Chapter 87

"Adam!...Adam!...It's time to wake up! Adam! You need to wake up!"

"Charlie…what are you doing?"

"You need to wake up!"

"Charlie, do you know what time it is?"

"Yes, I do. Now, it's time to wake up."

Adam smiled at his precious wife even though he hasn't opened his eyes yet.

"What's that smile for young man?"

"I was thinking…since it's early, maybe we can do what we did yesterday?"

"What did we do yesterday?" She playfully teased. "Do you mean the hike? Or the fly fishing in the Yellowstone River? Oh, or cooking out and we saw the pack of wolves way off in the distance?"

"Well, all of that does sound nice, but I wasn't thinking about all of that. I was thinking about what we did when we woke up yesterday morning."

"Oh..." she smiled.

"Or what we did on the deck after we ate?"

"Yeah…that was nice."

"So, which one?" He flirted.

"I was talking about getting the news conference on the computer."

"Charlie, it's not for another three hours. We have plenty of time."

"But you need to make sure the hotspot works, and that computer works too."

He smiled at her impatience. He loved that woman. Even when she was being a little too impatient.

"I'll make you a deal."

"I'm listening." She smirked pretty sure what his deal consisted of and being completely ok with it.

"First, while I make sure we can get the news conference working, you can make us a small breakfast."

"Deal."

"Hold on…I wasn't finished. That's why I said first."

She playfully rolled her eyes. "Go on."

"Secondly, we eat on the back deck."

"Deal."

"Patience, Charlie. Patience." He smirked.

"Adam!" She squealed.

He laughed at her angry teacher face. When she realized it didn't work on him, she remembered how frustrated Elizabeth was when she realized her angry teacher face didn't work on Jack. So, that's how she feels. She thought to herself.

"After we eat breakfast, we visit the hot tub."

"And…?" She waited.

When she saw his smile, she agreed. "Deal."

His heart almost stopped when he opened his eyes and saw the smile on her face.

"Let's go woman." He said jumping out of the bed.

…

Jack woke up feeling Elizbeth's hair on his neck. He loved that feeling. He tilted his head towards her so he could see her. He smiled at the huge smile on her face.

"Good morning, beautiful. What's with the ridiculously large smile so early in the morning?"

She reached up and placed her left hand on his cheek. She rubbed her thumb over his stubbled cheek. "Jack, I am so proud of you."

"Thank you, Het Mamma, that means a lot coming from you."

"Jack…"

"Swedish."

She melted. His nicknames for her meant everything to her. First it was 'beautiful' in different languages. Now, it's 'hot mother'. That simple act meant so much to her.

"Jack, you have earned this."

"Elizabeth, I am here because of you."

"Jack, you earned this long before I knew you."

"Elizabeth, I am where I am because of you. We are a team."

"Me and you." She smiled.

"Me and you." He matched her smile

"When do you need to be at the station?"

"The news conference is at eleven. Lunch to honor Bill begins at noon. I need to be there by nine."

"So," she said seductively. "What would you like to do for the next hour and a half?"

His smile almost took her breath. Jack scooted closer and before she knew it, he was nibbling her neck and moving toward her spot just under her ear.

"Thomas Jack Thorton…if you do that you may be late." She giggled as he took her ear into his mouth.

"I'm the chief, it's ok if I'm late."

"You're not the chief yet." She giggled as Jack playfully bit down on her ear.

…

"I think I'll call mom to see if they have the computer working."

"Don't you dare call you mother on her honeymoon."

"Why not?"

"Tom…it's her honeymoon and there is no telling what Adam and your mom is…"

"Stop!" He stated firmly. "Julie, if you love me, please do not finish that thought." Tom started making weird sounds so he couldn't hear his wife's words.

"Well, since we have a little bit of time." She flirted.

"Julie, sweetheart. You can't say that about my mother and then say something like that." He was shaking his head. "Now, what do you want me to make you for breakfast." He asked as he threw the covers back and stood to stretch.

…

"Mom, are you ready?" Samuel stated as he walked into his mother's room.

"Samuel, what are you doing up this early?"

"Mom, today is when my partner is being sworn in as the new police chief. I have to be there." Since Jack called him partner when Jack helped him the night his dad tried to kidnap him, Samuel always referred to Jack as his partner.

Amanda rolled her eyes. "Son, we have plenty of time to be there."

"But mom…"

"Samuel!" She shook her head. "Let's eat breakfast and then we will get ready. We have plenty of time. I promise we will not be late."

"As long as you promise me we won't be late."

"I promise."

…

Bill sat at his picnic table sipping on a cup of coffee. He looked up when Amy walked out of the door.

"Do you need me?" He asked.

"No, sir. I was just wanting to check to see if you need anything?"

"No, Amy. I'm good. Would you mind taking a seat with me for a few minutes?"

She sat down beside him and took a sip of her coffee.

After a few moments, he spoke.

"Amy, I want to take a moment to thank you for everything you have done for me. You have served the town of Hope Valley very well and you have been a great help to me. I couldn't have done any of this without you."

"Thank you, Chief."

"It's just Bill."

"Bill, you have done a great job for our town. You have made a difference in the lives of so many of our residents. Thank you for allowing me to play a small part of it."

"Amy, you played a huge part of everything."

"Thank you for saying that."

"I know you are moving to be with your family. I have a small gift for you."

"Bill, you didn't have to do that."

"I did."

Amy accepted the envelope Bill offered her. She gave him a smile and she had a small tear in her eye. She has greatly enjoyed her job and working with Bill. When she opened the envelope, she gasped at the contents. There was a check for ten thousand dollars. There was also two open ended airline ticket to London.

"Bill…you shouldn't have done this."

"Amy, you have been a godsent for me and for Hope Valley. We are all better off because of you. You have done so much for all of us. This is a very small token of our gratefulness. Hope Valley gave you the monetary gift and the two tickets are from me. You have earned this."

"Bill…it's too much."

"No, Amy. It isn't enough."

"I have always wanted to go to London."

"I know. I remembered. I hope you will enjoy yourself."

They sat silently for a little while just soaking in the last few moments of the job.

"It has been a great ride, hasn't it?" Amy stated.

"It has. I wouldn't change any of it."

"Me either."

"Have you told Emma about calling ahead to Elizabeth when Jack is having a bad day?"

"Yes…Wait! You know about that?"

"Amy, I have known about it for years."

"Oh, I thought I was being secretive."

"No, you weren't. Amy, thank you for everything you have done for me."

He reached over and squeezed her hand for a moment. She gave him a bright smile.

"I must get going. Emma will be here soon, and I am handing everything over to her this morning."

Bill nodded. "I'll be here for a few more minutes if you need anything."

"I know where to find you." She stated with a smile.

…

Amy walked through the door and saw Emma sitting at her desk. When Emma looked up, they smiled at each other. Amy walked toward her desk and gave her a brief hug.

"Emma, would you please come with me?"

"Sure, Amy. What can I do for you?"

"Nothing. This is something for you."

"For me?"

Amy nodded her head. She took Emma's arm and escorted her down the hallway. They have grown close over the course of Amy teaching Emma the job. They spend a lot of time together. Amy wasn't only showing her the job, but behind the scenes stuff too. What to avoid and who to work with. Many of their talks were little nuggets of important information that will be beneficial for Emma moving forward in this new position. Emma was grateful for all the help Amy was giving. She knew Amy was setting the transition up for success.

Amy led Emma into her office. Emma stopped in the doorway and looked around the office. "Oh, Amy. What did you do?"

"This is your office now. You are the assistant to the chief. You needed to be next door to him."

"Amy, how did you know this is my favorite color?"

"You can thank your husband for all of this. Steve decorated it."

She looked around the office. She noticed a couple of prints from her favorite artist and one print of her favorite painting. The room was painted in her favorite color. The desk was new and absolutely gorgeous. Everything in the room was new and was perfectly Emma. Steve did a great job of decorating it.

"Oh, Amy. This is perfect."

"Your husband did a great job. He picked everything out."

Emma smiled. She was a little overwhelmed at this great gift. She just kept looking around the room. Each time she looked, she noticed something different. She was admiring the office. She didn't notice that Amy left the room.

When Emma sat down at her desk, she noticed three envelopes with her name on it sitting on her desk. She opened the first envelope and pulled out a hand written letter.

My Sweetest Emma –

I am so proud of you. You will do such a great job for Jack and for the town of Hope Valley. They both are so lucky to have you working with them. However, I am the luckiest person on the planet. I have you as my wife.

I am proud of you.

I love you.

Love,

Steven

Emma wiped a couple of tears from her cheeks. She loved her husband and loved his letter. After reading it for the second time, she placed it back in the envelope and then placed it in her middle drawer. The letter will forever stay in her special drawer.

Emma picked up her second envelope. She knew it was in Amy's handwriting.

Emma –

You will do a great job for Jack and for the town. You have already learned everything about this job and are already making it your own. You will do so well. I only have two things I would like to remind you.

First, your responsibility is Jack. When you take care of him, you will be taking care of Hope Valley. There will be times you will have to stand up to Jack for the betterment for him. Don't be afraid to take that punch. He will need that from time to time.

Secondly, don't allow this job to take away your life. You can become so consumed with this job that you will forget to live your life. It is possible to be good at your life and good at this job.

You will do great!

Your Friend,

Amy

She smiled at her friend's kind words. She had to wipe a few more tears away.

As she picked up the third letter, she noticed her name was written in Jack's hand writing. She carefully opened the envelope and pulled out the paper.

Boss Lady –

I look forward to working with you to benefit the town of Hope Valley. I am so lucky you accepted this position. You will make this job immeasurably easier. Thank you for everything you will do for me.

Now, let's get to work!

Forever Grateful,

Jack

…

Jack smiled at his wife as she rushed around the bedroom trying to finish dressing. She was on her third outfit and her second hair style. Jack thought maybe she was the one getting in front of the news reporters today.

"Elizabeth Marie Thorton! We really need to get going. I can't be late on my first day of being chief."

"I'm coming."

"No sweetheart. You are not. The car is parked in the other direction."

She turned and gave him a look. She knew she was being a little ridiculous about her appearance, but she wanted to look good for her husband today. Her expanding belly was making that difficult in her eyes.

Jack walked up to his wife and placed his hands on her hips. "Beautiful, you look gorgeous. I can't wait to have you standing beside me today. You will make the pictures so much better." She smiled at his attempt to make her feel better and to get her out the door. "You'll be up there the entire time…right?"

She gave him a smile. She knew she was his strength. "Yes, husband. I will be up there the entire time standing right beside you."

The smile Jack gave her expressed all of his gratefulness and love he had for her. "Thank you."

…

Jack and Elizabeth walked into the station hand in hand. "Jack, before you get too busy, may I show you something?"

"Sure."

"Follow me." She stated. She was so excited about showing Jack his new office. She was excited how it turned out. She only hoped he would like her sketch and the office.

She stopped in front of his office. "Jack, please place your hands over your eyes."

"Elizabeth, why are we outside of Bill's office?"

"Well, it's your office now. So, cover your eyes. I want it to be a surprise."

He huffed and did as he was told.

"Are you peeking?"

"No."

"The last time you were supposed to cover your eyes, you peeked before you were supposed too." She sassed.

"If I remember correctly, so did you. And how could I not? I knew you were standing in front of me in your wedding dress."

She simply shook her head and chuckled at her husband. "Now, no looking until I say so…got it?"

"Yes Mrs. Thorton."

Elizabeth slowly opened the door and escorted Jack to the middle of the office. Her smile only grew at seeing the finished product.

"Ok. Now you can look."

Her smile only grew watching Jack take in the office. "Oh, Elizabeth…this is absolutely beautiful. This is my office?"

"Yes. I hope you like it."

"Wow!" Was all he could say.

The paint was a beautiful color of yellow. One wall was a blue that made Jack think of Elizabeth's eyes. There were several pictures of nature and streams on the walls, but it was the sketch that was on the wall behind his desk that caught his attention. Jack released Elizabeth's hand and walked over to the sketch. He slowly ran his fingers over the glass admiring the sketch. Elizabeth was becoming concerned by his silence that he didn't like it.

"What do you think?" She finally asked with a bit of uncertainty in her voice.

Without taking his eyes off the sketch, he stated. "I love it. Elizabeth, you did such a good job on this."

"I hope you like it?"

"Elizabeth. I love it. That was a perfect morning, even though you were a little grumpy." He laughed at the memory of her attitude that day. He almost turned them around before they even reached the outlook. "That day you agreed to marry me and made me the happiest guy in the world."

Elizabeth's smile grew when she realized he was happy. When Jack turned, he noticed the pictures on his desk. There was one with just Elizabeth. She had a big smile on her face when they were in the restaurant in Hawaii. Her smile was radiant. There were a few others with just Elizabeth and then with Elizabeth and him. He stopped when his eyes landed on the picture in the middle.

Jack's eyes immediately began to water, and a tear fell from his left eye. He reached down and picked up the double frame. On one side was him and Elizabeth. They were sitting on their bench in the park. It was a selfie she had taken when they were dating, and their smile was priceless. On the other side of the frame was an ultrasound picture of Ig and Iggy. Jack ran his finger over the pictures thankful for all the blessings in his life.

"Elizabeth…" He tried to speak but he just couldn't form the words.

Elizabeth walked up to him and wrapped her arm around him. She gave him a smile. "Jack, I hope you love your office."

He gave her a smile and tightened his hold on her. "Elizabeth, thank you for this gift. It is perfect. I wouldn't change a thing."

"You're welcome, Jack."

"Elizabeth…"

"Jack." She stated looking deep into his eyes. "I know babe. I know." They spend a few moments looking in each other's eyes. Their wordless conversation flowed easily. Both of them were so grateful for this type of communication. They were able to read each other when they didn't have the words to speak. Their eyes told the entire story.

"Elizabeth, please show me what you did here."

Elizabeth spent the next ten minutes explaining the pictures and the colors she had chosen. She showed him his new desk and chair. Jack was taking everything in the moment.

"Uhmm…excuse me…" Started Emma as she walked into Jack's office.

While they broke the kiss, they didn't release their hold on each other. Elizabeth sighed as Jack turned his head toward Emma. "Yes, Boss Lady."

"I'm sorry to interrupt you two." She said embarrassed.

"I'm sorry." Stated Elizabeth.

Emma smiled at the couple. "No worries. I would be a little disappointed if I didn't catch you two every once in a while." She sassed.

"What may we do for you?" Asked Jack.

"Jack, your mother is on line one. She wanted to say hello. Secondly, Lee and his wife is in the lobby. He wanted you to meet his wife."

"Let me talk to my mom first, then would you please bring them in?"

"Perfect. Oh, Elizabeth. Here is a bottled water for you." She handed the water to Elizabeth and offered her a smile.

"I'll let you go so you can talk to your mother."

"Elizabeth, please stay."

"Are you sure?"

"Elizabeth, I need you to understand something." He paused to make sure he had her full attention. "You belong here…with me…beside me. We are one."

She gave him a smile and touched the speaker button on his desk phone.

"Hey ma."

"Hey mom."

They stated together.

"Hey kids. I hope you are doing well this morning, Elizabeth?"

"I'm good mom. How are you? Having a good honeymoon?"

"The best and we are doing well. Adam is making us breakfast. Then we are getting in the hot tub."

"Ma!" Shouted Jack. "Please don't finish that statement."

"Jack, quit being so dramatic."

"Ma!"

Elizabeth giggled. "Jack, your mother is still young and she just got married. What do you expect from them?"

"Oh, really?" He smirked at her. "So, how often do your mother and father have intimate time?"

"Jack!" Elizabeth squealed.

He just smirked at her. "See…"

"Enough you two. It's hard to believe you two aren't twelve." Charlette stated in a mother's tone.

"I just called to say that I love you Jack and I am very proud of you."

"Me too." Adam stated as he sat their plates down on the table on the back porch.

"Thank you."

"We will be watching the press conference on the computer. Adam already has it set."

"Thanks Ma."

"I wouldn't miss it. I'm sorry I won't be there."

"It's fine Ma. You are on your honeymoon. It's ok."

"I just wanted to tell you how proud of you I am. You are a good man, Jack Thorton. I hope you enjoy your day."

"Thank you Ma."

"Elizabeth, now you have a great day too. You take care of my precious grandbabies, you hear?"

"I will mom. Thank you. Now, you need to go. I bet there is something you two have planned today." Sassed Elizabeth.

"Elizabeth!" Exclaimed Jack. "Don't say that!"

Both ladies laughed at Jack's embarrassment.

…

"Detective Coulter, Chief Thorton will be with you in a moment. He is returning a call."

"Thank you, Emma. Also, I wanted to thank you for making this transition so easy for Rosemary and I. You have been very helpful."

"You're welcome, Detective. Anything for the town of Hope Valley."

Lee understood why Jack hired this woman. She was on top of everything. She knew what she was doing, and she did it well.

"Good morning, Lee." Called out Jack as he walked toward him.

Lee and his wife, Rosemary began walking toward Jack.

"Good morning, Chief. Are you ready for the circus today?"

"It's already getting a little bit busy. Bill did help a lot of people so I guess that is understandable."

"I think some of this is for you."

"I don't think so, Lee."

"Chief Jack Thorton, I would like to introduce you to my wife, Rosemary, Rosemary, this is Chief Jack Thorton, my boss."

"Good to meet you Mrs. Coulter. Please just call me Jack. It's great to have you and Lee here with us."

"Thank you, Jack. It is great to be here."

"My wife, Elizabeth, will be with us shortly. She was ending a phone call when I stepped out of the office."

Right on cue, Elizabeth stepped out of Jack's office and began walking toward Jack and the others. She noticed a blonde woman standing beside Lee. That looked like her old friend from childhood.

"Elizabeth? Oh, my word, it's you! Elizabeth Thatcher!" Squealed Rosemary as she did a little dance.

"Rosemary LeVeax? It's really you?"

"Elizabeth!" Screamed Rosemary. "I can't believe you live here!"

"Jack, I told you she is loud." Lee chuckled.

"You weren't wrong." Jack laughed.

The two men stood back and watched the two women hugged each other. They were good friends as kids. While they had a friendship in high school, they weren't as close. Rosemary went into the drama department and that took a lot of her time.

Rosemary leaned back with her arms still around Elizabeth. "Well, look at you. You are glowing. You look beautiful, but I'm very surprised your last name is Thorton. What happened to Charles?"

"Oh, we broke up after college."

"I'm shocked. You two were always so close. I figured you were already married to him by now."

Elizabeth's face turned a light shade of pink. "Rosemary, we were never that close."

"Elizabeth, you two were inseparable. You always were together."

Elizabeth glanced toward Jack and saw a little surprised look on his face. She turned her attention back to Rosemary.

"Rosemary, we were never together like that. We were always with a group of people. We rarely did things together alone."

"Really?" Asked a shocked Rosemary. "I remember you two always together. Oh, well…so, you're married now, and I can see you are expecting."

"Yes, just around three months on both."

"Elizabeth, you were pregnant before you were married? That doesn't sound like the Elizabeth I remember."

Elizabeth shook her head. "The same old Rosey. These little ones are honeymoon babies."

"What do you mean the same old Rosey?"

"Always jumping to the most impossible thought first."

"She's right sweetheart." Smirked Lee.

"We were married about three months ago and I became pregnant on our honeymoon."

"Wow…that's…wait…did you say babies?"

"Yes. We are having twins."

"Wow! That great. Wait, three months?"

"Yes, about three months."

Rosemary was thinking for a moment. She turned her attention toward Lee. "Didn't you say that Jack has only been in Hope Valley for about four months?"

"Yes."

Rosemary turned her shocked impression back to Elizabeth. "You meet this man and married him in a month?"

Elizabeth nodded her head. "I did and I am grateful for Jack."

Rosemary leaned in closer to Elizabeth and whispered. "Did he force you or something? Are you in trouble with him?"

"Rosemary!" Elizabeth looked shocked while Lee and Jack tried to stifle their laugh. "I am not in distress. I love Jack and he loves me. We met and fell in love quickly. I think we need to catch up."

"I think so too."

"We will have lunch later this week."

After a moment of silence, Jack turned to Lee. "Hey, we need to discuss a couple of things on your first day. After the press conference and lunch, you are dismissed for the day. We begin work at eight in the morning."

Lee nodded his head. He remembered when he tried to talk Jack in letting him work the whole day, but Jack was adamant about him helping with the house.

"There's a couple of things I need to do, and I need to check with Emma and see what she has for me before this press conference." Jack stated as he kissed Elizabeth on her cheek and gave her a hug.

Before letting Jack go from the hug, she said. "Jack, I was never that close to Charles. Yes, we dated a long time, but we were never close like Rosemary stated."

"I know, sweetheart."

She gave him a confused look.

"Elizabeth, you already told me. You would never lie to me or shade the truth a little. I trust you completely."

"Thank you Jack."

"I need to wrap a couple of things up first and check in with the Boss Lady."

He gave her another quick kiss on the tip of her nose and squatted down to kiss her tummy twice. "Ig and Iggy, today is a big day for your mommy and me. I have to stand in front of a bunch of people and I would really like to have mommy beside me. So, be good for her today, ok?"

Elizabeth smiled that her husband would do that in public. He had no problem showing his love for their children in public.

…

Elizabeth and Rosemary spend some time catching up while their husbands were busy. Elizabeth reminded Rosemary that her and Charles did date, but they were never as close as she thought they were.

"I guess I just assumed…"

"We did hang out with friends all the time, but we rarely spent time alone like you think."

Rosemary caught Elizabeth up on her life after high school. She went to college for theater and had a good run with it but hated the travel. Once she met Lee at the theater during an emergency, her life took a different turn, and she was pleased with it.

"When we started to seriously date, I lost all desire to travel. I would be gone for weeks at a time. It just wasn't something I wanted to do anymore."

"I can understand that. What about now?"

"Once we are settled here, I will look into teaching theater or maybe working for a local theater group. That will keep me busy."

"That sounds great."

"What about you?"

"Well, I have lived here for three years and then a few months ago Jack came here for a case. It was then that we met."

Elizabeth went into detail about how she met Jack and that he was afraid of her for their first time meeting. She talked about their short dating and the time he proposed. She saved the story about Officer T until the very end.

"Wait…Jack's father is Officer T?" Shock apparent in Rosemary's tone.

"Yes. Can you believe it? What are the chances?"

"You always talked about him, especially after you traveled with your father so you could see him."

"Yes, I loved him. Do you know that he prayed I would meet his son and marry him?"

"Wow!" Rosemary shook her head. "I have to think about that so I can wrap my mind around it. Oh…oh…that would make a great play."

"Rosemary, my life better never be played out on stage." She gave her a scary teacher face.

"Wow!" Rosemary felt like a little kid in school. "That's one scary look. That must scare Jack to death."

"You would think." She laughed and then turned a little embarrassed. "He says I look adorable and then he kisses me on the tip of my nose. It doesn't work on him at all."

"I don't know how."

…

"Hey partner!" Jack exclaimed with a huge smile as he saw Samuel and his mother approaching him.

"Hey partner." Samuel beamed back.

"It's great to see you! How have you been?"

"Good."

"Hey Amanda. How are you doing?"

"I'm good."

"Great. That ordeal has been taken care of. The DA is pushing for a lengthy time away so everyone will be safe."

She nodded understanding his coded message in front of Samuel. "Thank you Chief for everything you did for us. We owe you everything."

"It's not chief. And you don't owe me anything. I'm grateful you two are safe.

"It will be chief in an hour or so." She sassed causing Jack to laugh.

They chatted for a couple of minutes. When Jack needed to head to his office to meet with Lee, he said goodbye to Amanda and gave Samuel a fist pump.

"Thank you for coming today but you didn't have too."

"Well, we kind of did. Samuel has been hounding me for days when he heard his partner was having a ceremony."

"I hope I will see you two later."

…

While talking to Rosemary, Elizabeth watched Jack's interaction with Samuel. The tremendously large smile never left her face watching Jack talk with this little boy. She saw genuine care in his body posture. It reminded her of watching him with her students. She was lost in watching him that she did not hear a word Rosemary was saying. She wished she could hear the conversation but was satisfied with just watching it.

"He is going to be a great father." She mentioned under her breath. "One of the greatest decisions I have ever, or will ever make, is having Jack be the father of my children."

Even when Rosemary caught her attention, Elizabeth would not take her eyes off of Jack. She was lost in watching her husband.

…

"Jack. Jack. It's so great to see you."

"Hello Grace." Jack stated as he walked up to her and gave her a warm hug and a light kiss on the cheek. "It is great to see you. You look lovely."

"Thank you, Jack. No wonder my middle child fell in love with you so fast." She hesitated for a moment. There was something on her mind and she wanted to talk to him about it, but she didn't want to overstep. "Jack. if you feel comfortable, you may call me mom." She stated tentatively.

Jack gave her a deep dimpled smile and without hesitation he began. "Mom, you look great."

"How are you doing, Jack?" She stated with a content sigh in him calling her mom. She wanted their relationship to be as strong as possible. She reasoned he will be in her life for the rest of it.

"I'm a little nervous to be honest with you."

"That's understandable. How was your mother's wedding. I wished I could have been here for that."

"It was wonderful. She was very appreciative of your gift. But Mom, you didn't have to do all of that?"

"She's a great friend to me and most importantly, she is family."

"Ma and Adam enjoyed the flight since you flew them first class to their honeymoon. They are having a great time."

"I bet."

"Please, Mom." He stated shaking his head. "May we change the subject?"

Grace laughed at him. "Fine, where is my daughter? How is she doing?"

"She is going great. Ig and Iggy are doing well. I told them to give her a good day today and so far, they are."

"You know, Jack, they are way too young to do what you say." She laughed at the absurdity of Jack thinking he has that power.

"All I know is when I asked them to be nice to their mommy, they are."

Grace's eyes watered at Jack calling her middle daughter mommy. "I love her new title."

"What till you see her, mom. Her tummy is growing a little and she looks absolutely beautiful. The sight of her will blow your mind."

"I bet she is precious."

"The last I saw her she was standing over by my office."

"Oh…I see her. Hey Jack, who is that she is talking to?"

"She was talking to Rosemary." He stated as he turned to look for Elizabeth.

"There she is by the refreshment table. Wait! That's not Rosemary!" Jack looked closer. That's Miranda!"