Epilogue

By the time Seth had driven Jessica and Little Frank from Portland to Cabot Cove that Friday night, they were all tired but happy. When Frank's tummy had started to growl on the plane, Seth had suggested that they eat dinner in Portland before starting the drive home. Frank was disappointed initially, wanting to drive to his grandma's house as soon as they landed, but he acquiesced when he realized that he would be allowed to have a cheeseburger and fries at a diner Seth and Jessica had visited before.

When they arrived at 698 Candlewood Lane, Jessica had led Frank upstairs to get him towels for his bath. Frank was chattering away about everything from summer break to their plans for the weekend, keeping the smile on Jessica's face firmly in place. Seth had walked up behind them carrying Frank's small bag, placing it on the luggage rack at the foot of the guest bed, before returning downstairs to wait for her.

Seth and Jessica had decided after telling Grady about their relationship earlier in the week that the best thing would be to tell Frank without making a fuss or providing too many details. Jessica had said that this entire situation was much easier said than done and while Seth understood her distress, he attempted to maintain his gruff exterior in an effort to not work her up further. She would prepare Frank for bed and when she tucked him in, the plan was for her to informally let him know that Seth lived here now.

And then hope for the best.

Seth doubted that the boy would have any negative response. Instead, he was more concerned that the lad would ask questions that he and Jessica would struggle to find answers to. Seth could not believe he had agreed to move in with Jessica before marriage, even as he knew it was not a certainty that she would ever agree to marry him. Quite simply, he would give her whatever she would accept from him and he would be damned if he would risk losing her over demanding anything in return. Perhaps it made him look weak to others, but instead he chose to think of it as strength that he trusted her and their love for each other to be enough. He had never dared hope to be able to love her in the open before. He was happy and he believed she was happy. Somehow, that was enough.

Seth had a feeling that no matter what happened upstairs with Frank, Jessica would need to debrief afterwards, so he turned the kettle on and chose some tea to brew once the water boiled.

He would wait for her, while sitting at the kitchen table.

Upstairs, Jessica was a bundle of nervous energy. She knew Seth was right. Little Frank was far too young to understand about the birds and the bees yet. Love and relationships and morality were still a basic understanding for the six, soon to be seven-year-old. It would be a simple thing to tell Frank that Seth lived with her now and she knew he would be delighted to hear that he could call Seth his granddad if he still wanted to.

So, why did she feel so uncomfortable?

She had been taught that good girls didn't. So, she had listened to those messages and waited until her wedding night with Frank. But now at her age and life experience, she couldn't understand that thinking anymore. Oh, she understood parents not wanting their teenage daughters to end up pregnant, but it had never sat well with her that that responsibility was only on the girls to follow. Shouldn't the boys involved be responsible too?

She had heard that people control out of their fear and even though she did not think of her parents that way, she could look to a number of other adult influences during her childhood, who had been.

She had been tidying the upstairs while Frank was in the bathtub, knowing the entire house had a thorough cleaning before she and Seth had left for New York. Frank must be finishing his bath though as she heard the sound of the plug being removed and the gurgling sound of water draining out of the tub.

Less than five minutes later, Frank was leaving the bathroom, fresh and clean. His shirt and pajama bottom set had a sea turtle on it and the brilliant blue color of the background was soothing. His dark wet hair was combed and shining. His visible cowlick had been missed by the brush and it was endearing to see it stick up in the back.

Such an adorable child.

Her grandson. Her heart clenched. If only Frank could see him.

"Don't you look handsome," she said, leaving her bedroom when she heard the click of the bathroom door open.

He grinned at her, saying, "Mom says I clean up nice."

She chuckled, leading him into the guest room, pulling back the covers and having him climb in, so she could tuck the sheets around his small body.

"I am so happy you are here, dear."

"Me too. I can't wait to have more blueberry pancakes tomorrow. They don't ever run out, do they?"

Jessica assured him that Mara knew how popular they were and there would be enough pancake batter and blueberries on hand.

She listened to him chatter, recounting his favorite parts of their flight, especially witnessing the flight attendant recognize her, asking her shyly to sign her dog-eared paperback that she admitted to having read three times already. The young woman explained that she kept the book within reach, because during turbulence, when she was forced to sit and buckle up like everyone else, it became a good distraction. She had seemed worried that the condition of the book would be embarrassing to Jessica, but on the contrary, hearing how much she had loved it and reread it was the best compliment she could receive.

When the woman had walked away clutching her signed book, Seth had whispered to Jessica that he had swelled with pride hearing the young woman gush to Jessica, because she had done so in such a way as not to bring attention to them. The woman was clearly understanding of the fact that Jessica would likely not want to be bombarded by anyone else recognizing her on the flight. That, combined with her needless embarrassment of the condition of her book, meant that the young woman had been humble, sweet, and deeply grateful to Jessica.

Jessica had squeezed his hand in reply, touched that he had grasped how much the encounter meant to her, and was a bit proud, herself, at the comfort her work had provided to the woman whenever she was stuck in her seat.

Listening to Frank relay the story from his own perspective now made her heart grow warm. She had such a wonderful life. She had been so blessed.

Now, she needed to get past this last hurdle, so she could focus on enjoying their time together.

Waiting for Frank to finish his final recount of the people he had watched on board the flight, she prepared to speak.

Confident that he had finished and she was not interrupting him, she said quietly, "Frank, I wanted to tell you something."

His bright face somehow seemed to become even more so, as he waited expectantly.

"Frank, remember how when you visited before, you thought Seth lived here?"

He seemed wary at the question, not saying anything, but he did nod his head yes. Knowing she had no choice but to push ahead now, she cleared her throat, before saying softly, "Well, Seth does live here now. I-"

But she didn't get the opportunity to finish her sentence, because the little boy sat up and asked excitedly, "He does? Really?"

Laughing softly as a wave of utter relief washed over her, she said, "Yes, he does. I take it, that makes you happy?"

"You bet it does!" But his brow furrowed as he had a new thought, "Grandma, does it make you happy?"

"Oh, my dear. I am so very happy," she responded, pulling him towards her in a tight hug. "So very happy." When they parted, she pushed back a lock of dark hair from his forehead, smiling at him.

"Will you get married now?" She had known somehow that he would ask that. She had tried to prepare for how she would answer, but it had been impossible. The only thing she knew was that she needed to keep it simple and stay honest. So, the only thing she said was, "I don't know. But perhaps one day."

"Don't you want to?" He asked this innocently. He was far too young and too sweet to understand that the question could be construed as a way to guilt or manipulate. But she did not know how to answer. She paused to try to come up with a suitable response, but thankfully, she did not have to, as the voice of her beloved came from behind her at the door.

"I would love to marry your grandma, young man. But marriage isn't something you rush into. How about you and I be patient for a while, and let your grandma have some time to think about it?"

Frank was thrilled with that answer, quickly shifting to the question of the day that they all had hoped would come again. Jessica tried to hide the smile that had crept up when Seth appeared at the doorway, knowing he had not been able to wait in the kitchen for her, needing to know tonight if Frank would ask. "So, does this mean you can be my granddad, Dr. Hazlitt?"

Letting her smile appear fully, Jessica watched the smile form on her lover's face. He was such a dear, sweet man.

"Yes, Frank. If you want to call me that, I would be honored."

Seeing the joy erupt on Frank's face, Jessica feared that he would never settle down to sleep now, but strangely enough, they were able to calm him down within a few minutes, both sitting on opposite sides of the bed and lowering their tones of voice.

By the time they turned off the bedside light, Jessica leaned down to kiss Frank's forehead, checked the night light was turned on and shut his door. They were exhausted, but felt such peace.

Entering the kitchen, Seth motioned for Jessica to sit down, turning to pour the still steaming water for her tea. As he served them both, he sat down next to her, reaching for her hand. "How do you feel now, Jess?"

Sighing, she looked down into her tea, gathering her thoughts, "Oh, better. Relieved. Tired."

"Ayuh, sounds about right."

Sensing he might be overwhelmed somehow, she asked, "How are you, my darling?"

"Having a bit of imposter syndrome, but I'll get past it."

"What on earth do you mean, Seth?"

Quietly, he clung to their hands, not wanting to answer, but knowing he had to, "It should be Frank who that little boy calls granddad. Not me."

Tears welled in Jessica's eyes, but she fought them. Cupping his cheek with her hand, she told him, "Darling, Frank was a good man. But you are a good man, too. And I am so lucky to have been loved by both of you. If he couldn't be here, I have no doubt that he would approve of you. You treat me so well and that would be all he could have hoped for." She gave a half-smile as her eyes held a hint of sadness, adding, "He told me to love again before he died. He…didn't make me promise though. So, I didn't really think about it afterwards. It seemed too ridiculous to suppose I ever could. But I was foolish to think that. The issue was never being able to love again. It was facing the fear of losing that love again."

"I know," squeezing her hand so tightly, needing her to know he understood that fear, because he had it himself.

"I know you do. Even as it still seems incomprehensible to know you love me as much as I love you. But I can't live without you, Seth. I don't want to. And so, I won't think about it. We can make some plans in the future with wills and a power of attorney, but otherwise, I want to focus on our lives. Living them together and loving each other as much as we can."

"Ayuh, I agree completely."

"Kiss me."

Turning in his seat, he pulled her out of her chair and onto his lap, smiling at her, before meeting her lips with his own, searching with his tongue, finding her receptive to his advances, her mouth tasting sweet from the vanilla in her tea. Placing her hand on his chest, she pushed back just enough to say, "And Seth…I do think we will marry one day. Let's enjoy our new beginning and then maybe in another six months to a year, we can talk more about it."

Elated, he almost crushed his mouth back to hers, trying to show her what she meant to him. Between kisses, he said, "Woman, if he wasn't upstairs right now, I'd be taking you to bed and it would not be to sleep."

Whispering, she said while planting soft kisses behind his ear and down his neck, "Well, what do you say, we go on up to bed and hold each other? And I will take a rain check for Sunday, when we are here alone again."

"Jess, you don't need to ask me twice."

With that, they stood up together, turning off the kettle and the lights, and held hands as they climbed the stairs to their bedroom. Together.