Chapter 41

Lisa woke up early on Saturday morning. After trying and failing to go back to sleep, she finally got up and got some coffee. Georgie was already sitting in the kitchen drinking some coffee. "Wow, you're up early. You should get some sleep. Don't you have a long day of travel tomorrow?"

Georgie moved her coffee cup around in circles as she began to speak. "Yeah. I think I'm a little worried about going back. I love Quinn, and I love training in Florida, but I'm a little nervous about how it's going to be. I was going to ask how you and Jack do all that time apart, but then I remembered you wouldn't know."

LIsa poured herself a cup of coffee and sat down at the table with Georgie. "You're right, I have no idea how that has gone in the past. I'm sure we'll have to figure it out soon."

"Yeah." Georgie looked like she suddenly had a realization. "Wait, what will you have to figure out? I didn't think you two were fully back together."

Lisa smiled. "Well, I actually wanted to talk to you about this before you leave. We are back together. I realized this week that I love Jack. I honestly didn't plan to tell him that I love him until after you left, but I got impatient yesterday."

Georgie's face lit up. "Oh, I'm so happy to hear that! Why haven't you said anything yet?"

"We didn't want to take any attention away from you this weekend. It's your last couple of days at home, and we just want to focus on you and the rest of the family," Lisa explained. "We'll tell them. Your dad accidentally found out first. He caught us when he came home yesterday."

"Caught you? Oh, I don't want to know." Georgie looked a little grossed out.

"It was nothing scandalous. We were just kissing in the kitchen. We thought we were alone, which was probably dumb of us to think that in this house." Lisa closed her eyes and shook her head in embarrassment.

Georgie laughed. "It's true. Never assume that you are alone when you're in the kitchen or living room or barn. You don't have to worry about me, though. Tell everyone if you want to. I understand wanting to keep it just to yourself for now, though."

"As nice as it is to keep it to ourselves, it would also be nice to be able to be open about it. I don't think we want to keep it a secret for long. We'll be ready to be out in the open soon, but we wanted to make sure you have the focus this weekend. We're all going to miss you so much. Your dad actually encouraged us to tell you. He said it was something you wanted to happen before you left. I was fine with telling you right away. You have made getting through the last couple of months easier to get through. I seriously don't know what I would have done without your help.

"I was happy to help. You have been there for me so many times over the years, and I'm so thankful for you." Georgie squeezed Lisa's hand.

"Aw, thank you, honey." Lisa got up from her seat to give Georgie a hug. "You know, I was thinking about it, and I don't think you should worry too much about going back to Florida. There will be an adjustment period, but give yourselves the grace to get used to being around each other all the time again. Don't expect to just pick things up where you left off. If you do, that's fine too, but don't put those expectations on yourself." Lisa hoped that she was giving good advice to Georgie. It occurred to her that she should probably take the same advice for herself when she started traveling again.

"You're right. That's good advice. I'm probably worrying for no reason." Georgie stood up from the table and said, "I'm going to go for a run."

After Lisa finished her coffee, she took a shower. When she was coming out of the bathroom, Jack was walking into the living room. Her face lit up when she saw him. "Good morning!"

"Hello." Jack was happy to see Lisa and motioned for her to follow him to the bedroom. He waited for Lisa to go into the bedroom and then shut the door after she stepped inside. Jack pulled Lisa into his arms and held her tight. "How are you doing this morning?

Lisa leaned back and looked up at Jack. "I'm okay. I woke up early for no reason, which is annoying, but I'm glad that I'm getting some alone time with you."

"I'm glad too." Jack kissed Lisa and found himself wanting to do more. "I want to be with you again."

Lisa smiled shyly at Jack. She never imagined falling in love again after her divorce from Dan. Being so happy with someone blew her mind. "We should probably wait until tonight. I don't want to make anyone suspicious right now."

Jack dropped his chin to his chest. "You're right. I just love you a lot, and I got a little too excited."

"Well, I appreciate your enthusiasm," Lisa went up on her toes and kissed his cheek, "but we need to be smart about this. Oh, and I love you too."

"Good. I'm going to go have some more coffee and some breakfast." Jack left their bedroom.

Lisa watched Jack go and sighed. "Get it together, Lisa," she muttered to herself. Lisa took a deep breath and joined Jack in the kitchen. Seeing that Jack was pouring himself a cup of coffee, Lisa decided to offer to make breakfast. "Do you mind if I make some eggs and toast for us?"

"I will never turn down your cooking. Eggs and toast sound good. I can make the toast if you make the eggs," Jack offered.

Lisa's face lit up at Jack's offer to help. "Sounds good to me." While Lisa was making eggs, she quietly said, "I told Georgie this morning. She was up early worrying about how things would be with Quinn when she gets back to Florida."

Georgie walked back into the house from her run. "Hey, you two."

Jack looked up and smiled at his great-granddaughter. "Hey, so I hear you know things."

"Yeah, Lisa told me earlier. Thanks for telling me before I leave. It makes me feel a little better to know that I don't have to worry about things quite as much."

"We're adults. You don't have to worry at all," responded Jack.

"I know, but I love you two, and I want the best for both of you. I'm going to go take a shower." Georgie went to go get a shower.

Lisa watched her walk away. "She's a good kid."

"Yes, she is," Jack agreed. "Well, that's two down, six to go."

"Huh?" Lisa looked at Jack confused.

"It's just how many people in the family still need to be told."

"Ah." Lisa turned back to the stove and finished the eggs.

Later that day, after lunch, the family ended up sitting in the living room talking, laughing, and reminiscing about their favorite memories with Georgie. Lisa once again enjoyed getting to know the family more and learning more stories about them. She noticed Jack watching her and looked away. She didn't want to give away what was actually going on. Then she noticed Georgie looking between her and Jack and smirking. Lisa looked away from her as well and focused on the story Lou was telling about Georgie's fearlessness when she was trick riding.

Eventually, people spread out around the house. They were planning to have a barbecue and eat at the picnic table outside. Lisa joined Lou in the kitchen to help get food ready for dinner. "Put me to work. I'm here to help."

"Okay, can you chop some veggies for a salad and then chop some fruit for a fruit salad?" asked Lou.

"Of course. I just realized that I don't know where the knives or the cutting board are. Stupid amnesia."

"Oh, I'm sorry." Lou grabbed the cutting board and knife and placed it on the counter for Lisa. "Here you go. Let me know if you need to know where anything else is. I'm so used to you just knowing where everything is already."

Lisa got to work chopping. It made her feel good to contribute to the family in this way. Her arm had prevented it for so long that she didn't realize how much she had been wanting to get to work with everyone else.

"So…" Lou started to speak but seemed to be trying to decide how to continue. "How is it going with Grandpa? You two seem to be getting closer."

Lisa rolled her eyes. She knew where this conversation was going. "I guess we are. I'm getting to know him. He's been a good friend to me throughout all of this."

"Friend?" Lou was incredulous.

Amy walked into the kitchen just then. "Leave Lisa alone. It's only been a couple of months since the accident. Let her figure things out on her own."

"Thank you, Amy. I'd hug you, but my hands are covered in vegetable juice, and I'm holding a knife." Lisa held up her hands to show what she meant.

"That's fine. I need to go check on my client's horse. They have been struggling to get settled. It took us forever to get them in the trailer just to get them here. I want to make sure that they are doing okay." Amy walked away and out of the house.

Lisa watched her granddaughter leave. "At least one of you is on my side."

"Hey," Lou protested. "I'm on your side. It's just that I'm on Grandpa's side, too."

Jack entered the house just as Lou said she was on his side. "What are you on my side about? If it's about Lisa, my side is her side."

Lou looked a little embarrassed. "Sorry. I just want you to be happy, Grandpa."

"I am happy, Lou. Lisa is alive, and she's here. That's all I need," Jack insisted.

Lisa looked over at her husband. She loved him so much and she wondered if they should just come clean, but then she saw Georgie go upstairs and she remembered part of the reason why they weren't saying anything yet. Instead, Lisa schooled her features and went back to cutting the veggies for the salad.

Once all the food was ready and the picnic table was set, the family gathered in the front yard for dinner. Jack looked around at his family with pride for where they were now. He noticed Lisa looking at him, and his heart skipped a beat. He wasn't used to her looking at him like that anymore, and it made him so happy that they had turned a corner in their relationship. Not wanting people to notice how he and Lisa were looking at one another, he focused once again on the rest of his family.

Before everyone began eating, Lou stood to make a toast for her eldest daughter. "Everyone, I just wanted to make a little toast to Georgie. It has been so great to have her home and have all of this unexpected time with her. I'm sorry that Grandpa and Lisa's accident had to be the catalyst for that, but I will cherish this time. Georgie, please don't stay away so long. We love you, and we're going to miss you like crazy. To Georgie!

Everyone else held their glasses up and repeated, "To Georgie!"

Georgie stood up to address everyone. "Thanks, guys. I'm going to miss you all too. You know, there are flights that go to Florida. Feel free to come visit me there. Thank you, Lisa, for putting so much trust in me. Thank you, Jack, for thinking of me. It has been a great experience. Who knows, maybe someday I'll be running Fairfield when Lisa retires."

"I'd be glad to pass Fairfield onto you one day if that's what you wanted," said Lisa, looking proud and emotional.

After dinner, while people were clearing the table and doing the dishes, Georgie pulled Lisa aside and said, "You can tell people if you want. I've had enough spotlight."

"Thanks, honey. I think we're going to keep it to ourselves a bit longer. I'm not ready for anyone's opinions on how we conduct our relationship. I don't think we'll wait long. It's going to get harder to keep it under wraps the longer we go. In some ways, it might be easier to get it all out in the open now, but I want a little time where it's just us who know. Well, plus you and your dad." Lisa knew they'd end up saying something sooner rather than later. There was no way they were going to be able to keep things under wraps for very long at all.

Georgie giggled. "Yeah, me and my dad. I talked to him a little bit earlier. We both agreed that we would be careful not to say anything because we know how invasive this family can be sometimes. He's not going to tell mom. Just know that we're really happy for you, and when you decide to share, everyone else will be happy as well."

"Aw, thank you." Lisa gave Georgie a big hug. "I don't know how I would have survived the last couple of months without your help. I'm going to miss you dearly."

Everyone was gathered in the living room again, but slowly, everyone began leaving. Amy gave Lyndy a bath and put her to bed. She then went out to do night check in the barn. Tim and Jessica went back to the barn loft. Katie and Georgie went to Katie's room for some sister bonding time. Lou and Peter failed miserably at being discreet about why they were going to bed a little early.

Jack and Lisa were the only ones still in the living room. "Those two were so obvious about what they are about to do," Lisa laughed.

"I don't want to think about that," Jack groaned. "They're going to sleep."

Lisa laughed again. "Sure, if that's what you want to believe, we'll go with that." Lisa patted Jack's leg. "We should head to bed as well."

"Okay." Jack got up quickly to get ready for bed.

"You're no better than Peter and Lou," challenged Lisa.

Jack chose to ignore her comment and continued toward the bathroom so he could brush his teeth.

Lisa went into the bedroom and changed into her pajamas. She found some that were a little sexier than what she had been wearing. It was a silky nightgown with a matching robe. Lisa liked the way it looked and felt and hoped Jack thought the same.

When Jack entered the bedroom, his eyes went wide. "I haven't seen you wear that in a while. You usually only wear it when we're going to be together."

Lisa looked down at her nightgown and robe. "Oh. Well, I just saw it in the closet, and I thought it was pretty."

"It is, and you look beautiful in it." Jack walked over to Lisa and wrapped his arms around her. "I am one lucky man. I didn't know if we'd ever be at this point again, and I was trying to prepare myself for the possibility we never would."

Lisa leaned back in Jack's arms and looked up at him. "I know. I didn't know if it would happen either. At first, I wanted it to happen just because I felt so guilty that you were losing your wife. It then turned into me wanting it to happen because I was starting to fall for you, but I didn't know if it was just the guilt or if I just thought that this was what I was supposed to do."

"So what changed?" asked Jack.

After thinking for a moment, Lisa answered, "I don't fully know. I don't know when I fell in love with you again. It happened so gradually. Obviously, you knew that I liked you, and we had begun kissing and being affectionate in private. It has all been so complicated because your feelings didn't change, but I had to get through everything in order to be ready to be with you."

"Well, I'm glad you did. I love you so much." Jack kissed Lisa.

"I love you too." Lisa kissed Jack on the cheek and then said, "I'm just going to go brush my teeth, and then we can go to bed." She winked at him and then left the bedroom.

Jack blushed and looked around the room nervously. He wasn't sure what Lisa had in mind, and he didn't want to assume, so he got into bed and laid down. He had loved being with her the day before. It had been different, yet familiar at the same time. Lisa didn't know him that way anymore. He looked forward to rediscovering that part of their relationship with her. He was lost in thought when their bedroom door opened. He looked up to see Lisa returning. Before he knew what he was doing, he got out of bed and went to her.

Lisa looked surprised by Jack getting out of bed. "You didn't have to get up. I was just about to get into bed with you."

"I know. I wasn't thinking clearly. I just had to be close to you immediately," Jack admitted to Lisa.

"I know the feeling." LIsa pulled Jack close and kissed him deeply. She completely understood Jack's desire to be close to her. She felt the same way about him. As they were kissing, she felt Jack moving them towards the bed. When the back of her legs hit the bed, she pulled away from the kiss and smirked up at her husband. "What are you trying to do here?"

Jack chuckled. "Just trying to take the most beautiful woman in the world to bed."

Lisa looked around the room. "I don't see anyone like that here."

Jack laughed again. "I do." He sat down on the side of the bed and pulled Lisa in front of him. He held her face in one hand and began pushing her robe off her shoulders with the other. "You are so beautiful. I'm the luckiest man in the world because I somehow managed to get you to love me twice. I will never take that for granted.

Lisa kissed Jack and then walked around to her side of the bed and got in. She still felt nervous about being with Jack. It had only been a little over a day since she admitted that she loved him. Losing her memory and falling in love with Jack had been a whirlwind experience. She was overwhelmed by how much she loved her husband and that she even had a husband. Lisa felt incredibly grateful for how her life had turned out. She felt as though she couldn't have planned it better if she tried.

Jack got up and went to turn off the ceiling light. He wasn't sure if Lisa was interested in being with him, and he was too nervous to ask. After he turned off the light, he made his way to their bed. Right as he was about to get into bed, he heard Lisa take a deep breath.

LIsa, despite her nervousness, gained enough courage to say, "Lock the door."

Jack walked straight back to the door to lock it and then climbed into bed with his wife. He felt like the luckiest man alive.

To Be Continued