Hello, again Hearties!
Back by popular demand, I am sharing another happy little story with you! :) I appreciate all the kind reviews you guys have given me on these stories. You guys are the sweetest.
P.S. - SeSeLi777 I will definitely try to do a sequel to "The Girl With the Long Brown Hair" story as well (I didn't expect you guys to love that one so much haha) I need to figure out how to continue that story asap ;)
Anyways, I hope you enjoy this sweet snippet into the lives of the Grant Family!
It was a lazy Friday morning. Summer had just begun and school was out. Elizabeth finished putting away the breakfast dishes and was busy wiping the table. Allie stomped down the stairs, her ponytail bouncing after every step.
"Allie, slow down please," Elizabeth said "Maybe help Jack put his shoes on so we can head out." She continued, putting the dirty rag in the hamper. They were going to surprise Nathan at the train station after he had been away in Union City for a week on business.
"Okay..." Allie said with a sigh.
Allie ran to the front door and picked up the pair of little brown sandals. The dust twinkled as a ray of sunlight came through the long, narrow window by the door. Allie took a deep breath and blew at the dust particles. This caused them to swirl into a frenzy. She smiled and skipped over to Jack, who was calmly stacking blocks on the coffee table. His little tongue stuck out to the side in concentration as he gently placed the last block on top of the tower. Unfortunately, the whole thing toppled over as soon as he let the block go. He let out a scream in frustration.
"Oh no!" Allie exclaimed empathetically.
Elizabeth quickly looked over to see what all the fuss was about. "What happened?" She asked, slightly concerned.
"Nothing, Jack's tower just fell over," Allie responded calmly, as she went about helping Jack restack the blocks. "There..." She continued, "All fixed." She smiled at Jack who lifted his arms up in satisfaction.
Elizabeth smiled and watched as Allie placed little Jack on the settee and helped him put on his shoes. Allie is growing up into such a lovely young lady. She is such a great big sister, she thought. Watching her children get along so well warmed her heart.
"Alright, let's get a move on, we don't want to be late," Elizabeth said as she reached for a little bag and slung it over her shoulder, fitting the strap snugly over her abdomen. Her baby bump was just big enough to create a tiny wave at the top of her skirt.
The trio walked down the path. Allie swung her arms cheerfully as she walked a couple of paces in front of Elizabeth and Jack.
"Do you think dad will be surprised?" Allie asked, turning around to face Elizabeth.
"I'm sure he will," Elizabeth responded with a smile. Allie was walking backwards awkwardly and waving at Jack.
"Allie, be careful," Elizabeth cautioned after Allie nearly tripped backwards.
"Sorry, I'm just so excited to see dad again," Allie said with a big smile
Elizabeth laughed and picked Jack up as they neared the edge of town. They were going to meet Lee and have him drive them to the station.
"Why hello there you guys!" Lee greeted as they came into view. Jack wriggled out from his mothers' arms and ran towards Lee. Lee pulled a little wooden car out of his suit pocket and crouched down, stretching his arm out in little Jack's direction. "Something to keep you occupied until we get to the station." Little Jack grabbed onto the tiny car and beamed at Lee with his big blue eyes. Lee's smile broadened as he stood up and opened the door for Elizabeth.
"Thank you so much for doing this, Lee," Elizabeth said, flashing a grateful smile in Lee's direction.
"Don't mention it. Rosie is having me pick up a bunch of things in town anyways. I could use the company, " Lee responded cheerfully.
After getting everyone situated in the car they were on their way. Elizabeth gazed out the window and watched the scenery glide by in a blur. The scent of wildflowers filled the vehicle as they drove past a large open field. She could feel the butterflies build up in her stomach as they neared the train station. She felt like she was going on her first date all over again. She swivelled around to check on the kids in the back. Allie was reading her book. Jack had propped his wooden car up on the window sill and pretended to drive it as he watched the trees go by.
Soon enough they arrived at the train station.
"Meet you back here in half an hour?" Lee asked as he opened the door to let Elizabeth out of the car.
"Sounds good, thanks again!" Elizabeth responded.
"My pleasure!" Lee assured, and with that, they parted ways.
Inside the station, Elizabeth propped Jack snugly on her hip and held tightly to Allie's hand as not to lose them in the group of strangers. As they made their way to the entrance, the trio stood there on the old wooden boardwalk hoping to catch a glimpse of a certain tall, handsome mountie. They waited a while. It seemed like half of the passengers had already gotten off the train and still no sign of Nathan. Then, just as they were about to start walking towards the back of the train, a man in red appeared in the middle of the crowd. Elizabeth walked closer.
"Nathan!" she called. The man turned his head but it wasn't Nathan.
Elizabeth could feel herself panic a little bit. Where could he be? She thought. I know I had the right train, I even double-checked before we left... She quickly calmed herself as not to frighten the kids.
"Dada!" Jack squealed, looking over Elizabeth's shoulder.
Elizabeth turned around and let out a sigh of relief. There he was, handsome as ever in his serge. Her heart was swelling with love at the sight of her husband. The sharp squeal from Jack caught Nathan's attention and he quickly walked towards the door and put down his bags just in time to catch all the hugs coming his way. Allie ran towards Nathan and jumped up, wrapping her arms around his neck. Jack didn't stop wiggling until Elizabeth put him down and allowed him to run to Nathan on his own. With Allie around his neck and little Jack hugging his leg, Nathan reached his arms open and pulled Elizabeth into a hug.
"I missed you," Elizabeth whispered into his ear.
"I missed you too," he whispered as he buried his face into her hair.
"It's getting hard to breathe..." Allie said in a muffled voice from between Nathan and Elizabeth.
Reluctantly, Nathan released his wife and laughed.
"Alright leaches. We better get out of the way and go meet Lee." Nathan quipped as he bent over to pry Jack up off his leg.
"I'll help you with your bags!" Allie exclaimed excitedly. She hoisted the heavy bag over her shoulder and headed for the car.
Nathan chuckled as he watched Allie struggle happily. Nathan held onto Jack with one arm and wrapped the other around Elizabeth's shoulders.
"What took you so long to get off the train?" Elizabeth asked, "I was starting to worry I got your time wrong or something had happened." she continued.
"Oh, sorry about that. There was this older lady beside me who I chatted with on the train ride here. I just helped her with her bags and it took me a little bit of time. If I had known a beautiful woman was waiting for me I would have let her carry her own bags." Nathan said, joshingly.
Elizabeth laughed and squeezed Nathan around the waist.
"We just wanted to surprise you," Elizabeth said, smiling up at Nathan. His arm still wrapped around her.
"I'm glad you did," Nathan said happily. He pulled his wife closer and kissed her on the head.
"Did we surprise you?" Allie called from ahead.
"You sure did!" Nathan called back with a grin.
The dry street caused dust clouds to fly into the air as Allie shuffled her feet under the weight of the bag.
"Are you sure you can carry the bag by yourself?" Nathan asked as he watched his daughter struggle.
"I've got it!" She said with a smile.
After a few minutes, Allie started to fall behind her parents. She finally dropped the bag from her shoulders onto the ground causing a puff of dust to fly into the air. Nathan looked back and rolled his eyes trying to suppress a smile.
"How about we trade?" He suggested, "You hold Jack's hand and I'll carry my bag the rest of the way," He continued.
Allie smiled in defeat and grabbed Jack's hand. They ran towards the car where Lee was already waiting for them. Elizabeth turned to the side to hide her smile.
"She tried," Elizabeth said looking back at Nathan.
"I appreciate the effort," Nathan said, satisfied with his bargain.
They quickly joined Lee and the kids, exchanging "hello's" and "good to see you's" before getting into the car and heading home.
"Thank you so much Lee," Nathan thanked after Lee dropped the happy family off at their home.
"Not a problem. I live close by," Lee joked.
They laughed and shook hands before Nathan went to join his family at the bottom of the stairs.
"What do you think about us having a relaxing lunch inside and then maybe opening a few gifts later?" Nathan hinted, resting his hand on Allie's shoulder. He winked at Elizabeth, causing her cheeks to turn ten shades of pink.
"I'd say that's a solid plan," Elizabeth played along with a smile.
The kids ran inside excitedly. At the top of the stairs, Nathan gently held his wife's face in his hands and gave her a kiss before heading inside. Elizabeth felt her cheeks burn under his gaze. She took a deep breath and bit her bottom lip to keep herself from squealing like a schoolgirl.