Virgin River season 3 spoilers: Who is the father of SPOILER’s baby?

After months of waiting to see what was next for Mel, Jack and the rest of Virgin River’s residents, Virgin River season 3 finally has arrived and with it has come several interesting developments in the lives of our favorite characters!

At the heart of the season, once again, is the relationship between Mel and Jack who go on another rollercoaster ride in season 3 with plenty of ups and downs across the season.

** Warning Virgin River season 3 spoilers ahead **

As the season begins, we quickly discover that Jack has survived and is recovering nicely after suffering a gunshot wound in the season 2 finale. This paves the way for Jack and Mel to finally explore their relationship which leads to some sweet scenes across the season.

However, what’s Virgin River without some drama and more than a few curveballs, and boy Netflix did not hold back with the twists this season!

Who is the father of Mel’s baby on Virgin River?

While Jack and Mel enjoy some really happy moments across the season, the season finds the couple at a major crossroads as Mel comes to the realization that she wants to start a family of her own and become a mother.

When Mel shares this desire with Jack, things, unfortunately, don’t go over well as Jack expresses concerns with starting a family with Mel when he’s already about to become a father of twins with Charmaine. Jack tells Mel that he can’t give her what she wants and the two decided to press pause on their relationship.

The two eventually reconcile and in the closing moments of the season, Mel shares a major piece of news with Jack in revealing that she’s pregnant. It’s exciting news for the couple, but there’s just one problem: Mel isn’t sure whether Jack or her late husband Mark is the baby’s father!

Because this is the big cliffhanger at the end of the season, we don’t discover who the father of Mel’s baby is within Virgin River season 3 and it looks like we’re going to have to wait until season 4 to learn the identity of Mel’s baby.

Is Mark the father of Mel’s baby on Virgin River?

After Jack reveals he can’t give Mel the baby that she wants, Mel decides to explore other options and consider using one of the two embryos left from when she and Mark attempted to start a family of their own before his passing.

With a nudge from her sister, Mel decides to take her fate into her own hands and sees a fertility doctor about the process. While it was first unclear whether Mel went through with the process of using one of her and Mark’s embryos, we find out in the season 3 finale that Mel is pregnant and unsure of the paternity of her child — thus confirming she did indeed use one of her and Mark’s embryos.

As a result of Mel’s decision to use the embryo, it’s possible that Mark could be the father of her child which would be a way for the writers to keep Daniel Gillies around in future flashback storylines.

Is Jack the father of Mel’s baby on Virgin River?

Just as it’s possible that Mark is the father of Mel’s child, it’s also possible that the child Mel is carrying could be Jack’s baby.

As we saw this season, Mel and Jack enjoyed more than one romantic night together making it entirely possible that he could be the father of her child.

Given Jack and Mel are the show’s central couple, the odds seem to be in his favor and it’s likely the paternity question will be used as yet another trial to test the pair’s relationship and bring them closer together in the end.

One thing that is certain is it’s going to be a long off-season as we wait to learn who the father of Mel’s baby ends up being!

Virgin River season 3 is currently streaming on Netflix.