Chapter 31
March 5, 1921
Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin
"My mommy and daddy are married!" Mia sang over and over again, skipping as we walked home from the church. She was in a routine of holding my hand for a moment, letting go and skipping ahead, then skipping back and giving me a hug again. I turned to Jack, a smile across my face, and felt him reach for my hand. "And soon we're gonna have a baby! I'm so excited!"
She skipped away again, though this time we were close enough to the house that she just went inside. I wrapped my arm around Jack's and stood against him. "She seems much better now, don't you think?" Jack didn't respond, but his mouth curved up in a mischievous smile. "What is it? What are you up to?"
All of a sudden, I was lifted off the ground and cradled in Jack's arms. "Jack, what are you doing?" I squealed happily, my heart racing. "I weigh a million pounds!"
"I'm carrying my bride over the threshold," he replied, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "And you're easy to lift. Once you've held someone as they hung off the back of the ship, everything else feels easy."
I laughed and wrapped my arms around his neck. "Okay, okay," I grinned as Jack carried me into the house. He guided my head forward so that I wouldn't bump it, then kissed my cheek before placing me on the ground. I turned to face him, wrapping my arms tightly around him. "I'm so glad we're married," I whispered.
"Me too," Jack smiled. He leaned forward and kissed me, slow at first, but we quickened the pace. Jack pulled away too soon. "Can I do a drawing of you?" He asked, tucking a curl behind my ear.
I blushed. Jack had drawn me multiple times now, but it still felt as spontaneous and wonderfully wrong as it did the first time. "Mia's still awake, running around the house," I laughed. "Tonight, I promise." I kissed his cheek and smiled.
Jack smiled and wrapped his arms around my waist. "I'd love to do that too." I stood in his arms and just felt right. "But right now, I want to do one of you in this dress, the way you look right now. Mia can be in it too."
"Oh," I knit my eyebrows, then smiled. "That's very innocent of you, Jack. I'd love that. But first…" I took his hand and dragged him over to the couch. "I need to talk to you about something."
"Okay," he sat next to me. "Is everything okay?"
I nodded. "I was talking to Mia earlier, and she was…" I paused, trying to assemble my thoughts and figure out the right way to say what I wanted to say. "She asked if getting married meant that I wouldn't be Rose Hockley anymore. I said yes, but that it wouldn't change anything, that you and I would still be the same parents we always were. And she said… she said that she doesn't want Cal as her father anymore."
Jack knit his eyebrows. "I thought Cal signed away his rights to Mia anyway."
I nodded. "He did," I answered. "But Jack, she was saying that she didn't want any connection to him whatsoever." I took a deep breath. "She meant… she meant her name, Jack, and I must say that I understand where she's coming from." I thought about that little girl, how sweet she was, and how she desperately wanted this life and to be free of Cal forever, both in real life and on paper. Jack must have seen that I was getting emotional, since he reached out and took my hand. "You're Jack Dawson, I'm Rose Dawson, this baby is going to be a Dawson… and she's going to be Mia Hockley? She's going to feel out of place her entire life."
Jack nodded and stood up. "I completely agree," he smiled down at me. "Which is why… I got you a wedding present. Well, it's for all of us, really." He rummaged through the pile of mail on the table and pulled out a larger envelope. "I got these."
I gasped. "Are those-"
"Adoption papers," Jack nodded. "Molly called a few days ago saying that she couldn't come to the wedding, but that she wanted us to visit sometime… and she wanted to give us a wedding present." I stared at him, shocked that he had hidden all of this from me for so long. I was impressed; I hadn't suspected a thing. He walked back over to me, getting down on his knees right in front of me, his hand on my leg. "I asked her if she could contact her lawyers, have them written up for us."
"And you're sure you want to do this?" I asked, putting my hands on his neck. I was sure he knew what he was doing, that he wanted Mia to be his, but I just felt like I needed to check. "You always put everyone else first, Jack, and I love that about you. I just want to make sure this is what you want."
Jack grabbed my hand and held it in his. "I want you and Mia… and this baby," he placed his hand against my stomach. "And I want the endless grilled cheeses, and afternoons building snowmen, and the stuffed animals Mia refuses to sleep without." I laughed, tears running down my cheeks. "I want it all, and I want it with my family." Jack wiped my tears. "That's the three of you."
He took my hand again and kissed it. "Mia, can you come downstairs please!" He called for her. Mia came skipping into the room, and Jack lifted her in his arms and plopped her down on the couch next to me.
"So, Mia… do you remember what you told me before Daddy and I got married? About wanting Daddy to adopt you and not be connected to your father anymore?" I asked.
"Yes," she nodded.
"Well, do you want to do that?" Jack asked. "Do you want me to adopt you? Do you want me to be your daddy for real? Do you want to be Mia Dawson?" I knew what her answer would be, that she loved Jack as much as Jack loved her.
"That means you'll be my real daddy?" Mia asked. Jack nodded slowly, waiting for her answer. "Yes please," Mia nodded happily.
Jack and I exchanged emotional glances. I pulled Mia closer to me, her eyes sparkling with excitement and Jack took a seat on her other side. "Okay, Rose, sign here." I looked at Mia, then Jack, and smiled. I picked up the pen and signed my signature, my heart swelling as I did so. I passed the papers back to Jack, who signed them too. He stood up and slid the signed papers back into the envelope with a smile. "It's official!"
"Yay!" Mia jumped up from the couch and into his arms. Jack lifted her up and held her in a tight hug. "I'm happy that you're my daddy," I heard her say quietly in Jack's ear.
Tears appeared in Jack's eyes as he held her. I could see just by looking at them how much he loved her, and it amazed me how Jack was capable of such love for a child he wasn't biologically related to and had only known for a few months. It wasn't surprising in the least, since Jack and I had fallen in love in only three days. "Can you sit with Mommy for a few minutes so I can draw you both?" Jack asked.
Mia nodded, and Jack put her back down on the ground. I curled my hands, waving her over to me. "Come here," I smiled, and she skipped right into my arms. Once I got my hands on her, I tickled her for a moment. She let out that adorable high-pitched laughter that I never got tired of hearing and sat down on the couch next to me.
I knew by now that Jack liked us best when we were just acting natural. He would watch us and pick a moment he liked best; he didn't need us posing in one position. Mia took my hand in her two little ones and spun my ring in circles. "Are you alright?" I asked.
Mia looked up at me, a huge smile on her face, and nodded. "I'm just really happy," she giggled, wrapping her arms around my waist and leaning against me. She moved her hand over to my stomach and looked down at it. "I hope the baby is a boy," she whispered.
I tilted my head to the side. "Really?" I asked, touching her cheek. I assumed Mia would want a little sister, a mini version of herself to be her best friend. "Why is that?" It was ironic that during both of my pregnancies, someone wanted the baby to be a boy.
"I don't know," she shrugged, going back to playing with my ring. "Then you'll have a girl and a boy. And I want a baby brother." I smiled at her, relieved to hear that her reasons for wanting a brother were completely innocent. "But if it was a girl, that would be good too."
I smiled and leaned closer to her, kissing the top of her head. "A girl would be good too," I nodded. "You're a girl and you're amazing. I would love to have another girl… or boy. Either one."
I looked over at Jack and found him scribbling away in his portfolio. He brushed the hair out of his eyes and looked up at us again. He finally noticed me looking at him, meeting my gaze and smiling back at me. He looked down for a second and blew lightly on the picture. "Alright, this is done."
I smiled. "Let me see it." He walked over and sat down next to Mia and showed us his portfolio. In the picture, I was sitting on the couch with Mia sitting next to me. I was staring down at her and she was smiling up. Even though the way we were positioned was rather simple, you could feel the love and happiness coming off the page. "Jack, this is beautiful."
"Well, I had some beautiful models," he smiled at us. Mia yawned loudly, then rested against Jack and closed her eyes. He smiled down at her. "Mia, do you want to go to bed?"
She didn't speak or open her eyes, she just nodded. Jack put one arm under her knees and the other behind her back, lifting her into his arms. Her head just naturally rested on his chest. I smiled and followed Jack as he carried her up to bed. He placed her down on the bed.
I took out the bow that was holding up her hair, letting it fall past her shoulders. "Arms up," I whispered, and I lifted the dress over her head, replacing it with a nightgown. I tied her hair back with a piece of ribbon. "Okay, you can lay down now." She nodded and laid down. I covered her with the blanket and kissed the top of her head. "Good night, Mia."
•••
I had just finished getting out of my dress and into a nightgown and taking my hair down when I noticed how exhausted I was. The whole day had been a dream come true, and I couldn't have been happier than I was at that moment, but I was in the middle of my second trimester and getting more and more tired.
I turned around to find Jack and saw him washing up in the bathroom. I snuck into the room and wrapped my arms around his torso, resting my head on his shoulder. "Are you coming to bed?" I asked.
Jack turned to face me. "I'll be right there," he whispered, and he kissed my cheek.
I smiled and kissed him. "Don't take too long," I whispered. I let his hand slip through mine and walked back into the bedroom, laying down on the bed. As soon as I closed my eyes, I started drifting off to sleep.
Even while mostly asleep, I could feel Jack pull the blanket over me. He brushed a curl off of my face and tucked it behind my ear, then walked over to his side and got into bed. He kissed my cheek and whispered, "I love you, Rose Dawson." I felt his hand reach out and touch my stomach as gently as he could.
I opened my eyes and smiled. "Oh, I'm sorry," he whispered. "Did I wake you?"
I shook my head. "No, you didn't." I moved closer to him, squirming my way into his arms. "I would've never guessed that this is where I would end up," I whispered. "Safe from Cal, Married to you, pregnant with your child…" I pondered that thought for a moment. "I remember when I first started planning my escape with Mia, I thought I'd have to say goodbye to her forever, I thought I'd be doomed to a life of misery. And then I found you," I put my hand on his bare chest. His skin was warm, tan, exactly as it had been on Titanic. "And you showed me that I could have a life again. You gave me the world, without even leaving the house."
Jack smiled, tightening his arms around me and holding me closer. "Do you have any idea how much I love you?" He whispered. "You are everything to me." He brought his lips to the top of my head, placing his hand against my cheek. "I'm just so grateful you tried to kill yourself that night on Titanic." He paused and thought about his words, and I laughed. "That didn't come out right."
I laughed. "I know what you meant," I whispered. "I'm so grateful you so rudely stared at me that first day… and then spent the next three days trying to free me from Cal. I don't know if I've ever said thank you to you for doing that."
Jack nodded. "You have," he smiled. "And it was no big deal, Rose. I just wanted to help you."
"It's a very big deal, Jack." I played with his hair in my fingers. "You gave me more than anyone else ever has. I promise you that." I took his hand, which was secured on my stomach, and held it in mine. I played with his fingers, loving the way they felt against mine. "How much do you think Mia knows about the issues with Cal?"
Jack looked down at me. "I-I don't know," he said thoughtfully. "Why do you ask?"
"It's always been in the back of my mind, to be honest, and when she said today that she wanted the baby to be a boy… I got nervous that the reason she said that was because she thought there was something wrong with being a girl." I took a deep breath, feeling the stress and anxiety from my time with Cal starting to weigh down my chest. "Things were terrible there, Jack, and I don't miss it for a minute."
"Was there anything good about it?" He asked, and I could tell he desperately wanted me to say yes. He wanted to know that I hadn't spent eight years hating every minute of every day.
I shrugged. "Mia," I smiled just thinking about her. "I would be sitting at dinner with Cal, his parents, and my mother… and I'd hear the sound of her little footsteps as she ran down the stairs and into the dining room. She would appear in the doorway in her little nightgown and ask me if I could take her back to bed. And Cal… he would say that I wasn't allowed to leave the table, and I'd get up anyway, and Mia and I would sneak away to her room."
"So much about him confuses me," Jack rolled his eyes. "Mia's just… my god, Rose, she's perfect. How couldn't he see that? How did he look at her and only see… I don't even know what he saw, because whatever it was, I don't see it."
I smiled at him. "I think all of this says just as much about you as it does about him," I said quietly. "I don't know any man other than you who would care so much for a child that isn't his. You're one of a kind, Jack."
