[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for Virgin River Season 6.]

Mel (Alexandra Breckenridge) and Jack (Martin Henderson) got their happy ever after, so what’s next? Now that the beloved Virgin River couple has said “I do,” they’re in a new chapter of their lives as Mr. and Mrs. Sheridan. Swooon spoke with Breckenridge about her hopes for Mel and Jack and the unwavering support from fans for the show’s central romance.

The actress wants Season 7 to be the season where Mel and Jack finally get the family they’ve always wanted. “I think it’s just that sort of tug that she has to have a family,” Breckenridge said about Mel’s mindset going into Season 7. “It’s just really ever present with her. It’s been there from the beginning. Her journey to becoming a mother has been, at this point, a couple of decades for her. I’m excited to watch her become a mother, and I’m hoping that that happens in Season 7.”

Mel dealt with a miscarriage in Season 5 and lost her first child in a stillbirth. At the end of Season 6, pregnant Marley (Rachel Drance) shows up at the clinic and wants Mel and Jack to adopt her baby.

Breckenridge acknowledged that Mel and Jack have suffered a lot of loss in their lives, but together, they’ve persevered and built “a really beautiful relationship” together. She added, “I think that’s my favorite part of this series, is that we’re telling a story about two people that it’s not just about, ‘I find you attractive and that’s what I’m drawn to.’ They’re actually really in love with each other as human beings, and that’s what makes it so special.”

The Netflix series was renewed for Season 7 ahead of the sixth season’s premiere. Breckenridge admitted she’s “grateful and floored all the time by the passion for Mel and Jack that people have. I’m honored to be able to portray something that is meaningful for people.”

She noted how “rare” it is for a show, in this day and age, to reach seven seasons. “It’s something that I didn’t expect to happen, that’s for sure,” the This Is Us alum told Swooon. “Things get canceled all the time. Things that are awesome get canceled all the time. But we’ve been extraordinarily lucky to be beloved by our fans and also Netflix. I hope that we get more than seven seasons.”