A/N This is the final chapter of this short story! I hope you've enjoyed it, and thank you for all the lovely comments!

"I've always loved you, and when you love someone, you love the whole person, just as he or she is, and not as you would like them to be." –Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina

Epilogue

Hope Valley, 1920

Elizabeth blinked slowly, letting her eyes adjust to the early morning light streaming into the room. A soft snore sounded beside her, and she smiled, rolling over to face her husband.

Lucas was still fast asleep. His usually tidy hair was unruly, falling into his face, and his lips parted slightly as he released another snore.

She sighed contentedly. They had just celebrated their third anniversary, and they had been some of the sweetest years of her life.

They had started spending a significant amount of time together after he came to Hope Valley, and it didn't take long before they started courting. A few months later, he proposed to her in the library, the place that meant so much to them. Almost a year to the day that they reconnected, they were married in an outdoor ceremony near the schoolhouse. Jack served as the ring bearer, a role he took as seriously as any toddler could.

Over the years, Lucas had proven himself to be a wonderful husband and father, and Elizabeth couldn't be more grateful that their paths had crossed again.

Unable to resist any longer, Elizabeth reached out and pushed the hair out of Lucas's forehead. He stirred at the contact, his body tensing briefly before he fully awakened.

"Good morning, handsome." She smiled at him, scooting closer to him until their noses touched.

"Morning," he mumbled, pressing his lips to hers. "You're up early." He noted the soft light of sunrise that lit their bedroom, surprised that Elizabeth was awake at that hour given that it was the weekend and she had nowhere to be until later.

"Well, I would go back to sleep, but Vivi is going to wake up any minute, and I'll need to feed her."

It had taken two years for Elizabeth to fall pregnant after she and Lucas got married, and just a few months before their third anniversary, they welcomed Genevieve Lily Bouchard into the world.

As if on cue, a small whimper sounded from the crib across the room.

"I'll get her." Lucas sat up before Elizabeth could even move. He smiled as he reached into the crib, lifting their daughter to his shoulder. "Good morning, Genevieve. Let's get you to mama so you can eat."

"Hi, sweet Vivi." Elizabeth took the baby from Lucas and settled her in to nurse. Genevieve looked up sleepily, her dark eyes trying to focus on her mother's face. "Did you sleep well, sweetheart?"

Lucas kissed her temple. "I'm going to start making breakfast."

"Don't you need to go to the saloon to start setting up for the party?"

"Not until later. I thought we could go to town together after breakfast."

She gave him a smile. "Okay."

"It looks wonderful in here." Elizabeth put her hands on her hips, taking a step back to take in all of the decorations they had just put out. "I hope they like it."

Lucas put an arm around her waist, pulling her close to him. "They'll love it."

There were streamers and balloons hung everywhere in the saloon. A banner stretched across the back wall, reading "Welcome Home Franklin Coulter."

Lee and Rosemary were due to return from Brookfield later in the day with their new son, a young boy—just over a year younger than Little Jack—who had come to live at the orphanage there just a few months before. Everyone in town was absolutely thrilled for them, and they all pitched in to put together a party to celebrate the family's new addition.

"Thank you for all your help, everyone." Lucas addressed those who were still around, putting the finishing touches on the room. "We'll see you back here in a few hours."

Elizabeth turned to face Lucas. "I should get to the café to check on the children."

"I have a few things to finish up here, and then I'll meet you over there for lunch."

"Okay." She gave him a soft kiss before retreating, making her way down the street to Abigail's.

"Mama!" Jack ran to her as soon as she entered the café, throwing his arms around her legs.

"Hello, sweet boy." She leaned down to drop a kiss on the top of his head. "Have you been having fun with Auntie Abigail?"

"Mhmm." He nodded. "We made chocolate cookies!"

"Yum." She ruffled his hair. "And how many did you eat?"

"Just one!" He held up one finger. "And I licked the spoon."

Elizabeth chuckled, looking up at Abigail, who was gently bouncing Genevieve in her arms. "Thank you for keeping an eye on them."

"Of course. You know I love having them here. They're little angels."

Elizabeth laughed softly. "Most of the time, but not always."

"Well, we all have our moments." Abigail smiled, passing Genevieve to Elizabeth.

"Did she cry much?"

"Just a little, when she needed a diaper change. But she was perfectly happy once she was clean and dry."

"Such a good girl," Elizabeth cooed, brushing a finger across Genevieve's cheek.

"Are you staying for lunch?"

She nodded, shifting her daughter to her shoulder. "Lucas is going to meet us here soon. Do you mind keeping an eye on Jack for just a bit longer while I get this little one fed?"

"Go ahead." Abigail shooed her toward the stairs. "I'll let you know when Lucas gets here."

"Thank you."

Elizabeth set down her fork and reached for her water glass. "Do you think we have time to stay in town for a little while before we need to go home to get ready for the party?"

Lucas pulled out his pocket watch, checking the time. "We could probably spare an hour or two. Is there something you'd like to do?"

"I haven't been able to spend much time at the library lately, and I know there are plenty of books that need to be shelved again. It would be nice to get it tidied up a bit."

"Why don't you take Vivi there, and Jack and I can have a bit of father-son time? I think it's about time for us to play some baseball."

Jack's eyes lit up. "Yes! Baseball!"

"Sounds like a plan."

"Great." Lucas grinned, reaching over to nudge Jack's shoulder. "We'll meet you at the library in about an hour then."

Lucas kissed Elizabeth and Genevieve before taking Jack's hand and heading toward the saloon to get his ball, bat, and glove.

Halfway to the baseball field, Jack gasped from his place atop Lucas's shoulders. "Dad, look!"

"What is it, Jack?"

"Look!" He pointed into the sky, where an airplane was passing above them.

"Oh, wow, Jack. An airplane. I wonder where it's going. Where do you think it's headed, little man?"

"Uhhhh," he put his finger to his chin as he thought. "Grandma's house!"

Lucas laughed. "Grandma's house? Good guess, but I don't think that's quite right. It's probably delivering mail. Can you believe they can carry mail in an airplane now?" He shifted his grip on the little boy, ensuring he didn't slip. "You know, Jack, I've read that there are quite a few passenger flights in Europe now. Perhaps we'll have to visit, and we can all go on an airplane. We could go visit your cousins and Aunt Viola in London, and then fly down to Paris for a few days. Wouldn't that be fun?"

He nodded emphatically. "Yes!"

"We'll just have to convince your mother."

Elizabeth put another book onto the shelf, smiling when she noticed Dracula and Jane Eyre sitting next to each other, both out of place, but also exactly where they should be.

"Your dad is so sappy," she said to Genevieve with a little laugh, knowing that Lucas had to have been the one to move the books to that spot together. "We met each other almost twenty years ago, when we were just teenagers, and we told each other to read these books. That's how we became friends." She ran her finger across the spines of the novels. "I knew right away that he was special."

The little baby gurgled, her tiny lips curling into a smile.

"Yeah?" She peered into the pram. "You like hearing about your daddy, don't you?" Elizabeth lightly placed a hand on her daughter's chest. "We're so lucky to have him, Vivi. He loves us so much." She sighed. "I should finish this shelving before he gets here. You just rest, sweet girl."

When Lucas came into the library half an hour later with a sleeping Jack in his arms, he found Elizabeth seated in a chair, reading softly to Genevieve.

"There are my girls," he whispered.

"Hi." She looked up at him with a grin. "Was your father-son time so boring that you put him to sleep?" she teased.

"Ha ha." He rolled his eyes playfully. "He played hard out there. He insisted I carry him from the field, and he was asleep before we even got to the saloon to return the ball and bat."

"Good. I'm glad you two had fun together."

"We did." He nodded. "Shall we get home?"

"Let me just put this book back." She lowered Genevieve back into the pram and returned the book to its proper place on the shelf. "By the way," she started as they headed out to Lucas's car, "I noticed you moved a few books out of place."

He gave her a cheeky grin. "I couldn't resist. Those books were the start of our relationship. Just like us, I prefer it when they're together."

"I told you, Vivi. So sappy."

"I like to think of myself as romantic."

"You're perfect, Lucas Bouchard." She leaned up, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek.

Rosemary and Lee came into the saloon amid the cheers and well wishes of the town. Their little boy tucked his face into Lee's shoulder, unsure what to think of all the attention.

Rosemary beamed. "Thank you all so much."

Elizabeth approached them, pulling her friend into a hug. "Welcome back, mom."

Rosemary laughed. "I still can't believe it. He's here with us, in our arms now. My son."

"I'm so happy for you, Rosemary. I know how much you've been wanting this."

She sighed contentedly. "Part of me really thought this would never happen for us. We're so blessed to have him."

"Somebody wanted to meet his new best buddy." Lucas joined them, Genevieve in his arms and Jack standing in front of him.

Jack smiled sweetly. "Hi, Auntie Rosemary. Hi, Uncle Lee. Can I meet Franklin?"

"Of course, you can." Lee crouched down in front of the little boy. "Franklin, this is Jack."

Franklin finally turned, his eyes wide as he looked at the boy in front of him.

"Hi." Jack waved at him. "Want a cookie?"

"There are cookies? Lee enthused. "Why don't you show us the way, Jack?"

Without waiting, Jack ran off toward the dessert table, Lee chuckling as he followed.

"Lee seems to be settling into fatherhood with no problem," Elizabeth observed.

Rosemary grinned. "He loves being a dad, and Franklin has already latched onto him."

Lucas spoke up. "Well, when Franklin gets a little older, Lee and I will have to start a new Hope Valley baseball team. I know Jack would like to change things up and not play with just me all the time."

"I'm sure Lee and Franklin would love that."

"Good." He passed Genevieve to Elizabeth, then kissed his wife on the temple. "I'll be back."

"Look at us," Rosemary glanced across the room, where Lucas and Lee were now talking while the boys nibbled on their cookies. "It wasn't that long ago that neither of us thought we would have this."

Elizabeth smiled. "Our families are complete."

A mischievous glint appeared in Rosemary's eyes.

"What?" Elizabeth questioned, watching as her friend's gaze drifted between the baby in her arms and the little boys across the room.

"Wouldn't it be great if, one day in the future, Franklin and Vivi ended up together?"

Elizabeth laughed. "Rosemary, Vivi is just a baby. We don't need to be marrying her off to anyone just yet."

"Fine, fine." Rosemary smiled, threading her arm through Elizabeth's. "We can revisit this in a few years."

Elizabeth kissed Genevieve's forehead before lowering her into the crib. "Good night, sweet girl. Sleep well." She took off her dressing gown and slipped into the bed beside Lucas. "Hopefully she'll sleep well after the excitement of today."

"It was a good day." He kissed her nose, pulling her against him.

"It was a very good day," she agreed. "Thank you for spending time with Jack and for all of your help with the party."

"Of course. I'm very happy for Lee and Rosemary. Franklin, too."

"So am I." She snuggled into his chest. "I'm very grateful for you, Lucas. I don't say that nearly enough."

"You say it plenty." He tightened his arms around her. "I'm very grateful for you, too."

She hummed, pressing her lips to his chest. "I love you, Lucas."

"I love you, Elizabeth."