Chapter 31

"Mr. Pacifico, this is us." Jack stated as he stopped the wagon. It's not much, but it's home."

"It looks great to me."

"Thank you."

"Constable Thornton…"

"Please Mr. Pacifico, please call me Jack. I have a feeling you will be family very soon."

"Only if you call me Jacob."

"Jacob, welcome to your home for a few days."

"Jack, thank you for opening your home to us."

"You are welcome, Jacob. I'm grateful you came on such short notice."

"Mrs. P didn't tell you?"

"No. She sent me a telegram that you two were coming at my request."

"Let's get these trunks unloaded, Jack. We need to have a discussion."

…

"Elizabeth…" Gasped Mrs. P. "…this is more beautiful than I could ever imagine!"

"Jack did a great job didn't he?"

"I would say so." Mrs. P stood and looked over the building that was standing in front of her. The beautiful white building was standing tall on the edge of town.

Elizabeth showed Mrs. P around the inside of the building. Elizabeth thought for a moment of showing Mrs. P the initials in the corners, but she decided to keep that bit of knowledge just for herself.

"These are the cowbells Jack got for you?" Mrs. P asked as she picked up the bells off the desk.

"They are." Elizabeth smiled at the memory of that story. "We have a bell for the school and the church, but I still use these in between classes and at the end of the day. I use the big bell in the mornings to begin school."

"That was a great story." Mrs. P hesitated for a few moments, but she had to ask her favorite Thatcher sister. "How are you doing?"

Elizabeth immediately knew what Mrs. P was asking. "I'm the best I have ever been. It wasn't easy coming back. Jack didn't trust me, and I understand that. However, he understood that he was my soulmate. He took a few days to trust me."

"He certainly trusts you."

"He does. I will never let him down again."

Mrs. P laughed. "I have no doubt. When you make up your mind, I kind of feel sorry for the other person."

Elizabeth nudged her friend. "What a thing to say…" Both ladies laughed. "Let's go back to the café. I would love to introduce you to Abagail."

"Let's go. Then I would like to go and rest for a while. That was a long trip."

Elizabeth reached for Mrs. P's hand. "Let's get going. We can have dinner and then I will take you to Jack's."

Elizabeth turned her head to look at the corner of the building. Her smile grew when her eyes fell to the corner baseboards. She knew what she was looking at even though she couldn't see them.

"What's that smile for?" Sassed Mrs. P.

"Nothing." Elizabeth smiled.

"You know I have known you all your life. I know when you are hiding something."

"Yes ma'am." Elizabeth giggled.

…

"Are you ok with that?"

Jack smiled. "I am perfectly ok with that. Happy retirement."

"Thank you Jack." Jacob smiled. "But you do realize what that probably means?"

"I do. You two will be moving here very soon."

"My precious wife says that we will see…which usually means we will." Jacob laughed.

"I know Elizabeth will love that."

"I hope so. My wife has missed Elizabeth greatly over the last three years. Elizabeth was always her favorite."

"I believe Elizabeth is everyone's favorite."

"I always thought you were a smart man." Jacob laughed.

"Let's head back to the café. I'm sure Elizabeth and Mrs. P will be there soon. It's almost dinner time."

…

Elizabeth and Mrs. P were sitting at a table in the cafe with JJ. He was being his adorable self while sitting on Elizabeth's lap. It took all of two seconds for Mrs. P to completely fall in love with him. He was as adorable as Elizabeth told her on their walk back. Elizabeth gushed about the boy. Mrs. P loved watching Elizabeth in her role as a mother. She was a natural.

"Abagail, please sit with us." Elizabeth implored as Abagail stopped by the table with biscuits.

"I will in a minute. The food is almost ready."

"Oh…" Moaned Mrs. P as she took a bite of a biscuit. "This is better than any chief your parents have ever hired." Mrs. P closed her eyes with pure joy at how great the biscuit tasted.

"Huh…Elizabeth said the same think a few years ago." Abagail remembered Elizabeth's statement.

"Well, she isn't wrong." Stated Mrs. P as she took another bite.

"So, Mrs. P…do you have a good story about mommy when she was young?"

Elizabeth placed her hand over JJ's mouth. "Don't you dare answer that question." Warned Elizabeth giving Mrs. P her teacher's face.

"Oh JJ…I think I can come up with a couple of stories that's appropriate for you." Mrs. P sassed.

No one noticed Grace slipping out the side door of the café. Everyone thought she was upstairs resting from the trip and all the things she learned. Grace slowly closed the door and made her way in the direction of the jail.

JJ leaned back sitting on Elizabeth's lap. His head rested on her chest. Elizabeth wrapped her arms around the boy's stomach as he let his legs rest on each side of Elizabeth's legs. He was happy and content in his mommy's arms.

"Let's see…I believe Bethie was about nine or maybe ten years old."

"Good grief…not that story." Elizabeth shook her head.

"Oh…this sounds good." JJ stated as he settled even deeper in Elizabeth's grasp.

"She was ten…"

…

Grace wasn't so easy on the jail door when she slammed it shut. She closed it so hard the window that was a few feet away shook. Everyone in the cells looked up except for William. He knew what was coming.

Grace stomped her way to the cell where her husband and Charles were locked in. The determination in her walk was unmistakable. William and Charles were sitting on a cot. Reed, Williams, and Jackson were sitting around Jack's desk looking over a map of the surrounding area. They were planning the route for the transport team to take the men to Medicine Hat in a couple of days. When they heard the door slam and the look on this older, yet distinguished woman's face, they immediately folded the map and walked out the front door. Grace never even noticed them sitting at the desk or when they left.

Grace walked up to the cell door and placed her hands on the bars about shoulder width apart. She glared at her husband. William finally looked up after a few moments. He was feeling her glare at him. Charles stood. He always had a good relationship with Grace. He didn't think she, or William, knew what he did to Elizabeth.

"Mrs. Thatcher..." Grace cut him off by quickly looking in his direction. Charles shrunk under her glare. William could never remember a time she looked so mad.

In a tone that no one had heard from her before, or from anyone for that matter, she spoke. "If you ever talk to me or touch my daughter again, I will pull you through these cell bars myself."

Charles began to open his mouth until he noticed the look on Mrs. Thatcher's face. It was lifeless. Her eyes looked cold…almost dead. The expression was stone cold, and it scared all four prisoners.

Charles sat back down on the cot while Mr. Thatcher stared at him. He thought he was arrested on the same charges as he was. "What did you do?"

"Nothing." Charles replied. "That mountie is just making stuff up."

"Shut up Charles!" Grace yelled. "I have spoken with Elizabeth. I have seen the bruises on her wrists."

"Bruises…?" Whispered William.

Before Charles could answer William, Grace began to speak.

"I can't believe what I have heard what you two did. How could you?"

"Grace, I didn't do any…"

"William…" Grace glared at her husband. He knew that glare all too well. It was the one she always gave him when he was trying to get out of trouble when he did something he wasn't supposed to. This look, however, was worse than anything he had seen before.

"You have two minutes to tell me why!" Grace demanded.

William sighed. He had no intention of ever telling his wife what he did. But now he knew he didn't have a choice. "I wanted…"

…

"Bethie was ten years old. Mrs. Thatcher told her she had to spend some time outside."

"You didn't want to be outside?"

"Oh no, JJ. I would rather stay inside and read."

"That's right. She was inside for four straight days reading books. I made sure she had a new book each time she was ready for it. Mrs. Thatcher normally didn't care if she read, but she didn't see any daylight for four days."

"I was having the best time of my life."

"Maybe so, but you needed to be outside and be a kid. Anyways, I found her in her normal hiding spot. That's when I ran her out of library and made her do what her mother said."

"You were a little bit of trouble, weren't you?" JJ sassed with a smile.

"Oh no. I was a good kid." Elizbeth defended herself.

"She really was, especially with a book in her hands. You would rarely know that she was around. Anyways, on the Thatcher property is a small pond located on the back of the property."

"Pond?" Questioned JJ. "Oh, this is going to be good." JJ leaned up and sat straight up on Elizabeth's lap.

"Really...?" Elizabeth smirked at Mrs. P. "Why this story?"

"It's a great story. Now, stop interrupting." Mrs. P sassed playfully pointing her finger at Elizabeth.

JJ's smile only grew. He found it very funny that his mommy was getting in trouble.

"Anyways, Bethie stepped outside and stood on the back deck for a little while. She was pouting about not being able to read. I had to step out on the back deck and promise her a new book if she spent a few hours outside playing." Mrs. P adjusted herself on the chair. "She finally stepped on the grass and noticed two beautiful blue birds."

"The were very pretty." Elizabeth smiled at the memory.

"She followed them out onto the back yard. She watched them fly from tree to tree. She also watched them dig for worms in the back yard and at the edge of the trees."

"You had trees in your back yard?"

"Yes, my little one. I did. They were very pretty."

"Did you ever climb them?"

"Oh no." Elizabeth shook her head.

"I was busy doing my work and I lost track of time. I would say Elizabeth was gone for probably a couple of hours."

"I would guess that." Elizabeth stated. "I followed the birds into the woods. I lost track of them in the trees. I just couldn't see them any longer. So, I walked further into the woods."

"What did you do?" JJ asked. He was fully invested in the story.

"I walked and walked trying to find them. I just couldn't. After a little while, I came across an old, small barn. I didn't even know it was there."

"Did you go in it?"

Elizabeth smiled at JJ's eagerness. "I did. There were just old things laying around the floor. It looked like no one had been in there for years. Trash was lying around everywhere."

"Don't forget about the bugs." Smirked Mrs. P.

"Bugs?" Smiled JJ.

"I started moving some things around just looking to see what I could find. I moved an old blanket and then I found a whole lot of bugs." Elizabeth shivered at the thought. "They were everywhere!"

"What kind where they?" JJ asked.

"I don't know…there were too many of them and they all came toward me." Elizabeth shivered at the thought.

"I believe that is when she learned her hatred of bugs." Teased Mrs. P.

Elizabeth playfully grinned at Mrs. P as she swatted toward Mrs. P's arm.

"What did you do?"

"I ran!" Elizabeth's voice was raised with a little bit of terror. "I ran as fast as I could."

JJ laughed. His laughter sounded like music to Elizabeth's and Mrs. P's ears. Mrs. P was already in love with this little boy.

…

"I wanted the best for Elizabeth."

"You know William, you have said that countless times over the last few years, but have you ever asked Elizabeth what she wanted?"

William sat on the edge of the cot. He didn't say anything.

"When Beth came to Hope Valley, she always said that she wanted to make a difference in the lives of children who didn't have all the advantages in life. I didn't want her to go so far from home. Especially to a place that she didn't know anyone. But you know our Beth, she can be stubborn. If it's in her head to do something, she is going to do it."

William nodded his head. Elizabeth inherited that stubborn trait from him.

"When Beth came home when I was sick, she decided she wanted to come back to Hope Valley. She stated the very same reason she gave us for her to come here in the beginning. She did add one more thing. She came back for Jack."

"But Grace…"

"That's enough from you." She hissed.

"Have you ever heard anyone sound like that?" Reed asked. The three mounties remained on the front porch of the jail. They weren't supposed to leave anyone alone with the prisoner, especially a family member, but they were certain their superiors never met anyone as angry as this woman. So, they remained close by the door as one watched from the window so he could see if anything was passed through the cell bars.

"You have pushed Beth for years. You do it in a subtle way, but you push and push until you get your way. But this time, you pushed away your daughter. You forgot that didn't you? She isn't your employee…she's your daughter. You tried to dictate to her what you wanted her to do. You wanted her to marry Charles. You wanted her to take her rightful place in proper society and raise a family. You wanted her to stop working."

"You wanted the same thing." William stood. He turned toward his wife defending himself.

"I did, but there was one thing I wanted more than any of that."

"And what is that?" Challenged William.

"I wanted my daughter happy."

"And what if she makes a mistake?"

"You don't know your daughter at all do you?" Grace shook her head. "Elizabeth is an intelligent young woman. She is also a strong woman. If she had made a mistake, she would have learned from it. She would have pulled herself up and taken the necessary steps to fix it."

"And what if the mistake she made cost her dearly?"

"Are you referring to Beth, or you?" Challenged Grace. "The mistake you made is not only life altering for you, but for me."

"That mountie has nothing on me." Stated a defiant William.

Grace shook her head. "William…you may be the smartest person in the room, but you're not as smart as you think you are. Jack has enough evidence against you to have you in prison for decades."

"He has nothing."

"William, the best thing you can do is to keep your mouth shut and take any plea deal the prosecutor is kind enough to offer you. The amount of evidence against you is astonishing."

"Like what?" William challenged.

"The contracts between you and a Mr. Louis Franklin. The telegrams with your name on them." Grace noticed William's face turned immediately pale. "That's just the beginning. I telegrammed Mr. Lewis. He telegrammed back and said he would be here as soon as he could. Maybe late tomorrow or the next day."

William nodded his head.

"William, do the right thing here for the first time in this situation. "You hurt an innocent person and caused a lot of trouble."

"That man wasn't supposed to be there."

"That is irrelevant don't you think? He's injured and his sawmill is damaged. It doesn't matter if he was supposed to be there or not. He's life is still altered because of you." Grace turned away from the cell door. She made her way to the front door of the jail. While holding the door knob, she turned to face her husband. "Not only did you do all of that, but you pushed Elizabeth to a man who pushed himself onto my middle daughter. He grabbed her and pushed her against the wall, and left bruises on her wrist." Grace opened the door and slammed it shut after she walked through it.

She looked up and noticed the mounties standing there. They looked embarrassed at being caught. Grace straightened her blouse and took a deep breath. "Thank you, gentleman, for letting me have my say."

"You're welcomed, ma'am."

"Thank you for your service, gentlemen." Grace nodded her head and slowly walked to the café. She wanted time to think things through. She just felt like she was gaining an understanding of the whole situation.

William turned his attention toward Charles. "What did you do to Elizabeth?"

…

"I didn't stop running until I came across the pond. I didn't think my mom would let me in the house just yet, so I walked around the pond a couple of times."

JJ's ears perked up. He loves playing in the pond. "Did you get dirty or wet?"

"Absolutely not!" Elizabeth shook her head in disgust. "I would never do anything like that."

"Well…" Mrs. P stated slowly.

"Mrs. P…" Elizabeth warned.

"Bethie dear, that's not the whole story." Mrs. P teased. "When I looked up when the back door opened, there was Elizabeth standing in a very proper dress soaked from head to toe."

"Really?" Asked a shocked JJ. "Mommy was wet? Did she jump in the pond?"

"I wouldn't say jump." Sassed Mrs. P.

"Good grief." Sighed Elizabeth.

JJ was leaning all the way forward. His elbows were resting on the table and his chin was in his hands. They couldn't tell the story fast enough for him.

"While walking around the pond the second time, she noticed something swimming in the pond. It was small and black. There were a lot of them."

"Tad poles." Stated JJ.

"You're a smart little boy." Mrs. P stated. "Elizabeth stepped closer to the edge of the water to take a closer look. She noticed hundreds of these little things swimming around. She was intrigued with them."

"They were in the water, and I wasn't. So, I felt safe." Defended Elizabeth.

"She squatted to have a closer look at these interesting little things. She picked up a small stick to investigate them a little closer."

"When I touched the water with the stick, a frog popped up from under the water. It scared me to death."

"Yeah…" Laughed Mrs. P. "She lost her balance and her footing and fell flat on her back side. When she fell on her back side, she tried her best to get her feet under her again. Of course, it was muddy, and she couldn't do it. She just landed on her back side again."

"The harder I tried to get to my feet, the more I slid into the pond. Before I knew it, I was in the water."

JJ didn't even try to keep from laughing. His head tilted back, and his mouth was open with a full belly laugh coming out. "I would have loved to have seen that." JJ just continued to laugh. He fell back against Elizabeth's chest.

"I didn't think it was funny." Stated Elizabeth flatly.

"I can see it now." JJ laughed spreading his arm wide open acting like he was falling.

"I looked up to a soaked and muddy Elizabeth in a beautiful dress just standing in the doorway dripping water everywhere. I don't think she went outside for two weeks." Sassed a laughing Mrs. P.

"Hey…it wasn't that long." Smirked Elizabeth. "I was grounded for a week for playing in the pond in a good dress."

"At least you haven't grounded me." Continued laughing JJ.

"Not yet, young man." Exclaimed Elizabeth as she tickled JJ's sides.

Grace walked into a scene full of laughter. The weight of the world weighted on her shoulders after speaking with William. The laughter was welcomed.

"Mother." Elizabeth stated as she looked up. "I thought you were upstairs."

"No. I went for a walk. I just needed to think and some fresh air." Grace stopped when she saw her daughter sitting with JJ in her lap. The look of pure love was written all over her. It was easy for Grace to see what everyone else saw. She really loved that little boy. Grace came to sit beside Elizbeth and JJ. "Mrs. Pacifico." Stated a shocked Grace. "I didn't know you were coming here."

"Mrs. Thatcher, I came when Jack invited us. We are retired now, and we wanted to travel."

"I'm sure Elizabeth was grateful for you coming. You were always her favorite."

"She's my favorite too."

"What were you all talking about when I came in? You all were laughing."

"Mrs. P was telling us about the time mommy was ten and she came into the kitchen all wet and muddy."

"Oh yes…you ruined your best dress playing in that old pond."

"Yes. I got in a lot of trouble because of that."

"If I remember correctly, I believe I grounded you for two weeks."

"That's funny, I only remember one week."

"Two weeks dear. I wouldn't let you read for two weeks."

"Yes, now I remember that…that was the longest two weeks of my life." Wined Elizabeth.

…

"Jack, it looks like you have a great life here." Jacob stated as they began to enter town.

"I believe I do. I love it here."

"I can see why you do."

"Elizabeth and I hope you two stay around for a while."

"We are wanting to find a place to live out our days. I know my precious wife would love to be around Elizabeth."

"We would very much welcome you here. I know Elizabeth would love to have Mrs. P around."

"Do you think so?"

"Yes, sir. I know so. Elizabeth loves you two. She speaks about you two often."

"My wife's first thought when we retired was to move out here to help Elizabeth."

"I don't know if she needs help, but she would love to have you around here. We were engaged today, but we haven't had time to speak about the time frame of getting married."

"Maybe the dresses will help that along, if you would like to have a short engagement."

"I would love a very short engagement." Smiled Jack.

"I believe my wife has plans for you two?"

"What do you mean?"

"Mrs. P has it in her head to help Elizabeth with her babies."

"Oh…" Jack's face turned red with embarrassment. "We…huh…"

"Relax Jack. It's just wishful thinking from an old woman."

"Elizabeth would welcome any help from Mrs. P."

Jack and Jacob walked into Abagail's kitchen to a room full of people just sitting around talking. There was plenty of laughter and joy that filled the room. The events of the last few days were not on anyone's mind. They haven't forgotten about them, but they were put on the back burner. Everyone was grateful for that. They needed this evening of just being with each other and having the conversation light. There were no deep conversations or trying to figure out the next move. They just shared stories and laughter of times long gone by. Everyone was thankful for the joy filled couple of hours with each other.

…

"JJ, it's time we take Mr. and Mrs. Pacifico home. We need to show them where they are staying?"

"Sure. Mommy, are you coming?"

"Not yet, but soon." She looked at Jack with a playful smirk.

"Soon." Jack whispered.

Elizabeth pulled Jack to the side just for a second. While the last couple of hours were a much needed break from everything, she really missed the time with just her and Jack. Each time he laughed and or gently touched her arm, she wanted to kiss him. Her mind even wondered further into their relationship when his leg would brush up against hers. Elizabeth could see the same desires in his eyes. She knew he was fighting the same battle.

Grace and Abagail excused themselves upstairs once everything was cleaned up. Mr. and Mrs. Pacifico took JJ out onto the porch for Jack and Elizabeth to have a couple of minutes alone with each other.

"Thank you for tonight." Both Jack and Elizabeth stated at the same time. They laughed when the reached for each other.

"I love you, Bella."

"I love you, Dimples. When will I see you tomorrow?"

"I have to be at the jail early. Mrs. P said she would look after JJ first thing."

"That sounds like her. Thank you for asking her to come."

"I need to go." Jack stated when JJ burst through the door. He realized he didn't tell his mommy good night.

…

"Dear…" Grace slowly stated as Elizabeth walked into the shared bedroom. "…I believe I may have been mistaken everything concerning Jack." Grace didn't look up when Elizabeth sat down on the edge of the small bed her mom was using. "I think I saw his true side today and tonight. This isn't the one your father portrayed to me."

"Jack is a great man, mother. He is my soulmate."

"I can see that." Grace never looked up while speaking. After a few moments of silence, she finally made eye contact with her middle daughter "Elizabeth, this is a little late, but I know what you want for your life."

"You never asked me."

"And I don't have to ask now. I can easily see it." Grace gave her a small smile. "You belong here, in this town, with Jack and JJ."

"Thank you for seeing that."

"I'm sorry what William did…" Grace's voice trailed off to silence. She was still having trouble coming to complete terms with it.

"Me too mother. I can't believe he and Charles never listened to me."

"He thought he knew best."

"Yes, but he didn't."

"No…he didn't. Elizabeth, for what it's worth, you have my blessing."

"Thank you mother."

…

"Jack, that boy is priceless."

"He is, Mrs. P. I cannot take any credit for that. Steve and Joy, his parents, raised him. I'm just trying not to mess him up."

"You are doing a great job with him."

"Thank you. Elizabeth is a great help."

"I always thought she would make a good mother."

"She is a great mother."

"Jack…"

"Mrs. P." Jack cut her off. "I haven't spoken to Elizabeth about this, but we would love for you and your husband to move to Hope Valley. Elizabeth would love for you to be here."

"Thank you, Jack. Maybe I can help her."

"I believe she would rather have you as a great friend, not an employee. Maybe you can be an honorary grandmother to JJ and any future babies that we are blessed with."

"Jack, that would be the greatest blessing to this old woman."

Jack reached for Mrs. P's hand. "You have my blessing, just speak with Elizabeth. I know you will have her blessing too."

…

Elizabeth slowly closed the front door trying not to make any noise. She patted through the living room and kitchen remembering where all the furniture was located. She didn't want to run into anything. She knew she shouldn't be here, but she couldn't help herself. She just couldn't talk herself out of it. After the fourth attempt, she just quit trying. She dressed herself with a bathrobe over her night dress. She put on her most comfortable shoes and took a lantern to light her way. She glanced at the clock and noticed that it was one thirty.

"He's going to kill me." She whispered to herself. Even that thought couldn't stop her. She quickly made her way to the familiar path.

The second step squeaked. She forgot about that board. She stopped immediately and listened. She didn't hear anyone. After a few seconds, she continued up the stairs. Jack did state that he would share JJ's room, but she knew that Mrs. P wouldn't allow that. She quickly looked at the door on the right before turning her attention to the door on her left. It was closed. She slowly opened the door and slid into the bedroom. When she closed the door, she rested her back against it. She attempted to talk herself out of it and to turn around and go home, but she just couldn't. She came too far.

Jack smiled. He heard her close the front door and thought it was her when the stairs squeaked. He knew he was supposed to send her home, but who was he kidding. He would never tell her to leave. Especially with JJ in bed with him. It wasn't proper, but at least they had a chaperone.

Elizabeth slowly walked to the foot of the bed. She smiled at her little boy. He was sprawled out. Not only was he on his side of the bed, but he was also on Jack's side. Elizabeth was startled when she noticed Jack pulled the covers back between him and JJ. Her breath caught in her chest when she noticed that he wasn't wearing a shirt. His smile was huge even though it was filled with sleep. This was the first time she saw Jack without a shirt on.

Elizabeth stared at her shirtless fiancé. She loved what she saw. She looked him up and down a couple of times admiring what she was seeing. She took off her robe and slowly climbed onto the bed when Jack patted the bed between him and JJ. She settled in between Jack and JJ. She laid on her side and pulled JJ into her arms. His back was against her chest. He quickly settled in even though he never woke up. The moment JJ settled, Elizabeth felt Jack move behind her. He laid with his chest against her back. His entire body was touching her body. She sighed. She felt like she was in heaven. She had to remind herself to breath.

"I'm sorry Jack. I just couldn't help myself." She whispered as she settled into Jack's grasp. Jack's right arm wrapped around her and JJ. He pulled them closer to him. His left arm went under Elizabeth's head, and she grasped his left hand. She pulled his hand closer to her heart. "I know I shouldn't be here, but Jack…"

"What took you so long?" He whispered in her ear.

Elizabeth shuttered at his breath and his closeness. "Jack…" Elizabeth stated after a few moments of silence.

"Ummm."

"You are never allowed to wear a shirt to bed." Elizabeth's face was a little red with embarrassment at the thoughts that were going through her mind.

"I never have during summer. I do wear one during the cold months."

"Not anymore." Elizabeth snuggled closer to Jack.

Both Jack and Elizabeth were enjoying their time together. He loved holding her in his arms and she loved being held. She also loved JJ being in her arms. This time together as a family was the most intimate time they had ever spent together.

"Jack…I would like to be married soon." Elizabeth whispered.

"Me too."

"Jack, I don't mean weeks from now."

"I'm thinking in a week. Mrs. P has brought you a few dresses to choose from. Our friends are here. My brother and your sister are here. Your mother is here, but I'm not sure if she'll stay or not. My Ma is here. I don't understand why we should wait."

"I think she will. I believe she has finally seen what I want in my life."

"I'm sorry your dad won't be able to walk you down the aisle."

"Me too, but he has made his decision." Elizabeth let out a long sigh.

"What about Mr. Pacifico? How would you feel about him walking you down the aisle since you have known him your entire life?"

"That would be perfect." Jack could sense her smile even though her back was against him.

So, today is Wednesday…we will be married next Friday." Jack smiled at his statement. "That will give the ladies in town time to throw you a party."

"May we do it earlier?"

"Do you think we could plan everything that quickly?"

"Fine, Friday it is." She pouted.

When he tightened his hold onto his family, they fell into a restful sleep very quickly.