There was Tulip who was about to have her first child, sitting next to Wilhem.
Months before, Daisy and Bruno had bought a small house close to Nerida and John’s farm, and were renovating it. Bruno had plans of adding on to it once the babies started arriving and she heard whispers of another house going up next to it. For now, though, Nancy was just pleased to have Daisy close to home rather than in Ohio.
“You’ve done a great job, Nancy,” said Hezekiah.
“What do you mean?”
“All our kinner are now happily married. Each and every one.”
She smiled at the appreciation on his face. “Gott helped bring the right people to them.”
“Look how happy Lily is now. I haven’t seen her like that in a long time.”
Nancy looked over at Lily, who was sitting at the wedding table next to Elijah.
Nancy sighed. “They are so nice together—so well suited.”
“I was worried about her there for a while. I know you don’t like Nathanial, and I was concerned with what I was hearing back from people.”
“I heard some things too, but we don’t have to worry about that anymore.”
“Don’t we?” Hezekiah nodded his head and Nancy looked to see where he was directing her attention. It was Nathanial talking and laughing with Violet.
“He wouldn’t dare! She’s much too young for him.”
“Not really. And Violet’s getting close to marrying age.”
“I’ll have to warn Nerida about him.”
Hezekiah smiled. “Haven’t you done that already?”
She saw that her husband looked amused. “This isn’t funny, Hezekiah.”
“I think you should give him a chance,” he said.
“To do what? Ruin some girl’s life?”
“We’ve talked about this already and we both thought that Daisy might have exaggerated things.”
“And if not—what then? Better to be safe than be sorry.”
Hezekiah inhaled deeply. “The good thing is that at least you’re getting along better with Nerida.”
Nancy knew he was deliberately changing the subject. “We are, aren’t we? It’s been good to have her back in our lives. And you get along well with John, too.”
“I’ve never stopped talking to John.”
“You know what I mean. It’s good now that we can have them all over at the family dinners.”
“We’re getting more crowded for those dinners. We’ll need a bigger haus soon.”
“We’ll just get an extra table in for the little ones to eat at. Like we had for our kinner when they were smaller.”
Hezekiah nodded. “I’ve still got that table. It’s in the barn.”
“Clean it up and bring it inside.”
“I will.”
Nancy looked over at Tulip, who was looking most uncomfortable. She stood up and patted her husband on his shoulder. “I’ll be right back.”
Tulip smiled when she saw her mother approaching. “Hi, Mamm.”
“How are you feeling?”
Tulip rested both hands on top of her swollen belly. “Fed up! I want this boppli out of here.”
“Too early.” Nancy giggled as she sat down next to her. Wilhem, who was sitting next to Tulip, started talking to people on the right side of him.
“There will be moments to come in the next few months when you realize how good it was right now.”
“You mean all the sleepless nights?”
Nancy nodded. “I remember wanting my babies out and when I was tired or they wouldn’t stop crying, I realized how lovely it was when they were in my tummy.”
“I’ll just be glad when they’re out. I mean him, or her. Ach nee, I didn’t mean to make it sound like I’d have more than one. You don’t think I’ll ever have twins, do you? The nurse at the clinic said there’s only one in there after she did the ultrasound.”
“I guess you could have twins at some stage since it’s supposed to run in families.”
Tulip pulled a face. “I could cope with it. Daisy and Lily didn’t turn out too bad.”
“Eventually,” Nancy commented. “Just try to relax and forget about things.”
“Forgetting about being pregnant isn’t easy to do. I can barely move and I feel like a stranded beetle most of the time.”
Nancy wished she could help Tulip in some way. Tulip wasn’t one to complain so Nancy knew she must’ve been feeling particularly down. She didn’t know what other advice she could give her. “It’s just what we women have to go through.” Nancy bit her lip. Her mother had said that to her and it had annoyed her at the time.
Tulip sighed. “I guess it’ll be worth it when I’m holding my boppli in my arms.”
“That’s right. It’ll all be worth it. Just ask Rose.”
While Tulip kept talking, Nancy looked around and at her grandchildren. They were all going to be growing up close together in age—just as she and Hezekiah had hoped they would be. She gave a sigh. With her last daughter now married, this would be the last wedding she’d hold at her house. She spied Ed Bontrager and Valerie talking close together. It had become a familiar sight to see them that way.
“Nancy!”
Nancy turned around to see a flushed-faced Nerida. “What’s wrong?”
“Everything! We need your help in the kitchen.”
As Nancy hurried back to the kitchen with Nerida, she asked, “What is it? Not enough desserts? Do you need more people to help with serving?”
Nerida pulled Nancy to one side. “Nee, Nancy. I just didn’t want to say anything in front of Tulip. Everything in the kitchen is fine.”
“Oh!” Nancy had been secretly a little pleased to think that things weren’t running as smoothly without her. “Well, what’s wrong?”
“Nathanial Schumacher is talking to Violet. Look!”
Nancy didn’t need to look; she’d already seen it for herself. “I know.”
“What are we going to do? You said he was no good,” Nerida said.
“That was some time ago and he could’ve changed.”
“You only told me about him recently, and besides that I’ve heard other people say a few things.”
Nancy looked over at the table where Nathanial and Violet were sitting. Now they were talking to others beside them.
“You see? They’re not talking now.”
Nerida sniffed. “I’ve only got the two kinner. It’s more important for me to see that they marry gut menner.”
Nancy frowned, trying to work out Nerida’s logic.
Nerida continued, “I think we should find someone quickly for Violet before she is swayed by someone totally unsuitable.”
“This young?”
Nerida nodded.
“She’s not going on rumspringa?” Nancy asked.
“Nee, she doesn’t want to. She’s too nervous a girl for that. Your girls didn’t go.”
“They didn’t want to either.”
“Will you help me with this, Nancy?”
“Help you find a man for Violet?”
“Jah!”
“Who did you have in mind?”
Nancy and Nerida walked back toward the kitchen while discussing marriage prospects for Violet. Even though Nancy thought sixteen was far too young to be thinking of marriage, she was pleased that Nerida and she would be able to work on a project together.
* * *
Lily still couldn’t believe how blessed she was to have married a man like Elijah. She also had her twin back in her life and they had found a way to be friends even though they both had men in their lives who kept them busy. Daisy had agreed to be Lily’s wedding attendant and was sitting beside her at the wedding table. Surrounded by family, her nieces, her nephews, and her friends young and old, she knew she’d hold the memories of this special day in her heart forever.
Elijah and Bruno had been discussing plans to build side-by-side houses on the land where Bruno and Daisy were currently renovating their small house. It wasn’t
the same as living in one big house as Daisy and Lily had once dreamed, but they both agreed that it was close enough. The twins’ dreams about their children growing up close by looked as though they were going to come true.
* * *
Thank you for your interest in Amish Lily.
* * *
All the books in the AMISH LOVE BLOOMS series:
Book 1 Amish Rose
Book 2 Amish Tulip
Book 3 Amish Daisy
Book 4 Amish Lily
Book 5 Amish Violet
Book 6 Amish Willow
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About the Author
Samantha Price is a best selling author who knew she wanted to become a writer at the age of seven, while her grandmother read to her Peter Rabbit in the sun room. Though the adventures of Peter and his sisters Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cotton-tail started Samantha on her creative journey, it is now her love of Amish culture that inspires her to write. Her writing is clean and wholesome, with more than a dash of sweetness. Though she has penned over eighty Amish Romance and Amish Mystery books, Samantha is just as in love today with exploring the spiritual and emotional journeys of her characters as she was the day she first put pen to paper. Samantha lives in a quaint Victorian cottage with three rambunctious dogs.
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