It felt as though it had been a long time coming, but finally, it was time for the Thatcher/Thornton wedding. All of the residents of Hopes Landing and many of the surrounding villagers were busy preparing for a Haitian coronation of a wedding for their beloved school teacher and the Jack of all trades.
In the mission, a few of the unused dorm rooms were cleaned and set to receive Elizabeth and Jack's family who would be staying there for a few days. Faith helped with that, feeling so unsure how to make the concrete brick walls and rough tiled floors "suitable" for the Thatchers. Mostly thinking of the family's patriarch with his fancy suits and cars. In the end though, she chose to not make their little slice of heaven anything but its wonderful Haitian self.
Miles away, through the forest and into the busy city, William Thatcher stepped out of the tiny plane and onto a rickety set of stairs that led down to the hot haitian tarmac. The rest of the Thornton/Thatcher clan were already standing below, waiting.
"You alright, dear?" Grace said with a smirk. Her arm looped through Julie's as they tried to hide their amusement.
"You can't possibly think this is fun. I can't be the only one who thought that flight was the end of the line," he said with a huff.
"Nope, I'm with you, Mr Thatcher," Rosie said. She did not fare well on their last flight. The turbulent ride still had her with her face in a bag. She leaned against Lee for support, still feeling the earth spin around her. Charlotte stood beside them rubbing her daughter's back.
"That was nothing compared to a wild fishing boat in Alaska," Tom stated, being his usual helpful self. "Those swells will make you lose your lunch for sure."
"Come on now, Will." Grace approached the base of the stairs. "Beth said there would be a van to take us to the hotel. I'm sure once you've eaten and slept you'll feel much better."
"I suppose the ride to the hotel will be nice. At least there will be no turbulence."
He was partially correct. There was no turbulence in the traditional sense. The roads from the airport though the city were not smooth by any stretch of the imagination. Potholes, ruts, large stones. You name it, it was on the road. To add to the experience, the large passenger van needed shocks really badly, leaving the group of travelers bouncing all over the inside of the van. That, of course, did wonders for Rosie's motion sickness and William's mood.
"So…" Julie leaned into her brother-in-law's shoulder. "You think the old goat will relax when he sees Bethie?"
"Honestly," Charles whispered. "We better hope there's a mini bar in that hotel room or something. I think he's so tightly wound about all this. He might just explode."
"You're right about that," Viola added, leaning in to rest her head on her husband's other shoulder.
"Goodie," Julie sighed. " Guess we should be thinking of a plan B here."
"What is plan B?" Charles asked.
"Oh, I was hoping you would have one. You are the married ones here."
"I'm on it," Viola said.
…..
Standing outside the hotel, Jack and Elizabeth waited almost impatiently for their families to arrive. Jack was especially antsy. He paced back and forth, softly clapping his hands together and snapping his fingers.
"Jack, sweetie," Elizabeth said as she stood from her seat. "Please relax before I have to tie you to a chair. You're making me dizzy!"
"Sorry," his cheeks reddened. "I'm just excited. I've wanted my family to see this place for a while now. Especially my mom. More importantly…"
He took her hand and pulled her against his chest, wrapping his strong arms around her.
"In two days I get to marry my love. It doesn't get any better than that."
Raising up on her toes, Elizabeth kissed him tenderly.
"I love you, Jack Thornton." Then she kissed him again. This time with more heat, driving him wild inside.
A horn honked and a voice yelled out of a moving vehicle that pulled up to the hotel.
"Hey, lover boy! Save some of that for the honeymoon!"
Without looking, Jack pulled just slightly away from Elizabeth.
"I'm going to kill him," Jack muttered against her lips.
"Who,Tommy?" Elizabeth giggled, Jack nodded. "He's your best man, could you at least wait till after the 'I dos'?"
"I can't promise anything, but I'll try."
As soon as the van came to a stop outside the hotel lobby, the Thatchers and Thorntons streamed out onto the half circle drive. Arms flew open and there were wet eyes for the soon to be wed couple.
Grace found her middle daughter immediately and hugged her tightly.
"Oh, my dear Beth! Look at you! Love suits you. You're absolutely radiant."
"Really?" She laughed bashfully. "I'm wearing khaki shorts and a tee shirt which I didn't realize till a minute ago, has paint stains on the side."
"And yet, you're beautiful," Grace kissed her daughter's cheek. "Don't you agree, Will?"
"I do," he said, coming to embrace his daughter. "This city… it's pretty interesting. Did you know that there's farm life in the streets as well as cars? There were chickens and I think I even saw a cow! It's a hazard of massive proportion."
"William…" Grace scolded, elbowing him. Elizabeth just laughed.
"It is pretty strange compared to home, I know. Just wait till you see Hopes Landing. It's so different from here. You'll… well, I don't know if you'll love it but maybe you'll at least understand."
William winced. It was hard for him to see the pleading hopefulness in his darling daughter's eyes. This place was home to her right now. She wanted him to not just accept that, but appreciate it. Not just this place, but the man she met here too. As if on queue, Jack came up beside her, wrapping her in his arms. The gaze he showed her showered her with his love. William was reminded that the consequences of not keeping an open mind here were tremendous. Holy cow, was he ever out of his element now.
"I'm looking forward to it, Beth. Jack, good to see you, son."
Jack stepped forward. Surprising William by not shaking his hand, but hugging him just like he'd done to Grace a minute before.
"We're so happy you're all here. Let me help gather the luggage from the back of the van and we can get you all settled in. I bet you could all use a rest."
"Not me!" Tom and Julie both exclaimed. They looked at each other and smiled. A flirty smile at that.
"I've never been here before." Tom said. "I'm ready for some fun and adventure."
"Ooo, yes! Me too!" Julie exclaimed.
"Alright," Jack laughed. "Let's at least get you all checked in and maybe Beth and I can show you guys around the city before dinner."
He gave Elizabeth a gentlemanly kiss on the cheek and walked around the back of the van, grabbing Tom's arm as he passed. Lee and Charles were already there.
Lee grabbed Tom's big black duffle and tossed it at Tom.
"Behave," Jack said sternly to his brother. "I'm watching you."
"What? Me? I always behave."
"Don't even," Jack said with a laugh. "I saw the look you gave Elizabeth's little sister. You don't even know her. Behave."
"I know her! We just had a 5 hour layover and a death defying flight together."
"She's family," Jack said sternly. "Not someone for you to flirt with and leave hurt."
"What makes you think I'm doing the flirting? It could be her."
"It's both of them," Charles said as he grabbed his and Viola's bags. "For the record, Vi and I had a similar talk with Julie already."
"I'll keep my eye on him," Lee promised Jack with a smirk. "He'll behave. I think..."
Elizabeth showed her parents and Vi and Charles to their rooms. Jack did the same with his family. Further down the hall, Elizabeth opened the door to her room which she would share with Julie.
"You sure you want to share a room with me, sister? Or would you rather be on the next floor with the hunky, hunky soon-to-be husband of yours?"
"I'll be just fine here with you. Besides, he's sharing a room with Tommy."
"About that… OMG, you never told me he had such a charming and gorgeous brother."
"No, absolutely not. Don't go there."
"Go where?" Julie said reclining on the bed with a laugh. "I'm a innocent girl."
"We both know that's not true. Tommy's a good guy, but he's gone through a lot in the past few years and he's just now finding his footing. Do not, rock the boat for him."
"Oh fine! He's just so…"
"No! Down girl!"
Julie raised herself up on her elbows as she laid on her stomach on her bed. "Why are you two in separate rooms? I thought you were like, together-together. Even when Mom and Dad were staying in the next room in Seattle you and Jack stayed in the same bed."
"That was... " she sighed. "I don't need to explain any of that to you, but Jack and I haven't shared a bed since we got back to Haiti and we were never… together like that. We're saving that for our honeymoon."
"Aww, that's cu…" Before she could finish that sentence Elizabeth threw a pillow at her little sister. They both laughed. "Okay, yeah. I've missed you dearly, sister."
"I've missed you too. Now, do we have a deal? You'll leave Tommy be?"
"Oh, fine. I'll try."
Just before dinner that evening, Faith and Carson met them at the hotel after driving two of the vehicles from the mission to run errands and pick up the families. William and Grace were thrilled to see Faith. As Elizabeth's long time best friend, she was like another daughter to them.
That evening, the whole group enjoyed a meal at the hotel's fancy restaurant. Once they'd finished the salads and were half way through the main course, the family began asking the couple about their plans.
Elizabeth gushed about the little one room house that Jack had remodeled for them and how he would do the same for the eight others that were in serious disrepair.
"Listen to you," Jack laughed, turning a bit red in the cheeks. "You haven't even seen the finished product yet."
"You haven't?" Charlotte asked in surprise.
"No, but it's not my fault. Jack won't let me."
"Nope." Jack shook his head. "It's a surprise. This will be our home for the next year or more. It's also my wedding present to you."
"Aww," Viola, Julie and Rosie gushed.
Elizabeth leaned in towards Jack and said in a whisper, "I don't need anything but you, babe. You're the best present I could ever be given." Then she kissed him, right there in front of everyone. The young men and women whistled. Charlotte and Grace, sharing a knowing look and smiles. William looked away, being reminded once again of the love they had for each
other. It was right they were together. They belonged together.
When dinner ended, Charlotte and the Thatchers excused themselves for the night, leaving the younger adults to themselves for the evening.
"Anyone up for a tour of the nightlife here in Port Au Prince?" Jack asked.
Tom, Julie, Vi and Rosie were the first to jump at the invitations. Lee and Charles nodded in agreement, knowing there was no getting out of it now that their women were excited.
Jack and Carson put a great deal of thought into where they'd take everyone. Tensions in the city were still growing with the political unrest. There were areas that weren't safe, especially for Americans. They stayed in the tourist district. As much as Jack and Elizabeth wanted their families to get the real Haitian experience, safety had to come first. Thankfully the wedding in Hope Landing would be an explosion of the beautiful culture.
Music blared out through the speakers of an outdoor night club, setup between two buildings with a breathtaking view of the ocean. The woman danced in a clump not far from where the men sat at the bar. Jack watched Elizabeth as her hips swayed in time with the music. Her smile was as bright as the stars in the night sky. When she laughed, her hair, which was flowing over her shoulders, would bounce just a bit.
"Hold my drink, fellas. I see a girl I want to dance with." Jack placed his drink on the bar and went to Elizabeth, wrapping his arms around her middle from behind, moving with her as she danced. Her arm wrapped back around, caressing his neck before she turned her head to kiss him.
"Who is this guy?" Tom teased. "That is not my big brother. He's historically terrible with women."
"Nah," Lee said. "He was just waiting for the right one."
"How?" Tom asked. "How do you do that? You were the same with Rosie. I mean, how you snagged my sister, Lee, I'll never know. No offense."
"None taken," Lee laughed. "I was a dork with those thick, dark rimmed glasses when I first fell for Rosie. She on the other hand has always been beautiful. What about you Charles? How did you and Viola get together?"
Charles laughed, then with the same look Jack had for Elizabeth, he looked at Viola.
"That's an interesting story actually. Vi isn't the first Thatcher daughter I dated."
"What?" All the men said in shock.
"It can't be Julie, she's the baby of the family." Lee thought for a moment. "Was it Beth?"
Charles laughed as he nodded. "It's all good now, as you can see."
"Does Jack know this?" Tommy said, wide eyed.
"He does." Carson laughed, joining the conversation, "There's no secrets between those two."
On the dance floor, Elizabeth turned in Jack's arms to face him. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she pulled him in for a deep, hot kiss. The women cheered and laughed, then as the next song began, they grabbed their men and pulled them out onto the floor. Julie, the single gal, grabbed Tom's hand.
"Shh," she said. "Don't tell my sister I'm flirting with you."
"You're flirting with me?" Tom smirked.
"Not yet, but I will. Do you mind?"
"Not one bit."
…...
Jack's phone alarm went off before the sun the next morning. A collective groan came not only from him, but the other men in his hotel room. Carson sat up from his sleeping bag on the floor and looked around the room.
"Was that alarm for me?"
"No man," Jack laughed. "That was for me. Just don't be late. We're gonna try to leave for Hopes Landing no later than 9:30."
"What time is it now?"
"5:15."
"What?" Carson shreaked, then threw himself back with a groan. "Heck, I'm going back to sleep."
Jack laughed at his dramatic friend. "I'm gonna hop in the shower and then meet Elizabeth. Why don't you use the bed?"
Without a word, Carson dragged his tired body off the floor and flopped onto Jack's bed, still in his sleeping bag.
On the next floor, Elizabeth stepped out of the hot shower, wrapping herself up in a towel as she continued her morning rituals.
Faith stirred a bit from the bed closest to the window. "You're awake early?"
"Mhmm." She smiled. "I'm meeting Jack for the sunrise this morning before we all leave for the mission."
"You're about to have a lot of alone time with him. Get sleep while you can!" Faith teased. "Once you're his wife, I have a feeling very little sleeping will occur."
"Faith!" Elizabeth burst out laughing. "That was a bold statement."
"Oh, come on, I dare you to say I'm wrong."
"I… you're…" Elizabeth's face was bright red. "Okay fine. You're right."
"Ha!" Faith yelled in satisfaction.
"Would you guys be quiet?!" Julie yelled from the other bed. "Some of us are trying to sleep."
Elizabeth kissed the top of her sister's head, then finished getting ready for her day.
….
The sky was still dark with just a few early rays of light sneaking up over the horizon. Jack leaned against the high ledge on the roof of their hotel, waiting for Elizabeth. Behind him, he'd laid a blanket on the floor with a cardboard carton of fresh fruit and a bag of tasty breakfast pastries, both from the market a block away that was just getting going when he'd arrived.
The door to the roof opened. With a bashful grin, Elizabeth walked out of the stairwell carefully carrying two cups of coffee she's made in her room.
"Well, if it isn't the soon-to-be Mrs. Thornton, looking as beautiful as ever." Jack flashed his dimples.
"Flattery, huh?"
"Nope, just the truth." He took the cups from her and sat them down on the blanket with their food.
Jack took Elizabeth's hand and guided her down to the blanket so she was sitting between his legs, leaning against his chest. They ate and watched the sun rise without a word, just enjoying each other's company.
"Penny for your thoughts?" Elizabeth asked a while later. The sun was now up high in the sky and their berries, coffee and pastries were mostly gone.
"I'll give them to you for free if you like."
"Please do!"
"I was just thinking about you. You make me feel like Superman. All I need is your love and I feel as though I can take on the world."
Elizabeth giggled in his arms. "You were pretty wonderful before me, you know?"
"I don't know. It means more now though. That's for sure."
"I get it. I feel a similar thing with you."
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah." She turned to face him. "When I'm with you I feel brave. Safe too."
"I have a feeling you've always been brave, my love. This is your second trip to Haiti. You didn't know me either time you left the comfort of your home for this new adventure."
"True, but there was always this voice of doubt that unnerved me. Not now though."
"We make a pretty good team, don't we?"
"Yes. Now and forever!"
…..
An hour and a half into the bumpy trek to Hopes Landing, a flock of sheep decided the road was the perfect place to stand. Despite a great deal of honking and yelling from the young men, the sheep had no desire to leave for what seemed like an eternity.
"Seriously?" William muttered from inside one of the vans. "They live so far out of civiliz…."
"William, please," Grace said, squeezing his knee. "She needs your support, not criticism."
"Grace, our Beth lives out here."
"Well, not right here in the middle of nowhere but yes, she lives here in Haiti and loves it."
"Yeah." He just hoped that maybe the village would be more like what he felt Beth deserved.
Finally, the sheep were gone and they were back in motion.
