"They are here!" Ally and Opal had been playing out front, keeping an eye for the Coulter's return home.
"Mrs. Thornton!" Opal yelled. "Mr. and Mrs. Coulter are back!"
Elizabeth came outside, carrying Little Jack on her hip. The four of them stood waving as the Coulter's car drove up. Rosemary waved back emphatically.
"Hi Charlotte! Hi Millie!" Opal rushed over and hugged the girls. "You still have Brownie!" Opal had given Millie her special stuffed animal Christmases okay. It had been tough for her to part with it.
Millie nodded, a sudden bit of shyness taking over.
"Hi Spencer!" Elizabeth knelt down to Spencer's level. "Welcome to your new home."
The children stood around, taking in the picture. They looked tentatively at Lee and Rosemary, seemingly awaiting permission to go in.
"Go ahead," Lee encouraged. "Check everything out!"
Charlotte looked at Opal and Ally. "Come on!"
The five children rushed into the house, laughing and prattling on. Lee put his arm around Rosemary. They both beamed with happiness and pride.
"How did it go last night?" Elizabeth asked her friends.
"When we first arrived at Brookfield, the children were incredibly shy. None of them spoke to us," Lee admitted. "But then Rosemary immediately put the children at ease. We went out for a picnic, let the kids ask us anything…and by the end of the night…."
"Millie did not want to let Lee go," Rosemary interrupted. "Spencer was talking about pancakes. Lottie—Charlotte says she likes having a nickname—was asking questions about Hope Valley. In that moment, I knew we could make this work!"
Elizabeth smiled. "Well, the town is going to help you make this work. The house is cleaned, Bill brought over food from the Café for dinner tonight." Elizabeth blushed before she continued, remembering last night's passionate moment with Nathan. "Nathan made sure you had plenty of firewood."
"Our rooms are beautiful!" Lottie came barreling out of the house, hugging Rosemary. "It is absolutely positively perfect! Thank you!"
Rosemary looked questioningly at Elizabeth. "What did you do Elizabeth?"
"I didn't do anything," Elizabeth remarked. "At least not on my own. Florence, Molly, Faith, Clara, and myself all worked together."
"There are quilts and books and toys and everything," Spencer yelled, vaulting himself into Lee's arms.
Lee and Rosemary's eyes filled with gratitude. They both mouthed thank you as they hugged their children. Elizabeth was also emotional. She knew what parenthood had meant to her. It would be the same way for Lee and Rosemary.
"I think it's really great that Mr. Lee and Miss Rosemary adopted before Christmas," Ally spoke up over dinner. Elizabeth had made shepherd's pie and had invited Ally and Nathan over. The three of them, with Jack in his highchair, were enjoying the meal and easy conversation.
"Why is that Ally girl?" Nathan turned to look at his daughter. His daughter! That was still sinking in for Nathan.
"Being alone at Christmas would stink!" Ally dramatically responded. "But now, Millie, Lottie, and Spencer can experience Christmas in Hope Valley. They can go to Christmas Eve service and have presents to open on Christmas morning. They have parents who want them. Miss Lillian and Miss Grace loved them I know, but it's different having parents." Ally looked at her uncle. "Like you Dad. You wanted me."
Nathan grinned. "You have a point."
"I always do," Ally sighed.
"Well, Ally," Elizabeth addressed the girl. "What ideas do you have for Christmas? Any particular requests?"
Ally had been giving this quite a lot of thought. "Well, there is the singing on Christmas Eve. But I think it would be nice to do a dinner beforehand—just the four of us." Ally continued on enthusiastically. "Christmas morning, Dad and I will go fishing…..but it would be fun if you and Little Jack came with us this year, Miss Elizabeth?"
"I have never gone fishing on Christmas." Elizabeth remarked. "I'm all for joining this new tradition!"
"Yay!" Ally responded a bit more loudly that she intended. "Sorry!"
Nathan and Elizabeth just chuckled at Ally's excitement.
"Then, what about a fish fry, presents and Christmas cake?" Ally continued on…
"What is Christmas Cake, Ally?" Elizabeth questioned.
Ally smiled sheepishly. "Opal was telling me her family does it. It's really just a birthday cake, but it is a red cake inside and decorated with Christmas colors. I thought that would be something fun to do together." Ally looked down at her shepherd's pie. "But we don't have to…"
Elizabeth lovingly put her hand on Ally's. "I think making a Christmas cake together sounds wonderful! In fact, all your ideas do. However, dinner on Christmas Eve might need to be more than the four of us."
"Oh you're right!" Ally realized she had forgotten something really important. "It is Little Jack's birthday! So the Coulters and Mr. Avery should be at dinner too. Do you like that idea Little Jack?" Little Jack lifted his fork into the air as if in agreement.
"So that settles it then." Elizabeth looked at Nathan, trying to get his feelings about the whole plan.
Nathan smiled from across the table. "I would say it does."
Ally sighed contentedly. "It really is shaping up to be the best Christmas ever."
Nathan looked right at Elizabeth as he responded to Ally. "It really is."
Nathan and Ally walked back home to their own row house a few hours later. Ally started to head up the stairs—it was a school night after all. However, Nathan stopped her. "Ally, can I talk to you for a minute?"
"Is everything alright?" Ally tried to not worry, but after everything with her biological dad, she was a little gun shy.
"I think so," Nathan sat across from Ally. "But I wanted to ask you about something."
"Ask away, Uncle Nathan…I mean Dad." Ally looked sheepishly at Nathan. One day she wouldn't keep slipping up. "You know I'll tell you what I think."
Nathan raised his eyebrows. Of course he knew Ally would tell Nathan the truth. "Are you happy Ally?"
"Dad," Ally rolled her eyes. "I am totally happy. I was happy LAST Christmas. But now we are staying in Hope Valley! I am doing well in school, I have friends, Miss Elizabeth has made both of us happy. Plus you adopted me. How can I not be happy?"
Nathan smiled. "Is there any way you could be more happy"
Ally looked sheepishly at Nathan. "It's dumb."
"I doubt that," Nathan tried not to chuckle at Ally's theatrics.
"Well," Ally looked around as if she didn't want anyone to hear. "I would be really happy if Miss Elizabeth lived with us. Like if she became my aunt."
Nathan stifled a grin and decided to act serious. "So you want me to get married?"
"Yeah," Ally admitted. "It has been okay just you and me all these years. But Miss Elizabeth and Little Jack….they are different, you know."
"Well," Nathan slowly broke into a smile. "I was going to ask you what you thought of me proposing to Miss Elizabeth sometime soon, but I guess I don't need to."
Ally squealed. "Dad!" She gave Nathan a huge hug. "If you do it before Christmas, then it really becomes…"
"The best Christmas ever," Nathan interrupted.
He couldn't agree more.