I turned sideways on the sofa, one leg tucked beneath me. "Jack, I think it's time for you to meet my parents."
By his reaction, I could tell that he hadn't expected me to say that. "What?"
"I've met your mom, so now it's your turn to meet my parents."
He cleared his throat. "Uh, okay. When were you thinking?"
"Maybe in June? School isn't out until the very end of this month, but I think you should meet them sooner rather than later."
"I'll check my schedule." He squeezed my hand.
My phone buzzed. "Or maybe you can meet them now."
"Um, what?"
I accepted the call, and my mother's face appeared on the screen.
"Hi, honey."
"Hey, mom. What's going on? You don't usually call out of the blue like this."
"Nothing's really going on. I was just thinking about you, and I wanted to check in and see how everything is going."
"Everything is good here. I'm done with my grad classes for the summer, and there are just a few more weeks left of school."
"Are you planning to come visit this summer? I know you were just here a few months ago, but we'd all like to see you again."
"Actually, Jack and I were just talking about that." I put my hand on his leg. "We're thinking of heading up there sometime in June."
Her eyes widened. "Both of you?" She still seemed a little wary of him. After all, he was the man I ran from because I got scared.
"Yes. I want you and dad to meet him."
"So things are getting pretty serious with you two?"
I glanced over at Jack, a smile spreading across my face. "Yes. I'd say things are very serious."
He smiled back, seemingly very happy with my answer.
"Is he there with you right now?"
I nodded.
"Well, let me talk to him."
A look of panic crossed his face. I squeezed his hand reassuringly.
I turned my phone so he was also in the picture. "Mom, this is Jack Thornton. Jack, this is my mom, Grace Thatcher."
"So this is the famous Jack Thornton."
Jack blushed, laughing softly.
"Elizabeth has told us a lot about you. You seem to make her very happy."
He met my eyes. "She makes me very happy, too."
We spoke with her for another fifteen minutes before she excused herself to go meet my father for an early dinner. The call had gone really well, all things considered. She seemed to warm up to Jack. She asked him questions about his life and job. She didn't seem concerned to learn every little thing about him, as she knew she would be meeting him in person soon.
Jack had mentioned to me a few days before that he was planning to propose, but it felt even more real after we had talked with my mother. Things had been serious between us since very early on in our relationship, but there was something that changed once we brought our parents into it.
We sat in silence for a few moments after I hung up the phone. I leaned into him, letting myself relax into his arms.
"I'm sorry about that, Jack. I shouldn't have answered the phone. I shouldn't have sprung that on you."
He kissed my hair. "Don't apologize, Elizabeth. It actually makes me feel better about meeting your parents in person. I feel like I have a head start now."
"I love you, Jack." I intertwined my fingers in his.
"I love you, too."
He absentmindedly rubbed my fourth finger with his thumb. I couldn't help but think about how, someday soon, he would put a ring on that finger. I smiled, sinking deeper into his embrace.
...
On the last day of school, I stayed late to get my classroom cleaned up. I had called Jack earlier in the day to let him know. I could hear a little disappointment in his voice, though I wasn't sure why; it wasn't as though we had any special plans for the evening that I would be missing.
He was in my kitchen when I arrived home. "Hi."
I smiled, thankful that we had decided to exchange house keys. I loved coming home to him.
"Hi." I stepped up behind him, wrapping my arms around his waist and leaning my head on his shoulder. "Sorry I'm so late."
"It's fine. I thought I'd make you some dinner since you had a long day."
"Thank you, Jack. That's so sweet."
He turned to face me and kissed my cheek. "It's almost done, so you can go ahead and sit down if you want."
I watched him from my seat as he moved around the kitchen. I laughed quietly.
"What?"
"That apron." He still liked to wear frilly aprons when he cooked, just because he knew I found it hilarious.
He turned to face me, a grin covering his face. "It's a new one. Do you like it?"
"Oh, you're expanding the collection now?"
"Well, I have to change it up every now and then. Keep you on your toes." He smirked.
He brought two plates of food to the table and poured two glasses of wine. He took off the apron before sitting across from me.
"What's the occasion, Jack?"
"It's officially summer break for you. I'd say that's worth celebrating." He lifted his glass. "To the best summer ever."
...
After dinner, we sat on the swing on the back porch, silently watching the sun descend in the sky. My legs were tucked up beneath me, my head resting on his shoulder. I listened to his slow, even breathing.
Suddenly, he stood up.
"Elizabeth," he held out one hand, "take a walk with me."
I let him lead me from the porch. "Where are we going?"
"You'll find out soon enough." He gave me a knowing smile.
He was quiet as we walked into the front yard and down the street. I wondered what he was thinking, what he was planning. His apparent nervousness made butterflies rise in my stomach; I had never seen him act this way. I was hesitant to assume anything, because I had been wrong before.
We turned at the end of the street, heading away from the neighborhood. Where was he taking me? I heard a creek rushing past in the distance. The trees began to thin, and I noticed a flickering of lights in the distance.
Jack slowed his pace, and I assumed we were nearing our destination. We reached a clearing and stopped. I gasped. There were candles everywhere, flickering in the dim light of the setting sun.
"Jack…" I was at a loss for words.
He moved to the center of the clearing and held out his hand. I stood frozen in place. I had a vague idea of what was happening—especially since he had told me weeks before that he was planning it—but I couldn't quite get my mind to wrap around it in the moment.
Jack cleared his throat. "Elizabeth." His voice shook me from my thoughts. I stepped toward him. He took my hand but didn't close the distance between us. "Elizabeth, I need to talk to you about something."
"Okay…" I felt butterflies fill my stomach.
"I love you, Elizabeth Thatcher, so much more than I ever thought I could love someone, and I want to be able to tell you that every day for the rest of our lives." He dropped to one knee and pulled a small box from his pocket, opening it to reveal a diamond ring. "Will you marry me?"
I barely let him finish the question before I responded. "Of course, I will. Yes." My voice was thick with tears.
He returned to his feet and pulled me in with a kiss. "I love you." He slid the ring onto my left hand.
"I love you, Jack."
He wiped the tears from my cheeks and kissed me again. "You make me so happy."
I slid my arms around his neck. "Dance with me."
He moved his hands to my waist, and we slowly turned in circles. The sun had set, and we were left in the flickering light of the candles. As we danced, he slipped his hands down to my hips, sending heat throughout my body.
He lowered his lips to mine. "I can't wait to marry you."
...
When we turned onto our street, I noticed a car parked in front of Jack's house. Lights blazed in the windows. "Jack, what's going on at your house?"
He laughed and sighed. "I told them not to make a big deal out of this."
"Rosemary."
He nodded. "And Lee and Abigail. They insisted. I promise I won't let them stay long."
"Jack, it's fine. They're happy for us. I'm happy for us." I squeezed his hand. "Let's go celebrate."
He put his hand on the doorknob and took a deep breath. "Let's do this."
Rosemary and Abigail immediately rushed over to me, pulling me into a hug and away from Jack.
"Congratulations, Elizabeth!"
Rosemary grabbed my left hand. "Let's see the ring." She gasped. "Oh, it's beautiful. I'm so happy for you, for both of you."
Lee brought out a bottle of champagne. "Come on, we need to celebrate."
Though all three of them had helped Jack with the proposal, they wanted to know every detail. By the time I finished telling them how it all happened, my face hurt from smiling so much.
I couldn't remember a time in my life when I had been happier than I was at that moment, surrounded by friends and with my very best friend and fiancé by my side.
...
I twisted the ring on my finger. "Jack, how long had you been planning this?"
"Pretty much since the day I met you." He slid his arm around my shoulders.
"Seriously?" I raised my eyebrows.
He shrugged. "I knew after that first dinner with Rosemary and Lee that you were the one." He took my hand in his, rubbing his thumb along the ring. "I won't tell you how long I've had that ring."
"A long time, huh?"
"I would've asked you sooner, but I wanted to wait until I met your parents. Clearly my impatience won out there." He brushed my fingers against his lips. "I did call them, though."
"What?"
"I may have borrowed your phone the other day so I could call them and let them know I was going to ask you."
"Really?"
He nodded. "It was important to me, and I knew it was important to you, too. I didn't tell them when I was going to ask, just that it would be soon. So it will still be a little bit of a surprise when you tell them."
"Jack Thornton, you are amazing." I kissed him deeply.
He pulled me into his chest, kissing my hair. "It's getting late. I should probably get you home."
"I don't want to leave."
"You can stay if you want."
I sighed. "I need to go. Bronte needs to go out before bed."
"Okay." He kissed my temple. He walked with me across the yard and to my front door. "Just think, pretty soon, we won't have to leave each other at the end of the night."
I held up my hand, looking at the ring on my finger. "I can't wait."
"I love you, Elizabeth." He kissed me softly. "My fiancée."
I grinned. "I love the sound of that, fiancé."
"I'll see you tomorrow."
"Good night, Jack. I love you."
...
"Jack, can you come over?"
"Right now?" He sounded tired. "Are you okay?"
"I just don't like being alone during storms." I jumped as thunder crashed outside.
"I'll be right over."
He let himself into my house a few minutes later, dripping wet and with a bag slung across his back. He carried Rip in his arms. Bronte ran over, excited to see her friends.
I handed him a towel. "Thank you for coming over so late. I'm sorry if I woke you. I know you had a long day at work."
He shook his head. "I don't mind being woken up if it means I get to see my beautiful fiancée." He leaned in and pressed his lips to mine. "I love you. I'm going to go change into something dry. I'll be right back." He kissed my temple before he walked away.
I curled up on the sofa while I waited for him, pulling a blanket over myself. Rip had found his spot beside the sofa and was already asleep.
"So you're not a fan of storms, eh?" He sat next to me, putting one arm across my shoulders.
I shook my head, burying my face in his chest as a loud clap of thunder sounded outside. The storm was close.
"I've lived in the Midwest my entire life, but I will never get used to tornado season."
"These storms make me nervous, too." He kissed my hair. "We'll wait this out together."
Just after he spoke, the sirens started up.
"Do you take shelter in the bathroom?"
I nodded, shivering. He kept his arm around my waist while we stepped into the small room, coaxing the dogs behind us.
He held me tightly as we sat against the wall. Rip immediately fell back to sleep, and Bronte curled up at my feet. Neither of us spoke; we just listened to the sirens wailing and the wind howling.
With Jack beside me, I was finally able to relax.
When I woke, the sun was just starting to rise. At some point in the night, we must have moved back to the living room, because I found myself lying on the sofa. Jack's arm was draped around my waist, my back pressed against his chest.
He breathed deeply and tightened his arm around me. I smiled and looked down at the ring on my finger, thinking about all the nights I would get to spend in his arms.
He kissed my cheek. "Good morning."
"Morning." I turned my body to face him and sighed contentedly. "Thank you for coming over last night, and thank you for staying with me."
"Always." He kissed me softly. "Unfortunately, a big storm like that means I'll have a busy day at work today. I can't stay much longer."
I brought my hand to his cheek. "Can you at least stay for breakfast?"
"Yes, but if I'm late, I'm telling everyone it's your fault." He smirked.
"Fair enough. I'll take the blame if it means I get a few extra minutes with you."
...
My heart dropped as I listened to the voice on the other end of the phone. I sank to the floor as my knees grew weak and my vision went blurry with tears. Bronte sensed that something was wrong and sat beside me, licking my face. I eased myself up and quickly pulled shoes on before running next door.
I knocked impatiently on the front door.
"Elizabeth? What's wrong?"
I barely got the words out through the sobs caught in my throat. "It's Jack."
...
A/N Sorry about the ending of this chapter! Honestly, I just really love writing cliffhangers. I will try to get the next chapter up ASAP!