Hi. I'm sorry to keep you all waiting--I tried to post this last night, but I kept getting a server error (grr!). Anyway, I feel really bad having not only made you wait through 30 chapters but to leave you with two cliffhangers in a row was just plain cruel. I hope you can forgive me! But the good news is there will be NO MORE CLIFFHANGERS! And I'm hoping you'll be happy with Jude's decision. Thanks so much for staying with me, you guys are the best! Here you go...ENJOY:-)

Jude looked into his eyes and smiled.

"Tommy, we've both spent the last year denying how we feel and putting everybody else first. Well, if this is going to be my decision, then I think it's time to put us first," she said, picking her head up from the pillow to give him a kiss.

He gave a small smile, trying to remain composed. "So then, you're really okay with not telling anyone? Not Sadie, not your mom, not Jamie or Kat?"

"Yes, yes, yes, and yes," Jude confirmed, going through each person in her mind. "Don't get me wrong, they are all really important to me, but they're not going to get it. Even in 5 months, do you really think they're going to do cartwheels and jump for joy for us?"

Tommy nodded in understanding, knowing that everyone would certainly be quicker to disapprove than actually give them a chance.

Jude continued, "So why wait if the reaction is going to be the same? Besides, they want me to be happy. In this case, that requires a little fudging of the truth. Which you know I'm very good at."

He smiled at her. "I know you are, it's frightening."

He glanced down, trying to maintain his focus and not get swept up in the moment. Before he could be fully happy with her decision, he needed to make peace with his remaining concerns. He shifted to a seated position on the edge of her bed, she following his actions, recognizing his thoughtful expression.

"If we're going to do this, there are a couple of things I need to say. Jude, the next five months are going to be far from ideal. We're not going to get to spend as much personal time together as we'll want and we can't give anybody reason to think there's something going on."

"Okay," she said attentively.

"And we're keeping this a secret mainly because of the whole age thing, right?" he reminded her.

"Right," she agreed.

"Well, technically, we're not doing anything wrong by dating. Even though most people would still think it's wrong, it won't be. But Jude…I want to be with you, like really be with you, but I don't want to rush into anything. Especially because if we do, this is going to become a lot more complicated."

"Okay…" she replied, making sure she understood his reference. "So you want to…wait?"

He nodded uneasily. "Yeah, I guess I do. If we wait, these next five months will force us to take our time, which is a good thing. I want to make sure it's right and that you're ready."

She looked at him skeptically. "You really want to wait 5 months?"

He smiled. "You don't think I can?"

"No, it's just that I can't believe you're the one saying this. I always imagined this moment as me saying that I wanted to wait," she said with a small smile. "I never thought it would be the opposite."

"Me neither," he said with a chuckle. "This is going to require more will power than I've ever had, but I really want to try. If you decide you're ready earlier, we can discuss it then, but I want to start this with the expectation that we're going to wait the full time."

She nodded and said quietly, "I think that sounds perfect."

He exhaled deeply and shifted closer to her. "Listen, things might get tough, but we're going to have to trust each other completely if we want to make this work. We need to stick together. Be a team."

"We're the best team I know," Jude replied with a smile. "It's like you and me against the world."

He laughed. "A little over the top, but I'll go with it." He looked into her eyes with a grin, feeling like his concerns were quelled, and lightly brushed her cheek. "You're sure about this?"

She nodded. "Positive."

"Good," he responded, moving in even closer to her. "I don't know what I would've done if you had chosen the other option."

She smiled, his lips millimeters away from hers. "I wouldn't have done that. Besides, you were pretty tough to resist."

"That was the point," he whispered, smiling and leaning further in to unite his lips with hers. She threw her arms around his neck, as he grasped her waist, pulling her in to him. They fell back on the bed carelessly, blissfully. They both let all of their concerns and reservations go as they kissed and held each other into the night, securing the official beginning of their secret relationship.

Jude lay fast asleep with a smile glued on her face, as Tommy lay next to her watching her. She had the blanket pulled over her, having basically taken the entire thing and leaving him with the edges. He could see the strap of her bra peeking out over the side of the blanket and smiled to himself, still in disbelief at their new relationship status. He lay on his side, watching her breathe, and looking at a few strands of her hair on the pillow that shone in the moonlight. He reflected on the past couple of years that he had known her. How much she had changed him, without even trying. How much what he had confessed that night was true—he really did want to make her happy. He wanted to forget about all of his past mistakes and start fresh with her. She would be his first real relationship, the first person he ever truly wanted to love and to love him.

That's when it hit him. It was more than just being crazy about her—he loved her. More than anyone else he'd ever been with, anyone he'd ever known. He cared so much about her and wanted to protect her from all of the bad things around them. He would do anything for her. He felt his stomach churn at the realization and knew immediately that it was true.

He looked at her asleep and edged in closer, running his hand down the side of her face along her hair. He leaned in, kissing her lightly on her forehead and whispered quietly to her, "I love you, Jude."

She stirred, hearing his voice and slowly opened her eyes to see him looking down at her. She smiled faintly at him and put her hand up to his cheek. He appeared to be confused, not knowing whether or not she had actually heard him.

She looked into his eyes and quietly said, "I love you too, Quincy." He smiled warmly at her and then leaned in to capture her lips. He put his head down, facing her, and wrapped his arms around her, she returning his actions. Embracing each other, they slowly drifted off to sleep, this time, both of them having smiles plastered on their faces.