Chapter 33

Elizabeth, Mrs. P, and JJ walked into the café just after the lunch rush. The crowd was slim at this hour. Grace looked up when the door opened. She gave Elizabeth a tired smile.

"Good afternoon, mother. Are you ok?"

"I am." Grace sighed.

"What's wrong?"

"I just spoke with Julie a little while ago."

"Oh…are you ok?"

"Yes." Grace nodded her head. She wasn't thrilled with the news of Julie's marriage. She was beginning to understand it as she gave it thought over the course of the last hour. "It was a little shocking."

"It was to me too. She does seem happy."

"She does. She also seems to have a plan for her life."

"I believe for the first time she does. I'm happy for her. I think designing clothes is a good thing for her. You know she loves fashion."

"She does. How are you? Did you have a nice morning?"

Elizabeth's eyes shot up very quickly. She was trying to calm her mind down. There is no way she could know…I…

"Dear, are you ok?"

"I'm fine mother. I just couldn't sleep early this morning."

"I'm assuming you went to Jack's?"

Elizabeth studied her mother for a few seconds. She reasoned if her mother knew what she did that she would have lectured her on the proper ways to court. She tried once again to calm her mind. She didn't want to lie, but she wasn't telling her mother that she went to Jack's house at one thirty in the morning and slept in Jack's bed with him and JJ. Her mother would die of a heart attack.

"I did. I visited with Jack, JJ, Mr. and Mrs. P."

"That must have been a nice visit."

Elizabeth's face turned a little pink as she looked away from her mother. "It was very nice." She wishfully stated remembering how it felt to be in Jack's arms.

"Dear…" Grace started to speak very slowly. "…Mr. Lewis will be arriving sometime today. He hired a stagecoach so he could be here as quickly as possible."

"Father's lawyer is coming here?" A stunned Elizabeth spoke. "I just thought he would be going to Medicine Hat to meet father there."

"He sent back a telegram saying that he urgently needed to meet with me…and you."

"Me?" Elizabeth's voice raised a couple of octaves. "Why would Mr. Lewis need to meet with me?"

"I don't know dear. That is just what he stated in the telegram."

Elizabeth couldn't understand why her father's lawyer would want to meet with her. She has never played a role in her father's business. She didn't know anything about it. She just figured Mr. Lewis wanted someone with her mother during the meeting.

"Mother, there is something I need to tell you…"

…

"Whatcha doing, Mr. P?"

"First off young man, it is 'what are you doing'. Secondly, I'm going to Mr. Johnston's home."

"May I go with you?"

"Can you keep a secret?"

"Sure. My mommy in heaven said to always keep good secrets but I need to say something to her if the secret is a bad one."

Mr. P stopped walking. "That's a good way to look at it."

"Mommy said that if someone is going to get hurt, I needed to tell a trusted adult about it. But if the secret is a good one, then I need to keep my mouth shut."

"Your mother in heaven sounds like a very wise woman."

"She was. So, may I go with you?"

"Let's go. Now, this is a good secret, so you need to wait to say anything."

"I promise."

…

"How are we looking Hickam?"

"Good, sir. We are still a little behind, but we are slowly catching up on the orders."

"Great. Did we damage the number one engine by running it that hard?"

"No. The mechanic said it was in perfect working order. The men are on the normal shift before the problems. They are working an extra two hours a day to help get caught up."

Lee nodded his head. He did have a good crew. He adjusted his foot so it would be more comfortable.

"Ms. Staton said she would be by this afternoon to see you."

"Did she say why?"

"No. I was finishing breakfast this morning and she mentioned it."

Lee smiled. He liked Abagail. He figured it had to do something with him healing and or the mill.

…

Elizabeth and Grace sat in the café for an hour just talking. They covered multiple topics. The more they talked, the more Grace began to understand her middle daughter. Elizabeth looked up with a little bit of panic on her face and in her eyes.

"What's wrong, dear?" Grace asked concerned.

"It's a stagecoach. The last few times a stagecoach came to town wasn't a good thing."

"It's just Mr. Lewis. Let's go and get this meeting over with. Then we have a small wedding we need to plan."

Elizabeth couldn't help but smile when her mother mentioned the wedding planning. She was looking forward to that. She already had most of it figured out.

…

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Thatcher." Mr. Lewis smiled at his friend. He has been William's lawyer for years. He has eaten at the Thatcher house countless times. Therefore, he was good friends with both William and Grace. "Good afternoon, Ms. Elizabeth."

"Good afternoon, Mr. Lewis." Both Elizabeth and Grace stated.

"Let's get this over with. Is there a place we can sit and talk…privately?"

"Sure." Elizabeth stated. "Let' go to the café. We can sit in the kitchen. We won't be bothered there."

"Let me get my bag."

Mr. Lewis followed the two ladies to the café. He thought the café was a little small, but very nice. It certainly smelled nice even though no one was cooking.

"Alright ladies, we have a lot to discuss."

"What do you have for me?" Grace asked.

"Actually, it's for both of you." He nodded between Grace and Elizabeth.

"First, we need to discuss the issue with William."

"Ok." Grace stated.

"I have been in touch with a mountie at mountie headquarters. His name is Superintendent Jackson. We have been discussing the case against Mr. Thatcher."

"Constable Thornton stated that the case is a solid case."

"Jack said that it was a concrete case. There is enough evidence against father to put him away for years."

"Constable Thornton was being kind. There is enough evidence against Mr. Thatcher that there isn't any chance of him getting out of prison. In my years as a lawyer, I have never seen such a lopsided case."

"Jack mention that William could take a plea deal."

"That is my recommendation. There is simply too much evidence against William."

"I hope he is wise enough to take it."

"Ms. Elizabeth, if he doesn't take the plea deal, he will spend many years in prison. Probably closer to twenty years."

"If he takes a plea deal?" Grace gasped.

"Maybe five years or less. He will have to pay restitution to the sawmill in Hope Valley and to a Mr. Lee Coulter."

"What are we talking about here?"

"I understand that the mill is back up and running."

"It is." Elizabeth stated.

"Whatever the cost to repair the mill will be reimbursed. Any additional cost of hiring extra personnel or repairmen will be covered. Whatever the cost was to repair the mill will be repaid. Plus, Mr. Coulter was injured and will be out of work for a while. Plus, Mr. Coulter will be reimbursed for his pain and suffering."

"That's perfectly understandable." Grace nodded.

"I will speak with Mr. Thatcher when we are done here. I'm hoping he will be agreeable to the plea deal."

"Me too." Grace stated.

"Mr. Lewis, I'm not sure why I'm here." Asked Elizabeth.

"For this next part." Mr. Lewis stated as he pulled out a folder from his briefcase.

…

William looked around at his surroundings. He wasn't happy with the circumstances he was in. He would never think he would be in a jail cell. He noticed three other mounties sitting with Jack at his desk.

"Constable Thornton…may I have a word?" William noticed Jack's head drop a little. He huffed at Jack's reaction.

"Mr. Thatcher, I do not believe it is in your best interest to speak to me. You should wait for your lawyer. Anything you say to me I will need to report it."

"Constable, I would like to speak to you."

Jack stood and walked to the cell door. Jack placed his hands behind his back and stood there. "Mr. Thatcher, you really should wait for your lawyer to come to Medicine Hat. You can speak to him all you want then."

"Constable, I would like to speak with you."

Jack looked behind him at the other mounties for a moment. They only looked back. They didn't say or do anything.

Jack stepped a little closer to the jail cell. In a hushed tone, Jack spoke. "William, you really shouldn't be speaking to a mountie until you speak to your lawyer. He should meet you in Medicine Hat. There, you will have all the opportunities you want to sit and speak with your lawyer. You will be able to plan a defense."

William stepped forward and matched Jack's volume. "Jack, I need to speak to you…not as a constable."

Jack stared into William's eyes for a few moments. "Fine." He stated. "Turn around and place your hands behind your back." Jack was reaching for his handcuffs while he was speaking.

"Jack, is that really necessary?"

"William, it is. I gave you the courtesy not to place you in handcuffs while I arrested you. As prisoner AL4301, I am not allowed to show you that same courtesy."

"AL4301?"

"William, according to the Province of Alberta you are known as prisoner AL4301"

"But Jack…"

"William…" Jack stated moving a little closer. "…either you speak to me here in front of everyone, or we go for a walk with you in handcuffs. I can place your jacket over the handcuffs. People will think that you are just holding your jacket. However, most people in town know that you are under arrest. It's really your choice."

"Fine." Willaim huffed. He really did not like the fact that he was no longer getting his way in matters. William turned around and placed his hands behind his back. Jack placed the handcuffs on William and opened the cell door. He glanced at Reed, and he understood what Jack wanted. They stopped at the door of the jail and Jack grabbed William's suit jacket. After placing the jacket over William's wrists, Jack opened the door and Reed followed the two men outside.

…

"Mr. P, where are we going again?"

"Young man, we are going to speak with Mr. Johnston."

"Oh, he lives more in that direction." JJ pointed toward the road that led to the east.

"Thanks."

"Why are we going to see Mr. Johnston?"

"I spoke with your father last night. Constable Thornton is working on a plan. He is working with Mr. Johnston. I wanted to see if I can help."

"That sounds nice. What are the plans?"

"I believe you need to speak with your father."

After walking a few steps, JJ turned toward Mr. P. "So, you have known my mommy for a long time?"

"I have. I have known her for her whole life."

"I bet you can tell me some stories when she was little?"

"You like that, huh…?"

JJ really did enjoy hearing stories about Elizabeth as a child. He loved the story about her falling in the pond. He felt more of a connection with Elizabeth. "I do."

"Have you heard about the one where she was playing hide in seek and she fell asleep in the closet?"

JJ perked up. "No!"

…

"Jack, did you really propose to my middle daughter?"

"I did. JJ and I proposed to her, and she accepted. We are getting married next week."

"Wait! Next week? And who is JJ?"

"Elizabeth and I are getting married next Friday. JJ is the son of my academy brother. He was killed, along with his wife, in an accident. In their will, they had requested that JJ would come and live with me. Elizabeth has grown to love him as her son. He calls her mommy. He asked her if she would officially become his mommy. That's when I proposed."

"Why next week? That's a little fast, don't you think? You were only just engaged."

"We both do not see a need in a long engagement. We desire to be married soon."

"Jack, you can't marry her."

"William, we are getting married. I'm sorry you are so against this, but there is nothing you can do to stop it. She isn't a naive sixteen year old. You need to the see strong woman you and Mrs. Thatcher raised her to be."

William stared at this young man. He has spoken with Jack on a few occasions, but he never really listened to him. Jack spoke with confidence but not arrogance. He stood tall and looked at the person in their eyes when he spoke. William was impressed with Jack accepting this young boy. He didn't think many people would just take on a child they have never met. Especially when they were single.

"Jack, you simply can't marry Elizabeth."

"Mr. Thatcher, you need to quit trying to dictate your daughter's life. Have faith in who she is. She is an incredibly strong woman. She has become an integral part of Hope Valley. Not because of her last name, but because of who she is."

"She is who she is because of her last name."

Jack shook his head. "No sir. She may be a Thatcher, but she is Elizabeth. She moved here knowing no one. She was so far out of her element that no one thought she would last a week. She not only lasted the week, but she also flourished. She worked and fought for the widows of this town. She went into the mine and dug coal to help the widows keep their homes. She loves her students like they were her own children. She fights for them to achieve their goals in life. She stands up and fights for her friends when they are wronged. She does all of that because she is Elizabeth. Not because she is a Thatcher."

William stopped walking while Jack was speaking. The love was evident in his voice. Not only that, but he thought Jack admired his middle daughter.

"She may be stubborn like a Thatcher, but she loves like Elizabeth. She welcomed JJ into her life within minutes of meeting him and that was before she knew his story. That boy loves her with all his heart. Elizabeth is a strong, intelligent woman who is beyond description. You and Mrs. Thatcher raised her well. But William, she is her own person."

"Don't you think she is much more than this place?" William waved his hands around showing Jack the town. "She deserves more than Hope Valley."

"Elizabeth could stand in any spot in the world, and she would be more than that place. William, she deserves the whole world in her hand."

"And you are the one who can give that to her?"

"Elizabeth deserves to make that choice for her life. Don't you think?"

"And if she makes a mistake? What if you are killed in the line of duty? What then?"

"Would you rather her marry her friend since childhood that just slammed her against a wall and caused bruises on her arms? The same friend who wouldn't listen to her when she said no but was willing to take something from her that he wasn't given?"

William only glared at Jack. He didn't say anything.

"You love Elizabeth, but William…you go about the wrong way of showing her that love. You are pushing her away because you won't listen to her."

"What do you mean?" Huffed William.

"Do you know why she came to Hope Valley three years ago? Why she stayed? Do you know anything about me?" In William's silence, Jack continued. "See, you don't listen to your smart daughter when she speaks. You don't know everything."

"I know more than you think!"

"And that is why you are AL4301. Whatever you do, please take the plea deal. There is no way you will get out of this." Jack glanced back at Reed. "Constable Reed, let's get Mr. Thatcher back to his cell."

"Yes, sir."

…

"What's this?" Elizabeth asked when she held several pieces of paper.

"It's the Articles of Operation for Thatcher Shipping. Within that document is the Intestacy." Mr. Lewis continued after seeing the confused expressions of Elizabeth and Grace. A Intestacy is basically a will if you will. It works in the same way as a will for a family if someone died. However, an Intestacy or an Inheritance Succession is what happens to a business or a company in case the CEO dies."

"Ok…but father hasn't died."

"No, but by the Articles of Operations, Mr. Thatcher ceased being the CEO when he was arrested. He will not be able to serve as CEO while under arrest or serving jail time. The Bylaws of Thatcher Shipping forbid it. As a result, the Inheritance Succession kicks in."

Elizabeth leaned back in her chair. Her mind was racing. Mr. Lewis noticed the very moment Elizabeth figured it out.

"Wait…are you saying…"

"Yes, I am."

"Who is taking over Thatcher Shipping?" Elizabeth asked.

Mr. Lewis leaned in slowly. He whispered. "You."

Elizabeth gasped and jumped back in her chair. There was no way she was taking over her father's business. She wasn't even the oldest child. This made no sense to her. Elizabeth glanced over Mr. Lewis' shoulder and noticed Gabe walking into the café.

"Excuse me for a moment." Elizabeth whispered. She stood and called for Gabe.

"Gabe, Constable Thornton is at the jail. Would you please be so kind to go and ask him to come see me here? It is very important, and I need him here now."

"Yes ma'am." Gabe stated as he turned and ran through the dining room and out the door.

Mrs. P stepped to the table with a cup of tea for everyone. She also placed a cup down for Jack. "Ms. Elizabeth, are you ok?"

"I think so Mrs. P."

Mrs. P smiled at her favorite Thatcher. She knew this was a lot on her at one time, but she also knew her Bethie. She also understood that Jack was coming.

"Do you think Jack should be here?" Grace asked. There wasn't any malice behind her question. With Mr. Lewis being the Thatcher Shipping lawyer, she didn't know if he could.

"It's fine, Mrs. Thatcher. If Elizabeth wants him here, that is fine. But I must ask, who is Jack Thornton?"

Mrs. P waited for Elizabeth to answer, but she could see that Elizabeth was lost in thought. When she didn't, she stepped up on Elizabeth's behalf.

"He is her soulmate and a source of strength for Elizabeth." Mrs. P informed Elizabeth she would be in the other room if she needed anything. Elizabeth thanked her for her undying support.

Jack walked in just a couple of minutes later. He was out of breath and Elizabeth knew he ran the whole way to the café. Jack looked into Elizabeth's face and knew something was wrong. She was sitting with her mother and some man he hasn't seen before. His gut instantly grew tight.

"Elizabeth." He spoke as he approached her. "Are you ok?"

"Thanks for coming, Jack. Would you mind sitting with us?"

"Sure." Jack had no idea what was going on. He sat beside Elizabeth, and she instantly reached for his hand.

"Mr. Lewis, this is my fiancé, Jack Thornton. We are getting married next week."

"Congratulation, Elizabeth. But I thought…" He stopped speaking when he noticed Elizabeth's face.

"Jack, this is Mr. Lewis. He is father's lawyer."

"Hello sir. You may see Mr. Thatcher whenever you want. I will take you to him." Jack began to stand until Elizabeth pulled on his arm causing him to sit down again.

"I will want to see him in a little bit, but I needed to meet with Mrs. Thatcher and Ms. Thatcher."

"Ok."

"Elizabeth asked for you to come."

Jack squeezed Elizabeth's hand. He was telling her he was there for her. No matter what was happening.

"What may I do for Elizabeth?"

"Mr. Lewis, would you please explain to Jack what you just told us?"

"Sure. Constable Thornton, since Mr. Thatcher was arrested and being held in jail and facing a certain conviction, the Articles of Operation are placed into play. That includes the Inheritance Succession."

"An Intestacy?"

"Yes."

When Jack saw the confusion on everyone's face that he knew what that meant, he explained. "We learned about that at the academy. It's almost like a family will but for a business. We don't deal with it often but on a rare occasion we do."

"That's correct, Constable." Mr. Lewis was a little surprised at Jack's understanding of a business and legal term. "According to the Bylaws of Thatcher Shipping, Mr. Thatcher may not be the CEO of Thatcher Shipping during his arrest and or conviction."

"Therefore the Inheritance Succession kicks in?"

"Yes, Constable."

"What does this have to do with Elizabeth or me?"

"Mr. Thatcher changed the Inheritance Succession last year."

"I don't understand. Most would have Mrs. Thatcher as next in line of succession and then beginning with the oldest child and then going down the offspring in birth order."

"Typically, yes. That is most common, but Mr. Thatcher changed things last year."

"Why would he do that?" Elizabeth asked.

Grace spoke up first. "William never had me as a successor. I never had a business mind like that and I didn't desire to."

"Correct. He has it organized that if anything happened to him, Mrs. Thatcher would be taken care of each month, but she wouldn't take over the company."

"Ok. So, it what…falls to Viola?" Asked Elizabeth.

"Normally, but Mr. Thatcher reorganized the successors." Mr. Lewis paused for a moment allowing the information to be processed with everyone. He noticed the moment Jack understood.

"Wait, why would Mr. Thatcher make Elizabeth the primary successor? That should be Viola."

"Mr. Thatcher had his reasons." Mr. Lewis stated.

"Teddy…" Grace stated. "There is nothing about these last few days that makes any sense to me or to anyone else for that matter. I believe you need to explain everything to us, including William's reasons."

Mr. Lewis didn't have to explain these things, but he knew the Thatchers well. He was compelled to let them know everything. He took a breath and a few seconds to form his thoughts before placing them into words.

"First, Mrs. Thatcher isn't a businesswoman, so Mr. Thatcher never placed her into the line of succession. There is a stipulation written in the bylaws that Mrs. Thatcher is always to be taken care of. She will never have to worry about that."

"Thank you." Grace stated.

"Secondly, for years Viola was the head of succession. Then she met Sir Lionel. William liked Sir Lionel and he approved of the marriage between him and his oldest daughter, he didn't trust Sir Lionel with the business. He always thought Sir Lionel may have liked Viola's trust fund more than he did her. He didn't want to take that chance. He wasn't willing to allow Sir Lionel to run his business and potentially ruin it.

"That leads us to you, Elizabeth. Last year, William came to me and asked to legally change the successor. He placed you as the primary successor in the Inheritance Succession."

"Why?" Asked Elizabeth. "That doesn't make any sense."

"Well, he was always impressed with your mind, Elizabeth. He always gushed at how smart you are. He also told me last year that he expected you to marry Mr. Charles Kensington within a year or two. He just assumed that Charles would take over since you two would be married." Mr. Lewis quickly glanced between Jack and Elizabeth. He was a little confused about Elizabeth and Jack's engagement. He wasn't sure what happened between Elizabeth and Charles.

"I never courted Charles."

"From what your father stated, you have for a while. He knew you would marry Charles someday soon."

"So, he made me the primary successor because he wanted Charles to take over the company?"

"No. He was planning on Charles to take over after you two were married and he would finally retire. He wasn't going to retire anytime soon. He wanted the business to stay in the family. He didn't want Lionel to take over and he knew Juile or whoever she married shouldn't take it over. That meant you. He trusted you and he trusted Charles."

Elizabeth heard Teddy's words, but she still thought that her father just wanted Charles to take over the CEO at some point. She felt it made her father's desire for her to marry Charles a little clearer. This hurt her a little. She felt this was all business related instead of her father's desire for the best for her.

Jack leaned into her until his shoulder touched Elizabeth's shoulder. He squeezed Elizabeth's hand until he had her attention.

"Are you ok, Bella?"

"Yes and no. I feel that father was just thinking about business. I'm not sure I can, or even want, to take over the business. I love teaching."

"You can't give up teaching, Elizabeth. That is your calling." Jack exclaimed.

Elizabeth smiled at her fiancé. Jack truly understood her and supported her in everything she wanted to do. She leaned in gently kissing Jack's lips. She felt his smile when their lips connected.

"Elizabeth…" Grace stated. In society, you don't have public displays of affection like that. Inwardly she thought it was loving and cute, but outwardly that was unacceptable.

"Mother, I am not apologizing in loving my future husband. The gentle kiss wasn't inappropriate."

Elizabeth turned her attention to Mr. Lewis. "Mr. Lewis, I am not a CEO. I am a simple schoolteacher."

"You are not simple at anything, Bella." Smirked a smiling Jack.

"Hey!" Elizabeth tried to pout.

"There are things you may do, Elizabeth."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you are the CEO and owner of Thatcher Shipping. Your father started the company. It is a family owned business. There is only one other investor, but he only invested five percent in the beginning. He receives a small payment each month based on a formula figured out between him and Mr. Thatcher when the company started. That will remain in effect. As CEO, you have different avenues available to you in how you want to run the company."

"Please explain."

"You may move to Hamilton and be in the office each day and be very hands on just like your father."

"I am not leaving Hope Valley." Elizabeth's voice left no doubt.

"Secondly, you can hire someone who will run the day to day operations. You are the CEO, and no one can take that away from you. The person who you hire, would run the company under you, but you will always have the final say, along with Jack when you are married."

"I am not a businessman." Jack exclaimed.

"What would you recommend?" Grace asked.

"I would recommend Elizabeth hire someone to run the day to day operations. That person would submit information each week about what is going on. They would have to have contact with you. You would make the final decisions that are based on the information that person or persons you hire gives you. William's business model is a good model. He has done well for himself. There may be areas you would like to change or modify, but I wouldn't go in and change everything. You will, of course, want to make it your own. That will occur over time."

"How often will I have to have contact with this person? Will I ever have to go to Hamilton?"

"Elizabeth, at the beginning, it would be often. I would say almost daily for several weeks. Once you become settled with the business and the person you hire, I would say once a week. The person you hire will make most of the decisions based on how you lay things out. They will have to follow your will. They will check in with you if they have any questions. They may be running the day to day operations, but they would be answerable to you. Mr. Thatcher has a gentleman in place that is a good man. He doesn't run the company like we have spoken about, but I believe he would be a good fit in the beginning…a stop gap if you will. He has worked with William for several years and he understands the business completely. He is a good guy. He would help with a more seamless transition. That will give you time to find the person you are wanting."

Mr. Lewis hesitated for a few moments. He knew the information he just shared with Elizabeth was mind blowing. He wanted Elizabeth, Grace, and Jack to catch their breath. He could see the stunned expressions on their faces.

"You would have to visit Hamilton at least once a year. Most things may be done over the phone."

"We don't have a phone in Hope Valley."

"Elizabeth, the company may put one in if you chose to stay here."

Elizabeth looked up from the table she was concentrating on. "Are you telling me that I am the CEO of Thatcher Shipping?"

"CEO and owner, yes. Actually, you have been since yesterday when Mrs. Thatcher sent me the telegram informing me of what happened. That immediately enacted the Inheritance Succession of the Articles of Operation. Since Mr. Thatcher's arrest, you have been acting CEO and owner in Mr. Thatcher's absence. If he is convicted or accepts a plea deal, you will automatically become CEO and owner."

"Elizabeth…" Mr. Lewis stated in a soft tone. "…I know this is a lot on you suddenly. You will get a handle on this. I know you will. There will be a learning curve, but I have all the faith in you to do a great job. If this is something you don't want to do, you can always sell the company."

"Elizabeth…you can't do that." Gasped Grace.

"That should be your last resort. I believe having someone run the day to day operations would be best for you if you desire to remain a teacher and live here in Hope Valley." Mr. Lewis stated.

Elizabeth's mind was spinning. This was just too much for her mind to comprehend. Nothing made sense. Jack noticed that Elizabeth was overwhelmed. She was doing her best to comprehend everything, and Jack knew that. He also knew that she needed a few moments to work things out. Jack stood. "Bella…take a walk with me." Normally he would ask her, but this wasn't a question.

"Mrs. Thatcher, Mr. Lewis. We are going for a walk. We will be back shortly."

Grace and Teddy nodded their heads in agreement. They knew Elizabeth had to be overwhelmed. While Teddy didn't know Jack or what happened between Elizabeth and Charles, he saw how Jack took care of Elizabeth. Jack was concentrated solely on Elizabeth.

Elizabeth stood. Jack looked down at all the papers that were in front of Elizabeth. "Bella, do you have everything you need?"

Elizabeth looked Jack in the eyes. She extended her small hand and intertwined her fingers with his.

"I do now."