AN: Well, this story is coming to an end. This is the last regular chapter and I plan an epilogue. I still need to do an Aunt Elizabeth and Wynn visit. I appreciate all of you who have made it this far. Your support is much appreciated.
Nathan was out of breath as he tried to avoid Edward, who was currently "it" in the game of tag that had started. With all five boys from the youth home, Opal, Vincent, Mary Louise, Ally, and Jack, something needed to be done to entertain the children while Rosemary, Clara, and Abigail set about getting the picnic foods ready for all the guests to fix plates in a buffet style. Tom was sitting with Bill and William, looking a tad bit uncomfortable. Nathan was sure that his feelings for Julie were the only thing that kept him in place, given the looks he kept sending in the young lady's direction. Meanwhile Julie was chatting with Charlotte, the two women deep in conversation. Gabriel and Lee had joined him and Edward in the game of tag and from the looks of things were having as much fun as the kids. They were taking turns 'letting' the children tag, them if it looked like they were getting frustrated with failed attempts to tag someone.
The other guests were seated on blankets or in chairs either talking or watching the game of tag. Aster, Lexi, and Abby, all too young to join in the older children's fun, were being doted on by those not involved in getting things ready. There were plenty of adults to keep an eye on all of the children, even with Grace currently inside with Elizabeth and the twins. Muffin and Twila were chasing after those playing tag, convinced they were part of the game, while Nate, Rosie, and their ducklings had taken to the safety of the water.
Nathan couldn't believe the number of people who had come to celebrate his birthday. Ally had not told him ahead of time who she had invited. He had come back from passing flowers out at the cemetery with his father in honor of Colleen and expected to see the same crowd as the year before with the addition of the Thatchers and Charlotte. It made him happy - and gave him the urge to want to hide in his wood shop. He was thankful that Ally told him she wasn't going to make him blow out candles or cut the cake, but they were singing to him. For his daughter, he would do anything.
When Rosemary called out for everyone to come eat, Nathan was more than ready for a break. The game of tag had been fun but exhausting. He clearly wasn't the only one to think so, as Jack was already perched on Gabriel's shoulders.
"Me taller than you, Dad!" Jack exclaimed as Nathan made his way over to them.
"I see that," Nathan replied. "Seems it takes two short guys to beat me," he teased.
Jack giggled at that while Gabriel spoke. "I am only about an inch shorter."
"You are still shorter," Nathan said, heading toward the buffet table. Gabriel fell in step beside him. The two friends slipped into easy conversation as they joined their neighbors and friends in line.
When it was their turn, Gabriel started filling two plates, his and Faith's. Meanwhile, Nathan helped Jack with his plate while filling one for himself. Abigail had told him that she would see to taking a plate in to Elizabeth and send Grace out to socialize with everyone. He hadn't argued as Elizabeth had already told him that he owed it to Ally to enjoy the party that she had spent so much time organizing for him.
Reaching the end of the line, Nathan took the plate from Jack, worried the little boy might drop it in his excitement. As the five-year-old took off running toward his Uncle Tom upon noticing him handing Julie a plate, Nathan was grateful for his foresight. Following him at a normal pace, Nathan was soon settling on the picnic blanket, though he felt like a third wheel. Jack had none of the same hangups and was soon sitting on the blanket next to his uncle and aunt. Not for the first time, Nathan wondered if these two might finally find a way to make things work out between them. Given his and Elizabeth's love story, he had learned that anything was possible.
With Jack now chatting happily with Tom and Julie, Nathan was relieved when his father and Bill came to join him, giving him someone to converse with as Gabriel had joined Faith who had been talking with Lee as both of them held their daughters.
As he discussed current events, Nathan looked around at those gathered to celebrate his birthday. It amazed him that everyone had come. Though he had first stayed in Hope Valley for Ally, Nathan had no doubt that this was where he belonged as well.
Not only had he found people that he bonded with, but he had reconnected with his father, and members of this community had helped foster that change - especially Elizabeth. Though the path had been filled with ups and downs, Elizabeth and himself had found a love that was one of the special ones - of that he had no doubt. His family had expanded - not only with friends that were like family but with the acceptance he had received from the Thatchers. He was fulfilling his dream of making things from wood for his living. He had gained three sons - two of whom shared his birthday.
Yes, Nathan thought, staying in Hope Valley had been the right choice and birthdays can be happy occasions after all.
Elizabeth watched as Abigail paced the room with James. Like the two adults, both twins had eaten. They had been burped and their diapers changed, and yet James still insisted on making his presence known. Watching her friend pace the room with the infant, Elizabeth couldn't help but wonder how much sleep the household was going to get in the coming days.
A soft sound that sounded like a sigh brought Elizabeth's attention down to the twin she still held. Bright blue eyes looked up at her.
"Maybe you should have had your daddy's name," Elizabeth told the child. "Your eyes and personality match him better than your brother's do," thinking of the other twins smoky, grey eyes.
"I think it is fitting that they each have a bit of their father about them," Abigail replied. "I have a feeling James' personality is going to better match his mama's."
"I'm not sure if I should take that as a compliment or not," Elizabeth replied wryly.
Abigail gave her friend a knowing look and a little shrug. Before anything else could be said between the two women there was a knock on the door.
"Come in," Elizabeth called out.
The door opened and Faith peeked her head in. "Are you feeling up to visitors, Elizabeth?" the blonde doctor asked. "Everyone has already fussed over Lexi and now want to see the twins."
"Well, it isn't like they would wake them up," Elizabeth said with a chuckle. "And perhaps meeting his admiring public might calm James down."
Faith smiled. "I'll tell them they can come in a couple at a time, then for a short visit each," she said.
Leaving the door open, Faith turned and disappeared. Glad that she had insisted on getting dressed despite spending the day resting, Elizabeth turned her head toward Abigail. "Does my hair look alright?"
Abigail laughed. "You look just like a glowing mother should look," she replied. "Besides, people are going to be more focused on James and Billy rather than you."
Elizabeth chuckled. "You are probably right," she consented.
Soon there was a knock on the open bedroom door. Looking in that direction, Elizabeth spotted Edward and Elise in the doorway.
"How are the mama and twins doing?" Edward asked.
"All three of us are fine," Elizabeth replied. "I wasn't expecting the two of you to be the first ones in here," she admitted.
Elise smiled. "Edward insisted because other than your family, who have already met the newest members of the family, we have known you the longest."
"I can be very persuasive," Edward added.
"Well, then come in and meet the twins," Elizabeth told them. "I have Billy and the noisy one that Abigail is holding is James."
Having headed toward Abigail, Edward reached out for the infant. "I know which one is going to take after his mama," the former Mountie said looking down at the infant he held.
"Edward, be nice," Elise scolded, even as she sat in a chair next to the bed, her eyes on Billy.
With a knowing smile, Elizabeth handed Billy over to Elise. She had a feeling that Elise was the perfect complement to Edward, especially as he didn't argue with Elise's gentle scolding.
As James finally quieted down, Elizabeth glanced over at Edward. "Well, if we can't get any sleep in the middle of the night, I know who to call," she said, amazed.
Edward looked up at her, an impish look on his face that reminded her of the boy he used to be."My charm works on all ages," he replied.
Frank supervised Milo and Ethan emptying their pockets of the worms and bugs they had collected. Though the pastor had a feeling one of the older boys had put the twins up to trying to drop the critters down the back of one of the girl's dresses, he still planned on giving the twins a time out. After all, they had chosen to follow through on the action. He was just thankful they had chosen Ally, as the girl wasn't as squeamish as the other girls would have been.
After their pockets were empty, Frank marched the boys over to the shade of a large tree and had them sit down, their backs turned to each other.
"You'll sit there quietly for fifteen minutes," Frank told them.
"Yes, sir," the twins replied sullenly.
As he had no intention of going far from the twins, Frank walked over to the nearest tree and sat down with his back to trunk. He fought the urge to lean his head back and close his eyes, worried that Milo or Ethan would take advantage of such an opportunity.
"Are the little sinners serving their penance?"
Frank looked up to see Carson and Dahlia standing nearby. "You could say that," Frank replied, casting a quick glance at the twins before looking back up at the doctor and his wife. "They seem to cause more trouble on my watch than Edward's. I don't know if it is because my age makes me slower, or they really do get up to more mischief on my watch."
"Maybe Edward is just able to anticipate their actions more," Dahlia said. "According to Elise, he got up to quite a bit of mischief as a boy."
"Yes, he's admitted as much," Frank said. "I think I like that explanation better than I am just getting old," he said with a chuckle in which Carson and Dahlia joined him. "Can I help you with something?"
Frank watched as the couple exchanged a quick silent message between them before Dahlia finally spoke up. "We actually wanted to speak to you about Milo and Ethan."
"Did they do something I don't know about?" Frank asked.
Dahlia shook her head, a smile on her lips. "No, nothing like that. Carson and I wanted to talk to you about adopting them."
Frank looked at the two for a moment, trying to gauge how serious they were. He liked what he saw. While Dahlia's eyes showed nothing but compassion and sincerity, he saw determination in Carson's eyes. The pastor knew without it being said that this was Dahlia's idea, but Carson was fully behind her. That was exactly the type of love the twins needed to be exposed to.
"Have a seat and let me tell you about their past first," Frank told them, though he already knew nothing he could say was going to change their minds.
Elizabeth watched as Nathan carefully placed Billy in the cradle next to his brother's. Though they had been unprepared for twins, Lee had happily brought Aster's cradle over so that both infants had a cozy bed. By the time they were big enough to need to move to cribs, Nathan had promised to have a second one ready. She had no doubt that he would. That was the kind of man that Nathan was. If he said he would do something, he would - not get someone else to do it for him.
Nathan stood for a moment looking down at his sons. Already there was pride there - an emotion that Elizabeth knew would never fade. It was the same way that Nathan looked at Ally and Jack. He would be proud of his children no matter whose blood ran in their veins or what they did. His was the unconditional love of a parent, and Elizabeth knew how special that was now.
Yes, there had been a time when she had doubted she had that from her own parents but not now. Though her parents may have had trouble accepting the path she had chosen for herself over the one they had planned for her, they still loved her. Their arrival after hearing about her quick marriage to Nathan had proven that to her.
Thinking about Jack, she felt like she could understand the struggle her parents had faced. Her first born already had a fascination with the Mounties. Perhaps it was inevitable that he would follow in both fathers' footsteps in that profession. Would she have the courage to let Jack join like Charlotte had with Tom even after losing her husband and eldest son?
As Nathan looked up from the crib, their eyes met. Elizabeth could see the love he had not only for the children but her as well. This was right. This was the love Jack had written that he hoped she would fine.
"It is nice not doing it all alone this time," Elizabeth told him softly so not to awaken the just fed twins.
"I'll have to take your word for that until James and Billy are about three," Nathan replied, just as softly, as he came toward the bed. "However, I can say that I am already loving taking care of an infant with you."
Nathan climbed into bed beside her and reached out to take her in his arms. Elizabeth snuggled willingly into his embrace, knowing that unlike her last marriage, simply being close to one another would never grow old. The intimacy in her relationship with Nathan was nice, but it wasn't the only thing. Their relationship was so much more and deeper than simply the physical.
"I think it is fitting that our sons were born on your birthday," Elizabeth said. "You can no longer say that only bad things happen on it."
"This is hands down my best birthday ever," Nathan replied, before pressing a kiss to the top of her head as they settled down together. "And my wife gave me the best present ever."
"I won't tell Ally you said that," Elizabeth told him, knowing how much work the girl had put into the birthday picnic.
"Good," Nathan said. "The love she put into planning my party was a close second for sure. I am glad she wanted to come back to Hope Valley instead of staying in Calgary. She told me that despite the hard times here, it was still the only place that had felt like home to her. I know now exactly what she meant."
"I am glad you came back too," Elizabeth said. "My fear led me to a place where I was simply going through the motions but not really living. You were my light when all I could see was darkness and your love helped me find the courage to live again. Thank you, Nathan."
"In a way, you did the same for me, Beth. When I came to Hope Valley, doing what was right for Ally was all that had mattered. Other than her, I had built a wall around my heart and kept people at arm's length. You and this town wouldn't accept that. You challenged me to not only lower the wall but look at what I needed to change about myself. I never would have given my father another chance without your encouragement. Those changes were what allowed me to be here for you when you most needed it. They say that everything happens for a reason, and given the life we have now, I wouldn't change anything in our past if it meant we didn't end up right here together."
"I will second that," Elizabeth said, shifting so that she could look up at him. "I love you, Nathan Grant."
"I love you, Beth," Nathan echoed before pressing his lips against hers.
Though she knew they were wasting precious moments of sleep, Elizabeth didn't care. The feel of Nathan's lips pressed against hers was so much better than sleep anyway. She had learned first hand that tomorrow wasn't promised, so she intended to accept the gift of the present with no regrets.