A/N – Thanks for the comments! * NaxieFan48 – lol. If it had been something more serious he was trying to use it for leverage for, then I would have been mad too, but he was just being playful (yet slightly serious lol). * kikimoo - Yeah those dogs are huge too and it's rumored that maybe that was partly where Newfies come from.

Definitely winding this one down. I have another short one to post in the interim that's pretty intense.

Chapter 47

Diane opened her laptop. "Now, given security, the little extras you want, and needing room for the dog to run around, I went with these."

She clicked through several pictures of the first property.

"I don't know. I'm not sure that I like the layout," Liz said.

"Moving on…" She brought up the next one. "This has a shed that can easily be converted into a studio. The basement isn't finished and there is plenty of land, just no pool."

"It's not bad," Jason said.

Diane was purposely waiting to show them the last two. "Alright, this is secluded so no one can know your business. It has a finished basement, a fence that lines the property, a pool and an office. There is plenty of room to build."

"What's the downside?"

"It's down the street from your family."

Jason had a vision of Edward banging on his door. "Next."

The women chuckled.

"Here is the last one. It's not extravagant, but has lots of potential. There is a finished basement and a pool. It's fenced in and there is lots of room between your neighbors and due to the trees, they won't be able to see in. There's a long driveway and a really nice deck."

"It's more homey. I like it."

"I figured you'd want a little more modern," Jason said.

Liz shrugged. "Honestly, it would be nice to come home to a place that isn't overwhelming. If you're going to have a Chloe, you'll need something that isn't pristine. Her slobber is going to get on the furniture and she will track dirt in. I like that it's mainly hardwood because it will be easier to clean. We can have a few throw rugs and you are not a fussy person either. You like your comfort, so I think we both can get what we want. You can have the basement and we'll build a studio or add on a back room so I don't have to go outside to get to it." She turned her attention to Diane. "Can we see it?"

Diane smiled. "Yes." She knew they would pick that one. "The realtor will be there in an hour."

"You already scheduled it?" Jason asked.

"Yes. Out of all of them, I could see you in that one."

"Thanks Diane."

"Any time." She shut the laptop. "By the way, it's priced to sell because the owners need to move rather quickly. They are headed to Arizona and already have a house there. I think you could get it right away."

"Great."

She said goodbye and left.

"I'm so excited," Liz said.

Jason smiled and then gave her a kiss. He wasn't a dreamer before, but he wants it all with her.

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Jason drove to the house. It wasn't too far out of town and the neighborhood seemed quiet. The gate was open, so they drove right in.

Liz smiled. There was a lot of grass and tall trees. From the outside, it is beautiful without being pretentious. They got out and a man walked towards them.

"Hello, I'm Zach."

"It's nice to meet you. I'm Elizabeth and this is Jason."

"Diane told me what you were looking for. Let me give you a run down. It has six bedrooms all of which have bathrooms. There's a small bathroom off the kitchen so your guests don't have to go upstairs. There is one bedroom on this floor."

"Is there anything really bad about it?"

"Well, the basement is finished, but completely empty. It will need carpeting or some type of flooring. The pool needs to be re-painted, but other than that, it's in good shape."

"That doesn't sound too bad."

"Come on, let's get started."

He led the way. "This is the living room. It's a big area so you could have lots of seating. The fire place is a nice touch."

"I like it," Liz said.

"Over here is the dining room." They walked through an opening.

"Wow," Liz said. There was space for a very big table, which they will definitely need.

"The kitchen has a second oven and granite counter tops." Besides that, they would have to buy their own appliances so they could get what they wanted.

"There's plenty of space."

"The pantry is in the corner."

He showed them the bedrooms and office space as well as the laundry room and basement. "What do you think?"

"I like it," Jason said. Julian has a nice house, but it is too fancy. This is in the middle.

"Want to see the back yard?"

Jason nodded and then followed him to the deck.

"Love it," Liz said. It is covered and in the corner, when you stepped down there is a barbecue area.

The pool is pretty big and has a diving board.

"Why don't I give you two a moment to talk?" Zach walked away and Jason pulled her into his arms.

"What do you think?"

"It's perfect."

"I think so too. I'll tell him to make an offer."

They went back into the house.

"What do you think?"

"We want it. Can you put in an offer?"

The man smiled. "The homeowners will be pleased."

"Go a little above the asking price."

"They just dropped it."

"Then give them the price they had it at before."

"You sure?"

"Yes. And please let them know I want to settle right away and I'll pay cash."

Zach is shocked. "Okay."

They got back into the car.

"I think you just made his day."

"That's only fair since he made ours. We'll have to quickly decorate it."

Her eyes grew big. "Jason, are you going to help me?"

"We'll do it together."

"Okay."

"As soon as they let us pull the trigger, we'll start buying things."

"You'll have to go shopping with me."

"I know."

She had all sorts of ideas running through her mind. "You know, we can wait to build the studio."

"I'll talk to Cal. He can look at the place and see what he can do to fast track it. If I'm going to have a dog in a few weeks, I want it to be done as quickly as possible."

"Well, maybe you can stay at the penthouse or your parent's house until it's completely ready."

Jason's eyes almost fell out of his head.

"The carriage house is empty. Edward mentioned it."

"That's true."

"There's no way the house will be done in two weeks."

"Okay. I will slow down."

She grinned, liking his excitement. "You have a basement to plan."

"I'll put my pool table down there and get a comfortable couch."

"You should have a poker table and we won't go with carpets, so you don't have to worry about spillage."

"Good ideas."

He dropped her off at the gallery. Milo opened the car door.

"Thanks Milo," she said as she got out. "Bye."

Jason smiled and pulled off.

"He has a guard, right?"

Milo pointed to the car that pulled off.

"Good."

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Jason walked into the Q mansion.

Alan put down the paper he was reading. "Well, hello."

"Hey."

Monica gave him a hug. "It's good to see you. Have a seat."

"Listen, I might need a favor."

"What's going on?"

"I found the perfect house."

Monica smiled. "That's great news."

"We're excited. It will need some painting and lots of furniture. I'm building on a room to use as a studio for Elizabeth. I don't think it will be good for the puppy to be around that, so I was wondering if I could stay at the carriage house for a while."

"Of course you can. Just give me some dates and I'll have a cleaning crew get it ready."

"Thank you."

"It's no problem."

"I will have a puppy, possibly two."

"Well, they'll be small. What are you going to do with them during the day?"

"Um, I haven't thought of that."

"Well, maybe you could put up a child's gate and leave them in the kitchen so they could stretch out. You can get them beds and toys to play with. Alice can check on them while you're at work and make sure they have water."

"Do you think she'll mind?"

"Are you kidding? I think she's bored to death and who can resist puppies?"

Jason chuckled. "Thanks mom."

"It's nice to see you planning your future. You deserve some happiness."

"Elizabeth means everything to me. As long as she is happy, I'm happy." He stood. "I have to go, but I'll try to drop by with Elizabeth soon." He left and went to the office and got a shock when he closed the door. He dialed his phone. "I love it."

Liz smiled. "Georgie did it."

"Tell her that I said thank you. I'm still paying for it though."

He looked at the picture of Venice, Italy she had painted and smiled.

"We'll talk about it later."

"You keep saying that."

"I love you."

"I love you too."

He sat and stared at it for a while. It is like having a piece of her with him all day.

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Felicia watched Georgie and another woman enter the room.

"Mom, this is Lainey."

"Hello," she said as they shook hands.

"How are you feeling?" Lainey asked.

"Well, I've seen better days, but it could have been a lot worse."

"True."

"So, our first session, I have to admit that I'm a little nervous." She knows that she sucks, but saying it front of a stranger kind of sucked too.

"I'm not here to judge you. Georgie is trying to work through her issues. so I need you to listen to her and be open to whatever she needs to get beyond this."

Felicia swallowed hard. "Okay. I'm listening."

Georgie cleared her throat. "I'm having a really hard time trusting you. I know that you're here now, but I keep waiting for you to change your mind. Not only that, but I'm scared to say something that will make you run."

Felicia let out a long breath. "I get why you would think I would bolt. I truly do, but for once I'm trying to be the mom that you deserve. Georgie, I want to be totally honest with you. I divorced your father six months ago."

Georgie's mouth dropped open. They had been together on and off, but she hadn't realized it was off again.

"I know. This time, it's for good. I lose myself when I'm around him and not in a good way. It's time to move on."

"I wasn't expecting that. Is that why you're really here?"

"No. I know it looks bad, but I've been doing a lot of soul searching. I was scared to come see you at first because I didn't want to be rejected, even though I know in ways I rejected you—pathetic, I know."

"I don't know how to get past this. I want you in my life, but I'm so mad at you. For years, I thought it was because I wasn't enough."

"That wasn't it at all. We were selfish and put our needs before yours. I'm sorry that we made you feel that way. My head was so twisted. I tried to hang onto to something that just wasn't right for me. I had this desperate need to be with your father and now I realize how toxic the relationship was and how much it has cost me."

Georgie wiped a tear away. "I always felt like nothing could fill the hole you left, but Milo is so good to me. He's teaching me what love really means. I think we need to love ourselves first, or no relationship will work."

"I agree. I'm working on that and it's partly why I came back too. I have to fix what is broke inside me to be there for you and Georgie, you are so worth it. Can you be patient with me?"

"I'm working on forgiveness. I'll try."

Lainey smiled. "Alright ladies, that was a good start." Georgie went downstairs and Felicia had a good cry. At least her daughter is willing to try and forgive her. That is all she can ask.

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The weekend came and it is puppy time. When they pulled into the driveway of the farm and got out, a dog ran up to them barking.

"Hey," Jason said. Its tail is wagging, so he knew he is safe.

"It's alright, Sebastian," a woman said loudly as she strode towards him. And just like that, the dog sized Jason up and decided they would be friends. He pet the humongous beast in front of him and the dog sat still lapping it up.

"That's a good boy. Hello. I'm Susan."

"I'm Elizabeth and that is Jason."

"It's nice to meet you. The puppies have been waiting."

They walked towards a gate.

"They are five weeks and very rambunctious and friendly."

"I can't wait," Jason said.

As they walked through the entryway, Liz's eyes widened. "Oh my goodness." The puppies are in a big basket. "That is just ridiculously cute."

Jason glanced at Susan. "She called this place a slobber farm."

The lady laughed as Liz blushed.

"Honey, you're not supposed to tell on me."

"It's okay. That's a good way to put it." She whistled and seven furry heads looked their way. "Come on, babies."

And just like that, they began to pour out of the basket and run towards them.

"Oh, look at the brown ones," Liz said. She knelt down and is quickly knocked on her butt as five puppies swamp her. The rest ran to Jason to get some love.

"They have to be seven weeks before they leave here. I want to make sure they go to good homes."

"We are buying a house so that they have room to run around," Jason said.

The lady smirked. "Well I have to admit, that's a new one."

Liz smiled. "He fell in love with our friends Newfie and the feeling was mutual."

"Do you work full time?"

"We do, but our jobs are flexible. We're adding onto the house, so in the meantime my family has a large cottage I'll be staying in so they have a yard to run around in."

"You seem like you're taking this seriously. What about you?"

"I admit, I was repulsed by the slobber, but Chloe grew on me. I know how much this would make Jason happy. He has money to spend, but he doesn't splurge like this unless it's something important to him." The smaller chocolate puppy plopped onto her lap.

"Don't let his cuteness fool you. The size of his paws is pretty big and he likes to roll around and tackle his brothers and sisters."

"I like this one," Jason said.

"He's beautiful isn't he?"

Jason nodded.

"He's a cuddle bug too."

"I was thinking of getting two."

Her brow went up. "Really?"

"I figured they could keep each other company."

The mom plopped down next to Jason and he gave her a couple of good rubs.

"Well, if she likes you, then you're practically in. I don't normally do two puppies at once because they are a handful."

"I know, but I can handle it." He looked over at Elizabeth. "You like that one?"

"Yeah."

"You'll have to think of names," Susan said.

"I was thinking of Remington," Jason said.

Liz smirked at the gun reference. "We can call him Remy for short."

"What about yours?"

Liz sighed. She can't believe that she is going to get a puppy too. Darn love bugs, if she could smuggle them all into the car, she would. "Well, since he's a fighter. I think I'll call him Rumble."

Susan grinned. "Those are great names."

They played with the dogs for a while and then stood.

"I did some research online and I saw there is testing supposed to be done on the parents to check for heart ailments and other diseases," Liz said.

Susan is impressed. "I have documentation in the house."

"Thanks."

"Well, you've got yourself two puppies."

Jason smiled. "Where do I sign?"

"Follow me."

"So, you can tell all of them apart?" Liz asked as Rumble followed her.

"Yes. They all have different personalities."

They went inside the house and she grabbed some papers and a pen and they read the test results and Susan explained them as they filled out the applications. When they were finished, he gave her half the money down.

"Alright, in two weeks, you can pick them up. They'll have all their shots and tests."

"Thank you so much."

They said goodbye and walked back to the car.

Liz was quiet for a moment. "What just happened?"

"You became an official member of the slobber brigade."

"God help me."

They went home and changed, packed an overnight bag, and then headed to the airport. Elizabeth couldn't wait to see their friends.