After his talk with Elizabeth and Ally, Nathan debated on going to his workshop or simply reading. The latter option finally won out and Nathan sat down in a wingback chair with his feet propped up on a footstool with a mystery novel he had gotten from the library. The aromas from the kitchen told him that he was going to enjoy his birthday dinner. He was just finishing his second chapter since sitting down when a shout from the kitchen caught his attention.

"Jack, no!"

The shout was Ally's voice and Nathan was already setting the book aside when his daughter shouted again.

"You ruined it!" Ally shouted, her voice wavering.

Before Nathan could get to his feet, Ally ran through the room and thundered up the stairs.

"Ally, wait!" Elizabeth called.

Nathan looked from his retreating daughter to where Elizabeth now stood in the doorway between the kitchen and the sitting room. Beyond Elizabeth, he could hear Jack crying.

"Jack used his finger to get a taste of the frosting on the cake early," Elizabeth said, meeting his questioning look.

Nathan nodded. "I'll go talk to, Ally," he said, getting to his feet. "Go comfort, Jack."

Elizabeth gave a sigh, before nodding and turning back into the kitchen. Nathan made his way upstairs. His daughter had not bothered shutting her bedroom door. Stepping into the doorway, Nathan saw her face down on the bed, face hidden in her arms. Sobs shook her body.

Walking over to the bed, Nathan sat down on it. He laid a hand gently on her back.

"Is a finger in the frosting really this upsetting, Ally?" Nathan asked, wanting to understand his daughter's reaction to the childish act.

"No," Ally admitted through her tears.

"Then why are you so upset. Jack didn't mean to ruin anything. He just wanted a taste of the frosting. All children do that at some point, including you."

"I know," Ally admitted, her head still hidden in her arms.

Nathan reached down and lifted Ally into a sitting position so that he could wrap his arms around her and hold her close. Ally responded by wrapping her arms around him as she sat beside him.

"What are you really upset about?" Nathan asked.

"Because I wanted to prove to you that your birthday is not cursed but once again I ruined the cake. The last time when I dropped it, you said it was proof that your birthday should not be celebrated."

Nathan's heart broke. That was not what he had meant that day. Had Ally really thought that the dropped cake and cut finger was the issue?

"Ally, I was not upset that day because of the cake, or the broken glass or even that I had to stitch up your finger. Those were all simple accidents. What upset me, was that you were so upset about everything. I do not need perfection. A finger in my cake is not going to ruin my birthday."

Ally had stopped sobbing but looked up at him with tear filled eyes. "Really?"

"Really? In fact, I did something similar to your Mom when I was about Jack's age," Nathan told her. "It was Colleen's sixth birthday. The cake Mom had made had looked very good so while Colleen and Mom were greeting guests, I grabbed a fistful of the cake to taste."

"You didn't?!" Ally said, a smile coming to her face.

"I did," Nathan confirmed. "It tasted good, until I thought Colleen was going to cry. Then I felt bad. However, Mom told us that we simply needed to patch up the cake and not feed that part to the guests. That is exactly what you should do. Smooth out the finger mark and just make sure a guest does not get that part of the cake."

"We can give it to Jack," Ally stated.

"Exactly," Nathan said. "The fact that you and Beth are making this day special, means a lot to me. So no more tears, all right?" he said, chucking her chin.

Ally laughed. "All right," she agreed.

"Do you think you are at a point that Beth could spare you in the kitchen for a bit?" Nathan asked.

"Probably," Ally said. "Why?"

"Because I would love to take a walk with my daughter before our guests arrive," Nathan told her. "Do you think you could do that for me?"

Ally grinned. "I am sure that Beth would be all right with that. Let me go check," Ally said. She placed a kiss on Nathan's cheek before standing up and hurrying out of the room.

Nathan followed at a slower pace and came downstairs to Jack apologizing to Ally. The teenager told Jack it was all right and gave him a hug.

"Mama and I already smoothed it out," Jack told Ally, taking a step back from her. "Mama says that is my piece of the cake."

Ally laughed. She looked back at Nathan. "It must be a Mom thing," she told him.

Nathan chuckled. "I guess so," he agreed.

Ten minutes later, Nathan and Ally were walking to the river together, hand in hand. The two enjoyed the special father and daughter time as they enjoyed nature. Walking along the river they looked into the water to see if they could spot nay fish. Several were spotted and plans were made for a fishing trip soon.

By the time Nathan and Ally got back to the house, guests had already arrived. Bill, Lee and Gabriel were walking around the yard with Jack. Nathan assumed that Faith and Rosemary were inside with Elizabeth.

"Can you go on inside and tell Beth we are home?" Nathan asked Ally.

Ally nodded and ran off toward the house. Nathan strode over to where the three men and Jack were standing by a couple of pine trees between the house and the barn.

"So you think this is a good spot, Jack?" Bill was asking as Nathan approached them.

Jack nodded. "Mountie Gabriel can help me build Nate a shelter in the shade of the trees and the pond can be in the sun so the duck can enjoy the sunshine!"

"I don't think a duck can ask for much more than that," Lee commented. "How did you get volunteered to help with the duck shelter?" he asked, looking at Gabriel.

"Gabe is the one that brought the duck eggs home with Jack. That is how," Nathan supplied joining them.

"The shelter will be fun, right Jack?"

Holding Bill's hand, Jack nodded happily.

"Digging for the pond might be another story," Gabriel added.

"But the duck needs a pond. He'll wander off for sure without a pond," Jack said.

"Your duck will get its pond, Jack," Bill promised.

"What a bunch of softies," Rosemary commented as she joined the group. She paused next to Nathan and gave him a quick kiss on his cheek. "Happy Birthday," she told him.

"Thank you," Nathan replied.

"I'll ask some of the guys at the mill and see if I can get a few more volunteers. If we have enough people, it should not be too hard."

"I will help Elizabeth provide refreshments for everyone while you work. It can be my contribution to help Jack's duckling. It is adorable," Rosemary said, ruffling Jack's hair. "For now though, dinner is ready."

With that, the group headed toward the house. Lee, Bill and Gabe all wished Nathan a Happy Birthday as they walked. For the first time in a long time Nathan thought that it was turning out to be a happy day after all.

Dinner was a pleasant affair. Archie had been waiting inside, tired out from the emotional morning and working during the afternoon. Nathan thought his father looked tired but Archie waved his concern aside. Even so, Nathan had asked Lee to drive his father home that evening. Lee easily agreed and to set Nathan's mind at ease, Archie agreed.

After dinner, the cake was brought out. Ally asked one of the adults to get it, not wanting to drop it. It had finally been Faith who brought the cake out, saying that carrying a cake had to be easier than sewing stitches. No mention of the finger in the frosting was made and Nathan asked both of his kids to help him blow out the candles on top of the cake. Ally and Jack both happily agreed and with all three of them blowing all the candles were soon out.

After the cake, Bill stepped out of the room and returned with a rather large wrapped package.

"I know Elizabeth said no presents but this was already in the works," Bill said. "As it was delivered today, Archie, Lee, Gabriel and I all decided to give it to you today."

"What did you do?" Nathan asked as Bill placed the wrapped package on the table in front of him.

"Open it," Bill instructed.

Nathan did so and found a wooden sign inside. The sign had the name that Nathan had decided for his new business venture carved into it - Grant's Wood Creations.

"You guys should not have gone through the trouble."

"We wanted to," Lee informed him. "That sign can go on your wood shop. When your business takes off, and you have a dedicated building in town to sell things, then you can create your own sign for that."

Nathan blinked away the threatening tears as he got to his feet. He thanked and hugged everyone there.

After dinner, Gabriel and Jack went to make sure Nate was fed. Rosemary and Faith volunteered to help Elizabeth clean up while the others went out to the front yard. While Archie sat on the porch, Nathan and Ally challenged Bill and Lee to a game of horseshoes. Father and daughter won two games. Afterwards, a game of hide and seek began with everyone, including Archie participating. Not wanting to risk the young boy getting lost, Nathan kept Jack with him as the game progressed until they lost the light.

Nathan, Elizabeth and the children said good-bye to their guests. A sleepy Jack checked on Nate one last time before letting Elizabeth lead him upstairs. Nathan and Ally sat together on the settee, both taking turns reading the novel they were reading together out loud. After tucking Jack in, Elizabeth returned to the sitting room. She sat at the desk, writing in her journal as she listened to the sound of her husband and daughter's voices reading the story.

Reaching the end of a chapter, Ally said good night to both Nathan and Elizabeth and headed upstairs. Feeling tired himself, Nathan decided to climb in bed himself. Wanting to finish writing about the day in the journal, Elizabeth kissed him good night and told him that she would be up shortly.

When Elizabeth did come upstairs, Nathan was lying in bed though he had not drifted off to sleep yet. Elizabeth gathered her things and went into the bathroom to change. She was back shortly, having not bothered with a robe given the warmth of the night. Nathan felt his breath catch at the sight of her walking back into the bedroom in her nightgown. He couldn't help but stare, as Elizabeth put her things in their places and then came over to the bed. Nathan was sure Elizabeth was aware of it, though she did not comment on it.

Nathan folded back the sheet for her, as Elizabeth approached the bed. Without hesitation, Elizabeth climbed under the sheet with him. Leaning in, she pressed her lips against his in a good night kiss. Nathan returned the kiss though he refrained from wrapping his hands around her and pulling her close. Elizabeth had still not given him any indication that she was ready to get more intimate with their relationship.

"Did you have a happy birthday?" Elizabeth asked when they broke the kiss. She settled in the bed next to him, cuddling close.

"I got to pass flowers in honor of my sister, my wife and daughter cooked a wonderful meal and cake for us and our friends, and I have now got a duck named after me," Nathan told her. "Not sure you could get a much better day than that."

Elizabeth laughed. The sound was music to Nathan, who closed his eyes to listen to it, one arm wrapped around Elizabeth as she lay close to him.

"Oh, I was hoping you would think the duckling hatching would be a good thing. Though I think, we now have a pet duck."

"If the duck makes Jack happy then I will happily welcome it into our family. As soon as I am sure Jack isn't going to want to sleep with the duck at night, Nate is moving out to the barn though."

"Good," Elizabeth said. "I do not relish the idea of sharing my home with a duck, no matter how little it is."

"There is one thing that concerns me though," Nathan said.

"What is that?"

"If Nate turns out to be a girl duck, which one of us is having that conversation with him?" Nathan asked.

"I volunteer Gabriel," Elizabeth replied without missing a beat.

Nathan laughed, just imagining Gabriel's reaction to that particular task. Nathan rested his cheek against Elizabeth's hair.

"Thank you for making this day special for me, Beth," Nathan told her softly. "I love you."

There was a moment of hesitation and then Elizabeth said, "you have become very special to me, Nathan. I can't imagine life without you by my side anymore."

Nathan placed a kiss against Elizabeth's hair. It wasn't exactly a declaration of love but it was the closest that Elizabeth had gotten to making the admission. For now, he would be satisfied with 'special to me'. It meant their relationship was continuing to grow in strength. Perhaps for his birthday next year, Elizabeth might be ready to return the words "I love you." Until then, he would enjoy moments like these with the woman he loved.