Nathan and the boys had a great time camping, but now they were back early because Faith went into labor.

"Hey, we need to talk," Nathan told Elizabeth, acutely aware that the house was full of little ears.

"After everyone is asleep?"

"Yeah." She nodded, concerned. He looked so serious.

"Nate?"

"Don't worry. It'll be fine."

"IVF?" she repeated later, while they drank wine on the sofa. "I don't know."

"Carson said it worked for them."

"I know but I feel like we will get our baby if we are patient."

"Beth, it's been almost a year."

"I know, Nate!" she said strongly. "I know how long it's been!"

"Hey, why are you yelling?"

"I don't know. I feel...I don't know."

She was struggling with so much right now. Becki and Cam were gone and she missed them terribly. No baby yet again. Why couldn't life just be easy for once?

She put her wine glass down and wiped her eyes. "I need a break, Nathan. I don't want to worry about this anymore."

He pulled her into his arms and rubbed her back, his lips in her soft hair as she cried. "Baby, I'm sorry. Let's just table this for now. We don't need to make any decisions right now."

"Aunt Beth?"

Elizabeth sat up, wiped her eyes and looked at Evie. "Hi, sweetie. What is it?"

"I'm sorry but...can I talk to you?"

"Of course. Want me to make us some hot chocolate?"

"Yes please."

Nathan gave Elizabeth a kiss and hugged Evie. "Love you, Eve."

"Love you too, Uncle Nathan. Sorry if I interrupted."

"Its alright."

"Are you sure? Cause I can wait to talk to Aunt Beth…"

He kissed her forehead. "I'm tired anyway. You two ladies have your chat. See you in the morning."

"Okay."

Elizabeth was back with the hot cocoa a few moments later. "Okay, sweetie. What's on your mind?"

"I think I broke up with Kevin." Even as she said the words, her heart broke.

"What? What happened?"

"I may have gotten jealous and overreacted," she admitted, taking a sip of her treat.

"Jealous?"

"This cute cheerleader, Ashley. He went to her house for pot roast tonight!"

"Why did he go to another girl's house?"

"He said they're lab partners."

"Oh, so they have a project."

"Yeah. He said they're just friends but...it felt wrong that he was going. He hadn't even told me. Ashley just walked up to us at the ice cream place."

"What happened next?"

"I told him that I need time apart. That we're moving too fast."

"Is that what you really want?"

"No."

"You could tell him that, sweetie. My guess is he doesn't want to break up with you either."

"He's leaving July 1st and he's going to be gone most of the summer. I wanted to spend it with him. Now that's not happening either."

"You still have almost two months before then. Think about it, Eve."

"I miss him. He's my best friend."

Elizabeth gathered her in her arms much like Nathan had done with her moments before. She hoped she was offering as much comfort as she had felt.

Elizabeth showered and slipped into bed a bit later. Nathan was asleep so she laid there, thinking about IVF. Faith had explained how it worked. It was expensive and there were no guarantees that it would work. Honestly, the whole thing could still end in heartbreak.

Elizabeth wanted a guarantee. If IVF didn't offer that, why spend the money?

"Babe?" Nathan mumbled, slipping up behind her.

"Sorry. Go back to sleep."

"You alright?"

"Fine." She wasn't.

"Is Eve okay?"

"Yeah. She will be."

He gently turned her chin and kissed her. "I love you. We don't have to do IVF. It was just a thought."

"I love you too."

"Beth, I need to go to Hope Valley." She had assumed he would visit Cam soon.

"I miss them too. Of course you should go."

"You could come with me."

"I could but with the kids….I should probably stay here."

"Okay."

"Nathan…" she whispered. "I understand if you're too tired but right now...will you just hold me?"

He reached out and accepted her into his space. "My love, I'll never be too tired to hold you."

She was grateful for everything they had and as she fell asleep in his arms, she prayed for a way for her to be able to go and see Cam and Becki too. She needed time away from normal life.

School let out early June and Nathan made arrangements with Elizabeth's parents to stay at the house and watch the kids so Elizabeth could travel with him. They made a long weekend out of it, even booking a bed and breakfast for the occasion.

After they left early one Friday, Allie texted Topher. Yes it was early morning but they'd been talking more lately. He had mentioned going to the beach with a group of friends. She wanted to go; she just had to get Grandpa William and Grandma Grace to let her.

"Have u asked? We leave tomorrow @ noon."

"I haven't."

"Look Al, if you're not ready to go…"

"I'm ready. I just...I'll go ask now."

She asked. "Al, will you be in a group?" Grace asked.

"Yes. At the beach."

"How will you get there?" William wondered.

"His parents will drive us."

"Well, since his parents are going, I suppose it's alright," William said with a nod

"Thank you!" she said, hugging him and then Grace.

Later as she shaved her legs, sitting on the edge of the tub, Evie walked in. "So, are Topher's parents staying at the beach?"

"What?"

"Al, Grandma and Grandpa think that, don't they?"

"Maybe," she said, shrugging.

"That's not fair to let them think something that isn't true when Uncle Nathan and Aunt Beth are gone."

"Are you going to tell them?" Allie asked, spreading shaving cream on her next leg.

"I'll leave that to you."

Allie finished shaving, legs and armpits and then tried on her swimsuit. She was rapidly growing in the chest area but it would do for this outing. Over the last months, she'd gotten more and more comfortable with the idea of Topher and dating him and letting him touch her. She even thought about kissing him.

Evie said that kissing was fun and Mom and Dad sure did it alot. Why not try?

Evie sat on her bed and picked up her phone. She checked her text messages a lot, hoping Kevin would text her but he hadn't.

He was leaving in a few weeks for the rest of the summer and she really wanted them to at least be chatting by then. But she didn't know how to start the conversation. An apology probably but the words didn't sound right coming out of her mouth. Did she need to apologize?

He was the one who hadn't mentioned dinner at the cheerleader's house. She sighed and flopped down on her bed. Maybe he'd text tomorrow.

In the Tahoe, halfway between Grand Haven and Hope Valley

"So Kendra wants a pool party for her birthday," Elizabeth mentioned, making a list as Nathan drove.

"Okay. That'll be fun. I can't believe she's going to be ten."

"I can't believe her adoption will be finalized next week," Elizabeth mentioned. She also couldn't believe how much her life had changed in the last year. Oddly enough, three days after Kendra was officially a Grant, was the one year anniversary of Vi's death.

"Hey, what is it?" Nathan asked, noticing her tears.

"It'll be a year since losing Vi…."

He squeezed her hand. "Yes. I thought we'd do something for you and the kids to remember her. A picnic on the beach or something."

"I'm sure they'd love that." She wiped her eyes again. "I hope that I'm raising them like she would. I'm trying really hard."

"Sweetie, you're an amazing aunt and mother to them. I didn't know Vi but from what the kids and you have said, I know that she'd be happy."

She held his hand the rest of the way to the B and B, but stayed quiet.

"I just need to freshen up a bit and then we can head to Becki's, okay?" Elizabeth mentioned, wandering into the lovely farmhouse style bathroom attached to their room. Nathan had sprung for the honeymoon suite so they wouldn't need to share a bathroom with other guests.

He sat on the soft bed and waited. He hoped this weekend would be a new start for them. A less-stress-no-more-worry-about-getting-pregnant start. No talk about IVF or how adorable Faith and Carson's babies were or anything like that. He just wanted time to move forward with Elizabeth and maybe it would happen all on its own.

"Babe?" she said from the doorway. "Hey, Nate? I'm ready. Let's go see Cam and Becki."

He nodded and offered his hand. He was ready too.

"Dad!" Cam yelled, tackling Nathan's waist as they stood on the porch. "Dad! I missed you. I want to go home."

Elizabeth hugged her best friend and against all her attempts not too, tears immediately started falling.

"Beth? Oh, what's wrong?" Becki led Elizabeth to the living room and they sat down on the couch while Cam led Nathan to his room.

"So much…" she sobbed.

Becki handed her a box of tissues and just rubbed her back.

"I….I missed you and Cam so much and….I want a baby and it's not happening and….it's been a year since Vi...and….I just feel like nothing is going right."

Becki just listened as her friend cried out her woes. "I'm sorry you're upset, Beth."

Elizabeth blew her nose and dabbed at her eyes, her gaze taking in everything around her. "Um, Becks?"

"Yeah," she chuckled.

"You've been here over a month…"

"Yeah."

"I mean, have you been feeling okay?"

"Yeah, pretty good."

"Well, I'm just surprised you haven't unpacked."

"I did and then….well, I repacked."

"You repacked?"

"Yes. It's easier to move our things back to Grand Haven if they're in boxes."

Elizabeth's eyes lit up as she looked at Becki. "You're moving back?!"

"Yeah. Cam misses Nathan and you and the kids so much and….I miss you and...I need to start over new. Rebuild my life again."

"Grand Haven is a great place to start again. I bet we can help you find a place. Or you can bunk in…"

"Beth...thank you for the offer but...I need to do this on my own. No more relying on Nathan. He has you and your family to worry about. Cam and I will be just fine."

"If you're sure."

"Mama Beth!" Cam yelled, running in the room and climbing on her lap.

"Hi, sweet boy. I missed you."

"I missed you too! I wanna go home."

Nathan's eyes met hers and then he shrugged. Becki smiled. "Tell your dad, Cam."

"Tell what?"

"We are gonna live where you live!" Cam said with four year old excitement.

"Our house?" he asked, confused.

"No, I'm trying to find a place in Grand Haven," Becki told him.

"I can call my real estate agent."

"I've got one. Thank you though. Plus we need to work out our custody arrangement so it's more consistent. Cam needs a schedule so that he always knows where he will be."

"Schedules are good," Nathan agreed. "Let's talk over food. I'm starved."

The next day, the beach

Allie shyly removed her t-shirt, keeping her shorts on. She watched from her towel as Topher and his friends played volleyball. She let the sun warm her back as she tried to ignore the guilt of misleading William and Grace. She knew she'd have consequences, most likely from both them and her parents but in her young teenage mind, it felt worth it.

Topher had held her hand in the car as his mom, Clara drove them to the beach and dropped them off. She liked to hold his hand.

"Al! Come play!" he yelled.

She wasn't that great at volleyball but she'd try anyway.

"Sorry," she told him later with a shrug. "I'm not that great at volleyball." They'd lost.

"Doesn't matter. We were just having fun."

Her stomach growled embarrassingly loud, making her blush.

"Hey, guys, let's walk to the pier to get lunch," he told everyone. She put her t-shirt back on and then took his hand as they strolled.

Al ordered a burger and fries with a soda and when they all had their food, Topher suggested the two of them walk toward the water and eat there. In her stomach and heart, she knew that going off alone with a boy wasn't something the adults in her life would like but her teenage side won out again.

"Sure, let's go." Besides, how would a first kiss happen if they stayed in a group?

As they sat together on the sand, their shoulders touching, they talked and laughed while they ate.

"So, I was thinking we could go to the movies," he suggested.

The last time she went to the movies with him, it had turned out with her in tears and too embarrassed to go back in to sit next to him. Now, she felt ready.

"Yeah. That would be fun."

"Good." She turned toward him and found him staring at her.

"Do I have mustard on my face?" she asked, reaching up to wipe it away.

"No. You look great."

"Oh. I do?" She could feel her face heat up. How embarrassing.

"Yeah. I'm glad you could come today, Al."

"Me too."

He smiled and leaned toward her slightly, hesitating for a moment, maybe to see if she wanted him to kiss her. She nervously brushed at a hair that had come out of her ponytail, tucking it behind her ear.

He leaned closer, and because of watching others do it and countless romantic movies with Evie, she met him halfway until their lips touched. It was warm and sweet and over quickly but it had happened. She had finally kissed Topher Flynn.

He stood and reached out his hand for her. "We should go back. Mom will be picking us up soon."

"Okay."

"Al?"

"Yeah."

"Will you be my girlfriend?"

"Yes, Topher. I will." After she got done being grounded that is.