It's nearing 9pm as Nathan and Elizabeth arrive at the final stop of their first date alone. As with the other stops, there will be food, conversation, and yes, kisses. But as Nathan, especially, has started to more fully open his heart to Elizabeth, there's a compensatory intensity building between the two of them as any and all barriers fall away. What better place to process all that's in their hearts than at …
To separate the chapter into two quicker reads, there's a horizontal break to mark a natural place to stop and re-start later.
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The 1st UNchaperoned Date
Chapter 7: Home - Part 1
Despite the voices that had earlier threatened Nathan and Elizabeth's privacy in the livery, as they left their horses tucked in for the night, the town, too, it seemed had settled in for the evening. Hope Valley's main street was quiet and dark, illuminated only by the soft glow of gas lamps. The chirp of crickets filled the air, creating a gentle symphony of night sounds, broken only by an occasional dog bark echoed in the distance.
Nathan treasured the tranquility of these evenings, relishing the opportunity to share this special view of their town with Elizabeth. Even after living in Hope Valley for over a decade, it was a perspective she likely hadn't experienced herself.
As they sauntered along, hand in hand, a cool breeze hinted at the approach of fall, carrying with it the earthy scent of browning leaves.
"I appreciate it when it's like this," Nathan began. "It's quiet, no one's around. When I'm riding up and down these streets or up by the row houses, I'm reminded why I wanted to be a Mountie in the first place, to protect these people, to keep them safe.
"And the town's lucky to have you," Elizabeth responded lovingly, giving his hand a squeeze.
"Thank you, 'Lizbeth," he said, lifting their hands and pressing a warm kiss onto Elizabeth's. "But, I'm the one who feels lucky," his eyes conveying that she was the true source of that sentiment.
Elizabeth smiled and let out her most contented sigh in years, leaning for a moment into the strength of Nathan's tall, sturdy frame as they walked together along the hardened dirt of the empty street.
Nathan marveled at all that had come of their time alone that night. He couldn't miss the irony that Elizabeth's entire intent for this date had been to help him trust in their love, considering Bill had jumped on the very same thing. Though, as remarkable as Bill's courtroom presentation was, Nathan naturally favored Elizabeth's demonstration.
With a chuckle, Nathan thought about how grateful Bill would be for his and Elizabeth's progress tonight—they were certainly no longer slower than molasses in January. In fact, Nathan was positive Bill would be casually hanging around the Mountie office tomorrow morning, eager to discuss "business."
Nathan had almost forgotten the purpose of their walk, until Elizabeth unexpectedly guided his hand, drawing them away from town and onto the familiar, well trodden path to the row houses.
Of course, Nathan thought. Their last stop of the night. How could it not be? Much of their love story revolved around Elizabeth's row house. It began with her first tangible outreach to him and continued through their supportive porch conversations during heartache. Her home was the backdrop for their initial kisses and the passionate deepening of those kisses behind closed doors. It held their revealed secrets and, most recently, the expression of their infinitely growing love.
Home, Nathan thought, enveloped by the warmth of her heartfelt words, "You feel like home to me." Landing here for the last stop of the night couldn't be more perfect. The choice felt like a personal invitation from Elizabeth into a future together that was nearly within their reach.
As Nathan climbed the steps that night to Elizabeth's home, a long past memory surfaced. He recalled his nervous excitement the first time he knocked on her door. In fact, simultaneously, his first romantic gesture toward Elizabeth occurred on those wooden steps. He remembered the time he took gathering the wildflowers, making sure to represent every color he could find. When he'd wandered through the meadow outside of town, Nathan especially sought out flowers in varying shades of pink, having noticed she often wore that color.
His recollection of that special moment couldn't help but be tinged by sadness, too. For that day, as Nathan neared this very home, his heart sank as he saw Lucas walking down her steps.
Nathan now understood what Bill had meant about Elizabeth playing a role, recognizing how Lucas had, at least initially, done the same. Two men may have dropped off flowers for the town's beloved teacher just minutes apart that morning, but it didn't take Mountie instincts to know that only one was truly offering his heart. Even if well-intentioned, the other more sharply clad hopeful descended her steps with a proud, puffed out chest, seeming to treat the gesture as simply another item to check off a list for a specifically planned recipe.
Elizabeth's hand rested on her home's doorknob as she eagerly anticipated the final part of their evening. Turning back to Nathan to make sure he was within her view, she noticed he appeared lost in thought. When Elizabeth registered his telling furrowed brow, she couldn't help but ask, "Nathan, is everything all right?"
The subtle warmth of Elizabeth's hand resting on his arm instantly drew Nathan from his memories. "Yes, of course," Nathan answered, not necessarily wanting thoughts of Lucas to intrude on the precious time of their unchaperoned evening.
"I know that brow well," Elizabeth said definitely. "Anything you want to talk about?"
Nathan sensed a sudden heaviness settle on his chest, knowing it was time to address his final unanswered question. He honestly felt frustrated that Elizabeth hadn't brought it up herself long before now. Despite the progress he'd made with Bill in working toward fully trusting Elizabeth, Nathan hoped that hearing her explanation would be the final step to finding peace with their shared past.
"Can we sit a minute?" Nathan asked, holding out his hand.
"Certainly," Elizabeth answered, slipping her hand into his. They settled in on her porch steps as they so often had before. Elizabeth's heart sunk just a tiny bit, feeling a weightier conversation coming. Knowing the surprise she had in store for Nathan, she yearned to pull him inside and push past this sudden heaviness between them. But, if it was important to Nathan, it was important to her.
Nathan squeezed Elizabeth's hand as he shifted toward her and tried to find the right words. He was surprised at how his heart started racing. But then again, he knew talking through this would be his final step before giving Elizabeth his whole heart.
"I was remembering walking up these steps to give you flowers, having just seen Lucas do the same." Elizabeth felt her stomach tighten, realizing this conversation had finally arrived.
"'Lizabeth," Nathan started, with a tinge of noticeable hurt still in his eyes. "I've analyzed my own thoughts a thousand times over, but can you tell me what happened between you and Lucas? I'm not sure I even understand what drew you to him in the first place."
Elizabeth offered Nathan a half smile. "Nathan, I'm so sorry. I really should've talked about this with you earlier." She scooted right against him in an extra effort to show her love for this man of impeccable patience. "I think you'll like the answer, though," she said, offering a little shoulder bump. "But the reason I didn't bring it up months ago is because it would've revealed my whole heart. And I wasn't sure I was ready for that quite yet."
Nathan felt a little more at ease now. He quietly waited, intrigued as to what he might think and feel on the other side of this conversation.
"I'm embarrassed to say this, Nathan, and it's not at all fair to Lucas, but in looking back over my journal entries to pick ones for tonight, it was clear that yours was the name that filled my pages. It was you who lifted my heart. It was you who challenged me. It was you who I turned to when something was on my mind," Elizabeth was surprised when her voice unexpectedly caught.
Clenching her teeth against the rising emotion, she whispered, "It was you who I ran to and held in the street." With a shaky breath, Elizabeth recalled the wave of relief that washed over her once she'd locked her arms around Nathan and felt the smooth wool fabric of his serge against her cheek, anchoring her in the reality of his safety.
"I know it may have seemed awkward to you…," she said, releasing a soft laugh to lighten the mood, "... how I couldn't let you go, even with everyone in town gathering to see what was going on." Elizabeth quickly brushed away a single tear. "But, I needed the steady rhythm of every heartbeat, in my ear and on my cheek, to convince me I hadn't lost you." Placing her hand gently on Nathan's blue linen shirt, intentionally across his heart, she admitted, "Looking back now, it was then I realized your heartbeat completed mine. I never wanted to let go."
As if missing that warm embrace, Elizabeth started to shiver, more from the memory of that moment than the temperature. Nathan reached his arm around her and pulled her in, wanting to respond, but unable to trust his own voice as he tried unsuccessfully to swallow the lump in his throat. He felt tears pooling as the crushing memories of eventually letting her go beat against his heart.
Sitting side by side, both Nathan and Elizabeth looked ahead into the dark night. But, Elizabeth leaned in even closer, and rested her hand on Nathan's knee, needing him close as she remembered with heartache how she'd denied this man twice.
"What I didn't know I needed, though, was time," she said, still gazing ahead, her voice directed toward the stars as if pleading with them to offer Nathan solace with their distant light. "My heart broke into a million pieces when Jack died, and I see now that loving you so deeply came too soon. The memory of losing him was still too fresh. So, my fear took over."
Steadying her voice, willing herself to go on, Elizabeth continued, "But, what I felt for you wasn't about Jack, himself; my journal entries from the schoolhouse were clear about that." She gave Nathan's knee a gentle squeeze, and sighed. "I just knew from the grief I battled over Jack's death that if I lost you–?" Her tone suddenly shifted, becoming a question cast into the heavens. Nathan felt Elizabeth lightly shaking her head, "My whole world would shatter … and I didn't trust that I'd ever be able to put the pieces back together again." With Elizabeth tucked into his shoulder, her quivering chin betrayed the depth of her love for Nathan, even as it remained hidden from his view.
But at the mention of Jack, Nathan was alternatively pulled into the darkness of Fort Clay, to the devastating moment when Hargreaves informed him that the man who'd died in his place left behind a family.
"'Lizbeth," Nathan said quietly, "I'm so sorry I wasn't there then to look after you, when Jack died. I know it wouldn't make any sense that I would've been, or that I even could've helped." Nathan couldn't believe he was practically rambling. "But I would've wanted to," he added simply.
Considering the complexity of that idea, Elizabeth opted this once for frugality, "I know," she said warmly, reaching up to offer a heartfelt kiss for his selfless, wholly Nathan-like gesture.
As her lips molded into the soft give of Nathan's, the tenderness he poured into their kiss struck her with an overwhelming intensity – with love, yes, absolutely, but also unexpectedly with grief.
Though Elizabeth graciously admitted to herself that her heart truly hadn't been ready to love so deeply when Nathan first expressed his feelings, in this moment she felt newly broken into a million pieces for what she'd done to him. She also mourned the years they'd missed as a family with their precious kids.
As Elizabeth's eyes glistened with unshed tears, she apologized whole heartedly. "I'm so sorry, Nathan, for the years we lost. I was just so afraid of losing you."
Elizabeth hadn't expected to cry, but the flood of unexpressed emotions she'd kept bottled up for so long spilled over. Not just one tear or two fell, either. Instead, a cascade of tears streamed down her cheeks.
Soon, sobs shook Elizabeth beneath Nathan's protective arm. He wrapped his other arm around her and cradled her in close. If only she knew how his world had come to start and stop with her.
"Oh, God, 'Lizbeth,'" Nathan said, almost prayerfully. He immediately kissed both her cheeks where her tears had first fallen and then enveloped her in a warm embrace, drawing her in against his heart. Feeling inexpressibly pained for being the one who pushed the question that led to these tears, Nathan knew he was only one long sentence away from crying himself. So, he was brief. "I'm so sorry, 'Lizbeth," brushing her tears away, aching with every one that fell. He rocked her ever so slightly.
Nathan felt helpless, caught in a whirlwind of emotions as he struggled to find the right words to console her. He desperately wanted to resolve this pain from their past for good, but now he regretted pulling it to the surface, especially tonight, anyway. Nathan obviously still needed answers about Lucas, but figured he wouldn't press the topic anymore. This clearly was a conversation for her to lead.
As Elizabeth regained some control, she pulled back a bit, and lifted her hand to Nathan's cheek. "I really didn't mean for tonight to be an evening of tears," she said with frustration. "This night is about you, not me, and you're the one consoling me."
With his thumbs, Nathan softly brushed away the moisture from Elizabeth's cheeks. He did his best to comfort her, wrapping his arms around her tightly and resting his head gently against hers as they sat side by side. "This night is about us," he whispered, turning and pressing a kiss tenderly into her hair beside her barrette.
As he held Elizabeth, gently stroking her back, Nathan asked her one last question—one he felt he already knew the answer to and didn't anticipate would bring any more tears. So, with only a little trepidation, he said, "Do you feel that fear now? About me?"
"Yes," she answered honestly, drawing back just enough to meet Nathan's gaze. "But, I'm no longer driven by it. I think that's what time did for me. It gave me more days and more experiences with you going away for work to trust that you'd …" she paused only briefly, remembering her 'Be safe' "... come home to me." They both smiled knowingly.
"Nathan," Elizabeth started, her thoughts suddenly turning to a ritual they'd seemed to adopt early on. "Not long after you came to Hope Valley, you started stopping by to tell me when you were headed out of town. What made you think to do that?"
"For a couple of reasons, I guess," Nathan answered. "One was for you," he answered slowly, giving her an added squeeze, "and one was for me."
"I like that," Elizabeth smiled, feeling warm and secure in his arms, "For both of us."
"Yes, for the both of us," Nathan reassured her. "When I was headed out of town some years back to investigate Henry's lawsuit, you asked a little anxiously where I was going. I never knew if your worry was a trigger from Jack or if it was out of concern for me. But either way, I thought it might help for you to know."
"I guess in a way, it was both," Elizabeth openly admitted. "And the reason for you?"
"Well, that is a multi-layered answer … I'm a complicated man, you know."
"Exactly!" Elizabeth exclaimed, her giggle a welcome melody to Nathan's ears after the heaviness of her tears. "It's just like I said at the family picnic — there's a lot you don't show."
Despite suddenly dropping into a lighter moment, the air hung heavy and quiet for Nathan. He knew what he wanted to say, but sensed the subtle tug at the last layers protecting his vulnerably pounding heart. Gazing intently into the sparkle of Elizabeth's blue eyes, he freely shared, "I'm an open book to you now, 'Lizbeth. You can ask me anything."
At the sincerity in Nathan's eyes, Elizabeth fully felt his offering. Her heart raced in response, "I want you to know, Nathan, that I'm open to you, too, and you can trust me completely." That word, "trust," burned fiercely in his heart. Completely overcome, Nathan instantly needed her close. He scooped her up sideways onto his lap and fully enveloped her in their most intimate kiss yet. Wrapped entirely in each other's arms, Nathan, too, felt safe, even as nearly all of his protective layers had been shed.
Elizabeth pulled away, completely breathless. "Wow," she said quietly with simple awe, captivated by the new expanse in Nathan's loving eyes. Without breaking their gaze, Nathan rested his hand alongside her face, brushing his thumb across her cheek. All else in the world had melted away, leaving only the soft glow of the stars above them.
For all they knew, Rosemary and Lee could be on their front steps with popcorn watching their night of romance. But none of that mattered. No interruption, save their children's safety, could've broken the connection between these two. They were completely transfixed, amazed at how the view from their eyes had opened so fully to their hearts.
Eventually, Elizabeth's tiny giggle broke the silence. "What were we talking about?"
Nathan grinned, feeling more confident by the latest display of emotion that their earlier topic was indeed manageable. "Well, actually, we were talking about Lucas, if you recall. But, as you said, I think I do like your answer, at least so far."
"Okay, yes, you're right," she said playfully, a blush rising to her cheeks. "We were talking about Lucas, which circuitously meant we were talking about you."
Elizabeth felt the years of tension releasing as Nathan's upper body shook lightly with a chuckle, "I like that." Feeling a thousand times lighter than he had yesterday morning, Nathan held Elizabeth, still on his lap, and rested his head against hers, sighing into their new closeness.
Without pulling away, Elizabeth said, "I remember now. I was waiting to hear what it meant to you to tell me when you'd be leaving town."
As Elizabeth referenced her earlier question, the air hung heavy again as its thickness silenced the night, signaling to Nathan he'd need to expose more of his heart to answer completely. He knew this entire conversation was about him. As Bill had said, "Elizabeth has given her heart to you, and she's given you her trust. It's time for you to do the same, holding nothing back."
Still enfolded in each other's arms, Nathan gave Elizabeth a light squeeze as he explained, "Well, coming to tell you always gave me an excuse to see you, for one." His lips curved into a slight smile at his honest admission. "It was also a way I could show that I cared," he added. "I wanted you to feel secure, so I figured it would help you to know where I was and when I'd be back if you needed anything."
"You are a good man, Nathan Grant," cuddling into him and resting her head against his shoulder.
All at once, Nathan was grateful that he was staring out into the vast night sky instead of directly into Elizabeth's eyes. Though he felt supported in Elizabeth's reassuring arms, sometimes saying what is nearest to your heart is easier to confess to the darkness than into the eyes of someone you're so vulnerably trying to trust. Nathan imagined Elizabeth could feel his heart pounding faster and deeper. "And, if I'm totally honest, it was my own version of 'Be safe.' I was telling you, 'I'm leaving, but I'll come back to you.'"
Elizabeth leaned back slightly, to read the love written in Nathan's eyes before placing a tender kiss on his warm lips. "And you always have."
Flooded with her love, her understanding, and her physical warmth, Nathan whispered, "And something tells me I always will."
Elizabeth was surprised to find herself answering, "I feel that, too." And she did. She really did. Once when he'd said something similar, she shot back at him, "You can't say that to me. You have no right to promise me that." Somehow this was different … entirely different.
She wasn't sure if she'd conquered letting her fear get the best of her or if she was increasingly relying on probability. I mean, what was the likelihood of a woman losing two Mountie husbands, she thought. It was something more than just reasoning, though, almost as if God was assuring her security, telling her that she and Nathan may have their struggles and heartaches. Hargreaves was certainly proving that to be true. But, from here on out, they'd always have each other to weather life's storms.
As Elizabeth searched Nathan's increasingly transparent eyes, wondering if he was feeling the same unique assurance, her own heart started racing. She saw in his eyes an openness she'd never seen. Even though she'd told him on the family picnic there was a lot he held back, she couldn't possibly have imagined how impactful removing those final layers would be. She wanted to wrap all of herself around him, to hold him and be his in every way. Her heart burned with a love she'd never known and bubbled over in a few light tears that fell from her eyes.
"Elizabeth? What is it?" Nathan asked, catching the last of the tears as he lovingly touched two fingers to her cheek.
"I've never felt a love like we share, Nathan," Elizabeth confessed with a shaky voice.
Hearing Elizabeth's declaration tugged at one of the last layers he'd constructed to protect his broken heart. The vulnerable honesty in Elizabeth's eyes filled Nathan with a consuming love he couldn't possibly contain. With Elizabeth still on his lap and in his arms, Nathan pulled her entirely against him as they released every remaining doubt into their kiss. Minutes passed as they physically expressed the all encompassing love in their hearts.
Elizabeth drank in Nathan's proximity. Resting a number of inches higher on his lap invited her into an entirely new intimacy, allowing her to melt into the warmth transferred between their light summer fabrics. There, in their closest moments, she connected again with the familiar heartbeat that resonated with her own. Lost to her surroundings, Elizabeth poured her longing into their kisses, hungrily applying the added pressure and openness enabled by their perfectly aligned faces. Her arms circled around Nathan's broad frame, often changing position, pulling him to her with a heightened sense of urgency.
As their passion intensified, two thoughts entered Nathan's mind, both related to this surrender. The first was remembering their fairly visible location from Rosemary and Lee's. The second related to his shirt buttons. He needed Elizabeth, and was dangerously aware of all he wanted to share with Elizabeth. That was a truth he knew he could no longer hold back.
But the potential of Rosemary's peeking eyes allowed him to gentle his kisses to where after another five or six, he was finally able pull his lips away. As he took Elizabeth's hand in his, and breathlessly placed kisses across a few knuckles, she smiled, looking knowingly at him.
"I didn't fiddle with your buttons this time," she teased, ruffling Nathan's already disheveled hair.
Entirely unfiltered now, Nathan responded, holding her gaze, "I'd kind of hoped you would."
Butterflies erupted through Elizabeth as her eyes dropped downward. Releasing a highly affected sigh, she reluctantly pushed herself up off Nathan's lap and said coyly, "I think I need to sit over here for a minute."
Nathan chuckled, running a hand through his hair, already missing the warmth of the one who made him feel whole. "I know the feeling," he reiterated, shaking his head lightly at the profound understatement. Even though the two needed their space for a moment to allow the alluring heat between them to dissipate, Nathan still couldn't help but watch Elizabeth. How could his connection to one individual fill him so fully?
The only time he'd felt such overpowering emotion had ironically been the first year after losing her to Lucas. He remembered how every breath ached as his lungs inflated around his broken heart. He'd tried to hide the worst from Allie, taking walks after dinner. Throughout the day, work was distracting. And then dinner was essential. But once dishes were put away, he hardly knew how to exist in the quiet.
He and Allie settled into a new routine during that year. He dropped Allie by the Canfields, waved a hello and a thank you, and then carried the weight of his unexpressed emotions to the log.
He hadn't ever known why that place where Elizabeth first rejected him felt so comforting. But his heart always felt free there. Whatever he felt, he could express. Sometimes he yelled into the night. All too often he cried, knowing he was safe there where no one could hear, especially Allie. But he always prayed, lacking the strength on his own to endure losing Elizabeth.
Looking over at Elizabeth now, still feeling in his arms the remnants of holding her, he understood why his walk always led him to the log. It was where Elizabeth spoke from her heart, where in her own way she'd said, "I love you, too." Her actual phrases were embedded in his mind, having replayed on repeat for years now. "It would hurt too much to lose you." "If I stay it will only make it harder to leave." For better or worse, Nathan was always able to reproduce a clear memory of the turmoil in Elizabeth's eyes when she said with finality, "I can't."
Returning again and again to that place may have seemed like torture to some, but somehow it was healing to him, like he was coming home to her each night. When he came to the log, he came to be with her, in the only way she could be with him. As Elizabeth's actions were telling him one thing, he continued to feel their connection there.
Over time, there were fewer tears. At unexpected moments, his heart still ached for what could have been. But the gratitude he felt to God for still allowing him to have a space in Elizabeth's life was inexpressible.
Elizabeth let out a little shiver, bringing Nathan's thoughts back to the present. He smiled in awe. God knew then that his and Elizabeth's story wasn't over. It was just redirected for a time. Nathan accepted that God's timing can certainly be hard to trust, but is always for the best. "Here we are," Nathan thought, instantly enveloped in inexpressible love and gratitude.
As he scooted over to Elizabeth, he wrapped his arm around her and drew her in tight. Nathan couldn't help but note the change in what he saw in Elizabeth's eyes now - from turmoil to light, hope, warmth, and love. She flashed her radiant smile, and then nestled her head against his.
Looking up at the full moon, Elizabeth felt a rush of warmth, remembering that first special night she'd rested her head on his shoulder. How perfect, she thought, since the journal entry from that very night was the one she planned to share here at her home.
Nathan's voice broke into her thoughts, "Do you want to go inside now?"
"I'd love that," Elizabeth responded as she stood, smoothing out her skirt with her hands. "I'm looking forward to our dessert." She poked at Nathan's shoulder, wondering what he might've made. Nathan's stomach gurgled at Elizabeth's word choice. He was about to comment, when the flickering light in Elizabeth's home caught his attention.
She'd opened the door to easily two dozen candles warmly lighting the room. Flower-filled jars tied with taffeta were deliberately placed throughout.
Nathan paused, momentarily at a loss for words. "It's …." he began, surprised by how effortlessly the perfect word came to him, one that encapsulated the entire evening: "... everything."
Elizabeth's clasped hands shot up to her mouth as a tiny squeal slipped out in excitement. As she bounced up and down, her chestnut curls mirrored the movement. She was clearly delighted with Nathan's reaction.
"Elizabeth!" Nathan lightly scolded, "You sat with me outside all this time, with a surprise like this waiting inside?"
Elizabeth grabbed Nathan's hand again, "There was no rush, Nathan. I love all my time with you," she replied with levity. "Besides," she continued, now serious, "we needed this conversation at some point; and if your heart was telling you to ask, it was likely long overdue."
Nathan was speechless for what this night had been. Yesterday in his office, he'd unexpectedly spiraled into doubt over past rejection and Elizabeth's engagement. Now after a date more extraordinary than dreams could create, he and Elizabeth were standing here together, alone, immersed in this romantic candlelight.
Craving her closeness, he stepped behind Elizabeth, and in one fluid motion, took her arms in his and folded them into a hug below her chest. Nathan tilted his head down and brushed his lips into her hair. "It's been a perfect night," he whispered, nipping her ear a couple of times before gently kissing her neck.
"I see the candles were a good move, Constable," she teased, her breath growing shallow with his kisses. "Did you notice anything special about the flowers?"
Nathan pulled his lips away somewhat reluctantly. Scanning the arrangements, he soon determined one particular bloom was clearly represented more than any others.
"Do you see?" she pressed Nathan, her eyes sparkling with hope, eager for him to recognize her thoughtful gesture.
Nathan's heart swelled with emotion, a mix of nostalgia and gratitude flooding his senses. He shook his head in disbelief. "I can't believe you remembered, Elizabeth. That was five years ago."
Elizabeth turned around to face Nathan, resting both hands on the muscular curves of his upper arms. "Of course, I remembered." Elizabeth had spent the good part of an hour that afternoon gathering flowers, but especially the pink geraniums.
For a week after Nathan brought her the bouquet of wildflowers, she regularly got lost in thought, imagining him in his serge out picking flowers in the meadow and into the hillsides … for her. The recollection still made her swoon all these years later. Back then, she eventually had to place the vase out of sight while working on her novel. Otherwise, her thoughts wandered deeper as she gazed at the more abundant pink geraniums, completely smitten with the idea that he'd noticed how often she wears pink. Her heart fluttered at the memory.
Already, Nathan appreciated this more comfortable setting, slipping his hands behind Elizabeth's waist and interlacing his fingers as he drew her in. Lowering his gaze to her captivating blue eyes, he replied, "You mean everything to me, Elizabeth. I hope you know that."
"I do. I really do," she answered back, her eyes shimmering with sincerity. "Do you know that I feel the same way?"
Glancing around at the flowers and the candles, Nathan grinned, unable to forget Bill's compelling "court case" yesterday morning. "You're providing more than enough evidence."
Just then Nathan's stomach gurgled again.
Elizabeth giggled. "I don't think your stomach is going to forget about dessert."
"I think you're right." Nathan took Elizabeth's hand and walked over to the kitchen. He spotted on the counter where Allie had placed the dessert the two of them had baked late last night. An intentionally draped towel hid the dessert from view, and next to the lumpy towel sat a covered mixing bowl.
"Let me just see here," Nathan said, hiding his hands from Elizabeth as he peeled back the covering to dip a finger into the bowl. Suddenly, he spun around, flicking his finger down Elizabeth's nose with a mischievous glint in his eye. "I think we should all have frosting on our faces."
Elizabeth squealed in delight, her eyes wide with surprise at his playful antics. "So we're having cupcakes, huh?" she asked rhetorically.
As her hand naturally reached up to remove the streak of frosting, Nathan quickly grabbed it and declared, "Oh, no! That's not how we're doing it this time!"
He loved observing Elizabeth's confused look shift to realization as he lowered her hand, dipped his head and personally removed the frosting with a few kisses and a small lick.
If that very action hadn't caused her to faint, Elizabeth was positive watching Nathan now lick the last of the frosting from his lips was going to take her to the floor. Had she ever thought about frosting being intimate? It had crossed her mind half a dozen times tonight that this was only their first unchaperoned date. This could be a problem.
She almost felt as if after their date, they'd just walk right up those stairs off the kitchen to their room in their home. How was it already this easy with Nathan? When she took a pause for honest thought, it always had been, other than the times her fear derailed their interactions.
Elizabeth remembered her words to Nathan just days ago, "You feel like home to me."
"You okay?" she heard Nathan's voice ask. Her startled eyes swiveled up to his, noting his look of concern. She suddenly registered his arms wrapped beneath hers, as he supported her weight. "You looked a little unsteady there for a second," he added.
So she had gotten weak in the knees, Elizabeth realized, amused.
"Sure, yes, of course," she said, gently pulling away. "I just …" She turned as if to steady herself on the counter, but secretly swiped a finger full of frosting instead. Then, in retaliation, she spun around to smear a dose of the creamy topping along the length of Nathan's nose.
"Oh, it's going to be like this, is it?" Nathan cried in mock disbelief.
With one eyebrow raised, Elizabeth responded in kind, "This is a little awkward, Constable Grant," circling her finger at his face, "but, you've uh … you've got something on your nose."
"Well," Nathan said, toying with her, in a lowered, rumbling tone, "perhaps you can be of some assistance in fixing the problem, seeing as you're the one who caused it."
Elizabeth's voice dropped to a similarly sultry pitch, "If you insist."
With his back against the counter, Nathan rested his forearms on the firm surface to hold his weight as he lowered his height to be more accessible to Elizabeth's lips.
When planning the dessert, Nathan thought this might get a little flirty and fun, considering the memory from Allie's sleepover. But he was not at all prepared for what a little frosting could do by candlelight.
Elizabeth rested one hand delicately on his chest and leaned in. "Now hold still," she said, as if talking to a little child. Nathan most certainly was not going anywhere.
She successfully nipped off the blob of frosting from his nose. Then, her teasing eyes sparkled as she noted, "I missed a spot." She giggled as she brushed her tongue lightly over Nathan's nose, removing the last bit of evidence.
For just a moment, rather than moving back, Elizabeth lingered in place, her sweet breath warming his cheek. Unable to end this intimate proximity, she slid her hand up Nathan's blue linen shirt. Just as she wrapped both arms around his neck, Nathan folded his arms below the roundness at Elizabeth's hips, sweeping her up in his arms and off the floor.
Now face to face, their lips met in a hungry, heated kiss, reignited in the memories of their passionate porch interlude. The frosting had been their undoing.
Nathan held Elizabeth tightly, fully inflamed as her fingers scattered in random patterns throughout his hair. He attempted to hold his lips to hers through their shuddered, sweet breaths. In the midst of their deepening kisses, Nathan abruptly turned and set Elizabeth on the counter, intending to free his hands to explore her as she was him.
CLANG!
Nathan understandably hadn't surveyed the area carefully, however. Shocked into silence, their heads swiveled in unison to find the source of the clamorous sound. Behind Elizabeth, the metal frosting bowl sat tilted against the porcelain sink.
This startled moment instantly pulled both Nathan and Elizabeth back to the day of the Easter egg hunt. After an unexpected fall followed by exceptionally close proximity, Allie's voice snapped the two apart. Exchanging somewhat knowing looks, they then proceeded to pretend as if nothing out of the ordinary had just happened.
Luckily rather than one of the children walking in on this scene tonight, it was a metal bowl that had disrupted their … dessert.
Once Nathan and Elizabeth's brilliantly blue eyes locked, she responded with a remark perfectly suited for a teacher: "Saved by the bell?" The uncertainty in her voice turned what could have been a definitive statement into a shaky question, prompting an immediate eruption of laughter between them. It was a necessary release that eventually slowed the intensity of their racing hearts and heightened senses.
"So," Elizabeth interjected cheerily. Still seated on the counter, she pointed to their dessert, "Would you like a cupcake now?" That sent them even deeper into their fit of laughter until tears came to their eyes. Elizabeth had never seen Nathan so free … and she rather liked it.
Once they'd regained composure, Nathan offered a hand to Elizabeth, "May I help you down?"
"Only if we actually get to eat these cupcakes you made," she teased, placing her warm hand in Nathan's. As she scooted to the edge, Nathan lifted and supported her fully until her feet were once again on solid ground.
"Of course." Nathan said, taking on a stern demeanor. "Frosting is not for faces" he added, as he reluctantly separated from Elizabeth. After grabbing a knife, with a circular motion he quickly frosted two cupcakes. Nathan delivered them to the kitchen table in one hand as he courteously pulled out a chair for Elizabeth with his other hand.
Once settled, Elizabeth sank her teeth into the fluffy vanilla cupcake. "This is delicious!" she exclaimed.
Nathan was finding it hard not to be distracted as she licked the frosting from her lips. But in an endeavor to exist apart, he focused on the conversation at hand and replied, "I'm so glad you like them. Allie will especially be pleased to hear that."
With the reminder of the children, Elizabeth piped up, "Perhaps we should wait and frost the rest with Allie and Jack tomorrow." The impish smile she gave Nathan as they nibbled down the rest of their cupcakes inferred a deeper meaning to her suggestion, beyond just an effort to include the children.
Understanding fully Nathan said, "That might be best," though he couldn't help but add, "for now" returning an equally mischievous grin.
As Elizabeth scraped a few crumbs into her hand to clear off the table, she said to Nathan, "Why don't you go sit down, and I'll get my journal for the last entry of the night."
Nathan couldn't help giving her a quick peck on the cheek before leaving the kitchen and getting comfortable on the couch. In some of his few moments of the night entirely apart from Elizabeth, his mind began to process what a whirlwind this evening had been.
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Author's Notes:
This was one of the most fun chapters to write, if you can't tell! Yes, to frosting! I hope you enjoyed it as well. I'd love to hear any thoughts or comments! There's still more conversation and heat to come in the final segment of this chapter, including more resolution about Lucas. Elizabeth shares some final sweet words about the important role Lucas played in her life.
These characters are not my own. They're from the Hallmark show, "When Calls the Heart." Lines specifically drawn from episodes are in italics.