Snowflakes Over Manhattan
— Chapter 3 —
That First Frosted Sunrise
WARMTH AND STILLNESS greeted Elizabeth as morning light began to creep around the edge of the curtains, drawn shut against drafts as much as they were against light. She fought against her internal alarm calling her to wakefulness, wanting nothing more than to stay in this blissful dreamworld of sunflower meadows where her laughter mingled with Nathan's as they watched their children frolic before them in the tall grasses from their vantage point, semi-reclined on a picnic blanket close by. . .
The warmth greeting her came from the thick blankets layered over her and from the familiar and unmistakably male arm under her head, apparently having been called into service as a pillow for her sometime during the night.
The stillness dissipated as the clatter of wheels across cobblestones drew her eyelids open. A pair of eyes she had fallen in love with over a decade ago were already open and watching her.
Traces of slumber still in his eyes and rasping the edges of his low voice, Nathan whispered "Good morning" to her as she sleepily mumbled it back, her eyelids drifting. "My sleeping beauty," he murmured with a low chuckle, then bent his head to kiss her fully awake.
"I'mma 'wake, I'mma 'wake," she groggily protested in slumberous discontent. He laughed softly, and she clarified grumpily, "The only thing I like about waking up, Nathan Grant, is this view." Her hands briefly framed his face.
His cheeks lifted in a smile.
"This is where you tell me that you like the view you see better," she coached him with a meaningful look, voice still rusty with the aftermath of deep sleep.
"Yes, Mrs. Grant." He was all meek obedience.
"Oh, you!"
"Yes, Mrs. Grant?" Innocent. Teasing.
"You-you-you're hopeless!"
She was giggling and he had a wicked glint in his eyes as he rolled off the bed and sprang to his feet, hair flopping haphazardly into his eyes. "Come, my adorably grumpy morning-wife." He caught her up, blankets and all. "This hopeless husband of yours would like to change the view — admittedly, his favorite view by far, it's true — and look out upon his first glimpse of a New York City sunrise with his beloved."
Long legs making short work of the distance, he carried her to the window, bridal-style against his chest, blankets draping from her to trail against the floor. She leaned out from the cradle of his arms to slowly draw the long, heavy drapes apart, then caught her breath at the vision.
Small window panes, big as a man's hand, filled the generous boundaries of the wide, tall window frame; each one frosted around the edges in a pattern so intricate it looked as if a winter spider had been at work overnight, spinning a web of delicate ice around each pane, leaving only round patches in the middle bare of winter's lacework. And through the bare patches, the marvel of a slow, colorful sunrise breaking over the city's skyline met their eyes, painting chimneys and pitched roofs and gables with glowingly-soft shades of orange and apricot, creating a silhouette of magic that seemed to shimmer in the clear winter morning outside.
For a moment, it was as though they were suspended inside a winter snow globe and all they could do was gaze, delight in their souls at the sheer beauty of it all.
Breathless, Elizabeth finally found a few words. "Oh, Nathan," she cried in a whisper, captivated. "The beauty of it!"
"More beautiful than anything I could have imagined." But when her eyes sought out his, she discovered it was her face he was gazing upon, and fifteen years married or not, her cheeks flushed to a soft pink under the steady, reverent wonder of his eyes. He lifted her closer and rested his head on her hair. "I don't know which is more beautiful to me: this sunrise from the hands of the Creator, or the love reflecting back at me from your eyes."
She didn't say anything; didn't tease or flirt about his pretend indecision like she could have, just nestled her head closer under his and soaked up the beauty of his love all around her and the beauty in the gift of a new sunrise before her.
He tipped her chin up. "You know it's the latter." Huskily.
"I know." Softly. No pretense. And oh, how I love you for it.
His hold tightened around her but when he spoke it was not what she expected. "All we need now is a warm coffee in our hands to make this officially a new variation of our morning tradition."
Back in Hope Valley, their morning tradition consisted of sharing coffees and morning prayers together on the wide balcony he'd built off their bedroom. They'd sit together in the rocking chairs he'd crafted, mugs cradled in their hands, steam rising ghost-like in the morning air, looking out across their land, out at their earthly blessings; connecting with God before they began the new day He had placed before them.
"Oh?" She craned her neck to see his expression more fully.
He kissed her temple, eyes grave. "You in my arms, coffee warming our hands, God's new day before us, our family under His care, and our little miracle safe from the world and sleeping in His grace. . . " He glanced over his shoulder to where Holly lay, sound asleep beside their bed in the special cradle he'd made just for the trip, featuring easy-to-disassemble carpentry with nail-free wood-joinery methods. "I couldn't ask for more, Elizabeth. Thatcher. Grant." He punctuated each name with another grave kiss, moving in slow sequence across her forehead.
It was only when Holly began to shift restlessly that Elizabeth reluctantly broke the moment with words. "I hate to say this, Nathan," she whispered regretfully, "but I think I'd better feed her so we can get ready and join Allie for breakfast."
He deposited her carefully down into the ancient but comfortable rocking chair that Mrs. Shemanski had scrounged up from heaven knew where. "Babies need rocking chairs, Mrs. Grant," she'd declared firmly the night before when she showed them the room, grammar impeccable despite her thickly-accented English pronunciation. "When Miss Allie told me you were bringing her baby sister, I decided to find one for you." Now, the chair rested close by the wood stove in the corner so Elizabeth could rock Holly in its radiating warmth.
"Comfortable?"
"Yes, dearest. Very." She watched as he stooped over the cradle where a little foot had broken free of its blanket swaddle and was waving in the air. He lifted the baby, tucking the blankets around her again and was rewarded with blinking, sleepy eyes that found and clung to his face.
"Good morning, Holly bear," he greeted her, kissing her tiny fingers, and Elizabeth didn't know whether to laugh or melt at the anomaly he presented; this big man brought to cooing by his very small daughter.
When he lowered Holly into her arms, Elizabeth caught his sleeve as he began to straighten. "Nathan?"
His eyes found hers.
"For the record, I feel the same way about our mornings together back home."
Smile lines fanned out around his eyes. "Just in case I was doubting?"
"Not doubting!" She playfully jabbed her forefinger into the unyielding mass of his upper arm. "Wondering!"
His responding chuckle kept her warm all the way through feeding Holly and getting ready for the day ahead. She was humming softly to herself as they entered Allie's apartment, two doors down on the same floor, loving the feel of Nathan's approving eyes on her daytime ensemble of fresh blue and white.
—o0o—
A/N: I should have mentioned in my introductory note at the start of the story, but this story contains some unabashed fluff for Nathan and Elizabeth. It being a Christmas story (and me needing a break from the slow-burn angst I have them on in "From Flame and Ash"), I decided we were overdue for some straight-up happiness for our couple, so that's predominantly what you'll be seeing here between them. "All the happy feels" is my goal for the chapters in this story. :-) Like a fall of sparkling snowflakes, I'm sprinkling a little Nathan-and-Elizabeth magic over this Christmas tale. :D
For those of you that are following my other two currently active stories—"From Flame and Ash" or "Neither Diamond Sunburst or Marble Halls"—and are patiently anticipating when those stories will get to the happy-and-romantic stage, this story should give you a foretaste of how I'll write once they get there. I hope it'll be a good sneak peek into the future.
AND HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO MY FELLOW AMERICANS! (Albeit a day late! ;) I hope everyone had a blessed day! (Belated Happy Thanksgiving to my Canadian readers! I wasn't publishing in October, so didn't have the chance to say it on time, so I'd like to wish it now. :)
I would also like to take this opportunity to say how thankful I am for all the blessings in my life—and you, my friends and sweet, smart readers/reviewers, are definitely among them!
The next chapter will be up very soon and we will pick up immediately where this one left off: N&E joining Allie in her apartment; then we're off, back into the sights and sounds of NYC. Allie's boss is coming, too — SOON! ;)