Summer flew by and Tim spent his days selling tools and looking forward to seeing Jill and his nights with Jill. God, he wished those nights would never end. He was, he knew, completely and forever in love with Jill. He couldn't imagine these feelings for her ever changing and it was time he told Jill about them.

It was August and it was almost time for them to return to Michigan and school. Tim and Jill were cuddled up on her parents' front porch when he decided it was the right time to tell her, finally.

"Jill," he whispered in her ear.

"Yes?" she whispered back playfully.

"I have something I want to tell you."

"Oh, yeah?" she straightened and began to pull away from him.

"No, no, don't go anywhere," he pulled her back, "you're gonna want to be close when I say this."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, so say it already!"

"Well, Jill, I'm not quite sure how to say this…"

"Oh, God, you've found someone else."

"What?"

"Some bored housewife who loves tools and you've fallen in love with her and—"

"Jill!"

"And she's going to get a divorce and you're going to be together—"

"Jill! Listen to me!"

"What?" she asked, tears welling in her eyes.

"Jill, how could you think that I'd leave you?"

"Well, you're gone all the time and you never want to talk about work and—"

"Dammit, I'm trying to tell you I love you!"

"What?"

"I love you!"

"You love me?" she sounded very unsure of herself, not at all like his Jill.

"Yes, I love you," he whispered just before he kissed her.

"So…" he said when the kiss broke off.

"So?"

"Don't you have something you wanna say to me?"

"Do I have something I want to say to you?" she repeated his question with a smile.

"Jill!"

"Okay, okay. Yes, yes, I do have something I want to tell you."

"And that would be…?"

"I love you, too, Tim."

"Do you?" he asked, a bit of playful skepticism in his voice.

"Yes, I do," she insisted before kissing him again, deeper than she should have dared on her parents' porch.

Tim forgot where they were: all he knew was that the woman he loved had just admitted to loving him back, and one hand held the back of her head steady for his kisses while the other crept up her blouse. Needless to say, both were getting a little carried away. However, they were brought crashing back to reality when her father was suddenly standing in front of them, yelling, and brandishing a saber.

"Away from her! Get away from my daughter!"

"Daddy, stop!"

"Jill, Jill, it's all right. I'll be at my room."

"She won't be seeing you again."

"Tim!" Jill sobbed brokenly as she saw him walk away from her.

Faced with a saber and an angry father, Tim walked away, afraid he was never going to see the woman he loved again. He stole one last glance at her, seeing the tears running down her face. Nearly turning back, he was once again confronted with a sharp object. Leaving quickly, he returned to his motel, depressed.

On the porch, a devastated Jill was still crying when her mother came out of the house. Seeing her husband with a saber and her middle child in incredible pain, Lillian demanded, "What happened?" When Jill proved unable to answer, she turned on the Colonel. "What did you do?"

"I got rid of that boy!"

"Fred!"

"He had his hand up her shirt, Lillian! Here in my own home, he was molesting my daughter!"

"Now, Fred. You know he was not molesting her. They're in love."

"They don't know anything about love."

"Fred, the more you try to stop her from being with him, the more she's going to want to."

"I love him," Jill declared softly, to no one in particular, "and he loves me."

"I'm sure he does, dear," Lillian soothed.

"No, he does. He told me."

"Oh, Jill, that's wonderful."

"Lillian, do not encourage this."

"Colonel, it's far too late for encouragement."

"Jillian," her father roared, "how old is this boy?"

"What's that got to do with anything?" Jill asked, not sure where his question was going.

"How old?"

"Twenty-two."

"Twenty-two! Jillian, you are nineteen years old!"

"I know how old I am, Daddy."

"Don't get smart with me, young lady. You are not to see that boy again. Do you understand me?"

"Daddy, this isn't fair!"

"Do you understand me?"

"Yes, Daddy."

In her mind, Jill was making her escape plans… they were in love and nothing; certainly not her father's highhandedness was going to keep them from being together. She'd go to him tonight. If their love had to be secret, so be it.