When Jack and Ruth arrived at the Dawson residence, Jack took Ruth's suitcase and told her to go upstairs, where Rose was probably putting Molly to sleep. Jack thought it would be a good idea for Ruth to go talk to Rose privately so that she could apologize and they could discuss things. He told Ruth that he would take her suitcase upstairs and get one of the guest rooms ready for her while she talked to Rose.
Ruth found Rose sitting in the rocking chair in the nursery, cradling Molly in her arms and singing softly. "Come Josephine in my flying machine…" Rose sang quietly to her daughter.
Molly stared up at Rose with wide blue eyes and listened to her mother's soft singing. Not looking up, Rose sighed happily, thinking that the person she had heard enter the room was her husband. "I'm so glad she has your eyes, Jack. They're so big and beautiful."
"I'm not Jack, Rose. I'm sorry to disappoint you," Ruth whispered as she stepped closer to her daughter.
Rose looked up, surprised to see her mother. Hopefully her mother's presence meant that the talk with Jack went well. "Mother! You're back. What are you doing here?"
Ruth took a deep breath. This wasn't going to be easy. She had so much to say, so much to be forgiven for…what if Rose refused to forgive her? Then what would she do? However, Rose seemed to be willing to forgive earlier. Hopefully this talk would go well.
"Jack brought me back here with him," Ruth nervously smiled. "He's a keeper, Rose. I'm sorry that I misjudged him so badly. He really is a kind and caring man. He loves you a lot, you know. He loves you and Molly more than anything."
Rose smiled, knowing she was right. She was so lucky to have such a wonderful husband. Was her mother really willing to accept Jack? Rose hoped that this wasn't one of her mother's games. "So, you and Jack talked? How'd that go?"
"You're right about Jack, Rose. You always have been. I just thought that because he was lower class he couldn't treat you with the respect you deserved… I've always wanted what's best for you, Rose. You have to know that. But we had a long talk, Jack and I, and he proved to me that he isn't what I thought he was. He really is a kind and respectable man. And most importantly, I know he will always take care of you and Molly. He said that he was willing to forgive me and let me into his life. So now… Rose, I've came to beg for your forgiveness. I'm truly sorry for everything. I promise to be a better mother to you and a doting grandmother to Molly."
Looking at her mother, Rose knew that she had to forgive her. She still wasn't sure if she could completely trust Ruth, but she was willing to try and work on their relationship. If Jack could forgive Ruth, Rose certainly could. Ruth looked so sad, so sincere.. How could Rose not forgive her? "Mother…after such a speech…I can't help but to forgive you, but I don't think I can trust you completely yet. We'll have to work on that. But I'm willing to let you live with us so we can work on our relationship. I forgive you mother, but my trust is going to have to be earned."
Ruth covered her mouth as she sobbed in gratitude. Rose had forgiven her. That was all she had hoped for. She could earn the trust back. The forgiveness was the hardest factor.
"Thank you," she wrapped her arms around her daughter. "Thank you so much." Rose hugged her mother the best that she could with Molly in her arms, hopeful that this was a new beginning for the two women.
After Ruth pulled away from her daughter, she looked down at the baby in her daughter's arms. Her granddaughter. Ruth had never gotten a good look at her until now, and she hadn't realized how beautiful Molly was. She had a head full of auburn curls and big blue eyes – the perfect mix of Jack and Rose. Ruth just stared at the little baby in amazement, and Molly stared back, wondering who the mystery woman was. Ruth's thoughts were interrupted by Rose, who shocked Ruth with her words.
"Mother, would you like to hold her?" Rose asked, seeing the way that Ruth was watching Molly.
Ruth's eyes widened. She was clearly delighted at the idea, but she was shocked that her daughter would trust her with little Molly. "Oh Rose, can I? It's been years since I've held a baby."
Rose smiled. "Of course," she said quietly as she carefully placed Molly into Ruth's waiting arms. Ruth smiled as stroked the baby's soft curls. "Rose, she's beautiful. She looks a lot like you."
"Yeah, but she has Jack's gorgeous eyes," Rose whispered.
"What's her full name again?" Ruth asked quietly as she rocked Molly back and forth in her arms. She was so stressed out and angry when she had first spoken to Rose that she had forgotten.
"Margaret Cora Dawson. We call her Molly for short, since Margaret is such a long name. We named her after Molly Brown. She helped us a lot during and after the sinking, and we knew we might not be where we are today without her help. Plus, Molly is a cute name. And Cora is the name of a little girl who Jack knew on Titanic. She passed away when the ship went down, sadly," Rose said sadly, recalling the many lives that were lost that night.
"Margaret Cora," Ruth said to herself. "I like it, Rose. It's a very pretty name. How kind of you to name her after those you care about."
Rose smiled, happy to have her mother's approval. "Maybe our next daughter will have Ruth somewhere in her name, Mother."
Ruth looked flattered and confused at the same time. "Next daughter? Are you pregnant, Rose?"
Rose laughed quietly and shook her head. "No, no, Mother. Molly's too young for me to have another baby now! But Jack and I want to have more children. We were both only children, you know, and it was a little lonely at times. We want to have a big family."
Ruth nodded. "I'm glad you found Jack, Rose. You two are so in love, so happy together. I'm sorry I tried to force you to marry Cal. Thank goodness you found Jack when you did. He's a good man, Rose."
"I know, mother. I love him with all of my being. And it's quite alright about Cal. It's in the past, and I've forgiven you. Let's put it behind us."
Ruth nodded, agreeing with her daughter. She looked down at her granddaughter, seeing that Molly had fallen asleep in her arms. Ruth smiled and handed her back to Rose, who cradled the sleeping baby in her arms. "I love you, Molly. Goodnight, sweetheart," Rose whispered before kissing her baby's forehead. She walked over to Molly's crib and placed her inside it before turning to look at her mother. "You know, mother, once Molly begins talking, you're going to have to let her call you grandmother."
Ruth laughed. "I wouldn't have it any other way, Rose."
Watching from the doorway, Jack found himself smiling. He couldn't believe how lucky he was. A year ago, he was sleeping under bridges. Now, as a result of a lucky poker game, he had a beautiful wife, a perfect baby daughter, and a mother-in-law who had truly changed for the better. Somehow, he knew that everything was going to work out just fine. And as for himself and Rose, he knew that nothing on Earth could come between them. Their love was just too strong.
A/N: Well that's the end! I hope you liked this story. I had plans to make it a lot longer but with school starting, I just don't have the time to do a lot of writing right now. I didn't want to abandon the story, so I just cut it short. However, if people want a sequel, I'll definitely write one! I'm also thinking of writing a present time story if anyone is interested. Thank you for all of the reviews, messages, favorites, and follows! They all make me so happy! Bye for now!