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“I’m worried about losing what we have.”
“The merging of our families...”
“Jack our kids will become ‘our’ kids…”
“What if things don’t work out.”
“What you and I, have built together is sacred to me…”
“If we do this, and it doesn’t work out, we may never be able to go back to the way things were.”
Jack leaned back in the chair, and just stopped, he realized that they are both hurting, and in so snapping at each other.
They have both been saying words, they each know would wound.
Jack felt sick to his stomach, he’d promised himself, he wouldn’t do this, especially to Allison. That was one of the reasons he and Abby didn’t make it.
Jack knows what he has to do, he has to tell Allison the one secret, he’s hidden for so long in a foolish attempt to forget it.
Jack wiped his face with his hand and took a deep breath. All his hurt disappeared.
That’s how he knows, this is right.
Jack said quietly. “Allie, what you said about the risks for our families… I understand and agree that it is a valid concern.”
“When I said, 'I never even considered that we wouldn’t work', it's because…” Jack trailed off, even after so long, it’s still hard to talk about.
“What?” Allison said trying to not give into her anger, she can see that Jack is struggling to say something.
When she realized that, all her hurt went away, and she became concerned. “Jack, what is it?”
Jack closed his eyes and took a deep breath; he gave a quick pray that this would help them.
“I, uh, I need to tell you something, but first is there anything that could record what we say? I’m going to assume that since we can’t communicate with anyone, that nobody is listening to us.”
“I don’t think so, most likely if there was anything, it would have been shut off when the power went down.” Allison is confused by the question.
“No black box or anything?” He knows that the question could irritate her, but he has to know.
“Jack, what is this all about?” Allison felt a flash of irritation, but she knows Jack, and she can tell he’s not doing this to irritate her. Like they had both been doing all day.
“Allie… I need to tell you something, but I, it can’t get out.”
Now Allison is very concerned, she’d known Jack for a long time, and she can count on one hand the number of times he’s suggested something that might be illegal or wrong. “I don’t think there is a black box, but usually it only records radio transmissions not personal conversations.”
“Yeah, your right… I’m sorry, I should have realized that.” Jack said in part to stall, but he’d worked in law enforcement long enough to know how those things work.
“It’s okay Jack, just tell me, whatever it is…” Allison said, watching Jack to see what his eyes say, she’d learned long ago that his eyes give him away every time.
“I know it isn’t the same thing, but I do understand, better than you think, the issue you have with Jo.”
“How could you possibly…” Allison said, her irritation flaring up.
Jack interrupted her, before she could finish. “You remember several years ago when Kim Anderson was killed?”
The seeming non sequitur stopped her rant faster than just about anything else Jack could have said.
“Yeah?”
“Well, sometime after, Henry became head of GD, so he could take the piece from the artifact, and using Walter’s device, he sent his mind back to save her…”
“Wait, what…”
“Allie, please, I know it sounds strange… even for Eureka, but I promise it will make sense when I finish explaining.” He then added almost too quietly for Allison to hear, “god I hope it makes sense.”
“I’m sorry, you’re right, go ahead.” Allison said
Jack tried to organize his thoughts. “So, Henry went back to save Kim, he created an alternate timeline. In that timeline, Stark left like he was going to. You and I, we ended up together married, we had almost four years…” Jack felt a smile on his face as he thought of the few memories he’s recalled since then. “Kevin’s autism had been cured and Zoe, she was graduating valedictorian. And you… you were pregnant with our child.” Jack’s eyes had closed, and he felt tears well up. That old pain had pretty much disappeared since he and Allison had gotten together, but their child… that loss still sometimes aches. “We wanted to wait to see the gender…”
“What happened?”
“Time and space started to unravel. Stark called it, uh ‘two intersecting realities colliding, competing for the same space-time continuum. In fact, it was about now that it started to happen. Events from the original timeline started to bleed through, similar to when the stuff from 1947 started showing up, last year. We had to call Stark back in, and I…” a tear rolled down Jack’s face, “I had to send my mind back to stop Henry. I can still hear the pain in your voice when you… she asked, ‘Aren't you even a little afraid to lose me, to lose us?’”
Allison felt her heartbreak at seeing the pain Jack is in, but before she could comfort him, he continued.
“I didn’t tell you then, but I was terrified that it would happen, but I told you… her, ‘There's no time, no space, no way that we don't end up together. You just have to have a little faith.’” Allison saw a pained look cross his face as he looked up and continued, “I had to believe that, or I don’t think I could have done it.”
Jack looked away, knowing he can’t hide the pain, in his eyes. “I came back and stopped Henry… both Henry and I each lost some of the best things that ever happened to us.”
“Why have you kept this hidden, for all this time? If you knew of events that were going to happen…”
“Well I had noticed that events were already different within days, but Henry used his memory wiping device on me.” Jack took a deep breath to let go of as much of the pain and emotions thinking about that time brings him, plus he never liked baring his soul, even to the love of his life.
He added, since he’d started telling her, he should tell her all of it, “I… in a way I was glad he did… after you convinced Stark to stay. Then you and he grew close again, and I couldn’t do anything about it… it killed me, slowly every day. Even after Henry wiped my memories. I still knew something was wrong, more than before the point when the timelines diverged.” Jack looked her in the eye for the first time since he’d started speaking, “so like I said, while it’s not the same thing, I do understand your issues with Jo.”
“Oh Jack,” Allison said softly, she understands where he’s coming from now, in fact it was worse for him, because while she knows in her head it was a computer program. Jack was living with it and had no way to fix or change the fact that his wife for so long, who was pregnant with their child was gone, but still here.
Even worse, growing close to another man.
Then something else he’d said clicked. “Wait, if Henry wiped your memories, then how do you have them now?”
“Over time some of the memories have come back, like dreams, I still can’t recall a lot of those four years, but some of the big events are like dreams.”
“How… as I recall Kim never recalled any of the memories Jason Anderson had wiped…”
Jack had kind of hoped she wouldn’t ask, but knew she would, her curiosity is as strong as his.
“Have you ever wondered why Kevin… the old Kevin, and I got along so well?”
“Yes, but I assumed it was because you are just that good with people.”
Jack gave her a small smile, for a second, before it was gone. But added, “that’s part of it, but everyone seems to forget, I was right next to Carl Carlson, when he accidentally triggered the artifact.”
“Wait, if you were affected by the artifact, why didn’t you suffer like Carlson did?” Allison cussed in her mind, she had completely forgotten that Jack was there, and was closer to the event then Kevin was.
“I didn’t want the power; I didn’t seek it. Near as I can understand, when Carlson healed me, he realized that I didn’t want the power, and he helped to remove most of it so it wouldn’t take me over. But I had a deeper connection to Kevin, he’d come to me several times…”
“Why didn’t you say anything?”
Jack made sure to look away, knowing he couldn’t hide the pain and hurt, in his eyes, when he spoke. “You didn’t trust me, and you shut me out, and you spent all your time with Stark. I wanted to tell you, there were a couple of times I wanted to beg you, to give me a chance to explain, but I had no way to prove it, and Stark would have just accused me of trying to manufacture a reason to be close to you. Plus, I knew if I’d said anything, I could have ended up being studied, maybe even dissected.” Jack shivered, he’d had a couple of nightmares during that time of scientist from the government… or worse Stark, holding him in a lab, to study him, his obsession with that damn thing was strong enough he might have tried.
Jack took a deep breath again, and decided to add his last secret, “the artifact made me smarter… well, able to retain and process information better, so in order to throw everyone off, I had to fake it. I know I’ve not always been very good, at faking it.” Jack knows that in trying to not appear smarter, he’s acted dumber than normal, at times. He’s thankful that all the times, he’s had to come up with the hint to solve the problem, he didn’t screw that up.
Allison set the last few things he’d said, to the side, for the moment. She asked, “so I’m assuming that you aren’t worried about us, because you know, or knew, that we did work out in the other timeline…” she saw Jack nod, “So why did you wait so long to ask me out?”
“Well back when Stark was alive… I, uh, I’ve always felt like I wasn’t good enough. And you and Stark had so much history, I didn’t know how to compete with that.” Jack said softly, with shame his head bowed. “Then after Stark died, you needed me to be there for you as your friend, not worried about me trying to start something with you. Then when you found out you were pregnant, I’ll admit that hurt for a while…” Jack realized what he’d said, and how it might sound, his eyes got wide, “Uh I don’t, I mean that… I never got that with you, not that I don’t love Jenna with…”
Allison put her hand up, “It’s okay Jack, I know what you meant, I know you love my… our children; Kevin, Jenna, and Zoe equally.” She smiled, that is one of the many reasons she loves Jack, he never once hesitated with Kevin or Jenna, but she knew that, from both the virtual Eureka, and the real one.
Jack took both Kevin and Jenna in, without blinking an eye.
That was the only good thing, she’d found in the virtual Eureka.
Jack nodded, for him it’s a given, he loves Kevin and Jenna, as much as he loves Zoe.
He continued to grudgingly explain, why he’d not asked her out sooner. “When you were pregnant, I knew you would need me, and I knew how the town would talk if we got together then. I don’t care about what others, say about me, but I couldn’t take the risk of you being hurt, in anyway, by my actions. Then you pushed Tess on me, and I thought that meant, you only wanted my friendship, despite feeling like you wanted more.”
Jack took another deep breath, looking around as the undersea lab sub settled, “It was only after Trevor started making his move, that I knew I had to take the chance, especially after we kissed in 1947, it felt like you felt the same about me, that I do about you.”
-----------------------------------------
Allison knew subconsciously that what Jack thought, that he wasn’t good enough for her, was shared by most everyone else, her family, the town, especially Nathan.
She loved Nathan, but his ego was always his biggest strength and weakness.
Nathan was for the most part, a good man, but he wasn’t afraid to use Carter… Jack’s weakness against him.
Allison once again wonders, what would have happened, if she’d followed her own heart.
She’d done a lot of soul searching after Nathan died. She had realized that Jack had taken Nathan’s place, in her heart, long before he did.
But she was set in her ways, and she let what others think, get in the way.
Allison softly smiled, “I would hope you know, that I do feel the same about you, as you do about me.”
She then did what she’d been wanting to do, since he started talking, she got up to go sit in his lap.
She smiled at his look of surprise. “We’ve wasted so much time. Tell me about our life together.”
“It took me about a month, after Stark left, to ask you out… Henry, Jo, and Zoe pushed me. You…” Jack with a small smile, huffed a laugh, “you still had to drop a hint or two before I would do it. But you,” his smile grew, as he recalled the memory, “you said yes to dinner, before I’d even finished asking. I invited you over to the house, at first, but you were still hesitant around SARAH, it had not been that long ago that she’d taken us hostage. So, I offered to go to your house, and cook you dinner…”
“I love your cooking.” Allison recalls the dinners he’s made for not only her, but her kids as well. SARAH might take care of most of the cooking, but Jack can cook, and enjoys it.
“Yeah, it was almost a disaster, but Zoe, bless her, stepped in to make sure I didn’t screw up our first date. She talked to Vince about your favorite foods, and somehow pulled it off, without him telling everyone, or maybe she swore him to secrecy. I was never able to find out. She and SARAH helped me to plan a meal. I was able to get a bottle of your favorite wine. At least that’s what I recall. Most of the date is gone, but the feeling… the feeling of how right it was, has never left. I’d never had a better first date.”
“Huh, that would explain how you know, just how to make love to me, how you know me so well, even our first time…” Allison said smiling, she’d always wondered how Jack knew her body so well.
“Yeah, most of the details are gone, but I seem to instinctively know what to do. I’m assuming that instincts are not the same as memories or something… muscle memory and all that.” Jack said. “Although I never did forget, the sound you make when you…” Jack said, as he nuzzled her neck, he blushed slightly as he recalled how she would sound when they made love, it is, not surprisingly, the same now, as it was then.
Allison felt a little flush, knowing she was blushing to. She looked at him, as always, pleasantly surprised at how he picks up and processes information.
Jack of course, one of the best at reading people, picked up on her thoughts. “What, I learn, and I recalled that thing with Warren, and even before that, I knew there was more than one type of memory.”
“I know, I just love it when you show how smart you really are.” Allison said as she leaned into kiss Jack deeply.
God, if only she wasn’t worried about the pressure, on the sub’s hull, and the risk of it collapsing. She’d have demanded Jack make love to her, for both of their sakes, both of them needing the reassurance that they are here, and it’s time to let go of past hurts.
How much had she broken this man’s heart, over the years? She could have just as easily made the first move, instead of waiting for him to do it.
Despite all that, he still loves her, and loves her deeply, she’d known that, for a while.
She can’t help but think, ‘So much time wasted….’
But she mentally shook her head, it’s time to let go of the past, and all the pain it caused them both, especially her.
She needs to stop beating Jack up, for as he called it, a fake relationship, with a fake Jo, and a fake him, in a fake computer program.
She’d known, intellectually, that the only reason Jack and Jo had ended up together, was because she and Zane were gone… and it had been, four years.
She realized she’d been lost in her own head, when she looked over to see Jack patiently waiting for her to finish her thoughts.
God, this man knows her so well.
She smiled and leaned into his chest, “What else?”
-------------------------------------
Jack had spent the last few minutes watching the emotions cross Allison’s face. He waited for her to process, all the information he’d dumped on her.
Plus, he’s very comfortable with her in his lap, his arms holding her smaller frame close. Her scent filling his nose, the shampoo that she has in their shower… god he loves the sound of that, their shower, their house.
He took a moment to recall, the few memories, he’d been able to remember, “we had a date, I don’t know what number it was, but I’d taken everyone to Lake Archimedes. We had a picnic; it was a beautiful sunny summer day. I’d finally convinced you, to let me teach Kevin baseball… real baseball, not that…” Allison put her finger on Jack’s mouth, to stop his playful rant about what Eureka considers baseball. They both smiled at each other as Jack kissed her finger.
After she removed her finger, Jack continued, “So Zoe, Kevin, and I started to throw the baseball to each other, it took a while for Kevin to understand, but we were very patient with him, and after he got it, there was no stopping him. We eventually dragged you out to play, and I brought a bat and we batted and played catch. It was so much fun. Zoe spent more time with you and Kevin making fun of and teasing me than anything.”
“That evening you had the sitter take Kevin overnight, and Zoe went to Pilar’s house, and we… we made love for the first time, at your house. I found out where on your neck drives you wild. And how you sound when you…” Allison once again fighting her blush, put her finger on his mouth to stop him.
She knows he’s playfully teasing her, and they both smirked at each other. Still now she knows how he knows her body so well, and just what to do to drive her wild.
She’d never say it, but Jack knows her body, better than any other lover she’d ever had.
Once again, Jack seems to read her mind, when he added, “don’t worry, I vaguely recall you knew my body as well as I knew yours.”
“Okay, moving on…” Allison said with mock sternness.
Jack closed his eyes, the smirk turned into a soft smile, “I spent months, trying to find the perfect ring. I tried to figure out how to find out what you wanted, without you finding out. I knew I couldn’t ask anyone in town, or everyone would know within an hour. Not surprisingly, you and I were everyone’s favorite subject to talk about. I faintly recall Zoe teasing us about how popular she became, because everyone wanted to know, what was going on with us.”
Allison had to smile, so that hasn’t changed, ever since the town has become aware of them dating.
Everyone watches them extra close.
The good thing about that, is the women in town know that Jack is off limits, being one of the most powerful women… people, in Eureka has its advantages. Even if she’s not the head of GD anymore.
The town has quickly realized, how much Fargo has started to rely on her, Jack, and Henry.
Much more than the other version of him did.
“So, did you figure it out?”
Jack shook his head. “I’ve been trying to remember, but I know what I’d gotten for you, you’d loved. I assume I got smart, and just asked you to help.” He smiled at that.
“I knew, some version of you, was smart.” Allison said teasingly.
He ignored the gentle teasing as his face grew wistful, “The day I’d asked you to be my wife, it was at café diem… but the funny thing is, I didn’t remember it, until after I’d asked you this time. That night, I’d had a dream about it… I used the real ring, not an onion ring. We were all there, for a family dinner, I had been planning a quiet dinner, just the two of us later, where I’d have cooked all your favorite foods and would have somehow work the ring into it. But I remembered how Zoe and Kevin had as much at stake as we did, so I decided to make it happen when we were all together.”
“I don’t think I had planned it to be there, but something had happened that day, and I didn’t want to wait. We just started talking about the future with the kids and I started dropping hints about marriage. Zoe, the hopeless romantic that she is, realized it first, and she almost choked on her drink.” Jack huffed a small laugh looking back at it now. At the time like any overprotective father he was concerned.
“I couldn’t take it, and just got on one knee, and pulled out the box. I recall the look of shock on your face for a few seconds, then the love… the light in your smile, you covered your mouth, as you nodded, tears in your eyes. I still recall how that smile could have powered the town. I remember absolute silence after I got on one knee in the café.” Jack watched Allison smile at the picture he’d painted for her mind’s eye.
“After you said yes… everyone cheered, much like this time...” Suddenly Jack stopped, he looked down, but he wasn’t looking at anything. He recalled something. “I just remembered, general Mansfield was there, he was having dinner and I was so nervous that I missed him. I didn’t even know he was there until he came over to congratulate us both. Huh, he even smiled at us and didn’t complain one time.”
Allison laughed a little about that, it’s no secret that general Mansfield and Jack don’t get along very well. The general had fired Jack but thankfully Henry was able to fix that.
Since then Jack has tried to avoid getting on the general’s bad side. He knows that while he’s safe, Mansfield could still make Allison’s life difficult and Jack won’t let that happen.
“What else do you remember?” Allison asked, she has almost forgotten they are possibly in mortal danger. However, the creaks and groans from the water pressure on the sub’s hull is a very real reminder.
“Only two more events… our wedding, and the day you told me, we were going to have a baby.” Jack said softly his eyes closed remembering.
“Tell me, about when I told you, you would be a father again…” Allison asked.
She’d wanted to ask about the wedding, but part of her, doesn’t want to know too much, and compare their wedding to it.
She’d have done it, with her second wedding to Nathan, but the first time they got married, they just eloped. That was why, Nathan wanted to go all out this time.
“I vaguely recall, you had been sick for a few days and someone… not saying who, refused to go see the doctor.” Jack said smirking.
“Well you know what they say, doctors make the worst patients.” Allison said back, “But as I recall, you are not any better.”
“True… Anyway, you finally went to the doctor, and had a checkup.” Jack said. “You’d scared the hell out of me. I was at the station and got a text, for me to meet you, right away. No farther details, I knew you had gone to the doctor, so I’d hauled ass to GD. With all kinds of nightmare scenarios, running through my head. I was afraid you were dying or something.”
Allison didn’t mean to, but she’d snickered, she’s seen Jack panic, and while it’s happening, she’s worried. But afterwards as long as everything is fine… she and Henry, and at one time Jo would laugh at him.
“Ha ha ha, anyway, I arrived at GD and rushed in. I found you in the rotunda and…” Jack trailed off, he started to blush.
That got Allison’s attention right away, now she really needs to know what happened. “Oh, don’t leave me hanging, that blush means it must have been memorable.”
Jack took a put-on sigh, “I was out of breath when I found you and you had the biggest smile, it was like I’d asked you to marry me again… when you blurted out, we’re having a baby…” Jack smiled as he recalled the words, “I don’t remember what happened next… I, uh, passed out…”
“Wait, you fainted?” Allison asked.
“No, I all manly like, passed out, from trying to get to you so fast…” Jack tried to correct.
“Oh baby, it’s okay. I bet it was cute, after I stopped panicking at seeing you… passed out.” Allison teased.
“Henry was in his office and rushed out when it happened. He had a couple of guards move me into his office and according to both you and Henry, you told him next, he cried with happy tears.” Jack continued explaining. “Kevin had already had the therapy and was pretty much a normal kid. So, we both sat Zoe and Kevin down to let them know. Zoe was over the moon, with excitement, and Kevin’s excitement was a little more subtle. We went to Café Diem, but Henry had already spread the word, we spent more time thanking people then getting to eat. I was almost ready to call Jo and have her do crowd control.” Jack said softly smiling.
“How did the baby shower go?” Allison asked, she’s curious about it, in comparison to when she had Jenna.
“I wasn’t around, unlike this time, but I don’t think it was as memorable as Jenna’s was…” Jack said.
“Do you want to know about the wedding?” Jack inquired; he’d been expecting her to ask about that first.
“I, I don’t know… should I know?” Allison asked.
“Well, I kind of remember, meeting your family…” Jack said a little hesitant.
“Okay, how did that go?”
“Your big brother Marcus… didn’t like me to much. He didn’t… not like me, but he… well I think he thought you were dating below your level…”
“Wait, he said that?”
“No, he was polite, but I always felt, like he didn’t approve of me. Oddly enough your parents loved me, your father… wait, your father knew my father.” Jack said looking up in surprise. “I just remembered, the first time I met your dad, he asked about my dad. They had worked together. My dad provided security where your dad was working, I think it was some sort of government project.”
“Is that why, you want me to tell my family?”
“No, I didn’t know our fathers’ history until just now, when I was thinking of meeting them. Also, we have no idea of their history is the same in this new… new timeline.” Jack said.
“Who was my maid of honor?”
“You wanted it to be Tess, but she’d been out of the country on some project and wasn’t sure she could get back in time. So, you asked Jo. Jo, Zoe, and Tess. She was able to here a few days before the wedding, so they were your bridesmaids. Henry was my best man, I asked Kevin and Taggert to also be my groomsmen. My sister Lexi, she showed up and like the last time she was here…” Jack rolled his eyes, “she made quite the impression, on the males in the town.”
Allison laughed again, she’d recalled when his sister was here a couple of years ago, she had a lot of men asking about her. “did anything change after 1947…”
“Not much, I talked to her the first week we came back, and the only difference is she had a girl and a boy, instead of two boys.”
They both trailed off, Jack didn’t remember a lot of the details, about the wedding. Plus, he’s getting more concerned. The sub’s groans are getting more frequent.
He mentioned that to Allison.
Allison looked around, and started to get up off Jack’s lap, when suddenly the rivet holding the window shielding popped in and water started to pour in.
Jack took action, telling her to head for the airlock.
They quickly climbed up as the water started to rapidly fill the sub.
Jack locked the lower hatch, but the water quickly started to fill. “Oh, come on…”
The remote for virtual Vincent was pressed in Jack’s pocket. He popped on and asked them what wine to go with dessert.
When they both realized that the remote had a connection, Jack had just tossed it, in frustration.
After retrieving it for an equally frustrated Allison, she rewired the connection and they made contact with Henry.
After a few tense moments as the water filled the chamber. Allison made her decision. She wanted to marry Jack, now, not because they might die, but because their lives are always this crazy. Why wait, like she said, no sense in worrying about what they can’t control.
She watched Jack release 3 of the levers, then she went down to help him get the last lever released.
As they came back up for air, they were still, not out of the water… literally, but she didn’t care. “Jack, I’ve settled on a date.” She waited a moment as he processed it, “now, I want to marry you now.”
“Wait, are you sure? I mean once we do this… there’s no going back.”
“I don’t want to go back, I have faith that we will work, and I know you do to…” she spoke softer out of the range of the remote that is connected to lab at GD, “I want what we had, I want to stop hurting the man I love unknowingly. I want to make new memories with you. Just like you said. Marry me, Jack, right now.”
Jack loved it when she got a little impulsive... and bossy, “yes ma’am. Hey Henry, ready for a little on the fly officiating?”
Henry’s voice came through the remote hesitantly said, “uh, I don’t know, I was looking forward to being best man…”
Jack smiled, he recalled being best man at Henry and Kim’s wedding, not the details.
Henry has for so long, been the best, best friend he’s ever had. And Jack has always known that Henry feels the same way.
Despite the pain they caused each other, their friendship remained. “Get greedy and be both. Plus, I’m sure we’ll have to have something more official after this anyway.”
Jo suddenly spoke, not sure why, she knows she’s not Allison’s favorite person. “Well Allison’s going to need a maid of honor…”
Allison for the first time in a long time, didn’t feel the pain and hurt when thinking about Jo, and with a clear conscience said, “I’m speaking to her right now.”
Henry started to speak, and then had to abbreviate it, due to the circumstances.
He felt fear, when he didn’t hear either Jack or Allison speak, after he’d finished.
As he and the rest of the room, rushed over to the empty pool. They watched the ball of water appear, then as it flowed away from Jack and Allison, they were in the middle of some serious kissing.
Henry, with more joy then he’d felt in a long time, called out, “May I present Dr. and Mr. Jack Carter.”
“Jack we’re married…” Allison said, just a little surprised.
Jack with a smile asked, “how does it feel?”
“Wet…”
Allison and Jack had changed and dried off, the adrenaline had long since worn off.
Allison watched Jo flutter around, making sure they are okay. She can tell that Jo feels bad about what happened.
Allison got up and walked towards her, “Jo… thank you for helping Jack, with my surprise.” She smiled to let her know she holds Jo blameless. “And thanks for being my maid of honor.”
“Well, I was the only woman in the room.”
Allison felt nothing but relieve, when she said, “No Jo, you are my maid of honor.”