AN: So, I have an interesting schedule tomorrow so I want to make sure I get this updated now. After this, there is one more chapter and an Epilogue to the story. I appreciate all the support I have had during the posting of the story. So glad that so many people are enjoying this journey.
After a brief stop at Opal's house, in which Walter shook his hand and Melissa actually hugged him with the promise they would be at the wedding, Nathan headed toward the café. This time, Ally was in his arms. She was not yet strong enough to walk that distance and the wheelchair was impractical with the snow and ice. Opal walked beside him, carrying Ally's crutches. Opal had been as happy as Ally had been about the wedding.
A red velvet bag had joined the pocket watch. The ring held a diamond ring. The one that he had bought for Elizabeth just before that disastrous conversation by the pond. When Elizabeth had run from him, Nathan had gone home with the intention of getting rid of the ring. In those moments, he had thought there was no use for it. As he had pulled it out of the drawer it was tucked in and shook it out of the bag he had hesitated.
Was he really ready to throw away his love for Elizabeth that easily?
The ring had gone back in the bag and the bag moved to the far reaches of that drawer. He had dug it out tonight after telling Opal the news. The ring would finally find its way onto Elizabeth's finger.
Stepping into the café, Nathan spotted Elizabeth, Lee and Little Jack sitting at the table that he and Elizabeth had eaten dinner at. Abigail and Rosemary's voices could be heard from the kitchen area of the cafe.
"Nathan!" Little Jack exclaimed, wiggling out of Elizabeth's grasp and rushing toward him.
With Ally in his arms, Nathan could not greet the boy as he usually did. Nathan did manage a "hello, little man," even as Jack wrapped his arms around Nathan's leg. Looking down at the toddler, Nathan wondered what he was going to do. While she could stand with the crutches for a good period of time, Ally's steps were still limited to about a dozen without a break. She would not be able to walk from here to the table on her own. Nor could he walk very well with a toddler clinging to his leg.
It was Opal who came to his rescue. She took the toddler's hand and started leading him back to the table. Nathan followed. Reaching the table, Nathan placed Ally on her feet next to the chair near Elizabeth. He held onto her as she sat down in the chair, just to be sure. Nathan heard Elizabeth's soft exhale, of the breath she was holding, as Ally sat. Nathan knew just how she felt. How many times had he held his breath as Ally tried new things during her recovery?
"I am happy you and Dad are getting married," Ally told Elizabeth, holding her arms out to her teacher.
Elizabeth leaned over and embraced the girl. "I am glad you are all right with it," she said.
Nathan had reached down and picked up Jack as Opal leaned Ally's crutches against the table next to Ally. As Elizabeth let go of Ally, Opal was right there to hug her teacher.
"Congratulations, Mrs. Thornton," Opal told her teacher.
"Thank you, Opal," Elizabeth said as she let go of her pupil.
As Opal moved to claim a chair on the other side of Ally, Nathan knelt down on one knee between Elizabeth and Ally's chair. He settled Jack on his one leg, one arm securely around the toddler. With his other hand, he had taken the red velvet bag out of his pocket. Though he had planned on taking the ring out of the bag himself, Nathan knew that would prove difficult with Jack occupying one arm. Instead, he held the bag out to Elizabeth.
"This is for you," Nathan told Elizabeth.
"What is it?" Elizabeth asked as she took the bag.
"Look in it," Nathan said with a nod.
Lee and the two girls were quiet as they watched in anticipation as Elizabeth opened the bag, tilting the bag, she shook its contents out into her palm. A small diamond ring fell out. Elizabeth gasped in surprise as she dropped the velvet bag in her lap and picked up the ring.
"I know you said you didn't need the ring, but the truth is, I had already bought one, Elizabeth," Nathan told her.
"What? When?" Elizabeth asked.
"I have known I wanted to ask you to marry me for a while now. I bought that ring shortly before that day at the pond."
"The day I ran away from you?" Elizabeth asked.
"Yes," Nathan said. "My declaration of love that day did not come on out of the blue. I already knew I was in love with you. I knew that I wanted to ask you to marry me but I also knew it was too soon then. I had the ring but I knew we needed to go out on a few dates before I asked you but then-"
"Then I ran away after you told me that you loved me. I told you I couldn't give you what you wanted," Elizabeth said, her eyes filling with tears. "How wrong I was then. I could have made things so much easier on everybody if I had just faced my fears then."
Nathan reached out for her hand. "You were not ready that day, Elizabeth," he told her softly. "Perhaps I spoke too soon. Perhaps things had to transpire exactly as they did for you to be able to sort through everything. That does not matter." Letting go of her hand, Nathan reached out and gently took the ring from her. Holding it up, he continued. "I know I already asked once, but now that I can do it properly, Elizabeth, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"
It was Elizabeth who had tears of joy on her cheeks now, as she nodded her head. "Yes, Nathan. I want more than anything to marry you."
Elizabeth held out her left hand, so that Nathan could slip the ring on her finger. She then leaned in and gave him a kiss. Mindful of their audience, Elizabeth and Nathan kept the kiss short. Still sitting on Nathan's leg, Jack clapped his hands and giggled at the display, causing the others to laugh.
As Elizabeth sat up, Jack held his arms to her. Elizabeth reached out for Jack. Nathan handed him over and got to his feet as Bill came up to him.
"Looks like my timing is good. You got the engagement ring and I have the wedding bands for you," Bill told Nathan, holding out a black velvet bag.
Nathan took the bag as he asked, "how did you get wedding bands so fast?"
"They were my grandparents' wedding bands on my mother's side. My mother gave them to me when I left home. I know she expected me to use them, but when I married Nora she insisted on new rings. Given how that turned out, I am kind of glad we did not use those. I had planned to pass them down to my own child, but that never transpired."
"Bill, we cannot accept these. They are too special to you," Nathan told him, trying to hand the bag back.
"You and Elizabeth are just as special to me," Bill told him. "Despite our rough start, I have come to think of you as a son, Nathan. Why do you think I fought so hard for you at that inquiry? Elizabeth has been like a daughter to me. I would be honored for the two of you to wear those wedding bands and you are not going to be able to come up with wedding bands by tomorrow otherwise."
"Thank you, Bill," Elizabeth whispered.
Nathan had opened the bag and tilting it, let two simple gold bands fall into his hand. Despite their age, they gleamed as though they were new. They had been well cared for over the years. He tried to speak, to echo Elizabeth's words of thanks, but no words would come. Instead, Nathan reached out and pulled Bill into a brotherly hug.
"Just make each other happy, Nathan," Bill whispered as he returned the hug.
Nathan nodded his consent as he took a step back from Bill.
"Well, we've got the issue of the rings settled, but there is much to do if we are going to have a proper wedding tomorrow," Rosemary said, as she and Abigail entered with trays of drinks and snacks.
The café door opened and Jesse and Clara came in. "Have we missed much?"
"We are just getting started," Bill told her. "Let's all find seats and start making plans."
"All I really need is an exchange of vows and maybe a lunch with my friends. I do not want to put anyone through any trouble," Elizabeth said as everyone started to find seats around the table. Lee had moved over one chair so Nathan could sit next to Elizabeth.
"Oh, we are going through more trouble than that," Rosemary said. "It may be simple but your wedding day will be special," her friend informed her.
"I agree," Abigail said. "We will keep the café closed tomorrow, and we can do everything right here if you want," she said, taking a seat across from Elizabeth and Nathan. "You can make your entrance from the kitchen, and we will create an aisle with some chairs. Granted, you probably never thought you would walk through a kitchen for your wedding, but at least you can make entrance."
Elizabeth smiled as she reached out for Nathan's hand. "That sounds perfectly fine to me, Abigail," she told her friend.
Nathan gave her hand a gentle squeeze. He and Elizabeth were both very lucky to have such good friends. Refreshments were passed about as the plans continued, Leaning over, Nathan kissed Elizabeth's cheek. It might have been a rough December, but the new year was looking very bright indeed.
New Year's Day dawned bright and sunny. Elizabeth woke up to the sun peeking around the blinds and Little Jack calling for her.
"Mama is coming my Sweet Boy," Elizabeth called out to him, tossing back the blankets.
Swinging her feet over the side of the bed, Elizabeth put her feet into her house slippers. Standing up, she reached for her robe. As she did so, the diamond on her left hand caught the light calling her attention to it. She had not worn the rings Jack had given her in so long that it took her by surprise and then she remembered that this was not the diamond that Jack had given her. This was one that Nathan had bought for her.
Suddenly, it all came back to her. She and Nathan were getting married today. Elizabeth felt a flutter in her stomach as a smile came to her face.
She was marrying Nathan today!
Elizabeth found that she felt the same joy that she had on her wedding day to Jack. Her parents were probably going to give her an earful when she told them the news. She could hear her father saying now that getting married so soon was something that Julie would do. Perhaps it was. Perhaps she was being a little reckless but she could not deny that this felt right. There were no doubts in her mind.
"Mama!"
Jack's cry reached her ears again and Elizabeth started out of her room, putting the robe on as she walked. "Coming, Jack," she called ahead of her.
Walking into her son's room, Elizabeth picked him up. She went about getting him ready for the day. Though Abigail was going to cook breakfast for Rosemary, Clara and herself so they could get what needed to be done before the noon wedding, Elizabeth knew that Jack would be fussy if she did not feed him before then. She and Rosemary had to still figure out what dress she was going to wear before Lee drove them to the café.
Elizabeth had just finished cleaning up Jack from breakfast when there was a quick knock on the door.
"Come on in," Elizabeth called out, expecting it to be Rosemary and Lee.
Sure enough the door open and Rosemary cheerfully entered, followed by Lee. While Lee claimed Jack's attention, Rosemary whisked Elizabeth back upstairs. Entering the bedroom, Rosemary placed the handful of dresses down on the bed as Elizabeth went to her closet to pull out some of her own dresses.
"Elizabeth, I know you said you did not want to bother with a new dress but I have something I want you to consider," Rosemary said, stopping Elizabeth as she opened her closet.
Elizabeth turned to face her friend. "Rosemary, what did you do?"
"Clara and I were talking last night and Clara mentioned a dress at the shop that she thought would look pretty on you. We stopped by the shop last night and picked it up," Rosemary told her reaching for the garment bag on the top of her pile. "If you do not like it, I will take it back to the shop but please keep an open mind. I really think today calls for a new dress."
Elizabeth sighed. She supposed she should at least humor her friend. "All right, let me see the dress."
Beaming, Rosemary unzipped the bag. Taking the dress, she held it up. The dress had a sky blue satin skirt, with a two inch flounce at the bottom. The bodice was a lovely cream color. It had a gentle scoop neck, with long sleeves. A ruffle, in the same sky blue satin of the skirt, circled the top of the dress at the shoulder level.
Elizabeth gasped. Her friend did know her well because she loved the dress. "It's beautiful, Rosemary. However, I really should not be buying a new dress right now. Especially one that I might never wear again."
"If you like the dress, then it is a wedding gift from me and Lee," Rosemary told her. "I know the important thing is that you are marrying Nathan, but I do so want you to have a special dress for your special day. I also want it to be something that you like."
"I do like that dress," Elizabeth said. "Will it fit? We do not exactly have a lot of time for alterations."
Rosemary smiled. "I do not think it will need a lot of alterations," Rosemary said. "Try it on and we will see how it fits."
Smiling, Elizabeth took the dress from her friend. She looked at the dress, and ran her hand over the blue satin. It really was a pretty dress.
"I will step out in the hallway," Rosemary said. "Let me know when you are ready," her friend told her.
As Rosemary left, Elizabeth put the dress down on the bed. Slipping out of her robe and nightgown, Elizabeth went about trying on the dress.
Nathan stood in front of the mirror in Bill's bedroom. After spending the morning making sure the café was ready for the impromptu wedding, Bill, Lee, Jesse, Joseph and himself had all came to Bill's apartment to change for the wedding as the women were getting ready at the café. The others were already dressed and ready. Lee, Jesse and Joseph were out in the main room of the apartment waiting. Bill was supposed to be helping him decide which tie to wear with his suit. He was wearing the same grey suit he had worn to Florence and Ned's wedding.
"I would go with no tie but Ally would never let me live it down," Nathan commented, holding up first one tie and then the other. He only owned two. "Bill I thought you were supposed to be helping me," he said, turning from the mirror to look at Bill. The older man was currently rummaging through dresser drawers.
"I am helping," Bill replied. "Aha," he exclaimed. "Here it is."
Bill turned from the dresser and held up a black bow tie. "This is the tie you are wearing," he stated.
"I have never worn a bow tie in my life," Nathan replied, unsure of the idea.
"You have never gotten married before," Bill replied. He paused a moment before asking. "You weren't married before coming to Hope Valley were you? I mean, you do not exactly volunteer information so if no one thought to ask you directly you probably would not have shared that bit of information."
Nathan smiled. "No, Bill. I have never been married before. I never even considered getting married before this."
"Then you are wearing the bow tie," Bill said, walking over to Nathan.
Nathan lowered both hands and let Bill put the bow tie on him without further protest. When the older man was done, Bill turned him toward the mirror. Nathan had to admit, the bow tie did look better than either tie.
"What if this thing comes untied? I do not have a clue how to tie one."
Bill patted his shoulder. "Unless you untie it, it will not come undone," he assured him. "However, should that happen I can redo it for you. Lee knows how to tie them as well and I am sure it is something that Elizabeth knows how to as well. Are you ready?"
The question suddenly made Nathan's chest feel tight and lightheaded. He had very little experience with relationships. He and Elizabeth had been on one actual date. Was he ready? No, he did not feel ready. He knew he wanted Elizabeth in his life but could he be the type of husband that she deserved.
"Breathe, Nathan," Bill said quietly in his ear. The older man had his hands on either shoulder now as he stood behind Nathan.
Nathan took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. He repeated the process, the light-headed feeling eventually disappearing though there was still a tightness in his chest.
"Bill, what if I fail Elizabeth?" Nathan asked. "I have never even been in a long term relationship and here I am getting married. What was I thinking?"
"That you love her," Bill said quietly. "And she loves you, Nathan. That is the most important thing. The rest you can figure out as you go. You can come talk to me anytime, though Lee might be able to give you better advice. My own marriage did not exactly work out well. However, you and Elizabeth have already been through some hard times, Nathan. I think that the two of you are better equipped to deal with life's obstacles than Nora and I ever were."
Nathan nodded, Bill's words bringing him a measure of comfort. Bill had a good point. He and Elizabeth had already been through a lot and they had come through all of it with a stronger friendship because of all of it.
"Are we ready in here?" Lee asked stepping into the doorway. "If we do not leave soon, the groom is going to be late for his own wedding."
"I am as ready as I will ever be," Nathan replied, turning and head toward the door.
Bill followed him. As they walked, he asked, "so you did figure out what her favorite color was last night, right?" he asked lightly.
"Peach," Nathan replied without hesitation. "We were not taking any chance that you were not kidding," he told his friend.
Bill chuckled as they joined the others so they could all head over to the cafe.