Chapter 14

After saying goodnight to Nathan, Elizabeth knocked on Rosemary and Lee's door and waited for them to answer. She still couldn't believe what had transpired between them on their date. She knew Nathan was good with his hands and was excellent at woodwork, but the guitar had exceeded her expectations and she was in complete awe of it, but even with the discovery of his hidden talent the best part of the evening was that he had finally confessed that he loved her.

Nathan had been the perfect gentleman and she never could have imagined him to romance her in the way that he had. It had been a whole different side to his normally quiet and pensive state. There was a passionate side to him that ran deep and was starting to make its appearance and it had completely and utterly taken her off guard and had left her almost speechless. She could see his love for her in those tender blue eyes and in the smoldering looks that could have bore a hole in her heart and caused her stomach to flutter.

She waited patiently for Rosemary or Lee to answer the door, but she could feel her stomach jumping at the excitement of needing to tell Rosemary everything and she knew she would have lots of questions. The door suddenly flew open and Rosemary practically grabbed Elizabeth, dragging her inside and pulling her to the couch.

Lee spoke up from the corner of the room, "I think I'll take Little Jack upstairs with me for a minute." He scooped the little guy up into his arms and they both headed up the stairs with Lee bouncing him along and saying in a low voice, "When the women start talking that's our cue to leave the room."

Elizabeth chuckled and turned her attention back to Rosemary, "Well…," Rosemary began, "How did it go with Nathan?"

A smile broke out across Elizabeth's face, "Oh Rosemary, it was so romantic, a picnic dinner by the pond and he can sing and play the guitar. I never would have guessed."

Rosemary stared back at her with a shocked expression on her face, "you're kidding, who would have ever guessed that?"

"It wasn't just that he could sing, but his voice was just so gentle and smooth sounding. I could have sat there all night listening to him and he made his guitar. It was beautiful," she sighed.

Rosemary laughed, "You really are smitten with him. Elizabeth, you have fallen hard. What else did you talk about?" Elizabeth's eyebrows shot up and she looked everywhere around the room except at Rosemary. "Ok, spill it what are you not telling me."

Elizabeth opened her mouth to talk and then let out a long breath that was replaced with a grin, "Rosemary," a big grin spread across her face, "he told me he loves me."

"What," shrieked Rosemary, her eyes getting larger. "Wait," she threw her hands up and shaking her head slightly, "What did you say when he told you that?"

Elizabeth shrugged and smiled shyly, "I told him that I love him too. I fought it for so long, but I'm tired of fighting and I have fallen for him. You were right when the time was right I just knew. Rosemary the way he looks at me sometimes, it just takes my breath away. There is so much intensity in those eyes that I feel like he can see right into me and knows what I'm thinking. It's unnerving and comforting all at the same time."

"Ahh," Rosemary responded tilting her head back and forth and coyly shrugging her shoulders up and down, "our Elizabeth is in love. You know," she said pointing at her, "you did catch the bouquet at Clara and Jesse's wedding."

"Rosemary," Elizabeth admonished, "don't start. We are not at that point."

"Yet," Rosemary said lifting her eyebrows up and down. "Well at any rate I am so happy and excited for you. Romance is blossoming." She clapped her hands together in giddiness.

Elizabeth couldn't help herself and let out a small giggle and shook her head. "I think I have known for a while now that Nathan was the right one for me. I was just scared to admit that I was falling for another Mountie and a part of me is still nervous about that, but I don't want to lose out on something that could turn out to be the most amazingly beautiful story in my life or the possible adventure ahead with him. I can't live my life being afraid to love again or I will miss out on all the good things that could happen."

Rosemary patted her hand, "Oh Elizabeth, I think your heart has found its home."

Elizabeth nodded, "I think so, but part of me feels guilty."

"Guilty, but why?"

"Sometimes I think my feelings for Nathan are even stronger than the one's I had for Jack."

Rosemary could see the worry and inner conflict that Elizabeth was struggling with, "I'm not sure that it is any stronger necessarily, I think that you were just so young when you married Jack and did not have as many life experiences, experiences that have changed you. I don't think that it's a matter of your love being stronger for Nathan, just different and in the moment. It's new and exciting and Jack will always be with you, no matter what the future holds with Nathan. You'll see him every time you look at Little Jack."

"Thank you, Rosemary and thank you for being there for me through all of this."

"Of course, we just want you to be happy Elizabeth."

"Well thank you." She let out a breath, "I should probably take Little jack home and put him to bed." As if on cue Lee came back down the stairs with Little Jack asleep in his arms. Elizabeth stood and Lee carefully placed the little one in her arms.

Elizabeth eyed Lee carefully and gave him a funny look, "You were listening weren't you."

Lee pursed his lips and shifted his feet, "Maybe." He then placed both of his hands on Elizabeth's shoulders and looked her in the eyes, "Are you happy?"

"Very," Elizabeth assured him.

"Then we are too and I think it's wonderful that you are starting to move forward and are opening yourself up again."

"Thank you, Lee." She turned to Rosemary, "Well I guess we will talk later, Goodnight Rosemary."

Rosemary gave her a quick hug and said goodnight back. Elizabeth then walked out the door and into her own home. She wasn't sure how she was going to sleep tonight, her adrenaline was still pumping hard and all she could think about was the three little words that had made a huge impact on her heart, I love you. Those three words made the, you matter to me declaration even more impactful. It was a comforting thing to know that not only you were loved by someone, but also that you mattered to them. She climbed the stairs to Jack's room and carefully readied him for bed and then gently laid him down in his crib before going back down the stairs to sit and write for a little while.

Sitting at her desk, the pencil and paper were in front of her, but her mind could not concentrate. She absentmindedly rubbed her lips with her fingers which brought her back to the kiss that they had shared earlier. It had been different from the one in the cabin, much more intense. She could feel his desire for her in it this time and he had kissed her with much more hunger. She was certain that he could feel her body go weak in the knees and she had been in awe of her response to him and that he could so easily make her do that. It had been a long time since a man made her feel that way.

She looked down at the ring on her finger and turned it around, playing with it between her fingers and then glanced at the picture of Jack sitting near her. She had always thought that they would be together and had never imagined that she would be starting over again with someone else, but she also had a feeling of peace suddenly wash over her and she just knew that Jack would approve of Nathan. In some ways he was like Jack and in other ways completely different.

She slipped the ring off of her finger and stared at it. There was a tan line on her left finger where the ring had been wrapped around it. It was a symbol of her love and commitment to Jack, but she knew that it was time to take it off and move on and she knew that would only be fair to Nathan. She wanted him to see it as a commitment to their newly budding relationship. She was stunned, thinking that she was going to be more emotional about it than what she was, but she thought it had probably helped that Jack had essentially given her his blessing to move on with her life and had wanted for her to be happy. She smiled, Rosemary was right, Jack would always be with her in some small way and she was sure that he would have approved of Nathan.

Finally starting to feel worn out from the day she traveled back up the stairs with the ring in her hand. Once in her room she took out a little heart shaped box from her dresser and she put the ring in it and carefully put it back into the drawer for safe keeping until Little Jack would need it.

To Be Continued