Netflix recently took audiences back to Northern California for season five of everyone’s favorite romantic drama, Virgin River. The fictional town is home to some of the most beloved characters in the genre and some high-stakes drama that hit peak levels in the newest batch of episodes. Mel Monroe didn’t know what she was getting herself into when she moved to the small town, and despite her initial hesitation, it has grown to feel like home.

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As we all know, the people around you make a place feel like home, and Mel has found some great ones, one of which is John ‘Preacher’ Middleton. Played by Colin Lawrence, who also starred in everything from Battlestar Galactica and Endgame to Supernatural, he’s a force to be reckoned with, on and off-screen. As for Preacher, the former marine turned chef at Jack’s Bar, he’s part of the glue that holds the town together, and his ties to the town also come from his friendship with Jack Sheridan, with whom he served in the Marines.

Preacher is the heartbeat of Virgin River, and with a complex storyline in season five, viewers are wondering what his future looks like within the series. With a lot of heartache happening around him, have things pushed our beloved Preacher out of town, or is he a part ofVirgin River to stay?

Does Preacher stay in Virgin River?

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Preacher’s kitchen, what would Virgin River be without it? Luckily, we won’t have to find out. Preacher is here to stay; we couldn’t be happier about it. Of course, the waters were rocky for a bit in the latest season with Preacher, especially regarding the woman who he hasn’t been able to keep out of his heart from the beginning, Paige.

Paige moved to Virgin River to escape the throws of her abusive ex-husband, Wes, with her son, and it was supposed to be a fresh start, a safe place to begin again with the person she most loved. However, in season 2, Wes found them and attacked her before threatening to take their son. In a moment of fear and panic, she pushed Wes down the stairs, leading to his death. Paige called Preacher and asked for help hiding the body, and she left her son in his custody as she left to make sense of everything that happened.

Unfortunately, Wes had a twin brother named Vince who returned to finish what he’d started, and he kidnapped Christopher. Paige returns when she learns of Vince’s presence, and the abduction of her son, and things only get more complicated from there. Preacher finds Christopher, but they soon find out that Vince has taken Paige and shot Jack. Jack only suffered an injury, and fans were thrilled to learn that he’d survived and were equally as happy to know that Paige and Christopher made it out alive, too.

Unfortunately, Paige wouldn’t ever feel safe in Virgin River again, and she vows to keep her son safe, so she takes Christopher and moves away from the town and away from Preacher, too. Fans wondered if Preacher would leave to be with the woman he loved, but his ties to the town are keeping him there, and he loves Paige and Chris enough to let them go be safe, too.

There is a two-part holiday special that will also serve as the completion of season five on the horizon, and we can’t wait to see what Christmas magic will bring to our favorite town residents. You can watch all five seasons of Virgin River on Netflix now.