Maddie, he missed the call, leaving Elizabeth to assume that he was ghosting her.

Elizabeth's school…

It was now Friday, school was closed for a teacher workday, but Elizabeth only worked half a day, given the other half off by her principal to prepare for the awards ceremony this evening.

As Elizabeth sat in her room, Phillip Kessler, the art teacher entered her room. "Well, are you ready for the big hoopla tonight?" he asked.

"I guess so," she responded. "I'm sorry, I hadn't congratulated you on your award…congratulations."

"Thanks, and to you…Teacher of the Year, what an honor, and well deserved I might add," Phillip mentioned. "Hey, my fiancé, Lindsey is out of town, are you interested in riding together? I just hate going to functions alone."

If she wasn't aware that she'd be attending alone before, she certainly was now, "Sure, that would be great. Thanks…"

"Okay, I'll come by and pick you up around 6:30, okay?"

"That's perfect," she stated as she wrote out her address on a piece of paper and handed it to him. "Thanks Phillip."

"No…thank you."

After Phillip left, Elizabeth remained at her desk contemplating her good fortune at having been awarded the honor of Teacher of the Year. However, she quickly realized that without Jack beside her, the honor didn't seem to be worth celebrating, and she suddenly wished that she were sick, thereby giving her a legitimate reason not to attend the ceremony.

On her way home, Rosie called, "So, Ms. Teacher of the Year, are you getting excited?"

"Well, if I'm being honest, I don't really want to go."

"Elizabeth, you've worked hard for this, and you deserve to be able to stand on that stage and accept the award with pride."

"Rosie, I'm proud of what I've accomplished, but I just don't feel like going. I mean, I could stay home, and I'd pick up my award and the check on Monday."

"Check…?"

"Yes, there is a $10,000 check that goes with the award."

"Girl, you need to be there to get that."

"I know I need to go, but I guess I thought Jack and I would have worked out our differences by now, and that he'd be going with me. It's just not as rewarding without him there."

"Well, did you ever call him?"

"I did, but he didn't answer, so I can only assume that he's ghosting me."

"GHOSTING you…? You have got to be kidding. He's miserable."

"Yeah, I can tell by all of the attempts he's made to contact me. Rosie, I want to thank you for not getting involved any more than you did. I know it was a new concept for you."

"Well, just because I haven't tracked Jack down doesn't mean I haven't told him what I think. He's called and talked to Lee, and he knows how I feel, and just so you know, Lee is on our side."

"Rosie, he is dating you, if he knows what's good for him, he'll be on your side."

"Well, you're probably right, but he also knows that Jack stepped over the line, and he has told him that he needs to apologize."

"And yet here we are, I've not seen or heard from him in weeks."

"Well, I think both of you are being stubborn," Rosie remarked.

"Maybe so, or maybe we're just not meant to be together."

"Well, I don't believe that, and I don't think you do either."

"I'm sorry, Rosie. Sorry, but I have to go get ready for this thing tonight."

"I'm proud of you, Elizabeth," Rosie responded. Realizing that it seemed as though Jack and Elizabeth were venturing farther apart, and asked, "Hey, since we haven't been able to catch up in weeks, please come over for dinner tomorrow night."

"Okay, what time?"

"How about 6?"

"Okay, but no talk about Jack," Elizabeth stressed, but knew that Rosie would be unable to comply.

"Whatever you want…" with fingers crossed, Rosie agreed. Once that call ended, Rosie dialed Lee's number, "Hey, call Jack and invite him to dinner tomorrow."

"Okay, but… are you doing something that we'll regret?"

"No, I've invited Elizabeth too. They've been apart too long. He wants to see her, and Elizabeth misses him, so now is the time to get them back together."

"I hope you're right."

"Oh Lee, don't you know, I'm always right."

"Yes dear…"

Once that call ended, Lee immediately dialed Jack's number.

Jack's apartment…

Standing in his bathroom, a white towel wrapped around his midsection, Jack turned on the shower, hoping that his thoughts could be directed to other things, and the hot water, on this occasion, would be acceptable.

He should have known better for since meeting Elizabeth, he'd tried to make friends with the cold showers that seemed to be frequently required, and although he knew they were necessary, he would never be a fan of them.

Although Elizabeth wasn't in the bathroom with him, he was certain that he smelled her Lavender Vanilla shampoo, and the sweet fruity undertones of her perfume. Closing his eyes, he could sense her body beside him, touching his skin, turning him on.

Realizing that she was not there with him, and dreams were nowhere near the real thing, he opened his eyes.

Pulling back the curtain, Jack started to remove his towel when he heard his phone ringing.

Turning off the shower, he raced out into the hallway and out to the kitchen where he'd left his phone hoping that the call was from Elizabeth, only to be quite disappointed to observe Lee's face on his screen. "Hey Lee, how are you and Rosie doing?"

"We're fine, and Rosie is really why I'm calling…"

"I thought I was safe from her anger over my breakup with Elizabeth, but I guess not."

"No, actually she wants to invite you to dinner."

"Lee, she isn't trying to set me up with someone, is she? I mean, I'm really not interested…I still want to make things right with Elizabeth."

"I know man, and there's no blind date set up going on, I promise you."

"Okay, if you promise, I'll trust you…"

Once he hung up the phone, Jack tightened his towel, and grabbed a beer from the refrigerator.

He sat in his den with the beer in his hand, listening to his "Go to" station of music on his Sonos. Every song that played reminded him of Elizabeth, the love he had for her and their dreams for the future.

Knowing that he'd made a mistake by believing that Elizabeth was dating someone knew only a week after they'd broken up, he wondered if three and a half weeks would be more appropriate for her to have moved on. After all, it was Friday night, and everyone knew that was 'date night.'

Listening to his favorite Sonos channel, every song brought up memories of Elizabeth, and he held it together until John Mayer's song "Dreaming With a Broken Heart" began to fill the airwaves.

When you're dreaming with a broken heart
The waking up is the hardest part
You roll outta bed and down on your knees
And for a moment you can hardly breathe
Wondering, "Was she really here?
Is she standing in my room?"
No she's not, 'cause she's gone, gone, gone, gone, gone...

When you're dreaming with a broken heart
The giving up is the hardest part
She takes you in with her crying eyes
Then all at once you have to say goodbye
Wondering, "Could you stay my love?
Will you wake up by my side?"
No she can't, 'cause she's gone, gone, gone, gone, gone...

Now do I have to fall asleep with roses in my hand?
Do I have to fall asleep with roses in my hand?
Do I have to fall asleep with roses in my hand?
Do I have to fall asleep with roses in my, roses in my hand?
would you get them if I did?
No you won't, 'cause you're gone, gone, gone, gone, gone...

When you're dreaming with a broken heart
The waking up is the hardest part

Each note, every word brought to life the reality of what he'd done, the accusation he made which broke down the trust and honesty that they'd been working so hard to build.

Jack grabbed a magazine from the coffee table, anxiously flipping through its pages but having no interest in any of the articles. That is until a simple saying on a full page caught his eye…

If a girl is stupid enough

to love you after you have broken her heart

it is guaranteed

that she is the one…

At this point, Jack had had enough. It had now been nearly a month since they'd last spoken to each other. He was miserable, and if he were being honest, he prayed that she was feeling no better.

He realized that there had been opportunities to set aside his pride and simply apologize for the argument, but then along came Tim, and although he ended up not being real, the seed was planted and his anger, irrational or not deepened.

Jack poured out the beer he'd recently opened but had not tasted. He ran upstairs to shower, initially turning the hot water back on. Praying, he stood under the jet spray, realizing that his thoughts always circled around to Elizabeth. As he washed his hair and suds up his body, he quickly understood that his prayers weren't working, and as a result, he began repeatedly reciting the digits of Pi…

"3.1415926535…3.1415926535…3.1415926535…3.1415926535…3.1415926535…3.1415926535…3.1415926535…3.1415926535…3.1415926535…3.1415926535…

With an erection that he would have ordinarily been quite proud of, he muttered, "Useless Pi," with a tone of disgust realizing that even math terms were not enough to calm the desire he felt for her.

With a desire to make things right between them, Jack had no time to waste. Realizing that the cold water would be necessary at some point, he turned off the hot, and prepared to feel like Frosty the Snowman.

In what would have been categorized as a camp shower, the cold water quickly washed out the shampoo and rinsed off his body before being turned off just as quickly as it was turned on. He changed and was walking out the door of his apartment twenty minutes later, not realizing that he hadn't shaved.

The Present- Elizabeth's apartment…

Sitting in front of her apartment building, he sat in his truck doing his best to think of what he could say to apologize for his behavior. Not only did he make accusations that she didn't deserve, but he'd allowed this rift between them to go on for weeks. Was it too late to apologize? Had she already moved on? Would she give him another chance to make things right? Too many questions and all he had to answer them was his imagination and a bucketful of more questions.

Dressed in his favorite dark grey suit, he glanced in his rear-view mirror, suddenly realizing that he'd forgotten to shave. Praying that she would not be put off by his new rugged appearance, he held a bouquet of yellow roses in his hand, walked through her apartment complex, and knocked unexpectedly on her door.

As the door opened, his heart pounded. It was as if she was waiting on him to pick her up for a date. There she stood just inside her apartment wearing a navy-blue shirt dress with long sleeves that were drawn up to ¾ length; there was five red buttons going from the collarless neckline all the way down to just below her waist. The dress was pleated and flared out at the waist to a length between her ankle and knee. The outfit was finished off by a pair of red pump heels.

Her hair was loose as the auburn curls cascaded across her shoulders and down her back. If possible, she was even more beautiful than the last time he'd seen her.

"Jack…" she sounded shocked, but felt the excitement consume her.

Jack stood in awe as his eyes moved from hers down to her shoes and back up again. He felt like a nervous schoolboy as he stood in the doorway, unable to speak, hoping that she would invite him in but then wondering why she was dressed up on a known 'date night.'

Choosing to speak with him in the hallway, she asked "What are you doing here?"

"I've been calling and leaving you messages, but you haven't responded. So, I thought I'd come by and see if we could talk," he replied as he stretched out his hand which held the bouquet of roses, yellow for what he'd heard meant that he was sorry…oh, he was so very sorry.

Elizabeth took the roses from his hand and thanked him for his thoughtfulness before adding, "Tonight isn't a good night."

Although he was taken by her appearance, it never dawned on him that she might have plans for the evening, so he pushed, "Please, I need to talk to you."

As many of her neighbors walked down the hallway, Elizabeth opened the door and invited him inside. As the door closed she spoke, her emotions at him ghosting her were close to controlling her, "Jack, I think you said everything that was needed the last time we saw each other."

He could see the glassy look in her eyes, knowing immediately that it came from the tears that quickly pooled and threatened to spill down her cheeks. As he stepped forward, she backed away. "You look beautiful; are you going somewhere?"

"I have plans tonight," she replied.

He suddenly felt lightheaded, almost as if his heart had stopped beating. "May I ask where you're going? Is it a date?"

Before Elizabeth could respond, there was a knock on the door. Jack felt as though his shoes were nailed to the floor. Part of him was embarrassed to be there, but the bigger part of him and the one that won out refused to move.

Elizabeth opened the door and invited her 'date' inside. Feeling very uncomfortable, she began with the introductions, "Jack, this is Phillip Kessler. Phillip, this is Jack Thornton."

As all three of them stood in silence, Phillip glanced back and forth between Jack and Elizabeth, eventually speaking up, "Is Jack taking you?"

"Yes," Jack stated, although he didn't know where they were supposed to be going.

"No," Elizabeth stated at the same time.

"Look, I don't mind taking you, but experiences that my fiancé and I have had has shown me that you don't get involved in relationship issues that you know nothing about. There is something going on between you two," Phillip stated as he started moving toward the door. "I don't know what's going on here, but I'm going to leave you two to sort it out."

Before Elizabeth knew it, her ride and 'date' to the awards dinner was gone.

"You had a date with a guy who's engaged. What's going on?" Jack asked as it was clear that he was confused.

"It wasn't a date. Phillip and I teach together, and he was getting an award tonight and so was I. His fiancé, Lindsey is out of town, so we decided to go together," she explained.

"What award are you getting?" he asked.

"Teacher of the Year."

Before either of them realized what had happened, his arms around her waist lifted her off the ground. As her body slid down his, he felt her warmth devour him. The familiar scent of her floral perfume and lilac and vanilla shampoo consumed him, leaving him speechless.

"I'm sorry Jack, I guess we do need to talk, but I really can't right now. I need to leave."

"Don't you need a date?"

"No, I can go by myself. By the way, why are you dressed up?"

"I was coming here to beg your forgiveness, to tell you something and hopefully talk you into having dinner with me."

"What?"

"Huh?"

"Jack, you said that you had something to tell me. What is it?"

"Well, three things… first, since we've been together, I was involved in an undercover assignment in another city."

"Okay, should that surprise me?"

"No, but I was undercover as the husband of a woman who wanted to adopt a baby from a black-market ring."

"Husband…? How into your role did you have to get?"

"When they told us that they had a baby for us, I…we, well, I kissed her."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because it was just work. There was nothing else to it."

"Hmm…other than the fact that you kissed her; it really had nothing to do with us? Interesting...much like the money issue…"

"Elizabeth, it was nothing like when I've kissed you."

"Well, I'd hope not. Did you catch the bad guys?"

"We did."

"Well, that's good; I guess your role was worthwhile then. I wish you had told me, but maybe in the future you will. Jack, you said there were three things…"

Jack took hold of her hand. As he waited to see if she pulled it away, he felt her fingers curl around his. "Elizabeth, I love you and I miss you. I'm sorry that I confronted you as I did; it was unfair, and you didn't deserve it."

"No, I didn't Jack. I thought we had gotten to a point where we could talk things through, no accusations, only compromise and understanding, neither of which I received from you. So, do you want to tell me what this was really about?"

"I don't know."

"I don't believe that, and I don't think you do either. So why…why did you jump down my throat like you did?"

Jack looked down, "Elizabeth, I'm not used to intimacy without intimacy. I would never push you into doing something you didn't feel comfortable with, so I think subconsciously when I heard about the money it was easy to use that to push you away. I was getting so close; too close maybe, and it scared me." He stepped closer, "The fact is I don't want to push you away. I love you, and truly my life is nothing without you in it. I don't know what else I can say other than I'm sorry, and I hope you can forgive me."

But Jack, you said that you were fine with waiting. Are you now saying you aren't?"

"I want you Elizabeth, I won't deny it, nor will I apologize for it. I'm struggling, but the time for us to be together isn't right unless it's right for both of us. So, the answer to your question is that I will wait for you…that is, if you're still willing to have me in your life."

Her eyes locked upon his. Although she was angered and confused by his tirade, in her heart she knew that it truly wasn't about money. Down deep inside, she knew there was another issue.

Although she still wanted to wait to consummate their love, she also knew that she was quick to enjoy getting their fires burning but was just as fast to apply the brakes when their flames got too hot. As a result, she needed to accept some of the responsibility for the issue that practically tore them apart.

"Jack, I do love you, but I can't be someone I'm not. So…"

Jack interrupted before she could finish her thought, "Elizabeth, I love you and I don't want you to be anything or anyone other than yourself. After all you are who I fell in love with…"

Although she desperately wanted to fall into his arms, she felt the need to play it cool, "Jack, I really need to leave, but can we talk tomorrow?"

Disappointed that she didn't want him to escort her, but understanding that he had some making up to do, he agreed, "Will you call me tomorrow? I'll come over or meet you somewhere."

"I promise as long as you promise to answer your phone…"

"What are you talking about?"

"Jack, I called you three times and you never answered, or called me back."

"I didn't know you called. But speaking of not calling back, I left several messages for you, but you didn't respond."

"You didn't call me. I mean I kept my phone with me all the time, hoping that you would call, but I…" she stopped suddenly realizing, "I'm sorry Jack, I thought you were ghosting me, so I blocked your number."

"Ghosting you? I would never ghost you. I wanted to hear from you, and I just thought that you didn't want to see me."

"So, what made you come over tonight?"

"I love you; I've missed you, and I needed you to know how sorry I am…"

"Well, thank you for coming by, and I will call you tomorrow."

Jack hated to leave, but he felt optimistic. When Jack reached the door, Elizabeth called out, stopping him in his tracks.

She approached him. No longer able to play it cool and desiring to share this special occasion with him, she straightened his tie before offering, "It would be a shame for you to be all dressed up with no place to go. Would you like to accompany me to the Convention Center?"

"Are you sure?"

Elizabeth stepped closer, and as her lips met his cheek, the familiarity of her lips on his skin returned and the answer to his question was softly and tenderly received. Her thumb gently brushed across the slight remembrance of a bruise under his left eye, "What happened?"

"It was an unfortunate scuffle on the basketball court."

"Hmm, maybe we should go back to spending our evenings together."

"I'd like that; I'd like that very much."

Elizabeth grabbed her purse and walked toward the door. Jack turned the knob and stood to the side as she exited her apartment, smiling as she stepped into the hallway, knowing that he was right behind her.

They made their way down the hall and into the elevator, riding down in silence, each one somewhat fearful of saying something that would turn this apparent reconciliation southward.

Once out in the open and walking toward their vehicles, Elizabeth silently reached over and took hold of Jack's hand. The sensation of his fingers closing around hers brought a smile to her face, a sense of peace in her heart, and a feeling of security that she'd been missing since they last spoke angry words weeks earlier.

Jack's smile equaled hers, "Do you want to drive or should I?"

Standing with his truck to the right and her Jeep to the left, Elizabeth responded, "Do you mind driving? I'm a little nervous…"

Jack turned to the right and led her toward the passenger side of his truck, "I'd be honored to drive the 'Teacher of the Year.'" He opened her door and held out his hand to help her inside, "Thank you."

"For what; you're the one driving, I should be thanking you," she replied.

"No, thank you for listening to me, and accepting my apology. And if I'm being honest, thank you for not dating Tim," he responded.

"Tim…? Oh wait, I heard that someone told you I was in the mountains with him," she replied. "By the way, who told you that?"

"Your next-door neighbor…"

"Hmm, Lauren; well, all I can say is she's lucky that she's already moved."

"Do you mind me asking, who is Tim?"

"He's 65 years old and lives in the apartment complex. He's nice, but not my type."

"Well, thank you for not moving on…"

Elizabeth turned her back to the open doorway, "Moving on… Jack, I love you. I was hurt and angry, and if I'm being completely honest, I was devastated when you confronted me, but you don't fall out of love with…" she turned away. "Now look what you've done; you're making me cry."

Jack turned her back to face him. Pulling her into his chest, he felt her body relax as his arms around her waist held her close. "I'm sorry; I'm just so thankful that we're talking, but I don't mean to upset you."

Elizabeth stepped back and before she could wipe the tears from her cheeks, Jack's thumbs gently and quickly wiped her skin dry.

"I wish I didn't have to go; I just want to go someplace quiet so we can talk…" she admitted as she turned away to step into his truck.

He took hold of her arm and she turned back to face him, "Jack, I've really missed you. I missed hearing your voice, our talks…I've just missed being with you."

"I've missed you too; more than you could possibly know," he stated as he helped her up into the seat and stood beside her as she fastened her seatbelt. "Well, after everything is over, if it's not too late and you still feel like it, let's go someplace and talk."

"I'd like that," she stated. Staring into his eyes, her glance slowly moved down to his mouth before returning to his eyes again, hoping that he'd get the hint that her lips were now desperate for a kiss.

Unfortunately, nervous from the moment he decided to approach her to apologize, he didn't read her signs. He was just thankful that she was within an arms-length and hadn't slapped him or told him what he could do with his apology.

But that didn't mean that her perfect, strawberry lip glossed lips hadn't caught his eye. He could remember what they felt like, oh, and what they tasted like, but right now, he felt almost as though this was a first date and he certainly didn't want to rush things. He could wait for a kiss; the truth is, after having the feeling that he'd lost her, he could wait for her as long as was necessary… especially now that he had his dream.

Jack took a deep breath before opening the driver's side door, praying that his nervous energy would ride along on the breath that he harshly exhaled.

Taking his seat, and buckling his seatbelt, he started the engine and backed out of the parking space. Although nervous, he felt so much better than the last time he'd left her parking lot, angry, heartbroken, and uncertain why he'd brought this hurtful situation upon them.

While sitting at a stoplight, Jack glanced in her direction, "You look beautiful tonight."

"Thank you," she smiled, "You look really nice too."

"I'm so proud of you, Elizabeth…Teacher of the Year; what an honor, and well deserved," he commented, and without thinking, covered her hand with his and gave it a slight squeeze.

Elizabeth enjoyed the feeling of their skin touching and made no attempt to pull away, "Thank you. I also get a $10,000 check," she stated before recalling that money started their argument a month ago.

"WOW, so what are you buying for your classroom?" he asked.

"They say it's for us to use however we want, and some teachers use it for personal stuff, but I feel like my school and my kids are what helped me to be recognized and I'm going to spread the wealth, so to speak."

Looking in Jack's direction, she was waiting for some comment regarding money which unfortunately had previously taken them down that long, dark road, but what he said was, "You are a kind and giving woman, Elizabeth. I wouldn't expect anything less from you."

As they continued down the highway for the last mile before reaching the convention center, their hands went from his on top of hers to their fingers interlocked, to Jack raising her hand to his lips.

Pulling into the parking space, he put his truck in park and shut off the engine. Sitting quietly, their hands still connected, they watched as cars continued to pull in and award recipients happily entered the convention center.

Not intending to talk seriously before entering the awards ceremony, it was basically the elephant in the room, and the topic of their separation entered the conversation before either one could squash it.

Although thrilled to have been selected, the only thing on her mind at this moment were the weeks that she'd been without Jack and the stages of loss, anger, denial, bargaining, depression, and only recently assuming that they were apart for good, acceptance, that she'd gone through.

Jack, on the other hand, only went through a few stages of loss following their breakup…anger, denial, and depression, tiptoeing through bargaining, and thankfully for both of them, he never reached acceptance.

Releasing her hand to wipe her eyes, Jack's finger under her chin turned her to face him. With his own misty eyes, his thumb gently brushed away her tears, "I'm so sorry for everything, Elizabeth."

"I know you are, and I am too. We both could have handled things differently. But Jack, we have to talk, I mean honestly talk about the things that are bothering us. I can't read your mind, and when you tell me that you're fine, I assume you are."

"I'm sorry…"

"Jack, I don't want you to be sorry. I want you to be honest with me; even if you think it may hurt."

"I know, I just didn't want to put pressure on you," he replied. "It was my problem."

"Jack, that's the problem right there…it's our problem, and since you didn't confide in me how you were feeling, we broke up…we broke up, Jack, and that was the worst weeks of my life," her tone was firm as she turned away from him.

"E-liz-a-beth, please look at me…"

She turned to face him, unconcerned at this moment by the tears that rolled unrestricted down her cheeks.

Jack slipped his hand behind her neck, scooted as close to her in the seat as he could get, swept her tears away with his other hand, before gently pulling her toward him. Resting her head on his shoulder, they sat quietly for a few moments.

Raising her head, they were only inches apart. His lips burned for hers, as hers did for his, and they could hold back no longer. Fire rushed through them as their lips touched, gently, tenderly, with no sense of urgency or expectations of anything more…bringing a sense of home and normalcy back to their previously confused and depressed state.

"Ms. Teacher of the Year let's go inside so you can receive the accolades you so deserve. Tonight, is about you; it's your night, and I want you to know how very proud I am of you, and thankful that you have allowed me to share this with you," Jack stated as he exited the truck and walked around to the passenger side door.

As the door opened, Jack took hold of Elizabeth's hand and helped her down to the asphalt. He closed her door and they walked hand in hand toward the convention center.

Before reaching the sidewalk, Elizabeth sensed his nervousness and stopped.

"Is something wrong?" he asked.

Knowing that this was not the right time to ask, but hearing Randy's remarks running on a constant replay through her head, she turned to Jack, "If I ask you something, do you promise to not get mad and tell be the truth?"

"Of course, what do you want to know?" he asked.

"While we were apart, did you sleep with another woman?"

To be continued…