Chapter 75: Assumptions and Misunderstandings
When Elizabeth walked into the rowhouse once they returned from the new house, her phone started ringing. When she picked up the receiver, Florence informed her that her mother was on the other line from Hamilton.
"Mother, I just got home. Can you give me a moment to get Jack set up with something?", Elizabeth asked, holding onto her son's hand.
"Of course, darling.", her mother said.
Elizabeth walked Jack over to his toy box, pulled it out of the place it sat, and placed it in the middle of the floor. She knelt down and stroked his fine blonde locks and said, "You play here while I talk with your Grandma Thatcher, my sweet boy." Jack nodded his head and instantly started playing with his wooden Mountie and horse that Nathan had made him long ago.
Elizabeth walked back over to the phone and said, "Thank you, Mother. Jack is settled now. How are things? Are you calling to finalize plans for your trip out here?"
"Things are fine here, Elizabeth, but your father and I have been talking. Since you're moving into a new home, your father and I have decided that we would like to buy the furniture for your new home as a wedding present. You have never asked for much living there in Hope Valley, and we truly would like to do this for you and your family. Could you and Nathan go to the local furniture store and pick out what you like, and then your father and I will take care of the rest? That way, it meets your preferences.", her mother said.
Elizabeth put her hand to her heart and sat down slowly on the couch. She was amazed at the many blessings that were being bestowed on her and Nathan lately. "Mother, I don't know what to say...", she replied, at a loss for words.
"You don't need to say anything, darling. This is something that we would like to do. Would you allow us to do this for you, please?", her mother asked, waiting patiently for her daughter's response.
At first, Elizabeth sat there on the couch dumbfounded. "Elizabeth?", her mother inquired quietly. Elizabeth was shaken out of her reverie, and she answered, "Yes, Mother, I am here. That is so generous of you and Father. I will see if Nathan and I can go into Buxton in the next few days. Thank you very much!"
"Splendid! Now when you do find what you want, you just have them phone the bank, and the rest will be taken care of from there. You are very welcome, darling!", Grace Thatcher replied.
"Mother, have you and Father confirmed your trip out here yet?", Elizabeth asked her mother.
"Yes, we have. Your father and I will arrive in Hope Valley on Monday, March 21st, in the afternoon. We will stay at the inn. Julie will be with us as well, but I believe that she's planning on staying with you if I recall.", Grace shared with her daughter.
Elizabeth smiled at her end of the conversation. She loved that most of her family would be able to share in her special day with Nathan, Allie, and Jack. "Yes, Julie will be staying with me here at the rowhouse. I'm excited to see all of you, Mother!", Elizabeth told her mother.
The two spoke a little longer and then hung up. She thought to herself, what a truly delightful occasion that it would be!
Meanwhile, down the road at the Grant rowhouse, Allie and Nathan sat on the couch, each reading their own books, but Allie was snuggled into the crook of her father's arm.
She closed her book, sat up, and looked at Nathan with a serious expression. "I'm going to miss this, Dad."
Nathan looked over at Allie a bit confused and asked, "What are you going to miss, Allie girl? The rowhouse?"
Allie shook her head and answered, "No, this ... our time together. Things will be different soon, that's all."
Nathan nodded his head and thought for a moment before responding. "Allie, are you still ok with all of this?", Nathan asked with a concerned look on his face.
Allie looked at her father and nodded her head profusely as she answered, "Dad, I am so excited for us all to be a family! It's what I've been dreaming about for a very long time. I'm just going to miss the times when we are together like this tonight. It won't quite be the same, and that's okay. What will come will be so much better." Allie paused for a moment and thought about what she would say next. She then reached over and put her hand on her dad's shoulder and looked earnestly at him.
"Dad, you've been so amazing! You stepped in when you honestly didn't have to, and you became my father. Despite the demands of your job, you've always put me first. It hasn't gone unnoticed. Thank you for being there! I'm excited about this next chapter because it makes you happy, and to me, that means the world. I love Mom and Jack, but you and how you feel means the world to me." With that, Allie hugged Nathan tightly, tears streaming down her face. Nathan was left speechless as he held his daughter in his arms and had tears flowing down his cheeks as well.
Nathan closed his eyes as he held Allie and lifted up a silent, heartfelt prayer. "Lord, thank you for this girl and who and what she is in my life. She is my heart. I pray that this union between Elizabeth and myself will not only be a blessing to us but also one that is fruitful for Jack and Allie, along with any other children that we raise. Once again, I dedicate it all to you. In your name, Amen.", Nathan prayed. Just as he finished, Allie began drawing back from their hug. She grabbed her book and gestured for them to resume their positions prior to their conversation. Nathan chuckled, sat back, and lifted his arm to where Allie smiled and snuggled right into the crook of it.
The next day, as Elizabeth was finishing getting Jack and herself ready for the day and making her way downstairs to fix the two of them some breakfast, there was a knock at the door. When they opened it, there stood Allie, holding a basket of delicious-smelling fresh muffins, and Nathan right behind her.
"Hi! Allie thought it'd be fun to have some breakfast together before the day began.", Nathan said with a bright smile.
Elizabeth smiled in return as she took the basket from Allie's grasp. "Allie, these smell wonderful! Thank you so much for sharing them with us! Come on in and make yourselves at home. Allie, could you get Jack situated at the table, and Nathan, could you make some coffee as I get the table set?", Elizabeth asked as she made her way into the kitchen.
"Sure thing, Mom!", Allie replied and grabbed Jack's hand, leading him to his chair at the table and helping him settle into it. She went into her school bag and took out her sketch pad and colored pencils, gave a piece of paper to Jack and one to herself, and the two of them sat there drawing contentedly.
Nathan followed Elizabeth and started the process of making coffee as she poured two glasses of milk for the children and took out plates for their muffins. Before she left the counter, Nathan stopped her in her tracks, leaned over, and kissed her. "I forgot to say good morning when I walked in.", he said as he pulled away and smiled.
Elizabeth smiled and with a twinkle in her eye commented, "I think I can forgive you, but you'll have to give me another one of those before I go set the table." Nathan grinned from ear to ear, leaned in, and kissed Elizabeth a little more passionately this time. They stayed like that for a few moments until they were interrupted by Allie clearing her throat and saying, "We may be occupied, but we can still see you. Now, can you two finish up so that we can eat? We do have to go soon, you know.", Allie said as she looked up and rolled her eyes at her parents. Elizabeth giggled, and Nathan took the plates from the counter and headed for the table.
"Get used to it, Allie; pretty soon, we will all be under the same roof all of the time.", Nathan said as he tousled Allie's hair after putting the plates in their spots. Allie simply looked up at him and rolled her eyes.
The four of them ate their muffins and drank their drinks while talking amongst themselves. When they were done, Nathan cleaned up Jack and prepared him to leave while Allie and Elizabeth quickly cleaned up the dishes. Once they were finished, the four started walking towards town to start their day.
Nathan carried Elizabeth's basket as they walked, and Elizabeth weaved her arm into his arm. As they were discussing the Grants move to the new house, Elizabeth touched Nathan's arm with her other hand.
"I almost forgot to tell you that Mother called me last night. She confirmed that her and father would be here with Julie on the afternoon of the 21st and that they would stay at the inn while Julie would stay at the house with me.", Elizabeth explained.
Nathan glanced over at Elizabeth because he suspected that she had something else to say with the way that she paused in the conversation. "Anything else?", he asked after a moment of silence.
"Actually, there is. Mother and Father are gifting us the furniture for the new house. They said that all we would have to do is go to the local furniture store and pick out what we want, and then the store can contact the bank for payment. It will be their wedding gift to us.", Elizabeth said as she smiled and drew in a little closer to Nathan as they walked.
But suddenly, she noticed that his body had stiffened up. Elizabeth looked over at him, and she noticed that his jaw was clenched. "Nathan, what's wrong?", she inquired, a slight shrill in her voice as she searched his face for any hint of what could be going through his mind at that moment. But Nathan remained silent for several minutes before he spoke, without looking over at Elizabeth, and finally he asked, "You agreed to this offer without talking to me about it?"
Momentarily oblivious to the dry tone that Nathan had used, Elizabeth continued sharing. "Of course, it's an extremely generous offer, but I thought how wonderful it would be to put pieces in the house that were chosen by both of us. I thought that we could make a day of it on Saturday. And, if we wanted to, we can either take the children and include them in the shopping process or we can leave them here and simply have a date day.", Elizabeth said happily, hugging onto his arm tighter.
But the moment she did, she noticed that he had stiffened even more, and when she looked over at his face, his jaw seemed to be even more clenched than it had been before. Puzzled, she stopped them in their tracks and moved to stand in front of him.
"Nathan, what is it? What's wrong?!", she pleaded, desperately searching his stone-like face for any indication of what might be going on inside of his head, but he wouldn't make any eye contact with her whatsoever. Nathan shook his head, lips pursed, and answered in a somewhat abrupt voice, "It's not the time, Elizabeth." Elizabeth tilted her head quizzically at him, but he walked past her and gestured towards the direction that the children were walking, speaking shortly. "We've got work and school, and the children are here."
As he continued walking, leaving her behind, she stood there baffled at what had just happened. Elizabeth shook her head and quickened her pace to catch up. She'd have to figure it out sometime later, she thought to herself.
As she dropped Jack off at the preschool, Nathan stayed at a distance. When they were about to part ways, he hesitated before coming over to her. He stood there for a moment as if debating something, but then finally, he leaned in, gave her a quick peck on the cheek, flatly muttered a quick goodbye, and walked away. Elizabeth watched him walk away with a dazed look of bewilderment. "What, was that?!", she asked herself in an exasperated whisper.
Knowing that since school would be starting soon and, as Nathan had inferred, she didn't want to concern Allie with whatever was going on between them, Elizabeth resolved to just try to speak to Nathan at lunchtime. And when Allie turned around to ask her a question, she squared her shoulders, smiled, and answered her as if all was right with the world.
Even though the morning seemed to drag on, Elizabeth trudged through it more determined than ever to speak with Nathan at lunch. She knew that she had to figure out what was wrong. Before she rang the cowbell to excuse the students to lunch, she informed the students that since they had been making great choices, she was giving them an extra-long lunch recess that day and that Allie and Timmy would be in charge. The students cheered, and Elizabeth chuckled, rang the cow bell, and dismissed the excited students for lunch.
She asked Allie to stay back for a moment so that she could inform her daughter that she was going to try and have lunch with Nathan. Allie nodded and ran off to join Emily and Opal. Elizabeth sighed heavily, said a silent prayer, and grabbed her basket.
Elizabeth walked swiftly over to the Mountie office. Newton was tethered to the post outside. She stopped to pet him for a moment, looked over at the door, took a deep breath, and then climbed the steps with a new sense of confidence.
When she opened the door, Nathan looked up briefly from his desk, took a deep breath, put his pen down, and then flatly said, "Hi." Elizabeth slightly scowled at his unwelcome greeting. But then she responded back with her own hello, closing the door behind her. She walked over to the chair across from Nathan's desk, sat down, and reached out for his hands. Yet Nathan didn't readily take hers, and Elizabeth drew back, hurt.
"Nathan, what is it? Something happened earlier this morning, and it changed your whole demeanor. Please tell me.", Elizabeth begged Nathan with sad, searching eyes.
Nathan looked at Elizabeth with a blank and distant look for a moment. Then, his eyes wandered to his desk, where the framed picture of their family from Christmas sat. He stared at the photo for a few moments, closed his eyes and said a silent prayer, and then looked back up into Elizabeth's blue eyes.
"I'm not sure how to explain it exactly. This gift, as you call it, bothers me. And the fact that you agreed to it without even discussing it with me disturbs me even more. We are supposed to be a team and talk about things, but you didn't think to include me in on this decision. You made it for me. But Elizabeth, we don't need handouts.", Nathan huffed and then ran a hand quickly through his dark locks.
Elizabeth, stunned at the words and tone that she just heard come from Nathan, simply sat for a few moments, collecting her thoughts, before saying anything next. After a while, she closed her eyes, prayed once again silently to herself, and took a deep breath.
"Oh, Nathan, I'm so sorry. I wasn't even thinking that you might not even agree to this whole idea. I'm sorry that I didn't include you. That wasn't intentional. I think that I've been on my own for so long that sometimes it's just second nature.", Elizabeth said as her voice became shaky and her eyes filled with tears.
"What are we going to do to fix this, Nathan? I don't like us being this way.", Elizabeth asked with pleading eyes.
Nathan stood from his chair, walked over to the window, and looked out onto the boardwalk. He wanted to proceed cautiously, as he remembered how heated some of their previous arguments had been over the years. And Elizabeth's tears broke his heart, no matter how upset he was at the situation. He took a moment longer, then turned and faced her.
"The whole house, Elizabeth? They want to furnish the whole house. That's a bit extreme, isn't it?", Nathan vented in a slightly sarcastic tone.
Elizabeth turned to fully face Nathan and snapped back, "Nathan, wasn't it extreme for the whole town to build it for us? How is this any different than that?"
Nathan opened his mouth to reply but was momentarily tongue-tied. He knew that Elizabeth had made a good point, but it still disturbed him that his future in-laws were about to furnish his whole house—their house. How could he express this to her? Or maybe it was something that he needed to work through, he wondered, and that's why he had pulled away so much emotionally from her today. His mind was racing as he agonized over these thoughts.
Elizabeth walked across the room to close the gap between them and quietly said, "Nathan, what's going on inside your thoughts right now?", Elizabeth asked with a puzzled look on her face, searching his eyes for answers that she wasn't seeing clearly. Nathan looked her in the eyes and shook his head as he rubbed his neck. His blue eyes misted over as he tried to find the words to communicate exactly how he felt.
"Oh Nathan!", Elizabeth said as she immediately placed her hands gently on his face, looked him straight in the eyes, and leaned in closer to place her forehead on his. "My love, I'm so sorry that I moved forward without you. I promise you that I will work on trying not to do it again. But I am human, and I've been on my own for the past five years, and you have been on your own for longer than that. This is going to take some getting used to, being an "us". Instead of single parents, we are becoming a parental unit of two beautiful children. You're right, we need to always talk to one another. It's the only way we will make it.", she said tenderly to him.
Nathan nodded his head slowly and carefully, took her hands from his face, held them tightly, looked into her eyes, and choked out, "I don't think I could ever give you what your parents or someone like Lucas could offer you. Are you sure that this is what you really want, Elizabeth? I'm a simple man."
Elizabeth squeezed his hands tightly, looked him straight in the eyes, and said with a stern and confident voice, "You listen here, Nathan Grant! I choose you today and every day! It has always been you, even when I was running. I love every part of you!"
She paused for a moment, squeezed his hands, and then released them. It was her turn this time to walk towards the window and look out. Eventually, she turned around and walked back to where she left him, her arms folded in front of her. "I never saw the furniture offer as anything other than another blessing that had been bestowed upon us by loved ones. I was so excited about the offer because, even though it was an extremely generous gift, the conditions behind it were, in my opinion, so wonderful! My parents were granting us the choice to create the interior of our home together. And the thought of shopping for this furniture with you and possibly the children humbled me. I never meant to make you feel left out or insignificant!", she stressed. Once more, she grabbed Nathan's hands, looking up at him and waiting for him to respond. Nathan absorbed everything Elizabeth had said to him, soaking in the sincerity of her words behind her misted blue eyes.
He took a deep breath, slowly nodded, and answered in his hoarse, emotionally worn voice, "And I'm sorry that it bothered me so much that I withdrew so quickly. Lizbeth, I'm looking forward to our journey together, but I know sometimes it won't be easy. But yes, we need to keep talking. Let's plan our trip to Buxton for this Saturday, and let's bring the children so that they can help create this home."
Elizabeth smiled brightly, nodded, and responded, "I think that's a wonderful idea, my love!"
Elizabeth took her hands from Nathan's and placed them on each side of his face once more. She leaned in and met his lips with her own, kissing him tenderly. As their kiss lingered on, Elizabeth could tell that Nathan's defenses had softened, and he deepened their kiss as he wrapped his arms tightly around her. The two were lost in one another's embrace until they heard a loud, startling noise coming from out on the street.
They were startled and separated; their faces were flushed, and they were breathing heavily. Nathan cleared his throat, ran a hand through his locks, and made his way towards the door to see what was going on outside as Elizabeth placed a hand over her racing heart. She straightened her skirt as she walked over to the mirror that Nathan had on the wall to make sure that her hair was all in place. As she looked in the mirror, adjusting her chestnut tendrils, she thought to herself that she was glad that they only had a couple more weeks until the wedding. It couldn't come quick enough.
Once she had situated herself, she went to Nathan's desk, sat down, and opened the basket to pull out a half sandwich. She quickly ate it and then stood to leave. Elizabeth grabbed the basket and made her way to the doorway just as Nathan had returned from seeing whatever noise it was that had disturbed their intimate moment. She met him at the bottom of the steps and smiled up at him.
"Are we good now?", she inquired. Nathan smiled, nodded, leaned in, and quickly kissed her. "Most definitely! I'll see you after work.", he replied.
With that, Elizabeth walked back to the school as Nathan watched from the steps of the Mountie office. He was thankful that she sought him out to resolve the matter. As Elizabeth and the children disappeared into the schoolhouse, Nathan turned and went inside.