"Let's go, Broncos!" Nathan hollered, his hands cupped over his mouth as he swayed back and forth on his feet. There were ten seconds left in the game with one timeout. Denver was down by five and on their own forty yard line. Nathan knew it was a long shot, but he couldn't help hoping his team would pull off a miracle.

Elizabeth chuckled, looking around. "I think I'm the only one sitting," she said, sounding amused by the roar of the crowd around them. It was so loud Nathan could barely hear her words.

He glanced down at her before the offense lined up. "There is serious significance attached to the outcome of this game," he said. "If the Broncos win, they go to the playoffs. If they lose, they're out. This moment is huge!"

Elizabeth stood with a laugh. "Well, I am not a football girl, so have no idea how this all stacks up in the scheme of things. I am rooting for them though." She waved a little flag they'd found on their way into the stadium. "See? Go Broncos!"

Nathan smiled in spite of the nervousness curling through him. He took a deep breath and let it out in a rush, looking out at the field. The offense took their places and the center snapped the ball. The quarterback's gaze darted around, finding an open receiver. He threw the ball like a dart. It landed in the receiver's hands, and he took off down the field before getting tackled at the five yard line. A timeout was called with two seconds left, and Nathan's nervousness went to a whole new level.

"Oh man, this waiting is painful," he said, bending over and resting his hands on his knees.

Elizabeth still looked amused. "Tens of thousands of fans in this stadium must feel the same way. There's a tension right now that feels so thick, it's nearly palpable." She raised an eyebrow. "All this over a bit of pigskin?"

Nathan raised an eyebrow in consternation as he looked up at her. She smiled sweetly and placed a kiss on his cheek as he stood again. "Just trying to lighten the mood, sweetheart."

He chuckled, taking her hand. "I know." His grip on her hand tightened as the offense lined up for one more shot at the end zone. "Here we go."

The stadium held its collective breath as the quarterback handed off the ball to the running back, who powered his way up the middle toward the end zone. Time almost felt like it was moving in slow motion, but within seconds the running back crossed the line of the end zone and the referee held up his arms.

"Touchdown, Broncos!" the announcer hollered, and the crowd erupted in wild cheers of celebration.

Nathan laughed in pure joy, lifting Elizabeth into a hug and swinging her around. "We won! We're going to the playoffs!"

Elizabeth wrapped her arms around his neck, clearly feeling the excitement herself even though she wasn't invested in the Broncos. "That was an amazing finish!" she exclaimed as Nathan set her back on her feet.

"Was it ever!" Nathan said, feeling the adrenaline rushing through him at the thrill of victory. "This was the best game I've ever seen." He smiled at her. "Thank you for this amazing gift, Elizabeth. It was perfect."

She smiled back. "You're welcome."

They made their way to the parking lot. Nathan couldn't remember ever giving so many high fives to strangers and mutual congratulations. He wasn't a people person by a long shot, but the common ground of seeing their favorite team win a huge game made family out of strangers.

"I like seeing this side of you," Elizabeth commented. "We've been married for over a year, and I've never seen you like this." She smiled, taking his hand in hers. "I think we need to get to sporting events more often." She chuckled. "Though the fact that your two favorite teams are here on the mainland may pose a bit of a challenge. Kauai isn't exactly known for its sporting events. Unless you count surfing."

"Surfing is definitely a sport," Nathan said with a little laugh. "Just not one I particularly enjoy watching."

"Me neither," Elizabeth agreed. She grinned. "So we'll just have to take trips to the mainland more." She placed a hand on her stomach. "Though preferably once the twins are a year or two old."

"Hopefully they'll love football and baseball as much as I do," Nathan said, putting his hand over hers. "Then they can watch with Daddy while Mommy has some time to herself."

"What if I want to watch too?" Elizabeth asked, batting her eyes at him.

Nathan raised a brow in disbelief. "Really? You'd want to watch too?"

She laughed. "Probably not. And alone time does sound wonderful. I can only imagine how much it will be needed once the babies are born."

"That's why we're in this together," Nathan said, squeezing her hand. "You and me, taking care of our precious children."

Elizabeth leaned her head on his shoulder. "I can't wait," she said softly.

They reached the car and drove to the Cheesecake Factory for dinner. Elizabeth had been craving Italian food, and they both loved that particular restaurant. Since there wasn't one in Kauai, they were making the most of their time in Denver to enjoy food they didn't get to have often.

"You know there's a Cheesecake Factory on Oahu, right?" Nathan asked, taking a bite of pasta. "In Waikiki. It's only a half hour flight from Kauai to Oahu. We would easily take a day trip."

Elizabeth chewed her food thoughtfully. "That could be fun," she said. "I've never actually been to Oahu."

Nathan's fork paused on the way to his mouth. "Say what? You've lived in Hawaii for ten years and have never been to the main island?"

"Nope." Elizabeth shook her head. "I keep meaning to go, but just never got around to it."

"I know what we're doing soon," Nathan chuckled. "There's so much to see and do there. You'll love it." He winked. "Especially the hikes. I know how much you love hiking."

Elizabeth placed her fork on the table. "Oh, could we?" she asked, her eyes bright. "That would be so much fun!"

"I'm sure we could take a weekend getaway," Nathan said. "Do a little exploring of another island."

Elizabeth's eyes sparkled. "Let's do it!"

Nathan reached out, covering her hand with his. "Done," he said with a wink. "Just tell me when."


"There just aren't any cabins on this site that are appealing to me," Elizabeth said, scrolling through a list of mountain cabins for sale in Colorado. "I didn't think it would be quite this difficult."

Nathan came up behind her, resting his hands on her shoulders. "Sweetheart, we have all the time in the world. If we don't find something now, we'll find it later. The perfect cabin will show up when the time is right." He started massaging her shoulders, and Elizabeth closed her eyes as his strong hands kneaded the knots away.

"That feels like pure heaven," she said. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," he replied. "Now, dinner is almost ready, and then you and I have a date with a Scrabble board." He kissed the top of her head. "We can look at more cabins later."

"Okay," Elizabeth said, getting to her feet and following him into the kitchen. Her mouth fell open. "Nathan! When did you do this?"

The table was set with a pretty tablecloth, a vase of roses in the middle with small candles flanking it. Homemade chicken pot pies were set at both placemats, and wine glasses filled with sparkling cider completed the look.

He smiled. "You were busy looking at cabins," he said by way of explanation. "Do you like it?"

She wrapped her arms around him, reaching up to press a kiss to his lips. "I love it," she said softly. "Thank you."

Nathan helped her sit, then took his own seat. They blessed the food before eating, and Elizabeth's brows rose in surprise when she tasted the pot pie. "Wow, I'm impressed," she said. "This is delicious, not to mention pure comfort food."

"I thought it sounded good. The recipe I found was surprisingly easy, so I thought why not? Couldn't hurt to try it." He took a sip of cider. "And apple cider is the perfect compliment to this. Or so Faith told me when I asked her."

Elizabeth laughed. "She is good at that. Did she happen to say how little Hope is doing?"

"Very well," Nathan replied. "She just had a checkup, and apparently she's a very healthy little girl."

Elizabeth smiled, rubbing a hand along her stomach. "I'll be honest. Seeing Faith with a baby girl makes me hope one of our babies is a girl."

"Do you think that's the case?" Nathan asked. "I would love having a daughter, though I'll be happy with whatever combination we end up having."

"You know, I thought I would have a sense as to what the babies are, but I honestly have no idea," Elizabeth admitted. "Carson said we should be able to find out what we're having in another two months or so." Her eyes lit up. "And that means we can really start getting their nursery set up! If we're having two boys, I thought a woodland theme would be fun, and if they're girls we could do a fairyland theme. If it's one of each, we could do a combination of both." She paused with a little laugh. "Sorry, that was a lot. What do you think?"

Nathan gave her a tender smile. "I think whatever you want to do will be perfect. And I will be happy to help make it become a reality."

Heart full to bursting, Elizabeth leaned her elbows on the table and placed her face in her hands. "Have I mentioned recently how much I love you?"

"Maybe a time or two," Nathan said with a playful shrug and a wink.

Elizabeth wanted to be close to him. She stood and came to his side of the table, sitting on his lap as his arms encircled her. She leaned her head against his and simply rested against him, loving his solid, warm presence. "I love you," she whispered.

His arms tightened around her. "The feeling is mutual, Elizabeth," he said, resting his face against her neck. "I didn't know it was possible to love someone this much. I'm glad I get to experience it with you."

She smiled. "Me too, sweetheart."

Eventually she went back to her seat and they finished their meal. Nathan cleared the table, turning to Elizabeth with a smile. "I have another surprise for you. Wait here."

He disappeared outside. Elizabeth washed the dishes, finishing before Nathan reappeared. He came in through the back door, blowing on his hands. "It is cold out there. You'd better bundle up." He pulled her scarf from the peg by the door and looped it around her neck. "I'm going to grab my guitar."

He vanished into their bedroom, and Elizabeth chuckled to herself. He was being slightly mysterious. She found that adorable. Putting on her coat and gloves and boots, she was ready when Nathan came back with the instrument. He gestured to the door. "M'lady," he said with a bow.

Elizabeth laughed. "Always the gentleman," she teased.

"Of course. My mother would have had my head otherwise," he said with mock seriousness. They went outside to find a roaring fire blazing away in the firepit. As they sat on the log near the fire, Elizabeth noticed graham crackers, chocolate, and marshmallows nearby. "S'mores?" she asked, grinning.

Nathan nodded. "Dessert is served," he said, handing her a long stick.

"It's been ages since I've had s'mores," Elizabeth said, placing a marshmallow on the stick and holding it over the fire, slowly turning it so that it browned evenly on all sides. "This is fun."

Nathan placed his marshmallow directly in the fire until it burst into flames, then pulled it out and blew out the fire, leaving a charred skin over the marshmallow.

Elizabeth wrinkled her nose. "You burn them?"

Nathan pulled off the outer layer and popped it into his mouth. "Oh yes," he said. "It's delicious and crispy, and it leaves the inside hot and gooey. Perfection." He ate the gooey part and gave a satisfied smack of his lips, reaching for another marshmallow.

Elizabeth shook her head, continuing to slowly rotate her marshmallow. "I've never understood that."

Nathan laughed. "You don't have to understand it. Just accept it."

Elizabeth laughed with him, and they continued to roast marshmallows and turn them into s'mores. "Mmm," Elizabeth said, taking her first bite of the sweet treat. "These are so good."

"A classic," Nathan agreed. "Simple but delicious."

They enjoyed their dessert, and then Nathan picked up his guitar, softly strumming the opening chords for Silent Night. "Sing with me?" he asked, smiling at Elizabeth.

She smiled back, and their voices joined together in the sweet carol. Elizabeth lost track of time as they sang together with snow falling all around. It was a perfect night.

By the time they were finished, it was completely dark and the fire was dying down. Elizabeth kissed Nathan's cheek. "Thank you for tonight," she said simply. "I enjoyed every minute."

Nathan smiled back, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Of course, love."

She grinned cheekily. "Now, are you ready for me to soundly beat you at Scrabble?"

Nathan's brows rose, and he laughed as they stood. "Oh, you're on!"


"Is that everything?" Nathan asked, placing the last suitcase in their rental car. He couldn't believe their vacation was already coming to an end. Their time here had been wonderful.

"I think so," Elizabeth said, putting her purse in the car. They turned to look at the cabin one more time. "I'm going to miss this place," she said, leaning against Nathan.

"Me too," he agreed. "But we can always come back."

Elizabeth smiled, looking as if she was about to reply, but the sound of a car pulling into the drive caught their attention. A woman in her sixties got out of the car, giving them a warm smile. "You must be the Grants," she said, her voice sweet and lilting. Nathan thought he detected a slight Irish accent. "I'm Susie."

"Susie, hello," Nathan said, putting out his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Nathan, and this is my wife Elizabeth."

Elizabeth and Susie shook hands, then Nathan settled his arm comfortably around Elizabeth's shoulder. "Are we late leaving?" he asked, wondering if he'd gotten the checkout time wrong.

Susie shook her head, her white curls bouncing. "No, you're fine," she said. "I just wanted to get some signs up since the new year is prime real estate time."

Nathan frowned. "I'm sorry, I don't think I understand. Signs to promote the cabin as a getaway?"

"No, unfortunately," Susie said. "I'm moving home to Ireland to be with my grandchildren, and it just would be too much work trying to manage a rental property in the United States while I'm in Europe." She looked at the cabin. "I'm selling it. This was a very recent decision, as one of my grandkids needs extra care, so I hope it sells fast." She gave them an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry. Hopefully whoever buys it will allow you to return. I know how much you two love this place."

Elizabeth's jaw dropped and her eyes widened. She looked up at Nathan with a huge smile. "Nathan!"

He couldn't believe it. His own jaw had dropped, and he shook his head with a laugh. "Susie, I think we might have a solution for you."