A/N Thank you for the sweet comments! I'm glad you guys enjoyed the wedding! Now it's time for the honeymoon!

There are things implied in this chapter (it is a honeymoon, after all), but nothing too explicit! I hope you enjoy!

...

I rolled over in the bed, nearly bumping into Jack. I scooted closer to him, leaning my head on his bare chest. He wrapped his arms around me, his hands feeling so warm and comforting on my skin. I smiled as I thought back to everything that had happened the previous day.

I would never forget the look on Jack's face when I stepped into the sanctuary, like he never wanted to look away, like I was the only other person in the world. I thought his smile would never fade.

His smile remained as we danced at the reception and as we entered our house together at the end of the evening.

It was the very best day of my life.

When I woke again, the sun was peeking through the window. Jack still had his arms around me. Though we had spent the night with each other a few times before the wedding, it felt different to be sharing a bed with my husband rather than my fiancé—it felt so much better.

I glanced around the room. Very little had changed in the room since I had moved in two years prior.

Except…

Except now, there was a white gown hanging on the closet door. Now, there was a suit draped across the armchair.

Now, there was a man in the bed beside me. A smart, handsome, wonderful, perfect man. My husband.

Jack stretched his legs and tightened his hold on me, kissing the top of my head. "Good morning, Mrs. Thornton."

I smiled and leaned into him, loving the sound of my new name. "Mm, good morning."

"I must say, I really enjoy waking up next to my wife."

I kissed him. "I was just thinking the same thing, husband."

He brushed his thumb across my lips. "How are you feeling, Beth?" There was a hint of concern in his eyes, and I knew he was referring to the previous night.

Though we had both been more than ready to take the next step with each other, there had still been some anxiety surrounding it. Ultimately, however, it was perfect and magical and so much better than I could have ever imagined it to be.

I smiled and sighed contentedly. "I'm wonderful. You don't need to worry about me, Jack."

"You'll let me know if you're ever not okay?"

I put my hand on his cheek. "I don't imagine that happening, but yes, I will let you know. And thank you for caring enough to ask."

"I'm your husband. It's my job to make sure you feel happy and safe and comfortable and loved." He rolled onto his side and pressed his lips to mine. "You know, we don't have to leave for a few more hours. We could just stay right here for a while."

"That sounds like a great idea. You can make sure I feel happy and safe and comfortable and loved." I scrunched my nose and leaned in to kiss him again.

...

In the early afternoon, we reached the small town where we would be spending the weekend. Jack got us checked in, and we found the cabin where we would be staying for the next few days. It was nestled in the trees, not far from the lake.

I couldn't help but smile when he had said the reservation was for "the Thorntons."

"It's beautiful out here. I'm glad you found this place."

"Well, I'm glad you like it. I've been wanting to come out here for a while, and now I finally have the perfect excuse."

He took our bags from the trunk of the car, and I followed him into the cabin. The main room was open, with large windows covering the far wall, facing the forest. I stood in front of them, looking out into the trees. Everything was still lush and green; it wasn't quite fall yet.

There was a door to the left that I assumed led to the bedroom.

I felt Jack's breath on my neck as he came to stand behind me, sliding his hands around my waist.

"So, what do you think, Mrs. Thornton?"

I grinned. "I think this is the perfect place for a honeymoon."

"I noticed there's a fireplace in here. I know it isn't cold outside, but maybe we can light a fire later?"

"That sounds heavenly."

He kissed my temple. "What do you say we go for a little walk, and then we can come back and make dinner together?"

I nodded and turned to face him. "What are your plans for after dinner, Mr. Thornton?" I ran my fingers along the neckline of his t-shirt.

"You'll have to wait and see." He smiled playfully and kissed my nose. "But I can assure you, you'll enjoy it."

...

I sat on the wood floor in the darkness of the main room of the cabin, looking out the window again. I could just make out a few stars through the trees. I pulled the blanket tighter around me and took a deep breath, thoughts racing through my head.

I heard Jack move in the bedroom.

"Beth? Are you okay?"

I nodded, keeping my gaze on the trees outside. "Just having a little trouble sleeping. I'm fine."

He lowered himself to the floor beside me, sliding his arm around me. "You promised to let me know if anything isn't okay."

"I promise, nothing is wrong. I'm fine. It's just new, being married." I sighed, leaning my head on his shoulder. "Don't get me wrong, I love being married to you, I really do. It's just a lot of changes all at once. Before, you were a part of my life—a big part of my life. But now, you're a part of me."

He kissed the top of my head. "I understand just how you feel. Obviously, this experience is new to me, too. We'll figure it out together."

"I love you, Jack." I pulled his hand over to my lap, intertwining our fingers.

"I love you, too." We sat in silence for a few moments before he spoke again. "Do you want to try to sleep now, or do you want to stay out here for a little while longer?"

I stood, pulling him up with me. "Let's go to bed."

I immediately relaxed into his arms once we settled into the bed. He moved his fingers slowly through my hair. He hummed quietly, knowing that I could always be soothed by the sound of his voice. Before I knew it, I was fast asleep.

...

My first thought upon waking was how cold I felt. I reached out and realized that Jack wasn't beside me.

I pulled the blanket from the bed, wrapping it tightly around me as I stepped into the main room of the cabin.

"Jack?"

He turned from the stove. "Elizabeth. You're supposed to be sleeping still."

"It's too cold in that bed without you."

He walked over to me, pushing a strand of hair from my face. "Just go back in there and relax. I'll be in soon." He kissed my forehead.

"Jack Thornton, what are you doing?"

He gave me a mischievous smile. "You'll have to wait and see."

I returned to the bedroom and snuggled beneath the covers, bringing my knees to my chest.

Jack came in a few minutes later, carrying a tray of food. "I thought I'd bring my wife some breakfast in bed." There was a wide grin on his face.

"You spoil me, Jack Thornton."

He sat on top of the covers beside me, setting the tray in my lap. "Well, you deserve to be spoiled."

A single purple rose was in a small vase on the corner of the tray. "How did you sneak a flower in here?"

"I have my ways." He smirked. "Eat up. We have a long day ahead of us."

After breakfast, we headed down the trail just outside our cabin, Jack's hand gripping mine gently. His other hand carried the picnic basket that we had packed together that morning.

"I just can't get over how beautiful it is here. Who knew this place was here, so close to us?"

The state park was only an hour and a half from Hope Valley, and I had never even heard of it before Jack mentioned it.

"It really is amazing." He squeezed my hand.

After hiking further into the trees, we came upon the main attraction of the park: a waterfall hidden at the bottom of the valley.

Jack set down the basket and pulled me into his arms. We stood in silence, just watching the water cascade down the rocks and into the pool below.

"We should get some pictures, so we can remember this."

"I think I'll remember this without pictures, but okay."

He took out his phone, and we captured pictures of each other with the falls in the background. A kind passerby offered to get a picture of the both of us. As the photo was taken, it hit me again. I was standing beside my husband. Jack and I were really married.

We were going to spend our whole lives together.

The thought made me smile.

"What's going on in that head of yours?" He brushed his fingers against my temple.

"We're married, Jack."

A smirk played on his face. "I know we are. I was at our wedding, remember?"

"But we're married. You're my husband."

"Yes, and you're my wife." He leaned in, softly pressing his lips to mine. "My beautiful wife. And you've been my wife since Friday."

I rested my forehead against his. "I think it just now fully sank in. I felt like I waited forever to marry you, so it's been a little surreal that it actually happened."

"It finally happened," he agreed.

"I love you."

...

Jack stood in front of me, only a few inches of space between us. "Dance with me, Mrs. Thornton."

Without thought, I slipped my arms around his neck, while his hands found my waist.

"Jack, will you still want to dance with me when we're old?" I met his eyes.

"Elizabeth Thornton, I will want to dance with you until the day I die."

I smiled and leaned my head on his chest as we turned in slow circles in the dim light of the room, a fire flickering in the fireplace behind us. "I love you."

He kissed the top of my head. "I love you, too."

I felt completely at peace as we swayed together. I could feel his heart beating against my cheek. He gently pressed his fingers into my back, holding me close, but not close enough.

I tilted my chin up to meet his face, slowly bringing my lips to his. Heat spread throughout my body as his fingers brushed across my skin. He had a playful look in his eyes, taking my hand and leading me into the bedroom.

...

I woke early on Tuesday morning, but Jack was already awake. His eyes were on my face, a smile playing on his lips.

"Good morning, beautiful." He brushed his lips against my nose.

"Good morning." I moved closer to him, draping my body across his chest. "Can we stay here all morning?"

"Right here? In this bed?"

I nodded into his chest.

"I like that plan. I knew there was a reason I married you." He smirked, pulling my face to his, meeting my lips.

It had been four days since the wedding, and we both realized that we would soon be leaving our honeymoon bubble to return to the real world. We decided to make the most of our morning.

...

A little while later, we were still snuggled up in the bed, neither of us wanting to move.

"Mm, we need to get up, Elizabeth."

"No," I groaned. "We need to stay here." I tightened my arms around him.

"We have to check out soon, and we still haven't packed." He kissed my cheek. "I promise I'll make it up to you when we get home."

"You better." I slid from the bed, pulling the blanket with me.

When I returned from the bathroom, Jack was kneeling on the floor, placing his clothes into the suitcase. I joined him, refolding the pile of clothes stacked beside my bag.

"This has been a really great weekend, Jack. Thank you."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it." He touched my arm. "You're still doing okay?"

I rolled my eyes playfully. "Yes, Jack. You don't need to ask me that every day."

He dropped his eyes and gave a small smile. "I'm sorry. I just love you so much, I can't help but worry."

My face grew serious. "I really messed things up when I ran away, didn't I?" I could only assume that he was so worried because he thought that something might make me want to run again.

"Beth…" He put his fingers under my chin and tilted my face up so I was forced to meet his eyes. "You need to stop feeling guilty about that. You came back. You married me. I'm not afraid that you're going to run away again."

"Then why are you worried about me?" My voice was soft.

"Because I know you, Elizabeth. I know that you put on a brave face when you're overwhelmed or anxious. I know that you feel like you have to pretend everything is okay, even when you feel like everything is breaking down inside of you. I know that you're hesitant to talk about your feelings, because you've been shut down by people in the past. I know that you'll do things you don't really want to just because it will make someone else happy."

Tears stung my eyes. No one in my life had ever understood me as well as Jack Thornton. Every word he said was the truth.

He brushed a tear from my cheek. "There are a lot of compromises to be made in a marriage, but I want you to know that my ultimate goal is your happiness. I don't want you ever to feel like you can't tell me no, okay?"

I nodded, tears still rolling down my cheeks.

He leaned forward, gently pressing his lips to mine. "I don't want to abruptly change the subject, but if we don't finish packing in the next few minutes, we're going to be late checking out."

Neither of us spoke until our bags were packed and stored in the trunk of the car. I turned toward him as he held the passenger door open for me.

"Jack? I want you to know that I have loved every moment of this weekend. Every single moment."

By the smile on his face, I knew that he understood the weight of my statement. I could see his whole body relax as he finally realized that he truly had nothing to worry about. He brushed his lips against mine, one last kiss before we made our way back home.

...

Jack blocked me from entering the door when we reached our home early that evening. "Not so fast, Mrs. Thornton." He smirked before he lifted me into his arms.

"Jack, you don't have to do this every time we go through this door."

"Just humor me." He kicked the door closed behind us, kissing me soundly before setting me down in the entryway. "Welcome home."

"Well, Mr. Thornton, we have the rest of the evening all to ourselves. Whatever can we do to fill that time?"

"Change into our pajamas, order some pizza, curl up on the couch, and watch a movie?"

The corners of my mouth raised. "It's like you read my mind."

"Pepperoni sound good?"

"And extra cheese."

"I'll go place the order. You can choose the movie."

"Sound of Music it is!" I heard him laugh as I headed up the stairs to change.

Three hours later, we were lying on the sofa, a blanket covering both of us. Jack's arm was draped across me, holding me against his chest. Our empty plates sat on the coffee table. The movie had ended, and the screen was black.

I turned my head to look at him. "I can't believe we have to go back to work tomorrow. I just want to stay here with you forever."

"At least I don't have to leave tonight. We'll get to fall asleep together and wake up together. Plus, my shifts coincide with your hours this week, so we'll get to spend all our evenings together."

"That does help a little. I still wish we could just hide out here for a while, though. I like our honeymoon bubble."

He slipped his fingers through mine. "It is a very nice bubble. You know, we should take advantage of the last few hours in our bubble."

I wriggled from his arms and pulled him up with me. "Look at you, reading my mind again."