October 17, 1927
Dear Rose,
I cannot begin to tell you how much we all miss you. We cannot wait for you to return home. Last week, Olivia was crying for you to return and she called me Dad for the first time. I still cannot believe she is my daughter, Rose. Charlie has been in a spot of bother. First he knotted Olivia's hair and then scared Lilly with his ghost and monster stories, but he is all right now. Not long now until you return. The house is almost ready. The children's bedrooms are decorated. All that remains is the kitchen. How are you and how is the picture going? Please write back soon.
Love,
Jack
Placing Jack's letter on the table, Rose took another sip of her cool lemonade as she sat beside the pool of the hotel she was staying in. The sun beat down and Rose sat beneath a parasol, dressed in a white summer dress. Her hair was in a bun and her cheeks burnt slightly from spending some time in the swimming pool that morning and being exposed to the sun. She thought of her family back home in England, and she could not wait to return. Her children she missed endlessly and, of course, Jack. Inside, most of her bags were packed for her voyage back to England on the twenty-first of October. The day before had been the last day of shooting the picture, and Rose had felt that her heart was no longer into it. Acting and singing were once her passions, but from the day Jack had returned to her life once again, she had realized that all she wanted was a family and to be a wife to Jack and a mother to their children. It was all she needed now.
October 27, 1927
Southampton Docks, England
At around 4:30, the Dresden docked in Southampton. Jack stood in the crowds of hundreds of people, awaiting the arrival of Rose. Checking his watch, he thrust his hands into his pockets and leaned against the side of the automobile he had purchased the week before. It was a Ford Model T, something simple for the time, but still an expensive purchase at two hundred ninety pounds. It was black in color, which meant it was durable and would be cheap to paint. Now that he had a family, Jack felt the automobile was necessary and it would be a surprise for Rose that he could actually drive the vehicle. Excitement built up inside Jack. He had not seen Rose's beautiful face for over three months. He knew they would fall into each other’s arms as soon as they met. The children were in school for the day and Lilly was with a friend. He had planned for them to all eat dinner together that evening to welcome Rose home. It was another twenty minutes before anyone began to disembark from the ship. Memories from fifteen years before came to Jack. He was here, boarding Titanic after winning the tickets in the small pub beside the dock, which was no longer in existence. But he knew how much could change in the length of time since he was last here. Passengers began to disembark down the gangplank and relatives of the passengers began rushing forward to meet them. Jack was a distance away from the gangplank, so he squinted through the misty October air in an attempt to see Rose. He could feel his heart beating fast, as though he was a young twenty-year-old once again, like when he first met Rose. Removing his hat and placing it on the seat inside the automobile, he pulled his overcoat further around his body before taking a few steps closer. The docks were filled with people, not half as many as there were the day the Titanic set sail, but still enough to find oneself lost in, especially in the cold, misty air. Men and women rushed about, meeting their relatives and friends, shouting to them, hugging them. Jack weaved through them all, still attempting to find Rose's face—then, there it was. A red-headed woman in front of him, the hair of Rose. She had been blonde when she had left, but now, here she was, a few meters in front of him. A wide smile spread across Jack's face as he came closer to her. Dressed in gray pants and a long black fur coat, she looked as lovely as ever. Men stopped to look at her beauty. Even at thirty-two years old, she was still an attractive woman.
“Rose!” Jack called, his voice faint among the shouts of the people around him. Rose's eyes darted around and he was unsure if she had even heard him. Weaving through more people, he cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted once again. “Rose Bukater!”
Immediately, Rose's head turned at the sound of Jack's voice calling her. She could see him coming towards her, almost running, like a child running to its mother. Her heart soared and she dropped her suitcase on the ground, as he was finally here in front of her. She threw herself into his arms, feeling content and overjoyed that she was finally home. Jack was finally here in her arms, and she would never leave them again.
“I missed you so much.” Jack repeated over and over, kissing her newly dyed red locks. “I'm so happy you're home.” He smiled. Taking her hand in his, he kissed it gently before pulling her to him once again in disbelief that she was finally home to be with him—forever.
“I'm happy to be home.” She smiled, her eyes sparkling with tears.
“I like the hair.” Jack smiled, touching a tendril of her hair.
Laughing, Rose curled a strand of her hair around her finger. “I thought it was time to return to who I really am.”
Jack frowned slightly, confused. “To who you really are?”
“Yes. I'm home now, with my family, and it’s where I want to stay, Jack…” Pausing for a moment, she thought of her life in Los Angeles and everything she had given up for Jack, but it was the right decision. It was a decision she should have made long ago, maybe even aboard the Titanic. She should have left Cal and made a life with Jack, but if she had made that decision, her eldest daughter, Lizzy, wouldn't be here. “Jack…I've decided to give up my job. I haven't renewed my contract for anymore pictures.”
“Rose…but why?” His eyes widened and he couldn't possibly think why Rose would give up something she loved so much.
“Because my heart isn't in it anymore. Once upon a time, it was my dream, and now I have lived out my dream. I have done what I was supposed to do, and now I am supposed to be here with you for the rest of my life, and be your wife.”
Jack couldn't believe her words, but he simply pulled her towards him. “I love you, Rose,” he whispered before kissing her with the passion she had forgotten he possessed. The kiss almost knocked Rose from her feet, and she smiled through his kisses, not believing her own happiness.
“Come on, Jack. Let’s go home. It’s cold.” Rose picked her suitcase up from the ground. Immediately, Jack took it from her, but stopped a moment later, lifting the suitcase up and down with his right arm before laughing.
“Don't travel light, do we, Miss Bukater?” Jack asked playfully. Rose shook her head at his joke.
“No, I never did, darling.” She smiled. She couldn't wait to be home.
“I have a surprise for you, Rose.” A smile played on Jack's lips.
“What have you done now?”
“You'll see.”
Taking hold of Rose's hand, Jack guided Rose through the throngs of people until finally, through the mist, he found what he was looking for and pulled Rose in front of him, guiding her in the direction of the automobile. For a few seconds, Rose didn't understand, until they stopped next to the vehicle and Jack put Rose's heavy suitcase in the backseat.
“This isn't yours?” Rose asked, stunned.
“No. It’s ours.” He grinned. “Don't be so surprised. I am a good driver.” He smirked before showing Rose to the passenger seat. Opening the door for her, he held out his hand and she sat in the vehicle, still stunned.
“Jack, you're crazy.” She giggled.
“Well, I think it’s something we need, Rose, with the children and now that you're home. It’s convenient.” He started the engine. Rose shook her head at him, laughing.
“You're full of surprises.”
“Well, wait until you see the house, Rose. It’s just grand. We have a garden, which I've started planting flowers in, the same flowers Monet had in his garden in Giverny.” He grinned. “And the kids’ bedrooms are all done. So is ours. The pond in the front garden is still being sorted out, but should be ready soon. The kitchen is almost ready. I’m still waiting for the painters to sort the walls out. Then we're done, Rose.”
Rose's eyes caught Jack's and she sighed happily. She felt totally at peace, as though she had turned a corner in life. “It sounds perfect. I cannot wait to see it. I can't wait to see the children.”
“They're going to be so happy to see you. They all missed you so much.”
“I know. It’s one of the reasons why I cannot return to the pictures. I cannot leave my children again. It’s not what I want anymore. I don't want to be running all the time from place to place. I need to settle now, and I'm finally happy to sacrifice my career for my family.”
Shaking his head, Jack turned to Rose and gently put his left hand in hers. “You're the most amazing woman, Rose.”
“No, Jack. I'm just a mother who needs to be there for her family.” Giving up her career was one of the easiest decisions she had made. She had lived out her dreams, but now it was time for another dream to begin—that of her and Jack, something she had dreamed of for years, and now that she was finally with him, she wasn't about to let him go. It was amazing that after so many years of them meeting by chance, they had finally pulled away all the barriers and allowed themselves to love each other. There was nothing to stop them now. Both were more happy than they had ever been before. A new life in England was what both of them needed.