Elizabeth woke up, tensing briefly when she felt a hand on her bare stomach, but relaxing quickly when she remembered it was Jack. Her husband. She rolled over and was confronted by his chest, rising and falling with his breath.

She smiled, shifting to rest her head on his chest, feeling the warmth of his skin and the steady beat of his heart beneath her cheek.

He stirred, squinting as he waited for his eyes to adjust to the early morning light.

"Good morning." Elizabeth looked up at him, reaching out to touch his face, the night's growth of stubble scratching her palm.

"Morning, sweetheart," he replied, his voice rough with sleep. "How'd you sleep?"

"Really well." She giggled. "Well, when we were actually sleeping, that is."

He grinned, tightening his arms around her. "It was a good night, huh?"

"Yes." She buried her face in his shoulder, trying to hide the heat she felt filling her cheeks, somehow still embarrassed despite everything they had shared.

He kissed the top of her head. "You're adorable."

"Um, what time do we need to be at the airport?"

"Eleven."

She craned her neck, trying to see the clock on his nightstand. "I thought you said we had to be there early."

"Eleven could be early." He shrugged. "Just ask a teenager."

"You just wanted to get a jumpstart on the honeymoon."

"Maybe…" He put his hands on her waist. "Do you blame me, though?"

She shook her head, moving to lie on top of him. "Not at all." She leaned her cheek back on his chest. "I love you."

"I love you." He trailed his fingers up and down her back, bringing up goosebumps. "My alarm is set for nine if you want to sleep a bit longer. It's going to be a long day of travel for us."

"Where are we going?"

"Nice try." He poked her in the side. "I'm still going to keep it a secret as long as I can. You'll find out by this evening."

"But no birds, right?"

He chuckled. "I love you so much."

"Jack Thornton, you didn't answer my question."

"Elizabeth Thornton," he teased. "To answer your question: we aren't going somewhere that has an abnormally large number of birds."

"Thank you." She leaned up to kiss him, feeling a warmth rising in her body. "You know, I'm not actually that tired right now."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah. And besides, we'll have plenty of time to sleep on our flight to wherever it is we're going. Right?"

"Right." His fingers danced down her back, across her hips. "So what do you have in mind instead of sleeping?"

"Well, I noticed that you have a pretty big shower here. Care to join me?"

He grinned mischievously. "I could go for a shower."

...

"I'm sorry I couldn't get us a direct flight." Jack squeezed her hand as they exited the plane. "But I promise this is the last layover, and we'll be at our final stop in the morning."

"I don't mind. We traveled abroad quite a few times when I was younger, so I'm used to spending time in airports. And it's not so bad when I have such a handsome travel partner." She nudged him with her elbow.

He kissed her temple. "I'm happy to be your travel partner for the rest of our lives."

"Are you going to tell me where we're going now?"

He chuckled. "All in good time, my love."

They approached the departure board, and Jack searched it. Elizabeth followed his gaze, trying to discern which flight he was looking for.

"Okay, still on time. Why don't we go get something to eat?"

"Then will you tell me where we're going?"

"Yes. I will tell you after we eat."

They found a small café inside the airport and ordered a light dinner, chatting happily while they ate. Elizabeth kept finding her gaze drawn to the man across from her, still pinching herself that they were finally married.

"What?" Jack asked when she hadn't spoken for a few minutes.

"Nothing." A blush rose in her cheeks. "I just keep remembering. We're married."

"For a full day now," he confirmed, looking at his watch. "And now, what do you say we go to our gate?"

"I can finally know where we're going?"

He chuckled. "Yes. But not until we get to the gate, so don't try to convince me to tell you on the way."

"You think I'd do that?"

"I know you'd do that." He took her hand, leading her down the corridor.

"Could you at least tell me something that we're going to do while we're at this mysterious location?"

"I mean, probably a little of what we did last night…and this morning."

She blushed. "Jack."

"What? It's our honeymoon." He squeezed her hand. "Well, here we are."

She looked up, reading the screen at the gate. "Dublin? We're going to Ireland?"

He nodded. "What do you think?"

"I've always wanted to go there." She smiled up at him. "This is going to be a perfect week."

They found a seat and called Harrison while they waited to board the plane.

"Hi, mommy! Hi, daddy!" He waved at the screen.

"Hi, buddy. Are you having dinner with Nana?"

"Uh huh." He grinned. "Mac and cheese."

"Oh, your favorite!"

He moved his face closer to the screen. "Where you at right now?"

Jack draped his arm across the seat behind Elizabeth. "We are in the airport in Charlotte, North Carolina. In just a few minutes, we're going to get on another plane and fly all the way across the ocean to Ireland."

"Over the ocean?! That's far!"

"I know. You'll have to have Nana show you where that's at on a map."

"When you coming home?"

"In a week. We'll be home in time for Thanksgiving."

"Okay." He turned away when Simba barked. "I gotta take Simba outside."

Jack chuckled. "Okay, bud. We'll talk to you tomorrow when you get home from school. I love you, Harrison."

"Love you, buddy."

"Love you, mommy. Love you, daddy." He waved at the screen again before the call ended.

Shortly after Jack put his phone away, the flight began to board. He let Elizabeth slide into the seat next to the window, and he sat right beside her, taking her hand.

"I don't know how Tom can handle traveling as much as he does. I'm already exhausted, and we're just now starting on our longest flight."

"Spending the night on a plane isn't the most comfortable thing, but it's always worth it when you get there." She leaned over and kissed him. "I am a little disappointed that these airplane seats won't let us sleep as closely as we did last night, though. You're so warm, it's like having a space heater under the blankets."

He chuckled. "I'm glad you appreciate that. Olive always complained about getting overheated because of me."

"Is it weird for you? Being married again?"

He was quiet for a few moments as he thought. "Not really. It's certainly an adjustment, but that's true of any marriage."

She squeezed his hand. "I'm so glad we decided to take a chance on each other."

"I don't think Harrison would've let us have it any other way."

She chuckled. "I already miss him."

"Me too, but we'll call him every day while we're gone. And the three of us will be back together before we know it."

...

Elizabeth gazed out of the window of the plane as it began its descent. She squeezed Jack's hand. "It's beautiful."

"I can't believe you've never been to Ireland before."

"My parents just always preferred to take us to London or Florence." She pressed her face against the window, her excitement growing. "I forgot to ask. Are we staying in Dublin, or somewhere else?"

"I booked us an Airbnb in Athleague. It's about two hours from Dublin, but I figured it's located pretty much in the middle of the country, so it'll be a good jumping off point for day trips to the Cliffs of Moher or Derry or Giant's Causeway or anywhere else we decide to go."

"Does that mean we're renting a car?"

He nodded. "Yep. I'm going to attempt to drive on the wrong side of the road."

"Better you than me." She slipped her hand into his as the pilot brought the plane to the gate, tightening her grip when they exited and made their way to the baggage claim. "Have you noticed all the signs in this airport are in Irish and English?"

"Yeah. That's pretty cool."

Once they collected their bags and retrieved their rental car, Jack drove them in the direction of their rental house. Like she had on the plane, Elizabeth turned her attention to the view out the window.

"It's so beautiful here."

"Beautiful country. Beautiful wife. I'm a lucky man." Jack grinned, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye.

"Not half as lucky as I am. I wish I could go back in time and tell little freshman Elizabeth that one day, she's going to marry that senior boy she's infatuated with, and she'll get the cutest little boy out of the deal, too."

He placed his hand palm-up on the center console, smiling when she slipped her fingers through his. "I love you."

"I love you."

They lapsed into a companionable silence for the remainder of the drive, only breaking the quiet every once in a while to point out something that one or the other saw out the window. By the time they pulled up to the Airbnb, Elizabeth had dozed off, her hand still clasped in Jack's.

"Sweetheart." Jack brought her hand to his lips, softly kissing her knuckles. "We're here."

"Mm?" She stretched, slowly opening her eyes. "Wow, I didn't realize how tired I was."

"We had a long day of travel. I'm not surprised. Come on." He unbuckled his seatbelt. "Let's go see where we'll be staying for the next week."

A woman who looked to be a little younger than their parents was standing outside the little white house.

"Hi." Jack approached her, Elizabeth just a few steps behind him. "I'm Jack Thornton. This is my wife, Elizabeth."

"Abigail Gowen." The woman held out her hand, shaking Jack's. "Nice to meet you both." She pulled a key from her pocket, handing it to Jack. "Here's the key to the house. If there's anything you need, my husband and I live down the road, and my number is listed in the information packet. There's also a list in there of local restaurants and things to see and do while you're here."

"Thank you so much."

...

Elizabeth reclined on the bed. "This feels so nice after a night on a plane and two hours in a car."

"You can relax, but don't fall asleep."

"I know, I know. Stay awake until bedtime or else the jet lag will kick your butt."

Jack chuckled, moving to lie down beside her. "Is there anything you want to do today?"

She shrugged. "Maybe we could go for a walk or something. It'd be nice to have a break from being in a vehicle."

"Okay. Then we can pick one of the restaurants in the info packet for dinner."

"Sounds like a plan." Her eyes slipped shut, and she rolled onto her side.

"Elizabeth," he warned. "You can't go to sleep."

"Just a little nap?"

"I'll tickle you awake."

She opened her eyes, squinting at him. "You wouldn't dare."

"Try me." He gave her a smirk, holding his hand out as if he were about to tickle her.

She grabbed his wrists, pinning his hands to his sides.

"What are you going to do now?" he asked, eyebrow raised.

"I don't know." She laughed.

Before she knew it, he had flipped her over, hovering over her. "I have some ideas. That is, if you aren't too tired?"

"I'm not too tired," she breathed, her face growing serious as she leaned up to kiss him. "Love me, Jack."

...

Elizabeth looked down at her phone after she and Jack returned from dinner. "My mom just texted. She wants to know if she and my dad can take Harrison riding sometime this week."

"Riding?"

"Horses." She set down her phone on the counter, retrieving a bottle of water from the refrigerator. "We had a couple of horses when my sisters and I were younger, and my parents still go to the stables from time to time."

"You had your own horse?"

"Well, I shared him with Julie and Vi. His name was Kevin."

Jack laughed. "Seriously?"

"That's the name he came with." She shrugged. "He was almost ten years old already, so we didn't want to change his name and confuse him. Anyway," she put a hand on his arm, "What do you think about Harrison going?"

"I'll need to check and see if there's a day my mom doesn't have something planned, but I'm okay with it."

"Good. I know my parents really want to make sure Harrison feels like he's a part of the family."

He kissed her. "I'm so grateful that I found you again. You and your family brought Harrison into your lives without question, and I know that when we have children of our own, Harrison won't ever have to worry about being treated any differently than his siblings just because he isn't yours by blood."

"I couldn't love him more even if I had been the one to give birth to him."

...

William helped Harrison out of the car and took his hand. "Well, young man, are you excited to ride a horse?"

"Uh huh." He nodded. "Mommy had a horse?"

"She did. When she was just a little older than you."

"Cool! I want a horse."

"Well, the horse you're going to ride today is a little bit yours."

Harrison's eyes lit up. "Really?"

"Mhmm. Grandma Grace and I bought him for our grandchildren, and you're our grandson now. So you share him with Aaron and Willa."

"Wow! What's his name?"

"Blue. I have a feeling you'll really like him." William swung Harrison onto his back. "Let's go find him."

A little while later, Charlotte and Grace were leaning against the fence, watching William lead the horse around the pen, Harrison grinning as he rode.

"What was his mom like?" Grace asked. "Elizabeth hasn't really mentioned her, other than to say she passed away when Harrison was a baby."

"Olive was great. Smart, kind, and Jack was hopelessly in love with her. She was so good with Jack, and she was a wonderful mother to Harrison, even if that time was brief. She was everything I could've hoped for in a daughter-in-law." Charlotte looked over at Grace. "Elizabeth is too, by the way. I've always liked your girls, and I'm glad that Lizzy and Jack found each other again."

"Nana! Grandma!" Harrison waved at them as he passed by on the horse.

Charlotte smiled, waving back at him. "Grandma, huh?"

"I guess when Elizabeth and Jack talked to Harrison about today, he asked what to call me and William. Elizabeth said it was his idea."

"He's a hoot. You're going to love having him as a grandson."

"Oh, I already do. It's clear Jack has done a wonderful job raising him so far. I'm sure that's a testament to how he was raised, too."

"Thank you."

Grace turned her attention back to Harrison and Blue. "We should get some pictures to send to the kids. They'll love this."

...

Elizabeth was quiet for a few minutes as she looked out over the ocean, the waves crashing against the cliffs. "We need to bring Harrison here sometime."

Jack nodded, wrapping his arms around her, leaning down a bit to rest his chin on her shoulder. "He would love this."

"I know it's only been a few days, but I really miss him."

"So do I." He kissed her cheek. "It'll be about time to call him when we get back to the house."

"Good." She turned in his arms, facing him.

"What are the odds he asks about a baby brother today?"

"Probably pretty high seeing as it's been a couple of days since the last time he asked." She chuckled. "Unfortunately, it's not the right time in my cycle, so the odds of us making a baby on this trip are pretty low."

"We have plenty of time. Besides, the practicing is pretty great."

Her face warmed. "It is."

The wind whipped around them. "Are you too cold?"

She shook her head. "Nope. You're keeping me nice and warm."

"Well then, since my hands are occupied with keeping you from freezing, do you mind taking some pictures? I promised my mom we'd get some."

"Okay. We need to ask someone to get a picture of the two of us, too."

She took a few pictures of the scenery, then a few pictures of Jack before handing over the camera to him. He took multiple pictures of her, making her laugh when he started trying to give her instructions on how to pose.

They found another tourist who was willing to get a few photos of them together, Jack keeping his arm around her all the while and sneaking a kiss in one picture.

"Are you ready to go back now?" Jack asked after thanking the kind stranger. "I wouldn't want you to freeze to death on our honeymoon."

"Not yet. I want to enjoy this a little while longer." She leaned back against his chest as he wrapped his arms around her once more. "Besides, we can always thaw out with a nice warm bath this evening."

"Sounds perfect." He kissed her beneath her ear, causing her to shiver. "I'm glad I married someone so smart."

She chuckled. "I love you."

...

"Hi, daddy. Hi, mommy." Harrison waved at the screen.

"Hi, bud." Jack reclined on the bed, putting his arm around Elizabeth's shoulders. "How was school today?"

"Good. We made turkeys. I show you!" He ran off, presumably to retrieve his art project.

"How's the honeymoon going?" Charlotte asked while they waited for Harrison to return.

"It's great." Jack looked over at Elizabeth, a grin on his face.

"We went to the Cliffs of Moher today."

"I hope you got lots of pictures."

"We did. Don't worry."

"Here it is!" Harrison reappeared in front of the camera, holding up the piece of construction paper. There was a handprint in the middle of the page, with marker making up the turkey's face. "It's my hand!"

Jack chuckled. "I love it, bud. Great job."

"I'm glad to see they're still doing handprint turkeys in schools."

"Guess what daddy!"

"What?"

Harrison leaned in. "After school, grandma and grandpa took me to ride a horse! It was so fun!"

"I bet it was. Nana sent us lots of pictures."

"Did you know I have a horse?"

"You do?" Jack raised his eyebrows.

"Uh huh." Harrison nodded emphatically. "Grandpa said so."

"My parents bought Blue for the grandkids to ride," Elizabeth explained. "He'll share him with Aaron and Willa."

"I got to feed him carrots, and grandma helped me brush him."

Elizabeth smiled, leaning into Jack's side. "It sounds like you had a really great day, buddy."

"Yes! Mommy? You have a baby in your belly now?"

She laughed. "Not yet, Harrison. Remember what your daddy and I said? It can take a while for that to happen."

He sighed. "I just want a brother."

"I know you do, and we really want you to have a baby brother or sister. You'll get one someday. I promise."

"Okay, mommy."

"Hey, Harrison? Mommy and I need to go to bed now, but we'll talk to you tomorrow."

He furrowed his brow. "It isn't bedtime."

"It is here. Remember we told you it's a different time here. Mommy and I eat dinner when you eat lunch."

"Oh yeah."

"And just a few more days until we come home."

"Can we go to the zoo?"

"Sure, buddy." Jack nudged Elizabeth's leg with his foot. "Mommy and I will take you soon."

They chatted for a few more minutes before hanging up. Elizabeth rolled onto her side. "Harrison was right when he said it wasn't bedtime."

Jack shrugged. "I said bedtime. I never said it was time to go to sleep."

"Oh. That kind of bedtime." She swung her leg over his. "Now that's an idea."