"Is everything okay, Elizabeth?" Rosemary asked as she finished pinning the dress she was working on. She had noticed her friend seemed distant all morning, as though something was on her mind.
"I have no idea what to get Jack for Christmas." She sighed, sinking down into the nearby chair. "I want to get him something special to show him how much he means to me."
"I can guarantee he isn't expecting to get anything from you." Rosemary abandoned her project and took a seat beside Elizabeth. "He'll be happy just to spend the holiday with you, especially since he had been expecting you to be in Hamilton."
"I know, but I still want to get him something. Allie, too."
"Just think about what they like to do. You don't need to get anything extravagant. Maybe have William and Emma help you figure something out."
"Maybe." She leaned her chin in her hands. "I just want this Christmas to be special."
"And it will be," Rosemary assured her. "Because you're surrounded by people who love and care about you. It's not about the presents or the parties, or even the decorations. This is a season of hope and joy and peace and love, of spending time with the people who help us feel all of those things."
A smile finally appeared on Elizabeth's face. "Thank you, Rosemary." She leaned over to hug her. "I'm so glad to have you in my life."
...
Jack helped the children into the back of the wagon, ensuring they had plenty of blankets to keep them warm before turning to Elizabeth. He took her hand, assisting her up into the front, before assuming his own position beside her. Gently, he draped a blanket over her lap.
"Are you warm enough?"
She nodded and smiled, certain that the heat flowing through her had nothing to do with the blanket and everything to do with the man looking at her with such affection in his eyes.
"Okay," he took hold of the reins, "who's ready to get some Christmas trees?"
"Me!" the three children cheered from behind them.
Jack chuckled and flicked the reins, and they set off toward the woods.
Elizabeth was content to sit in silence, listening to the clatter of the horse's hooves in front of her and the chattering of the children behind her. She scooted just a bit closer to Jack, until there was barely any space between them.
The corner of his lips turned up into a half smile, but he didn't say a word, just enjoying the fact that she seemed so comfortable with him now. He knew he would never push her for more than she was comfortable with, but he'd also worried that—given her past—she might never be comfortable. He was glad that didn't seem to be the case.
"Mr. Mountie?" William spoke up. "Is it true we get to pick out any tree we want?"
"Well, within reason," Jack explained. "You can't pick one that won't fit into your house."
"And we get to decorate it ourselves?"
"That's right. You and your mom and Emma will decorate your tree when we get it back to your house."
"Will you and Allie help?"
He glanced over at Elizabeth. "That's up to your mom."
"I would love to have your help. To tell the truth, it's been years since I decorated a Christmas tree." She dropped her gaze, feeling a bit embarrassed by the admission.
"Really?"
She nodded. "We hosted so many parties at Christmas time, and James insisted that the house look perfect, so we weren't allowed to do the decorating."
"Well, you're in for a treat, then. Allie is basically an expert at decorating Christmas trees." He looked back at his daughter, giving her a wink.
He stopped the wagon just inside the tree line, the group going on foot to search for their perfect trees. They hadn't walked for very long before William paused.
"Can we get this tree, mama?" the boy asked, indicating a tree in front of him.
It was about five feet tall, and it was a bit scraggly. Definitely not the prettiest tree in the woods, but he looked so excited.
"Are you sure?" Elizabeth placed a hand on his shoulder. "Our house can fit a bigger tree, Willie."
"I want this one," he said with a confident nod.
"What do you think, Em?" Jack picked her up and slowly walked around the tree, letting her take it in. "Do you want this tree for your house?"
She nodded. "Yeah."
Jack smiled, dropping a kiss on her temple before lowering her to the ground. "Okay, I'll get this one cut then."
"Dad? Can I keep looking for our tree?" Allie questioned, her eyes darting around as she scanned the trees surrounding them.
"Sure. Just don't go too far."
"Come on, Willie and Emma." She waved Elizabeth's children over. "You can help me."
They glanced over at their mom for permission, scurrying off when she gave them a nod.
"Would you like me to make sure she doesn't go pick something too big?"
"If you want. Or you can stay here with me." He gave her a cheeky smile as he leaned the saw against his shoulder.
"Are you going to show off, Constable?" She raised an eyebrow and grinned, surprised at how easy it was to flirt with him, how much she enjoyed their teasing exchanges.
He shrugged, trying to muster up a serious look. "I just thought you might enjoy the view."
She shook her head and laughed. "Maybe I will go check on the children."
...
Elizabeth sat in her kitchen, glancing over at her children playing in the living room while Rosemary styled her hair. "Are you sure this isn't too much? The hair and the dress and all?"
Rosemary had assisted her in creating a new dress for their Christmas Eve festivities. It was relatively simple, light blue satin with an A-line skirt and touches of lace detailing here and there. It wasn't as fancy as many of the things she had worn in Hamilton and Toronto, but it was far fancier than anything she'd seen since arriving in Hope Valley.
"Not at all," Rosemary insisted. "You're going to look wonderful. Jack is going to be speechless when he sees you!"
She chuckled nervously. "If you say so."
"Oh, I do. But we must get a move on if we want you to be ready before he arrives to escort you to town. Now, turn your head to the right, just a bit," she instructed.
Rosemary worked quickly, pinning back strands of hair and adding a few pearl-encrusted clips. She handed her a small mirror, eagerly awaiting her assessment.
"Thank you, Rosemary. I can't remember the last time I felt so…" she paused, trying to come up with the right word for how she was feeling. "Glamorous."
Rosemary carefully hugged her, trying not to ruin her hair or dress. "I hope you have a wonderful evening. I'll get out of here before Jack arrives."
"We'll see you at the church."
With a wave, she showed herself out, leaving Elizabeth and the children to wait for Jack and Allie.
"Mama." William quietly approached. "You look pretty."
She gave him a soft smile. "Thank you, sweet boy. Are you and your sister ready to go?"
He nodded. "When will Mr. Mountie be here?"
As if on cue, a knock sounded at the door. Elizabeth slowly crossed the room, taking a deep breath as she went.
"Hi, Mrs. Spencer!" Allie greeted as she hurried past to find Emma and William.
The girls had been gifted matching dresses, light green with white lace collars and green ribbons for their hair. They giggled, twirling around the room.
"Elizabeth," Jack breathed, finally having gathered his thoughts after being struck speechless at the sight of the woman in front of him. "You look…beautiful."
A flush rose in her cheeks. "Thank you."
"Mr. Mountie!" William ran over, interrupting the moment. "I got a new shirt! It looks like yours!" He puffed his chest out, proudly showing off the new light blue plaid shirt he was wearing.
"Look at that!" He scooped the boy up. "You look very handsome, William."
"Thank you! We gotta go now! Allie and I gotta sing!"
"That's right, bud." He set William back down and offered his arm to Elizabeth. "Shall we?"
A short while later, they found themselves seated in a pew at the church. Jack and Elizabeth sitting beside each other, Emma on Jack's lap as William and Allie stood at the front, performing with the school choir.
After their final song, the children rushed to join their families. Elizabeth was surprised when Allie chose to sit by her, and a little less surprised when William chose to sit by Jack.
Jack smiled when Emma snuggled into him, leaning into his chest. When he decided to join the Mounties, he had expected that a family wasn't in the cards for him. But being there with Elizabeth and the children felt so natural.
Be still, my soul.
The words floated into his mind unbidden, and a feeling of peace washed over him. He knew that he was exactly where he was supposed to be, that someday, they would officially be a family. Until then, he would just have to be patient.
...
Allie padded down the stairs, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. The smell of breakfast tickled her nose, bacon and eggs and pancakes, and her favorite smell of all: warm maple syrup.
"Morning, Al," Jack greeted her when she reached the base of the stairs. "Our Christmas breakfast is almost ready."
"It smells really good, dad." She grinned, loving that it was the first Christmas they were spending together since they officially became father and daughter.
"Before we eat, though, I think you should check out what's under the tree." He gave her a wink, nodding his head toward the tree they had decorated just a few days before.
She narrowed her eyes. "But we open presents after breakfast."
"Just check."
She neared the tree, noticing a basket that she was certain hadn't been there the night before. It was filled with blankets, and curled up in the center was a sleeping puppy, a little ball of black and brown scruff.
"Um, dad?" Allie stepped closer to the basket, crouching down to confirm that it was indeed a puppy sleeping inside.
Jack grinned. "Merry Christmas, Allie-girl."
"You really got me a puppy?" She scooped up the little dog, snuggling the furry bundle to her chest.
"He's all yours," he confirmed. "You get to name him, and I expect you to help take care of him."
"Thank you so much!" She giggled as the puppy leaned his head up to lick her chin. "This is the best Christmas ever!"
"I'm glad you like him."
She stroked the puppy's head. "I love him." She bounded over, wrapping her free arm around Jack. "I love you, dad."
He leaned down to kiss her hair. "I love you, Al."
...
"Mrs. Spencer!" Allie enthused as soon as she and the children stepped into the house. "Dad got me a puppy for Christmas! I named him Gilbert, after Anne of Green Gables."
"Mama? Can we get a puppy?" William asked sweetly.
"I'll think about it, Willie. But in the meantime, I bet Allie will let you play with Gilbert."
"Can we play with him now?" The boy's eyes lit up.
Elizabeth chuckled. "Go ahead."
Allie waved the children over to the basket that housed the puppy, eagerly showing off her new furry friend.
Jack approached and kissed her cheek. "Merry Christmas, Elizabeth."
"Merry Christmas, Jack. Thank you for inviting us over." She shifted the gifts she was carrying in her arms. "Should I just put these under the tree?"
"I'll help." He took one of the packages, placing it beneath the tree. "You know you didn't need to bring any gifts."
"I know, but I wanted to."
He took her hand, inviting her to sit with him on the sofa. "How was your morning? Did the children enjoy their gifts?"
"They did. I don't think William would've walked away from his train set if we had been planning to go anywhere but here." She smiled as she watched her children doting on Allie's puppy. "And Emma insisted on changing into one of her new dresses so she could match her doll."
"I'm glad you're all having a good Christmas."
She took his hand, gently squeezing his fingers. "I'm really glad I decided to stay here for Christmas. I think this is exactly what the children and I needed."
"Good." He lifted her hand to his lips, pressing a kiss to her knuckles. "What do you say we open some presents now?"
She shivered at his touch. "Okay."
"Hey, Al." Jack called over. "Why don't you let Gilbert sleep for a bit while we finish opening presents?"
A few minutes later, the children sat around the tree, William clutching the new fishing pole that Jack had gifted him and Emma taking in every detail of the new dollhouse that Allie had helped Jack pick out.
"Allie, there's one under there for you."
"For me?" Allie asked, an incredulous look on her face as she reached for the gift that Elizabeth indicated.
"Emma and I picked it out!" William told her eagerly.
She untied the bow and peeled away the paper, revealing a board game. "Snakes and Ladders? I've never played that before."
"It's really fun! I'll teach you."
The three children scurried off to the corner of the room to set up the game, leaving Jack and Elizabeth alone on the sofa again.
"I suppose now would be a good time to give you your gift," Jack said quietly. He reached behind the tree, producing a hefty box, which he set in front of her.
Lifting the lid, she gasped. It was a beautiful new typewriter, the keys gleaming in the light. "Jack, this is too much."
He shook his head, smiling. "It's not. I thought you could use it to write your stories instead of always hand writing them. Do you like it?"
"I love it." She moved to him, wrapping her arms around his waist. "Thank you, Jack."
He kissed the top of her head. "You're welcome."
She sighed contentedly, snuggling into his chest. She felt so comfortable, so safe in his arms, and suddenly, she couldn't keep it to herself anymore. "I love you, Jack."
He tightened his arms around her, his smile widening and his heart warming at her confession. He felt so honored to be in her life, to be the one to show her what a life filled with love could be like. He took a deep breath, savoring the feeling of having her in his arms. "I love you."
They stayed like that a few minutes longer, just enjoying each other while they watched their children playing together.
Once again, Elizabeth was struck by how much it felt like they were already a family. And beyond that, she was struck by how much she wanted that. For too long, she had been fearful of opening her heart, but now, she didn't want to waste any more time. She wanted every Christmas to be like that. She wanted every day to be like that.
"This is the kind of Christmas I always dreamed of as a child. All of the joy and warmth of the season without the stress of planning and hosting parties and big social events and trying to make sure everything is perfect."
Jack smiled, pulling her just a bit closer as they started to sway together. "I'm glad your first Christmas in Hope Valley has been nice."
"It's been more than nice, thanks in large part to you."
...
After a lovely day together, filled with presents, laughter, and a wonderful meal, Jack walked Elizabeth and her children home.
He waited downstairs while she put the children to bed, a task which didn't take long after the excitement of the day.
"I can't remember the last time they went to sleep so quickly," she told him as she came down the stairs.
"I'm sure Gilbert tired them out," he joked.
"I'm sure," she murmured in agreement, stepping closer to him. "Thank you again for helping make today so wonderful, and for the gifts, and the meal."
"Thank you for the gifts, and for being such great company."
She fell silent, but gave him a mischievous smile, twirling slightly from side to side as she stood in front of him.
"What's that look for?"
She shrugged, but glanced up.
He followed her gaze, finding a sprig of mistletoe hanging above them. His lips turned up into a smirk. "And how did that get up there?"
"I'll never tell. Now, are you going to kiss me, or what?"
He leaned down, gently brushing his lips across her cheek.
"That's not quite what I had in mind," she whispered.
Knowing he would wait until he knew she was ready, she took the initiative, shifting up onto her toes. She took a deep breath, repeating 'it's Jack. I'm safe.' in her head as she pressed her lips to his.
And time stopped.
All of her fears of being reminded about James flew out of her mind in that moment. Kissing Jack was like nothing she'd ever experienced before, and she never wanted to stop. He was gentle, his hands shifting to her back to hold her closer. She brought her own hands to his face, feeling the soft scratch of stubble against her palms.
"Merry Christmas, Jack," she breathed as she finally pulled away.
"Merry Christmas, indeed." He grinned.
"Jack." She put her hand on his chest but quickly pulled away. "Um, thank you. For today. For…"
"Elizabeth." He touched her arm, meeting her eyes. "Elizabeth, I…"
She dropped her gaze to his lips as he spoke her name. He leaned in, ever so slightly. She started leaning in, too. Just as their lips touched for the second time, a cry sounded from upstairs.
He pulled away, chuckling. "I'll go get her."
Her breath caught in her throat when he reappeared at the foot of the stairs a few minutes later. He held Emma against his shoulder, gently rubbing her back as her cries subsided. She looked so tiny in his arms, so fragile. "Allie used to have nightmares all the time when she first came to live with me," he explained. "I spent so many nights consoling her."
"She's lucky to have you."
He smiled. "I'm lucky to have her."
"Mama," Emma whimpered.
"Come here, baby." Elizabeth took her daughter from him. She snuggled her close, looking back at Jack. "I'm sorry that she…interrupted things." Her cheeks warmed as she thought back to the sweet kiss they had shared just moments before.
"It's okay. I should be going, anyway. It's getting late."
"Oh. Okay."
"Believe me, I want to stay, but we don't need people to talk, and I need to make sure Allie is in bed." He stepped into her space, leaning in to press his lips to her cheek. "I'll see you tomorrow."
"I love you, Jack," she whispered as he shrugged his coat on.
He grinned, unable to resist kissing her one more time, soft and quick. "I love you."