The 2nd UNchaperoned date was set in the fall of 1921, around mid-October. So in line with S12, before they'd headed out for this day of adventure, Jack's medal had surfaced, they'd celebrated Allie's birthday, Nathan had just returned from the poker game in Union City, and Allie's heart had been broken that week by Wyatt.

Here is where this story diverges from S12. I hope you enjoy this version, though in many ways this alternate path could loop back into the rest of the episodes.

There are two specific references to their 1st UNchaperoned Date. For more details the specific chapters are listed in the endnotes.

While this conversation around consequential questions was meant to be one chapter, I split it into three shorter ones for ease of reading since it can otherwise be difficult to find your place within so much dialogue. Two are a part of this release, with the last one coming soon.

Chapter 25: His Consequential Question

With their plan in place for the remainder of the evening—consequential questions, sunset, and dessert—Nathan and Elizabeth silently savored a couple more bites of their dinner before diving into their conversation.

It was an easy place to get lost in thought, surrounded by the towering trees and the soft rustle of leaves. Naturally, what Elizabeth loved most was the fragrance of the forest, the rich scent of pine, cedar, and soil, mingling with the crisp mountain air. In truth, it reminded her of Nathan, and her nose was often trying to find his scent in items he'd recently touched or worn.

But, for nine glorious hours, she'd had Nathan nearby, able at any point to breathe him in, deeply and intimately. Even for the rare moment he was at a distance, chopping wood in his finest form, she had the chance to indulgently brush his tuxedo shirt beneath her nose.

As much as Elizabeth was looking forward to the rest of the night, there was an underlying ache, a quiet reminder of the minutes counting down before they'd have to say goodnight. But these consequential questions, his more than hers, had been occupying her thoughts ever since she'd received Nathan's letter. So, she was excited to finally be at this moment.

Just as Nathan was about to speak, Elizabeth jumped in, "Why don't you go first this time."

For their inconsequential questions, she'd started them off. But, her motive for taking turns wasn't exactly a social grace. She held the tiniest glimmer of hope that Nathan's consequential question might just be THE question of greatest consequence. So, for her own sanity, now that the timing of this poignant conversation had arrived, she obviously wanted to know sooner rather than later, either way, and ease the circling butterflies in her stomach.

"All right," Nathan smiled, resting his spoon lightly in his hand. "I guess I'm in the hot seat this time," he teased. Inwardly, he was nervous at this unexpected switch in order, having no knowledge as to what Elizabeth's question might be, and where that conversation might wander.

But, willing to follow his sweetheart's lead, he opened up with a sideways approach to his consequential question.

"So, during our last date, you asked if I'd read your book (1). And the time I finally turned to it, I told you, was after walking home from the night we ended up talking over some apple juice."

Hmmm, Elizabeth thought, realizing this might not be going where she'd hoped. But, all in all, she'd known it was a long shot. Still, when she'd read Nathan's letter, inviting her on this day of adventure, and there was mention of homework—inconsequential and consequential questions—she couldn't help thinking the BIG question might be a small possibility.

She knew an engagement only six weeks into their relationship would seem irrationally rushed to most. But after finally telling Nathan that she was in love with him, their first week as a couple they were already speaking of their future, how as parents they'd talk to Little Jack about Nathan's connection to his father. Rather than stepping from a friendship into a courtship, what they'd truly done is jumped naturally from a deep, abiding love to an engagement. Through dozens of conversations since, and twice as many heated kisses, it was obvious to them both that their getting married was a matter of when not if.

Yet, there was still the custom of a ring and an official proposal. Elizabeth knew in her heart they were there and that at some point soon, all the societal markings would fall into place. Maybe that would be tonight, but she'd hardly noticed anything unusual about Nathan, except that he hadn't been eating much.

Her sweetheart had owned up to that himself, though, claiming that their kisses had kept him well-fed and that he'd only felt hungry once that entire day—at the hot springs, when he'd momentarily held a cookie in his mouth, and then shortly after, another one in his hand. Even with his grumbling stomach that started off their dinner, he still had only eaten half of his meal.

While Elizabeth acknowledged that a proposal might seem like a long stretch, it's not as if she and Nathan really needed to date like most couples since they already knew each other so well. But, oddly enough, they hadn't even managed a traditional date—like going out to lunch at the cafe! They'd been so busy living their day-to-day lives, all the while blending their two families seamlessly into one, that their courtship hadn't by any means mirrored the societal norm. In every way, it seemed, she and Nathan seemed to march to the beat of their own drum. So, all in all, social customs aside, she still held to the feeling that if not tonight, they'd be engaged soon.

After all, on their last date, Nathan had taken advantage of her sleepy state and quietly led her into a disguised interrogation, talking about what appeared to be the innocent topic of Christmas traditions. But only a few questions in, she instinctively realized what he was doing—gauging where she saw their relationship three to four months down the line.

With full awareness, she began tailoring her answers in kind, responding in subtext to his layered inquiries. One of the clearest messages she delivered, which she knew he understood, was in answering that they only needed to find one perfect Christmas tree this year, even with Little Jack along this time. He and Allie would just have to decide together what made a Christmas tree "perfect." So, without having ever spoken a word about engagements or weddings, Nathan and Elizabeth both came away from that date assuming they'd be married by Christmas.

Now dipping deep into October, she imagined a proposal wasn't too far off. Still, in the hours she and Nathan had spent together on this date, she hadn't noticed any distant gazes, randomly furrowed brows, shaky hands, or fiddling with objects or clothes. In fact, she'd been the one doing the fiddling. So, without any concrete evidence, Elizabeth decided to lean in to simply enjoying the evening, using this rare opportunity away to discover new sides of each other, even down to their utensil choices.

A dreamy smile filled her face, swept up at the memory of their heart-stirring kisses that replaced the usual napk—

"'Lizabeth, sweetheart? Are you okay?"

The sound of Nathan's concerned voice drew Elizabeth instantly from her thoughts. Now she was the one acting suspicious, she smiled in amusement.

"Yes, of course. I'm so sorry, Nathan. I just got lost in some thoughts for a moment. Nothing to worry about."

"Are you sure? It's been a long day. If you need to go home—"

"No," Elizabeth interjected, more forcefully than intended. She laughed softly. "What I meant to say is that I want to be here with you. There's nowhere else I'd rather be," she added with a lighthearted lilt and cheeky smile, knowing that had become a saying of theirs.

Lifting slightly from her seat, a placemat laid carefully across a downed log, she left a trail of three heartfelt kisses from Nathan's smile lines to his lips. "My home is here with you anyway, Nathan. I hope you know that," she murmured, lowering back to their log.

"It's a truth that humbles me every single day, my love, and I feel the same, as you already know," he whispered, brushing his lips across the back of her hand in a lingering kiss.

Equally distracted by a pair of blue eyes, both Nathan and Elizabeth sighed in harmony and then shared a smile at their perfect synchronicity.

"I'm sorry, Constable," she teased playfully, surprised to find herself daydreaming like one of her students. "Can you tell me again what the question was?"

"Well, I hadn't quite gotten there," Nathan chuckled. "I'd brought up that first night Allie watched Jack is all—when you came home, and we talked for a while. I was just saying that for me, there was enough of something between us that night, that I finally turned to your book, just wanting more of you, I guess, more of that connection that felt so familiar."

"I love that you saw what I'd written into the story," she smiled knowingly, squeezing his hand, somehow never getting enough of his touch. She'd been thrilled to hear about his first reading when they spoke of her book on their last date. "I figured no one else knew enough to connect the dots. And I imagined they'd all assume you were the Mountie in the story, anyway."

"It was quite the find," Nathan recalled, "that night especially, after what I'd felt while we were talking." Late into the evening hours, he still remembered reading and re-reading 'There's nowhere else I'd rather be,' astonished at what his instincts were telling him about the story Elizabeth, herself, had written.

"Still, I didn't really see how any of that would change things between us," he admitted, with a shrug. "The book, our conversation that night…I mean, you were engaged, and had long made your choice clear. But, somehow, it did plant the smallest grain of hope in me, like an against all odds kind of hope," he confessed, his eyes twinkling, his head tilting in that familiar, disarming way. "And yet, here we are" he said, leaning in for a lingering kiss, anchoring himself in this extraordinary reality he was living.

"Anyway, that was an interesting night for me," Nathan said, narrowing into his point. "So, for my question, I'd love to hear your take on that night, what you felt."

For a brief moment, Elizabeth's heart sank, now fully aware that Nathan's consequential question wasn't the question. But fortunately, she'd already prepared herself for that likely possibility. In truth, she reasoned, he might even be waiting for a stronger lead from her, based on how their relationship had developed. Tucking that thought away to ponder later, she connected back to the conversation at hand, still excited for all that was to come in their plans for the evening.

"Oh, I remember that night well," Elizabeth said, a wave of memories washing over her as she took one more bite before setting down her fork. "At the time, though, I didn't give it a second thought," she admitted with a light shrug, "just offering some apple juice to a friend…especially one who'd saved the night for Allie."

"That Jack," Nathan chuckled. "It's not like I walked in and immediately figured out his hiding place either. He's a clever one," he noted, the admiration evident in his voice. Nathan loved that little boy just as deeply then as he did today, but he could feel how different it was now—the transition cementing from being solely protective to paternal.

"I should've told Allie about the sofa," Elizabeth recalled, shaking her head at the memory, her loose curls following along. "At the time, I wished I'd remembered. I felt badly for making Allie worry and for imposing on you." With her dinner fork momentarily resting on the foil, Elizabeth took the opportunity to gently squeeze Nathan's leg, a soft touch of affection. "Now, I'm actually grateful I didn't tell her," she admitted with a playful smirk.

"Ah, true," Nathan nodded in understanding, the realization settling in. "We never would've had that conversation otherwise." With a sense of awe at the role a precocious four-year-old played in their love story, Nathan smiled appreciatively. "I guess we have Jack to thank."

"I hadn't ever made the two connections," Elizabeth said, blinking with a new perspective. "First, it was Allie who brought us together," she explained, "in more ways than one," she added, "and then Little Jack, with his practically invisible hiding place."

These two parents sat together, side by side, humbled at how in part this very moment was uniquely tied to their sweet children.

"Well, anyway, that night…" Elizabeth started again, circling her way back to the question as a teacher so expertly can. "You asked what stood out to me," she reminded herself, momentarily searching the sky above for answers.

"Initially, I guess I felt surprised." Glancing over at Nathan, his attentive eyes kind and his faint smile genuine, her thoughts settled into a comfort as real as the cozy night that had surrounded them more than a year ago.

"There's always been such an ease about you, Nathan," she murmured, sighing deeply into that calm now. "After a busy day, I just felt grateful that if I was still going to be talking even more that night, that it was with you. Our conversations were always so effortless…and meaningful, too." At this she paused, letting her soul sink into the depth of Nathan's ocean blue eyes.

"And they still are," she assured him with a warm smile. "So, it felt familiar that we jumped right into something that mattered—you asking about Little Jack."

"Oh, right," Nathan recalled. "His questions."

"Yes, well, that was the surprising part. I'd just spent an entire evening with my fiancé and not once did we talk about something as close to my heart as what you jumped right into, as if you already knew what mattered to me." Suddenly, she laughed softly, shaking her head lightly. "There's no surface with you, Nathan Grant."

That's true," he readily admitted, figuring why waste time nibbling at a cookie you may never have time to finish when you can best experience its taste with big, lasting bites.

"For me, after that realization, the entire room shifted, everything about it—you, me, the way I saw what was around us. It was like I stepped into a different reality."

"I felt it, too," he smiled, giving his reliable instincts a well-deserved pat on the back.

Elizabeth stared at him, still in awe of how the atmosphere can tangibly shift based on human thoughts and emotions. "Isn't it amazing how that can happen?" she wondered. "How it feels like the very air surrounding you has a life of its own?"

"It really is," Nathan answered, grappling with the science to explain the phenomenon. But, it's one he knew well. Though he'd experienced such moments dozens of times with Elizabeth, perhaps the most surprising for him was when the night air felt as if it thickened into a bubble including only them. It was the way she looked at him, after he said he was proud of her. Then, she leaned against him, lightly bumping his shoulder in what he instantly knew was her first gesture of affection. Just as he was passing through a second assessment to validate his instincts, he felt her head rest gently on his shoulder. While he didn't understand the scientific principles at play, he definitely knew that feeling.

"Tell me more. What was that shift like for you?" he asked, realizing their perception might've been different.

"Well, to be honest, it was unsettling."

Hmmm, Nathan thought. That wasn't what he'd expected. "'Lizbeth, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to—"

"Oh, no, Nathan," she said quickly, resting a hand reassuringly on his arm. "You didn't do anything wrong.

"I only say it was unsettling because I suddenly felt…well…how do I describe it?" Her face scrunched up, her lips adorably puckering in a way that was hard for Nathan to resist.

Luckily, she began speaking right as his willpower was weakening. "It's almost as if there was a weight pulling at me in some way, wanting me to look at you, to really see you. I didn't know what to make of it, and was doing my best to resist it, so I just tried to keep the conversation going, to give me something to focus on. But your eyes, Nathan!" she said in exasperation. "I had to keep looking down because the feeling just wouldn't stop! Only it wasn't unsettling anymore, it was inviting, drawing me into what felt familiar and warm and safe."

As Elizabeth allowed herself to slip into the memory, her fingers delicately traced Nathan's hand, glancing up at him between words. "I remember it like yesterday. You were telling me Allie was worried about whether I'd ask her to babysit again. But, for me, it wasn't a question. Of course, I'd ask again," she insisted. "I remember hearing you say, 'That would mean the world to her.' And when I looked up, right into those deep eyes of yours, my heart fluttered, Nathan. It fluttered," she giggled. "I'd just left my fiancé at the door, with nothing more than a hand squeeze, and moments later my heart was skipping a beat at this blue-eyed distraction sitting in front of me!"

Nathan was mesmerized by this information. He figured in asking this question, he might get a thought or two of what Elizabeth remembered about that night. But he absolutely loved these specifics. Although it certainly wasn't the most gentlemanly thought to entertain, the innermost depths of Nathan's manhood couldn't resist appreciating that his and Elizabeth's goodnights had never ended in only a hand squeeze.

At the boyish grin spreading across Nathan's face, Elizabeth impetuously rose and planted a firm kiss on his irresistible lips, which soon softened into a longer second kiss at the thought of how those soulful blue eyes had affected her that night.

"Anyway," she giggled, tucking her lips in, trying to get back to what she was saying. But even she was struggling to find her train of thought. "See what I mean about 'distraction?'" she said, poking an accusatory finger into Nathan's chest, as if it were entirely his fault.

"I believe you left off about my making your heart flutter," Nathan chimed in, his boyish grin once again gracing his handsome face.

"Right," Elizabeth answered, returning his smile, before settling back into that startling moment. "I can laugh about it now, but I have to be honest, Nathan. Responding to you like that seriously threw me—my heart fluttering, especially in such an intimate setting. I was desperate for you not to see what was happening, all the while my heart was going wild. So, I looked down again, trying to swallow away the intensity. But I couldn't help it somehow, the way my eyes locked with yours. I remember that moment well because I was panicking inside. That's when I shifted to what I thought was a safe topic—you and Faith."

"Not so safe," Nathan chuckled. "That was definitely a vulnerable moment for me," he recalled. "I didn't really know what to say. I felt like you'd see right through me. I mean, Faith did. She said there was 'something in the way,' which is why it didn't work out." His eyes knowingly brightened. "And there was," he added, as he took Elizabeth's hand and lovingly interlaced their fingers. "It was you."

Ever in need of more touch, he lifted her hand to his lips, gently placing three kisses in a row along her knuckles. Holding his sweetheart's gaze, he paused reflectively, as he lowered her hand back to his lap.

"It was just interesting," Nathan mused, which was all he could think of to say about his struggle to find the right words back then, on a topic that had everlastingly carried a lot of pain for him. "The look on your face when I told you about Faith was so genuine," he said softly, remembering how her evident emotion was both cutting and comforting. "I'm not sure what you made of it," he pressed, earnestly searching, clearly still hoping for answers on what turned out to be a pivotal night. "But at that point, I was the one looking away, trying not to fall into old habits and wish for what couldn't be."

In contrast to both pairs of eyes finding solace away from each other that night, their gazes now held fast, connecting their hearts in a way that wasn't possible at the time. Despite being out in the open evening air, the atmosphere felt intimate and warm, enveloping them in words that shared tender feelings still left unspoken.

"I just saw my friend hurting," Elizabeth whispered, squeezing Nathan's hand gently, "a friend I deeply cared for, and a friend who I believed had just endured another broken heart. In that moment, everything else for me evaporated, knowing your real pain mattered far more to me than a fleeting thought of your blue eyes or my heart skipping a beat."

Suddenly, as Elizabeth spoke, her vision broadened beyond just Nathan's eyes alone, taking in this impeccably dressed man—white dinner jacket, black bow tie, surprisingly perfect hair considering their day's adventures. In the past, Nathan's imposing serge had always made him seem impenetrable, much like his tuxedo did now. But, through their two lengthy dates, Elizabeth had grown increasingly aware of the soft heart that lay beneath his stoic exterior. And it was that heart to which she spoke now.

"I watched you struggle to find the right words, and I just hurt for you, sweetheart, someone with such a big heart, with so much to give, not finding the love he deserved." She reached up, resting her hand along his evening stubble.

"Thank you, 'Lizbeth," Nathan said, leaning into her hand, clearly touched.

"The only thing I could think of to do, seeing your sad eyes," she said, brushing her thumb across his cheek, an action that seemed to soften the blue of his eyes, "was to try to make you laugh, so I made a dumb joke. In a way, I treated what you told me lightly. And honestly, I've wanted to apologize for that for a long time. What you were going through wasn't funny, Nathan."

"No, it wasn't," he sighed, quick to agree. "But, it was nice to laugh a little," he added with a warm smile, offering her grace. "Sitting there, though, it all just felt hopeless, knowing I couldn't let you go…not seeing any possible way to love anyone but you. I was just staring at the candle, I remember, unable to look up, watching how it melted down slowly—as if time was slipping away—feeling like my long held hope for a family was disappearing."

Although Nathan's tone had grown distant, his eyes losing focus as he lingered in the memory, hearing himself say the word "family" suddenly shifted his attention, snapping him back to the present. "I mean, I had Allie, of course" he said quickly, as if to steady himself. "We were a family," he insisted. Then, pausing for a beat, he added with more conviction, "We are a family–-"

"No, I know," Elizabeth interrupted gently, wanting to affirm Nathan's love for Allie. "But, I imagine you were thinking of a wife," she said, her heart instantly pounding at the mention of it, "maybe even children of your own."

"Yes," Nathan softly replied, his own heart beating wildly at her words. He took a breath, reminding himself she was talking about the past. "In that moment, it just all seemed impossible," he sighed. "But then I felt the same pull you spoke of, actually—to look up, to find your eyes."

His gaze held hers now, steady and unwavering, as if in this moment, time had slowed, and everything around them had faded. "And when I did, I saw you were already looking at me, not in a way, though, like you were only just listening. It was…well…I don't know, I…"

"I do know, Nathan," Elizabeth said, raising her lips to his, bringing a soft, loving kiss to the lips of the man she loved more than the stars in the sky. They exchanged heartfelt smiles before she continued, opening his understanding. "I can guess what my look said, because in my mind and my heart, the words that were filling me were,

'What if.'"

She paused, letting the gravity of her words sink in. "Only it wasn't me looking back to the past, to our past. I couldn't change that…I couldn't change the fear," she added, "though I'd desperately wanted to." Nestling in against Nathan, she pressed as close as the unforgiving log beneath them would allow. "It was a different 'what if,'" she continued, "more like, 'what if circumstances were different.'"

Elizabeth shook her head lightly, her gaze searching his blue eyes, trying to gauge if she'd helped him better understand what had been behind her lingering look. "Anyway, that's all I thought, because my heart was more than fluttering at that point. It was pounding. My head was spinning, too…so I looked away," she said in conclusion, her voice softly trailing off.

"Really? You thought that?" Nathan asked, his voice barely above a whisper, yet somehow quietly intense. "'What if?'"

"I did," Elizabeth confessed, admitting how unexpected it had been. "It was more that I felt the words, though, than only thinking them or hearing them in my mind. But the warmth, the hope…it was a powerful feeling, but fleeting…tied apparently to your eyes," she added with a smile, her own eyes sparkling. "So, when I looked away," she explained, "the intensity faded, and it was like I was waking up from a dream, a little groggy and confused… uncertain of what was real and what was imagined."

"Wow," was all Nathan managed at first, the impact of her words settling into him. "At the time, I only caught a glimpse of what you were feeling," he said humbly.

"What about you?" Elizabeth asked, inviting his final thoughts. "What did you end up feeling by the end of that night?"

Nathan breathed in deeply, trying to find the words to summarize a night full of emotions that had eventually carried him into the early hours, pulled into her book for his initial reading.

"I'd become fairly resigned, I guess, to it being just me and Allie. But your eyes reveal so much, my love, at least to me," he said, momentarily sporting his charming lopsided grin. "So, even though I didn't manage to hone in on much of what you just told me, I did thankfully catch a flicker of the love I'd seen in the past."

Despite there having been a hint of levity in Nathan's voice, his tone immediately shifted to one of grave seriousness. "Only by then, it'd been five years since Jack passed…which meant, for the first time," he continued, closely studying Elizabeth's eyes, "I realized it might just be reasonable to hope that you weren't looking for Jack in me anymore (2). That you truly saw me. You knew me. And you cared."

Elizabeth exhaled with a long, overflowing sigh, full of compassion and a deep abiding love for this man, who'd suffered far too much at her own hands. "Oh, Nathan," she breathed. "What you said…those were all true," she insisted.

While Nathan's heart was touched to know that now, he had long struggled to trust his instincts when it came to Elizabeth back then. "I felt like that might be the case," Nathan said first, his blue eyes soft with understanding.

"But, it obviously wasn't anything I was sure of at the time. I didn't think things would change between us," he went on, explaining his own line of self-questioning. "You were engaged. You'd made your choice. There was nothing to say I hadn't already said. So," he added with a helpless shrug, "even with that flicker of hope, it honestly was quite confusing. I went right back to feeling how little I knew about matters of the heart."

"Well, I'll take the blame for that one," Elizabeth said. "Your heart was steadfast, Nathan. It just didn't know what to do with my messy one." She cast an apologetic smirk his way.

Nathan responded silently with an appreciative kiss, followed by another, simply unable to resist.

As Elizabeth settled back onto the safety of her placemat, careful not to snag her white dress, she shared her own final thoughts on their subtle, but pivotal talk over apple juice.

"I can see how you'd think that just one conversation alone wouldn't have changed anything. But, that glimpse—whatever it was—stuck with me. The next evening we met, I couldn't even manage to be myself. Do you remember?" she asked, looking at Nathan expectantly. "When we teamed up to talk to Bill about the men on his land?"

Nathan nodded slowly, not recalling specifics, though he had a vague memory of how the air hung unusually thick and awkward before Bill joined them in his office.

What Nathan did remember about that meeting was, interestingly enough, a matter of timing. It seemed beyond a coincidence that Elizabeth had just been to Jack's grave, right after their conversation. Yet, it was the way she mentioned her visit that especially struck Nathan. She spoke of it almost as an afterthought, without the weight that usually permeated the tragic topic. Though he didn't know what to make of it, he felt like—

"Something had shifted," Elizabeth continued, her words flowing as if she were thinking aloud.

Nathan hid his smile, no longer surprised at how often their hearts and minds seemed to align.

"I felt unsettled," she went on, "with this persistent feeling I just couldn't shake. Now, looking back, the gift that unexpected night gave me was an impression that hinted of a different possibility. I hardly knew what to do with it at the time. But, as the days passed—moment to moment, your speech included," she specified, gesturing to her ball gown, "and hour by hour, my own voice, along with that impression, began to fill my heart with a life I'd long thought impossible."

Elizabeth sighed happily, the momentary heaviness of that confusing time finally lifting.

As she glanced up at Nathan, their eyes—forever communicating—shared a look of absolute understanding.

Leaning into the strength of his frame, Elizabeth gently rested her head on her sweetheart's shoulder. "In the past, the idea of being with you terrified me…how much it would hurt to lose you, how much it would take for me to love you. But, suddenly, it felt not only possible, but right."

After slipping her arms around Nathan, holding him close and tight, she settled her head on his shoulder once again. "And here we are," she murmured, smiling to herself, amazed by how often those words fit perfectly.

"Here we are," Nathan echoed, his low, rumbly voice hitting Elizabeth differently as he spoke, the sound something she had the opportunity to not only hear but feel, her body nestled against his.

Nathan had always felt grateful for their deep conversations, and this one was surpassing even his own expectations. "As a Mountie," he said with a touch of introspection, "I tend to rely on the fact that I can see a lot more than people think I can. And while that's true, there's a surprising amount I don't see or understand, which has definitely been the case with you, my love." At that thought, a few amused chuckles escaped him, despite his efforts to keep them in check.

He brushed his fingers lovingly over the top of hers. "I never would've known half of what you just told me without asking," he humbly acknowledged, before turning his head to press a kiss of loving gratitude into his sweetheart's curls. "Thank you for putting so much thought into your answer, 'Lizbeth," Nathan said softly, lowering his head to gently rest against hers. "I've always wondered about that night."

"It was an excellent question, Nathan," Elizabeth said with a voice full of gold-star approval, making them both laugh now—at how teacher-like her compliment sounded. "And it's the gift that's kept on giving," she added, drawing out the next two words. "Apple juice."

Nathan grinned at their code phrase. "We'll have to thank Little Jack when we get home."

Shifting slightly, Elizabeth glanced up at him, confused at the sudden change in their conversation.

"For hiding so well," he said, giving her a little squeeze, as if the physical connection might help her remember the interesting association they'd made earlier.

"Ah, yes."

"And for giving us…apple juice," he murmured, his voice low and playful.

Elizabeth smiled at the reference and couldn't resist the clear invitation to find Nathan's lips—a part of him she'd been dearly missing since their napkin kisses over dinner gave way to deeper conversation. Once reacquainted and satiated, her thoughts soon returned to her son.

"Jack would love to know he helped bring us together," she said, her heart warming at the thought. "Allie, too," she added. "After all, Allie was the one to call in law enforcement. Such a shame," Elizabeth teased.

"It's been my favorite call yet!" Nathan joked.

After sharing a few lighthearted laughs, they settled against one another, comfortable in the quiet.

Author's Notes:

(1) For more about Nathan's response to Elizabeth's book, read the 1st UNchaperoned Date - Home, Part 3

(2) If you're interested in reading more about Elizabeth's explanation of what she said to Nathan in the jail, about looking for Jack in him, read the 1st UNchaperoned Date - The Schoolhouse, Part 3

Read on to Chapter 26: Her Consequential Question as a part of this two-chapter release.