Episode tag to 2.1 "Girl Who Signed Wolf," beginning immediately after the conversation in which Amanda's dad apologizes for not trying to come into her "ferris wheel" (uh, that is, world), in which dinner for two becomes dinner for four, and dessert for two becomes a whole lot more.
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After Amanda and her dad made up, Amanda agreed to let him join them for dinner–on one condition. She insisted that it would be weird, that it would look like Sue was dating her dad and they couldn't have that, so Sue had to invite Jack. When Sue tried to ask if Lucy could come, Amanda insisted it had to be Jack, so finally Sue relented and called him.
He was happy to join them, and met them at the restaurant.
It was a great dinner. After they'd finished, Amanda and her dad headed home, while Jack and Sue decided to go grab some dessert. "There's a great little bakery near here," Sue said. "They have the best lava cakes! They do them in different flavors like mocha, raspberry, orange, dark or milk chocolate . . . ."
"Sounds delicious," he replied sincerely.
Since it was nearby, they walked rather than try to find new parking closer. As they walked, Jack said, "Amanda really is such a great little girl."
"Isn't she?" Sue asked. "I'm really enjoying getting to know her. I'm glad her dad's letting me stay in touch."
"Me too," he said. "I think you're really good for her."
"I think she's good for me too," Sue admitted.
"Really?" he asked, surprised. "In what way?"
"Well, I never was sure whether I'd make a good mom or not. I mean, I'm still not sure how I'd do with a baby. But at least I know if I have a kid like Amanda, I could be okay."
They were at the bakery by now and conversation switched to perusing the menu options. In the end, they ended up each getting a lava cake, one mocha and one dark chocolate raspberry, as well as two herbal teas. Once they had found seats in a corner and were sipping their tea while waiting for their treats to be brought to the table (having been told they had to be made fresh or the interior wasn't "lava") Jack picked the conversation up where they had left it off.
"I can't imagine you being anything other than a great mom."
Sue smiled. "Thanks. I wonder what my kids would look like."
Jack shrugged. "I would imagine that would depend a lot on their father, but if they look like their mom they'll be very blessed."
Sue blushed a little, ducking her head bashfully at the compliment. "I think they'll probably have darker hair than I do."
"Any particular reason?"
She shrugged. "I mean, I don't know what color my future husband's hair might be . . . but my dad's hair is darker, and all my brothers have darker hair. Only my mom and I are blonde, so it seems reasonable to think that unless I marry a guy who has a lot of strong blonde genes in his family, my kids will probably have darker hair than mine. Plus I've . . . um . . . ." She trailed off.
"You've what?"
"Nevermind."
He playfully poked at her arm. "Tell me!"
She twisted her lips to the side, deciding whether to tell him what she'd nearly said or not. "I've just . . . typically been more attracted to guys with darker hair. Not for any reason, just . . . kind of my type I guess?"
"Ah." He smiled a little but wisely didn't push that issue any further. Instead, he admitted, "When I picture my future kids, I always think of them as having golden-blonde hair."
The server brought their cakes just then, and they were silent several moments other than each moaning and murmuring over how delicious the cakes were. After several bites, Sue stabbed a forkful of her mocha cake and held it out to Jack saying, "Seriously, you have to taste this." He did, and agreed that it was fabulous, then did the same with his. After that they ate from each other's plates about as often as from their own.
Both single-serve cakes were about half gone before they each slowed down. "Whew," Jack said, sitting back and taking a sip of his tea. "These are rich!"
"Mm-hmm," Sue said, taking a smaller bite than she had been taking, "but so good."
"No argument there!"
They sat in silence for a moment, each picking a little here and there and lost in their own thoughts, when Sue said softly, "I only hope . . . I mean, we never found out why I lost my hearing. If there's any genetic component . . . if I have a child who's deaf too . . . I only hope my husband doesn't come to resent that."
"I wouldn't," Jack said. Sue stared at him a moment, trying to gauge which way he meant that. When he realized what he'd said, he quickly tried to walk it back with, "I mean, if I were married to a deaf woman . . . well, no matter who I married, I would love my wife for being my wife, and my child for being my child, and even if for some reason I couldn't love my child's mother anymore, that wouldn't change how I loved my child, no matter whose ears or eyes or hearing or vision or anything else they got."
Sue smiled tentatively. "Well, hopefully your child would have your eyes, at least."
He raised an eyebrow. "I . . . um, thank you."
She blushed furiously and looked down at her plate. "And, um, hopefully my own children will have . . . my . . . ."
He tapped her hand and she glanced back up at him. "Your smile," he said, bringing that very feature back to her lips.
"Well, yours should have your dimples," she said.
"What? I don't have dimples."
"Yes you do. Just not in the usual spot, they're lower, toward the edge of your chin." She reached out and flicked the spot, bringing her finger to her mouth after. His eyes opened wide. "Right where that bit of lava cake was," she teased.
He made a face at her, then said, "Your children should have your cheekbones." He reached out and cupped the side of her head, brushing his thumb across her cheek as though flicking something away.
"Don't tell me I got chocolate all the way up there?" she asked.
"No," he said with a cheeky smile as he sat back again. She tried to look indignant but it was hard while also struggling not to giggle.
"Your children," she said, considering for a moment, "should have your . . . sense of humor."
"And yours should have your tenacity."
"Yours should have your cute little smirk."
Now it was his turn to blush, but he continued in their little game, undeterred, especially now that it involved trying to one-up each other on making their opponent blush. "Yours should have your . . . I would say your enticing lips, but that might be weird on a small child, so maybe a less enticing version."
Her eyes grew wide and she retreated to safer ground but did not give up. "They should have your kindness."
"And your intellect."
"Sue, you're smarter than I am. We'll have smart kids, no doubt. And they should have your hair."
"You have great hair too."
"Well thank you. And we both are sporty and have strong jawlines so all of those are likely."
"I can just see a little boy with dark hair and brown eyes just like his daddy."
"I see a little girl with your golden hair and blue eyes that I'd never be able to say no to."
Neither knew what it was that caused it, but somehow that was the precise moment that they both realized their daydreaming game had shifted from "yours" and "mine" to "ours."
"Jack, I wasn't—"
"I didn't mean—"
They both stopped.
Yes, they were. Yes, they did mean.
After a deep breath, Sue said, "So . . . what are we going to do about this?"
Carefully, eyes fixed on her the whole time, Jack slid his chair around the little round table until he was right next to her. He reached his hand up, cupping her face as before, then with the other hand, lifted a forkful of cake to her mouth. Mesmerized by his eyes, she automatically opened her mouth to eat it, but instead of letting her have the forkful properly, he deliberately smeared the chocolate on her lower lip. Her tongue darted out to catch it before it could fall, but his thumb was there and she stopped mid-lick.
"You seem to have a bit of chocolate—right here," he said huskily. "Let me get that for you."
Leaning in slowly, giving her plenty of time to back away should she so choose, he nipped at her bottom lip a few times before running his tongue along it and then finding his met with her own as their lips sealed together.
They didn't kiss for very long. Just long enough to know that they definitely both meant it.
"So," Sue whispered again, "what are we going to do about it?"
"First," Jack said, "I'm going to go get a take-away box to put the rest of our lava cake into. Then, I'm really hoping you'll accompany me back to my apartment to explore a bit more of—" he paused to give her another slow, lingering kiss—"that, and then . . . then, Susan Katherine Thomas, as soon as we are possibly able to arrange it, will you marry me?"
She grinned, and her answer was to seal it with another kiss.
