A gentle knock sounded at Elizabeth's door as she was feeding Jack his breakfast. Curious as to who would be there at this hour, she quickly crossed the room and opened the door. Nathan was standing there, a small smile on his face.

"Nathan!" Elizabeth exclaimed. "You're not supposed to see the bride before the wedding!"

He gave her his full crooked smile. "I thought that only applied to seeing the bride in her wedding dress."

"Well, technically that's right, but…"

Nathan laughed. "You're cute when you're flustered." He kissed her cheek, then held up a small box in his hands. "I have an early wedding gift for you. If you want it."

Elizabeth eyed the box. "What is it?"

He held it out to her. She took it and opened it, and her mouth fell open. "Nathan," she breathed, taking in the beautiful pearl necklace and matching pearl cluster earrings. "These are beautiful!"

Nathan smiled, looking down a little shyly. "They were my mother's, given to her by her mother on her wedding day. She sent them to me when she heard we were engaged. She can't travel, but she wanted a piece of herself to be here. She said she would be honored if you wore them." He looked a little hesitant. "But only if you want to, of course. I know you have your own jewelry that you might want to wear for the wedding."

Elizabeth shook her head. "This is perfect, Nathan," she said. "I would love to wear something that belonged to your mother." She felt tears prick her eyes, touched that he would offer her something so priceless. "Thank you."

He framed her face in his hands. "I should be thanking you, Elizabeth. It means the world to me that you would be willing to wear my mother's jewelry." He pressed a kiss to her forehead, then stepped back with a grin. "I'll see you at the wedding."

Elizabeth felt a thrill run through her at his words. "Only a few more hours," she said, unable to stop the grin that spread over her face. Nathan nodded and shot her one last smile, then headed down the road toward his rowhouse. Elizabeth took a deep breath and turned her attention back to her son, who was covered in syrup from his pancakes. She laughed and grabbed a washcloth from the basin. "I think you need a bath, little man."

A couple hours later, Elizabeth was seated in a chair at her kitchen table, with Rosemary and Fiona helping her to get ready for the wedding. Little Jack had been dressed and was now with Lee and Bill while his mother was attended to by her friends. "Sit still, Elizabeth!" Rosemary exclaimed with a laugh. "The more you fidget the harder it will be for Fiona to get your hair done!"

Elizabeth tried to calm herself, but she was too aflutter. "You're telling me to sit still when all I can think about is the fact that I get to marry Nathan in less than an hour?" She raised a brow. "And I seem to remember you being a bundle of energy right before your wedding, Mrs. Coulter."

"So do as I say, not as I do," Rosemary said breezily with a wave of her hand.

Fiona laughed around the pins in her mouth. She plucked them out one by one and placed them expertly in Elizabeth's hair, pinning the curls in place. "She's fine, Rosemary. I would let her know if she needed to stop moving."

"Thank you, Fiona," Elizabeth said, shooting a smirk at Rosemary. Her friend simply gave her a snarky smile back.

After placing a few more pins in Elizabeth's hair, Fiona stood back and studied her work. "Perfect," she said with a wide smile. She tilted her head, her eyes narrowing slightly. "Actually, it feels like something's missing. Do we have a tiara or a white clip we can add?"

A knock sounded at the door, and Allie appeared as Rosemary opened it. "Can I come in?" she asked.

"Of course," Rosemary said, stepping back to allow Allie entrance. Allie held something behind her back, and she looked shy, an expression Elizabeth wasn't used to seeing on her. She turned in her chair and smiled at her soon-to-be daughter. "Is something wrong, Allie?"

Allie shook her head, the shy look deepening. "I have something for you," she said, her voice so low Elizabeth had to lean forward to catch the words. She slowly brought her hands into view, which held a delicate chain of small white carnations. Looking up at Elizabeth, she said, "I wanted to contribute something for the wedding. Opal and I found these flowers a couple days ago in some bushes in the forest. I wanted to make a headpiece with them to wear to the wedding, and I thought...maybe...you'd like one too. So we could match." Allie looked down at the ground, shuffling her foot. "But you don't have to if you don't want to. It won't hurt my feelings if…"

Elizabeth interrupted her, blinking back tears. "I would love to wear it, Allie," she said softly, pulling the girl into a tight embrace. "It means a lot to me that you made this."

Allie looked like she was blinking back tears too, but she smiled radiantly. "Are you sure? Will it go with your pretty hairstyle?"

"Of course it will," Fiona said. "Let me see it."

Allie handed it over, and Fiona expertly and quickly weaved the chain through Elizabeth's hair. The pretty flowers crowned her head, and Allie gave a little gasp of delight. "It looks like a crown!"

Elizabeth smiled. "I'll bet Miss Miller can do the same for you."

Allie looked at Fiona, wide-eyed. "Can you, Miss Miller? Please?"

"It would be my pleasure," Fiona said as Elizabeth stood from the chair. "Have a seat."

Rosemary and Elizabeth did their makeup while Fiona did Allie's hair. "Okay," Rosemary said, picking up her checklist. "Hair and makeup is done for all of us. Now we just need to put on our dresses, and we'll be ready to go!" She smacked her forehead. "Jewelry!" Looking at Elizabeth, she raised a brow. "Did you have anything special you wanted to wear?"

Elizabeth looked at the box Nathan had given her. "Yes. In there," she said, pointing at the box.

Rosemary picked it up and brought it over. She gasped when Elizabeth opened it. "Oh, Elizabeth! Those are beautiful!" she exclaimed. "Where did you find such exquisite pieces?"

"Nathan gave them to me this morning," Elizabeth said. "They were his mother's."

"Oh, that is so sweet!" Fiona exclaimed, a hand over her heart.

Allie looked at the earrings as Rosemary clasped the necklace in place. "These are beautiful. They were my grandma's?"

Elizabeth nodded, taking Allie's hands in hers. "And one day, Allie, I can promise you that you will get to wear them on your wedding day."

Allie wrinkled her nose. "That means I would have to get married," she said. "And I like boys as friends, but I don't know about getting married."

The three women laughed in unison. Elizabeth winked at Allie. "You keep saying that, sweetheart. Your Uncle Nathan will be thrilled." She smiled. "But one day you might discover that you do indeed like a boy enough to marry him." She tapped Allie's nose. "Someday. No hurry."

Rosemary glanced at the clock as Fiona put the finishing touches on Allie's hair. "Alright, ladies, let's get into those dresses! It's almost showtime!"

Nathan looped the tie around his neck as he and Gabe walked to the pond by the church. "Is it bad that I already can't wait to take this thing off?" he asked as he quickly knotted it in place. "How does it look?"

"Very good," Gabe said. "I'm impressed that you got it on the first try. Considering you rarely wear a tie."

"My mother made sure I knew how to properly wear on," Nathan said. "Though I fought her on it every step of the way. I think I can count on my hands the number of times I've worn one of these in my lifetime." He glanced at Gabe's tie. "You seem to know what you're doing as well."

Gabe chuckled. "Well, I rarely wear these things either, but I'm sure I have more often than you. Actually, I rarely wear a suit at all."

Nathan smiled slyly. "I'm sure a certain young lady will take note of how you look in your suit."

He could have sworn he saw color enter his friend's cheeks. Putting a hand on Gabe's shoulder, Nathan said, "You need to ask her, Gabe. Ask if you can court her."

Gabe pulled at his collar, clearing his throat. "I don't know, Nathan. What if she says no?"

"What if she says yes?" Nathan challenged. "You'll never know if you don't try." He grinned. "I hear weddings are the perfect place to start a new relationship. Ask her at the reception."

"I'll think about it," Gabe hedged. They reached the chairs by the pond, stopping when they found Lee and Bill.

"Right on time," Bill said. He was holding Jack in his arms. Jack smiled at Nathan and held his arms out to him. Nathan took him, and Jack immediately zeroed in on the tie. He took it in both hands and pulled, giggling.

Nathan laughed. "At least someone is amused by this infernal noose," he said.

"Still not a noose, Nathan," Lucas said from behind him, laughing. He clapped him on the back. "Are you ready for this?"

Nathan nodded, more sure of it than anything in his life. "Yes, absolutely." He raised a brow. "Have you thought any more about what we talked about regarding the young lady you're courting?"

Lucas laughed again, heading for his seat. "One step at a time, Nathan."

Pastor Zeke came up to them, giving the men a smile. "Let's take our places, shall we?" he said, nodding toward the arbor on a makeshift platform.

"I'll take Jack," Lee said. "The ladies are in the church and are almost ready." He headed toward the church with Jack, disappearing inside.

Bill looked at Nathan. "Do you have the adoption papers?" he asked.

Gabe handed him the folder he'd been carrying. "Right here," he said. They walked up to the platform, and Gabe placed the folder on the small table off to the side of the arbor. He grinned. "Allie is going to be so happy."

"I hope so," Nathan said, joy springing up in his heart. "This is the happiest day of my life," he said, more to himself than to Gabe. "I get to marry Elizabeth, adopt Allie, and become a father to Jack. It doesn't get any better than this."

"You're a lucky man," Gabe said, clearly hearing what he said.

Bill nodded. "You're all blessed," he said. "You might be a ready-made family, but you all need each other in different ways. I think you're going to have a wonderful life together."

Nathan nodded, his heart too full to respond. He feared he might tear up if he tried to speak. He saw Lee wave from the church doors, the sign that the women were ready. The music started, and Allie walked out of the church holding little Jack by the hand. She let Jack go ahead of her as they reached the aisle to the arbor, and he quickly walked up to Nathan holding the rings, smiling his toddler smile. Nathan bent down and took the small pillow, gently ruffling Jack's hair, and handed the rings to Gabe. Allie followed more sedately, dropping flower petals every few steps. Nathan felt a lump in his throat as he realized his little girl was growing up. Her green dress brought out her eyes, and she looked beautiful.

Fiona and Rosemary came next, wearing dresses that matched Allie's. Both were smiling radiantly, and Nathan noticed Lucas take a deep breath as he saw Fiona walk down the aisle. He wondered if his friend was indeed starting to think about asking her to marry him.

The music changed, and everyone stood to face the church. Lee walked out, Elizabeth on his arm, and Nathan's breath whooshed from his lungs.

Elizabeth was breathtaking. Her dress was elegant but simple, perfectly Elizabeth. She wore a crown of flowers in her updo that Nathan recognized as similar to Allie's, and she had on the jewelry he had given her this morning. But despite all the beautiful things she wore, Nathan was captivated by the smile on her face and the look in her eyes as she came toward him. Everyone else faded, and he had eyes only for the woman who would soon be his wife.

The walk down the aisle seemed to take forever and yet it was over before Nathan could blink. Lee placed Elizabeth's hand in his, then took his seat with little Jack on his lap. Nathan held onto Elizabeth's hands, gazing into her eyes. He saw so much love in those blue depths that he momentarily forgot to breathe. He squeezed her hands, mouthing the words "I love you" to her. She smiled and mouthed them back.

Nathan had known what it was to be happy, but as he stood there with Elizabeth in front of their friends and community, he knew a happiness that went beyond anything he'd ever known.

Elizabeth stood hand in hand with Nathan, her eyes locked on his. She was aware of their wedding guests, but her focus was on the man in front of her. As she'd walked toward him, she noticed how handsome he looked in his suit, the same one he'd worn on their Union City trip, and she'd smiled when she saw the tie. Then Lee had handed her over to Nathan, and her heart had automatically joined to his. They were so closely connected in this moment, she could almost tell what he was feeling. She felt the happiness too.

"Friends," Pastor Zeke said, addressing the crowd. "We are here today to celebrate the sacrament of marriage with Nathan and Elizabeth. Not only are they joining themselves together today, they're joining their families." He smiled, addressing Nathan and Elizabeth. "You have both gone through some hard times, but now you're here and ready to say yes to the life that God has planned for you. Nathan, what do you have to say to Elizabeth?"

Nathan took a breath, his eyes still joined to hers. "Elizabeth, when I first came to Hope Valley, you welcomed me right away, even though it wasn't easy for you. As we formed a friendship, you pushed me in ways I needed to be pushed. You've been a constant good in my life and in Allie's life. You never gave up on me, no matter how many times I tried to push you away. Your love has been a balm to my soul, and I can't imagine my life without you. I promise to love you and cherish you for the rest of our lives. I promise to be a good father to Jack and to love him as if he were my own son." He pressed her hands gently. "I promise to keep finding new ways of loving you as we move forward in life together, in big things and in little things. You are the light of my life."

Elizabeth smiled as tears formed in her eyes. Nathan's words washed over her, and she could feel his love in a real and tangible way. Pastor Zeke looked at her and said, "Elizabeth, what do you have to say to Nathan?"

She glanced at the pastor, then locked eyes with Nathan once again, her heart in her words. "Nathan, I never expected to find love a second time. I was content with my son and with teaching, but then you came into my life and showed me what it was like to love again. You've challenged me, encouraged me, and helped me to see that life is so beautiful even in the simplest things. You may not say much, but you prove your love in your actions each and every day. I promise to love you fully, to be happy in the life we've chosen to live together. I promise to love Allie as my own daughter. I choose to be committed to finding the joy in everyday moments with you as we navigate bringing our two lives together. I love you more than words can say, and I'm so glad you walked into my life. I bless the broken road that brought us together."

Tears were shining in Nathan's eyes now too, and they smiled at each other as they communicated their love and devotion through their looks. Pastor Zeke smiled, motioning for Gabe to hand the rings to Nathan and Elizabeth. "And now, the vows. Do you, Nathan, take Elizabeth to be your lawful wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and health, until death do you part?"

"I do," Nathan said, the two words strong and confident as he slid the ring on Elizabeth's finger.

"Do you, Elizabeth, take Nathan to be your lawful husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and health, until death do you part?"

"I do," Elizabeth said, meaning it with all her heart. She placed the ring on Nathan's finger, then looked up at him, her happiness bubbling over in a tiny giggle.

Pastor Zeke looked out at the crowd. "And now, can we have Allie and Jack join us?"

Allie looked surprised, but she walked up onto the platform, standing next to Nathan and Elizabeth. Lee walked Jack up to them, letting Allie take his hand so the four of them formed a little circle.

Pastor Zeke smiled. "Nathan and Elizabeth have promised to love and care for each other. Now I ask them if they will love and care for each other's children, raising them as their own and showing them the same love they will show to any other children who come from their union."

"We will," Elizabeth said in unison with Nathan.

"Then I believe we have a surprise for Allie," Pastor Zeke said, smiling at the girl. Allie looked between Nathan and Elizabeth, clearly wondering what was going on as they walked to the small table. Nathan pulled the papers out, and once he signed them, he handed the pen to Elizabeth, and she signed as well. Nathan held the papers out to Allie. "This is our gift to you," he said gently.

Allie looked at the papers, then let out a gasp. "I'm adopted?" she asked, looking up at them.

"Yes, Allie," Nathan said. "You're officially and forever our girl."

Allie tackled them both in a hug, laughing and crying at the same time. She looked up at them, eyes wide. "Does this mean I'm your daughter?"

Nathan nodded, his smile filling his face. "It does."

Allie bit her lip, and Elizabeth knew there was something more she wanted to say. "What it is, sweetheart?"

She looked up, hesitating, then blurted out her desire. "Does this mean I can call you Mom and Dad?"

Elizabeth felt a little choked up, and she could see that Nathan did as well. He knelt down, taking Allie into his arms and hugging her. "It does," he said. Allie hugged him back, then hugged Elizabeth. She laughed in unfettered delight, announcing to the crowd, "I have a mom and dad!"

Everyone clapped and cheered, and Carson snapped a picture of the four of them standing there together, beaming with happiness. Pastor Zeke laughed and called out, "I now pronounce you husband and wife. Nathan, you may kiss the bride."

Nathan took Elizabeth's face in his hands, kissing her with all the love and emotion he felt in his heart. Elizabeth wrapped her arms around him, delighting in feeling so loved and cherished. When they broke apart, Allie threw her arms around Elizabeth, and Nathan picked up Jack as he wrapped his other arm around Elizabeth. The four of them stood in a united circle, a family at last, as Pastor Zeke's voice rang out once more.

"I present to you, the Grant family!"