"Okay, tell me again. What happened?" Elizabeth said with a giggle.
"And here I thought you might be mad."
Jack held Elizabeth close in the hammock out in the yard. Levi sat comfortably on the opposite end reading a book.
"Why would I be mad? I know you. You're not out there trying to catch as many women as you can."
"Of course not. I'm perfectly content with the one I have."
"Good." She turned her neck to kiss his cheek.
"Mooom," Levi spoke, turning his book so she could see and pointed to a difficult word. "What word?"
Jack reached his long strong arm to take the book and hand it to Elizabeth. She read over the section.
Elizabeth gave the book back and signed the word "perspective." Levi thanked her and went back to his book.
"Hey," Jack began. "What do you guys do for Halloween?"
"Shoot, that's this week, isn't it? I almost forgot. We don't really do the whole trick-or-treating thing."
"No?"
She shook her head. "A big part of communication for Levi is reading people. You know, by their facial reactions and all that."
"Ah, and with all the masks, face paint and darkness…"
"Yeah, it really stresses him out. Usually we order pizza and get dressed up in costumes to hand out candy while watching a movie. Probably Star Wars. I make sure to buy plenty of candy for him so he's not missing out."
"You're a great mom."
"Thanks. You want to join us this year? Levi is Captain America and I'm dressing up as a cheerleader."
"A what now?" He laughed. "Oh, I'll be there!"
"Great!" She tapped Levi's foot and told him the news. Of course, he was excited.
"It will be like we're a family!" He exclaimed, then turned back to his book.
"Oh boy. Sorry about that." She blushed.
"Don't worry about it. He brought it up when we were at the hardware store too."
"What did he say?"
Jack shrugged. "He's happy. The three of us together makes sense to him. Me too, you know?"
She stared lovingly in his eyes then took his hand in hers. "Yeah, we just fit."
Jack kissed her temple. "Yes, we do."
Their lunch date turned into a dinner date, with Elizabeth leaving to take Levi home just before 7.
After they left, Jack hopped in his truck to go into the city. After the day they'd just had together, he decided there was one thing he needed to have handled before their big date Friday.
The next morning when Jack arrived at the office, his mom was busy on the phone and Tom wasn't in yet.
Ranger took his now familiar spot on his plush dog bed that Charlotte had purchased. She spoiled that dog the same way she spoiled Ryan and more recently, Levi.
With his coffee in hand Jack began going through what seemed like a never ending list of emails from the weekend. One of which was from Christa.
"Reviews are in! Apple Fest was a huge hit this weekend. I have received many inquiries from business to weddings about reserving part of the orchard for events. I'll send my full report in by the end of the day."
That was normal enough. The last line however confused him.
"Thank you, guys. You've been wonderful to work with these past years."
When Charlotte was off the phone, she came over to Jack's desk and leaned against the side. By the look in her eyes, you would think she'd already worked a full day.
"You alright, Mom?"
"Did you read all of the day's emails?"
"Not yet, but almost." He leaned back in his chair. "Is something up with Christa?"
"Yeah, I don't know what happened but she's leaving. I guess she has another job or something closer to her family. I'm happy for her, but it will be hard to lose her."
Jack felt a bit guilty, thinking that maybe the awkwardness of her flirting with him might be the cause.
"Jack? I see the look on your face. What do you know?"
"Not a lot."
"Spill it, son."
"Well, she sort of... asked me out when we saw each other at the hardware store yesterday."
"Uh oh."
"Yeah, and I think maybe she's embarrassed and that's why she wants to leave."
"Oh, Jack. Can you speak with her? We really need her here."
"I told her we were fine. I tried to make her feel like it wasn't a big deal. I guess it didn't work."
Jack took his lunch break to meet Christa at a park just outside the city. She was working from home. Probably to avoid Jack. As he leaned against the hood of his truck, he tried to think of the most appropriate words to say.
A few minutes later, a little black sedan pulled into the parking space next to him. The moment she stepped out of the car, Jack noticed her brown eyes were pinkish and slightly swollen.
"Christa, are you alright?"
"I don't know," she said, letting out a small sob.
"I'm so sorry. Please don't leave the orchard. You are indispensable. If I Ied you on at all..."
"Jack you did nothing wrong, okay? It doesn't matter though, I still have to leave."
"I told you we are fine, I promise." His voice was calm. "We can just go forward as if nothing happened."
"Jack, the decision was made for me last night and it has nothing to do with what happened with us yesterday."
"Alright," he leaned against his truck. "What's going on? Do you need help?"
"Its my mom… she's sick."
He sighed deeply, closing his eyes. "How bad?"
"Bad. There's cancer in her brain. I guess it's a matter of when. Not if. I need to be close to her and help my dad."
"Of course, and this company?"
"They're good. It's actually where I interned in college. They've been asking me to come back for a little while now. I was just so happy here, but Jack, it's my mom. This is what I need to do. It's what I want to do."
"I get it. Family needs to come first."
Christa let out a breath of relief. If anyone would understand the idea of family first, it was the Thorntons.
….
"When does she leave?" Elizabeth asked sympathetically into the phone with Jack that night.
"Thursday. Her landlord is letting her out of her lease early without penalty, thank goodness. Tom and I will try to take over her responsibilities till we can hire a replacement."
"Is that something you feel qualified for?"
"Heck no! But we didn't tell her that. She needs to focus on what's ahead."
"That's gracious of you guys. If it were me in her shoes, I'd want to be with my family as soon as possible."
"Exactly."
"Hey!" Elizabeth spoke with excitement. "I have an idea. What about my friend Fiona?"
"What about her?"
"Maybe she could help fill in for a bit or even replace Christa."
"I thought Fiona was a dance instructor?"
"Well, yes. She is now, but she used to be a marketing manager and web designer,remember?"
"When is she coming up?"
"Not sure. Though this potential opportunity may encourage her along."
"Can you have her send me a resume? I'll forward it to Mom and Tom."
"I will right now!" And just like that, she hung up the phone.
"Hello?" Jack laughed and then looked at the dog next to him on the bed. "You know, I don't know if she's calling back or not."
Ranger didn't seem to care. He just rolled over for a belly rub.
….
Wednesday after work, Jack stopped by Tom's to see Ryan in his Batman costume before picking up the pizza and heading to Elizabeth's.
When he arrived at the townhouse, Levi rushed out the front door to greet him.
"You bring Ranger?"
Jack just smiled and opened the door to the back of the cab, releasing the pup.
From the doorway, Elizabeth watched. It didn't matter how much time they'd spent together, Jack still took her breath away. How she got so lucky to call this handsome, strong, loving man hers, she'd never know, but she was beyond grateful.
"Where's your costume?" Jack teased as he carried the pizzas to the house.
"Inside. Where's yours?"
"In my bag." He called Ranger to follow him inside.
Elizabeth placed the pizzas on the larger, square coffee table right next to the popcorn and cookies.
"What's this?" Jack asked, pointing to the wooden salad bowl.
"Well, I know you like to eat healthy so I made a green salad to go with our pizza. There's also a fruit salad in the fridge."
He pulled her close, giving her lips a sweet kiss.
"I love you, you know that right?"
"I do. I love you too." She returned his kiss with one of her own. "Now go get into your costume and I'll do the same."
"Yes, ma'am."
…..
Levi was, just as Elizabeth had described, perfectly content with his Halloween tradition.
During dinner he sat between Jack and Elizabeth while they watched Star Wars.
Each time the doorbell flashed, he'd run to the door to meet the trick-or-treaters. The adults took turns following him.
The blue and white cheerleader costume Elizabeth wore made it hard for Jack to focus on anything else. How was this beautiful creature his?
He was given a good natured hard time from Elizabeh about his costume.
"That's not a costume, its your old Army uniform."
"True, and I wore it with honor. Figured I could get one more use out of it."
"You can be one of my soldiers!" Levi exclaimed.
"I suppose, but I might outrank you."
"No one outranks Captain America," Levi signed with a stern look.
"Sorry," Jack laughed. "My mistake, Captain."
After about an hour, little Captain America grew tired of the running back and forth so the adults took over. Levi enjoyed the rest of the movie laying on the floor with Ranger at his side. Leaving plenty of room on the couch for the adults to curl up.
"Thanks for being here," Elizabeth spoke in his arms.
"Thanks for having me. Usually on Halloween I head out for a bit with Tom and Ryan then sit at the house watching something or reading. This is great."
When the end credits rolled, both Levi and Ranger were snoring away on the rug.
"When did he pass out?" Elizabeth asked with a giggle.
"Not sure. I'll carry him up to bed though."
"You sure? I think he may have eaten almost a whole pizza by himself."
"Look at me, I'm a soldier. I can handle Baby America here."
"Alright then," she giggled. "I'll clean up down here."
When all the food had been stored and the table and living room cleaned, Elizabeth quietly went upstairs to check on the boys.
In Levi's room, Jack laid asleep next to the little boy in the bed. She tiptoed over to the bed, nudging him awake.
"Did I fall asleep?" he asked
"Yup," she answered back. "Come on."
She led him out into the hall and closed the bedroom door.
"I should probably get going now."
"Jack, are you sure you should be driving? You look exhausted."
"I kind of am, yeah."
She took his hand in hers. "Why don't you stay here tonight?"
"You sure?"
"Yes, but just sleeping. No… extracurriculars with Levi in the next room." She blushed at the thought.
"Good plan." Jack let out a large yawn. "I'll do one better, so we aren't leaving him with a whole bunch of questions running through his mind before school, I'll head home before he wakes up."
At least, that was the plan.
Jack's alarm went off at 5:15 the following morning. He shut it off then rolled back over to hold Elizabeth in his arms. She fit perfectly there.
"Jack…" she whispered, eyes still closed. "What time is it?"
"Early, But I should duck out soon. Go back to sleep."
"Stay," she mumbled.
He just chuckled, kissing her neck softly. "Nope, we talked about this, remember? I sneak out so we avoid having that conversation with Levi for just a little longer."
There was no answer.
"Liz?"
She was back out. Jack wondered if she'd had the same night's sleep he had. Laying next to her was amazing, but sleep didn't come easily. It seemed as though all his senses were on high alert.
He carefully moved off the bed and grabbed his regular clothes to get dressed, packing his uniform in the bag from where it laid on the chair from the night before. With all his things gathered, he quietly left the room.
Jack didn't venture down toward Levi's room. All was quiet and he didn't want to wake him. Instead he went down the stairs to fetch Ranger and head out. The jingle of the pup's tags let Jack know where he was.
The downstairs was still dark, except in the living room where there was a soft glow radiating from the TV. Jack knew they were tired last night, but it wasn't like Elizabeth to leave things on. He creeped slowing into the room for Ranger.
"Morning," a little muffled voice spoke.
"Levi, what are you doing up?" Jack signed.
"Its morning." Levi stated as if it was obvious. "Did you spend the night?"
Jack just stood there with his mouth opened and no words in his brain.
"Hungry?" Levi signed with a laid-back demeanor. "Fruit Loops or Mommy's yucky Cheerios?"
Jack couldn't help himself, he let out a laugh and ran his fingers through his thick brown hair. "Cheerios, I guess."
"Ok. I'll get a bowl. You can watch Power Rangers with me before school."
For the next 20 minutes that was exactly what they did. Levi seemed to not have any more questions regarding Jack still being at the house. In fact, he seemed very comfortable with the idea.
Upstairs, Elizabeth was up and the sound of her moving about the room could be herded below.
"Hey, bud," Jack tapped Levi's leg as he signed. "I'm gonna go talk to Mom, okay?"
"Okay. Can you ask her where my Burton hoodie is? I want to wear it today."
"Sure," Jack laughed.
He placed his now empty cereal bowl in the sink and then headed upstairs. The shower was running now, and Elizabeth's beautiful voice flowed through the air as she sang her favorite song from Phantom of the Opera. Jack only knew that because Elizabeth had him listen to it in the truck a week ago. Not his style, but he was happy she was happy.
"Babe?"
"Jack!" she squealed. "I thought you left?"
"I tried," he laughed. "I got caught by the little man you said didn't wake up early."
With one swift movement, Elizabeth pulled the curtain back so only her head and one shoulder was showing. Her hair was wet, matted against her flushed skin. Her blue eyes radiant. Jack was suddenly regretting coming in, especially now that all he could think about was how much of her, hidden behind the curtain, was now just a mere two feet away.
"What did he say?" Her question pulled him out of his trance.
"Honestly, he seems unphased."
"Really?" She sighed with relief. "I guess that makes sense. He adores you. I'll be out soon."
"I'll head back downstairs. Oh, he asked about his Burton hoodie?"
"It's in the dryer."
"K, got it. Anything else I can do to help him get ready?"
"Has he eaten?"
"Yup. One bowl of fruit loops and then he wanted more so I had him eat some cheerios."
"Perfect. If you're up for it, have him get dressed and pack his bag. Oh, and his hearing aids are on his dresser. He hates it so if he fights you about it I'll handle it when I'm out."
"Got it."
Jack headed back down the stairs to the laundry room and grabbed the hoodie from the dryer. Back in the living room, he tossed it at Levi, getting him in the face. Levi laughed.
"Thank you!"
"You're welcome. Ready to get dressed?"
"I guess." Levi turned off the TV and thundered up the stairs.
Feeling out of place just sitting there, Jack went into the kitchen and began putting together a lunch for Levi and Elizabeth. It felt so domestic and weird, yet good.
"All done!" Levi announced as he came into the kitchen minutes later.
"Looking good, bud!" Jack smiled. "Hearing aid?"
"Don't want to."
"Bud…"
"It's itchy, doesn't work and I hate it. No!"
Elizabeth was now downstairs. She walked over to Jack and accepted the hot mug of coffee he offered. After taking a few sips, she gave a wave of her free hand to get her son's attention. When she had it, she placed the mug on the counter.
"Levi, I know you don't like this one. I'm trying to get you an appointment for a new one that you may like more, but for now, this is what you need to do."
"Why?"
"It's important for you to get used to them so you can have more independence. Remember your biking accident?"
"It wasn't my fault! That big kid got in my way!"
"I know! Still, if you had had one then maybe you wouldn't have gotten hurt."
"This is stupid!" Then, like a typical kid, he tried to change the subject. "Can Jack take me to school? It's on the way to the orchard."
"Sweetie, I'm sure Jack has to get to work; and I know what you're trying to do. I'm not forgetting."
"Liz?" Jack whispered. Elizabeth nodded for him to continue. "Levi, I'll bring you on one condition," he signed to Levi. "Apologize to your mom and go get your hearing aid now." Levi gave a little pout, but did as he was told.
"Nice one," Elizabeth smiled.
"Did I handle that okay?"
"Like an experienced parent. Thanks."
"You didn't need my help, but I'm happy to be here." He leaned in, tasting her sweet lips. Her caramel coffee creamer was present. "I love you."
"I love you too," she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him down for another kiss.
Levi stomped on the ground to get their attention. "I have my hearing aid now. Can you stop kissing and take me to school?"
Jack laughed, "Grab Ranger and go to the truck, please. I'll be there soon."
"K. Love you, Mom."
"Love you too," Elizabeth blew him a kiss, which he dramatically caught and put "in his heart" with a giggle.
"Will I see you later?" she asked.
"That's my plan. Dinner again?"
"I'll make something good." With one last kiss, he left.
….
Jack parked his truck in the visitor's parking lot, leaving the windows open a crack for Ranger. He held Levi's hand as they walked up towards the main entrance.
"Jack?"
"Ugh, here we go…" Jack muttered to himself as he turned around. "Hey Tom. Hi, Ryan, bud."
"Hi," Tom grinned. "Lizzy got you on drop off duty? Is she doing okay?"
"Jack slept over last night!" Levi signed to Ryan, which of course Tom saw.
"I'm sorry, you did what?!" he said laughing.
"Nothing happened. It was late, that's all."
"Suuure."
"It is!"
"Chill, I'm just teasing. Let's get these guys to class and I'll take you out for coffee."
"We have work, Tom."
"We're the bosses, but if it makes you feel better I'll ask Mom."
"Just let her know but yeah, coffee sounds good."
