I waited on my bed, my legs bouncing uncontrollably until I heard the three taps on my window. I jumped up and walked around my bed to get to my window. I rested my knees on the plush surface of my window seat and a smile slid on my lips without effort.

Jack's mischievous smirk was on the other side of the glass.

I unlocked the window and pushed open both windows without hitting Jack or knocking him off balance on the ladder. I moved back off the seat and watched him climb through my window so casually like he's done this for years. It's only been a week, but he mastered it quickly.

Jack stepped from the seat and I moved to latch the window shut behind him. As soon as I locked it back, I was on my toes and kissing him. I haven't seen much of him since he's healed from his recent stab wound. He does sneak through my window, but he doesn't stay long.

Barely two weeks after Jack was released from the hospital, he was able to move around again without the fear of busting his stitches. The night after he had them removed, he was knocking on my bedroom window at three in the morning with a giant grin on his face.

Tonight isn't about play...well, not too much. He's here so I can coach him on what to say around my grandparents and how to act. I wondered if he ever met Madison's parents and what they thought. I know my grandparent's are going to love him when they get to talk to him.

I wrapped a hand around Jack's and pulled him further into my room, "Hopefully you won't have to sneak in my room at two in the morning after this." I said. My grandparent's have been really strict when it came to Jack and I. We aren't allowed to be left alone when I'm at his house and it's the same with my house. Marie is notified before I go over so she can keep in eye on us.

We sat down on my bed to go over a few final things until the dinner tomorrow night with Jack and his parent's. He mentioned he was nervous the other day. More like it slipped because his face turned as red as a tomato. But I found it oddly adorable and I told him I would help him and he has nothing to be nervous about.

Tomorrow is also the day before we leave for California.

The convincing I had to do with my grandparent's to get Jack on this trip was enough to last me a lifetime. My grandma had to talk to Will and then she had to talk to Jack's parent's and it just went on for about a week before we finally got the green light that it was okay.

"Is there anything that I shouldn't mention?" He asked, rubbing his palms down the leg of his jeans.

"They're not really picky on subjects." I answered truthfully, "My Grandpa is really into history, I'm sure you can bond easily with him. You can really talk to my grandma about anything."

He nodded, "What if they bring up what happened?"

"I made them swear not to bring that up." I placed a hand on his shoulder, "You'll be fine. If anything, they'll probably ignore us and talk to your parent's. You may get the attention for a few minutes, but there's really nothing to worry about."

Instead of Jack's face being all over the news, It's Jeremy's. He's still on the run from the cops. Paxton was taken into custody shortly after Jack came home from the hospital. Jack was never really worried about Paxton coming after him again. Jeremy is another story. I've gotten a few phone calls from Jack at night from vivid nightmares. If Jeremy goes anywhere near Jack again, I'll kill him myself.

Jack was still a bit jittery next to me. I know he's been nervous, but I didn't know he was that nervous. It really should be a breeze and then the next day we will be on a plane to California for the last week of summer.

I put a hand on the other side of Jack's face and turned his head to face me. Our lips met and I felt him relax under my touch. I threaded my fingers through the hair the curled against the back of his neck and deepened the kiss. I felt him relax further and I pulled away, "You've been through a lot. You'll be able to handle dinner with my grandparents."

He laughed, "Of course."

Jack stayed for an hour, just holding me in his arms before he had to go. I always hated to see him cascade back down the ladder and into his house. He pecked my lips while he balanced on the ladder. I watched to make sure he made it down okay. His feet were back on the ground and he folded the ladder back up. He sent me a wave before carrying the ladder to his house.

I closed my windows and engaged the lock.

The next morning, I woke up with the stupidest smile on my face. I showered and got dressed for the day. I pulled my hair back into a ponytail and went downstairs. My grandma was in the kitchen, pulling something from the oven. It looked like it's what we were going to be having for desert.

I walked up to her and kissed her cheek, "Thank you for doing all of this."

She smiled and removed the oven mitts, "You don't need to thank me." She gripped my face and returned the kiss to my cheek, "I can do something nice for the boy that stole my favorite persons heart."

"You're seriously the best." I bit down on the inside of my cheek nervously, "You know not to bring up what happened, right?"

She nodded, "It's in the past. We're looking forward. Don't worry."

I muttered a thank you.

I helped her for the rest of the day. I helped cook and clean and anything else that needed to be done before the McKinnon's got here. Around three, I took my second shower and picked out an outfit. I pulled on a pair of black skinny jeans that hugged my legs, and a red sheer, sleeveless blouse with a black tank top underneath. I buttoned it up and fixed the collar.

I tamed my hair the best I could, leaving it to fall over my shoulders. Once I was ready, I walked down stairs to help my grandma finish getting ready for dinner.

I set the table and helped her carry in the food. Just about the time I sat the food down, the doorbell rang. Okay, don't panic. It's going to be fine. They already know each other and like one another. There won't be food thrown and everyone is going to be happy—"Aren't you going to get that?" My grandma's voice broke my concentration.

I walked out of the dining room and to the front door. I opened it, revealing the McKinnon's. Jack Sr. and Marie had smiles on their faces. Jack did too, but it was a nervous smile. I returned it and stepped away from the door to let them in. I greeted them each with a hug. When I hugged Jack, he wrapped me up tight in his arms like he usually does. He left a kiss on my temple before we pulled apart.

I led them into the dining room and my grandparents were already smiling and hugging them both. Jack held his hand out to my grandma, but she hugged him instead. I could tell Jack was surprised by his widened eyes. But he hugged her back with only a second of hesitation.

Jack sat next to me across from his parent's. My grandparents sat at each end of the table. My grandma was closer to Jack and Grandpa was closer to me. It worried me a little, but she wasn't doing anything.

I held onto Jack's hand under the table. I gave him a reassuring squeeze every few minutes. He didn't really need it, because he was doing great on his own. He smiled and laughed a lot and my grandparents kept their word about not mentioning anything about Jack's past.

I think my grandma finally sees him for who he truly is, which is an amazing person and not as troubled as she thinks.

Of course, school was brought up. Jack didn't have any problems saying that he was happy to be going into his senior year and he couldn't have done it without my help. I think he could've, but I'm glad I was able to contribute.

Once the subject of school was off the table, Marie brought up our trip to California, "Are you guys ready for tomorrow?"

I glanced at Jack and back to Marie, "Yep. My grandparents are driving us to the airport in the morning."

She smiled, "Great. And your dad will be home, right?"

"He does work during the day, but his wife doesn't work. She'll be there."

The relief was evident on everyone's faces, "You guys will have a lot of fun."

I nodded in agreement.

It was Jack's turn to give my hand a squeeze.

After we ate, my grandma brought out desert. That's when the adults started talking among themselves so Jack and I took our desert out by the pool. I rested back on one of the loungers and Jack took up residence on the one next to mine. "I told you. You had nothing to worry about." I took another bite of the cake and swallowed.

"I've always liked your grandparents." He said, "Just now, considering we're together, I thought they would rip me a new one."

I snorted, "They've always liked you too. Even when my grandma would babysit you and you caused nothing by mayhem. She thought it was adorable."

Jack laughed beside me. It was a smooth, velvety sound to my ears, "I'm glad she thinks my mischief was adorable."

"My grandma is a sucker for little kids."

"Cute ones."

"If it helps you sleep, Jack."

I finished my cake and joined Jack. He scooted to the edge and let me wiggle into the small spot beside him. I had to turn on my side to fit. I rested my head on his chest and his arm went around my shoulders. I moved my head up and I nuzzled my face against his neck. I took a deep breath to breathe him in and closed my eyes.

I felt Jack move his head and my eyes opened again. He leaned his head to the side and tilted his head down to look at me. He pinched my chin between his pointer and thumb and tilted my head so I was level with his. He captured my lips with his with overwhelming anticipation. My mouth opened under his as an automatic response to the feel of his lips.

His lips were sweet from chocolate frosting. It drove me further and I clasped a hand on the back of his neck to deepen our kiss. I managed to throw a leg over Jack and straddle his hips without breaking the kiss. When I felt my chest tighten, I pulled back, letting my lips graze over his, "We could get caught."

I didn't need to look at him to know he was smiling, "That makes it more fun." He slid his hand down to the curve of my lower back. "Just like old times."

"Old habits die hard."

"This is a habit that won't be dying any time soon."

I breathed a laugh and kissed him again. His hand remained on my back, his other kept a firm grip on my jaw as he drew me back in. "We should get back inside." I managed to mumble through our lips.

"One more minute." He mumbled back.

His requested minute was up before we knew it and I climbed off of his lap. I held my hand out for him, "Just think of all the time we'll have in California."

He grabbed my hand as he stood up. He laced our fingers and we headed towards the house, "I thought his wife would be home all the time."

I shrugged, "She doesn't have her kids in the house anymore, so she has a lot of free time. I doubt she spends it inside all day."

"Sneaky."

"Thank you."

My lips were still throbbing a little when we walked back inside. They were still sitting at the table, talking about only god knows. Jack and I joined them again. They didn't look at me long enough to know my face was flushed from kissing Jack. We're in the clear.

After they left, Jack lingered by the front door when his parent's left. "I'll see you in the morning."

"You will."

He kissed my cheek and followed his parents down the same path.

It was barely nine when I loaded my suitcase in the trunk of my grandma's car. My carry on that included my laptop was tucked in the backseat. Jack should be out any minute with a suitcase of his own.

He came out with his suitcase and his backpack strung over his shoulder. Despite the hour, he had a smile on his face. He greeted me once his suitcase was in the trunk and it was closed. He kissed my temple and walked around the car to put his bag in the backseat. "My grandma made breakfast."

"I think I'm too excited to eat." He threw an arm across my shoulders as we made our way inside. The scent of bacon and sweet maple syrup invaded my nostrils and made my mouth water.

Jack was hungrier than he thought. He managed to scarf down a couple of pancakes and a few slices of bacon. I probably ate the same amount. I live for my grandma's homemade chocolate chip pancakes.

When the clock struck ten, we locked up the house and headed to the airport. My grandpa was driving and my grandma was the navigator. They still haven't taken part in today's generation and use GPS.

With my grandpa driving, that also means listening to music from the 50's. Not that I'm against the music he grew up with. It made me laugh, some of the songs that came on.

The drive to the airport was a measly half hour. I slung my messenger bag across my chest and proceeded to the back of the car to get my luggage. My grandparents walked us in, helped us pick up our tickets, and made sure we made it through security. I hugged them each tightly and told them I would miss them.

My grandpa shook Jack's hand and said, "Take care of her."

Jack nodded and smiled, "Of course."

My grandma even gave Jack an endearing hug that he returned.

I waved to them before placing what I needed to on the belt and walking further through airport security.

Jack was behind me the whole time. We gathered our things at the end of the line and walked until we found our terminal. The plane doesn't board for another hour or so, but it's always good to be early. "Have you flown before?" He asked.

I shook my head, "First time. Why? Are you going to hold my hand?"

He smirked at me, "If I need to." He brought our clasped hands to his lips, kissing my knuckles before he dropped our hands in his lap.

An hour later, a lady on the intercom said our plane was boarding. Jack took my hand and led me through the tunnel after letting someone check our tickets. I was a little nervous about flying for the first time, but I'm more excited than anything.

We were seated in the middle of the plane. Jack traded seats with me so I could have the window seat and he had the middle seat. He said he didn't mind because he's been on plenty of planes to California. I'm guessing because of his parents.

Jack held my hand during take off, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. He brushed his thumb soothingly over the back of my hand until we reached the height we were supposed to be at.

The flight attendant gave us the okay to use electronics on the plane and I pulled my computer out. Jack and I decided on a movie, but of course, halfway through and I fell asleep on his shoulder.

Jack whispering my name woke me up. My muscles ached to be stretched when I lifted my head from his shoulder. I looked at him and he pointed out the window. We were out of the clouds and moving closer to the ground, which means we're landing soon. It was definitely a sight to be seen.

I was a little relived to be back on solid ground when the plane landed. I tucked my computer back into my bag and stood up. Jack offered me his hand again and we made our way off the plane. We walked out of the terminal and to the baggage claim.

We didn't have difficulties finding our luggage and getting it off the belt. As we walked towards the exit, I pulled my phone out to check for messages. I received one from my dad, saying he's outside waiting.

We made it outside and I started searching for my dad. There were a lot of people trying to locate someone or get on a bus that was parked further down the row. My dad was standing near the end with a hand in his pocket and the other was occupied with his phone.

I couldn't help but smile a little.

Jack and I walked until we reached him. He lifted his head and stuffed his phone back in his pocket. A smile spread across his lips and he opened his arms for me. I let go of my suitcase handle long enough to wrap my arms around him. "I'm glad you could make it." I felt his breath on the top of my head and then he left a kiss.

"I am too." I replied.

I stepped away and he greeted Jack with a firm handshake. "It's good to see you."

"You too, Sir." Jack answered politely.

He led us to his car and opened the trunk for us. We loaded our luggage and got into the backseat. My dad waited to speak until we were on the road to his house, "How was the flight?"

"Good." I answered, "I slept through it."

"Are you hungry? Jules is making lunch for you guys."

My stomach rumbled in response, "Can't wait."

He didn't live far from the airport. We pulled into a rich suburban community where the houses were two times the size of mine, even bigger than the McKinnon's. My dad pulled into the driveway of a house that was definitely bigger than mine. It raised two stories and drenched in white. The only color on the house was the bright red French doors.

The driveway was circular and he parked in front of the house. I opened the door and got out of the car with my bag. I waited for Jack to join my side before following my dad inside his house.

He opened the doors and let us in before him. The house was even more beautiful on the inside. The foyer was bright and the staircase curved to the left. There was a balcony the over looked the foyer at the stairs landing.

We followed him further through the house, coming to a stop at the kitchen's entrance. The kitchen was open and full of light. My grandma would probably fall over if she saw this kitchen.

There was a woman leaning over the island, looking down at a tablet that was propped up on a stand. "Hey." My dad walked up to her and kissed her head.

She looked surprised, but smiled at him, "Hi, Honey."

Jack and I walked into the kitchen and she met us halfway, "Juliet." She hugged me, "It's so good to finally meet you. Will has said nothing but great things about you. I'm Julia, but you can call me Jules."

She stepped back, "It's nice to meet you, too, Jules."

She directed her attention to Jack, "You must be the boyfriend." She drew him into a hug, "I've heard great things about you too." She kept the hug with Jack short and joined my dad by the island. "Lunch should be ready in a few. Go ahead and get settled. It's great to have you guys."

"Thank you." Jack and I said in unison.

My dad walked up to us when Jules attended to the stove, "I'll show you your rooms and then I'll go out and get your luggage."

He gestured for us to follow him and we did. We followed him up the winding staircase and down a long hallway. "The rooms are next to each other and I'm going to trust you guys to stay in them when we go to bed."

I stole a glance at Jack and he was smiling to himself.

Will stopped in front of a door and opened it, "This one is Juliet's and, Jack, yours is to the right." He pointed to the already open door a few feet down from mine. "Go ahead and get settled and Jack can help me bring up the luggage."

He put a hand on Jack's shoulder and squeezed.

I don't know how I feel about them being alone yet.

They were walking back down stairs before I could I say anything. I just shrugged it off and walked into the room. Jack can handle him.

The room was made up of soft purples. The walls were a pastel purple, the duvet on the bed, and the decorative pillows on top. The room was at least twice the size of mine back home. It's more like the size of my living room, so I'm not complaining.

There was an adjoining bathroom to my right as you walk in, and on the other side is a closet that's bigger than it looks. The first thing I did was flop back on the bed with a giant sigh. I closed my eyes and smiled. Definitely more comfortable than my bed. It was probably more comfortable than any bed I've been on.

I heard their voices coming up the stairs and light laughter.

They were laughing.

I sat up on the bed and smiled as they came in my room and left my suitcase. My dad stepped in my room when Jack walked to the room beside mine. "Are you okay?"

I nodded without hesitating, "Perfect."

"Good. " He smiled, "Go ahead and get settled and come down for lunch."

I said thank you and he walked out of my room.

I waited until I heard his footsteps down the stairs and made my move to Jack's room. He was wondering around the room like I had previously done to my own. This room was made up of darker blues, but almost a replica of mine. "Regret your decision yet?" I teased and walked further into the room.

He spun around, "Definitely not." He moved towards me, "This place is amazing."

"Thank you for coming."

His boyish grin surfaced, "Anything for you." He cupped my face in his hands and kissed me softly. "I have way more to thank you for."

"Oh, really?"

He hummed against my lips in response. He kissed me quick and grabbed my hand, "We'll have plenty of time."

"Can't wait."

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This was originally supposed to be the last chapter, but there's more I want to write, so there will be one more chapter after this and then the epilogue. :)

Don't forget to vote and comment pleaaaasee :)