A/N: Thank you to everyone who has followed this story! It's been a little rough juggling three fanfics and a blog, so I decided to bring this story to an end. I hope you've enjoyed this little story about the grown-up kids of Hope Valley. Thanks for the support - you all are the best!

Epilogue

One Year Later

Elizabeth stood with her newly married daughters as Carson snapped photos of the three of them. Allie and Opal looked stunning in their wedding dresses, and they wore looks of the purest form of joy. Cody and Philip were standing to the side with Nathan, and Carson motioned for them to join the women. "Alright, let's get all of you together," he said. The three men joined the women and smiled for the camera. Carson snapped some more pictures, then smiled. "Okay, now let's get pictures of Allie and Cody."

Elizabeth and Nathan stepped to the side, watching the proceedings. The saloon was beautifully decorated for the double wedding reception, and all their friends and family were present. Elizabeth leaned her head against Nathan's shoulder, smiling widely. "They look so happy, don't they?"

Nathan nodded. "They do. And I'm happy that they're happy." He pressed a kiss to his wife's temple. "Who would have thought when they were little girls that this is how their stories would unfold?"

She cuddled closer to him. "They've had to face major heartbreak, but they went through it and came out stronger, and now they're happier than they would have been otherwise." She sighed blissfully. "This makes my mama heart happy." She glanced over at the dance floor, where Jack and Joy were dancing together, holding each other close. They had set their wedding date for a year out, and Rosemary was already busy planning the wedding, with lots of "I told you so" comments to Jack. Elizabeth was proud of her son; instead of getting riled, he simply nodded and grinned. She had never seen him so smitten before, and the past year had done nothing to diminish his affection for Joy. Elizabeth had watched as the two of them grew steadily closer. She knew they were going to have a long and happy marriage.

She felt Nathan stiffen slightly beside her. Confused, she looked up at her husband. His eyes were trained on the dance floor, narrowed a bit. She followed his gaze and bit her lip to keep from laughing. Emma Rose was dancing with Sam Bouchard, smiling up at him with the eyes of a girl in the throes of puppy love. Nathan never had liked it when any of his girls developed a crush in their teenage years; he'd been the same way with Allie, Opal, and Cassie when they were teenagers. Now his baby girl had a crush, and Elizabeth could feel his angst at the thought. She decided against informing him that Emma Rose had liked Sam for a very long time.

"Nathan, your protective father face is showing," she said, nudging him in the ribs.

"She's only fifteen," he complained. "She's too young to be noticing boys."

Elizabeth slid her arm around him, hugging him to her side. "Honey, fifteen is old enough to have a crush."

Nathan mumbled something under his breath, making Elizabeth laugh. "Come on," she said, taking him by the hand. "Dance with me."

That brought a smile to Nathan's face, and he led her onto the dance floor. As they held each other and slowly moved to the music, Elizabeth looked around at the faces of all her precious children.

Allie. Opal. Jack. Cassie. William. Joseph. Emma Rose.

Each child was a gift from God, and she said a silent prayer of thanks that they had been entrusted to her and Nathan.

Nathan leaned close to her. "You look like you're doing some deep thinking," he murmured. "Care to share what that is?"

She smiled at him, kissing his cheek. "Just that we've been so blessed in these last twenty years," she said. "I got to marry the most wonderful man in the world, we have seven beautiful, sweet children, and those children are finding their happy beginnings too. What more could we have asked for?"

Nathan twirled her around, a smile on his face. "We have been blessed," he agreed. "And we're blessed every day with the gift of love that we share with each other, our family, and our community." He leaned down and kissed her gently, lingering for several moments.

Elizabeth's eyes sparkled when they pulled apart. "Twenty years of marriage, and your kisses still make me feel weak in the knees," she said, grinning.

He gave her the crooked smile she loved so much. "Glad to hear it, Mrs. Grant," he said. "Because I have no intention of ever letting a day go by without giving you several kisses."

She chuckled. "Good. I'm holding you to that." She laid her head on his chest, closing her eyes. "You are my life love."

"And you're mine. I love you, Elizabeth." He kissed her head. "Now to forever."