On Sunday morning, Elizabeth and Levi took her parents to the airport. They had an early fight back to Florida so her father had time to prepare for the week's worth of surgeries he had on his plate.

"Try and slow down some okay, Dad? You're not a young surgical resident anymore."

"Maybe not, my girl, but your old man still has some years left in him till he's put out to pasture," William said with a wink.

Grace rolled her eyes and smiled. She appreciated Elizabeth's words, as they echoed her own. Though only William Thatcher could tell him when it was time to slow down. That's what worried them all.

As they drove home from the airport along the busy highway, Elizabeth used the hands free app to call Jack.

"Morning sunshine," Jack said happily. "Did your parents' flight get off okay?"

"Yeah, they're in the air now. I didn't expect this, but I kind of miss them already."

"I get it. Need a distraction?"

"What do you have in mind?"

"Nothing really. Maybe just hanging out at my place. Burgers on the grill for lunch?"

"That sounds delicious. Should I ask Levi or just surprise him?"

"You think he'd say 'no'?"

"Nope," she laughed. "We'll see you soon. You're the next exit."

"Perfect. See you soon."

Levi looked up from his book as they turned off the highway. He read the signs they passed trying to figure out where they were. They'd normally go to Jack's from the other direction, so this was new.

"Mom!" He called out with his voice. "You… lost?"

"Nope," she said with a shake of her head. With her right hand she spelled out the word, 'surprise.'

"I bet we're seeing Jack," Levi thought with a grin. Levi didn't want to jinx it by saying anything to his mom, but he was secretly praying that God would make them a family. His mom and Jack seemed happy, and Levi knew he was.

Jack was in the front yard with his back towards them when they pulled up. In addition to his usual work clothes, Jack had on a black knit hat and protective glasses. The table saw he was leaning over, roared as it cut, making it so he didn't hear them coming.

Once the machine was off, he heard the sound of laughter from his favorite little boy. By the looks of it, Ranger had greeted Levi as soon as he'd exited the car. The two were now on the ground playing.

"Hey there, Thornton," Elizabeth flirted as she walked towards him. "Miss me much?"

"You have no idea." He pulled her into his space by the hand, kissing her deeply. "I'm glad you're here."

"Me too." She kissed him again. "You look pretty busy though. Sure you want us here?"

"I've been at it since 5 AM, I can stop."

"Wow, that's early. Not sleeping well?"

"Nah, I slept fine. Just had some stuff on my mind. I really want to get every room in this house livable, you know? It's almost there."

"Right. There's that word again… almost." she muttered under her breath, but he still heard her.

"Huh?" Jack tilted his head. "What's that mean?"

"Nothing," she put on a smile. "Forget it."

"Yeah, no. Tell me."

"Levi's with us, babe. Not a good time for a serious conversation."

"He's playing with Ranger. It's fine. Talk to me."

Elizabeth looked over her shoulder to see for herself that Levi was occupied before leading Jack over to the front porch steps to sit. They were side by side, Elizabeth folded her hands in her lap, but Jack reached over to take her hand.

"You know you can say anything to me, right?"

"I know." She sighed. "Okay fine. So last night you said something and I've been trying to figure out what you meant by it."

"Okay," he nodded slowly. "Help me out here, what did I say?"

"We were snuggled up by the fire. Me, you, and Levi. I said it was perfect and you said… 'almost'. Almost perfect."

"Ah, I can see how that phrase could have many reasons."

"Right, so what was your reason? Why was that perfectly romantic, special moment not perfect enough for you?"

"I never meant to imply that it wasn't perfect. That moment was, no doubt! It's just… I knew at the end of the night you and Levi would get in your car and go home."

"Oh."

"Yeah. I miss you when you aren't here. That's all. What would have made it completely perfect was knowing that I didn't need to say goodbye, only goodnight."

"Wow, Thornton," she blushed. "Here my mind has spent the hours since then coming up with a million and one negitive reasons for that comment and you go saying something completely romantic. Now I feel ridiculous."

"Don't." He laughed, pulling her close enough to place a kiss on her head. "I should have just left that last part in my own head last night. I don't want you to ever have doubts about us. Thank you for talking to me, Liz. We need to have complete open communication between us, okay?"

"Okay. I agree." They snuggled close on the porch steps watching Levi as he played. Her son was totally at home here. Laying on the fall grass petting his furry best bud as he watched the clouds roll by. Jack's honesty about how serious he was approaching their relationship lingered in the air and all she could think about with this. Them, forever.

"While we're here, thinking about communication," Jack began.

"I'm in a happy little romantic bubble right now Jack, are you about to pop it?"

"I don't believe so," he laughed. "I was just thinking about something."

"Is it a good something?"

"I think so. It's about our date this weekend. I was thinking after our dinner cruise, we could come back here and maybe… if you want, you could stay."

"Yeah?"

"Well, I figure Levi will be with Tom and Ryan. It could give us more time together."

"That would be nice," she smiled. "Just me and you."

"Exactly. We could fall asleep curled up together, wake up the same."

"Is that all you want?"

Jack laughed, his nerves coming out just a little. "I won't lie, I have let my mind think about more… extracurricular activities we could share." She giggled at his words. "But I'm not making assumptions here. You have my complete respect, Liz. We go only as far as you want. I'll be happy just to have you next to me."

"Sounds like a man that's content with his circumstances."

"How could I not be? I'm with you and Levi. My life is pretty darn great right now."

"So is mine." She leaned in, kissing him slowly. "I love that idea of staying with you. As far as the… extracurriculars," she giggled. "Let's just say the odds are very much in your favor."

"Ladies choice," he smirked, kissing her lips sweetly. Her hand moved to his stumbled, sawdusty cheek, keeping him close as their affections deepened. That was, until they heard a loud thud.

Rangers ball bounced off the side of the house about three feet to the left of them. Looking towards the yard they saw Levi, shaking his head. He was teasing them, making "kissing" signs with his hands and shaking his hips from side to side. Such an adorable little goofball.

"Come here you!" Jack leaped from the steps and chased the now giggling little boy around the yard, Ranger jumping around them, barking.

Elizabeth laughed loudly. "Get him, Jack!"

She looked down at her phone for the time. Instead, she noticed a missed call from a friend from back in Florida. Fiona Miller-Bouchard. They'd met a few years back at a support group for parents with hearing-impaired children. Fiona had a bright little daughter named Emma, who was now just under four years old.

"Jack, do you mind if I make a call?"

"Sure," he said, placing a dizzy Levi on the grass. Jack had had the little heckler up over his shoulder and had spun him around several times. "Everything okay?"

"I hope so, I just got a call from my friend Fiona."

"Aunt Fi?" Levi signed. He'd read her lips. "Is Em okay?"

Levi had loved playing with little Emma. She was the first baby he had ever held and he took on the big brother protector role with her instantly. It broke his heart to leave her behind when they moved, but at least they could see each other through FaceTime now and again.

"I'm sure Em is okay, but let me call Aunt Fi back to be sure," she signed and spoke, hoping her words were true and nothing terrible had happened. Fiona and her daughter had been through enough already.

"Okay! Say hi from me."

"I will!"

Leaving the boys to play in the front, Elizabeth walked around back to the deck and sat down. Ranger had followed and was nudging her free hand with his nose.

"You think I'm nervous or something, pup?" Elizabeth smiled as she petted the dog. "Maybe I am. Stay close?"

Ranger sat, resting his head on her lap.

"Good boy."

She pushed the send button and waited for Fiona to answer.

"Hey," a tried voice answered.

"Fiona, it's me. What's up?"

"So, I'm at a bit of a crossroads."

"Oh no, what happened?"

"Well you know that dance studio I've been teaching at? They just announced they're closing. Like, soon."

"Oh no! How is that possible? Weren't they trying to expand recently?"

"They were, yes. Turns out it's hard to expand when your accountant is embezzling money by the thousands."

"Ouch."

"Yeah. Apparently he's been doing it for years, but just got caught. It's bad. I will teach my last class tomorrow."

"Oh, Fiona, I'm so sorry!"

"Yeah, me too. I liked this place. I put out some feelers for possible jobs but no one's really hiring at the moment."

"Have you tried looking at web design work? Didn't you do that before?"

"You mean before my dance hobby became my career? Yeah. I've looked into that too. That's harder with Emma, though. The hours are so long. That's why I stopped before."

"Right… shoot."

Fiona was a single mother. Her late husband, Lucas, had died the night Emma was born in a tragic accident.

"I don't know," Fiona continued. "I've been thinking maybe it's time to get out of here. Maybe Em and I need a change."

"Change can be good. You haven't been happy there for a while."

"It's hard. Everywhere I look I see Luc."

"I can only imagine." Elizabeth's heart ached for her. "Hey. I have an idea. How about you try Rochester?"

"Huh? As in, the snowy north?"

"Well it's not snowing yet," she laughed. "I still have a spacious guest room. It's yours if you want it."

"Elizabeth, I can't do that to you."

"Of course you can! I can connect you with all the resources you'll need for Em and it won't be like moving to a totally strange and new place. You'll have me and Levi!"

"Elizabeth, didn't you tell me in our last conversation that you were in a serious relationship with some great guy? Now's probably not the time to take on a roommate and her 4 year old."

"Jack is wonderful, and it will be fine. We've been spending a lot of evenings at his place. So if you need it, we can make sure you have the condo to yourself some. I can even take Em if you need time to relax or…"

"Or cry?"

"Or that, yeah." Elizabeth laughed sympathetically. "And as long as you are comfortable, Jack can join us at the house for dinner. Really, everything's flexible. Just come."

There was a long pause, followed by a deep sigh. "You're sure we wouldn't be a burden?"

"Fiona, you're like family. Please come."

"Let me think about it. It does sound appealing. Em and I could even have a white Christmas."

"You could! I'll see if I know anyone hiring around here for when you say yes."

"If, I say yes."

"Oh, sweetie, you're gonna say yes! You miss us, you know it."

"I do very much," Fiona laughed.

After they'd said goodbye, Elizabeth went back to find Jack. He was coming back outside from carrying the lumber he'd cut inside. Levi was with him signing away about colors or something, she wasn't sure.

"Whats going on?" she asked.

"Levi here is giving me advice about paint colors for the downstairs rooms."

"I see," she laughed.

"How's your friend?"

"Good news, they're going to be okay," she told him. "Bad news is she lost her job."

"Shoot. What's she gonna do?"

"Well, I asked her to come stay with me for a little while."

Jack nodded. "You do have that guest room."

"Exactly."

"What does she do again?"

"She was a web and marketing director, but lately she's been a dance instructor."

"Interesting. Should we postpone the date this weekend?"

"Don't even think about it! Levi will be with Tom, and you and I are going to spend some real time together."

"Good. I was hoping that was what you'd say, but I'd understand if we couldn't."

"I love that about you. She needs time to get things in order there. Technically she hasn't officially said she is coming, but I really hope she does."

Levi tugged on Jack's arm. "Can I do building stuff with you?"

"I need to make a run to the hardware store before I can continue."

"We go now?"

Jack turned to Elizabeth. "Levi was helping me bring some of the wood into the house and wanted to help with one of the rooms. I have a short shopping list of things to get in town though before I can."

"You could go now if you want. I'll work on lunch."

"You sure?"

"Definitely. Go have guy time or something."

"Yes!" Levi cheered. He hugged Elizabeth and headed towards Jack's truck.

"I guess we're going," Jack laughed. He leaned forward to kiss Elizabeth. "We'll be back shortly. Love you."

"Love you!"

….

Tom sat at the kitchen table with his laptop open. Charlotte had taken Ryan out for lunch as a special treat, leaving Tom alone in the all too quiet house. He stared at the screen while sipping his coffee.

"This is ridiculous." Tom groaned. "I'm ridiculous."

On his screen was the main page of an online dating site he'd heard about. For a guy who'd fallen in love and married his high school sweetheart, a dating site left much to be desired. He didn't know how else he'd meet someone though. He wasn't into the club scene, and he wasn't about to ask a friend to set him up. Though he did wonder if Elizabeth had any single friends. She seemed to be a very good judge of character, but no, he wouldn't ask.

Finishing his coffee in a big gulp, he started creating a profile. There were questions to answer like, what makes you laugh? Or what is a dream you wish to pursue? Those seemed normal. The questions that followed were a little strange though. Things like, what color are you? And what is your spirit animal? He skipped most of the questions in the third section that was geared towards physical sides of the relationship. That just seemed too much.

"Here goes nothing, and everything I guess…" he clicked generated and in a matter of seconds, he was staring at a list of women this site thought were compatible with him. Looking at the faces of the "top 3" a great wave of anxiety washed over him and he closed the screen.

"Nope… not ready."

….

Jack and Levi walked into the busy, big box hardware store in town.

"What do we need?" Levi asked.

"We need everything on this list." Jack signed, handing Levi the list.

He handed it back. "I don't know what half of that is."

Jack laughed, "We'll do this together, okay? Let's start with the screws." Jack had a list of specific sized screws and nails that he needed. He asked a man in a blue vest where to go and they followed him.

"Can I help?" Levi asked.

Jack showed him how to find the right sizes then gave him half the list. Excitedly, Levi hurried down the aisle on the hunt. While he did that, Jack started looking for the nails. He was in the same aisle, just a little ways down from Levi. He knew Tom and Elizabeth were alway practicing this idea of "safe independence" with Ryan and Levi. With Levi's bright green hoodie easily seen out of the corner of Jack's eye, he figured this was a good opportunity.

"Hey, rock star," a flirty female voice spoke a few moments later. "What brings you here?"

"Oh, Christa. Hey." Jack politely smiled at his co-worker. He'd always seen her in business attire. Except for a few events here and there at the orchard. Today she looked casual, yet stylish. "Looking for some hardware for the house. You?"

"Plumbing problem." She held up a kit and walked right up next to him. "So tell me, you recover from your spotlight debut this weekend?"

"Yeah, I guess," he laughed. "It was fun, though I think I'll keep my day job."

"Aw, come on. I'm all set to be your number one groupie."

"Oh, well…"

"I get, though." Her thin body was practically draped over his side. He side-stepped slightly but it didn't seem to sway her.

Jack tried to think of a respectful way of handling this all while knowing Levi was only a few feet anyway. Thankfully the little guy was still in search of the things on his list and hadn't noticed the new person standing in aisle 8. Christa, as well, seemed to be unaware that Jack wasn't there alone.

"You eat, right?"

"Huh?" His thoughts had caused him to miss whatever it was she had been saying.

"I think we should go to dinner sometime, Jack. I've liked you for a long time and I think we could be good together."

"Oh… Look, Christa…"

Levi rushed up behind Jack and tapped his back. "Found all mine!"

"Awesome, bud! I still need a few more."

"I find them!" He took Jack's list and started looking, completely unphased by Christa's presence.

"He's adorable," Christa gushed. "But wait. That's not Ryan. Is it one of his friends?"

"Yes, but that's not why I have him. That's Levi, my girlfriend's son."

"Your… girlfriend?" Her face turned a very bright red, then went white.

"Yeah, her name is Elizabeth Thatcher."

"Oh… wow. When did you get a girlfriend? Is it serious?"

"We started dating in September. Remember that little boy that got left behind by his school in our orchard? That was this guy. I met his mom after that."

"Wow, again. Ok. I think I'm going to go and erase this embarrassing moment from my mind, k?" She turned and hurried off.

"Hey, Christa," he waited for her to turn around. "We're okay."

"Thanks, Jack." Her face was so flushed. "See you later."

"Bye."

Vigorously, Jack scratched the back of his head. Bewildered by all that just happened. Had he led her on? That was never his intent. It would be interesting, he thought, to be in the office tomorrow for work. Hopefully they could put this all behind them.

Levi was still searching the rows of hardware for the last of the nails he needed to find. Jack smiled at the curly haired boy. He would be so proud to one day call Levi his son.

"I can't find this one."

"Let me help," Jack signed, taking the paper.

Together they found the rest of their supplies and headed towards the checkout counters up front. They almost made it to the check out line before Levi got distracted. Stopping right by the paint section.

"You want to look?" Levi nodded. "Okay. I could use your advice on the downstairs rooms. Later, they will need paint."

"I can help!"

"Great! But quickly. Mom is making lunch."

"Okay."

As he walked, eyeing the many hues of color, Levi looked up at Jack, his eyes revealing a deep thinker for such a little guy.

"Jack, what are the rooms for?"

"What do you mean?"

"Downstairs there's 2, right?"

"Yes. They're bedrooms."

"For…."

"For…" Jack tried to pick his words wisely. "For family."

"My family is me and Mom."

"Yup, it's a great family."

"Maybe you can be our family too?"

"Maybe."

"Because I don't have a Dad."

"I know."

"You don't have a little boy either."

Jack nodded. "That's right."

"So we need each other. Right?"

"Yeah. We need each other."

"So maybe...maybe one day, Mom and me could be in your family?"

He knelt down to eye level with Levi. "Being a family is a big deal. It sometimes takes a long time. We need to make sure everyone is ready to be a family. Does that make sense?"

"I guess." He shrugged innocently. "So… if one day, we're family, can I have my room be this color?" He handed Jack a blue square called Surfer Blue.

"Sure thing, bud," Jack laughed, messing with Levi's curls. "Should we go home and eat with Mom?" Jack asked.

"Yeah. Let's go."