A few days later…

"Dad, can Dylan come over to work on our project? We're almost done with it."

"Tonight?"

"Yeah, after school."

"Let me ask Ms. Thatcher if it's ok. If it is, that will be fine."

"Thanks, Dad."

"You're welcome, Honey Bee. Now go get ready for school. We leave in ten."

Jack watched her leave the room as he pulled out his phone. He couldn't help the smile on his face. Instead of texting, he wanted to hear her voice so he dialed her number.

"Morning, Jack."

"Morning, Blue Eyes. I have a quick question for you."

"Go ahead."

"Harper wants Dylan to come over after school to work on their project. Would that be okay with you?"

"Yes, that would help a lot. I have two meetings right after school, so this way I won't need to ask my parents. Are you sure you don't mind?"

"Not at all. In fact, when you pick him up, you might as well both stay for dinner. Its spaghetti and meatball night."

"You cook?"

"I dabble. What do you say?"

"Sounds good. Can't pass up a home cooked meal."

"Great. See you then."

…..

That afternoon Dylan watched Mr. Thornton rush around and clean the living room and kitchen.

"Harp, can you put your shoes in your room, please?"

"It's easier if they are by the door, Dad."

"You don't need four pairs by the door. Move three please."

Harper rolled her eyes and left the dining room and their project to obey.

When she came back, Jack kissed the top of her head. "Thank you, sweetie."

"You're welcome."

"Is your dad always like that?" Dylan asked her.

"What, annoying?"

"No. Nice to you?"

"Yeah, I guess."

Dylan wished he knew what that was like. His mom was nice but his dad never had been. He wondered what would happen when he needed a man to talk to. He couldn't talk to his mom about girls. He had his Grandpa, but it wasn't the same.

"You're lucky," Dylan told her.

"So are you, Dylan." As much as he wanted a dad, she wished for a mother who cared. She had her Nana, but a mom to hold her when she was sad or talk to when she was confused would be nice. She couldn't talk to her dad about bras and boys.

Before they knew it, Elizabeth knocked on the door and it was time for dinner.

The kids were quiet as they started eating.

"Jack, this so good. Where did you learn to cook like this?" Elizabeth wondered.

"At the station in Austin. Between calls, sometimes in the middle of the night, we didn't have much else to do. So we cooked."

"Dylan, how was school, sweetie?" she asked.

"Ok," he said with a shrug, pushing his food around on his plate.

"What's wrong, bud?" Jack asked. "You don't like spaghetti and meatballs?"

"It's good, Mr. Thornton." He gave him a smile and took a bite.

"Well, how was your day, Harp?" Jack asked her.

"Good," she said, putting a bite in her mouth.

"You hear back about the soccer team?" Harper had decided to give the tryouts a go. The season would be short, but maybe she'd make a few friends.

She responded without looking up. "Not yet."

Jack raised his eyebrows at Elizabeth. She shrugged back at him.

"Did you get your project done?" Elizabeth asked.

"No. Almost," Dylan responded. "We need to turn it in Thursday before the open house."

"That's right! That night you get to present it to us right?"

"Yup."

Jack noticed Elizabeth had finished her water. "Would you like more?" he asked, gesturing to her glass.

"Yes, I can get it though."

"No need," he said, grabbing her glass and taking it away before she could.

"Thank you," she said with a smile.

"You're welcome."

Dylan was so amazed. Mr. Thornton was nice to everyone. His dad would have never made dinner, talked to anyone while they ate, or gotten his mom water when she ran out.

"Is this what a family is supposed to be like?" Dylan asked. All three of them looked at him.

"What do you mean, hon?" Elizabeth asked.

"I mean, Mr. Thornton is so nice to us and Harper. He's not mean like Dad."

Elizabeth didn't know what to say. Jack waited a minute, to see if she was going to answer. He saw tears in her eyes so he decided to answer him.

"Well, Dylan. Every family is different. You have your mom. Harper has me. Not everyone has both parents, and some kids don't have any. In my house though, I always want people to feel welcome. I want you and your mom and Harper to feel safe and to know that no one is going to hurt you."

"But we don't live here. It's just me and Mom at our house."

"When you are here is what I mean."

"Its not fair," Dylan said, his own eyes filling with tears. "Why can't I have a dad who loves me?"

Elizabeth got up and knelt by Dylan's chair. "Oh, baby. I'm so sorry. Even though you don't have a dad around, you have Grandpa. You can always talk to him. About anything."

"Its not the same, Mom. Can we go home?"

She knew he was embarrassed about crying in front of Jack and Harper so she agreed. "Tell Mr. Thornton thank you for letting you come over and then get your bag."

He gave Harper a fist bump and then he did the same to Jack.

"Thanks, Mr. Thornton. The food was good."

"I'm glad you liked it. And just so you know, I'm here if you need to talk too. I know we don't know each other well yet, but I'll listen, no matter what."

"Thank you."

….

Later, after Jack had said goodnight to Harper, he decided to text Elizabeth.

"Hey."

"Hi," she responded quickly.

"Is Dylan ok?"

She dialed his number instead of texting. "Sorry, I'd rather just tell you. He's ok now. What you told him really helped."

"That's good. I'm glad."

"Thank you, Jack."

"You're welcome. How are you doing?"

"I'm fine. It was hard to see him upset over his dad. He doesn't usually cry over him."

Jack looked up and saw Harper walking in the room. "Honey Bee? Why are you up?"

"I need you."

"Can I call you back?"

"Sure, Jack."

Jack put his phone down and opened his arms. She climbed onto his lap and snuggled into his arms. "Honey, what's wrong?"

"Dylan told me I'm lucky."

"Oh yeah?"

"Because I have you."

"Ah. It was probably hard to see him like that, wasn't it?"

"He was saying exactly what I wanted to, except about Mom."

"Your mom loves you, sweetheart. She just doesn't know how to show it."

"It's not fair."

"No, it's not."

"What happens when I need Mom? She won't be here. She's never here."

"If you don't feel like you can talk to me, you can talk to Nana or Ms. Thatcher." He felt her relax against him so he held her closer and ran his fingers through her hair. "I love you so much, Harp."

"I know. I love you too, Daddy."

….

Thursday afternoon came and both Dylan and Harper were pretty proud of the project they'd completed. That morning when he got to school, Dylan dropped the large display board off in the classroom and went to the library to find Harper. They'd made a habit of meeting each morning at one of the tables in the back corner before school. At first it was to work on the project, now it was just because.

This morning when he got there, she wasn't there. He sat down at one of the small tables and pulled out his book.

"Hey!" Harper whispered loudly.

"What's up?"

"I made the soccer team. First string!"

"That's awesome!"

"Yeah. It's not as serious as the 7th and 8th graders. We only practice Monday, Wednesdays and Thursdays, but still!"

"Did you tell your dad?"

"No I just found out. You're the first to know." Harper took her seat across from Dylan. "You ready for our presentation today?"

"I think so. I'm more nervous about tonight."

"The open house?"

"Yeah. We have to present the project to our parents remember?"

"Right, but our parents were there when we made the thing. I think it will be fine."

"You're probably right." Dylan knew deep down his mom would be proud of him no matter what. Unfortunately he had memories of his dad coming to his school and looking over his stuff. He'd always tell him why it wasn't right. Nothing ever seemed good enough for him. "My grandparents are coming too."

"So are mine. I'm not sure why though."

"Beats me."

The first bell rang throughout the otherwise quiet library. They gathered their things and headed to class.

….

That evening, Elizabeth stood in front of her tall standing mirror. She looked very professional in her grey blue skirt, matching jacket and cream blouse. She tried to see herself for how she truly looked and not through her ex's eyes, but after years of his cruel remarks, it was hard to see anything else. She was getting better though. So much progress had been made in last 6 months. Progress she intended to continue with.

She grabbed her phone off the bed and took a picture to send her sister.

"How do I look?"

Less than a minute later, her phone dinged with a response.

"Looking good, Blue Eyes!"

"What?!" she gasped. "Oh, crap. No, no, no." How she managed to text Jack instead of her sister she had no idea. Instead of typing a response, she called him.

"Hello?"

"Hi. Sorry, I didn't mean to send that picture to you. It was supposed to be for my sister."

Jack laughed. "I figured, but it's okay. You look really nice."

"You think? Professional but also motherly? I'm playing both roles tonight."

Jack wanted to add "and hot", but thought she may not appreciate it given the promise she made him make to be just friends.

"Yes. I think it's perfect for tonight."

"Mom! Grandma and Grandpa are here," Dylan yelled from downstairs.

"Jack, I have to go. See you in a bit?"

"See you soon!"

Hanging up, she hurried down the stairs. Her parents were standing in the living room with Dylan.

"Hello, sweetie! Don't you look lovely," Grace said giving her a hug. "Is this new?"

"Yes, I wasn't sure if it was me or not."

"Well, I think you look beautiful, dear." William gave her a hug and a kiss on the forehead. "Shall we go?"

"Yes. Dylan, grab your jacket, please."

"I don't need one."

"Dylan Christopher. Jacket please."

"Yes, ma'am."

…..

Jack walked into the busy school with Harper and his parents a bit later.

"Now this brings back memories," Tom laughed. "Who would have thought we'd be coming back here as grandparents? It's nice, isn't it Char?"

"It is. So, Harper, what do you want to show us first?"

"Dylan and I need to show you and his mom our project presentation. Then we can go look at the music room or maybe the art wing. We get our instruments tonight!"

"Sounds great!" Jack said.

Charlotte leaned in towards her son as they walked. "Who's Dylan?"

"A kid in her class. They were paired up for the social studies project."

"Oh, okay."

"He's cool, Nana. His mom's the new principal. Ms. Thatcher."

"Thatcher?" Charlotte stopped walking. "As in Elizabeth?"

Jack nodded.

"I heard your Blue Eyes was back. Have your seen her?"

"Blue Eyes?" Harper asked, suddenly very confused.

"That's what your dad use to call Elizabeth, I mean Ms. Thatcher when they were kids."

"Huh… did you two… date or something?"

"No, and I think now is a good time for you to show us to your classroom."

"Oookay." Harper dropped the topic and started talking to her grandparents about soccer. Jack was grateful. That was until they walked into the classroom. "Hey, Dylan!"

"Hey, Harper! Mr. Thornton."

"Hey, bud. How's it going?"

"Good."

"Mr. Thornton." Jack looked up at the familiar deep voice.

"Mr. Thatcher. Good to see you." Jack extended his hand, William only nodded. Jack turned his attention to Grace. "Mrs. Thatcher. Nice to see you, as well."

"Yes, nice to see you. I heard you were back in town. Who might this young lady be?" Grace smiled.

"This is my daughter Harper."

"Hi, ma'am."

"Well, welcome back to the Cape."

"Thank you, ma'am," Jack nodded.

Dylan and Harper both noticed the odd exchange and shrugged.

To attempt to break up some of the tension, Tom extended his hand past Jack to William. "William. Good to see you."

"You as well. Are you enjoying having your son and granddaughter closer?"

"Oh, very much." Tom wrapped his arm around Harper. "We feel truly blessed."

"Sorry, honey. I just had to stop in the office and… Jack. Hi."

"Hey," Jack waved awkwardly. The close proximity to both their parents left him uneasy. Elizabeth could see it in his eyes as well as the stiff demeanor of her father.

"Dad, you remember Jack and his parents."

"We do. We still go to church with the Thornton's."

"Oh, yes. That's right."

"So, should we show our project now?" Harper asked after a long awkward pause.

"Yes, please!" Jack and Elizabeth said together.

….

Jack carried Harper's cello out to the Jeep at the end of the open house. It had been two hours of following their kids around, listening to teachers and dodging glances from their parents while catching ones from one another.

Tom and Charlotte drove separately, so they said their goodbyes in the parking lot.

"You had to pick the largest instrument in the room, didn't you, Honey Bee?" Jack teased as he heaved the case into the trunk.

"It's not the largest." Harper argued. A bit of attitude in her young face. "Why do you have to be so dramatic?"

"What? I wasn't... " He shrugged it off and turned to his parents. "Thanks for coming, guys."

"Our pleasure, son." Charlotte looked over towards Harper. "What do think about Harper coming over and spending the night with us this weekend?"

"You sure?"

"Of course! We've missed her. We hardly saw her when you two were in Texas. This can be a complicated age for a young girl. I want her to be comfortable coming to us if she needs to. Lord knows she can't count on Ashley."

Jack thought about his conversation with Harper after dinner earlier that week. "Good idea, Mom. Thanks."

Dylan sat in the office with his grandparents and his new snare drum while Elizabeth talked with a few of the parents that wanted to meet her. Once she was done, she joined them.

"I think the night went well, don't you?" she asked Dylan as she smoothed his hair.

"Yeah. I guess." He looked back down at his music book.

"You know, I think this boy's going to need a full drum set before too long," William smiled.

"Yeah! Maybe in blue. No, black. No, red!"

William and Grace laughed with delight. Elizabeth looked panicked. "Let just see how you like this drum first."

"Aw, man," he whined.

"Why don't we head home? I have ice cream waiting."

"Okay." Dylan grabbed his drum case and began lugging it behind him. William caught up and helped him carry it the rest of the way.

A few steps behind, Grace took the opportunity to bring up something that had been on her mind all evening since they'd seen a certain someone.

"So Jack's moved back. I'm surprised you didn't mention anything."

"What's to mention? He's back. His daughter is friends with Dylan."

"And are you two friends again?"

"Grace." William shot her a look of warning. "Leave her be."

"I'm just asking."

"We had dinner together this week so the kids could work on their project."

"I see." Grace smiled. "How is Jack now?"

"Good. Divorced though."

"That's sad. What do you know about his ex?"

"Harper's mom treated her dad like crap," Dylan added.

"Dylan Christopher, you do not talk like that."

"Sorry, but it's true. Mr. Thornton's a good guy."

Elizabeth opened the trunk so her father could put the drum in. "Yes, he is. Okay, now say goodbye to your grandparents."

"Bye." He waved as he climbed into the car.

"See you guys Sunday for dinner?" Elizabeth asked hugging her parents.

"Yes. We're having pot roast."

"Yum! See you then."

"Elizabeth…" William called out just has she reached her door.

"Yes?"

"Be careful. I'm glad you have your friend back but…"

"Trust me, Dad. I'm not about to lose myself to anyone. Even Jack Thornton." It was true. She had her wits about her and that wouldn't change.

He smiled. "Good. I do trust you. It's just that you're my little girl. I want to protect you."

"I know, but I can take care of myself as well."

"You've proven that time and time again, my dear. Doesn't mean I stop trying to make it easier though."

The drive from the school to the Thornton family home was short. The whole time Jack's mind was fixed on the reaction he received from Elizabeth's parents. It was clear that they knew of the hurt he caused Elizabeth. He wondered if they blamed him for her marrying Ray. He had to admit, everyday since their talk he wondered what would have happened if he hadn't been too scared to just tell her how he felt. But if things were different, there would be no Harper. No Dylan. Those two were in this world for a reason and Jack knew for a fact that neither he nor Elizabeth would want that different.

"Hey, Dad?"

"Yeah, Harp?"

"How close were you and Ms. Thatcher growing up?"

"We were friends. Good friends."

"But you didn't date her?"

"Uh, no." Jack laughed. His daughter had no idea how complicated of a question she just asked.

"Good. That would be so weird. Dylan's my friend you know?"

"I don't think it would be too bad. It's not like you're interested in the boy," Jack laughed. "Wait, are you? Because I think you're too young to date."

"Gross, Dad! Where do you come up with this stuff? All I said was he was my friend. He's like a brother. Besides all boys my age are just weird. Gross."

Jack laughed.

"Why are you laughing?"

"No reason. You're cute when you get angry."

Harper shot him a confused, albeit angry, look. "You might be the weirdest boy of all, Dad."

"Probably right, Honey Bee. Probably right."