Jack watched Elizabeth from the doorway of Levi's room. She held his little, tired body close to her chest as she rocked him back and forth, rubbing his back with even strokes. She was a rockstar when it came to being a mother.

When she thought he was ready, Elizabeth laid Levi back down on his bed and pulled the covers over him. Just as she reached the doorway and Jack, Levi called out again. She walked back.

"He doesn't have nightmares often, but when he does he doesn't like me leaving again. I was hoping I could get him relaxed enough."

"I get it. Little guy just needs his mom. Why don't I carry him to your room? You two can sleep there where there's more room."

She nodded, loving how much Jack understood her and her responsibilities as a mother.

"I'll show myself out," Jack said, giving both Elizabeth and Levi a kiss. "Get some rest."

"Jack, about earlier…"

"Rest now. We'll talk tomorrow."

"But are we… okay?"

He leaned down kissing her sweet lips long and slow before pulling back.

"We're more than okay." He couldn't resist her. He kissed her temple. "You and Levi mean the world to me. Trust that, okay?"

"Okay," she smiled and leaned back, watching him leave.

When Elizabeth heard the front door close downstairs she threw her head back and sighed. "Wow, what did we almost do?"

….

Inside the Thornton home, Tom found himself rummaging through the storage closet in the cellar after Ryan was asleep. This almost forgotten space was where a number of Tom's possessions from before Meg's death had ended up. For Tom, his grief was so deep, he just couldn't bear to see or deal with them.

All the way in the back, behind a bunch of cobwebs, was the item he had been searching for. A hard black guitar case with stickers and sharpie writing all over the front. Tom grabbed it and ran his hand over a message written in silver sharpie.

Oh how I love thee, let me count the ways…" Followed by music notes that made up the chorus of Meg's favorite song. She'd written it on his case one night in high school when he'd left it at her house.

"I miss you, Meggie. You'd be so proud of our little boy. I wish you were here to love on him. I promise you though, I'm loving him enough for the both of us."

He sniffled a bit. He chalked it up to allergies, but in his heart he knew what was going on. He was in no mood to deal with the reality of his emotions.

Charlotte was sitting in the living room by the fireplace when he came back up. Lost in her own thoughts of life and loss, she almost didn't hear him come in.

"What do you have there?" She looked up as he walked past. "Does this mean you're thinking about playing this weekend?"

"Honestly, I'm not sure what this means." With a sigh, he stared down at the worn leathery case.

"I understand. You've got so many memories wrapped up in your music. No pressure, alright son?"

"Thanks Mom. You okay if I head upstairs? I want to open this up, but I kinda think I need to do it alone."

"I'm just fine sitting here with my memories," she smiled. "I was thinking about a night years ago when your father replaced the banister going up the stairs. What a silly little nightmare that was. In trying to fix that, he ended up needing to replace the stairs themselves. Never really figured out how he managed that," she laughed.

"Do you get sad thinking about him?"

"Yes, but it's okay. I feel almost like he is still here. He's still supporting me and loving me. He wouldn't want me to be sad forever."

"Maybe not but I'm not sure how to let Meg go. Or even if it's time or even if I should. What if someday I want to get married again? Ryan deserves a mother."

"You're worrying too much, my son. Letting her go will come in time and I can pretty much guarantee that she would want you and Ryan to love again."

Tom nodded, kissed her cheek and went upstairs. He took the guitar up to his room, placing the case on his bed but he couldn't bring himself to open it. Instead he just stared at it.

"Well, this is pathetic. How can I even think about playing again if I can't even open up this stupid case?"

Finally, almost twenty minutes later, Tom carefully opened the case and pulled out his old friend, a beautiful, dark wood acoustic guitar. With its leather strap around his neck and shoulder, he placed his fingers ready to play. Instead of playing though, he closed his eyes and let himself slip away into the past, Imagining him and Meg relaxing on a blanket facing the lake nearby.

"Do you take requests?" Meg smiled. Her rose tinted sunglasses covering her crystal blue eyes.

"For a pretty lady like you, of course." he smiled at his wife, overwhelmed with love for her.

Tom smiled through his tears at the memory. That was the day Meg told him she was expecting. They'd spent the rest of the afternoon celebrating and making plans for the life they hoped to have together. Neither had the slightest idea that in a few short months, Ryan would be there and she'd be gone.

"I can't do this…" Tom swiftly removed the guitar and went to put it back in the case. Just as he was about to place it down, something caught his eye.

"Mom?" Tom asked as he hurried down the stairs. "What is this?" He held up an envelope that he found in his case.

"Oh gosh. I'd forgotten about that."

"It's got my name on it in Meg's handwriting."

"Did you read it?"

"I glanced at it, but it doesn't make sense. She didn't know she was dying. It just happened!"

"I know, son, but she was having a rough pregnancy and it scared her. You know that. She wrote that letter a few days before… before she passed."

"Okay, sure but how'd it get on my guitar case?"

"Me," Charlotte somberly admitted. "I couldn't just give it to you. You weren't ready. So I put it someplace you would find when you were ready."

"Smart… I guess." Though he knew it had been a brilliant idea.

"Sweetheart, you're not alone. I live there too, you know? In a world without the love of my life. In fact, we just talked about that, right?"

"Mom, it hurts. I can't… It's miserable sometimes."

"You are certainly right about that. It is miserable at times but you can, and will do this. You have been and you'll keep going. One foot in front of the other."

He looked at the letter again. "Should I read it?"

"When you're ready."

….

Jack walked up the steps of his porch and unlocked the door. As he walked inside, it was quiet. Empty. Too quiet and too empty. Even Ranger was fast asleep on his bed, not making a peep.

Almost without having to think, he wandered up the stairs and down the hall to the bedrooms. There were three, including the master. He wasn't sure why three when he built the place, but now, he was sure that they were meant to be for a family, his family. Levi and Beth, to be exact, and then whomever might join them in the future.

He opened the door to the master and sighed. It was a great room. Large with a big walk-in closet. The bathroom was also big with a jetted tub and separate shower with three shower heads.

The king bed was big, too big for just him. He wanted her there when he went to sleep and he wanted her there when he woke up.

"It's too soon," he muttered to himself. That may be the case, but it was how he felt. He could see it so clearly. "I'm a goner."

…..

Tom got Ryan out of bed the following morning and dressed and fed. He asked Charlotte to take Ryan to school so he could take care of something. She agreed, happy to spend a little one on one time with her grandson.

"Just be careful, he'll turn the music up so high to feel the bass, you'll go deaf too."

"Won't phase me," she chuckled. "I'm already halfway there as it is."

Once all was set at the house Tom grabbed the letter from his late wife, still not fully read and headed down the path towards Jack's. When he arrived, Ranger rushed towards him wagging his tail and barking happily.

"Hey boy, you're quite the welcome party."

"He likes you, but I think he was hoping for Ryan," Jack said from the porch with his coffee mug steaming hot in his hand.

"Sorry to disappoint you, Ranger. It's just me."

"You okay?" Jack could read the look on his brother's face. Meg.

"You remember what it was like out here before this land had your house on it?"

"I remember. You and Meg used to picnic and stargaze a few hundred feet that way, right?" Jack pointed to a cluster of trees that stood separating one part of the yard from another.

"Yeah." Tom held up the envelope. "Did you know about this?"

"Is that from Meg?"

"Yeah. It was in my guitar case. Mom put it there for Meg."

"Ah. I knew there was a letter but I didn't know what happened to it."

"You never thought to ask?" Tom's tone had a bit of a bite to it. "I just found it yesterday. Yesterday!"

"I'm sorry, Tom. Really. I didn't know you hadn't seen it yet and I never knew how to bring it up."

"No, don't be sorry," he sighed. "I'm just on edge. Would you mind… sitting with me while I read it? I don't wanna do it alone."

"Sure."

The brothers and Ranger walked out to the spot that Tom and Meg had frequented as young lovers. Sitting in the grass side by side, Tom opened the envelope.

"Want me to read it aloud?" Tom asked.

"I'm just here for moral support, bud. You do what you need to do." Ranger curled up next to Tom, similarly to how he rested with Jack when he sensed Jack having a rough moment. "Looks like Ranger's here for you too. Do what you gotta do, Tommy."

"Alright… here it goes." Tom read the note to himself while Jack fixed his eyes on the sparkling water of the lake before them.

"My Love,

I'm sitting here at our kitchen table, sipping tea as I do most mornings after you leave for work. Our boy is kicking me with his tiny feet and I'm so grateful. To be your wife, to be part of the Thornton family and to be his Mommy.

I need you to know how much I value you and respect you as my husband. I have since our first date when you squeezed my hand instead of kissing me, despite how badly we both wanted to take that step. I fell in love from that moment and have loved you more each moment since.

Do you remember our fifth date, sweetheart? We went to the park and sat under a tree to watch the sun set. I'll never forget it. You were playing your guitar softly and the sky was turning so many shades of purple and pink and blue until the stars came out.

The song, our song, "Make You Feel My Love" meant so much to me then. When you surprised me by having that be our first dance at our reception, it meant even more. Now, years later, as I feel the flutters and kicks of our son deep within me, it means everything.

Darling, Tom, I vowed to love you forever, to the moon and back. Please know, if something takes me away from you and our boy, I'll always be in your heart and your memory.

You both deserve to be happy, to love and be loved. Please never forget that and make the best decisions you can. Love again, live again. Promise me.

All my love, forever,

Meg"

Hearing his brother sniffle through his tears, Jack glanced over and placed a hand on his back. Jack never fully understood the heartbreak his brother had suffered. He sympathized, of course, but Jack had never been in love. Especially not like Tom and Meg. Now as he sat there as Tom read the letter again and again to himself, Jack felt his brother's loss more than ever before. What if he lost Elizabeth one day? No, it wouldn't be the same, of course. They weren't married, they don't have a son together, but still. His feelings for Elizabeth, his hope for their future compounded with Tom's greif now shed new light on Tom's journey over the past 7 years.

"You alright?" Jack asked when Tom handed him the letter.

"I will be. I need to be." With a thud, Tom flopped back on the grass. "This whole festival thing? Let's do it."

"Are you sure?"

"No," Tom laughed. "But I think we should do it anyway."

Later during a break at work, Jack called Lee, who had been another old band mate and told him the news. Lee was ecstatic over the opportunity. His drums had been sitting dormant in his garage for years.

"We've got to practice, like now!" Lee had said with a laugh.

So that evening. Tom and Jack left work a little early and Lee planned to go into the restaurant late so they could practice at Lee's place. Mike Hickam, an old friend of Lee's, wasn't one of the original band but was more than happy to come play fiddle and piano for a few songs. Same with Nathan Grant, a bass player Jack used to serve with who was now living in the city.

They weren't half bad, at least not after the first hour. Before that, it was not pretty.

During a break in rehearsal, Jack pulled out his phone and took a selfie of him with his guitar to send to Elizabeth.

"What do you think, Liz?"

"Hubba, hubba! Not sure I can handle all that sexiness," she typed with a wink and kissing face emoji.

"Dinner tonight?" Jack asked. "I want to see you."

"Same. Where?"

"My place? 6pm."

"We'll be there."

Jack walked back over to the others with a huge grin.

"What's got you so happy?" Nathan teased.

"I bet it's Lizzie," Tom laughed. "You just talk to her?"

"I did, yeah. I'm seeing them later so let's get back to work."

"Who's Lizzie?" Nathan asked.

"Jack's lady love," Tom said in an exaggerated voice. "She's got a great little boy Ryan's age."

"Hold on now," Nathan laughed. "You, Jack Thornton, are in a serious relationship?"

"I am, yes. Now can we get back to work?" Jack said.

Nathan just shook his head. "Now you got me feeling bad about myself for still being single."

Nate was a good guy. He'd left the service before Jack when his sister passed away, leaving Nate to be the sole guardian for her daughter, Ally.

"You should get out there. If you're up for it," Jack advised.

"I don't know." Nate shrugged off the thought. "I mean, there is someone, but she seems way out of league."

"You never know," Jack laughed. "Liz is 100% out of mine, but we're good. Real good. Now, can we please stop talking about my love life and get to work? I'd like to see her after."

Jack wasn't embarrassed by his relationship, he just wasn't in the mood to waste time talking if it meant less time with Elizabeth and Levi later.

…..

The end of the day finally arrived and Elizabeth couldn't leave the school fast enough. She's had a productive AP study group and staff meeting after school. Now she just wanted to see Jack. Hopefully they'd get a moment to talk about their almost, very intimate moment from before.

She gathered her belongings to leave but stopped when there was a knock on the classroom door.

"Oh, hi. Officer Grant, what can I do for you?"

The tall, nervously grinning police officer stepped into the classroom. He wasn't dressed in his uniform for once. Just jeans and a rust red long sleeve henley.

"I was just in the area after visiting some friends and wanted to see how my niece was doing. I know she missed a few days with the flu recently."

"Ally is a wonderful student, she had no trouble catching up on work. I was grading a paper of hers just last night and can honestly report that she received one of the highest grades in the class."

"Oh, well that's great."

An awkward silence fell between them. This wasn't the first time either. Ever since Elizabeth met Nathan at the start of the year, he was a quiet and nervous man. It was odd, she figured, given that he was an officer of the law. One would think you would need a certain level of confidence to do that job.

"Anything else?" she asked politely, but her brain and heart were already out the door and on her way to her son and Jack.

"Yeah. This might be a little weird but um… I'm kinda in this band...I mean we aren't professionals or anything but.." He laughed at himself. "Wow, I feel like I'm back in high school. I mean I know I'm standing IN high school and you are a high school teacher but..."

"Are you doing okay?" she asked with an innocent laugh. He was really wigging out in front of her.

"Basically, what I'm saying is if you like music, you might like this. We're playing at a…"

"Uncle Nate?" Ally, a slender, blonde-haired cutie came in. "I've been looking all over the parking lot for you! You're picking me up, right?"

"Yeah. Hey, Ally girl, how was volleyball practice?"

"Great, but I'm starving. Can we grab pizza or something on the way home?"

"Sure thing, kiddo."

Elizabeth smiled. Nathan was sure good with Ally. "Well I'll leave you to it then. I need to go pick up my son."

"Son?" Nathan said surprised. "I didn't know. Congrats." He winced at his unbelievable awkwardness.

"Uncle Nate, did you have a rough day at work? You're acting weirder than usual."

"I'm good. Let's leave Ms. Thatcher to her evening."

"And you to yours!" Elizabeth said trying to brush off the weirdness that hovered in the air. "See you tomorrow, Ally."

"See ya, Ms. Thornton!"

Elizabeth gave Ally and her uncle a head start out of the school. No need for another strange interaction with the poor man. On her drive to pick up Levi, she thought to herself, wondering how she would have responded to Nathan had he managed to ask her out, if that was what he had been trying to do.

She smiled as a thought popped into her mind. "I'm taken. A thousand times taken by Jack Thornton."