The next morning, Rosemary had her children go to the living room so she could explain the whole situation from the night beforehand, but she hadn't made it downstairs herself yet. Instead, she had taken to pacing her bedroom back and forth out of nervousness, "Rosie, it's going to be okay. It's not the end of the world," said Lee.

Rosemary stopped her motion and ran her hands through her hair, "I know, but how do I even begin to tell them about my relationship with Jack? And more importantly, how do I explain why I lied to them for so long?"

"You technically didn't lie to them. You just didn't explicitly tell them," said Lee.

"I know that Lee!" she quipped angrily and he flinched back a little, "I'm sorry, I guess I just need to get it over with," she finally left the room and headed downstairs to the living room. All three of her children were seated on the settee; Lilly had her arms crossed over her chest and was still clearly angry that Rosemary hadn't given her any further details last night. Violet was next, looking as eager to listen as ever, and Aaron looked bored and confused as he had no idea about what they were about to discuss.

Lee came down stairs and his wife and he sat down in the chairs across from the sofa. "So, why are we here exactly?" questioned Aaron.

"Because Mom's going to tell us why she hid the fact that she was engaged to Uncle Jack from us," answered Lilly bitterly.

"Lillian Coulter," warned Rosemary through gritted teeth.

"Wait a minute? You were engaged to Uncle Jack? When?" asked Aaron.

"It was from 1907-1908. Well, you know Uncle Jack and I have known each other since we were kids because our fathers served in the Mounties together, right?" all three kids nodded, "Well, after Jack's father died and Grandpa overcame his injury from that ambush, we moved from Montreal to Ottawa, where Uncle Jack and I got to know each other better than just brief encounters here and there. For a while, Uncle Jack wanted to be painter and we courted for a few years, from 1905-1907. I almost broke off that courtship when I found out he had joined the Mounties, but then he proposed to me and I said yes. Soon, I got the opportunity to pursue a career on Broadway and I broke off our engagement to chase my dreams. Well, a few years later, in 1910, a few years before Lilly was born, I came to Hope Valley, well Coal Valley at the time, to try to win Uncle Jack back. I acted like I had never broken up with him, which was wrong of me on my part."

"Wait a minute, that's why you came to Hope Valley?" asked Lilly in astonishment.

"Well, you didn't think your Montreal born, New York City loving mother would move to a small coal mining town in the middle of nowhere just because did you?" questioned Rosemary jokingly.

"Yeah, you're right. It all makes so much more sense now," Lilly trailed off before finishing her thoughts.

"Of course, I didn't win him back, but then your father moved to Hope Valley to open his saw mill, he asked me out, we started courting, and the rest is history," Rosemary smiled at her husband.

Aaron absorbed the information before he hesitantly spoke up, "Do you…do you regret marrying Dad instead?"

"No," Rosemary quickly answered. She grabbed Lee's hand and gazed into his dark blue eyes, "Not for a second."

"So you don't regret how your life turned out?" asked Lilly.

Rosemary sighed, "I regret the way I ended things with Jack, in the fact that I should have never accepted his proposal in the first place, so I left him heartbroken. But I don't regret not marrying him or how our lives turned out because I believe it was for the best. He belongs with Aunt Elizabeth and I belong with your father and God knew that even if I didn't at the time. And then you were born," she motioned her head towards Lilly, "And nineteen months later, you came along," Rosemary smiled towards Aaron.

"And then me!" said Violet happily.

Lee and Rosie chuckled and Rosie squeezed Violet's hand, "Yes, and then you, but you weren't born until 1920. But you completed our family."

"I love you, Mommy!" Violet jumped up and hugged Rosemary.

"Me too," smiled Lilly, joining the hug.

Rosemary looked over her daughters' heads over at Aaron. He huffed and rolled his eyes jokingly, but joined in too, "Fine."

Lee wrapped his arms around his family before he pulled back, "I've got to get to work."

"Don't you want to stay for breakfast?" asked Rosemary.

"No, I have big lumber deal in Vancouver I have to finish. I'll just get a coffee and a scone over at Abigail's," he kissed Rosie, "Love you."

"Love you too," she said.

"Have a good day Kiddos."

"Bye Dad!" they all waved.

Rosemary and Lilly went to start on breakfast and Lilly leaned closer to her mother, "So, are you going to let Uncle Jack know that we know about your previous engagement?"

"Probably," sighed Rosemary, "It's only fair to him."

"And you know you'll have to do it sooner rather than later with…" Lilly motioned her head towards Violet, who was currently playing dolls with Aaron. Not that Aaron actually enjoyed playing dolls, but he was usually a good sport about it for his sister's sake.

"Yeah, I know," said Rosemary.

"And you thought I was the blunt blabbermouth," smirked Lilly.

"You still are," confirmed Rosemary, "But once your sister learned to talk, I think she started giving you a run for your money. I think it's due to the fact that you wouldn't let her out of your sight after she was born," Lilly chuckled at the memory, "So… William Thornton?"

Lilly furrowed her brow, "What about him?"

"Are you going to see him again?" asked Rosemary curiously.

"Oh," Lilly responded, "I don't know. You were freaking out over a date and Dad wanted to murder him over the fact that he kissed me."

"Oh Lillian," Rosemary rubbed her daughter's arms, "You're our first baby, that's all. It's…it's new territory for us; the idea of you in a courtship. And all Daddies are protective of their baby girls no matter how old they are. You see how Uncle Jack is with Mary and Charlotte or how Pastor Frank is with Becky."

"But wouldn't William have to ask Dad first?" asked Lilly, "Because at this point, I'm pretty sure Dad would say no."

"Traditionally," answered Rosemary, "But I don't know if one date constitutes a full-blown courtship."

"True," said Lilly.

"Well," Rosemary urged.

Lilly sighed, but smiled, "I think so."