Chapter 28- What's in a Home?
"Thank you!" Charlotte said, reaching up to where Nathan offered her a cup of coffee. "I think I need this more than usual."
"Me too," Nathan nodded as he took a seat beside Charlotte. "What time did we get to sleep last night?"
"I don't think I want to know," Charlotte grinned before taking a long sip out of the mug in her hand. Thank God Nathan had made the coffee extra strong this morning. She felt the caffeine instantly jolt through her veins like the almost kiss last night.
Did she really almost kiss Nathan?
Charlotte's heart raced at the memory. Nathan brushing her lips. Charlotte removing her eyes from his intense gaze to focus on Nathan's crooked grin. Leaning in closer.
Was she ready to kiss Nathan? Lord knows she had wanted to for some time. But wanting to and being able to, were two completely different things in Charlotte's world.
"Well, it seems everyone had a good time," Nathan smiled, taking in the scene of the children still sound asleep and spread throughout their backyards as the light of dawn was filtering in from the east.
"I agree. We make a good team, Nathan Grant." Charlotte beamed at Nathan as she lifted her mug in a toast to him.
"That we do, Charlotte Thompson." Nathan raised his own cup to clink against hers.
That we do.
Even with the lack of sleep, Allie, Nathan, and Charlotte had decided to keep with their Saturday plans of a ride to the upper meadow. They had not been there much since the fire last fall, but with the recent spring rains and warmer temperature of early summer, the meadow had seemed to come alive again in front of their eyes.
Even with the rebirth of the meadow, it still carried scares of its recent past. Especially the charred remains of so many of the trees on the western and southern slopes where the flames had carved a path toward the canyon.
"I always thought that big maple would have made the perfect spot for a tree swing," Charlotte commented, taking in the sight of its blackened bark as she and Nathan sat on the picnic blanket after lunch. Allie was already fishing along the banks of the lake in front of them. "We had a similar tree growing up on the ranch. Dad made a swing and hung it on one of the lower branches. I don't know how many hours I spent playing there as a child. And then later on, it was always where I would go to think about life."
"I never really had a place like that as a kid. So, I love hearing your stories about what it was like growing up on the ranch," Nathan said.
"Tell me about your childhood," Charlotte gently prodded. "I know from some things Allie has mentioned in the past, it may not always be happy. But it is still a part of you that I would like to know about. If you'd let me."
Nathan's face turned sullen as he looked down to where he wrung his hands together. "No, it wasn't always happy."
"You don't have to tell me if it's too painful, Nathan. I've just always wondered about that part of your life."
Nathan took a deep breath. "When I was very young, we lived on a farm further east and we were happy there. Poor as dirt, but happy. I remember Colleen and I would spend as much time as possible outside playing and taking care of the animals. It was where we created some of the best memories growing up. But then mom and dad lost the farm and we had to move to a house closer to my mom's parents in the city. Dad was able to get a job at the local bank and he had a steady income for the first time ever, but with money came trouble. Dad started staying out later at the local saloon and began gambling. Soon he wasn't able to pay for his debts and ended up pawning off things like my mom's ruby brooch, which had been a wedding gift. What hurt mom most of all was she did not even know dad had sold it. If he would have just been honest with her. Had told her the truth, I don't think she would have been as hurt. But he didn't and that was really the beginning of the end for them. Things only got worse. They were constantly fighting, so much so, that Colleen and I would go and spend days at a time with Grandma and Grandpa just to get out of the house."
Charlotte moved closer then. Sliding over to sit beside Nathan, placing one hand into his and using her other to gently rub up and down his forearm in a comforting motion.
"Grandma and Grandpa were the best. Going to their home was our safe place. Somewhere we could still be kids and blissfully ignorant of the real world struggles we were facing as a family. Grandpa is who taught Colleen and I to fish and Grandma gave us our love of reading. They were so opposite of what our parents had become. Nan and Pop were happy together. A real team. They had created such a loving place to grow up. I guess their example of a home is what I hope to provide my children one day."
"You don't think you have provided that already for Allie?" Charlotte genuinely questioned.
"No." Nathan paused and looked over at Charlotte. "Not yet anyway."
Charlotte's jaw dropped slightly in realization of what Nathan was alluding to.
She tried to swallow the lump that had grown in her throat. Charlotte had to turn away from Nathan and his intense gaze. Her eyes landed on Allie who was happily casting a line out into the lazy lake.
"Did you always want to be a dad?"
"Honestly? No."
Nathan's admission shocked Charlotte. She turned back to face him. "Really? But you are such a natural with Allie and other kids."
"Now maybe. But when Allie came under my guardianship, I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. What it meant to be a dad. You have to remember Charlotte what I had as a father figure growing up. Archie was nothing like your dad. He was arrested for stealing from the bank he worked at just to put food on our table because he had gambled everything else away. For years. Years. I had a fear that I would be just like him."
"Is that why you joined the Mounties?"
"Yes. I needed to prove to myself I was nothing like my father. He continually broke the law. I continually try to fix it. But it was more than that. When I first joined, the Mounties allowed me a way to escape. Not only to see more of the country, but to escape the shadow my father had created. Back home everyone just knew me as Archie Grant's son. The criminal's kid. I was ashamed and I never wanted my children to feel that way. I wouldn't have been able to live with myself if I did that to them."
"Nathan, you are nothing like that. Your children will be so incredibly proud of the person they get to call dad. You are strong, kind, funny, and a hero in every sense of the word. You are going to be the father they brag to all their friends about. Not because you are the town constable, but rather because of the person you are to them. The one that takes them to town dances and always attends their music recitals. The one who teaches them to ride and takes them fishing on the weekends. The dad who shares his love of ice cream, books, and baseball. And the one who sets up a camping site in his backyard for all the neighborhood kids to spend the night. In my humble opinion that puts you pretty high up there for the number one dad award if I do say so myself."
Nathan smiled at Charlotte and squeezed her hand. How had he become so lucky to have found her? Someone who made him realize that time is not measured by a clock, but by moments. A woman who made him understand that heartbeats aren't heard but felt and shared. And a woman who made Nathan understand that home is not just a place, but rather a feeling. A feeling of being with the ones you love most and who know just what to say and do to make your day seem brighter.
"Thank you for always believing in me," Nathan's eyes dropped to where his thumb was rubbing against Charlotte's. "It feels good to hear someone else say you're not completely messing things up."
Charlotte leaned in to rest her head on Nathan's shoulder, "You, Nathan Grant, are far from completely messing things up."
I hope you all are enjoying these "quieter" moments for our Grant family. Please know that the mundane, everyday actions that I'm writing about are leading somewhere. They all have a purpose.
Not like some of the crazy Season 8 storylines… I'm looking at you Ned Yost and your Band-Aid invention. (Sad thing is… that wasn't even the biggest "what the heck" moment of the finale.)
Remember I'm trying to be "Better Than WCTH Season 8 Writers" here ;)
These beginning episodes/chapters are meant to give us a little deeper understanding into these characters. A bit more of a backstory and what makes them tick. Also, I'm trying to lay the groundwork now for the bigger moments later this "season". So you all aren't saying... What the heck? Or... Where did that come from?
Plus, we are getting to see this relationship start to blossom. Real talks and discussions. Learning about each other. Why are Charlotte and Nathan the way they are today? How does that reflect in their relationship? I'm excited for you to find out…