Nathan woke early having had a fitful night's sleep. He hadn't tossed and turned like that since before Sarah had come into his life. He looked over at his beautiful wife whose blonde hair spilled across her pillow. He lay there for several minutes just watching her sleep. Her face was so peaceful and her lips turned up at the corners just a bit to make it look like she was smiling. Nathan resisted the urge to lean over and wake her with a kiss but it was still early and she needed all the extra sleep she could get as she continued to grow their baby.

Not wanting to disturb Sarah, Nathan lay as still as he could even though his mind was racing. Foremost in his thoughts was the scenario from dinner the night before, his father's hand over his mother's. The recollection had a pit forming in his stomach. He recalled Sarah's words of wisdom. She told him to trust that his mother knows what she's doing…pray and trust that it will all work together for good. Nathan wished he could trust as Sarah did but history clouded that ability.

Knowing if he stayed in bed he would start to toss and turn, Nathan quietly got up, put on his robe and slippers and made his way down to the kitchen. He put on the coffee and once he had a full mug he stepped out on the front porch. The nights were getting colder as they were getting to the middle of fall. Nathan took a seat on the swing and took a deep inhale of the aroma of the coffee in his mug. The earthy, slightly bitter coffee burned a bit going down his throat and he could feel the heat as it hit his stomach. Nathan relished his first cup of coffee every morning especially sitting on his front porch swing watching the sun rise in the east. The only thing missing today was his sweet Sarah, still asleep upstairs. Nathan turned as he heard the creak of the front screen door opening. He wondered if his wish for Sarah to be by his side may have come to fruition but instead, he saw his mother stepping out onto the porch.

"May I join you?" Caroline asked tentatively. She brought with her a blanket from the living room to cover their legs in an attempt keep the morning chill at bay.

"Of course, Mom. Come, sit with me." Nathan indicated the spot next to him encouraging her to take a seat. She sat down and spread out the blanket.

They sat in silence for a few minutes neither knowing if they were ready to have the conversation each knew was inevitable. Both sat sipping their coffee and making small talk about anything and everything other than the topic that hung over them like a cloud.

"Mom."

"Nathan."

Both spoke at once. Nathan turned to his mother. "Mom, you know how much I love you; how much Allie loves you and how much Sarah loves you. We just don't want to see you get hurt again."

Caroline took Nathan's hand and gave him a smile. "Nathan, son, you know how much I love you and the last thing I ever want to do is to upset you." Caroline took another drink of her coffee in an attempt to fortify herself for this conversation. "I know you have reservations about your father and I having a relationship. It wasn't something we planned and right now we're just getting to know each other again…but after so many years apart we are rediscovering the things that brought us together so many years ago."

"But mom, I remember how things were when he left. I remember feeling helpless, listening to you in your bedroom crying every night for weeks and knowing there was nothing I could do to help you. Archie hurt you so much. How can you just forget that?" Nathan's eyes sought an answer from his mother.

"Nathan, I haven't forgotten it but I forgave your father a long time ago." Caroline's words reminded Nathan of the forgiveness he'd given Archie many months before. "A lot of time has passed and I realized a years ago that carrying that pain around was turning me into a bitter person I didn't want to be. Your father and I are trying to be friends. You may not remember but in the early years of our marriage we were the best of friends. We had a wonderful life together."

"But aren't you afraid he'll leave and hurt you all over again?" Nathan squeezed his mother's hand a little tighter.

"Nothing in this life is guaranteed Nathan. If I let my fear rule my decisions than I would never have come to Hope Valley for your wedding, I wouldn't still be here now building a relationship with my granddaughter or my new daughter-in-law." Nathan smiled thinking about how happy Allie had been since his mother had come to town. "Nathan, you mean the world to me and I don't want to do anything that would hurt you, especially now with the baby coming, but I need you to trust me that I know what I'm doing."

Nathan chuckled. "That's funny, Sarah said the same thing."

"Your wife is not only beautiful and kind Nathan, she's very smart too." Caroline patted Nathan's hand.

"That she is mother." Nathan put his arm around Caroline and pulled her in for a hug. "I just love you mom and want to make sure you're okay."

"I know that Nathan and I love you for it but I promise you we're taking things very slowly."

They sat in silence for a few more minutes until Nathan checked his watch and realized it was time to get ready for the day. "Come on mom, time to start our day." He stood and reached out his hand to his mother, helping her up. They walked into the house arm in arm to find themselves face to face with Archie. Nathan nodded at his father and made his way upstairs to get ready for the day. Caroline and Archie exchanged a silent look both knowing they needed to let Nathan adjust to the situation on his own terms.

Upstairs Nathan told Sarah of his conversation with his mother. While Nathan felt more settled with his mother after their conversation, he still wasn't sure what he wanted to say to Archie. He did know that he wasn't ready to talk to him about it yet. Though their relationship was stronger than it had ever been, he still wasn't convinced that a rekindled relationship between his parents was a good thing.

Sarah quietly listened to Nathan trying to understand his point of view. She approached him as he was pulling on his serge and reached up to help him button it. She looked into his eyes while her mouth curved into the slightest of smiles. "Nathan, your reluctance to accept that your parents are reconnecting is understandable. How about if you take things one day at a time. Do you really want to stand in the way of your mother's happiness?" She finished buttoning his serge and slipped her arms around his waist pulling him close to her. She reached up on her toes bringing her lips to his. He quickly got lost in her, the softness of her lips and the smell of her perfume filling his senses.

Allie's voice outside their bedroom door reluctantly brought them back to the current but not before Nathan cupped his hands around Sarah's face and kissed her tenderly. "I love you Mrs. Grant. Thank you for being here to listen to me."

"Nathan, I'm always here for you. Tell you what, let's get breakfast and take Allie to school. It's been a long time since we've dropped her off and I'd like to say hi to Laura." With that Sarah took one last look in the mirror before opening the door and making her way down to the kitchen. She greeted Allie, Caroline, and Archie. As she moved past Caroline, she stopped and gave her a quick hug. Caroline smiled knowing the meaning behind the gesture. Every morning she said a prayer of thanks for her family and especially that Nathan had found Sarah.

"Allie, I was thinking it might be nice to take you to school today." Allie was used to getting a ride as far as the Mountie office and then walking the rest of the way.

"That would be great. You haven't done that in a long time."

"I wanted to have a chance to talk to Miss Whitcomb and I thought this would be my best chance to catch her. Our schedules have been hard to coordinate lately and I wanted to invite her to dinner one night this week."

Allie talked all the way to school about anything and everything on her mind. Most of it centered around her classes and her friends. It was a welcome relief to Nathan who needed to get his mind off what was going on at home. Sarah just smiled as they drove enjoying the enthusiasm in Allie's voice. As they got closer to school, she could see both Laura and Elizabeth standing on the steps welcoming students.

Nathan and Sarah got out of the car along with Allie to walk her closer. Nathan hung back while Sarah and Allie climbed the stairs.

Elizabeth noticed Sarah first and couldn't help but see the slight bump she was now had. Anna and Betsy had been busy letting out several of Sarah's skirts to accommodate the growth of baby Grant. Sarah reached out to Laura and gave her a hug. She turned to also say hello to Elizabeth.

"What brings you here this morning?" Laura's pleasure at seeing Sarah was obvious in her voice.

Sarah smiled back at her friend. "I wanted to invite you to dinner on Thursday. It's been too long since we've been able to catch up."

Laura accepted readily and once they coordinated the time Sarah turned her attention to Elizabeth. "How have you been Elizabeth? How's Jack?"

Elizabeth smiled politely. "We're well, thank you for asking. How are you feeling?"

"I'm good, thank you." Sarah kept it short and said her goodbyes turning to make her way back to Nathan who'd been keeping a distance and talking with Joseph Canfield. As Sarah joined them Joseph also asked how Sarah was feeling. It seemed the story of her fainting spell, early in her pregnancy, had made it around Hope Valley which explained why everyone she encountered asked how she was feeling. While the question got tiresome, she appreciated that there were so many people concerned about her. That care from others was one of the first things that made Hope Valley seem like home to her. Saying their goodbyes Nathan grabbed Sarah's hand and pulled her close to him. Putting his arm around her shoulders they walked back to the car.

He let Sarah drive and drop him at the Mountie office so she could drive home that evening. He knew he would be working late preparing for upcoming meetings at headquarters in Union City. He hated to leave right now given Sarah's pregnancy and the evolving situation with his parents but he had no choice. He just hoped the meetings would quick and efficient and he wouldn't be gone for too long.