(22/7/2019)

CHAPTER 74

Elizabeth had ended up seeing Frank weekly up until Christmas and although not noticing a big result, a few days before Christmas she realised she had gone two nights without any nightmares. That alone was a huge weight off her shoulders. Not only was she feeling a lot more rested but she felt like she was getting on top of things.

It had been Elizabeth's turn to host Christmas this year but given everything that had been going on, Viola offered to swap and host their family lunch at her house. Elizabeth was overly grateful and happily accepted the change in venue, while simultaneously offering to help with all of the food preparations. Between Viola, Elizabeth and Julie, they were able to evenly share out the jobs and even William's partner, Diane, called and offered her services as well.

Halley, Grace and Eve were as excited as ever leading up to Christmas Eve and Jack couldn't help but smile as he listened to their excited chatter about Santa.

The family loaded up into Jack's truck on Christmas Eve to spend an early dinner with Charlotte. The weather was bitterly cold but the girls eagerly ran inside while Jack held out his hand to help Elizabeth. He carried bags of food in the other hand as they slid inside Charlotte's welcoming home.

"Merry Christmas!" Charlotte said, welcoming them before directing them to the sitting room where there was a roaring fire on one side of the room and the Christmas tree on the other.

"Wow Ma. Look at that fire!"

"I know! I got it going well, didn't I? The hardwood I got this year really makes a hot fire."

Jack and Elizabeth stood in front of it for less than a minute before they were almost cooking. Elizabeth took a seat while Jack and Charlotte caught up on things over the last week. The girls put Charlotte, Tom and Teddy's presents under the tree and started checking out the presents that Charlotte already had.

"Hey! No peeking!" Charlotte said laughing, interrupting her conversation with Jack.

The girls giggled in response but continued snooping. Jack took a seat beside Elizabeth, taking her hand in his as they watched Charlotte hand each of their daughters their gifts. Their faces lit up in delight and eagerly sat down to unwrap them. As each of the girls saw the present before them, they screamed in excitement and jumped up to hug and thank their grandmother before showing the boxes to their parents. Meanwhile Charlotte gave Elizabeth a wink, since Elizabeth had recommended each of the gifts that Charlotte had bought.

"Mommy look. It's the doll I wanted!" Eve screeched at her. "Can you get it out for me?"

"Sure. Jack, can you grab some scissors from the kitchen?"

Jack immediately jumped up to find scissors and came back to find Eve eagerly waiting. Grace was already sitting on the floor surrounded by princess lego and Halley was explaining to Charlotte how excited she was about her beading set. Elizabeth cut the ties restraining Eve's Frozen doll and then Eve was recklessly tearing it out of the box.

"Careful, Eve. You're going to make it more difficult."

She huffed for a moment until Elizabeth freed the doll and then her smile reappeared when Elizabeth handed it over.

Jack sat back down beside her. "I hate to think how crazy it will be in the morning" Jack said referring to the bunch of presents they still had hidden away in their bedroom from Santa.

"You have no idea" Elizabeth said with a grin.

They ate dinner with Charlotte, most of it being brought by Elizabeth but Charlotte did provide a store bought roast chicken and some bread. Jack sat back rubbing his belly when they were done while the girls left the table to continue playing. Jack sighted loudly.

"Are you right there, Jack?" Charlotte said with a chuckle.

"I think I ate too much."

"No kidding. You look like you're carrying that baby at the moment, Jack."

Jack smiled. They had decided to keep the news of the twins to themselves for a bit longer. Right now, Elizabeth wasn't significantly bigger than if she were carrying a singleton but they knew that wouldn't necessarily last until the end.

"Haven't you heard of a sympathetic pregnancy, Ma?" he said with a serious expression.

Charlotte looked at him uncertainly for a moment before Elizabeth gave his joke away by laughing.

"Don't sass me, son."

Jack shrugged and turned his attention to cleaning up all the plates. Elizabeth went to help, but he stopped her.

"No more, Beth. You've done enough today. Just relax, I'll take care of it."

"It's alright. I don't mind."

"I know you don't but you should just rest now. Go and take a seat in the sitting room. I'll be in soon."

Elizabeth did as she was told, curling up on the sofa. She unintentionally drifted off to sleep with the quiet sounds around her and the hot fire nearby. When Jack had finished the dishes and left Charlotte helping Halley at the table to make a bracelet, he went and found Elizabeth curled up and fast asleep. Jack smiled as he sat down beside her, knowing she had been pushing herself too hard the last few days. He ran his hand gently through her hair and he heard her make a noise in her sleep, sounding content.

An hour later, he knew they should make their way home as the girls were crashing now too. He went and turned his truck on before helping each of his daughters into the car. He made his way back for Elizabeth, waking her gently.

"Hey baby. Time to go home." She was too far gone, barely responding.

Jack eased her into his arms and she curled into him. He carried her to the front door and Charlotte draped her coat over her before Jack moved her to her seat in the front of the truck and buckled her in. He ran back to say goodbye to his mother.

"Take care of her, Jack. She looks so tired all the time at the moment."

"I know. I'm doing what I can to help her but she is stubborn as anything."

Charlotte laughed. "You both are. Merry Christmas, son."

"Merry Christmas, Ma."

Jack ran back to the truck and climbed in before pulling out slowly and heading home. Elizabeth slept the entire way – even when Jack moved her to their bed. It seemed like everything had finally caught up to her.

The next morning, Elizabeth woke up in bed curled against Jack's side. Her arm rested across his waist and he had his own holding her to him. This was the closest they had awoken in over a month, normally she subconsciously pushed away from him and ended up on the very edge of the bed. She froze at this realisation but tried to think things through rationally, practicing everything Frank had taught her. After all she didn't want to be distant from Jack.

Jack began to wake beside her slowly and when he did, his hand began to brush over her shoulders, sending shivers through her body – not of a bad kind. His other hand moved to her waist as he rolled toward her, facing her. His eyes were still closed but the movement of his hands suggested he was very awake.

As his hand trailed across her hip to rest on her belly, she felt her breathing changing in reaction to his touch. His eyes fluttered open and then he was staring at her.

"Morning" he said quietly.

"Morning" Elizabeth said, holding very still.

"Do you feel better?"

Elizabeth looked at him confused.

"You fell asleep so quickly last night. I had no hope of waking you."

Elizabeth tried to remember last night but came up blank.

"At Ma's place. You passed out on her couch."

Elizabeth looked at him horrified. "Oh no, I didn't."

Jack smiled. "You did. You obviously needed it."

"I feel so slack to your mother. That was so rude. And on Christmas too!"

"Don't worry about it."

Elizabeth's heart rate had skyrocketed but now as she felt Jack rubbing his thumb over her hip, she felt herself calming. She was beginning to realise how much she had missed their intimacy, it no longer scared her or reminded her of the hostage situation. Right now, the difference in the feelings and sensation it evoked was making her wonder how she could ever mistake Jack's touch for that man's.

Jack leant in then, slowly, waiting to see if she had a reaction but when Elizabeth didn't pull away, he closed the distance between them before pressing his lips gently to hers and giving her a soft, gentle kiss.

"Merry Christmas" he whispered as he pulled back.

That kiss was like striking a match and no sooner was it over than Elizabeth leant back in, pressing her lips back to Jack's with certainty. Her hand rested on his jaw now as the kiss developed and Jack's hands pulled her closer, closing the distance between them.

Jack groaned as Elizabeth bit down on his lower lip and his hand slid underneath her loose shirt and wrapped more firmly around her. He pressed his lips against hers more firmly, before his tongue dipped out, tasting her before she allowed him entry. The kiss became more passionate and was building up rapidly.

"Mommy! Daddy! Santa came" a voice yelled down the hall. Elizabeth and Jack pulled away from one another just in time as Grace came squealing into their room. "Mommy! Mommy! Come on" she said from Elizabeth's side of the bed, tugging at her hand.

"Okay. Give me a minute. Are your sisters awake?" Elizabeth slowly moved out of bed, swinging her legs over the side before sitting on the edge, willing herself to keep moving. Her body was still smouldering after the brief session with Jack and she really wished it hadn't been interrupted.

"Yes. They're downstairs. Come on!" Grace said as she ran back out of the room.

Elizabeth sat there for another moment, taking a few deep breaths, trying to calm her body down when she felt movement in the bed behind her and as she turned to see where Jack was, she was met with his face close to hers, as his arm wrapped around her waist. Their eyes locked for a moment and then Elizabeth was leaning back into him. Her lips pressed against his and she knew she should stop but then their kiss was building again and she found herself clinging to him.

"We need to stop. We'll have to finish this later."

Jack groaned before pecking her lips again. "Promise?"

"Promise."

Jack smiled and let go of her before climbing out of bed and holding his hand out to her. Elizabeth took his hand and when she stood she realised she still had her pants and shirt on from the night before. Jack hadn't changed her clothes like she thought he would but then again he was being understanding and giving her more space. She was so lucky to have him.

Deciding to have a shower later, she made her way to the door and downstairs. The girls were all waiting in front of the tree for their parents to join them. Jack followed down a minute later and no sooner had he entered the room then there was wrapping paper flying everywhere.

"Look Mom. Look what Santa gave me!"

Their voices filled the air as Elizabeth and Jack sat back watching the pure excitement on their faces. Jack looked back toward his daughters for a minute before turning back to Elizabeth and pressing a kiss to her cheek, his hand resting across her belly. Elizabeth turned to look at him to find Jack staring intently at her.

"What?"

"Thank you, Beth."

"For what?"

"Making all of this possible."

"I didn't do it alone" she said with a smirk.

"No but you were alone for a good chunk of this year. You stuck by me and our family and you rarely fell apart."

"Oh there were a few moments."

"You know what I mean. I'm so glad to still be apart of all this."

"Well, I'm glad you're still here and apart of it. That accident could have ended up being much worse for you and our family. Thank goodness you came out of it alive. Others aren't that lucky."

"No, they're not." He pressed his lips to her forehead and she curled up against his chest as they watched the girls enjoy Christmas.

Everyone gathered around Viola's Christmas tree for presents. Elizabeth and Jack sat together on one sofa, Viola and Lionel were on the other, William and Diane occupying an armchair each while Julie and Seth had taken up a spot on the window seat. The children were scattered on the floor, mainly surrounding the Christmas tree and the overflowing pile of presents.

"Alright, who's going to be the Christmas elf?" William asked.

"Me! Me!" both Halley and Lucy yelled.

"Alright we can have two elves. Let's go!" Julie said eagerly clapping her hands.

Halley and Lucy got to work delivering a present to each of the children and the parents watched as the children tore through the wrapping to find new toys. The elves forgot all about the adults but Julie being the big kid that she was happily took over.

Elizabeth opened up a gift with a new cashmere jumper from Viola and a pamper pack from Julie. Jack opened his gift and looking at it with a puzzled expression he turned to Elizabeth, hiding it discretely behind the wrapping paper so the children couldn't see. She noticed his bewilderment and looked at the gift before she burst out laughing, attracting the attention of all the other adults who came to look at what was in his hand and roared with laughter at Jack's expense.

"What in the world?" Jack asked as he stared at the box for a life size inflatable dominatrix doll in his hand.

"It was an ongoing joke between you and Lionel. Each year you would try and get something to embarrass each other" Viola explained.

"I'm guessing I win this year" Lionel said with a laugh.

"I totally forgot to tell him. I'm sorry" Elizabeth said laughing again.

"What am I supposed to do with this?"

"Turn the box over. It has many suggestions" Lionel said with a straight face, leading to another roar of laughter from everyone else.

Jack just shook his head and with a small smile he shoved it back inside the gift bag out of view.

Once all the presents were done and the children were distracted with their toys, William stood up.

"These are from me" he said handing an envelope to each of his daughters. "I hadn't mentioned it but I sold the house a little over a month ago and it settled last week. I still have my apartment in the city, but I actually decided to move in with Diane instead of moving there. She didn't want to leave her house but was eager to have company" he said as he looked toward his new partner. "It may seem soon, but neither of us are getting any younger."

Both Diane and William smiled at one another and Elizabeth couldn't help but smile and be glad that her father wasn't alone anymore.

"Having said all that, open up your envelopes."

Elizabeth took hers and opened it to find a Christmas card. She opened it and a white piece of paper fell into her lap. She read the words on the page and instantly understood what was now sitting in her lap. She picked it up and turned it over to reveal it was a check in her father's handwriting. With a huge sum of money written on it.

"Dad … you can't be serious …" she said quietly. She heard the gasps of both her sisters as they saw what Elizabeth had seen.

"I am very serious. I still have a heap of investments plus my share in the company. I sold the house because I didn't want to live there anymore without your mother but I didn't need the money. You three need it more than I do and I want to see you enjoy it now rather than after I am dead and buried."

"But Dad, this is … huge" Viola said.

Julie still sat there in stunned silence. Elizabeth had never seen her so quiet.

"Well, you and Beth have another child on the way and I know you aren't struggling but I hope that will ease any worries you may have. As for you Julie, you were talking about going back to college and doing some more study. Maybe this will help you do that."

Julie turned to Seth with tears in her eyes and he nodded toward her and she threw her arms around his neck.

Elizabeth was still shaking as she stood to approach her father, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, Beth. Hopefully that will help with the new baby. I know things have been tough these last few weeks" he said only so that she could hear, alluding to everything she had been dealing with. "Maybe this can help with deciding when to go back after the baby."

Elizabeth pulled back now with tears in her eyes and gave him a little nod. Jack stood just behind her, offering his hand to William.

"Thank you, Sir."

"My pleasure Jack."

Elizabeth turned to Jack and she eagerly wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him tightly. She could tell Jack was still surprised at her sudden change in behaviour since that morning, but he recovered quickly, hugging her back and pressing a kiss to her forehead. Elizabeth pulled him down the hallway toward the kitchen, leaving the others to thank her father.

Elizabeth pulled Jack away from the others and rounded the corner into the kitchen. Only then did she turn back to him.

"Did you see the amount he just gave us?" she whispered to him.

Jack came to a stop in front of her. "Not exactly, but I saw a lot of numbers."

"Seven figures, Jack. Seven!" she said excitedly.

Jack was unsure about accepting so much money but knowing that William had given all of his daughters their inheritance early, it wasn't like he could knock it back. Jack stepped closer to Elizabeth, placing his hands gently on her hips.

"This will really change things" he said with a smile, trying to match her enthusiasm.

"Change things? Jack, I can stay home with the babies as long as I need to. I don't have to go back to work before they are born. I might even be able to do something different altogether when I decide to return to work."

"You can do anything you want, Beth. You could have before, we would have found a way."

Elizabeth looked at him, her bright eyes staring into his. She put her hand on the side of his face.

"I know that. I know you would do anything for me, Jack."

"I would. I love you, Elizabeth."

"I love you too" she said as she moved in, closing the gap between them. Her lips pressed against his and he felt a peace wash over him. Both his hands held her tightly as their kiss grew from soft and gentle to something more passionate.

After a few minutes, they heard Eve's voice calling for Elizabeth and they slightly pulled back from one another, Elizabeth's hands resting on his chest. Eve rounded the corner and looked up at them.

"Mommy. I'm hungry. Can I have something to eat?"

"Sure. I'll just check with Aunt Vi and see what snacks we're putting out."

"Okay" she said happily before running down the hall back to the sitting room.

Jack's eyes never left Elizabeth and when hers met his again, he noticed her cheeks colour slightly.

"I missed you" he said quietly as he leant in to wrap his arms around her. Her hands held him tighter.

"I know. I missed you too.

"We will be finishing this later" he said before he kissed her cheek again.

Elizabeth smiled at him. "We better."

"It is up to you and you will probably be exhausted later on."

"I'll just have to rest in the car."

Jack rolled his eyes. "You will be out like a light as soon as we get home like last night."

"Maybe … but now I have something to look forward to" she said with a wink as she walked back down the hallway.

"Hey, not so fast" he said, catching up to her and grabbing her hand.

They returned to the sitting room as Julie was walking out.

"It looks like we now have even more reason to celebrate" Julie said with a broad smile on her face.

She returned with a bottle of champagne in hand moments later. "Lucky I found a non-alcoholic one at the store!" she said as she began unscrewing the foil.

Viola went and grabbed some glasses and they began filling them up.

"Beth! Here's your glass!"

Elizabeth left Jack's side to get her glass and ended up standing talking to Viola and Diane.

William came to stand beside Jack at the side of the room. "Out of all my sons, I expected you to be the one to knock it back, Jack."

"I think I know you well enough by now to know you don't take no for an answer" Jack said with a smile.

"Very true, Jack" William laughed, giving him a slap on the back.

"And truthfully you seemed to take a load of Elizabeth's mind that I was unaware of, so thank you."

"You're welcome. Thank you for taking care of my girl. I will admit I was worried after your accident. I know it's been a tough time the last few months for both of you, but I'm glad that the two of you found your way back to one another."

"Not as glad as I am."

"Well hopefully that will take some of the stress out of life for all three of my girls."

"No doubt."

They settled into lunch shortly afterward with slightly more cheer being evident. The kids were all sitting on a separate table having fun on their own. Laughter and voices filled the air. William looked around at his family and the pride was visible in his eyes. Diane turned to him.

"You have a beautiful family, William."

"Thank you, but they are your family too now."

"I'm grateful to be a part of it. This Christmas was so much different to last year. I was all on my own and this year I'm surrounded by your wonderful daughters and their families. And so many children! I never would have predicted that" she said with a chuckle.

William smiled and glanced toward his six grandchildren. "And there will be two more by next Christmas."