"Saturday, u and me, date," he texted.

"Yes, sir."

"Bossy?"

"Yeah, but I'm ok with that," she texted back.

"What do u say, Beth?"

"Love 2. What time?"

"I'll pick u up at 5?"

"I'll b ready."

"Wear something warm."

She pushed the call button next to Jack's name. "Beth?"

"Jack, what are you doing?"

"Grading papers on the Civil War."

"Ooh. Exciting," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Not your favorite subject, Beth?" he asked with a laugh.

"Not even close."

"What was your favorite?"

"My favorite was math."

"Math."

"Yes, math. I was good at it."

"I wish we had known each other back then. I could have helped you with history and you could have helped me with math."

"I didn't need help, Jack. I may have faked it if you were going to tutor me though."

"What are you doing, Beth? Right now?" He stood up and looked across the yards, her lights off.

"Laying here, by the fire. Snowy is right next to me." He could picture her in her t-shirt and yoga pants, hair spilling over her shoulders.

"I wish I was there," he said quietly, so quiet she almost didn't hear him.

"I wish you were too."

He loved her and he almost told her right then but he didn't want to do it over the phone.

"Jack!" Hunter called.

"Be right there, bud." He sighed. "Duty calls. Talk to you tomorrow, hon?"

She smiled at his term of endearment. It seemed natural coming out of his mouth. "Yeah. Goodnight, Jack."

"Night, Beth."

…

The next morning, Elizabeth heard a knock at her door just as she was about to leave. "Hey! What are you doing here? Where's Hunter?"

"Right there on our deck. He wanted me to ask you to come for breakfast."

"I don't normally eat breakfast." She held up her smoothie. "I have a schedule to keep."

"You go to work this early?"

"I go and work out and then shower. It works perfectly."

"You can't make an exception for one day?" He grinned, flashing his dimples.

"I suppose." She couldn't say no when he looked at her that way.

He stepped forward and kissed her. "Mm minty fresh," he teased.

"Morning," she said, a giggle popping out of her mouth. She didn't giggle. Cops don't giggle.

She grabbed her phone and keys and locked her door. He took her hand and held it as they walked across their semi-frozen yards.

"Hi, Miss Thatcher," Hunter said with a smile.

"Hi, Hunter. Thank you for inviting me to breakfast."

"Welcome." They walked into the house and she took a deep sniff.

"Sausage? So good."

"Sausage gravy and biscuits. One of my specialties."

"Oh yeah? Gonna need to work out extra hard tomorrow, I guess."

"You don't need to work out, Beth. You look great." Better than great actually. Her beloved yoga pants fit nicely.

"Thank you, Jack but I look this way because I work out."

He figured it was true and he would probably need to workout someday, but at this point he didn't have the time.

About fifteen minutes later, they sat down at the table and Hunter said the blessing.

SATURDAY AFTERNOON

Elizabeth wondered what "dress warm" meant. She dialed Jack.

"Hey, Beth."

"Jack, what does "dress warm" mean exactly?"

"Uh, it means….dress warm…" he laughed.

"So we are going to be outside."

"I think that's a good assumption, Officer."

"Shush. It's a vague statement, especially when I have no idea what we are doing."

"I want to keep the element of surprise in our relationship."

"Mmhmm."

"I'll be there in ten."

"Ok." She fed Snowy, zipped up her coat, pulled her boots on, and then grabbed a blanket at the last minute.

She opened the door as he walked up the steps. "Hey," he greeted, kissing her gently.

"Hi. You look…amazing," she blurted. Her cheeks burned as she checked out his "warm" clothing. He had jeans, a blue wool sweater over a gray shirt, but the thing that caught her eye was his black leather jacket.

"Thank you," he said, offering his hand.

"Ok, so, where are we going?" she asked as they started driving.

"Somewhere you are going to love." He kissed her hand and held it.

"Dinner?"

"We will eat, yes."

She watched as he drove them into the city and then out, heading toward an area she wasn't familiar with.

After a thirty minute ride, they pulled into Donner Park. "Jack! Is this what I think it is? Oh my goodness." She squeezed his hand and smiled as they found a parking space.

She had heard of this park. They played old movies on the side of a building on the weekends. It was crowded all the time, especially in the summer. People would sit on blankets or chairs, drinking coffee or hot chocolate, eating dinner, and watching the film. "I've always wanted to come here."

He opened the hatch and took out two folding chairs, a large soft sided cooler, and a few heavy blankets. "Can you grab the thermos, Beth?"

She did and then closed the hatch. "Jack Thornton. This is unbelievable."

"Do you like Sabrina?"

"Yes! I love all old movies. I can't believe you brought me here." She slipped her hand into the crook of his arm as they walked to the seating area to find a good spot.

They opened the cooler and dished out their food, sitting comfortably in their chairs as the movie started. The only complaint she had was not being able to get close enough to Jack. The arms of the chairs were in the way. Other than that, the evening couldn't have been more perfect.

Elizabeth scooted her chair as close as possible to his and happily held his hand through the film. Every few minutes, he squeezed her hand or looked over at her. She was beautiful. She was happy. He was glad that maybe he had just a little bit to do with that happiness.

"Beth," he said quietly.

"Hmm?" she kept her eyes glued to the movie.

"Beth." She looked over at him just as he leaned close to kiss her. "Having fun?" She nodded and kissed him back.

..…

After the film, he took her to walk down on the Delaware river waterfront. "Feel like dessert?"

"Sure." He wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close, his lips touching her temple.

They found an outdoor restaurant that looked quiet. "This looks good," he mentioned. They took a seat next to each other, Jack's arm immediately pulling her close. "Beth, I want you to meet my parents." She looked at him and smiled, kissing his cheek.

"Ok. I'd love to."

"Maybe we can all have dinner at my house next weekend."

She nodded. It was time. She wanted to know the people who raised this wonderful, caring, loving man. She needed to know everything about him. She loved him, plain and simple.

He touched her cheek, gazing into her eyes. "Beth, I love you." He leaned in, covering her soft, eager lips with his. It was overwhelming and wonderful and he didn't want it to end but they were in public so he gently pulled back, kissing her forehead.

"I love you too, Jack."

…..

The trees in the Philadelphia city park were flashing their finest fall colors as Rosie and Lee jogged through the wooded trails.

Rosie was ecstatic when Lee called her up that morning to get together. The reality hit as she did her best to look cute while frantically trying to get air to her lungs as they ran. As she thought about it, she realized this was ridiculous. She wasn't a runner and here she was trying to keep up with a police officer! Someone well fit and trained.

Just when she thought she couldn't make it another step, Lee stopped.

"Ready for a little break? There's a great view of the city from over here."

"A break… sounds… great…." she said in between sucking in all the air her lungs would take. Once she felt a little more like herself again, she spoke.

"Lee, may I ask you something?"

"Of course!"

"Wonderful," she took in one more deep breath, trying to take in all the air she felt she'd been missing. "So, how are things between us? Would you say, we're doing well?"

"Very well, yes. I think we have a real thing going for us here. The kind of relationship to build a future on even."

"Really?" she swooned.

"Really," he smiled. "In fact, now may be the perfect time to tell you a secret."

"What kind of secret?" Her eyes were wide with anticipation.

He reached out and took Rosie's hands in his. "Rosie Leveaux, I love you."

"You do?! Oh, Lee, I love you too!" She leaped into his arms, making him smile.

"Well, I'm glad we're on the same page," he laughed.

"I agree. And since we are in a loving relationship, I think now is a perfect time to be completely honest with you."

"Okay," he grinned, finding her completely adorable in that moment.

"I hate running." Lee laughed. "And when I say I hate running I mean I really, truly, from the bottom of my heart, detest it!"

"Then why on earth did you say yes when I asked?" Lee's lungs were starting to hurt and not from the running, but the laughing.

"I wanted to spend time with you! This seemed like the best way to do it today!"

"Rosie, I loved spending time with you this morning. I'm sorry I didn't realize how much you hated running sooner!"

"During the 1st mile instead of the 4th would have been great," she muttered.

Lee chuckled again, "Yes, that probably would have been better. I gotta say though, for a non-runner you did really well."

"Why, thank you!" she beamed at his compliment.

Lee took her hand and they began walking back to the car.

"I should probably ask, since we're together and all, would you mind if I continue to run with Beth? We've been doing it for a while now but I don't want to do anything that would make you uncomfortable."

"You and I are together, right?"

"Definitely!"

"Good, and I trust you. You two are friends and colleagues. It's fine with me."

"Great, thanks! Besides from what I can tell, things are going pretty well with her and Jack."

Rosie tugged repeatedly on Lee's arm that she was holding. "I know! Isn't it wonderful? I'm so happy for Jack. Elizabeth seems perfect for him. Oh, and did I tell you about Hunter?"

"You mean about Jack possibly adopting him?"

"Yes! I've been working on the character reference for Jack for the courts. I want it to be so beautiful they'll just have to agree!"

"Want me to read it? I've seen my fair share of these battles. Maybe I could help?"

"You'd do that?"

"Of course! I may not know Jack well but you care for him and Elizabeth definitely does. I think she's fallen pretty hard for that little boy too."

"You think?" Rosie was so excited.

"Yeah. Not sure she's ready to admit it yet to herself, she's been guarding her heart for so long, but I think if everything worked out, she'd definitely love that boy like a son."

…..

Elizabeth stood in front her full length mirror staring at herself in her new outfit. She'd gone to the mall two days before, after her shift, to find the right outfit for meeting your boyfriend's parents. Her closet had been getting a little more full as she and Jack's relationship grew. How she looked mattered again. Not because he expected her to be a certain way, but because she liked the idea of looking pretty for him.

Things had changed so fast in the past couple months. All for the better, and none of it she regretted. She had hope again. Hope for her future. Even better, she had love again.

"What do you think, Snowy?" Her outfit was simple, fitted jeans and a white sweater with thin red stripes. Jack had told her to not stress and to wear something comfortable. To her, comfortable meant yoga pants, but she decided to step it up a bit for this.

Next door Hunter sat on the counter watching Jack while he cooked. Jack looked up from the stove and smiled. Hunter could tell Jack was nervous, he just didn't know why.

"Grammie and Pop are coming for dinner tonight?"

"Yup."

"Miss Thatcher too?"

"That's right."

Hunter thought about it again and realized what was happening. "You scared they won't like her?"

"No, this is just a big step in a relationship."

Hunter nodded. "I think they'll like her."

"Why's that?"

"She's nice and pretty," he shrugged. "And she makes us happy."

Jack smiled over at the boy he hoped would soon be his son for good. "She makes you happy too?"

Hunter shrugged. "I guess." Jack knew how hard it was for Hunter to trust people. Especially women, given his relationship with his mom. This was huge.

The side door creaked open and Elizabeth quietly stepped in. "Anybody home?"

Hunter jumped off the counter and ran to great her. "Hi! We're cooking dinner." He took her hand and led her over to the counter before climbing back up.

Jack smiled as she got closer. He wanted desperately to kiss her, but not in front of Hunter. "Hey, bud, can you set the table?"

"Do I have to?" he whined.

"I'd really appreciate it."

Hunter jumped off the counter again and dragged his feet over to the drawer with the placemats and silverware.

"You know if you wanted to kiss her you could have just told me to play outside or in my room."

Elizabeth's hand flew to her mouth to stifle her laughter and hide her embarrassment.

"Hunter James!"

"What? It's not like I haven't seen you kiss her before."

"When?" Jack asked surprised. He thought he had been good at keeping that part of his relationship away from Hunter.

"On the swing, in the driveway, lots of places."

"Good grief. Fine go outside and play please."

"What about the table?"

"I'll do it in a minute," he sighed, completely embarrassed.

"Okay. Tell me when Grammie and Pop get here."

"Will do." The door closed and Jack looked out the window to see Hunter happily kicking a soccer ball against the rebound net before turning to face Elizabeth, who was now laughing. "I thought we were being so good!"

"I guess not good enough. Thankfully he doesn't seem too scarred by it."

"No I guess not," he laughed. "Well, since he's not here at the moment." Jack reached out and pulled Elizabeth to himself. "You look amazing."

"Thank you. You too."

A soft moan slipped from both their lips as they kissed deeply.

"I've missed you," Jack whispered, rubbing her arms affectionately.

"I've missed you too." She kissed his lips one more time before pulling back to allow him to finish dinner. "What are we having tonight?"

"Spaghetti and meatballs, salad and garlic bread."

"Smells delicious."

"Thanks! Making homemade sauce and everything."

"Look at you so handy in the kitchen."

"Jealous?"

"A little. Though I do make a mean Shepherd's pie."

"Do you now? I look forward to trying it someday."

Just as Jack was leaning in for another kiss, the front opened.

"We're here!" Thomas Thornton called into the house.

Elizabeth felt her nerves kick into high gear and offered to go get Hunter from outside.

Hunter picked up his ball and ran over to the door. Laughing when he looked up at Elizabeth.

"Why are you laughing?" she asked messing with his hair.

"You look worried."

"I'm not worried…"

"Yes you are. Don't worry, Grammie and Pop are nice. They like everyone."

"Let's hope you're right," she whispered.

…..

Later that night, Hunter was in bed and the adults settled in for a game of Ticket to Ride.

Hunter had been right, there was nothing to worry about. Jack's parents fell in love with Elizabeth right away. It was clear to them that she cared deeply for their son and Hunter. Given all Jack had been through, they couldn't ask for more.

Hunter came thundering down the stairs toward the end of the game, his sniffles letting them know he'd been crying. Both Jack and Elizabeth instinctively stood from the table.

"Hunter, you okay?"

The little boy ran straight to Elizabeth and hugged her tight. "I had a bad dream. The bad guys, they were coming to take me away."

Elizabeth bent down and lifted him up in her arms, speaking softly to him. "You're safe, Hunter. Look around, okay? You've got me, Jack, Grammie and Pop here. You're safe."

Jack watched in awe. If he wasn't already in love with her, this would have done it.

"Come here, bud, lets take you back to bed." Hunter, who was clearly tired, wouldn't let go of Elizabeth.

"Jack, I can take him up. If it's okay with you?"

He smiled, "Of course." He leaned in kissing them both before she carried him back up the stairs.

Once out of sight, Thomas spoke to his son. "Seems like the real deal, son. I'm happy for you."

"I love her."

"And does she love you?" Charlotte asked.

"Yes." He looked back towards the stairs, knowing the two loves of his life were up there. "I want this. I want both of them."

"How is that going? Any update on Hunter?"

Jack took his seat again, fidgeting with the game pieces in front of him. "Nothing yet. I've asked Hunter's teachers, coach, and doctors for recommendations. Rosie too."

"Why not us?" Charlotte asked.

"I wanted to have a variety of sources. I didn't mean anything by it."

"Of course not, son," Thomas interjected. "We just want to help if we can."

"Thanks. Faith seems to think my chances are good. We'll have to see, though."

"We'll be praying!" Charlotte said, reaching her hand out to her son.

"Thanks Mom."

…..

Elizabeth came back down the stairs a little bit later, just as the Thorntons were getting ready to leave.

"Are you leaving? Sorry I took so long. I wanted to make sure he would stay asleep before I left him."

"Think nothing of it, Lizzie!"

"Mom, its Elizabeth."

Charlotte waved off her son's correction, making Elizabeth laugh.

They said their goodbyes, both parents making it clear that they looked forward to seeing her again soon.

Jack closed the door behind them and turned back to Elizabeth. Taking her hand, he led her over to the couch. They laid down, his arms around her, her head on his chest. Simply soaking in the other's presence. The fire in the fireplace in front of them was going strong, giving off a nice romantic glow.

"You were amazing tonight, hon. With Hunter."

"He's a wonderful boy, Jack."

"You acted like a mom tonight."

"You think?"

"Mhmm. It was beautiful."