Chapter 57
It looked liked the whole town had descended on the new house to welcome the Grant family back to Hope Valley after their trip to Hamilton. Rosemary ran to the car and opened the door to help everyone out. Henry and Lee quickly unloaded the luggage and put it in the house while Rosemary chatted animatedly with Elizabeth. Nathan assisted little Jack out of the car and went to stand beside Elizabeth with his arm around her. Allie rushed to join her friends who were lounging against the railing on the wraparound porch. After Lee came to join Rosemary, she said "Let's get this party started. Elizabeth and Nathan with the help of your friends and neighbors the town has moved everything from both houses into your new home. We did our best to fit everything inside and in some semblance of order so that you can start this new chapter of your life in this house. The house that love created and we hope that your family will continue to grow and thrive here. Welcome home, Grant family." Everyone cheered and crowded around Elizabeth and Nathan for hugs and handshakes.
Elizabeth and Nathan felt so blessed to be home. Hamilton had been great but being surrounded by their Hope Valley family meant so much to them. They mingled with everyone and sampled the extensive buffet. Everyone had brought something to the potluck so there was no shortage of food. Allie and her friends continued to hold court on the porch and she was regaling them with stories of Hamilton. Elizabeth started to tire and Nathan looked around for a free chair that she could sit in. He noticed that someone had set up a small table and chair set close to the front door and urged her and Rosemary to each take a seat, "Rosemary it has been quite a long day, why don't you and Elizabeth sit down and continue your conversation. Little Jack and I will get you both some lemonade."
Nathan and little Jack took Elizabeth and Rosemary some lemonade. Little Jack wanted to sit beside Elizabeth and play with some if his toys that were in the toy box by the door so Nathan set him down. He kissed Elizabeth's cheek and went in search of Lee and Bill. He missed the comrade between the men of Hope Valley. He also wanted to schedule a time to meet with Bill in a couple days to go over the happenings while he was away. He knew Bill could handle everything but it was his town to protect and he needed to know if anything that happened while he was gone was still ongoing. He needed a couple days to help Elizabeth unpack and finish the move before going back to work.
Nathan felt a tug on his pant leg and looked down to see little Jack standing beside him. He wondered if he wandered away from Elizabeth and saw her watching from the porch. Nathan bent down and picked up his son. Little Jack snuggled into his shoulder and yawned, "Daddy, me tired." Nathan always felt honored when little Jack called him daddy. He was his father in every sense of the word except biological. His heart swelled and he placed a kiss on his son's forehead. He excused himself and went into the house to get little Jack ready for bed. Nathan knew which room had been designated little Jacks and hoped that everything was set up so that bedtime would be relatively easy. Rosemary and the ladies had outdone themselves. Everything looked exactly the same as it had been in the row house except the room was bigger and a different color. Nathan had no trouble getting little Jack changed and in bed. A few pages into a storybook, Jack was fast asleep. Nathan placed another kiss on his son's forehead before readjusting his blanket and going back to the party.
Elizabeth saw Nathan take little Jack upstairs and thought that she should follow but she realized that Nathan knew what to do. She trusted her husband with her son as much as Nathan trusted he with Allie. It was hard for Elizabeth to admit but relinquishing control was difficult for her when it came to her son but Nathan loved him as if he was his own. Soon there would be another baby in the house and this time Elizabeth would have help and support from her husband from day one. Nathan had promised her that he would be there. That there was nothing that would stop him from being there for their family even if it meant giving up the Mounties. She would never do that to him but she knew his family came first not his job. She realized that Jack always put being a Mountie first. Elizabeth touched her tummy and felt a flutter of movement. Soon the baby would be noticeable and the movements far from subtle.
Rosemary noticed Elizabeth smiling as her fingers splayed across her tummy. Rosemary wondered but wasn't going to pry. Her friend would tell her when she was ready. Elizabeth was probably excited and scared at the same time. Her first pregnancy, she was all alone and this time Nathan was here. Though Rosemary knew that in the back of Elizabeth's mind lived the fear of losing again. She had overcome that fear once by accepting Nathan's love, and again by getting married but was she completely free of the fear. Rosemary wondered how long her friend had known and if Nathan had put on his uniform since finding out. Seeing Nathan in his serge may make the fear rear its ugly head. She hoped not but she would be there for Elizabeth and Nathan no matter what.
As the night air became cooler and the sky turned pitch black the party started to fade. Most of the families with children had already said their goodbyes and left. Their closest friends remained cleaning up and helping them get settled for the night. The guys shuffled around some furniture making the layout work a bit better for them. When everything was clean and organized, everyone except Bill, Lee, and Rosemary left with hugs. Allie yawned and wandered upstairs to bed with a quiet goodnight thrown over her shoulder. Elizabeth and Nathan sat at the kitchen table with their friends discussing current affairs in Hope Valley relishing that they were all back together. Hamilton had been fun but there truly is no place like home.
Lee saw Elizabeth trying to stifle her second yawn and yawned himself loudly hoping to convince Rosemary and Bill that it was time to leave. It had been a long day for all of them and even longer for Nathan and Elizabeth. Nathan and Elizabeth walked them out and stood on the front step waving them off. Nathan turned to Elizabeth and swept her up into his arms, he carried her towards the door and said, "Welcome home, Mrs. Grant. I know that carrying your bride over the threshold is good luck so I'm carrying you over the threshold of our forever home to bless this house and our family with good luck now and for years to come", as he continued to carry her inside. He kicked the door closed and carried her all the way upstairs to their bedroom. Tonight, would be a first for both of them because they were finally in the house, they created together with the family they blended and started with two little words.
"I Do"