Granting a Family - Chapter 2: Dad

Keep the town safe and raise Allie, Nathan thought to himself. Unlike the time he told Elizabeth those were his only concerns, this time it was actually true. Right now he questioned how both were going. 

He needed to get to the bottom of the Pinkertons being in town, and figure out what was going on with all these shady characters coming into town. 

As for Allie, she had become increasingly detached from her schoolwork, and wouldn’t talk about how her day went each night like she always had in the past. She was growing up, and there were things she needed to talk to a woman about. Nathan felt like he had failed her. If only…he stopped himself, and thought of a quote: Of all sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these, 'It might have been.’ For Allie’s sake, he had to move on and be the father she needed him to be.

Bill burst into the Mountie office, shaking Nathan from his thoughts. “Nathan, it’s finally here!”

“What’s here?” Nathan asked with a furrowed brow.

“The adoption is final! I thought we may run into some snags, but the official paperwork came back complete, and Allie is officially your daughter!” Bill exclaimed with excitement.

Tears welled up in Nathan’s eyes, and his voice cracked as he shook Bill’s hand and said: “Thank you so much for everything Bill, I’ll always value your friendship even after…” he left the thought hanging. 

“I know that the adoption ceremony didn’t go quite the way you planned,” Bill said. “Especially now that, well, you know...but I hope you find a way to celebrate together now that it’s official. Here’s all of the paperwork, and I have a gift for you to open later with Allie.” Bill handed Nathan a folder with documents inside, and a neatly wrapped package.

“This means more than you know,” Nathan gratefully replied. “But can I ask you one more favor?”

“I don’t know Nathan, you still owe me pretty big,” Bill joked.

“Seriously Bill, I don’t know that I could ever repay you for all you’ve done for me the past 3 years,” Nathan said thoughtfully. “I have to ride out to check on the Pinkerton situation, but I would like a nice meal to surprise Allie with when I get back, to celebrate. It’s Friday night, and we plan to go fishing tomorrow morning, so dinner would be a great way to start our weekend together.”

“Of course! You two can just come by the café and I’ll have something whipped up for you.”

“I was thinking we could eat at home. I, uh, I’m just not ready…” Nathan stammered.

Bill nodded in understanding. “I’ll have it ready to go when you get back. Be careful up there, I don’t think the Pinkertons are here to play games,” he warned.

“I’m always careful, but thanks again. I’ll see you around six,” and with that, Nathan left the Mountie office, mounted Newton, and rode out of town.

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Bill looked out the window again, hoping to see Nathan riding up to grab his special dinner. It was getting dark, and he had been keeping the food warm for over an hour. “Where is he?” Bill thought to himself. 

“Yoo-hoo, Bill!” Molly waved him over to the table she shared with Ned and Florence. The Yosts sat close together, very much in love and happily married. Bill smiled to himself remembering their wedding day.

“What is it Molly?” Bill asked impatiently. He immediately felt bad for being short with her.

“Bill Avery, don’t you speak to me that way. Can we get some of Minnie’s famous pumpkin pie for dessert tonight?” Molly asked, smiling sweetly at Bill.

“Of course. I’m sorry Molly, I’m just worried about Nathan. Three pieces of pumpkin pie coming right up!” he said, while heading toward the back of the café. Molly stood up and started walking with him, as the Yosts sat oblivious to anything going on around them.

“I think we are all worried about Nathan,” Molly was saying as Bill shook his head to stop her from continuing.

“It’s not about that. He was supposed to be back from checking on things outside of town a while ago, and it’s unlike him to be late,” Bill explained. “It’s getting dark, and he’s supposed to have a special dinner with Allie tonight to celebrate the adoption being official.”

“Oh, that’s wonderful!” Molly exclaimed. “Not that he isn’t back yet, but that the adoption is final.”

Bill chuckled at the way Molly sometimes stumbled on her words around him these days. “I just don’t trust the Pinkertons and don’t want Nathan caught in the middle of that battle right now, especially with all that is going on with him.”

Before he could say another word, Nathan rushed into the back door of the café. “I’m so sorry I’m late Bill,” he apologized. “Newton threw a shoe a few miles outside of town and I couldn’t ride him back, so walking slowed me down. Luckily, Allie had plans with Opal for a while. I’ll grab the food from you, get it all set up at home, and Allie should make it just in time to eat. I appreciate you keeping the food warm for so long!” He acknowledge Molly as she headed back to her table with the Yosts.

“Anytime, Nathan. Enjoy tonight, you’ve earned it!” Bill was proud of the man he knew Nathan had become. He would never understand Elizabeth’s choice of Lucas Bouchard. Bill loved Jack like a son, but the love and respect he had gained for Nathan Grant was at least equal in strength to what he felt for Jack. He knew someday Elizabeth would regret her choice. This selfless, noble man would find love eventually, but oh how he longed for it to be with his own “adopted” family of Elizabeth and little Jack. He handed the basket of food to Nathan and smiled.

“This smells good, so I guess you better thank Minnie for me,” Nathan winked and gave Bill a crooked smile as he walked out the back door.

Nathan was feeling good until he walked by the library and he froze in his tracks. He could see candlelight shining through the window, and two silhouettes as they moved closer together. Nathan immediately turned around and walked home as quickly as he could. He shut the door and leaned against it in the darkness, wanting to crawl into a dark hole and disappear. At that moment, he longed for a stiff drink at the Saloon, but it had been closed for over a week since Lucas sold the place. Drinking is never the answer, Nathan reminded himself. You have to pull yourself together to make this weekend special for Allie. He quickly turned on the lights and went upstairs to wash up and change out of his serge. He dressed into some nice, but not too fancy clothes and set the table with their best dishes and glasses. 

Just as he was finishing up, Allie appeared at the door with a confused expression on her face. “What’s all this?” she asked.

“I thought we could have a nice dinner to celebrate,” Nathan said. 

“What are we celebrating?” Allie questioned.

“Well, I have a surprise for you,” he said, pulling out the wrapped package and folder from Bill. “The adoption is final, and I’m now officially your Dad!” Happy tears formed in Nathan’s eyes and Allie jumped into his arms and squealed!

“What’s the present?” Allie grabbed the wrapped package from Nathan, inspecting it carefully.

“I don’t know. It’s from Bill to us, and he said we should open it together. Why don’t you do the honors.”

Allie tore off the wrapping, and there was a framed copy of the adoption decree. It had embossed gold letters that said her official name: Allison Mayes Grant. Uncle Nathan was now her Dad! Tears flowed freely for both of them, as Allie snuggled close to him, they both cried tears of gratitude and joy to finally be a real family. 

“Uncle Nathan, can I ask you something important?” Allie asked quietly.

“Of course, Allie girl. You know you can ask me anything.”

“Would it be ok if I stopped calling you Uncle Nathan now, and call you Dad instead?”

Nathan had longed for this moment, but now that it was finally here he could barely get the words out. “I would love nothing more,” he said in a cracked voice.

Allie decided to try it out. She had thought about it for a while. “Dad, can we eat now? I’m starving!”

Nathan’s heart, that earlier had been breaking, was now swelling to the point of almost bursting. He was Allie’s Dad, and hearing her call him that was the most special moment he had ever experienced. Adopting Allie truly was the single best thing he had ever done with his life. Someday he would fall in love and find the woman of his dreams. But right now, he had a beautiful girl by his side that was his whole world. He pulled her into another hug and kissed her temple, “I love you forever and always, Allie girl. Thanks for making me a Dad, and the proudest one at that.”

“Ok, Dad...but I really am starving, so can we finally eat?” Allie secretly enjoyed all of this affection, but had to keep him humble - and she really was hungry.

“I’m starving too! Newton threw a shoe and I had to walk way too many miles today,” Nathan complained.

“Oh come on, I thought Mounties were tougher than that,” Allie teased.

After dinner, the father-daughter duo played a game of chess, then packed for their early morning fishing trip. Nathan read a few chapters of Little Women to Allie until she drifted off into a peaceful, happy slumber. Ever since Nathan had been charged with her care six years ago, he had read out loud to her as often as he could. She was an avid reader just like him, but she still loved the way Nathan did different voices and made the books even more exciting. 

It was the perfect ending to a tough day. Nathan felt a growing sense of peace as he pulled the covers over his little girl and kissed her forehead. Hearing Allie call him Dad tonight gave him hope for the future. Someday the right woman would come along and complete them, but for now they were the official Grant Family, and it felt amazing!