Jack and Sawyer drove Elizabeth and Brennan to the airport Christmas Eve afternoon. It would be the first time in months that he had gone without seeing her for longer than a day, except for work reasons.
"You're coming back, right, Mrs. Campbell?" Sawyer asked from the back seat.
"Of course, sweetheart. We will be back Sunday night. Only two days." She reached back and touched his knee, smiling at him. "Ok?"
"Yeah."
Instead of letting them off at the curb where they would need to hurry, Jack pulled into a parking lot. Elizabeth hopped out and opened Brennan's door.
"Ready, baby?"
"I guess."
They walked around to the other side of the Land Rover. Jack smiled as the boys performed their secret handshake which involved a series of fist bumps and a high five with some other moves mixed in.
Elizabeth hugged Jack for a long minute, relishing the feelings of belonging and love that rushed between them. "Safe travels," he told her before kissing her briefly.
Then both boys hugged their opposite parent. Jack picked up Brennan. "Bye, Mr. Thornton."
"Bye, Bren. Have fun on the airplane."
"Its not a big deal," he said with a shrug.
"You know what is a big deal?"
"What?"
"That I'm going to miss you and your mom so much."
"You'll miss me?"
"Very much. I love you, bud."
"You love me?" Brennan's chin quivered and a tear rolled down his cheek. "I love you too."
"I'm so glad. Now have fun, ok?" Jack dried Brennan's cheek and set him down.
"Ok."
Elizabeth picked up Sawyer and held him tight, knowing how much the little boy needed her. "I love you, Sawyer. Don't forget." He nodded and hugged her neck tighter.
"Two days?"
"Two days." She kissed Jack once more, kissed the top of Sawyer's head, and then grabbed Brennan's hand and their suitcase. Then they were off.
"Dad?" Sawyer said as the watched them walk into the airport.
"Yeah, bud?"
"When are we gonna marry them?"
"Hopefully soon, bud. Hopefully soon. Let's go to Grandma and Grandpa's." Jack meant what he said. Seeing them leave, even for two days, tore at his heart. He loved Brennan and he was completely in love with Elizabeth, even though he needed to say the words. He wanted to take care of both of them. He was ready for a wife, ready to have a warm body next to him at night. He was ready for another son and hopefully more down the road. He just hoped Elizabeth was ready too.
….
Elizabeth sat at her childhood home kitchen table, sipping her coffee while Brennan and her Mom still slept.
She texted Jack, hoping he would be awake. "U awake?"
He called her a moment later. "Hi there."
"Jack. It's so good to hear your voice."
"I miss you, Elizabeth. What are you up to?"
"Drinking coffee, wishing I was home. Are you at your parents?"
"Yeah. We spent the night. You should see the size of the tree my Dad got. Its huge."
"You could send me a picture. Maybe of you and Sawyer too?"
"Ok, promise. I want one of you and Bren too."
"Ok."
"What time does your plane land tomorrow evening?"
"Six."
"Ok. We will be there."
"Beth?" Grace walked into the kitchen.
"Here, Mom. Hon, I have to go. Talk to you later." She hung up and went to start breakfast.
"Who were you talking to?"
"A friend from Portland."
"At 6:30?"
"Yep. I'm going to make eggs. Do you want some?"
"You know you should really learn to make more than eggs for breakfast. One day when you get married again, your husband may expect something different in the mornings."
"He doesn't care." She stopped moving, hoping her mom didn't realize what she had just divulged.
"Who doesn't care, dear?"
Shoot. Of course she heard. "I meant whoever I marry, if I choose to, won't care."
"Most men care."
"He won't, wouldn't." She sighed.
"Are you seeing someone, Beth?"
"Mom! Can I call Sawyer and Mr. Thornton? Its Christmas!"
"Who's Mr. Thornton, Brennan?" Grace asked.
"He's gonna be my new Daddy. And Sawyer is gonna be my brother. Isnt that great? So can I, Mom?"
She handed her phone to Brennan and braced herself.
"Hi, Mr. Thornton! Merry Christmas!"
Brennan climbed up on the couch in the living room and chatted with Jack.
"So, you're getting married? Why would you keep that from me?"
"I'm not. Mom, we just met in October. We aren't engaged. We've been on one date for heaven's sake."
"Brennan seems to think its serious."
"It is. But he hasn't proposed." Elizabeth poured herself another cup of coffee.
"Do you love him?"
"I do."
"How did you meet?"
"You actually want to know?"
"Yes."
"Sawyer and Brennan are in the same class. They wanted to have a sleepover, so Jack came into my store to introduce himself."
"He's not married?"
"His wife died about two and a half years ago."
"You have a lot in common."
"We do."
"What does he do?"
"He owns a security firm. T & C Security."
"That's a very reputable company. So he must do pretty well for himself."
"He does. Mom, I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I just didn't think it would matter to you."
"Beth, I've always said you needed to date again."
"Yes, but before, I wasn't ready and you made it clear how much of a disappointment I am. Moving away and all."
"Beth, I never said you were a disappointment."
"That's how it felt to me."
"I'm sorry that I made you feel that way, but I would like to meet him."
"Jack?"
"Yes, dear. If you're going to marry him one day, don't you think I should?"
….
Jack waved as Elizabeth and Brennan walked out of the airport. Brennan opened the door and climbed in and buckled himself. "Hi, bud! Welcome home."
"Hi, Mr. Thornton! Hi, Sawyer." He gave his best bud a fist bump.
Elizabeth put her suitcase in the back and then got in the passenger seat. "Hi, Jack." She kissed him softly and then reached back to touch Sawyer's knee. "Hi, sweetie."
"Hi. You came home."
"Yep. Just like I said."
Jack took her hand as they started driving. "Who's hungry? I figured we could get pizza and then go open presents."
"At my house?" Elizabeth asked.
"Yay! Pizza!" Brennan yelled from the back seat.
"Yes, I figured you'd want to be at home since you've been away."
"I do. That's where my gifts are anyway."
"Oh, Elizabeth, you didn't need to get us anything. Really. You and Brennan home is all I need."
"You are so sweet, Jack. I wanted to."
As soon as they walked in the door, Elizabeth grabbed a laundry basket and put her and Brennan's dirty clothes in it, making a mental note to go to the laundromat soon.
Jack stayed in the kitchen and contemplated what pizza to order. "Bren?"
"Yes?"
"What kind of pizza do you like?"
"Extra pepperoni! No onions. Yuck!"
"Ok. Do you know what your mom likes?"
"She just eats what I get."
"Got it. Thanks, bud."
He ordered two pizzas and cheesy bread along with a Caesar salad. It would be about thirty minutes, they said.
He started a pot of coffee. "Making yourself at home?" Elizabeth asked with a laugh.
"Is that ok? I'm sorry…"
"I'm joking." She kissed his cheek. When she pulled back she blushed.
"You're so beautiful."
"In my sweats and ponytail? Hardly."
"Trust me." He checked over his shoulder. The boys were playing with Legos so he turned back around and stepped close to her. "I missed you."
"I missed you too."
He leaned down and kissed her, slowly and deeply, loving her so much his heart hurt. "I love you, Elizabeth."
"I love you too, Jack." She sighed into his neck as she wrapped her arms tightly around his back. "My mom wants to meet you."
"I'm glad you told her."
"Well, actually Bren did."
"It sounds like it went well if she wants to meet me."
"I guess. I told her a bit about you and she's impressed."
"With me? Why?"
"You're successful. She won't need to worry about Bren and me anymore."
"She doesn't need to worry about you now."
"She thinks I made a bad choice, Jack, moving here, opening the store. She hounded me every single time I called her about finding a new husband, or at least a boyfriend. It got old."
"Do you think you made a bad choice?"
"No."
"Are you sure?"
"I mean, like I told you before, I thought a few months in that I might have to close. I do wish things were different. I wish things were easier, but life's not easy sometimes and wishing doesn't change circumstances."
"Elizabeth? What happened to your dad? We've never talked about it."
"Heart attack. About ten years ago. I was eighteen, off at college when I got the phone call. He had collapsed at work and died there. I didn't get a chance to say goodbye."
"I'm sorry." He held her tighter, listening.
"She took it very hard, of course. I totally understand that. I didn't get to say goodbye to Tyler either."
"So you have something in common with her, though very sad." The buzzer sounded at the door. "I'll get it."
He walked in a few moments later with the pizza and salad. "Who's hungry?"
….
Elizabeth thought about their conversation through dinner. Maybe her mom wanted her to find someone because she never had?
"Can we open presents now?" Brennan asked.
"Once the food is put away and the table is clean, yes," she told him.
He got up and threw his and Sawyer's paper plates in the trash and then went over and hugged Jack. "Thank you for pizza, Mr. Thornton. It was so good!"
"You're welcome, Bren."
About five minutes later, they were sitting in the living room on the couch and chair.
"You want to give your gift first, Sawyer?" Elizabeth asked, figuring the gift was for Brennan. He stood and walked over to her though. "For me?" He nodded and stood at her knee, watching.
"Its from me and Bren," he said proudly.
She opened the small box and smiled. It was a key chain, shaped like a heart, with a picture of him and Brennan.
"It says something on the back," he told her.
She flipped it over. "You're in our heart." She started crying and that concerned him.
"You don't like it? We thought you would. I'm sorry."
"No, honey, come here. You too, Brennan." She pulled them both on her lap and held them. "This is wonderful. I love it so much! I love both of you."
"Why were you crying?" Sawyer wondered.
"Because I'm happy."
"You cry because you're happy? That doesn't make sense."
"No, I suppose it doesn't." She laughed and kissed both of their foreheads.
Jack took a picture of the scene on the couch. These boys and Elizabeth were so important to him. The love they felt for her and her for them, made his own heart happier than he thought possible.
"I have something for you, Sawyer," she announced, handing him a box. She was a little nervous because she hadn't spent a lot of money but it came from her heart.
"Thank you." He opened the box and smiled. "New pajamas! Dad, these are so cool! They have Dash on them, from The Incredibles!" He hugged her and kissed her cheek. "Thank you. I'm going to go put them on."
"Before you do, there's something else in there, I think."
He looked down in the box. He picked up a picture frame. "That's you and me and Brennan. I remember that. It's when I stayed the night here."
"That's right." She had taken a selfie of the three of them as they were reading a story before bed. It was cute, she had to admit.
"Thank you, Mrs. Campbell. I'm going to put it next to my bed when I get home."
"You're welcome, sweetie. You can call me Elizabeth, if you want."
"Thank you, Elizabeth." He ran into the bathroom to change.
Jack's gifts were next. He handed a box to Brennan and then a small black box to Elizabeth. She immediately got nervous. The little black box looked suspiciously like a ring box.
Sawyer ran out in his Pjs and sat next to Elizabeth on the couch.
Brennan opened his and smiled at the books. "I don't have these yet! They're my favorite! Thank you, Mr. Thornton."
"Why don't you call me Jack?"
He got up and hugged Jack. "Thank you, Jack." He got a sad look on his face. "I don't have a present for you."
"Yes you do. You are my present, Bren. You are exactly what I need." He pulled him up on his lap and held him. His heart was full.
"Open your present, Mom," Brennan said with a smile.
"Yeah! We wanna see," Sawyer chimed in.
She looked at Jack who nodded with a big dimple filled grin on his face.
She popped open the little black box and her breath left her. It was the most delicate and beautiful necklace she had ever seen. It was a silver chain with a rose gold heart inside a silver heart. It was tiny but so full of meaning. Jack walked over and sat beside her. "You like it?"
She cupped his face with her hands and kissed him three times. "I love it. I love you, Jack. Thank you."
He took the necklace out of the box and gestured for her to turn so he could fasten it. "There. Perfect." The boys climbed up on their laps and they spent the next hour together. As a family.