"Elizabeth, wake up." He nudged her gently. She had snuck into his room, past her parents room, and they had fallen asleep. "Honey?"
She smiled and moved closer. "Five more minutes," she mumbled.
"We fell asleep."
"Mmhmm." She wrapped her arm over his waist and kissed his neck.
After she snuck in the night before, they had nailed down a lot more wedding details. Then they decided they would tell her family the wedding date as soon as possible so they could plan. It was going to be family only, but including Pete and Clara. Julie and Tom would be maid of honor and best man and Elisa would be flower girl.
A knock sounded at the door. "Shoot!" Jack exclaimed, slipping out of bed. "Who is it?"
"William. Is my daughter in there?!" Jack opened the door.
"Yes sir. I swear, we just fell asleep."
Elizabeth showed up behind Jack. "Dad, I'm right here. What did you need?"
"I figured you would do this, Beth."
"Do what?" she asked with a sigh.
"Break the rules. Sleeping with your boyfriend in my house…"
"Fiancé, and we fell asleep. We didn't sleep together in the way you imply. I didn't do anything wrong. He's going to be my husband."
"Beth.."
"Dad, you've always trusted me. What's changed?"
He looked at Jack. "Everything."
William walked away and shut his own door.
WILLIAM AND GRACE'S ROOM
William sat down on the edge of the bed with a sigh. "What's wrong, Will?"
"She slept with him. In this house."
Grace sat up and touched his shoulder. "Slept with as in made love, or just stayed in his room?"
"It doesn't matter."
"Of course it does. We both know she made a vow with us and herself to not have sex before marriage."
"Yes, but that was before she met the rancher."
"His name is Jack and they love each other." She snuggled up to his back, her chin on his shoulder. "He's a good man, Will. She's happy. Don't you want her happy?"
Of course he did. He thought back to the look in her eyes in the kitchen. "She looked just like you did."
"What do you mean?"
"When we first fell in love, you looked at me a certain way."
Grace looked into his gorgeous blue eyes that she loved so much. "What way?"
"That way. Like I was the most important person in your universe."
"You are, my love."
He kissed her softly. "When did she grow up? She grew up and left home and followed her own path, not caring at all what I want."
"Honestly, she's always wanted to please you but you never really gave her any indication that you approved of her choices."
"I wanted so much for her but she didn't want this life."
"You're right. She's her own woman and has her own mind. That's one of the reasons Jack loves her. He loves that she is strong and independent. Apparently his mother is just like that." Grace looked in his eyes again. "Will, make sure you don't push her away so hard that she never comes back. Show her you love her and approve of her choices."
There was the issue. He didn't know if he did approve.
JACK'S ROOM
Elizabeth told him not to worry. She said he would come around and realize it wasn't a big deal that she had slept in his room. He doubted it. The look on Williams face showed disappointment and annoyance that he wasn't who he wanted for his daughter. Starting a marriage with a father-in-law that didn't like him wasn't what he wanted. He would have to try harder.
The rest of the trip, Jack made sure not to have much physical contact with Elizabeth in front of her father. He talked to him about his work and tried to find more common ground than just that they both lost their father's. It wasn't easy though. They were so different.
Finally on the last day of the trip Jack saw a guitar case in William's study. He didn't know how he had missed it before.
"Sir, do you play guitar?"
"It's been many years, but I play some."
"May I?" Jack gestured to the guitar case.
"Sure." He carried it gently to the couch and opened it.
"Mr. Thatcher! This has got to be the most beautiful thing I've ever seen."
"Aside from me?" Elizabeth said from the doorway.
"That's a given, sweetie. You aren't a thing anyways."
"Good answer."
Jack gently strummed the strings and then took his time tuning it. Elizabeth sat next to him and watched. She had no idea he knew how to play. She'd always wanted to learn.
Jack started playing Eric Clapton's "Wonderful Tonight," singing softly, staring into her eyes.
"It's late in the evening; she's wondering what clothes to wear
She puts on her make-up and brushes her long blonde hair
And then she asks me, Do I look all right?
And I say, "Yes, you look wonderful tonight
We go to a party and everyone turns to see
This beautiful lady that's walking around with me
And then she asks me, Do you feel all right?
And I say, "Yes, I feel wonderful tonight"
I feel wonderful because I see
The love light in your eyes
And the wonder of it all
Is that you just don't realize how much I love you
It's time to go home now and I've got an aching head
So I give her the car keys and she helps me to bed
And then I tell her, as I turn out the light
I say, "My darling, you were wonderful tonight
Oh my darling, you were wonderful tonight"
William watched Jack sing to Elizabeth. Every word, every chord, conveying how deeply he loved her. He was in his own house, but he felt like an intruder.
Elizabeth could hardly keep from jumping into Jack's arms. She had never felt so loved and cherished in her whole life.
"You're quite talented, son," William told him.
Jack heard the term "son" and smiled. "Thank you, sir." Elizabeth smiled and wiped away a tear. She leaned forward and kissed him gently.
"That was amazing, honey." He smiled, winking at her.
"You're amazing." He took the guitar and placed it back in its case and then took her hand. "Mr. Thatcher, you're daughter is the most giving, kind, loving woman I have ever known. Did she tell you about her big project at school?"
"Jack, you don't need to tell him." She figured it was a waste of time. He wouldn't care.
"Of course I do. There is a six year old girl named Haven in her class. Her family has been having a hard time and Elizabeth noticed she didn't have a coat and her clothes were holey and she never brought a lunch."
"Jack, it's not something Dad will care about. Please stop."
"Beth, let him continue. He thinks it's important that I know."
"Elizabeth not only bought her the things she needed right then with her own money, but she came up with a project that would ensure no other child in our school would be hungry during the day or cold."
"How did you do that, Beth?"
Elizabeth looked up and blushed. "It's not a big deal."
"Sweetheart, it is a big deal," Jack told her. "I am so proud of you. You should be proud of yourself."
"Beth, I'd like to hear what you came up with."
Elizabeth stared at her father for a moment. "It's called Help Me, Jack came up with that. If a parent doesn't have money or food for lunch or a snack for their child, the child just needs to tell the ladies in the cafeteria and they'll give her or him a card to swipe that already has funds to purchase food. When the money runs out, they just add more funds to it. Also, if a child needs clothing of any sort, they show their food card to the person in charge of the clothing room and they can pick out whatever they need."
"Interesting. Who funds the program?"
"We had a clothing drive and we asked for donations to help with the cost."
"Did you find enough willing to donate?"
"We found enough for another few months. We had no idea how many children were in need of these services and there are quite a few. We will need to get the word out that we need more donations."
William stood up and walked over to his desk. He sat down and proceeded to write out a check. "Do I make it out to Hunter Creek School District?"
"What? Dad, I wasn't asking for help."
He signed the check and handed it to her. "I know you weren't asking me to help. I know it's important to you that you do things on your own, but I want to contribute." He pulled her to her feet and put his hands on her shoulders. "Bethie, I'm so proud of you. This is wonderful what you are doing to help those children." A sob escaped from her throat as tears started flowing. He pulled her into his arms and held her. "I'm sorry for not being a good father but I love you and I will try hard to do better."
He had never said he was proud of her before and she couldn't remember the last time he held her in his strong, fatherly arms. "I love you, Dad." He held her tighter, resting his cheek on her head.
Jack watched, struggling to keep his own emotions in check. Finally Elizabeth and her Dad were able to verbalize what they felt. Jack knew that if William heard what an amazing idea Elizabeth had come up with, he would be proud. How could he not be?
Jack got up to quietly leave but William stopped him. "Jack, come here." He opened his arms to include him in their hug. Jack walked over and accepted it. "Jack, welcome to the family, son. I can see how much you love my daughter and that you make her happy. That's all I want for her."
"Thank you, sir."
"Call me William." Jack nodded and felt a great weight lift off his shoulders.
A FEW HOURS LATER
Jack, Elizabeth, and Julie were on their way to the airport. They had a family meeting before they left the house, letting everyone know about their wedding plans. Grace tried to talk them into inviting more people but Elizabeth insisted on the small, romantic, intimate wedding she had always dreamed of. March 5th, in Aruba, on a beach, at sunset was what she wanted. William insisted on paying for the wedding. "You are my daughter and it's my duty to pay for your wedding. No exceptions."
Viola had eloped with Lionel so she figured she owed it to her father to allow it. Jack agreed, suggesting that Elizabeth be allowed to coordinate everything so it could be exactly what she wanted. William gave her a signed blank check, telling her to deposit the amount she needed and if she needed more, he would wire it.
The three of them boarded the private jet and got settled. Elizabeth looked at Jack and smiled. "What?"
"I love you so much."
"The feeling is mutual, sweetheart."
After they were able take off their seatbelts, they moved to the bench seat. "I found a villa we can rent for a couple weeks in Aruba for our honeymoon," she told him. "What do you think?" She handed him her phone.
"Looks great. Oh! There's a hot tub," he said with a grin.
"I saw that. Just so you know, the villa is about five miles from where the resort is that everyone else will be staying and where the wedding will be." She leaned her head on his shoulder.
"That's good. We need our privacy."
"The villa has two bedrooms, a bathroom with a Jacuzzi tub, a private infinity pool, a full kitchen, a king size feather bed…"
He stopped her with a long slow kiss. "Is it March yet?"
Julie tried not to pay attention to the lovebirds on the bench seat but it was hard. It made her miss Tom so much. She pulled out her phone and texted him. "Hey, babe."
A long few minutes later her phone vibrated. "Hi!"
"I miss u."
"I miss U too. Are you on your way?"
"Yeah. I'll be back in Hunter Creek in a couple hours."
"Me too. I'll be at your apartment waiting."
Julie's heart skipped a beat. "You will?"
"Yeah. I need 2 see u."
"I can't wait."
When they landed, they walked to the reserved parking lot where Elizabeth's BMW had been for the last ten days. The doors were frozen shut but Jack was able to get the passenger door open and then kick the other two open from the inside.
Elizabeth shivered as she got in the cold vehicle. She started it and immediately turned on her seat warmers and the steering wheel warmer. "At least our butts will be warm soon."
Jack leaned over and kissed her. "I'll keep your lips warm."
"Mmm. Ok, sounds great."
"Really guys?" Julie said from the back seat. "I'm happy for the two of you and all but can we please just go home? I want to see the man I love and do some kissing of my own."
"Sorry, Jules." Elizabeth smiled, kissed Jack once more, and put her seat belt on.
The relatively short drive to the girls apartment seemed to take forever to Julie. She hadn't realized it but Hunter Creek was home and Tom and Elisa were firmly fixed in her heart. She didn't need Madison or big houses or fancy food. She needed them.
"Jules? You ok?"
"Sure." Julie wiped a tear from her cheek.
"You don't cry. What's going on?"
"I just realized something very important and I need to tell Tom."
"You love him," Elizabeth said with conviction. She grabbed Jack's hand and squeezed.
"Yes, I do. Very much. Can't you go faster?"
"No, the roads are icy. We'll be there in about five minutes."
Julie took a few deep breaths and prepared herself to jump out as soon as the SUV stopped. Five minutes later, she did just that.
Julie walked across the snow covered yard and up the back steps to their apartment. She opened the door. "Tom? Are you here?"
"Hi, Jules, I'm here." He walked into the room and gathered her in his arms. She pulled back slightly, just enough to kiss him breathless. He tightened his hold and kissed her back.
After a moment she sighed and put her head on his shoulder. "I love you, Tom. I missed you so much."
"I love you too."
"Julie!" Elisa ran in the room. "You're home!" Julie let go of Tom for a moment and picked Elisa up.
"Hi, honey. It's so good to see you." She hugged the little girl tightly and smiled. Yes, she was home.
OUTSIDE
Elizabeth stood, her back against Jack's truck, and Jack's arms firmly around her. "We could have stayed in my car. It's so cold out here," she mumbled as he again brought his lips down on hers. She honestly didn't feel much cold. Jack warmed her from the inside out.
When he forced himself to back away a bit, he smiled. "Tomorrow night, Elizabeth. It's New Years Eve."
"Right! What did you want to do?"
"Will you come over for dinner? I'll cook."
"Just us?"
"Yeah, I'll send my Mom to Monte's."
"Deal. I'll bring wine and dessert."
He nodded and then kissed her one more time. "I need to go home. I'll see you in the morning at The Bean?"
"I'll be there." She pulled him back as he walked away. "63 days, babe."
"That's soon."
"Yeah. I love you." She kissed him again and then let him go, missing him the moment he got in his truck. She was amazed at the strength and power of their love.
He rolled down his window. "Elizabeth, I love you too." He smiled, his deep dimples popping, and drove away.
Elizabeth grabbed her suitcase and headed inside to unpack.
THORNTON ACRES
Harvey greeted Jack as he pulled up to the house, barking and jumping. "Hi, buddy! I missed you!" Jack squatted and rubbed the dogs ears, allowing a rare lick to the face. "Let's go inside. You hungry?" Harvey barked, happily running ahead of Jack to the door.
Jack opened the door and set his suitcase just inside. "Mom? You here?"
"Jack?" Charlotte walked down the stairs and straight into his arms. "Hi, son! Did she say yes?"
"Yes! March 5th."
"Ok, so a little over a year. That should give her enough time to plan. "
"Actually, this March 5th."
"What? Jack Thornton! Did you get her pregnant?" She smacked his arm for emphasis.
"What? No, of course not. We just don't want to wait."
"A winter wedding. Hmm."
"In Aruba, on the beach, at sunset," he told her.
"Oh, that will be amazing." Monte walked down the stairs and stood behind Charlotte as if he lived there.
Jack raised his eyebrows at his Mom and then at Monte. "So…anything you two want to tell me?"
"Not really," Charlotte said and then walked away.
"Ma, hang on. I'm an adult. I can take what ever you tell me."
"I'm not sure about that, Jack."
"It's not like you two got married or anything."
"Of course not." Monte had yet to say a word. He just stood next to Charlotte. "We are sort of living together."
"Living together? Like, together, together?"
"Well, yeah. We've been staying here but now that you're back, I'll be moving in with Monte and Miles at their house."
"Well, that'll make things easier for when Elizabeth and I get married."
"Easier?"
"Yes, I'm pretty sure you remember what it's like to be newlyweds and how you wouldn't want to be living with anyone else, especially a parent." Charlotte and Monte gazed at each other, making Jack uncomfortable. "Yeah, so I can see you do know what I mean. I'm going to go unpack." As he walked off he yelled back, "By the way, can you two make yourselves scarce tomorrow night? Elizabeth's coming over."
THE NEXT MORNING, THE BEAN
"So they're living together. My mother and Monte. Never saw that one coming."
"That's nice for her."
"I guess I didn't realize my mother liked him so much."
"I'm pretty sure she more than likes him, honey."
"Yeah, maybe." Elizabeth grabbed his hand.
"Jack, are you ok?" He nodded.
Clara walked over with their order. "Hi guys! Welcome home. How was your trip?"
Elizabeth smiled at Jack. "It was great!" She held out her left hand toward Clara, letting the sparkle of the diamonds catch Clara's eye.
"Oh my gosh! That is gorgeous. Congratulations!" She reached over the table and hugged both of them.
"Thank you."
"So have you set a date?"
"Yes, March 5th."
"As in, two months from now?"
"Yeah. We want you and Pete to come. It's in Aruba."
Clara's expression fell. "Oh. Well, I'm not sure if we can afford that right now. Pete just got laid off and I'm pregnant so we need to save as much money as possible right now."
"I'm so sorry about Pete's job, Clara," Jack told her. "Congratulations on the baby, though."
Clara's eyes filled with tears. "I wish we could be there." She walked away, sniffling as she went.