Hi #Hearties Hope you like Chapter Fourteen.

Jack and Elizabeth walked hand in hand into the house to find Elizabeth's father seated in an arm chair reading the newspaper, her sister seated on the hearth in front of the fireplace texting on her phone, and her mother seated on the sofa, reading a book. All three appeared to be out of breath. "What have you three been up to?" Elizabeth asked.

"Beth, you know I always read the newspaper after dinner." William Thatcher stated.

Elizabeth approached her father and gingerly took the paper from his hands and flipped right side up and handed it back to him. "Since when do you read the newspaper upside down?" She questioned.

"I guess we're busted." William placed the paper on the coffee table in front of him. "Julie told us you had company." He stood to his feet. His wife and youngest daughter followed suit.

Elizabeth glanced at Jack and squeezed his hand. "Yes," she smiled, "This is Detective Jack Thornton. Jack this is my father, William Thatcher, and my mother, Grace Thatcher…"

Jack extended his hand to both of Elizabeth's parents. "Nice to meet you."

"… and you've already met my busybody of a sister." Elizabeth continued.

"I resent that remark, Lizzie." Julie retorted, playfully, she pulled out her phone. "And for the record I really was texting Jimmy."

Elizabeth chuckled. "So, you're dating Jimmy this week."

Julie stuck her tongue out at her sister.

Everyone returned to their seats, with Jack sitting in an armchair near William, and Elizabeth sitting on the arm of Jack's chair.

"Detective, I can't begin to tell you how grateful I am to you that you saved our Beth's life." William stated, hoping to change the subject.

It's Jack, please." Jack responded. "And it was a pleasure." He glanced at Elizabeth, causing her to blush.

William and Grace exchanged glances both quite aware of the undeniable chemistry between their daughter and her friend.

"Very well, Jack." William replied. "How long are you going to be in Boston?"

"Uh, not sure yet." Jack stared at the floor and smiled, accentuated his dimples.

"Well you definitely have to let us show you around town while you're here."

"I'm planning on doing that tomorrow dad." Elizabeth chimed in.

"You are?" Jack asked.

"Of course." Elizabeth answered. "You're my guest. It would be incredibly rude of me not to show you around."

"I would love that." Jack replied with a yawn. He stood to his feet. "It was nice meeting you, but I'm exhausted and I haven't even booked a hotel so if you'll excuse me."

"Nonsense, Jack." William retorted. "There's plenty of room here. You can stay right here with us."

"I wouldn't want to impose." Jack declined.

"Don't be ridiculous." Grace chimed in.

"Any friend of Beth's is a friend of ours." William replied.

"And besides, you're a hero." Grace added. "You saved our Beth's life."

"I would have done the same for anyone." Jack modestly stated.

"I'm certain you would have." William stood and patted Jack on the back. "But the matter is it was Beth you saved, and we are eternally grateful. We insist you stay right here."

Jack glanced at Elizabeth, not sure what to do.

"You might as well take them up on the offer, Jack." Elizabeth responded. "When these two insist on something. There's rarely anyone who could convince them to change their mind."

"I guess I'm outnumbered." Jack remarked with a chuckle. "Just let me get my bags out of the car."

Elizabeth excitedly jumped out of her seat and gave Jack a quick kiss on the cheek, before allowing him to head outside.

"Beth I'll let you show Jack where the guest room is." William stated as soon as Jack was out of sight. He yawned and took ahold of Grace's hand. "Your mother and I are going to turn in early. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, girls." Grace called as she and her husband headed toward the stairs, leaving Elizabeth and Julie alone in the room.

"Well," Julie prodded, "Did you tell him?"

"As a matter of fact," Elizabeth smiled. "Yes, I did."

"And?" Julie urged.

"He feels the same way."

Julie squealed. "I knew it." She boasted. "Why else would he come all this way just to talk to you?"

"He truly is amazing." Elizabeth gushed.

"Who's amazing?" Jack asked as he entered the house lugging his suitcase.

"You apparently," Julie answered, "Now if you'll excuse me, I think I'm going to turn in." She headed to upstairs to her own bedroom.

Jack set his suitcase on the floor by the door. He approached Elizabeth and began stroking her arm. "Really?" He questioned. "You think I'm amazing?"

Elizabeth's cheeks turned a deep crimson.

"You know you're kinda cute when you do that." Jack remarked, which caused Elizabeth to blush even more. "You don't have to be embarrassed, because I think you're pretty amazing yourself." He placed a soft kiss on her lips.

"I love you, Jack." Elizabeth whispered. She felt herself relax against his body. She let out a tiny giggle.

"What was that giggle for?" Jack gently stroked her hair

"I just realized I feel so much better now." Elizabeth admitted.

"What do you mean?" He asked with a yawn.

"You must be exhausted." Elizabeth acknowledged. "Why don't I show you to your room and you and I can talk while you relax and unwind."

"Sounds good." Jack grabbed his suitcase by the door and followed Elizabeth upstairs.

Elizabeth led Jack down the long hall at the top of the stairs. "This is Julie's room. This is my room. Our rooms are connected by the bathroom between them." She explained. "When we were kids, Julie would always sneak in my room when she was scared of the monsters under her bed." She chuckled at the memory. "She always swore I kept her safe."

"I'll bet you were a great big sister." Jack remarked.

"On most days we got along," Elizabeth recalled, "But we did get into our share of arguments over the years." She continued down the hall. "This is my sister Viola's room. She got married two years ago and has an adorable baby boy named Ethan. She and her husband Lionel live in Seattle."

"You must miss them."

"Yes," Elizabeth concurred. "Viola and I didn't always get along as children, but she is family and I miss her. I haven't even gotten to meet Ethan."

They two of them continued down the hall. Elizabeth opened the door across the hall from Viola's room and flipped on the light. "This will be your room." She led him inside. She walked across the room to a door near the window. "If you need to freshen up, you'll have your own bathroom.

"Thanks." Jack and placed his suitcase on the floor, near the king-sized bed.

"Let me know if there's anything else you need. I'll let you get some rest." Elizabeth started for the door, but Jack grabbed her hand, stopping her from going any further.

"You said we could talk." Jack recalled.

"I almost forgot." Elizabeth admitted. "But if you're tired, we can wait until tomorrow.

"I'm okay," Jack replied, "I'm not ready to say goodnight to you just yet." He sat on the edge of the bed and pulled her down beside him. He began stroking the back of her hand with his thumb. "What did you mean when you said you felt so much better?"

"That I told you what I was feeling… that I love you," Elizabeth stared at the floor. "I realized it after you left the night of the fair. I didn't want to feel that way about you. Not when we haven't known each other very long. But when I saw you outside my door here in Boston, I realized it was too late. I was in love with you, whether was ready to be or not. And quite frankly, it scared the heck out of me." She lifted her head to look at him.

Jack chuckled and squeezed her hand. "You never have to be afraid." He assured.

"I feel better telling you," She confessed, "And now that I've told you, I want to tell you again. "I love you."

"I love you too, Elizabeth." Jack replied. "When I saw you sitting alone at the bar the night we met, I knew I just had to talk to you. I was a little disappointed when you told me you and Charles were dating." He ran his hand up her arm. "I couldn't stand the way he pulled you out of the bar." He paused. "Come to think of it, I have a confession to make."

"What's that?" She inquired.

"When I saw you leave with him, I didn't trust him, so I followed you." Jack admitted.

"You what?" Elizabeth exclaimed.

"How I kept up with him, I'll never know." Jack continued. "He was driving so fast. My adrenaline must've kicked in." He chuckled.

"He was driving awfully fast." Elizabeth concurred. "I was so nervous being in that car with him. I told him to slow down, that he was going to cause an accident."

"That's how I got to you so quickly." Jack recalled. "And I'm glad I did. When I saw he had you pinned against the car, it took all I could not to strangle him with my bare hands."

Suddenly, Elizabeth began to weep uncontrollably. She quickly turned her head away from Jack, so he wouldn't see her tear stained face.

"Elizabeth, sweetheart what's wrong?" Jack asked. Then in dawned on him. He stood from the bed and knelt in front of her. "I'm so sorry, Elizabeth." He placed his hands on both her shoulders. "I didn't mean for you to relive that night." He paused. "It's just that the worst night of your life, was one of the best nights of my life… because that's the night I met you."

Elizabeth, returned her gaze to Jack, stunned by his confession.

Jack reached up and touched her face, wiping her eyes of the unshed tears with his thumbs. "When, I showed up at your door the next morning, I really did want to check on you to see if you were alright, but the real reason I came by was because I wanted to see you again." He admitted. "You left quite an impression, the night we met. You were worried that falling in love with me six weeks after we met, was too soon, but it was love at first sight for me."

"Well since you put it that way," Elizabeth smiled, "Six weeks doesn't seem too soon."

"Not at all," Jack concurred. "Love doesn't know time." He stood back up and returned to his spot next to her on the edge of the bed.

"That's what Julie told me last night." Elizabeth recalled.

"Listen to your sister." He commanded.

"Did you really call me your girlfriend in the gazebo, before we came back inside?" Elizabeth asked.

"Should I not have said that?" Jack was suddenly unsure. "We had just professed…"

"It's alright." Elizabeth interjected. I didn't mind. I want…." She stuttered. "… I want to be… your girlfriend."

Jack placed his arm around Elizabeth's shoulder, pulling her closer. He leaned closer until his lips devoured hers in a passionate kiss. Her lips parted, to allow him full access, their tongues dancing together to a rhythm all their own. Jack's arms dropped to Elizabeth's waist, while his lips dropped to her neck. The kisses on her skin caused a stir in Elizabeth that she'd never felt in her life. Without realizing it, they had fallen backward onto the bed. Jack ran his hand underneath Elizabeth's T-shirt. The warmth of his touch on her stomach set her whole body ablaze.

All of a sudden, Elizabeth abruptly pulled away, realizing that what had started out as an innocent kiss, was turning into something more intimate. "Jack, we have to stop!" She commanded. She rolled off the bed and stood to her feet she smoothed out her crumpled hair and clothes.

"I'm sorry, Elizabeth." Jack joined her on the floor. "Did I do something wrong?"

"You didn't do anything wrong." Elizabeth assured. "It's just that there's something you need to know."

"What is it?" Jack asked, suddenly nervous.

"Can we sit down?" She asked.

Jack motioned for Elizabeth to return to the edge of the bed before joining her. "What's the matter?"

"I know we've only been official an hour and a half, but…" Elizabeth began.

"You're not breaking up with me, already are you?" Jack fretfully interjected.

"No, nothing like that," Elizabeth responded, "but there is something I need to tell you." She took a deep breath.

"Just tell me, Elizabeth." Jack urged. "You can tell me anything. You know that."

"I've never been… intimate… with a man before." She hesitantly admitted. "I knew that was what we were escalating to, just now. I love you, Jack." She explained. "I just feel you should know that I'm not ready for a physical relationship."

Jack intently listened.

"That's actually what happened with Charles." Elizabeth continued. "He was ready. I wasn't, and he thought he was going to take what wasn't his to begin with whether I was ready or not.

Jack angrily pounded the bed with his fist. "I can't believe this." He uttered.

"I'm sorry, Jack." Elizabeth fought back the tears that she felt stinging the backs of her eyes. I should have told you." She once again stood up from the bed. "I understand if you want to see someone else, who has more… experience." She tried to make her way toward the door.

"Oh no!" Jack grabbed Elizabeth's hand and stopped her from leaving. "You're not getting rid of me that easy, Ms. Thatcher." He motioned for her to sit back down on the bed. "Listen to me." He explained. "I was angry at Charles for what he did to you. I can't stand when men take advantage of innocent women. I wasn't angry with you, not even for a second." He wrapped his arms around her. "If anything, I should be the one to apologize to you. I promised you we could take this relationship slow and here I am getting carried away. Your lack of intimacy isn't going to scare me away. I love you… no matter what."

"I love you too." She brushed a soft kiss on his lips.

"Don't start something you can't finish." Jack stated jokingly.

Elizabeth pulled back and giggled. She stood from the bed yet again. "I know you're exhausted. I'll let you get some rest." She bent down and gave him on more kiss. "Goodnight." She headed toward the door.

"Goodnight, sweetheart." He smiled as he watched her walked toward the door.

"I like that by the way." She whirled around to face him.

"You like what?" He inquired.

"When you call me sweetheart," She answered with a smile before heading out the door closing it behind her.

Jack pulled out the boxer shorts and t-shirt he'd packed to sleep in out of his suitcase. He changed quickly and climbed into bed. "I'll see you in the morning, sweetheart." He whispered. He closed his eyes and was asleep within minutes, with pleasant dreams of his new girlfriend, his sweetheart, going through his head.

Elizabeth went straight to her bedroom. She changed into her pajamas and quickly climbed into bed. "I'll see you in the morning my Jack." She whispered. She closed her eyes and was asleep within minutes, with pleasant dreams of her new boyfriend, her amazing Jack, going through her head.

To be continued…

Thanks for reading. Chapter Fifteen coming soon.