Chapter 7

Janet smiled as she poured herself a hot cup of coffee, remembering Jack's visit last night. She felt like she was on cloud nine. Just before he had to leave Jack informed her he had a gift for her, she shook her head remembering his silly behavior as she took a sit to enjoy her warm drink.

Flashback

"A gift?" She laughed wondering what he was up to. "But it's not Christmas, or my birthday or-" She replied laughing as she sat on her couch.

"I know silly," he said planting a small kiss on her nose, "Promise me you will open this door if I walk out."

"Promise." She giggled as she watched her best friend make his way towards his car.

He hurried back with a gift bag, she took out its content and to her surprise Jack had gotten her an answering machine. Laughing uncontrollably she asked why in the world he got her an answering machine.

"Well you mention yesterday that yours was broken so I got you a new one. That way I will know for sure if you are trying to avoid me or not."

"You really are something else." She said trying to take the equipment out of the box.

"Plus this way every time I am missing you I can always call and know I will get to hear you sweet voice. And you in return will know just how much I think of you throughout the day." He said seriously with a smile that made Janet's heart skip a beat.

"Well," she tried to play it cool, "let's replace that old one."

"Wow, this one actually has a phone build in. How neat." She admired the new technology.

"Next thing you know they will have them with alarm clocks." Jack joked.

When they finished installing the new phone Jack asked Janet to record something, "Well what should I say?"

"How about…" he though for a second. "You've reached Janet Dawson, I'm sorry I can't come to the phone but I am having my way with the sexiest man alive, Jack Tripper so if you would leave a message-"

"Stop!" She pushed him down on the love-seat. "Come on be serious, what should I say that will make it interesting but not long."

"Whatever you want, just as long as you use your sweet and bubbly voice. That way whenever I am feeling down, I know I can call you and you will pick my spirit up just like you have done so many times before."

"That's what I am here for."

Janet finally recorded something she was pleased with after her fourth try but just before she started to practice she noticed there was a message already on the machine. "How strange? Do you think it's been used before and then returned?"

"I don't know why don't we see what the message says." Jack suggested standing next to her.

Janet pressed her index finger against the play button and waited for the pre-recorded message to play. "Morning, sunshine," Jack-on-the-machine began in the way that only he could, the way that never failed to make her weak inside, the way that made her desperately want him to kiss her so long that she forgot to breathe. "I just wanted to wish you a great day and remind you just how much I love you. And I can't wait to see your lovely smile today, make it a great one. Love you, Jack."

Janet stopped the messaged and for a few seconds kept her eyes on the machine. As Jack's voice repeated in her mind. She felt her eyes beginning to water. Finally she turned to the man in front of her. Smiling they both spoke nothing but said everything all with one glance. "You can play it every morning." Jack chuckled.

"I will." Janet responded as she moved closer to him. "Thanks for thinking of me."

"I always do," Jack said softly as he placed a strand of hair behind Janet's ear. "You are the first person that comes to mind every morning and the one I fall asleep thinking of."

She searched for true in his baby blue eyes as his hands slither down her shoulders to stop at her waist. She slowly swallowed as the feeling of his muscular body came closer to hers, the fragrance of his cologne made it hard for her to think straight. Hesitating but dying to know she asked if what he said in his message was true.

"Every single word." A small smirk crept across Jack's face. "You have no idea just how much I love you Janet. You've been the only person in my life that I can't seem to forget not even after all these years. You've always been here," he said pointing to his head, "and forever will live here." He placed her hand against his chest. Janet felt the beat of his heart against her hand.

At Jack's ever so seductive words Janet's stomach seem to fill with butterflies. She silently prayed that if this was a dream she would forever sleep. "I don't know whatever took me so long to realize how much I love you but when I finally did it was too late." Jack said stepping away from her and walking around the couch. "I was stupid and let you go, Janet."

Janet made her way towards the oversize sofa in the middle of her small living room. She took a sit and Jack followed. He covered her hands with his as he sat next to her petit body. "Are you referring to my marriage with Philip?"

Jack nodded his head. "I guess it's true what they say, 'You never know what you have till it's gone.' I had always taken you for granted in my mind always thinking you would always be there. That Jack and Janet would be sixty and still live in apartment 201. But when you informed me of your marriage with Philip it just hit me. It drove me crazy to think you would no longer be by my side. At first I though it was just a joke and that you and Philip would just go out and with in months break up but when I saw how serious your relationship grew I became to feel so hopeless. Only God knows when I had started to see you in a different light. Even before Terri moved in with us, I started feeling a different attraction towards you but I had to loose you to realize that what I was feeling for you was love."

"Why didn't you ever say anything?"

Jack chuckled, "What could I have said. It was obvious you were in love and there was no other man in your life but Philip. I could feel it every time you two were together it was sickening."

Giggling Janet lifted her hand to caress his handsome face. Oh how she loved him. "I never thought it bother you, Jack. You always seem so happy for me, I-" she paused her brown eyes clouded with tears, "I though you were happy I was getting marry that you were glad I would be moving away. Never had it crossed my mind you were just pretending."

"It was the hardest thing to do, seeing how another guy out of now where came into our life just to ruined everything. Within months accomplishing everything I always wanted to do when I had eight whole years to let you know how much I loved you. Every hug, every kiss, every touch of his hand on your body made me want to tear him to pieces and let him know you were mine, that I was part of your life way before him."

"You have no idea how much I've prayed to God that I some day I would get to hear those words coming from your lips." Janet said leaning in to kiss his lips. A kiss that he wasted no time to deepen, he poured out his heart into it, deepening it with every moment he had as her hand ran threw his sandy blond hair; while his hands explored her petite body. "I love you Jack." Janet said between kisses. "Always have." She murmured against his ear.

Jack froze, "How come you never said anything either." He complained confused.

"Me say anything?" She looked at him with a hurt look in her eyes, "It would have taken me 15 more years to even begin thinking you ever felt anything for me Jack. Ever since you moved in I knew I had no chance with you. You were always after one girl or another but never ever stopped to just look at what you had in front of you."

"Oh honey," Jack said resting his hand on her left cheek.

"It's true. I just watch as your heart floated from one date to another and you were always so girl crazy. Or if it wasn't another girl …." She paused and took in a deep breath. "You were always chasing after Chrissy or Terri or…"

"That is not true, honey. The only reason I was so playful with our roommates was because you were always so stuck on our stupid rule of never getting involve with each other. And I figured that if I was flirty with them then I could get closer to you without you stopping me. It was the only thing I knew to do. If I kissed Terri or Cindy or Chrissy I knew I could kiss you without you getting suspicious because I was showing no preference."

Janet observed his handsome face. "And all these years ….I feel so foolish."

"You should." He said playing as he placed his lips against her forehead. "Remember our kiss by the stove on your first birthday with me?"

"How could I forget, that was the first time you ever kissed me." She sight. "I think that was the day I finally let my self admit just how much I liked you."

"Well then that was a big day for both because it took all the courage I had to go up to you and kiss you like that." He laughed as he recalled the many times he had practice his entrance.

"Life is so funny and full of surprises." Janet whispered as she inclined her head on Jack's well-built chest. All the time I always though I would always be just Jack's best friend Janet Wood, and all I could do was dream and hope for a day like this."

"You can say that again," He said as he ran his hand threw her soft jet-black hair, "even though I do recall times when I would be 99.99 sure that maybe you did have a thing for me. I could sense it in the way you would look at him."

"Why were we so blind?" Janet shook her head, "Look at all that we have missed out on."

"True, but now all we can do is just make it up." He said as he cupped her face in his hand, "and I know exactly how to start doing that." Jack whispered as his lips came together with hers, like magnets they inched closer and closer until they finally touch lips. Jack softy brushed his soft lips against Janet's rosy lips. When they finally parted she looked up at his handsome face and smile.

"Jane, do you remember at your wedding when I asked you to step out?"

She nodded her head. "My heart was racing hoping you would sweep me off my feet and carry me away and that we would live happily ever after." She recalled.

Jack looked at her with amazement. "I so wanted too, you have no idea. But as we talked I just couldn't help to ignore just how happy you looked, the light in you eyes shinned like never before. And I would rather die then to see you be miserable and I though that Philip brought that joy into your life and all I can do then was just pray that if we were really meant to be life would somehow bring us together again." He informed her with a knot feeling in his throat. "Besides you never hinted anything at that time either."

"How could I? I knew you were so in love with Vicky. There was no room for me or my feelings in you heart." Janet said with tears in her almond eyes. "I wanted that same happiness for you honey. And I figured Philip was my only way to forget you. I did like him a lot when I met him but nothing could compare to the bigger the life feeling I have always felt for you. So I had to be strong and leave you behind because I knew I could never be the girl for you."

Jack chuckled at Janet's words. "Funny, isn't it?"

"What."

"We both gave up the most important feeling in the world for each other's happiness. Or at least what at that time we both though was happiness for the other and for all we knew we were actually never closer to happiness as we were before either Philip or Vicky came along."

They both laughed as she cuddled closer to him. "Janet. Life has given us another chance at happiness and we can't let this one go by, babe. It could be our last chance. And only God knows how much it would hurt to loose you again."

"I know Jack, but things are so different now. I have Jack to think about and you and Vicky are now married. It's not like before where if you were tired of a girl you could just stop answering her phone calls or get Larry to take her out. And I know your marriage is on the rocks but no matter what or how strong our love is you and Vicky are still husband and wife."

"What good does that do if we can't even look each other in the eye?" Jack said pulling away. Unwilling to give her up again because of Vicky. "I love you not her. I will ask her to sign the divorce papers again and again and again until one day she just doesn't have an option but to sign them. Janet please, don't let her ruin it again."

"What about my son. He's only seen you a couple of time at the most and …."

"Don't you think he will realize just how much I love his beautiful? Janet I know that your son comes first and that I must and am willing to love him just as if he were mine own son. Because loving him is like loving you twice. And if in the future we will some day be bless with children of our own, he will never be second in my heart. Promise." Jack said as half of his hand was covered by her dark hair and the other rested on her right cheek, his aqua blue eyes penetrating hers.

And with those last words, Janet let her self go. She loved Jack and after all these years he still loved her back. If they had only known otherwise life would have been much different, but they were getting another chance to love each other and she was ready for anything. Ready for the best and worst of time; because with both of her men by her side she needed nothing else. Jack has been and will be forever the man she was destined to love and her son is the light that will brighten the way through rough times. For all she knew this could be the last chance she would get to love and be love.

For all we know we may never meet again.
Before you go, make this moment sweet again.
We won't say good night until the last minute.
I'll hold out my hand and my heart will be in it.