Chapter 79

Jack woke up the next morning to his shoulder hurting a little bit. It was better than the previous morning, but it still reminded him it wasn't happy. He smiled when his neck began to tickle. Elizabeth's hair was tickling his neck. He loved it when her hair did that. He closed his eyes hoping to calm his shoulder and his desires. He tried to persuade his wife last night, but she was to hesitate due to his shoulder. She didn't want to hurt his shoulder and she could also see how tired he was in his eyes. His eyes always told her everything.

While it was difficult to say no, she knew he was in a little pain. He almost had her convinced until he winched in pain when he moved the blanket down while getting in bed. Jack didn't realize that she was trying to calm herself down. She was awake and was laying with her back against him. She was doing a good job slowing her mind down until she backed up against him to be closer. That was her undoing.

The last time they made love was a couple of days ago and it began when he slid behind her to wrap his arms around her. She loved laying in his arms, and she could feel his strength and protectiveness in his grasp. This morning however, Jack was doing a horrible job of slowing his mind and even a worse job controlling his body. When she felt him against her, she lost all will to say no.

She turned to see Jack laying there with his eyes closed and a smile on his face. She knew at that moment that they were going to have a fun morning. She nudged him onto his back and laid her head on his chest and shoulder and began to gently rub her hand over his chest. She felt his muscles tense at her touch.

Her changing body was playing havoc on her self confidence. Elizabeth was never a person who obsessed over her body's appearance, but she did like to look good. Other than walking, she didn't exercise. The pregnancy was going well, and her body was beginning to grow. Her belly was already showing the two little peanuts that were quickly growing inside of her. It was making her conscious of her body.

Jack laid as still as he could. He was hoping if he didn't move Elizabeth would continue to rub his chest. He loved her affections toward him. When she stopped and removed her hand, his eyes immediately opened.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you." Elizabeth stated when she felt her husband's head turn.

"I was already awake. I was just enjoying your touch."

She offered him a small smile. She began to move to get up but he held onto her with the arm that was laying under her.

"Where are you going?"

"I was going to get up."

"Why? It's still early."

"I know."

Jack took a moment and looked into her eyes. He saw her internal battle. "Elizabeth, I love you. Would you please stay with me for a little while this morning?"

She smiled at his request but didn't move. "I don't want to hurt you."

"Hurt me? My shoulder is ok this morning. It's a little sore but not too bad. Plus, you are laying on my good shoulder."

"I know, but..." Her voice trailed off.

"Elizabeth, if you use the word 'fat' I will tickle you!"

She sighed. She hated he could read her so well. "Jack, I'm getting bigger by the day and soon I will look like a water buffalo."

"Elizabeth Marie Thatcher!"

"Jack, I hate it when you use my maiden name!"

"Stop saying silly things and I will stop using your maiden name. You are not getting fat."

"Jack. Look at me. I have already gained weight and I am just barely into this pregnancy. Can you imagine how fat I will get by the end of it?"

Jack reached down and pinched her arm.

"Ouch…what was that for?"

"When you say silly things, I will do silly things."

"Jack, it's not silly if it's true."

He playfully pinched her arm again. She gave him a look and playfully swatted at his hand.

He rolled to his side to where he was facing her. Looking directly into her eyes, he waited until he had her full attention. "E-liz-a-beth. I love you with all my heart. You are my everything. You are my wife, my best friend, my love, my lover, my soul mate. You are the mother of my babies. You are gorgeous and the more you show our babies, you become more beautiful to me. You glow and you are radiant. You are going to be the best mother and you are a great mother now."

"Jack, I am not…"

He cut her off. "The moment you conceived our babies you became a mother. You are protecting them and giving them nurture. You are growing two babies and you are doing a great job. I love you. You are beautiful."

"Jack, I am not beautiful."

He shook his head. "E-liz-a-beth, you are beautiful." He sighed. He just couldn't explain what was in his heart. "Your smile and your eyes are intoxicating. Your laugh is the sweetest sound I know. I love the sound of your voice. You are an intelligent lady and I love the way you sass me. I love the way you interact with your students and your friends. You love people and you aren't afraid to feel whatever they are feeling. You are gorgeous. I also love the way you sway when you see me coming. I love the way you cut your eyes when I'm sassing you. Elizabeth, all of those things make you beautiful. Not only that, but you are also physically attractive to me."

"Jack. I'm fat."

He began to tickle her sides. "Jack, don't. I don't want to be sick."

"Well, stop saying silly things and I will tell the kids to be good for you today." He playfully glared at her with a silly smirk. "Elizabeth, you are gorgeous. I wish you could see yourself through my eyes. Plus, you have a nice…" He trailed off.

"I have a nice, what?" She asked intrigued.

Jack was embarrassed. He didn't mean to say that. "Well…you have a very nice back side. I love to watch you walk and you sway your hips."

"Jack!"

"Elizabeth, when I saw you walk out of the bedroom yesterday, it turned me on."

"Really?"

"You don't understand to you?"

She gave him a confused look.

"Elizabeth, it's not your attributes or your physical beauty that turn me on. It's you. All of you. Everything about you is perfect in my eyes. Everything that I could ever hope for in a soul mate you excel at. You are perfectly made for me, and I love you more each day. Being the mother of my children makes you only more beautiful in my eyes."

While she was still self conscious about her constantly changing body, she could see the truth in his eyes. She saw love and affection. She saw the unbridled truth he was saying, and it touched her.

"Jack, would you please make love to me?"

Jack's lips crashed onto hers as soon as her words registered with him. Jack took his time making love to her. He wanted to make sure she knew it wasn't just a physical desire to be fulfilled. He wanted her to know that he loved every part of her.

…

Viola woke up laying in bed. She took a moment to realize where she was. She wasn't in her room. When she sat up in bed, she heard the bathroom door open. James walked out in a pair of athletic shorts and without a shirt on. His upper body was still wet from the shower he just stepped out of. This was the first time she saw him without a shirt on and she was amazed at how well his shirts covered what was lying beneath it. Oh…my…

"Did you sleep well?"

His words caught her attention. "Yes. How did I end up in your bed?"

"Well, when we began the next movie, you fell asleep within a few minutes of it starting. When I picked you up to take you to your room you woke up a little. I was afraid to wake you up, so I laid you on the bed. I slept on the recliner."

"You didn't have to do that."

"I know, but I didn't want to wake you."

She smiled while he spoke. He was gorgeous without a shirt on. She was also grateful he didn't push her and took care of her. She also smiled knowing she wouldn't have minded if he laid in bed with her to sleep. She was attracted to this man and was beginning to fall in love with him. If she was being honest with herself, she wouldn't have minded if he did push the limits a little.

"When do we have to leave?"

"In about an hour. Why don't you grab a shower and get dressed from your unpacked suitcase?" He teased her with a smile. "I'll go downstairs to see if I can grab us a light breakfast."

"Fine." She smirked at the suitcase remark. When she stood, he walked by and gave her a small kiss on the cheek. She reached for his arm and turned him around so they were facing each other. "Thank you for last night. That was a lot of fun." She stated and then gave him a kiss that shocked him. His body reacted to her attention and pulled her into a deeper embrace as she worked her tongue past his lips to find his waiting for her.

…

As Elizabeth stepped into the shower to begin her morning routine, Jack asked. "Would you like breakfast?"

"That sounds great. We're hungry."

"Pancakes and OJ?"

"Pancakes and apple juice. Sometimes OJ messes with me."

"I'll have it ready when you are done in here."

Elizabeth walked into the kitchen to a breakfast sitting on the table with flowers in the middle. Jack always liked to have flowers on the table, but they weren't too tall so you couldn't see the person sitting in front of you.

"Jack, this looks amazing." She sat at the table with a plate of food. "Oh, I need to get some apple juice."

"Wait…I'll get it. Stay seated." Jack offered.

"Jack, I'm not an invalid." She loved that Jack loved her and took care of her, but there were times when he was a little over protective.

Jack stopped in his tracks. He knew exactly what that phrase meant. "I'm doing it again, aren't I?"

Instead of saying anything, she offered him a smile as she stood and walked toward the fridge for the apple juice.

When she sat down, Jack smiled at her. "I'm sorry."

"It's ok Jack. I know you mean well, but at the moment I'm not too fat that I can't do things. Maybe in a few months I will need more help, but I'm ok now." She smirked at him.

Jack playfully threw his napkin at her. "You are not fat, Ms. Thatcher!"

She glared at him. She hated when he used her maiden name. "Jack Thorton, don't you ever call me Thatcher again. I'm a Thorton now."

"And I couldn't be any happier."

…

Tom kissed Julie on the lips softly as he headed to the front door. He had an early zoom meeting at the office with a potential client. Things were looking good for him to receive their business.

"Tom, would you have time for lunch today?"

"Sure, would you like to come by the office or meet me somewhere?"

"Let's meet at Abagail's."

"Sounds good. Let's plan for noon but if I will be late I will give you a call."

"Sounds good. I will be at Draw-N-Things until five."

"Perfect."

Their life was better than they could have dreamed of. Their jobs were going well, and Juile was buying her time until college started. That was one of the things she wanted to talk to Tom about. She wasn't sure if she wanted to work while in school. Another thing she wanted to talk about was having a baby. She knew she told Tom before their wedding that she wanted to wait, but with spending time with Elizabeth, her desire for a baby was growing faster than she could keep up with.

She wanted to finish her school so she could be an art teacher and work with children. It was her calling, and she knew it. Now, she was wanting to be a mother. She felt that calling just as much as working with children. She needed to talk with her husband.

…

As Jack was heading into the office, he kept playing the morning he had with his wife in his head. He couldn't understand why she thought she was unattractive. To him, she was beautiful and was growing more beautiful as the babies grew. He made a mental note to talk with his mother about this. He wanted to understand so he could be there for his bride. He also had a thought about how Elizabeth could see herself through his eyes.

Before pulling into the station's parking lot, his cell phone buzzed. "Detective Thorton." He answered.

"Hey Chief." Amy began. "We had a phone call from the Johnson's farm stating they thought they saw someone lurking around their barn. They couldn't see anything, but Mr. Johnson has to go to the stock barn to pick up some cattle and couldn't reschedule the pick up. He was wanting someone to take a look for him."

"I'll head that way. Would you please send me the address? I don't know where that is. Plus, I'm not the chief."

"Yes, sir. I'll text it to you."

Since his phone was in his hand, he texted Elizabeth "831."

…

Adam stood at the section looking for the wood that Jack would use for the two toy chests. He wanted to use the wider boards so the look would be cleaner. He also wanted to purchase a little different type of wood, especially since Jack wanted to stain the toy chest instead of painting them.

While looking at the wood, he couldn't keep his mind on the process of purchasing the wood. He stared looking at this one particular board for the last several minutes. His previous conversation with Jack was running through his mind. Maybe we can tell the kids that daddy and grandpa made them. The use of the title 'grandpa' rocked his world. He has never been called grandpa and it excited him. But for Jack to use it, he felt he truly had Jack's approval to marry Charlette.

Charlette's and his relationship were moving forward. He was happy with the progress, but he was honestly ready to be married. He quickly realized he hated to be alone. He wanted Charlette with him.

"Adam, do you need any help?" Asked the sales associate.

"I'm sorry. Did you say anything?"

"Yeah…I asked if you need any help?"

"No. I'm good."

…

After a light breakfast in Viola's room, James asked if she was ready to head out to the conference.

"Sure. Now James, tell me what I'm in for today."

"Well, it's a basic construction conference. There will be countless booths from vendors trying to sell their products. I usually use this time to establish new vendors or strengthen already existing relationships with the vendors I use. It's also a good way to see what's new on the market or any improvements with the products I already use. Sometimes I can find some materials cheaper. Things like that."

"That sounds interesting. You mentioned that I could be useful. How do you figure that?"

"Well, you have a good business mind. I'm hoping you could see something that maybe I don't see. Plus…" His voice went silent.

"Plus?" She questioned.

"Plus…" He hesitated. "I wanted to spend time with you. This is a great opportunity to spend time with you that I didn't want to pass up on." His face was turning red with embarrassment.

Vi smiled at his words and his gesture. She reached for his hand and gave it a caring squeeze. "Let's go, sweet man." Viola was touched by his statement. She loved spending time with this man and was grateful for the opportunity to spend the weekend with him.

…

It took Jack about twenty five minutes to reach a long dirt driveway. He pulled down the drive and followed it past the house to a barn about four hundred yards beyond the house. He cautiously stepped out of the car and looked around. He didn't see anything out of the ordinary but felt that something was off. He unclipped his sidearm but didn't pull it.

Jack noticed a small pond to the right of the barn with some farm equipment close by. There was an empty equipment shed to his right except for bush hog and a hay rake. Everything looked perfectly normal for a farm, but he still couldn't get this uneasy feeling to go away. Jack reached for his shoulder and gave it a small rub. His time with Elizabeth this morning caused a little pain but for Jack, it was completely worth the discomfort he was now experiencing.

He walked into the barn and gave himself a couple of seconds for his eyes to adjust to the shadows of the barn. There were stalls on each side and a large isle down the center of the barn with a good sized tractor in the middle. After walking in a few feet, he heard a female voice.

"Chief Thorton. It is great to finally meet you."

…

James and Vi have been at the conference for a couple of hours now. They have walked through the booths looking at the various displays and the newest gadgets of construction. Vi was impressed with the amount of people that knew James. Each person who spoke to him seemed genuine in their attitude toward him. They genuinely liked him.

"James! James!" A middle aged woman yelled. James stopped to turn to his left and noticed the woman calling out to him. James and Vi have been holding hands off and on throughout the morning. James immediately reached for Viola's hand as they began to walk toward the lady's booth.

"Sandy, it's great to see you again. Please, let me introduce you to my girlfriend, Viola."

Vi could see Sandy's disappointment at the introduction.

Caught off guard, Sandy offered her a fake smile. "Hello Viola. It's great to meet you."

Viola shook her hand and then returned her hand to James' hand.

"James, I have the concrete kits that you love so much. We improved them a little from last year by making the rebar with a little more pronounced pattern so the concrete will hold to it better. I think you will like the improvement."

"Oh, that does sound nice. May I see one?"

"Sure." Sandy reached down to pick up a small section of the rebar.

James ran his hand over the portion and noticed a pronounced design. "I believe you are correct. The concrete will have a better hold and will reduce the possibility of cracking. Is the price comparable to last year's?"

"Yes, we raised it five percent. Well within the market's normal range."

"Perfect. I think this will be a great help."

After leaving Sandy's booth, Vi laughed at James' facial expression. "Who's Sandy?"

"Well…" he began nervously. "She is a contractor who sells concrete joints. She has a good product and I always use them. They're priced reasonably and are very effective. I have known her for four years. After my divorce, she always wanted to go out to eat or for a drink, but I never took her up on it."

"Why not?"

"A couple of reasons, actually. First, I didn't want to date. My ex-wife really did a number on me, and I was gun shy for a long time. I didn't trust women and I wasn't ready for a relationship."

Viola nodded her head.

"Secondly, I knew she wasn't someone I wanted to date. She doesn't seem like a bad woman or anything like that, but I just didn't feel like she was a possibility for me. We have a working friendship, but nothing more than that."

"I don't think she feels that way."

James lowered his head. "Yeah."

"So, you never went out with her?"

"No. Not once for any reason."

Vi never thought she would ever trust a man again. Lionel constantly lied to her and cheated on her. She always thought he was, but never fully accepted it until the end of their marriage. This story was something that he would have told her. However, with James, things were different. She knew he was being honest with her. She couldn't explain it, but she knew it to be true.

James was getting nervous with her silence. He has been exactly where she is at. He didn't trust anyone either. That is why he had avoided dating for so many years. He knew his story was true, but Viola didn't know that. He also knew his story sounded like something his ex would say. He was quickly falling for this woman but knew she had to cross some bridges to learn to trust again. He slowly began to release her hand not wanting to push her.

To his shock, Viola tightened her hold on his hand. She gave him a bright smile and began heading to the next booth. He didn't know what to think.

"Viola, are you ok?"

"James, I trust you. I don't know why exactly, but I do."

He looked at her confused.

"My ex told me things like that all the time. He always had an excuse. I believed him on the surface, but for some reason I had questions that I never voiced. I knew he was cheating on me, but I just didn't confront him. I gave up so much, I think I held on even tighter because of all the things I gave up."

James nodded his head encouraging her to continue.

"I don't know why James, but I trust you. Maybe it's because you have walked this path before, but I don't think you would lie to me because you know the hurt it causes."

"I would never lie to you."

"I know."

"Do you have any questions regarding Sandy?"

"No. I believe you have told me everything."

"I have."

"Great! So, what's next?"

…

Tom walked toward Abagail's when he noticed his wife walking in the same direction from her work. He smiled at his beauty. She looked up and notice her husband was staring at her.

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Thorton."

"Good afternoon, Mr. Thorton. I hope you are having a good day."

"I am now. How has your day been?"

"Good."

After sitting down at a booth, they place their orders with Mary. "So beautiful, what's on that pretty little mind of yours?"

She gave him a small smile. "Well, I'm not exactly sure how to say it."

"Well, you are talking to your husband. Why don't you just say what's on your mind and we will go from there."

"Are you sure?"

"Julie, what's going on? You're making me nervous."

"I want to have a baby." She blurted out.

"A baby?"

"Yes. I want a baby with you." She stated quickly. So quickly he was having trouble hearing her. "I want our family. I know we decided to wait, but I don't want to wait any longer."

"Sweetheart. You need to slow down a little bit. I am having trouble understanding you. Did you say you want a baby?"

"Yes, Tom. I do."

"Ok." He tried to allow his mind to catch up to Julie. He was not expecting this conversation. They have always wanted to wait. To enjoy each other before a baby came into the equation. Plus, with her beginning school again, they wanted to wait until she was finished with that.

"Sweetheart, what has changed your mind?"

Julie shook her head. "I don't know for sure. I think part of it is Elizabeth and her pregnancy. It made me want a child. The thought of having a baby with you has become…I don't know. Our baby, part you and part me…" She was having trouble explaining herself.

"You want to have a baby because your sister is having one?"

"Not like that!" She paused for a moment. "Oh…never mind!"

Tom reached across the table and took her hand. He gently rubbed his thumb across the back of her hand. In a soothing voice. "Julie, what is going on? We have talked about this. You know I want a family with you. We talked about having some time with just us and then with school beginning soon."

"I know."

"Ok…so…"

Julie huffed in frustration.

"Julie, just talk to me."

"Fine, I want to have a baby now. I don't want to wait. I want our family. I am not in a competition with Elizabeth. I just saw her excitement and it made me think what it would be like to have your baby."

Tom continued to rub her hand. "I want to have a baby with you too. I would want our child to have your read hair and your free personality and your strength."

"As long as the baby don't have my impatience." She laughed. "I know we have talked about this, and we agreed to wait, but Tom, the desire is growing. I want this now."

Tom gave her a smile. "I guess we will need to talk about this."

"Is that a yes?"

"It's not a yes and it's not a no. If we decide to begin trying, what are you going to do with school? Do you think you can go to school and be pregnant or have a baby while in class?"

"I don't know."

What about beginning your new career after school?"

Julie lowered her head. In her impatience, she hasn't thought this out. "So, you want to wait until after school?"

"Julie, that's not what I said. I am trying to figure this out."

"I know. I'm sorry." She sighed. "Tom, I don't have the answers, but I know how I feel. I guess it would be better if we waited until after I graduate and find a job."

Tom thought about it for a few minutes while Mary was placing their food on the table. "What do you think about this. You have one and a half years of school left. You start school soon. Why don't we wait for one year. After that, you would have one semester left. We will begin then. I believe you can go to school for the last semester while pregnant."

"The last semester is clinicals. I would be in the classroom under the supervision of a teacher as a student teacher."

"Then you would graduate while pregnant. We would only be waiting for one year."

Julie thought about it for a moment. "I may be able to do that, but as soon as I begin my last semester we begin trying."

"Absolutely. Maybe a little earlier than that."

She smiled at her husband. "That sounds great."

"Plus, we can practice by helping Jack and Elizabeth out. They will need all the help they can get. Then our little one would be a couple of years behind theirs. They could grow up together and have playmates."

Julie smiled at his words. While this wasn't exactly what she wanted, it did make the most sense. "Ok, but we begin trying then."

"I have no problem with that. Now, we can use the year and practice to make sure we are ready to begin trying." He wiggled his eyebrows.

"You're on!" She exclaimed and extended her hand to shake his.

He looked at her like she was crazy. "Do you really want to shake on it?"

"Yes. We made a deal." She smirked.

"Oh, sweetheart. We're married. We don't shake hands on making a deal."

"What should we do then."

"Let's get this to go. Then we will go home, and I could show you what married couples do."

"Mary!" Julie raised her arm. "We need two to go containers, now please."

…

"Are you ready for lunch?" Viola asked.

"Let's check this booth out and then we will find something."

"Sounds good."

They walked up to a booth that had several different tools out for display. Viola knew a couple of the tools, but she didn't know too much about them. They looked something like her friends dad had, but a little bigger.

"Good after." The nice man said behind the table.

"Hello, sir." James and Viola stated at the same time.

"Is there anything you are looking for in particular?"

"Not really, just looking." Stated James.

"Let me know if anything catches your eye."

James gave the man a nod. Viola and James slowly looked over the booth until something caught James' eye. "What's this?"

"Oh. Good eye. That is the new Metabo Reciprocating Saw. It's our newest cordless saw. It has a tool less blade change system. That makes it easier and safer to change blades. Plus, you don't have to keep up with another tool. The handle has a rubber coating that reduces operator fatigue. The adjustable shoe is also tool less and it allows the user to use the entire length of the blade. That extends the life of the blade."

"Oh, that sounds great. Our guys always complain about the reciprocating saws we have. They complain about their hands hurting and keeping up with those silly tools."

"Yeah, this solves both of those problems."

"They'll hit the stores at about $170."

James nodded his head.

"How much are you selling them for?" Asked Viola.

"The same price."

"Even if we buy more than one?"

"Yes. I can't give a discount."

"Oh well. I guess we will look somewhere else."

As she turned to leave, the man cleared his throat. This made Viola stop. When she turned around to look at the gentleman, he stated. "I can take $10 off each one after the second one."

"Well, that's not much of a discount. Andy over in the next row said he could do much better than that." She turned her attention to James. "Andy said he would work with your company and give you a much better price for all the things you will order."

"Andy…" The man stated under his breath. "I hate that guy." He spoke a little louder than he wanted too. "His tools aren't as good as these." He stated with confidence.

"Says the man who wants to sell me something without much of a reduction in price."

"Let's go James. We will just double back to Andy and give him your order."

James smiled at this woman. She was working this guy hard.

"What company?"

"I own a construction company." James stated.

"He has thirty employees and just received a large business loan to purchase equipment because his company is growing. He needs equipment and tools for his employees and the ones he is hiring to meet demand." Viola added.

"What does your company do?"

"We build commercial buildings, concrete work, retaining walls, etc. We do a little bit of everything."

"Oh." The man was very interested now. "These are the top of the market in tools."

"I'm sure they are and by the price you have on them, you love them very much."

"What is Andy doing for you?"

"The first two full price, The next two at twenty five percent off and every one after that is forty percent off."

James was enjoying watching his girlfriend work this guy. Man…she's good.

"Oh…I can't match that."

"Well…" She turned to face James. Patting him on the chest, she stated. "Andy it is. His tools may not be the top of the line, but they are up there and very good tools. We will be happy with them. Now, you promised me lunch." She gave James a huge smile.

"Let's go." He stated.

"Wait." The man groaned. "I'll match him."

"Great." She smiled victorious.

After James place his order, he took Viola's hand and walked toward the food section of the conference. "Well, I think I saved you a lot of money today, I believe you owe me lunch."

James laughed. "You saved me a lot of money. How did you know that guy's name was Andy."

"Oh, I was right?" She laughed. I remember seeing the guy at a booth and remember his name badge said Andy. I couldn't remember what he sold at this booth."

"So, you made it up?"

"Well, the guy assumed we worked out a deal. Listen James, the guy is making money and you saved money. It's a win win for both sides. You place a big order and at some point over the next year you will probably place another big order. He is making a lot of money off of you. Now, you owe me lunch."

"Yes ma'am." He said laughing.

…

Jack turned toward the voice. "Well, hello. Do I know you?"