Thank you all so much for your reviews. I told you you should trust me, especially on the kiss. It just felt so much more epic and romantic for them to share their first real kiss in front of the backdrop of the burning house.
Here is the promised epilogue. It's short, but since the story started with Jack arriving into town, I thought it needed to end with him leaving, in order to bring it full circle. It also gives you an idea of what the future holds for them in L.A.
Thank you also for all of your comments on my new idea. I love your suggestion mikachoo, so I'm taking that into consideration. To my way of thinking, the two biggest sources of conflict in Jack's past are his father and Sarah, the latter being something that Kate will inevitably help with. It would fit in well with the idea of him helping her run, because he doesn't handle failure well, so I think he would go to pretty extreme lengths to prevent another failed marriage / relationship. As for his father though, the only way I can think to address that is to make him a father himself, or a future father, which brings us back to the Jaby, so let me know if you have any thoughts on that. Yellosh is right, a pregnancy doesn't necessarily have to equal a Jaby, so I may still be able to write it that way without unleashing another little Hope, Faith, Jayla or Jayden into the world... Nothing's decided yet though, so keep the suggestions coming.
Chapter 27. Someone To Look Up To
They watched the house burn down until there was nothing left but embers, the fire they'd set eradicating every trace of the life Kate had tried for twenty years to leave behind.
The sun was beginning to rise by then, the first rays of dawn casting light over the now vacant lot, making her smile peacefully for the first time since Jack had known her. She was happy this morning; not just the momentary kind of happy she'd been when they swam in the creek, or talked together at the diner, but a new, complete, eternal kind of happy. For the first time in her life, she was content.
Free.
It was a new look for her, one that warmed Jack's heart as they walked back to the motel in silence, her arm around his waist, her head on his shoulder, her smile radiating a glow that could have rivalled the early morning sun. It was funny; he'd stayed in town to make sure she was she was happy, never realising how dependant his own happiness would become on hers.
By the time they let themselves into the room, it was too late to go to bed, so they loaded her stuff into the car, along with his luggage, settling in for the long drive back to L.A.
"Have you given any thought to what you'll do when we get there?" he asked as they pulled out of the car park, heading for the road that had been the centre of so many of their childhood dreams.
"Yeah," she said quietly, her tone suggesting that she was a little embarrassed, but she went on anyway. "I was thinking I might finally go to college. Not Berkeley or anything," she added quickly, "but maybe U.C.L.A."
Jack smiled, nodding to let her know that he thought it was a good idea. She wasn't eighteen anymore, but he didn't think that that should stop her from fulfilling her dreams. She was one of the smartest people he knew, one of the smartest people he'd ever known. It would have been a shame for her to waste that as a waitress at another diner. "Know what you'll study?" he asked. She was trying to sound casual, vague, but he could tell that she'd given this a lot of thought over the past few days.
She blushed, staring out of the passenger side window before answering. "I was thinking I might become a teacher, or a social worker," she said, turning back to him with a tentative smile. "That way I could help kids like me, maybe even give them what you gave me – what I never had before."
It was Jack's turn to be embarrassed now. "What's that?" he asked, keeping his eyes on the road. But as hard as he tried, he couldn't conceal his pride at hearing these words, and knowing that he was still having such a profound effect on her.
"Someone to look up to."
Surprised and moved, Jack caught her eye, and she smiled, silently insisting that he'd never know how much he'd done for her, how much he'd changed her.
He grinned back, realising for the first time the irony of their relationship. When they were growing up, all he'd ever wanted was to be like her, to share her conviction, her courage. She was his hero; everything he'd become was because of her. It had never occurred to him that she would feel the same way.