Apology

A long overdue apology

Elizabeth knocked on Nathan's door, letting out a small breath. She knew she should have done this a long time ago, and she hoped she wasn't too late.

It took less than a minute for the door to swing open, revealing Allie and her wide smile. "Good morning Mrs. Thornton! How are you today?"

"I'm doing well. And you?" Elizabeth asked.

"Pretty good. Um, my dad's already left for the Mountie Office, but I know he doesn't mind when you come to distract him." Allie gave a little wiggle of her eyebrows with her words.

The comment lifted Elizabeth's heart enough for a chuckle. "Actually Allie, I'm here to see you."

"Really? Um, come on in then." Allie gestured to her sitting room. Elizabeth walked in and took a seat on the settee. She tapped the seat next to her, and Allie sat without question.

Elizabeth took a small breath to fortify herself. "There's something I want to talk with you about, something I should have said a long time ago."

She paused before she launched into what she so deeply wanted to say. "I want to apologize."

Allie furrowed her brow. "For what?"

"For everything." Elizabeth paused again. "I know that I hurt you deeply, as much, maybe more, than I hurt your Dad."

Allie interrupted. "Oh, Mrs. Thornton, you don't have to…"

Elizabeth placed her hand on Allie's to stop her protestations. "Yes, you deserve respect, and this is one way I want to show you how much I respect you. You're nearly grown Allie, and pretty soon, I will no longer be your teacher. But I hope to always be your friend."

In a light, teasing tone, Allie interjected, "Or maybe family?"

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Elizabeth said dryly, though secretly she dared to dream that one day that wish would come true. But for now, she and Nathan were taking things one day at a time.

She took a breath to remind herself to stay in the moment. "I appreciate that you don't have hard feelings, but I still need to let you know how sorry I am that my actions in the past caused you pain. That was absolutely never my intention."

"And I never wanted to hurt you either," Allie said. Now it was Elizabeth's turn to look confused. "Like inviting you to dinner when you're seeing someone else," Allie admitted.

Elizabeth nodded. "Ah, yes, like that. And I promise not to ignore your feelings about what is going on in your Dad's life, because he is such a big part of yours."

"I think we're all a big part of each other's lives now," Allie said.

Elizabeth nodded. She wouldn't ever want to predict the future, but she knew that no matter what happened, she would be in Allie and Nathan's lives for the rest of theirs. "I've always known that you would be one of my special students. And now I think, you'll be one of my students for life."

Allie leaned over and gave Elizabeth a fierce hug. "I forgive you Mrs. Thornton. And, just so you know, I love you."

Tears welled in Elizabeth's eyes. "Oh Allie, I love you too."