Chapter 20: No Place Like Home
The little white church was just ahead, and most of the congregation had already left for home. There were still a few families milling about in the church yard. Among them, was Rosemary standing in the shelter of Lee's arms, as the couple watched and smiled at the approaching budding family.
Next to them, stood Bill, a smile tugging at his own lips. He had clearly been anticipating Nathan's arrival home, let alone the Mountie's reunion with the Thorntons and Allie. His eyes shone with happiness at the sight of the approaching trio.
Behind Bill, stood a blonde-headed little boy who had found a stick the size of himself. He was repeatedly whacking the stick against a tree before erupting into a fit of giggles with every thwack. How long he had been busy with the game was anyone's guess, but he was delighted to be lost in his own world with his stick and his tree—while his chaperones talked amongst themselves.
At the top of the church steps, stood the Canfield family who were just closing the church doors. Their coats were bundled around them, and Minnie held a basket with the leftover remnants of a loaf of bread and the lidded mason jar of grape juice from today's communion service.
Joseph and Angela each held their Bibles under one arm, while the other rested safely on the railing as they descended the church steps together. Cooper was out in front skipping down the steps—always a bundle of energy. A look of recognition washed across Joseph's face as he waved and shouted a welcome home to Nathan.
"Well they finally found each other," carried softly across the yard from an indistinguishable feminine voice. Elizabeth had briefly wondered if Nathan had heard it too, but he had squeezed her hand and smiled at her—indicating that he had.
The stick struck the tree one more time before Nathan's name processed in Jack's mind. He turned towards the path, and his face lit up. "N'aaaatan!!" The stick dropped from his hand, and he ran as fast as his little legs would carry him all the way to the waiting arms of the man he loved like a father.
Nathan held Jack tightly against his serge covered shoulder, soaking up the lost moments with the boy since he had seen him last. Returning to Hope Valley had an entirely different feel these days—and it was a feeling that he was hoping would only grow and deepen if fate allowed.
Nathan looked over Jack's head to see Bill approach.
"Welcome home, Nathan," the judge said with a smile.
"Thanks Bill. Thanks for keeping an eye on them for me." Lifting Jack into the air and onto his hip with one arm, he extended his other hand out to the older man.
Bill shook it. "You know I always will, Nathan. How was your trip? The newspapers said you apprehended the last bandit?"
"You get the bad guys, N'atan?" Jack looked up with wonder at his hero.
He pressed his forehead to Jack's with a smile, "We got them, Jack." Nathan tickled Jack's middle eliciting another round of giggles from the boy. He kissed Jack's forehead and looked back to Bill who smiled warmly at the exchange.
"Yes. We caught Bassoff in the ruins of the Frank Slide on Friday morning. He finally ran out of bullets, and we were able to take him down without him hurting anyone else. We lost a Special Constable late Friday night, though, from friendly fire in the pursuit."
Elizabeth gasped, drawing his attention to her with regret in his eyes. This was not how he wanted her to hear the news. He held his arm out to her and she snuggled in protectively to his side.
Bill nodded ruefully. "That's a shame. I'm sorry to hear that. Elizabeth told me that you were in the cafe for the shootout. Will you have to report for questioning?"
Nathan nodded, relieved to have already told Elizabeth. She didn't tense at Bill's question which gave him some peace that telling her immediately was the right decision—even if it did change the atmosphere of their greeting. "Superintendent O'Reilly requested that Gabriel and I report at noon to Union City on Wednesday."
"Well I hope it's a quick trip for you two. I'll cover your rounds and keep an eye on these three until you return." Bill narrowed his eyes playfully at Allie, bringing a smirk to her lips as she gripped Newton's reins behind her.
"Thanks Bill." He smiled sincerely.
Rosemary and Lee approached quietly. "Welcome home, Nathan. It's good to have you back. You were very missed." Rosemary winked at Allie and Elizabeth. She smiled warmly at the little boy she loved in Nathan's arms, cuddled closely to Nathan's neck.
"Thank you, Rosemary. Hi Lee. Nice basket, Sir." Nathan teased, motioning to the basket in Lee's hand.
"Thank you…Elizabeth picked it out." He replied with a laugh and slightly pink-tinged cheeks. He handed Elizabeth back her basket that she had dropped in her mad dash to Nathan.
Rosemary playfully swatted her husband's arm, amused at his joke. She turned back to Elizabeth and Nathan—pressing her lips together. "Well, we won't keep you. You have a lot to catch up on. We just wanted to come and say hi, and welcome you home properly." She squeezed Lee's arm, and raised her brow at Bill. The Coulters turned and headed towards their home with Rosemary snuggled in tightly under Lee's arm.
Bill took Rosemary's blatant hint and mumbled something about needing to head to the cafe. "I'll see you tomorrow, Nathan, and you can fill me in on Nordegg then. Bye Elizabeth, Allie, Jack. Thank you for letting me sit with you today."
"You're welcome any time," Elizabeth reminded, "I hope you know that."
Bill nodded and thanked her before turning towards the cafe. Nathan took a deep breath and released it—relaxing into the realization that he was truly home at last. With Thorntons in his arms and Allie just beside, he was simply content.
With the church yard cleared, Nathan's stomach grumbled loudly. Elizabeth laughed, "Well, Constable? Do you two have any Sunday dinner plans?"
"No, M'aam. I'm entirely free…and famished," he joked.
"Well I was hoping for that. I have a beef roast in the oven with baked potatoes. It should be about finished in another half hour if you both would like to eat with Jack and me."
"And me." Allie scrunched her nose at her father, already accepting her teacher's invitation.
Nathan laughed at his daughter's tenacity and smiled at Elizabeth with a lop-sided grin. "Well how can I say no to that? There is no place I'd rather be. Thank you. Can I walk you home before I take Newton to the livery and bed him down for the night?"
"We would love that. Thank you." She responded, as the group started towards the row houses.
"While we're in town, is there anything that we can pick up for you? Maybe… dessert?" He emphasized the last word raising his eyebrow suggestively.
Elizabeth laughed at his enthusiasm for sweets. She opened her mouth to reply when her son spoke up.
"Can I go wif you N'atan?!"
Nathan glanced at Elizabeth, seeking soundless permission.
"Only if you take a nap right after dinner, little man. One book will be read and then no arguments."
Jack lit up with glee and threw his arms around Nathan's neck hugging him close.
Trying her luck, Allie spoke up, "Dad, can I stay with Mrs. Thornton? I could help her get dinner ready and set the table…"
Elizabeth caught his eye nodding her approval to the plan.
He smiled at his daughter, wondering a bit at the healing that had already taken place that she would long for time alone with her teacher. Releasing Elizabeth, he hugged Allie close to his side. "Ok Allie-girl, but no telling secrets about your dad!"
Elizabeth and Allie's eyes lit with mischief.
"No promises, Dad. Guess you had better hurry back." She taunted with a grin.
Nathan rolled his eyes, but his smile told the truth of his amusement. "Alright Jack, guess you'll just have to tell me stories about your Mama then."
"Jack, don't you dare!" Elizabeth's eyes flared fearing what in the world a three year old boy would find amusing to share.
Jack seemed enthralled with the game, his mouth curling in a smile and his eyes twinkling with the possibilities to share.
Seeing her alarm, Nathan quickly diffused the situation with a direct question to the toddler. "Jack? What's your mom's favorite dessert?"
Jack smiled mischievously at his mom before yelling out in triumph, "cherry pie!"
Nathan gasped and held a hand to his heart as if the information was incredibly salacious. "Are you serious, Jack? I didn't know that!" He winked to Elizabeth hoping to settle her nerves.
Nathan and Jack each kissed Elizabeth goodbye. Allie gave her dad a quick hug before she handed over Newton's reigns. Jack was completely enthralled with the animal and his giggles could be heard all the way to town whenever Newton would sniff his face and nudge his side.
———
Elizabeth and Allie smiled watching them retreat—both lost in their own thoughts and realized dreams. Elizabeth took a deep breath, but her heart still thumped in her ears—no longer from fear at what her toddler might say, but in attraction to the man before her with his gentle way with her son.
It was an entirely new sensation to feel like she had a partner in raising Jack. She had always had the support of the Coulters, Bill, Laura, and even Abigail in Jack's early life, but a partner who understood the unique position of single parenting was a trait that she was growing to not only appreciate, but value.
Elizabeth turned to her student and motioned towards her steps. "Allie thank you for offering to help me with dinner. That was very kind of you."
Allie smiled, "Thanks for letting me eat with you while Dad was away. I liked that…a lot."
"I did too, sweet girl. You are welcome any time. It was nice to have your company, and to have someone to wait with." Elizabeth tilted her head slightly, curious if Allie understood what she meant.
Allie dipped her head before she looked up with a smile. "Yes it was."
After the boys disappeared out of sight, Elizabeth and Allie headed inside to prepare the meal.
——
With the roast staying warm on the stove top, Allie set the table and immediately recognized the familiar tune from her childhood—the hymn "Blessed Assurance" being whistled by her father. The sound was an instant comfort. It had been a long time since he walked the streets whistling—not since Fort Clay at least.
But before then, her Uncle Nathan often sang to her, played his guitar, and whistled. He always whistled as they walked along. He was so much fun then—imitating birds and especially owls much to her delight.
All of that had stopped when the heaviness of Fort Clay set in. The music was gone with the exception of the lullabies that she requested every night—but even those felt more somber than they used to be.
The whistle at the door was as clear and bright as she had remembered. Rushing through the kitchen to greet them and open the door, she was surprised to find Jack cuddled up against her father's woolen serge-covered shoulder. His little lips were parted with a steady stream of drool darkening the fabric. His back rose and fell gently, and Nathan's apologetic eyes met Elizabeth's dewy-eyed ones at the sight of her slumbering boy.
"Here. I can take him upstairs to bed," Elizabeth whispered.
"I don't mind, Lizbeth. I can lay him down. Just show me the way," Nathan whispered back.
———
Elizabeth debated a moment at the propriety of the situation especially with a student present, but Allie simply smiled and waved them on to take care of Jack. Elizabeth turned and led Nathan up the stairs. Jack's nursery was just past her own room down the short hallway.
If she had any reservations about Nathan seeing her upstairs rooms, it was quickly quelled when she had turned at the sound of Nathan's low humming. Nathan's eyes were focused alone on sleeping Jack. He slightly swayed as he walked—completely in his fatherly element.
Reaching Jack's room, Elizabeth turned down the quilt on his little bed. She turned to take Jack's shoes off, only to find that Nathan had already removed them and was brushing past her as he lay the dreaming boy gently on his bed. There was nothing timid or uncertain with the movement. This was clearly a man who had done this very task thousands of times.
Expertly, he slid his strong arm out from behind the boy's back and stroked his downy hair before stepping back and finally looking up at Elizabeth—almost remembering for the first time that she was there.
Elizabeth's lip trembled, and Nathan quickly took her hand.
"I'm sorry. Did I overstep? Putting Jack to bed reminded me so much of Allie at nearly this age." Nathan whispered with worry on his brow.
Elizabeth's eyes filled with tears even as she shook her head no. "No, Nathan. You haven't done anything wrong. It's just nice to feel understood. I'm not used to having a man be able to help like this. It's just….nice. Thank you."
Nathan smiled sympathetically and squeezed her hand. "I know what you mean, Elizabeth. I don't know how many times I slept on the floor next to Allie's bed or crawled out the door on my hands and knees…praying she would stay asleep this time. Wishing someone else understood the struggle."
A laugh escaped Elizabeth's lips before she attempted to catch the sound with her hand to her mouth. Nathan's eyes darted to Jack before they narrowed playfully at Elizabeth. "Out...or you're putting him back to bed," Nathan teased in a stage whisper.
Nathan tugged at her arm pulling her to himself as he stealthily crept towards the door. The action alone made it hard to keep their laughter to themselves, but they managed to make it through the door and close it almost completely before their silent laughter gave way to a hearty belly laugh in the hallway.
"If kids only knew the great lengths, we go to for them to sleep," Elizabeth chuckled. "I'll be honest, it was fun to sneak out with you."
"Mountie training. Who knew it would be so useful with toddlers?" Nathan laughed and squeezed her hand before quickly kissing her forehead. "C'mon, our little chaperone awaits…" he reminded before switching to a conspiratorial whisper, "and she gets grumpy when she's hungry."
"I do not!" Allie shouted up the stairs.
"See?!" Nathan whispered back with amusement dancing in his eyes.
"Allie, with ears like that you would make a good teacher." Elizabeth encouraged with a grin as she and Nathan descended the stairs.
"Thank you Mrs. Thornton. I don't know yet if I want to be a teacher. I might do…something else." Allie trailed off looking out the window.
"Oh?" Elizabeth's eyebrows raised in intrigue. "Well it's still a few years away, but maybe over dinner you could tell me what you think you want to do when you graduate." They walked to the kitchen, and Nathan pulled out her chair and then Allie's before taking a seat himself between them.
After saying grace, Nathan carved the roast while Elizabeth dished out the vegetables. As Nathan went to sit down, the table wobbled a bit ominously.
"Oh. Sorry about that. This table is a bit…fragile these days." Elizabeth explained with an embarrassed flush. "Allie, you were telling us about what you want to do when you graduate." She reminded, quickly redirecting the focus from her table. Allie took a bite, chewing thoughtfully.
"Honestly, I don't know what I want to do yet. Dad says fishing would be a tough career. I don't know. I like helping people," Allie mused.
Nathan smiled at his daughter—careful to school his features over her girlish fishing dreams.
"You're gifted with math. Maybe you could study to be a chemist like Marie Curie," Elizabeth suggested.
Allie thought a moment with her fork in mid-air, "Maybe?"
"I've always told her that she could be a surgeon the way she can clean and fillet fish," Nathan added thoughtfully—clearly proud of his daughter.
Elizabeth's eyes bulged in surprise at the comment, "Probably don't tell your patients that." She said with an amused grin.
Allie laughed and rolled her eyes, "Probably not. I don't know…I think it would be fun to maybe do what Dr. Shepherd or Dr. Carter does."
"You are really good with caring for any injuries I get. You would make a great doctor, Allie. I could see that." Nathan encouraged, nudging his daughter's shoulder gently with his own.
He looked up from his daughter to notice the sudden paleness in Elizabeth's face, and he chose to switch topics off his potential injuries to safer ground. "Allie, tell me about your week at school what did you learn?"
"No pressure Dad!" She joked gesturing with her fork towards an amused Mrs. Thornton.
"Oh. Right. Ok…how about… tell me your best thing and hardest thing while I was gone?" Nathan cut another forkful of beef and placed it in his mouth.
Allie thought a moment. "Best thing…hmmm…tied. Eating dinner with Mrs. Thornton and Jack was really special, but I also had a lot of fun learning how to French braid my hair from Mrs. Weise."
"I can't wait to see it, Sweetheart. You know I'm better with simple braids than fancy ones. I could try doing an updo again if you like," Nathan teased with a lopsided grin.
"No thanks, Dad. Last time you braided my hair into a dropper loop, and Miss Miller had to untangle it before the Yost's wedding." She sighed dramatically with a huff before smiling at her dad's arm coming firmly around her and squeezing her tightly.
"You looked like a beautiful trout," Nathan sighed dreamily.
"Daaaad." Allie rolled her eyes, much to Elizabeth's amusement.
"I thought that you looked beautiful Allie, and I didn't once think that you looked like a fish." Elizabeth nudged Nathan who cleared his throat abruptly.
"Right. Sorry Allie. I tried. Thankfully you're beautiful no matter how I braid your hair. I'm glad that Mrs. Weise is more skilled than I am in that department." Nathan tugged at his serge collar, suddenly uncomfortable with how to navigate even this conversation.
"So what was your hardest thing?" Elizabeth asked, coming to Nathan's rescue.
Allie glanced quickly at her father and then at her teacher before she stuttered, "Uh…my…my spelling test probably."
Elizabeth looked at her curiously. "Really? You did really well on it."
"Thanks." Allie replied quickly before glancing down at her lap. "So…Mrs. Thornton? What was your best and hardest thing while Dad was gone?"
Elizabeth thought a moment. "Well…I sure enjoyed dinners with you too, Allie. It was also fun to get surprise phone calls and telegrams from your dad."
"Well those are the brown-nosing answers Mrs. Thornton. Give us another best," Nathan teased.
"Well…I did have tea with Rosemary a few times and it was really wonderful. She has been such a good friend to me." Elizabeth smiled at the thought.
"And your hardest?" Allie asked cautiously.
"Well…it's probably no surprise. I worried for your dad…especially knowing that he had the search for the fugitive going on. I can't say that it was all bad though. I did go to see Bill and talk it through with him. Actually, even Henry caught me at the Mercantile and told me a little about Nordegg."
"I'm glad that you were in good hands." Nathan said, taking her hand and squeezing it supportively.
She smiled at him and asked him the same questions. "Well…besides anything with you two, my best thing was probably spending time with the guys in my group, Morley and Fraser…" He glanced at Allie, "and of course your Uncle Gabe."
"You'll have to tell us about them," Allie pleaded. Since she was a little girl, she had always loved hearing about the other Mounties Nathan worked with and got to know. Before Hope Valley, the men in red were the only friends and extended family they had.
"I will. I will. My hardest thing was losing three men in a few days." He admitted somberly.
Without another word, both women had slipped their arms around his shoulder and back each pressing their temple to his shoulder. Nathan smiled a watery smile at their efforts to support him.
"Thanks." He whispered after a moment. Both women pulled back together, and they finished the last bites of their meal quietly. Nathan put his fork down when realization dawned. "Oh, Lizbeth…I never got to pick up a pie. Jack fell asleep in my arms on the way to the Cafe."
Elizabeth smiled at the memory, "No need to worry, I told you I would start baking in my telegram. Well…I did." She rose from the table and fetched her cookie jar from the shelf. With a similar flair to a familiar Mountie's hat hiding trick, she dramatically lifted the lid to the ceramic jar and tilted the contents towards them. The action wafted the delicious smell of maple and cinnamon their way.
"Snickerdoodles." Nathan whispered and his stomach growled—making them all laugh. Elizabeth handed out a few cookies to each person before retrieving the milk bottles from the ice box.
"Mrs. Thornton these are so good." Allie groaned with her eyes closed savoring the flavor. "Grandma Ada used to make these at Christmas."
Elizabeth smiled with delight at the praise. She had come a long way with her cooking and baking—thanks to Abigail's help. She wasn't as adventurous as Rosemary in the kitchen, but she had worked hard at mastering several of her favorite recipes.
She glanced at Nathan who sheepishly smiled with cookie crumbs caught in his increasingly scruffy five o'clock shadow. If it weren't for Allie at the table, she would gladly slide her hand across his cheek and kiss the crumbs away.
Nathan must have caught the look in her eye because he swallowed and unconsciously leaned closer.
Allie cleared her throat, "So…Mrs. Thornton may I have a little more milk?"
Nathan closed his eyes in defeat at the interruption with his lips forming a taut line. Elizabeth suppressed a giggle at the sight and turned back towards her student in her sweet teaching voice. "Of course you may. I'll grab it for you." She poured another half glass for Allie, who nodded in approval.
"Thanks Mrs. Thornton."
A small whimper at the top of the stairs caught her attention. Young Jack stood rubbing the sleep out of his eye with his blankie trailing behind him.
His mother approached the stairs, and he held his arms out to her. "Welcome back Jack." She kissed his cheeks tenderly, resting her head on his unruly hair as they descended the stairs.
Allie and Nathan smiled quietly at each other, giving the boy time to wake up with his mother before approaching him. They both rose and gathered the dishes. Before Elizabeth could protest, they started the sink to clean up dinner.
Nathan caught the look on her face, and he waved her off to stay put on the settee and care for her son. She mouthed a thank you and rocked her son quietly stroking his hair.
Halfway through the dishes, Jack seemed to rear back to life and he turned at the water sound to see Nathan and Allie at his house. "N'atan! Awie!"
He climbed down off his mother's lap and barreled towards the Grants at the sink.
Nathan quickly dried his hands and scooped the boy up into his arms, holding him close to Allie.
"Hi Jack! Did you have a good nap?" Allie asked.
Jack nodded and snuggled into Nathan. "Are you at my house?" Jack asked.
"Yes. We're really here, Buddy. Your Mama made us a good dinner. Do you want some?" Nathan looked down at the curious child in his arms.
Jack nodded and scrambled down to his chair. Nathan tied a dish towel around his neck before Elizabeth presented him with a plate of beef and vegetables. Out of habit, they both grabbed a knife and fork and started cutting Jack's beef into bite-sized pieces.
"Oh. Sorry!" Nathan laughed.
Elizabeth smiled warmly at him with a wink. "Thanks for your help."
Nathan and Allie finished the dishes while Elizabeth put the dishes away. Jack was just finishing his dinner when the trio returned to the table.
"Well Jack, what did I miss while I was gone?" Nathan asked the little man who was glowing at being included in adult conversation.
"Skwurrs and Unca Bill." Jack stated plainly. Nathan glanced at Elizabeth for translation.
"Tell Mountie Nathan how you saw those squirrels jumping through the trees."
"They was fast!" Jack imitated them jumping from branch to branch with his hands. Allie giggled quietly, enjoying his retelling.
"And Uncle Bill came by on Hero…" Elizabeth encouraged.
"And brought me muff-uns!" Jacks hands shot triumphantly in the air.
Nathan smiled at the boy. "Well that sounds awfully good Jack. You must be pretty special. Uncle Bill never brings me muffins."
"I'll tell him." Jack nodded seriously. Allie snorted.
"I hope you do, Jack." Allie joked.
"Mama, can I have pie now?" Jack pleaded with a sweetest round eyes.
"Well Jack, my pie partner fell asleep on the job. We never picked one up, but…" Nathan glanced at Elizabeth in silent permission.
"I made snickerdoodles last night. Do you want one?" Elizabeth's eyes glimmered with delight at the sight of her son's excitement.
Jack enjoyed his cookie and spent the next hour playing with his blocks on the floor with Allie. Even though she had outgrown the toy years ago, she found amusement in building a tower with Jack. He would put his block just anywhere, and she had to quickly secure it with other blocks to keep the tower from falling. More than once a crash was followed by their giggles.
While the kids played, Nathan had asked about the slight wobble to the kitchen table. Blushing a bit, Elizabeth had explained that it had needed repair for sometime, but she had never gotten around to fixing it.
With her permission, Nathan crawled under the table to assess the damage. There was a crack running down the side of one of the legs. It would need to be replaced and was showing wear from continued use despite the damage.
"I can cut a crude support for now, but I'm going to need to make you a new table leg…if you don't mind." He glanced up at her from under the table.
"Oh Nathan you don't have to go through all that trouble. Maybe I should just order a new one…" her face fell at the thought.
"Do you not like this table? Do you want something different?" Nathan ventured, surprised at her reaction over the table.
"No, I love it. It was a wedding present…from Jack." Elizabeth spoke low as the memory came flooding back.
Nathan smiled somberly, suddenly understanding her dilemma. He climbed out from under the table and took her hand gently. "Lizbeth, I'd like to repair this for you. This is something you should treasure. If I replace the legs, I can save the tabletop. Would that be alright with you? I can make it look just like before."
Elizabeth's eyes filled with tears. She nodded and collapsed into his arms. "Thank you Nathan, you don't know how much this means to me."
He leaned back and looked into her tearful eyes. "I know what it's like to hold onto a gift from someone you've lost. Let me do this for you…and for Jack."
She nodded, and he kissed her forehead tenderly sealing the promise. He headed out the back door to inspect her woodpile for a suitable splint. Although she gave only a slight effort not to notice, Elizabeth caught herself distracted out the window as Nathan split the wood expertly for her table.
———
He came back in with his serge on one shoulder and his henley exposed, carrying a long split log to support her table. His curious look turned to a lopsided grin as he recognized the reason for her blush.
Tapping the log into place, he climbed out from under the table with renewed confidence. He shrugged back into his serge and approached Elizabeth with it still unbuttoned and hanging open.
Enjoying the distraction in her eyes, he leaned forward and tried his luck in a low voice. "Lizbeth, would you do me the honor of letting me take you to dinner tomorrow night?"
A smile washed across Elizabeth's lips as she nodded at the opportunity. Nathan closed the distance and quickly kissed her before the sound of crashing blocks and groans filled the air once again—breaking their moment.
Forehead to forehead they turned to see the rug covered with blocks and two sets of eyes smiling up at them. Elizabeth slowly released her arms from around Nathan's neck and stepped back while he regretfully slid his hand from the small of her back.
"We should probably go." Nathan whispered apologetically.
"Thank you for fixing my table," she whispered looking through her lashes.
"You're welcome. Thanks for letting me help." He turned towards Allie, but found she was already picking up the blocks. "Allie-girl, we should probably head out."
She looked up and sighed soundlessly with visible disappointment in her eyes. "Ok, Dad." She turned to Jack and put her arms out to him for a hug. "Bye Jack. Thanks for playing with me."
Jack looked crushed, but glanced at his mother who looked nearly as sad as he did. "Ok Awie. Wuv you." He melted into her embrace before rushing over to his mother for comfort.
"Bye Jack. I'll see you tomorrow. Will you wave to me in the morning when I bring Newton by your window?" Jack nodded somberly, and Nathan hugged him and his mother simultaneously with Jack sandwiched between them.
"Bye, Lizbeth. I'll swing by in the morning with the plan for tomorrow. Do you want me to ask Bill to babysit the kids?"
She pulled back and smiled at his thoughtfulness. This was so different than the demands and expectations Lucas would place on her to drop everything at a moment's notice.
"I can ask Rosemary tonight. Do you want Allie to stay too?"
"Actually, Dad…Angela invited me over after school tomorrow. Can I stay with the Canfields?"
"Sure, Sweetheart. Well, thanks for having us over." He rebuttoned his serge quickly before stepping out—potentially into the public eye.
"Mrs. Thornton? Thanks for dinner. I hope we can do this more often." Allie's eyes were full of hope.
Elizabeth smiled at her and squeezed her shoulder affectionately. "I hope so too, Allie."
Nathan and Allie headed out the door and down the steps while Elizabeth and Jack waved from the porch, watching them affectionately all the way home.
A/N:
Well we've needed a Grant family dinner for a long time & I hope the domestic sweetness did the wait justice.
Special thanks to @nebula2 who helped immensely with the first two paragraphs of this chapter that I couldn't for the life of me figure out.
Little Jack whacking the tree was inspired by my son Merrin last week. He was delighted with the game.
"They finally found each other" carrying on the breeze is a full-circle call back to Ch 6 when an unknown congregant comments, "What a shame."
Allie's comment about her dad imitating owls is a nod to my short story prequel Kind of Our Thing.
The snickerdoodles are a nod to chapter 9 as well as What Child Is This? Christmas story.
Jack at the top of he stairs with his blankie echoes chapter 1
Jack's love of muff-uns returns from chapter 2
My daughter Emery inspired Allie's block game with Jack.
The wood chopping and unbuttoned serge is for all you McGarries fans out there. ;) (You can thank @pn1thrasher who suggested it!)