Finally, it was Friday afternoon, meaning Elizabeth and Jack had their big date! Their dinner plans for the night before fell through due to a work emergency at the orchard. At least they managed a late night phone chat.

With Levi being picked up later from school by Tom, Elizabeth had nothing to worry about after dismissing her students except getting herself ready for Jack. It was all she could focus on the entire day. Thankfully her afternoon classes had reached the end of their books and it was movie time. That helped immensely.

Elizabeth pulled into her driveway just after 4 PM, leaving herself just shy of an hour to get presentable. She had her new dress and accessories hanging on the door of her closet. Her overnight bag was packed and ready by the front door. She'd packed two different pj's so she'd have options. One, a pair of knit shorts and a light tee, the other a sweet, yet still sexy, nightgown she'd just purchased.

Blasting old school jazz throughout her condo, Elizabeth showered, dressed and did her hair and makeup in a way she hadn't taken the time to do in a long time, finishing right at 5. All that was left was a little perfume. It was something she hardly ever did these days, but tonight felt special.

….

Jack let out a long breath as he pulled his freshly washed and detailed truck into Elizabeth's drive. It felt as if the butterflies in his stomach were doing the tango or something. Every fiber of his being wanted tonight to go well. They had slipped into the family-like routine seamlessly, but tonight he wanted to show her a more romantic side of their relationship.

He picked up his phone buzzing in the center console.

"I'll be right out."

Jack hopped out of the truck, adjusting the collar on his leather jacket. Standing on her porch, he waited patiently for the door to open. When it did, his jaw dropped.

"Wow…" he whispered.

"Wow good? Or wow bad?"

"Wow, very good." Wrapping his arms around her slender waist he pulled her against his body, kissing her slowly. "You're beautiful."

Clearly the sage green dress that fell just above the knees and knee high brown leather boots were a wise choice. She'd completed the look with a cream, brown, and green shawl, her wavy, chestnut hair falling freely around her face as she blushed.

"Thank you. You look very handsome too."

"Thanks." He gave her lips one more peck. "Are you ready to go?"

She stared down at her overnight bag sitting on the floor by the door, then picking it up, she smiled. "Yes."

"Alright," he grinned. Taking her hand in one hand and her bag in the other, Jack escorted her to the truck.

"Such service," she teased as he opened her door and helped her inside.

"It's selfish on my part. If I do this, I also get to do this." He leaned in, giving her a kiss she could feel all the way down to her toes.

"Do you ever get tired of kissing me all the time?" she giggled.

"Nope. I don't plan to either."

….

Over at Tom's, the boys were having a fantastic time. They played Pokémon, and ate a feast fit for their ages. Full of hotdogs, mac and cheese, and tater tots. Even Tom was enjoying himself.

Seeing Ryan bond so well with Levi was both heartwarming and breaking. He and Meg had alway wanted a big family.

"How are my boys?" Charlotte said with a smile as she walked into the dining room. She made a couple little stomps to let the young boys know she was there. Both got up from their chairs to hug and and received a kiss on the top of their heads.

"Hey, Mom," Tom stood to give her a hug as well. "How was your outing with the girls?"

"My outing was lovely, just not with the girls from church."

"Oh…" Tom's wide eyed expression said it all. "Wait, are you telling me you went out on a…"

"Hey, did you look at the resume Jack sent?" Charlotte interrupted, trying to change the subject.

"The what now?" Poor Tom was still fixated on who his mother might have been out with.

"Jack gave us the resume of a woman to take over for Christa. Her name's Fiona Bouchard. She's Lizzie's friend."

"Oh right. No, I haven't had a chance. What do you think?"

"On paper she seems amazing. I'm conducting a phone interview with her tonight. Care to join?"

"Nah, I promised the boys we'd watch a movie. I trust your judgment though."

"Alrighty. I'll make sure to take good notes for you and Jack."

…..

The dinner cruise was relaxing and romantic for Jack and Elizabeth. After a delicious dinner of swordfish, red potatoes and asparagus in a cream sauce, Jack and Elizabeth took to the upper deck to enjoy the scenery.

"Look at the sunset, Jack." Elizabeth rested her hands on the railing. Jack stepped close behind her, wrapping his arms around her. "It's breathtaking."

"Just like you." His lips pressed gently against her temple.

"Flattery, Mr. Thornton?" She turned in his embrace.

"No. Just telling the truth." He kissed his temple. "Tell me something."

"Like what?"

"I don't know. Tell me something I don't know about you. Like… your first kiss."

"Oh, gosh," she threw her head back and laughed. "Are we talking about a real kiss or a kissing incident?"

"A what now? An incident? Okay, I think I need to hear this one."

Burying her head in his chest she groaned. "This is embarrassing. Okay, so I was six."

"Six?"

"Yup. This boy from across the street, Miles August, swore he was in love with me. One day we were playing knights and princesses and he kissed me! Right on the lips!"

"What did you do?" Jack said with a laugh.

"Well, I cried for starters. It was gross and sloppy and I still thought boys had cooties!" Now they both laughed at her memory. "I ran back home and told Julie and Vi everything! Vi, being the more adult at the age of 8, ran to get Mom and Dad. Julie on the other hand…"

"Oh man… what'd she do?"

Elizabeth laughed. "Four year old Julie marched across the street yelling, "You made my sister cry! Prepare to die!"

"Yikes!" Jack laughed. "Remind me not to cross her!"

"In her defense, it rhymed and that was a big deal at her age. Vi's the more vicious one these days."

"Note to self, stay clear of both Thatcher sisters."

"Hey now!" She laughed. "Your turn. Tell me about your first kiss."

"Eh, maybe we should just switch topics."

"No way. It's only fair, and if I've learned anything as a mother, it's that fair is fair. Let's have it."

"I was older than six, I can tell you that much," he chuckled. "I think I was eleven or twelve. My buddy, Lee, dared me to kiss this girl I liked at the middle school dance."

"What was her name?"

"Lindsey Josephson. Ugh, it was so embarrassing. I missed at first so I had to try again. The chaperone caught it and not only were my parents called but I had to sit in the guidance counselor's office and listen to him talk about hormones and appropriate physical contact for my age."

Elizabeth threw her head back and laughed. "Well, you're much better now."

"Getting a little flirty there, Ms. Thatcher?" He grinned.

"Maybe a little."

…..

Tom reclined on the couch with the boys watching Kung Fu Panda. By the droopy looks in the boys eyes, they'd be out before too long.

In the small office off the kitchen, Tom could hear his mom's computer ringing loudly. Giving another listen, he could tell his mom was in the shower. He got up and went to get on the computer himself. It was an incoming message from their marketing candidate, Fiona.

"Hello?" Tom answered the video call but saw only a dark window on the screen. "Someone there?"

"Oh hi. I thought I messaged a Mrs. Thornton."

"You did. That's my mom. This is Tom. I also work at the orchard. You two have a meeting later, correct?"

"That's what I'm calling about. My daughter is sick and I was hoping we could reschedule."

"Oh, poor kid. Yeah, I'm sure she won't mind. Let me pull up her calendar here."

"That would be great, thank you so much!"

The window flickered for a second and then Tom could see the face of the woman he was talking to. She was adorable. As cute as the freckles on her nose and cheeks but also beautiful in a classic way. Her dark hair framed her face in a very natural way. Sitting curled up on her lap was a little version of her. Dark hair, freckles and all.

It took a great deal of effort, but Tom finally managed to pull his gaze from Fiona.

"What's your daughter's name?"

"This whimpering gem is Emma." She kissed the top of her daughter's head. "She's my world. It's just me and her."

Tom glanced down at her left hand that held her daughter, confirming his understanding that there was no husband in the picture. "And what is it that's got little Emma so sad tonight?"

"Ear infection," she sighed.

"Ouch… Hi, sweet girl." Tom gave a wave.

Then something happened that took him by surprise. He watched Fiona turn Emma in her lap and then sign, "Mr. Tom says 'Hi'." Emma turned to look at the screen and gave a sad little wave. Tom waved back.

"She's deaf."

"Yeah, since birth. She was a preemie."

"So is my son. He's 7 now, but he was a preemie too."

"Elizabeth mentioned that. Sorry to hear about all that. I get it." Tom nodded. "Your son is best friends with Levi right?"

"Yeah, the best of friends."

"I'm glad to hear that," she smiled. "I think he was lonely when they lived here."

"He's a great kid. I'm glad they're friends."

She smiled a beautiful smile as she nodded. Tom could feel his heart beating in his chest. He searched his brain for something to say. Something to keep the conversation going just a little longer. Anything that would make it so he could hear that voice again. These were dangerous waters he was wading into now, but somehow, he didn't care.

"You know, if you want, we can do a short interview right now. Looks like Emma is almost asleep."

Fiona looked down. "Huh, the meds must have finally kicked in." She looked back up at Tom. "If you're sure. Though I want you to know I had planned to be 100% professional and dressing the part and all for the interview. Little Miss here had other plans."

"Trust me, I completely understand. As far as looking the part goes, we're pretty casual at the orchard. You never know when you'll get roped into leading a tour, you know?"

"I could do that! That actually sounds fun."

"Maybe one day soon, you and Emma can join me and Ryan for a private tour."

"You give private tours?"

"Yeah." Not often but it had been known to happen.

"That would be fun."

Tom couldn't believe he had essentially asked a woman out, without having an ulterior motive like setting her up with his brother. They conversed with such ease for the next 15 minutes or more. Tom hadn't felt that kind of connection since Meg.

"Mr. Thornton?"

"Huh?" He hadn't realized he had been staring. Lost in what felt like a parallel universe of thought. "I'm sorry."

"That's alright. I asked if you had any questions? You know, the interview?"

"Right, yes." Tom stared down at the few notes he took. "You're hired!"

….

Jack and Elizabeth headed home after their dinner cruise. They made a quick stop for a pint of Ben and Jerry's ice cream but were now pulling up in front of the home. They walked hand in hand in silence up to the front porch. Jack unlocked the door and heard the blitzing paws of Ranger from inside. As soon as the door opened, the pup flew out and into the yard.

"He'll need a minute to burn off his energy. Make yourself at home," he said, leaving her with a tender kiss on her cheek.

Inside, Elizabeth hung her coat up on one of the hooks by the door. Standing in the entryway she looked around the house. It was immaculate. Not a thing out of place or tossed somewhere with the intent to deal with later but soon forgotten. She chuckled to herself thinking, clearly a child did not live here.

Behind her, Jack and Ranger entered the house. Jack carried her overnight back over his shoulder.

"You alright?" he asked, surprised that she was still standing in the entryway.

"How is your house this clean? I mean, I don't even see a dog toy on the floor."

"Oh, well he's trained to put his toys away."

"You're joking?"

"Nope. Genius, right?"

"Jack, I can't even get my kid to pick up after himself and you've trained a dog?" He shrugged.

He shed his coat and moved further into the house, putting the ice cream away and then taking her bag to the master. Elizabeth was now in the living room, absentmindedly looking over the collection of books Jack had on the shelves there. Though if you'd asked her which one interested her, she couldn't tell you. She was too distracted by the fact that they were alone.

Jack stepped up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. His lips quickly found their way to her neck.

"Penny for your thoughts, love?" he asked.

"For you, my thoughts are free." He kissed her neck again. "We're alone. It's a little… strange," she giggled.

"Yeah. No little kid running around asking us to "stop kissing already.""

"Exactly," she laughed. "I like this."

"Me too."

They settled in on the couch with their brownie ice cream sundaes and watched a movie together. He'd let Elizabeth pick which meant they were now watching a sappy romance that Jack would never have picked, but she was happy, so he was happy.

Jack relished the feel of Elizabeth in his arms. How he came alive as he felt her breathe in and out against him. The soft moans of contentment that escaped her perfect lips made his desire for her only grow. He wouldn't push her though, tonight was about them. It would look however that she was comfortable. He wasn't going anywhere. They had all the time in the world, he figured.

The two main characters in the movie began talking about their song. It was from a memory in their past. Elizabeth turned to Jack.

"Do we have a song?"

Jack thought for a moment. "I have a ton that make me think of you, but I don't think we have one that's ours."

She smiled. "What songs make you think of me?"

Jack kissed her lips. "I'll show you."

Grabbing his phone from his back pocket, Jack connected it to the surround sound speakers he'd recently installed and hit play.

"May I have this dance," he said, his dimples flaring.

"Of course," she giggled, feeling herself being pulled off the couch and into his warm, strong arms. With her head resting against his chest listening as he sang the words to her.

I was a boat stuck in a bottle

That never got the chance to touch the sea

Just forgot on the shelf

No wind in the sails

Going nowhere with no one but me

I was one in a hundred billion

A burned out star in a galaxy

Just lost in the sky wondering why

Everyone else shines out but me

But I came to life when I first kissed you

The best me has his arms around you

You make me better than I was before

Thank God I'm yours

Elizabeth couldn't help but tear up. This moment was perfect. The words, so true, fit them as though the song had been written with them in mind.

I was a worn out set of shoes

Wandering the city street

Another face in the crowd

Head looking down

Lost in the sound of a lonely melody

Empty pockets at a roulette

Always landing on a lost bet

Just live for the spin and hope for the win

Go all in just to lose again

Jack stopped singing. He needed to kiss her.

I was a boat stuck in a bottle

That never got the chance to touch the sea

But I came to life when I first kissed you

The best me has his arms around you

You make me better than I was before

Thank God I'm yours

The worst me is just a long gone memory

You put a new heartbeat inside of me

You make me better than I was before

Thank God I'm yours

Thank God I'm yours

Thank God I'm yours, yours

Thank God I'm yours

When the song ended, another slow melody began. Jack held her close, not ready to let go.

"What's this one?" Elizabeth asked softly.

"The next song of my Lizzie playlist."

"You have a Lizzie playlist?" He nodded. "Thats... " she giggled.

"What's so funny?"

"You're just nothing like what I would have expected from a former special ops officer turned orchard farmer."

"I'm just being me," he shrugged. "Nothing special."

"No, Jack Thornton." She stood on her tiptoes, her hand on his neck pulling him closer and then kissed him with all her love. Long and slow. "You are everything special. I love you."

With her soft form held tightly against his, Jack kissed her with a deep desire. He'd had a plan for tonight, but right now the only thought his brain could hold was being as close to Elizabeth as he could. Without exerting much effort at all, Jack hoisted her up off her feet. Her legs instinctively wrapped around his waist.

"I don't want to push you," he whispered against her lips.

Elizabeth leaned back in his arms and grinned. "Do I look like I'm being pushed here?"

"I guess not," he chuckled. "Should we… finish our brownie sundaes?"

"I have a better idea." Her lips massaged the warm skin on his neck, driving him wild. His body tensed and moaned at her affection.

"Good idea," he whispered, kissing her all the way to the bedroom.

Jack didn't rush them, he took his time. Intently kissing her lips and neck as they now laid on the bed. This wasn't about just coming together. This wasn't scratching an itch. Though it had been a very long time. No, this was about love. Their intense, earth shattering love.

Elizabeth was very comfortable and appreciative of his pace. She pulled back slightly, slowly began undoing the buttons of his dress shirt. Once it was off and slid to the floor, her hands moved up his back and she felt him tense again.

"I love you," he whispered, staring deep into her eyes.

"I love you."

…..

Elizabeth awoke later in the dark. A cool indoor breeze from the ceiling fan feathering her hair around her face.

As her eyes adjusted, she smiled. Jack was sound asleep beside her. So peaceful. Ranger was close by as well. Sleeping on his side on their pile of discarding clothing.

For Elizabeth, this felt right. It felt safe.

Rolling over, she wrapped her arms around Jack. His body immediately reacted to her touch.

"Hey love," he whispered a bit groggy. "You okay?"

"Mhmm. You?"

"Never better." His eyes were closed but his smile was bright as he shifted and held her close. Her lips found their way from his neck, to his chin, to his lips. He opened his eyes. "You know, I think I might be awake now."

"Oh, really?" Elizabeth giggled. "What should we do?"

Without uttering a word, Jack gently nudged her onto her back, loving her again.

….

The sun was full in the sky the next morning and Jack was up early as usual. He'd taken Ranger outside for some playtime and then began making breakfast for his sleeping beauty.

Hearing movement in the other room, Ranger stood and barked.

"It's just Liz, you crazy dog. Go say hi."

The dog did as instructed, as Jack followed. Elizabeth was standing in the hallway when they got out there. She'd put on the comfy pjs she'd packed but didn't need the night before, making herself look completely adorable in Jack's eyes.

"Good morning!" She cooed at the dog.

"Morning, beautiful." Jack smiled. "Do me a favor? Go back to bed."

"What?" She laughed. "You already let me sleep till 8:30."

"I know, but I have breakfast for you and I want to give it to you in bed. Now scoot. I'll be right in."

"You're spoiling me," she sang as she went.

"Get used to it!" he called back.

Back in the master, Elizabeth climbed into the big king-sized bed and waited. Looking around the room, many items caught her eye.

The curtains, the duvet, the dresser and end tables, all the way to the rug and the nice big armchair-and-a-half with matching ottoman in the corner by the window. It looked just like the ideas she'd shared with him online.. It was a dream space.

"Special delivery!" Jack said entering the room, then he noticed the look of examination. "Whats up?"

"You took my advice. Like, all of it."

He nodded and placed the tray of food on the bed.

"Yes, I did."

"Why?"

Jack gave a bashful laugh. "Let's eat first, then we can talk."

"Oookay…" she questioned, but took the strawberry he offered her.

Breakfast was apple cinnamon French toast, coffee and a side of strawberries. Elizabeth, of course went for the sugary sweet French toast first. To her surprise, so did Jack. Both leaving the strawberries for last.

When her plate was empty, Elizabeth grabbed another strawberry.

"Are you full?" She asked, noticing Jack ignoring the berries.

"Nope, I'm fine."

She shot him a crooked gaze. "You're acting weird. Did you not sleep enough last night?"

"I got plenty of sleep last night. Just eat, love."

"Alright. If you say so."

Elizabeth lifted another strawberry out of the bowl. Before it touched her lips, she froze.

"Jack…" There in the center of the bowl was a small, square box. Their eyes met as she whispered, "What is that?"

"Why don't you open it and check it out?"

She placed the strawberry down on the tray and then wiped her hands before picking up the box. Her self-manicured hands cradled it as though it was a priceless jewel. With a loving nod, Jack encouraged her to open it. She gasped.

"I love you, Elizabeth," Jack whispered, moving closer. "My whole being is in love with you."

"Jack…" Tears began to fall from her eyes. Her gaze shifting back and forth from him, to the most exquisite ring she had ever seen, Jack brushed the tears away with his fingers. "You… you don't think it's too soon?"

"No." He spoke softly. "If we dated a year or even more, I still couldn't be more sure about us and the future than I am right now. It's supposed to be us, Liz. You, Levi and me. We fit."

"We do." She smiled, tears still flowing. "We fit perfectly."

Jack took the ring out of the box still in her hand.

"Elizabeth Thatcher, you're already my best friend. Will you do me the greatest honor, and be my wife?"

She giggled, wiping away her tears "Jack Thornton, yes. Of course I will. Yes!"