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Nathan & Elizabeth: An Epic Love

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Chapter Sixty-eight

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Thursday of Wedding Week

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Part III

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"This, 'Elizabeth Thatcher Thornton, and in less than 24 hours will be Grant,' is our time and our time alone!" announced Nathan, excitedly looking forward to their private evening together.

She smiled, noticing this was the first time in a while he had used her full name, and deep inside, she knew he was able to again because they would finally be married in a matter of hours!

The very thought filled her with the same excitement along with a love that she couldn't begin to describe.

Not to even mention the peace that filled her entire being!

"Yes, my name is changing to Grant tomorrow, and just so you know, Love, I could not be happier nor prouder!" announced Elizabeth.

"Nor could I," winked Nathan.

"Everything is different now, new again! In the very best of ways, my Darling!"

"That it most certainly is, my Love!"

"Where are we going, fiancé of mine, since I won't be able to use that term after tomorrow?"

"Well, in that case, fiancée of mine, since I will be using 'my beautiful wife' after tomorrow, it's a surprise!"

"Oh, I'll most definitely be using 'my handsome husband,' so you'd better just get used to it quickly, but you do know how I am about surprises!"

She laughed, feeling totally free and giddy at the thought of spending the next few hours alone with this handsome, loving man she adored, not to mention anxiously awaiting their Wedding Day tomorrow to spend her entire lifetime with him.

"Nathan, it was so sweet earlier watching Allie ride off on Collie and Jack riding off on Thorn with his Grappa holding him! Especially with Eleanor watching over all of them, including the children, your father, and Scout! Even the Security detail was smiling!"

"It was very sweet. Everyone seemed totally content. Like it was meant to be. Mother has always had a way of watching over everyone, though! I'm glad you two get along so well. It means a lot to me, Love!"

"I adore both your parents! I was so mistaken as to what I expected of your mother, but she is beyond delightful, and from a societal perspective, her accomplishments in the arts put us Thatchers to shame! No wonder Colleen was an artist. Also, it was inevitable for Allie to be one, too! I could sit and talk with Eleanor for hours, but sadly, our schedule hasn't allowed for that much time alone!"

"Still, she's thoroughly enjoyed the talks you have had time for! I know because she told me so last night!"

"You can see the intense love she has for Allie in every look, and it's already the exact same for Jack! It's usually hard for him to take up with someone new, but with Eleanor, their connection was instant. Having now seen your mother's love for the children firsthand, I realize how difficult it must have been on her to insist Allie go with you as opposed to her staying on the ranch."

"That first time Allie and I left, it was like losing Colleen all over again for Mom. But she never once showed that to Allie! She was adamant that we do what was best for our girl. I worried a lot about Mom, back then, Lizbeth. An awful lot, especially in those early days when she was alone much of the time. We called her and mailed her Allie's latest drawings each week in an effort to fill in the gap."

"I'm so glad that all of us are in such a different, much better place now. You know, I can't get over our parents getting along so well, either! It's such a beautiful thing to see, especially since my parents haven't always been the warmest in the world!"

"Well, they have been extremely warm to my parents, as well as to Allie and me, so that fills my heart! Hey, want to race?"

"Don't I need to know where we are going first?"

"Not a chance I'm spilling! Just keep close to me, Darling, because I'll be the one in the lead!"

"Nathan Grant! Fair is fair, and that is not in the least bit fair!"

"But you do love me anyway, right?"

He stretched from his mount on Newton as she did the same from her mount on Sergeant, meeting each other in that private kiss they had been longing for all day.

Both knowing Nathan could never be so ungentlemanly as to allow Newton to beat her in a race.

Instantly, they were lost in each other, lips entangled as though that were their home, simply because they were home with each other: alternating from light grazing butterfly kisses to unlimited passion, encompassing the gamut of love languages, all uniquely their own, fully understood and reciprocated one by the other.

At last, fully satiated in each other, Elizabeth answered in words.

"Astoundingly so, my Darling…"

After riding for a while, it dawned on Elizabeth they had circled around to a familiar place.

"Nathan, this is the cabin we came to when you saved the children and me from that awful storm!"

"It is, Lizbeth. Though we won't be here long, I had to include it!"

"You did?"

"I did, Darling."

"But why, Love?"

"To apologize to you for the way I acted that night!"

"But you did that already! The truth is, I was the one who should have apologized to you!"

"Maybe we both should have. But I didn't want us to start our marriage with you not fully understanding where I was coming from that night."

He lifted her down from Sergeant and she could have sworn her heart skipped a beat, such was the power of his touch.

The truth in his crystal blue eyes told her without question that this man would always be forthright where she was concerned.

And she realized all over again she had never loved nor been loved in such a transparent way.

To Nathan, it was not only important he apologize when he acted questionably but that she understood why he had done so in the first place.

Though in this instance, it had been the both of them who had behaved in a way neither of them had understood at the time, perhaps because of the awful distance that had grown between them back then.

They walked into the cabin arm in arm, and she realized she didn't want anything but to kiss this man she loved, over and over and over again.

Surprisingly, when they got inside, there on the table in front of the settee, was a beautiful bouquet with a stunningly wrapped package to match in her favorite color, along with two individual bottles of iced apple juice!

"Nathan, what is this? The roses are beautiful, as is the package! And you remembered our apple juice!"

"Your favorite lavender roses to keep you company tonight and tomorrow till our Wedding, and there's…there's a small gift…I want to explain. Hence the apple juice, as I figured we would need some chilled refreshment to go along with our talk."

She reached up and kissed him, which he reciprocated in full, till he pulled back and reminded her why they were here.

"I'm serious about that apology, Love."

"I am, too. In fact, as far as apologies are concerned, you've done more than your due, Nathan. I haven't quite yet begun. Given all that, Darling, why does that night still bother you?"

He sighed, pulling her hand, to escort her to the settee in front of the fireplace, though it was much too hot to build a fire, while using his free hand to run through his hair.

"Come sit with me," he urged, clearly nervous, making her realize it wasn't that he wanted to bring this back up again, yet he felt the matter was important enough for them to discuss on this, the eve of their Wedding.

She did as he requested, happily so, snuggling up close beside him on the old settee despite the heat as he wrapped his long, strong arms around her.

"I was so totally in love with you by that time. And at the same time, I was so terribly frustrated."

"Were you jealous of me going to Union City with Lucas?"

"I thought maybe so at first, but no, not jealous at all. After doing a whole lot of soul-searching, I realized that wasn't it. It's true I was frustrated you had gone with him. Frustrated I hadn't asked you, and he did, as you so succinctly explained to me later. But Lizbeth, I would never have asked you without chaperones, and I'm talking two adults at least! Even then, though, the truth is, I don't think I could have asked you to go out of town with me - not with us unmarried, even had there been multiple chaperones. I just couldn't have risked your reputation like that. I struggled for the longest time to figure this out. It wasn't that I didn't trust you. It wasn't even that I thought the two of you might have done anything wrong."

"What was it, Nathan?" as she could see whatever it was still deeply troubled him.

She could clearly tell he didn't want to say the words but felt like he had to in order to be fully honest with her.

"My truth is that…I couldn't reconcile the Elizabeth who had said yes to going with him…with the Elizabeth I knew and loved, and it devastated me, almost drove me mad, because I knew the real Elizabeth. I knew deep down in my heart that I did. And that wasn't her."

"Nathan, my Love, you are absolutely correct! That wasn't the same Elizabeth you knew and loved. It wasn't even the person I knew as myself. To this day, I don't know what came over me, except for the fact I allowed Rosemary to push me to enjoy the author I loved and have a good time. But the real truth is I was already smack in the middle of thinking my fear was too great for me to love you, even though I already did anyway, and with all my heart! I was at that awful point where I was just trying to find excuses to run away from you and our love!"

He sighed heavily, his brow furrowed.

"I just didn't want us to say our vows without you knowing that the problem back then was mine. I knew I had to work through it, and I did. But, Lizbeth, even though it took me a while to figure it all out, know that I will always be honest with you. Again, I just couldn't say our vows tomorrow without you fully knowing where I was coming from that day."

"That you want me to understand, my Love, is one of the many, many reasons I love you so. I know you asked us not to talk about this again, but I have to say this much. I need to clarify why I haven't said this enough."

"Elizabeth, I didn't bring this up for any of that."

"I know you didn't! But this has bothered me ever since Lucas made his full confession to me. Though the truth is, it should have bothered me long before that. See, before his confession that he never had been in love with me, I didn't rush things because I was trying not to hurt him any more than I had to by leaving him. But the truth is, it was you I was hurting, and you all along who I needed to be apologizing to. And I realize that now. I am so deeply sorry, Nathan, that I hurt you time and time again. And I will always regret that we lost such precious time together, while additionally, I hurt you horribly in the process."

"I meant it when I said I forgave you every single time, whenever the hurt happened. So, there is no longer anything to forgive, Lizbeth. Though it does mean the world that you truly loved me through all of it," he admitted, tenderly caressing his fingers along her cheek. "Deep inside, I knew that. But to hear the words from you, confirming it, means everything, my Love!"

He then reached in front of them and lifted the present, passing it to Elizabeth, now with his eyes twinkling.

"Though small, this somehow seemed appropriate. I had it made to start with our new beginning."

She touched his face, too, ever so gently, this man she so deeply loved.

Then she turned her attention to her gift, slowly unwrapping it, with Nathan watching intently, hoping she would love what was inside.

"Nathan, you got me a calendar planner covered in leather in my favorite lavender, just like my roses! And you had my new name embossed in gold on the cover, along with our Wedding Date!"

"Do you like it?"

"I love it! It's the perfect gift for today and every one of our new days to come!"

And just like that, all the argumentative words that had come from their mouths in this same cabin so long ago, along with the pain they had inflicted on each other, vanished into thin air, instantly smothered by the couple's intense love for one another via the sweetest of kisses.

He reached to simply tuck a wayward piece of hair behind her ear with such loving care, sending shivers throughout the length of her body, accompanied by shared intimate glances following the words of forgiveness just exchanged, allowing each to see straight into the other's soul, deepening the very essence of the vast connection and love that had always existed between them.

She saw the sparkle in his blue eyes, which always reminded her of the ocean, constantly changing its various hues of cerulean in a way that marveled her, drawing her in. As she drowned precipitously, unable to think straight, the feelings within her growing so great that she could only become lost in her desire for him.

He saw the variant blues of the sky in her own crystal blue orbs and was amazed at how looking at them always lifted him to a much higher plane, a place he was sure couldn't possibly exist on this earth – not when one considered the heights to which they soared when together!

As they leaned toward each other, the hot air of the cabin's intimate space curling humidly around them, the warmth of their breaths mingled together as though their lips would sear each other's if they barely touched, both knowing the imminent danger was more than worth the risk.

And so, they began to fall together cautiously, their sweet lips joining in the gentlest, almost hesitant, yet most reverent of ways, conveying all the promises of the beautiful vows they would be exchanging on the morrow, reflecting all the little everyday ways so unique and important in defining them individually as a couple.

The glorious difference from many, even long-married couples, was that these two seemed to innately know every little subtle thing the other needed and had done so from the moment they had first met all those years ago…

After riding for a while longer, Nathan and Elizabeth finally came to the spot he recognized.

"This is where we dismount!" he grinned.

"But why here?" she asked, thoroughly confused, not recognizing the spot at all.

Little did she know he was bringing her to their spot, but in a new way, not previously taken; it was a way he had found circling through their property, and unknown to her, they were very, very close.

He took out a silk scarf.

"Are you game?"

She gasped!

"You're blindfolding me?"

"Only if you're up for an adventure!" he entreated.

She looked at him dubiously, then quickly decided (based on the intoxicating sparkle of his eyes and the charm of his lop-sided grin) that she would happily share any adventure he wished them to experience together.

"You are so on, Nathan Grant!"

"Turn, Elizabeth Rose," and he blindfolded her securely.

"Too tight?" he asked, ever concerned about her comfort.

"No, just right! Although…"

He chuckled, knowing immediately what she was hinting at.

But when he bent to kiss her lips, she seemed to be losing her balance, and he had to grasp her in his arms to keep her from falling.

"Steady, there!"

"Oh, my!" she exclaimed weakly, wanting more but knowing it was dangerous to even think about in her current state.

He chuckled.

"Not a bad response, my Darling!"

"But why the blindfold, Love?"

"I want our picnic location to be a surprise. But I promise to lead you most carefully, with the horses in my other hand. Do you prefer to ride or walk?"

"I get a choice?"

"Always!"

"Definitely walk then!"

"Does it help if I assure you it's not at all far?"

"It does," she smiled. "Although I can think of other ways you might help me more?"

"You are so bad, my Love! But I promise to be extra careful in leading the horses and you," he added cheekily.

"Nathan Grant! Am I third on this list?"

"I assure you, you are always first, Babe! At the very top of the list! Just don't let Newton and Sergeant hear us say that!"

"Of course not," she chastised dryly!"

He led her and their beloved horses most carefully through the path ahead of them as promised – with her totally relying on him as she was shocked at how much being blindfolded discombobulated her, not to mention completely disoriented her.

"Oh, Nathan! I just realized – this is what Angela deals with every day, all day long!"

"I know, Lizbeth! The realities of being blind are impossible for us to fully comprehend, even while temporarily blindfolded. And though I hate it so badly for Angela, she has overcome so much. Joseph says she's in a much better place now that she's gotten some independence from Minnie. He also says Allie has helped a lot with that in her friendship with Angela, by giving her confidence and getting her out into the world, daily, beyond school and her mother. I had already noticed it, but I was still proud that Joseph also recognized the importance of Allie's help. We have a caring, thoughtful daughter, Elizabeth!"

"That we do, Darling! And beautiful, too! You have done such a remarkable job with her, Nathan. Truly remarkable!"

"That means a lot coming from you, Love! Although you and I both know you've helped us immensely since we've been in Hope Valley. As to another matter, we are now at our destination! Are you ready for me to remove your blindfold?"

She nodded, smiling brilliantly.

Nathan removed the scarf.

Elizabeth was so delighted that she clasped her hands, standing on tiptoe to kiss him!

"Oh, Nathan! I was so hoping I was right! I could feel we were here as even the air feels different in Rose Valley – lighter and cleaner. I could smell all the luscious rose scents blending together, too. This is exactly where I wanted to spend the Eve before our Wedding, but with just you and me here, all alone!"

"Let me tie the horses down by the stream, and then I'll get our picnic!"

"I'll come help!"

The two walked together, arms wrapped around each other as Nathan led the horses.

Once at the stream, he tied their reigns loosely to a tree limb and began unpacking.

"I can't believe you and Julie fixed Paninis for our picnic!" he winked, secretly delighted. (*145)

"She ate three!"

"But how many did you eat?" teased Nathan, knowing the love of his life couldn't resist her Paninis. (*146)

"Maybe two? Two and a half?"

Nathan chuckled.

"That's my beautiful Italian gal!"

"Come to think of it, maybe I am Italian! Since I've always liked Italian food! But then I've always loved French food, too."

"Italian, French, or both, it matters not! I love you in all the ways!"

She grinned, her eyes sparkling, especially since she had some things that were very French to wear, put aside as surprises for their Honeymoon.

Here, Lizbeth, let me take the hamper; you get the blanket and choose where we set up!"

"Oh, that's easy! That luscious grassy knoll that lets us see the sunset perfectly!"

"The same as our first date! Sounds perfect," smiled Nathan in total agreement.

"This whole place is perfect! My favorite spot in the world!"

"Our favorite spot in the world," he corrected, kissing her forehead. "Here, let me help you get the food out."

"No, just sit back and relax! Let me pamper you for a change," instructed Elizabeth in her sternest schoolteacher's voice but with a lilt and a face full of love.

And so Nathan lay his head back against the grassy knoll, placing his taupe fedora over his face while Elizabeth unpacked and arranged the food the way she wanted.

By the time she finished prepping everything, making it all look perfect with her lavender roses lying in the middle of their quilt, he was so still that she didn't have the heart to disturb him.

And so, she curled up by him instead, thinking he had fallen asleep.

He let her think she was right for a few moments, but then he could stand it no longer, his arms enveloping her.

"I'm not asleep, though this feels awfully nice!" he whispered in a low guttural voice, not meaning to startle her at all, but doing just that.

"You, I thought you had drifted off!"

"I'm a very light sleeper and even lighter cat napper, Love!"

"Good to know because it takes an army to wake me up! And you know how cranky Jack is when he wakes up."

"Actually, no! He's been perfect when I've been there."

"Oh, you just wait! And fair warning, I'm ten times worse!"

"Then we'll make a grand pair because I'm as cheery as they come in the morning! And so is Allie, come to think of it!"

She giggled.

"Then that's what we'll be, my Darling! One grand couple, along with one beautiful family, half cheery and half grumpy, but all four terribly, terribly happy…"

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145-146. "Paninis," a grilled sandwich made with Italian bread and various fillings. Mentioned in Italian cooking as early as the 16th Century. Public Domain Information.