A/N Thanks so much for all of the sweet comments! I'm really glad you guys are liking this version of J&E, because I certainly enjoy writing about them!

...

My phone was still on the pillow beside me when I woke. I sighed, wishing Jack was there instead.

The house was quiet, still. The sun was just beginning to rise outside. Bronte was fast asleep on the foot of the bed. She didn't even budge when I got up to hop in the shower.

By the time I finished getting ready, my parents were awake and moving around downstairs.

My dad looked up from his book when I came down the stairs. "Good morning."

"Morning, dad. Is mom in the kitchen?"

He just nodded and returned his attention to his book.

"Hi, mom."

"Good morning, sweetheart. Coffee?" She held out a mug.

"I'll get some later. I'm going to go get Jack right now."

"You behave over there."

I rolled my eyes, laughing softly. "I'll be back in a bit."

Jack's house was quiet when I entered.

"Jack? Are you awake? It's me."

He peeked around his bedroom door. "I'll be right out. I just need to finish getting dressed."

My cheeks flamed knowing he was just behind his door, not clothed.

Rip sauntered over and plopped down on the floor in front of me. I knelt down and scratched his ears, trying to push the thought of Jack in some state of undress from my mind.

Jack exited his room a few minutes later, dressed in khaki shorts and a button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up.

"Hi."

"Hi." I stood on my toes and kissed him. "You look very handsome today."

"I don't feel it with this awful cast on my leg, but thank you. You look beautiful, as always."

"Cast or no cast, you're still the most handsome man I know." I touched his cheek, kissing him again. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

We stood in silence for a moment, his arms wrapped tightly around my waist.

I sighed. "I wish we could just stay here all day, just the two of us."

"I wish we could, too. Unfortunately, your parents drove all the way down here to see you, so you probably shouldn't ditch them." He laughed. "Plus," he kissed me softly between words, "I should probably meet them before we get married."

Butterflies filled my stomach at the mention of our upcoming wedding.

"Good point." I ran my hands up and down his arms. "Do you need your crutches, or do you think you'll be fine without them?"

"I'll leave them here. I can lean on you if I need to." He winked.

"Okay, then we should probably get over to my house before my parents start wondering what's keeping us."

"Just one thing first." He put his hands on either side of my face, drawing me close to him. "I love you." He closed the gap between us, pressing his lips to mine, lingering for a bit.

"Well, now I really just want to stay here with you all day." I brushed my thumb against his lips.

He laughed softly, kissing me again. "Let's go."

My parents both stood from the sofa when Jack and I entered the house. I took a deep breath, preparing myself for whatever sort of reaction my parents could have to meeting my fiancé.

My mother immediately pulled Jack into a hug. "It's so nice to finally meet you in person."

Though he initially seemed shocked at her action, he recovered quickly. "You, too."

"Jack." My father extended his hand.

Jack shook it. "Mr. Thatcher."

"Please, call me William. You're almost my son-in-law."

Jack gave a slight laugh. "Okay, William."

I put my arm around his waist. "So, I was thinking we could head into town after breakfast for a little tour, and then we can all have lunch at Abigail's."

"That sounds like a good plan to me." My mom moved toward the kitchen. "I hope everyone is in the mood for pancakes."

Forty-five minutes later, I pulled the car into a parking spot on Main Street.

"Is there anything in particular you two want to see? There are some shops and a park, but not a whole lot else. We'd show you the church, but you'll see that tomorrow."

"I'm okay with just walking around for a while—that is, if Jack is up to it." My mother nodded toward his broken leg.

"I should be fine." He stepped out of the car and walked around to my door, holding his hand out for me.

I slipped my fingers into his. "Jack, please don't overdo it on your leg."

He kissed my temple. "I promise I'll let you know if I need a break."

"Good, because if you make it worse, we'll have to delay our wedding, and we really don't want to do that."

"No, we don't."

We walked slowly up and down the street, showing my parents different shops. Every few minutes, I asked Jack how his leg was feeling. Every time I asked, he rolled his eyes playfully and assured me he was fine.

All morning, my parents asked Jack questions about his family and his life, trying to get a sense of who he was.

By the time noon rolled around, I was more than ready for a break from walking and shopping, and I was sure Jack was, too.

We got our usual table at Abigail's, and while we waited for our food, my parents switched their line of questioning to wedding plans. Because Jack and I had had an entire week together with little distractions, we had already made a lot of significant decisions regarding the wedding. We had the date, the venue, the wedding party, and the officiant.

We hoped to work out more of the details with the help of my parents.

...

Jack settled into the sofa while I headed toward his kitchen. "I think today went pretty well. My parents seem to like you."

"I like them, too. They'll be good in-laws."

"I'm glad you feel that way."

"Were you worried that things wouldn't go well?"

"I don't know. I've never introduced a guy to my parents before, so I didn't know what to expect." I handed him a glass of water. "Oh, I almost forgot. Rosemary texted me earlier and invited us to lunch with her and Lee on Monday."

"Do they know your parents are in town?"

I sank down onto the sofa beside him. "Yes. They said they need to talk to us about something important, so they don't want to move it to another day. I already let my parents know."

"I wonder what it could be." He put his hand on my leg, lightly brushing his thumb back and forth. "It must be really important if they don't want to wait to talk to us."

I shrugged. "With those two, it could be anything." I tucked my legs beneath me and leaned my head on his shoulder.

"Hey, don't get too comfortable. Remember you can't stay long."

"Don't remind me." I sighed. "I love my parents, but I just really miss spending time alone with you."

He touched my cheek. "Not much longer, and we'll have so much alone time, you'll probably get sick of me."

"Never." I kissed his nose. "I guess I should head back home now. I'll be over in the morning before church."

"Okay. I love you." He pressed his lips against mine.

"I love you, too. Sleep well."

...

Lee took Rosemary's hand as he spoke. "So, we've been meaning to talk to you guys about something for a while now, but then things just kept happening, so we haven't had the chance. First, Jack had to go propose, so we decided to wait."

Jack rolled his eyes, rubbing his thumb over the ring on my finger.

"Then he got hurt, so we had to wait even longer."

Jack laughed quietly. "So we've established that I ruined your plans. What is it that you wanted to talk about?"

"Well," Rosemary brushed her hand across her stomach. "We would really love it if you would be our little girl's godparents."

I squeezed Jack's hand and met his eyes. He gave a slight nod, a smile forming on his lips.

"We would be honored to be her godparents. Thank you so much for asking us."

"You guys are like family. We can't think of anyone we'd rather have in our daughter's life."

...

My mother, Rosemary, and I all piled into one car, while my father, Lee, and Jack squeezed into another. The guys had been vague about their plans for the day, but Jack seemed excited for whatever they were going to do.

Rosemary chattered on about wedding ideas for the entire drive to town. Honestly, I was so happy to have her help. Even though Jack and I wanted a small, simple wedding, the planning was still stressful. Rosemary's input made things much easier.

I took a deep breath when we entered the bridal store. It was like I was in a pool of satin and lace and tulle. I had no idea where to start.

Abigail met us at the store, and she helped Rosemary and my mother pick out some dresses in different styles.

After the fourth dress I tried on, I was feeling discouraged. I still had no idea what I really wanted. I didn't want a full skirt, I didn't want a fitted skirt. I didn't want satin, I didn't want tulle.

I was about to return to the dressing room to try on yet another dress that I probably wouldn't like. Then I saw it on a dress form in the window. The perfect dress. My dress.

When I tried it on, I immediately knew it was the dress. It was nearly a perfect fit, and it was even on sale.

"Oh, Elizabeth. You just look absolutely beautiful in that dress." My mother was tearing up. "I just can't believe my little Elizabeth is getting married."

"Mom… You're going to make me cry." I turned to face everyone, wiping the tears from my cheeks.

Rosemary sniffled. "You really do look amazing, Elizabeth, but I'm only crying because of the hormones."

We all laughed at her through tears.

"Well, I guess I found my dress."

I set an appointment for the alterations, feeling like everything was becoming more and more real. Our plans were falling into place.

...

"Hi."

"Hi, Jack." I leaned back on my pillow, turning my phone on speaker. "I missed you today."

"I missed you, too. I hope I didn't wake you. I just noticed how late it is."

"No, you didn't wake me." I pulled my quilt up to my neck. My voice was quiet when I spoke again. "I'm still having trouble sleeping without you."

He laughed softly. "I'm glad I'm not the only one."

I took comfort in the fact that he was struggling to sleep alone, too.

"My parents are heading home in the morning, so you and I can spend the whole day together, just the two of us."

"That sounds amazing." He sighed. "I have a bunch of paperwork to catch up on, though."

"That's fine. We can just hang out at your house. I'll bring a book or something. I just want to see you."

"Good. I want to see you, too."

"I got my dress today."

"Really?" There was a smile evident in his voice. "I can't wait to see you in it."

"Only nine and a half more weeks."

He groaned. "I need time to move a little bit faster."

"I know how you feel. Every single day, I wake up wishing it was September." I closed my eyes, breathing deeply. "I can't wait to be married to you."

...

I woke up early. My parents were already up, presumably to finish packing and to get ready to go home.

I greeted them sleepily. They had decided to leave early, though I had assured them that they were welcome to stay longer. After a quick cup of coffee, they were out the door.

I stood on the porch as they drove off. As soon as they turned the corner, I walked next door and let myself into Jack's house.

His bedroom door was propped open. He was still in his bed, fast asleep. I quietly made my way over, sinking down beside him.

He moaned quietly when the bed shifted, but he didn't wake. He slid his arms around me. I loved how, even in his sleep, he knew it was me beside him.

I dozed off quickly, feeling safe and warm in his arms.

I woke later in the morning when his arms tightened around me. I slept more peacefully in the hour that I had been in Jack's bed than I had the entire night before.

He sighed contentedly. "When did you get here?"

"Early this morning. I came over as soon as my parents left. I hope that's okay."

"Elizabeth, I'm never going to be upset about waking up with you in my bed." He kissed my hair. "I am very much looking forward to this being an everyday occurrence."

I took his hand from my arm, lacing my fingers with his. "We're one day closer."

He rubbed his thumb across the back of my hand as we lay in silence. Just that slight touch filled my stomach with butterflies. His breath tickled the side of my neck until I couldn't take it anymore.

I rolled onto my other side, meeting his face. He closed the gap between us, brushing his lips against mine slowly. "I love you." He leaned into me, kissing me more deeply.

I didn't speak for a few moments after he pulled back from me. My head was spinning and I felt like I had to tell my lungs to breathe.

"Um, do you need to get started on your paperwork right away?"

"No. Why?" He brushed a strand of hair from my face.

I gave him a shy smile. "Because I'd like to do that again."

He grinned, capturing my lips once more.

...

A/N The next chapter is going to be a little later than usual, as I will be out of town this weekend without my computer, but I will try to get it up sometime next week!