Chapter 52

The next morning was a lot like the previous day at Thatcher Shipping. Jack, Elizabeth, Teddy, and Jerry joined a room full of individuals to discuss business. Jack and Elizabeth quickly agreed this wasn't the life they wanted to live. They had no desire to be in offices all day every day. They loved the open fields and the trees of Hope Valley. The fresh air was cleansing to their souls.

The stuffy meeting rooms were not anything like home. Jack glanced up and noticed Elizabeth's facial expression. He knew that she wasn't paying any attention to what the gentleman from the warehouse was saying. He didn't know where her mind was, but it wasn't on how to speed up moving materials.

Jack took a small notepad and wrote a quick note. Jack leaned forward and placed his elbows on the table. "Excuse me. I'm sorry to interrupt."

"Yes sir."

"Elizabeth…" He stated as he handed her the note. Then he turned his attention to Jason. "Instead of storing things for up to a week at no cost to the manufacturer, why not stream line the process. Allow the company to store their materials for shipping for two days. We won't have to work around the shipping crates for days to load and unload. Mark off a section of the warehouse for long term holding and then charge the manufacturer a small fee to store their materials. If they don't want to pay for the storage, they can do a better job of arranging the transportation of their products to us. It seems like we are bending backwards for their benefit with no cost savings or revenue for us. I understand this will not bring in a lot of revenue, but it will remove a hurdle for our employees. They won't spend their time working around crates that have sat there for days on end. It should speed up the loading process."

"That could work…" Jason pondered out loud.

Elizabeth looked at the note when she unfolded it.

Bella –

Steal twenty minutes. Go out and get some fresh air. There is a pastry shop across from the parking lot. Please bring me back something.

Your Love

Elizabeth's smile grew as she read his note. She knew he understood her struggle. She looked up as he was speaking. She patted Jerry's hand and quietly excused herself. She made eye contact with Jack as she stood. "Thank you." She mouthed as she pushed her chair under the table. She quietly, and quickly, walked out of the office heading toward the pastry shop.

Elizabeth smiled as the sun hit her face. The day was warm, but the breeze felt incredible. The most important part was that she didn't have to listen to something about warehouses. She strolled over to the pastry place taking her time to soak in all the outdoors she could.

When she crossed the street, she inhaled a beautiful smell. She wasn't sure what it was, but the smell instantly made her hungry "I want that." She mentioned to herself. "Jack would love that too."

"Good morning Ms. How are you?"

Elizabeth smiled at the young lady standing behind the counter. Her smile was pleasant.

"I'm well. How are you?"

"I'm good. What may I get for you today?"

"That smell…"

"Oh yes…our baker is working on a new scone this morning. I told him it wouldn't work, but he was absolutely correct."

"It smells delicious."

"Oh dear, it tastes better than it smells."

"I'm not sure if that is possible." Elizabeth smiled. "I would like two please. One for now and another one wrapped to go, please."

"Perfect choice. It's always best to take one to go for later. It's a mixture of watermelon and pineapple chunks."

"Wait…make it two wrapped for later. My husband will want one." She smirked. "I also would like tea with honey please."

"Perfect choice. Have a seat and I will bring your order to you when it is ready."

"Thank you." Elizabeth gave her a smile and turned. She noticed a small table by the front window that was open. She sat down. She was looking out the window at the trees swaying in the breeze and the sun on her face shining through the window. Her eyes were closed when she heard a voice.

"Good morning, Elizabeth."

…

Lee looked up from his desk when the door opened. He smiled. "Good morning, Faith. How are you?"

"I'm good. How are you doing?"

"I have my foot propped up like you said to." He nodded to his foot that was in a chair beside his desk chair.

"Mind if I take a look at it while I'm here?"

"No problem. Is everything ok?"

"Sure. You were supposed to see me yesterday, but you didn't come by the infirmary. So, I came to you."

"Oh…I'm sorry, Faith. I forgot about the appointment." He shook his head. Rosemary and him had a very long discussion last night over dinner. It took Hickam some time to convince her to join Lee. "I promise Faith, that will not happen again."

Faith didn't respond. She remembered all too well the struggles she had with Lee. She walked around the desk and slowly took off the oversized sock Lee had on his foot. Then she removed the brace that was protecting his broken ankle. She undid the wrapping and examined both cuts and the broken ankle. After looking at the cuts, she turned her attention toward the ankle. She slowly moved it from side to side, but instantly stopped when Lee flinched.

"Well…" She began by putting on the brace. "…against your best efforts, your cuts are improving, and that ankle is healing. You still have two weeks before you can put any weight on that foot. When you can, please only put about fifty percent of your weight on it. It not only needs more time to heal, but it will take several more weeks to build up its strength again. For the first two weeks, be extremely careful. You will think it all better, but it will be weak. You could easily fall. Now, the cuts are scaping over and looks really good."

'Thank you, Faith."

"I'm not worried about the cuts any longer, but the break is still an issue. Now, stay off it at all costs. Use your crutches."

"I will…I promise. I also promise to do a better job of listening and obeying your requests."

"We'll see." She stated skeptically.

…

"It's coming along nicely." Mr. P stated as he wiped sweat from his forehead. He and Mr. Johnston were on the ground passing lumber up to the men standing on the floor joists on the second floor. They in turn, was passing it up to the men above them to build the trusses for the roof.

"It is. Those men are working hard."

"A few of them have children in Elizabeth's class. She helped the kids with some issues in class. They feel like they owe her. The other men were helped by Jack."

Mr. P smiled at the thought of the young lady he loved so much. She really did love these children. He was very proud of the young lady she became. "I doubt she felt that way."

"You would be correct. I don't know Elizabeth very well, but what I know of her I am impressed."

"Her and Jack are good people."

…

"Grandma Grace…may I ask you something?"

"Sure, sweetheart. What's on that mind of yours." Grace asked as she sat down at the dining room table beside JJ.

"Why did Mr. Thatcher do what he did and why does daddy not like it here?" JJ just blurted out his question. He has heard parts of different conversations but never really heard the whole story. His bits and pieces didn't make sense. Plus, he also knew his daddy was having trouble coming to Hamilton and part of that was because of Mr. Thatcher.

The question and how he asked the question stunned her. She realized that he used the title and name, Mr. Thatcher. Bethie has told her that he was a very smart little boy, and she knew it by the interactions she had with him, but she didn't realize how intuitive he is. She took a deep breath to buy herself some time. She wasn't sure how much she should say.

"It's ok…you don't have to answer my questions. Mommy and daddy have told me a little bit but not too much. I think mommy is trying to protect daddy and I think daddy is trying to protect mommy's feelings and both of them are trying to protect me. I know their last couple of visits here was bad."

"Your mother has told me you're smart, but I don't think she knows how smart you are." Grace took his right hand into hers. "Mommy's and daddy's will always protect their children. They just want to protect you from grown up stuff."

"Maybe, but kids know more than what grownups gives us credit for."

"Indeed." She squeezed his hand.

…

Mrs. P looked up from the counter when the café door opened. She smiled when Rosemary walked in. She liked Rosemary enough even though she was very different from the ladies she knew back in Hamilton.

"Good morning, Rosemary. How are you doing today?"

"I'm good. How are you?"

"Fine…fine. I'm here to pick up lunch for Lee and me."

"What would you like?"

After giving Mrs. P her order, Rosemary went and sat down to wait on her food. Mrs. P brought a glass of water after getting the food started.

"How are you two, if I may ask?"

Rosemary looked at this precious woman. They haven't known each other very well, but their friendship was growing.

"Better. He has been too relaxed with his recovery. We talked about it last night."

"Talk?" Mrs. P gave her a knowing smile.

"Well…he heard me."

"I would say."

Both ladies laughed. They spent a couple of minutes to catch up until Mrs. P had to go and check on Rosemary's food. When she sat back down, she asked the question that was on her mind.

"Dear." Mrs. P began reaching for Rosemary's forearm. "When are you two going to get married?"

That was the first time she knew of Rosemary being speechless. She inhaled a couple of breaths before speaking.

"I hope soon, but we haven't really talked about it. I don't know…"

…

"I'll answer your questions, but I do feel you need to speak with your mommy and daddy, ok?" JJ nodded his head that he understood. "First, Mr. Thatcher loves your mommy. He just lost focus on that love. He thought he knew better. Unfortunately, when Elizabeth tried to tell him what she really wanted, he wouldn't listen to her. As her father, he thought she should follow his path for her. He became lost in those thoughts and now he is having to pay the consequences of his mistakes."

"So, he did it out of love?"

"It may have begun that way, but he quickly lost track of the love he proclaimed. I believe it became an issue of pride and arrogance. He is learning his mistakes, but he is also learning he can make the decision, but he can't decide on the consequences of those decisions. He is paying a very high price."

"Yeah."

"I've learned a lot through this. I learned that we need to truly listen to the people around us. When they tell us what they want, we need to listen to them. Secondly, we can't always assume we know everything. Thirdly, we need to trust the people that we love." She gave JJ a smile. "He is also realizing that he is missing out so much with you. He's learning how special you are and is regretting that he can't get to know you."

Grace took a deep breath. Now she had to tackle the second question from this inquisitive little guy. In her opinion, his second question was personally the hardest.

"Now, your second question reminds me of a saying that I have heard before. 'Don't just a book by its cover'. We had this belief that Charles Kensington was to be Elizabeth's suitor and eventually become her husband. When she brought Jack home, we instantly disliked him long before we met him. She was to be with Charles, not anyone else. Now, looking back on that whole thing, I realized how dumb that line of thinking was. Jack is a great man of character. We respect him greatly. He is perfectly made for our Elizabeth."

"Ms. Viola doesn't like it does she?"."

"No. She is still holding onto what we all thought months ago. I have come to know Jack and I can't imagine anyone better for my middle daughter than Jack Thornton."

JJ stood and walked toward Grace with his arms open. "I'm grateful you like daddy."

"I'm grateful he is willing to allow me to get to know him. I really messed all of that up. Forgiveness is a powerful and a great thing to experience."

"I love you, Grandma Grace."

"I love you, sweet boy. Now, make sure you talk with mommy and daddy about all of this, ok?"

"Thank you."

…

"What are you doing here?"

"Your father and I would often come here to get out of the office. We would steal a few minutes at times to just get away. Many times, we would just talk about business or life."

"You're not supposed to be close to me, Charles. You are breaking a court order. You are to remain one hundred yards from me." His sudden appearance caught her by surprise. She was determined that she wasn't going to show her shock or any weakness for that matter.

"Elizabeth, I was here first. I was sitting at that table." He nodded his head toward an empty table on the other side of the room. "May we talk?" While he may have asked the question, he was already pulling out the second chair at the table to sit down across from her. He sat down and took a slow drink of his coffee. He admired Elizabeth in her beauty. He remembered his father's and Viola's question concerning if he would still want her after her marriage to that despicable constable.

"You are still breaking your court order."

"Not if you were the one who came into the place of business that I was already present. I couldn't know that you were coming here." She frowned at his smirk. "You're not communicating with me. How am I supposed to know your schedule?"

"That doesn't give you the right to sit down at my table."

"You invited me to."

"I most certainly did not. You need to leave."

"Elizabeth, out of respect for our friendship, you owe me a conversation."

Elizabeth huffed at his statement. "After what you did to me on that platform in my hometown, I owe you nothing. You left bruises on my arm when you grabbed me and wouldn't let go."

"I'm sorry…" The young lady stated when she walked to the table with Elizabeth's order. Elizabeth and Charles turned their attention toward the young lady. "Ma'am…here is your order. However, the manager needs to speak with you. There was an issue with your payment."

"Thank you." Elizabeth stated. She glared at Charles for a second and quickly stood. She followed the young lady to the front counter.

"Ma'am…are you ok?"

"He's not supposed to be around me."

"Joe." The lady called out. Joe quickly looked up and then walked toward the two women. "Please escort this lady to the office and call the mounties."

"Thank you." Whispered Elizabeth.

The lady looked over Elizabeth's shoulder and noticed that man sitting with Elizabeth opening the door to leave. "He's leaving."

"Thank goodness."

"He comes in here often…probably two to three times a week. He is usually nice and alone."

"Ma'am, would you come with me please."

Elizabeth looked over her shoulder and noticed that Charles had he indeed left. "I'm ok. He's gone. Would you please call the mounties and request an officer and then call Thatcher Shipping and ask to speak with a Mr. Jack Thornton?"

"Yes ma'am." Joe stated as he turned and quickly walked to the pastry's office to make both phone calls.

…

Jack burst through the door almost knocking over a gentleman that was reaching for the door to leave. He quickly scanned the sitting area looking for his wife. He found her sitting peacefully at the same little table. When he knew she was safe, he scanned the room looking for Charles.

"Jack." Elizabeth called out in a tone that was just over the noise of the crowd but not too loud to draw attention to her. Jack could hear the tone in her voice.

"Elizabeth…are you alright?"

"I'm fine. I promise."

Jack took a moment to look over his wife. She appeared fine and unhurt. As a matter of fact, she seemed a little aggravated. He sighed when he finally accepted she was ok.

"Here." The nice young lady from the counter stated when she placed a cup of coffee on the table with a scone.

"Thank you, Laney." Elizabeth stated.

"You're welcome, Elizabeth. Just let me know if you need anything."

"You must try the scone, Jack. It's scrumptious!"

"I'm sorry…" His voice trailed off.

Elizabeth let out a small laugh at his expression. "Sit…enjoy your coffee and the scone. The mounties will be here soon. I need to give them my report." She smiled a victorious smile. "I knew you would be here before the mounties showed up." Her confidence in Jack caring for her was evident. It was also the thing that broke the tension that was building in Jack.

"Did you figure out the warehouse thing?"

"The what?" Asked a confused Jack. His mind was playing catch up.

"The warehouse issues. Did they like your suggestion?"

"Yeah, they're going to try it out for a month to see if it will work. The guy over the warehouses seemed to like it. He made a small adjustment to the idea but was happy with it."

"That's great." She smiled. They both looked up when two men wearing red serge walked through the door. Elizabeth spent about five minutes explaining all that occurred when Charles walked up to the table. Laney came over and shared with the mounties the event from her perspective. Elizabeth was grateful for her input.

"And you sir?" The older mountie asked looking at Jack wondering if he had anything to do with the situation.

"I'm Sergeant Jack Thornton. I am Elizabeth's husband."

"Sorry sir, I didn't know."

"That's fine Constable."

"We'll file this and speak with Mr. Kensington today. He was correct in the fact that you walked into the café when he was already here, but he pushed the line when he walked up to your table. We will emphasize the fact that he is not allowed to do that again."

"Thank you, Constables." Elizabeth smiled.

They watched the constables turn and walk out of the pastry shop. Jack reached for Elizabeth's arm.

"Are you ready to go back to the office?"

"Are you all done with that warehouse stuff?"

"We are."

"Thank you for getting me out of there."

"Any time."

"Let's finish our treats then we'll head back."

…

The day was full of meetings and getting to know people. It was Jack's and Elizabeth's intention to meet everyone they could. They really wanted to have the employees feel respected. Jerry was a great source of encouragement and helper in this matter. Everyone in the offices was excited about the young couple taking over. They may have had some questions, but Jerry and meeting Jack and Elizabeth was beginning to squash down the worry.

Instead of sitting in offices listening to men talk about issues, Jack wanted to see the issues firsthand. He was a visual learner. He did much better when he was able to see the issue, to touch it. He, Elizabeth, and Jerry would spend the day traveling around the three campuses of Thatcher Shipping meeting the rank in file employees. Jack and Elizabeth wanted to hear from them any issues they were having. They wanted that connection. Plus, Jack just couldn't sit in an office again.

Jack finally calmed down after seeing that Elizabeth wasn't stressed out over the chance encounter with Charles. The mounties quickly returned with an update with their discussion with Charles. Especially when they realized that Jack is a mountie and he and Elizabeth were in charge of Thatcher Shipping. Everyone in town knew the story of what happened.

JJ was at the front step of the massive home waiting for his mommy and daddy to arrive. After two huge hugs, Jack excused himself to change clothes. Wearing a suit all day wasn't something he enjoyed doing. Elizabeth and JJ remained on the front steps just soaking in each other with the sunshine and wind.

"Mommy, Grandma Grace and I talked today."

"Oh, what about?"

"Mr. Thatcher and daddy." JJ began. He told what he and Grandma Grace talked about and what he thought about what she said. Elizabeth was impressed, and touched, by what her mother said. She could see the change in her mother. Now she has heard the change as well.

"I think mother did well. Do you have any questions?"

"No mommy."

"What did you learn?"

"You know, that's what my heavenly mommy would always ask me."

Elizabeth reached up and discreetly wiped a tear away. She did not feel comfortable being compared to Joy. She was sincere with her discussion at Joy's grave. She respected Joy and would do her very best to be the type of mother Joy would be content with raising her son. With JJ telling her that she was doing something Joy often did made her feel better.

"You should listen to the people you love, even if you don't agree with them. Plus, you should never prejudge people too quickly."

"Sounds like you got smarter today." Elizabeth sassed.

"I think Grandma Grace is a smart lady."

Grace smiled from her location in the doorway. She had not intended to listen in on the conversation. She was bringing them a cold glass of lemonade. All afternoon, she was a little worried with the talk with JJ. She felt she answered things correctly. Her concern was that she may have overstepped her bounds with the young man. She didn't want to step on her daughter's or Jack's toes, but when JJ asked you a question, he just had this way about him. She knew exactly what Elizabeth meant when she mentioned it to her on a few occasions. That little boy was just special.

Thinking back over that conversation with JJ, Grace knew exactly what she needed to do. She walked back into the home with the glasses of lemonade and looked for Jack. First, she checked the library for him. Whenever William came home from a day of work, he would first go to the library. She groaned when he wasn't in there. Then she made her way to the kitchen thinking he may have stopped for a drink or a snack. She sighed when he wasn't in there.

"May I help you ma'am?"

"I was looking for Jack."

"He's out back by the shed."

"He is?"

"Yes ma'am. He is helping Mr. Thompson chop wood."

"Why?"

"He said he sat down too long today. He said that he needed to do something physical."

"Thank you."

"Yes ma'am. Do you need anything else?"

"No." Grace made her way out the kitchen door to the back shed where extra firewood is kept.

…

Frank and Abagail rode into Hope Valley after a wonderful few days on their honeymoon. The time away, while not very long, was perfect for them. The cabin was mostly secluded. They did see a few people on the lake and on the hiking trails, but no one was close to them. Fishing was the most enjoyable activity with them. They both loved to fish. Abgail made sure that her husband knew she caught more fish than he did. To be honest, it wasn't even very close. As hard as Frank tried, he just couldn't catch more fish than her. What was most frustrating was the fact that Abagail only used worms. He would change up fishing lures, but he just couldn't find the right one.

They both smiled when the town came into view. All the normal sounds were present. A few individuals were walking around like normal. They loved the beautiful sight of their town in front of them.

"So Madam Mayor, are you ready to get back to normal?"

"With you…absolutely. I believe I like the café owner title better than the mayor title."

"I guess we begin those things tomorrow."

"We do. Do you have a busy day tomorrow?" Abagail asked.

"I want to visit some people. I haven't seen some in a couple of Sundays. Plus, I need to chop some wood.

"I believe Jack has already done that."

"He did before he left. But I have a family now, that is my responsibility."

"A family?" Abagail smiled.

"Yes…you and me. Chopping wood for you is my privilege."

"Jack will be disappointed with that."

"I think Elizabeth may be more disappointed than Jack." Frank smirked.

"He has plenty of wood to chop at his home."

…

"What did the mounties say?"

"I wasn't in the wrong in being in the pastry café." Charles answered his father. "They did say that I pushed the issue when I walked toward her table and sat down with her."

"That may have been forcing the issue a little, Charles. I'm grateful the mounties saw it your way."

"Me too."

"Now, you need to be careful with your interactions with Elizabeth."

"Yes." He was still hesitant in answering the question if he wanted to still be with Elizabeth after her marriage to that mountie. However, seeing her in the pastry shop reminded him how much he still loves her. Even after everything. She was still beautiful in his eyes. He didn't want to admit to it, and he wouldn't publicly, but he was still in love with Elizabeth Thatcher. She was still his Elizabeth.

"Have you spoken with your lawyer lately?"

"Yesterday. Nothing has changed in that matter."

"Please don't allow an incident like today to derail your good chances of getting out of this."

"Yes, father. I promise. No more dumb decisions."

…

Before Grace reached the shed that held the wood for the many fireplaces in the home, she heard the axe coming down and two men talking. She recognized both voices.

"Sir…"

"Mr. Thompson, please stop calling me that." Jack stated just before he brought the axe down on a knotted piece of wood.

"Sir, you don't have to do this. This is my job."

"I understand Mr. Thompson. I just want to help."

"But…I get paid to do this."

"Yes and you are still doing it. I'm just helping. I have been inside an office all day. I just want to feel the sun on my shoulders and the wind in my face." Jack picked up another round piece of wood and sat it on the big block of wood. Mr. Thompson reached for the two pieces Jack just split.

"I'm not going to win this…am I?"

"Probably not. I believe Jack can be determined." Grace stated from the edge of the building.

"Mrs. Thatcher!" Jack and Mr. Thompson stated at the same time.

"Ma'am, is there anything you need from me?"

"No Mr. Thompson. I was looking for Jack."

"Yes, ma'am…what may I do for you?"

"Jack, do you have a moment to speak with me?"

"Sure Mrs. Thatcher."

"Jack, please call me Grace."

Jack nodded his head. A second later, Mrs. Thompson reached for the axe Jack was holding with his right hand. Jack wiped away a little sweat from his forehead and accepted a glass of lemonade from his mother-in-law. They silently walked toward the back deck and sat on a couple of chairs that were located close to the double doors that led into the home.

"Jack, we have talked a little about this while I was in Hope Valley, but I don't feel I did an appropriate job in relating my apology."

"You did, ma'am."

"I don't think so…Again, thank you for doing everything you did for William. You had every reason not to help him…yet you did without us even asking you. Thank you."

Jack nodded his head. It wasn't something he wanted to do, but with William being Elizabeth's father, he felt compelled to help. Not for William's sake, but for Elizabeth's peace of mind.

"I'm grateful my friend was able to help. Elizabeth tells me that things are going better than expected."

"It is…it's funny really, I would consider William and I closer the last few weeks than we have in years. I know it sounds strange considering the circumstances, but I do believe he has truly accepted the bad things he did. I think it has changed him for the better."

"That's great, ma'am."

"Jack…"

"That's great, Grace. I'm grateful for that."

"Now, I would like to apologize for the way my family treated you on your previous visits to Hamilton. Particularly, I want to apologize for the way I treated you. It wasn't fair. I never gave you an opportunity to prove yourself. I should have come from the starting point of trusting Elizabeth. I was short with you. I shunned you and purposefully limited my interactions with you. I should have never done any of that. Looking back, I am embarrassed at my actions. I'm sorry."

"That's ok Grace."

"No Jack. It isn't alright."

Jack reached for her hand. "It's ok now."

"After getting to know you and finally listening to Elizabeth, I truly believe you are the person for my middle daughter."

"That means a lot coming from you."

She squeezed Jack's hand but did not release it.

JJ reached for his mommy's hand. They were standing by the door listening to the conversation. They didn't intend to listen in on the personal talk. They were bringing something to drink for Jack. The conversation stopped them at the door. At hearing the words spoken, Elizabeth used her free hand to wipe away a stream of tears flowing down her cheek.

"I believe I'm not the only one to learn a lesson today." JJ whispered.

"I believe you may be correct."

"Now, Elizabeth has shared that she would like to visit her father in prison. William does not want her to see him there."

"I can understand both sides."

"Yes. It was very kind of you to hide the handcuffs. Now, what's your thoughts on this?"

Jack was a little surprised Grace was asking for his thoughts on this issue. It felt like a family matter.

"Well, I can see William not wanting to his daughter to see him in prison. While it is a minimum level prison, it is still a prison. I can also see Elizabeth's point of view. He is her father. It doesn't matter if he is in Hamilton or in a prison."

"That's my thoughts."

"Grace…what does your wife's and mother's heart telling you?"

Grace leaned back in her chair thinking about the issue for a few moments. "I can see both sides. I believe Elizabeth loves her father and I believe he loves her. He is embarrassed by his circumstances. He would love to see her but not there."

"Yes ma'am. If not there, he won't see her for three years."

"It's settled then…we will leave at two tomorrow."

"Grace…"

"I can't begin to understand your emotions here. You have every right to hate that man. No one, including me or William, could fault you for that. But Jack, that's not the man I know. You aren't like that."

"Grace, I will go for Elizabeth's sake. And for you as well."

"Thank you, Jack. I have visited him every week. So, I am used to this. Elizabeth will need your company."

"I don't know if I will go back with you two. I believe it may be best for family time."

"You are family, but I will respect your decision."

"I will need to speak with Elizabeth."

"I understand. May I give you advice from an old woman?"

"You're not old. I would welcome your advice."

"William and I stopped talking. I truly believe that was the first stumbling block for us. Don't stop talking with your wife. Open communication is essential in a marriage. I'm grateful for your communication with Elizabeth."

"Yes ma'am."

"Jack, you are the perfect match for my Bethie."

"Come on mommy." JJ began to pull her hand. "You would always fuss at me for listening in on

people."

"JJ…" Elizabeth huffed and then smiled at her son's correction.

"Am I wrong?"

"Come on young man. You're too smart for your own good." Elizabeth smiled at her boy.