Author's Note: I wanted to say thank you to everyone who took the time to send me a review. I'm really glad to hear that this story is how others thought that S10 should be too. I hope that I can help take away some of the sting of what we had to witness. I'm really enjoying writing this. LucaBeth will always exist to me as a great love story.
Chapter 4: I Will Love You Forever
Lucas smiled as he carefully tucked the blankets around Jack's shoulders and under his chin, making sure that the sleeping boy was warm and comfortable. Placing a tender hand on Jack's light-coloured hair he whispered softly, "Love you, buddy. Sleep tight."
Then after making sure that everything in the room was as it should be, he quietly closed the bedroom door and headed for the stairs. As he descended them, he saw Elizabeth in the kitchen putting the kettle on.
"He had a hard time getting to sleep tonight," he commented as he reached the bottom of the stairs. "I had to read him 2 stories before he finally drifted off."
"Well, he had a big day," Elizabeth commented with a grin on her face as she approached him and put her hands on his chest. He immediately covered her left hand with his right and absently began stroking his ring on her finger. "After all it isn't everyday that a little boy gets a new daddy."
A shy smile spread over Lucas' face as he repeated softly, "A new daddy." Was this why Jack had started calling him 'Papa' instead of 'Buddy'?
He felt Elizabeth move her hands from his chest and then slip her arms around his waist as she stepped a bit closer to him. Lucas wrapped his arms around her as she explained, "Jack wanted to know what he should call you. You are his buddy, but you are also going to be his new daddy, but you aren't his old daddy."
Lucas frowned slightly in confusion causing Elizabeth to laugh. "Three-year-old logic."
"I see," he chuckled as his expression cleared. "And I take it you were the one to suggest 'Papa'."
Elizabeth gave him an uncertain look and asked, "Do you mind? Would you rather he just called you 'Buddy'?"
Lucas pulled her even closer to him and placed a kiss on her forehead before assuring her, "Papa is perfect." Then after lowering his head slightly for a moment, he gave her a soft smile and admitted shyly, "To be honest, I have always wanted to be a Papa."
Elizabeth smiled and lifted a hand to fix a wayward strand of hair as she said, "Well, your wish is about to come true."
"More than one of my wishes is about to come true," he reminded her lovingly. "As soon as we set a date, that is."
"And when would you suggest we get married, Mr. Bouchard?" She asked giving him a flirtatious look.
"Well, my future Mrs. Bouchard, I was thinking that spring sounds like the perfect time to get married," he replied with an equally flirtatious tone. "Perhaps late spring, say just after school lets out for summer vacation."
Elizabeth smiled up at him and nodded, "I think that sounds absolutely perfect."
"That way if we ever want to do something special for our anniversary then we don't have to worry about it interfering with the school year."
A coy grin tugged at Elizabeth's lips. "I like the way you think, Mr. Bouchard. And do you have any ideas for our honeymoon?"
Lucas gave her a mischievous look as he replied, "Oh, I have a few ideas."
"Such as?" she pressed eagerly.
He chuckled playfully and said, "You'll just have to wait and see."
"You're not even going to give me a hint?" She batted her eyes at him in an exaggerated manner.
Lucas chuckled and said, "It's a surprise." When Elizabeth pouted, he added with amusement, "I seem to remember a woman who, when I first met her, loved surprises."
"Oh, you!" She gave him a playful shove but instead of the action making him let her go he tightened his arms around her and said in a solemn tone,
"Have I told you how happy you and Jack have made me? You by accepting my proposal and agreeing to being my wife and allowing me to be Jack's father, and Jack by accepting me as his new Papa." Finding it hard to control his emotions he paused for a moment before whispering earnestly, "Right now my heart is so full it feels like it's going to burst. I love you both so much and I will love you forever."
Elizabeth pressed herself against him, her head leaning against his chest and her arms tight around his waist as she said, "And we love you too. So very much."
Lucas bent down and kissed the top of her head before pressing his cheek against her hair.
After a few moments she said softly, "I honestly don't know what would have happened to me if you didn't come into our lives. I…I…"
When she stopped Lucas remained silent, holding her in his arms as he patiently waited for her to continue when she was ready.
"After I lost Jack, I never thought I could love anyone that way again, but the heart is an amazing thing. It has the ability to heal, even from the most devastating blow." She paused for a moment before lifting her head to look at him, her tone solemn as she said, "Jack was my first love, and I will always love him; he's the father of my son. He will always be in my heart."
Lucas noticed that she was searching his face for his reaction to her words, but what she'd said wasn't a surprise to him. He had already come to terms with the fact that Jack Thornton Senior would always be a part of whatever relationship he had with Elizabeth and Little Jack. His role as Little Jack's father made the other man a permanent fixture in their lives.
"I know," Lucas whispered softly. "I accepted that fact long before I ever made my interest in you known."
Lifting her hands Elizabeth gently framed Lucas' face as she told him sincerely, "You are also in my heart, Lucas, and you are now just as permanent a fixture as Jack is." She paused for a moment before pronouncing, "I was able to love Jack only for a very short time, a season as it were. I'm hoping that I get to love you for a lifetime."
Lucas smiled at her and said earnestly, "And I hope that I get to love you and Little Jack for a lifetime." Then leaning in he captured her lips in a deep and loving kiss.
The sound of the kettle whistling suddenly interrupted their interlude causing Elizabeth to quickly pull away and grab it off the stove before the sound woke up Jack. Lucas gave her a rueful smile as she set about fixing their tea.
"I have some freshly made cookies if you'd like some with your tea," she told him as she filled the teapot with hot water.
Lucas grinned as he made his way to the container where he knew Elizabeth kept her cookies. "I would love some." Getting a plate he put half-a-dozen cookies on it before setting it on the tray beside Elizabeth. After she had placed their cups and saucers and the teapot on the tray, he reached for it and carried it to the table in front of the settee.
With tea and cookie in hand Elizabeth asked him about his plans for the saloon.
"I'm still trying to figure out what I want to do," he admitted. "Since I need to do some repairs from the fire, I figure it's a good time to do some renovations too. When I bought the place, I only redecorated; I didn't really do any upgrades. Now that I have more of a feel for the place and its position in the town as a community meeting place, I think I'd like to make some changes."
"Like what?" She asked curiously.
Lucas gave her a mysterious look causing her to huff in frustration.
"Another surprise?" She said with a roll of her eyes.
"Well, I don't want to give everything away," he told her mischievously. When she huffed again, he laughed. "Truth is, I'm not sure yet what I want to do. I have a few ideas but no real plan. But I promise, once I get it sorted out you will be the first to know."
Elizabeth eyed him for a moment before saying with a smile. "I guess I can deal with that."
The two of them continued to drink their tea and eat their cookies in companionable silence. When they finished Lucas asked her curiously, "So when should we let our families know about our engagement?"
Elizabeth smiled. "That depends on how you want to tell them. Should we do it by letter? By telegram? By telephone?"
"How about we give them a telephone call?" Lucas suggested glancing towards her telephone.
"And what do you know," she said in a tone of exaggerated wonder. "Because of this incredibly generous man that I know, I have a telephone that we can use."
"Wow!" Lucas' eyes widened in exaggerated amazement. "Aren't you fortunate to know such a generous man." Then giving her a tender look, he added, "He must love you very much."
Elizabeth smiled softly and snuggled a bit closer to him as she said, "Yes, he does. And I love him very much too. And guess what."
"What?" He asked, playing along with her.
The look in her eyes changed from one of fun to one of deep love as she placed a hand on his cheek and said, "I'm going to marry him and spend the rest of my life with him."
Lucas felt his heart start to race at her words and couldn't resist leaning in and kissing her ardently, pouring his deep love for her into the kiss. Elizabeth kissed him back with equal passion.
When they finally pulled apart, Elizabeth tucked herself into his side and laid her head on his shoulder. Lucas placed his arm on her leg, his hand resting on her knee. They sat like that for several minutes, just enjoying being together.
"So, do you want to give our parents a call and let them know about our good news?" Lucas prompted, not wanting to disturb the moment but also eager to let his parents know that Elizabeth was going to be his wife.
Elizabeth lifted her head and nodded. "Okay."
Lucas rose to retrieve the phone and bring it back to the settee. Contacting Florence, he asked for her to place the phone call and then waited anxiously as she made the connection. The way that Elizabeth was fidgeting beside him alerted him to just how nervous she was feeling.
Giving her an encouraging smile, he said, "Don't worry, my mother already loves you and I know my father will too once he meets you. They both know that we've been courting and that I am very much in love with you. Our engagement will not come as a surprise to them."
"I know," Elizabeth acknowledged, "but that doesn't mean I'm not nervous about telling them."
Lucas nudged her shoulder with his as he admitted, "So am I. Though not as nervous as I am about telling your parents that we're engaged."
She looked at him in surprise. "But I thought you already talked to my father. You said that you phoned him to ask his permission to ask me to marry you."
"I did," he confirmed. Then leaning closer added, "But I'm still nervous about telling them that we are actually engaged."
Elizabeth chuckled slightly. "We're both being silly, aren't we?"
"Completely," he agreed. "But at least we're being silly together."
Elizabeth looped her arm through his that was holding the phone mouthpiece to his mouth. "Together forever."
"I love the sound of that," he whispered as he heard Florence tell him to go ahead.
"Hello?" He heard his mother say. "Lucas?"
"Hello, Mother," Lucas greeted in return. "How are you this evening?"
"Fine thank you," she acknowledged. "Your father and I just hosted the MacIntoshes for dinner. You remember Reginald and Madeline MacIntosh, don't you? I believe you went to school with their son Wallace. I think you also know their daughter Winifred."
Lucas shuddered slightly at the memory of Winifred MacIntosh. She had been one of the most stuck-up girls he had ever met. She never had a kind word to say about anybody behind their back, though she was always as sweet as pie to their face. Her brother Wallace was the classic definition of a rich man's son. He had been a miscreant and blew through his allowance like it was water. Both had tried to attach themselves to Lucas when they were in their early twenties because of their fathers' business ties – Wallace hoping to sponge off him and Winifred hoping to marry him – but Lucas had avoided the pair as much as he possibly could. He certainly wasn't sad to leave them behind when he had left Montreal.
"Yes, I remember," he acknowledged. But not wanting to discuss the MacIntosh siblings he quickly said, "I called because I have some news."
"Oh, what kind of news?" His mother asked eagerly. "Good news, I hope."
"Very good news," Lucas told her as he looked at Elizabeth and smiled. "I have asked Elizabeth to marry me, and she has said yes."
"Oh, Lucas!" Helen Bouchard exclaimed delightedly. "I am so happy for the both of you. And Little Jack too. You are going to make a beautiful family. I have that picture you sent me of the three of you on my desk in my study. I have been hoping that one day it would become official. So, when's the wedding?"
"We haven't set a date yet," Lucas informed her. "We only got engaged earlier today. However, we have been considering sometime in the late spring; probably June. School lets out after the first week in June so we may have the wedding near the middle of the month so we can have a nice honeymoon between school years."
"That sounds like a wonderful idea," his mother agreed wholeheartedly. "Is Elizabeth there with you? May I speak with her?"
"Yes, she's right here," he replied than held the phone out to Elizabeth. "My mother wishes to speak to you."
Elizabeth's eyes widened as she accepted the phone and said nervously, "Hello, Mrs. Bouchard…Helen."
Lucas watched her face carefully as she carried on a brief conversation with his mother, trying to gauge from her words and expressions what was being said. Finally, the two women said goodbye and Elizabeth placed the receiver in the cradle and placed the phone on the table in front of them.
"So?" He questioned eagerly, curious to know what had been said.
"She welcomed Jack and I to the family and said that she was very happy to hear of our engagement." She swallowed slightly before adding, "She and your father are going to come for a visit in the next couple of weeks so your father can meet me and Little Jack before the wedding."
Lucas smiled and slipped his arm around her shoulders. "He will love you, Elizabeth, I promise."
Elizabeth settled against him and said, "I hope you're right. I really want him to like me. I have a lot to thank him for."
"Like what?" Lucas asked with a confused frown.
Pulling back to look at him she told him solemnly, "You told me in Union City that it was your father who had taught you to be patient when it came to finding your soulmate. I am extremely grateful for that patient attitude that he instilled in you." Snuggling up to his side again she laid her head on his shoulder as she admitted, "I hate to think what would have happened had you given up on me before I was ready to move on." She slipped her arm around his middle and gave him a squeeze. "I know I caused you a lot of heartache and grief while I was trying to figure things out, but I want you to know that I love you very much, Lucas. I can't imagine my life without you."
His arm tightened around her shoulders, and he dropped a kiss on the top of her head before leaning his against it. "I know you had a hard time getting over Jack. He was your first love and the man you expected to spend the rest of your life with and raise your son with." There was a pause before he continued, a lump forming in his throat as he admitted, "I honestly don't know what I would ever do if I lost you. I don't know if I could be as strong or as brave as you and move on with someone else."
"The heart is an amazing thing," Elizabeth mused thoughtfully. "The more you love, the more you can love. I honestly never thought I'd be able to love another man like I loved Jack. I had been prepared to be single for the rest of my life with just Little Jack and my friends to fill my life. Then you came into town, and while at first, I didn't know what to make of you, soon we became good friends, and then more than friends. Now you and Little Jack are the two most important people in my life." Tightening her arms around him again she added, "I will love you forever."
"I will love you forever too," Lucas vowed, once again kissing the top of her head. Then after a few minutes of silence passed he nudged, "So, should we call your parents and let them know our good news?"
"I don't want to move," Elizabeth complained, once again tightening her arm around his waist. "I'm too comfortable." Then with a soft sigh Elizabeth said in a tone of resignation, "But I guess we had better let them know since your parents know. Besides, after your conversation with him, my father will be expecting to hear from us." Sitting up she reached for the phone and lifting the receiver she asked Florence to place her call.