Chapter 29
Two days had passed, and Lucy had watched Lydia and Steve develop their friendship into something more, while she and Liam seemed to be at an impasse. All day at work, Lucy could hear Lydia and Steve talking and laughing while they worked on the quilt shop. They had made considerable progress, and the menner that worked for Liam had already installed the new ceiling. It was starting to look like a shop finally, and Lucy hoped Liam would be pleased with the work they had done in his absence. That is if he would ever remember his present life.
Lucy still couldn’t be certain she wanted Liam to regain his memory, but it seemed things between them were a little strained. Maybe it was just her insecurities playing tricks on her, but she’d hoped things would progress between them a little faster. He was healing physically quite fast, but his spirit seemed a little sluggish, and that worried Lucy. She loved him more than anything, and wanted to be the one he would lean on, to be the one to make all of his pain go away, but she just didn’t know him anymore.
When Lucy approached the clearing in the cornfield, Liam stood there waiting for her. His appearance startled her a little.
“You’re up out of bed! Did Doctor Davis give you an exam today?”
Liam gently tugged on her hand, pulling her into the open yard. “He says I’m healing nicely, and it should only be a few more days before I can get back to work doing easy stuff—but no lifting for another week.”
“Das gut. I hope your head is feeling better. How about your vision?”
She had to admit she was still a little nervous about having Liam see how she looked now. She felt so old suddenly, and very plain, and hoped he wouldn’t dislike what he saw in her. She knew vanity was wrong, but she just couldn’t push down the worries.
“Vision is improving, but I might still need a little help making my way around.”
He patted her hand lovingly and tucked it into the crook of his elbow, escorting her instead of the other way around. She wondered if he was using his blurry vision as an excuse to be nearer to her, but she didn’t care. She was happy for the closeness.
“Would you like to sit on the porch? I can go inside and bring out some tea or lemonade—whatever your mamm might have in the kitchen to drink.”
He tugged her in the opposite direction. “I’m not thirsty; I’d rather take a walk down to the pond if that’s alright with you. If I remember correctly, it’s one of our favorite spots.”
If he remembered correctly? What did he mean by that?
When they reached the edge of the pond, he didn’t release her hand where it was tucked neatly in the crook of his arm. Lucy gazed upon the moonlit water as she took in the sounds of frogs singing to one another across the glass-like surface of the pond. Crickets chirped in the tall grasses to either side of the dock, and an occasional bird sent out a call to another, where an answer would come from a nearby tree. Lucy wasn’t sure how long she could endure the distraction of nature that seemed to grow louder the more anxious she became. She had to break the silence, but what should she say?
“This pond hasn’t changed one bit.” He covered her hand with his free hand and gave it a squeeze.
Before she had a chance to think about it, he turned to her and pulled her close. “I’ve never stopped loving you, Lucy. You are the love of my life.”
Lucy felt tormented. She wanted to lean into the strong plane of his chest and lose herself in the folds of his arms. Her conscience would not allow her to lie to him; she was compelled to tell him the truth no matter how much it hurt them both.
“You’re not mine anymore…”
Liam interrupted her as his lips met hers. His soft mouth swept over hers making her hunger for more. She couldn’t break from him even if she wanted to. Her will to do what was right became clouded in the delight of his lips against hers, making it impossible for her to think clearly. The sounds of the crickets and frogs became like delicate music in her ears, when only moments ago it had begun to annoy her. Suddenly everything felt right as a love so powerful surged through her, a love unbreakable by time or distance. Nothing would ever be the same for her again.
Liam couldn’t resist Lucy’s magnetic force pulling him further into the kiss. She smelled like baking spices and sugar, something he would cherish forever. He saw his future in the blue of her eyes, a future he could not bear without her tucked neatly at his side.
His mouth trailed to her cheek and toward her temple where he whispered his unwavering love for her. She would be his, and his world would be right again no matter what it took to make it so.
“I have never stopped loving you, and I want to spend the rest of my life proving it to you.”
Regret would not overtake him for time lost between them, for he intended to make up for every day they’d lost over the past seven years.
She pulled away gently. “You remember, don’t you?”
Liam sank to one knee in front of her, trying not to wince from the pain in his ribs. He swept his hand in hers and pulled it to his lips, allowing it to linger there for just enough time for her to catch her breath.
“I remember nearly all of it. There are still a few things that are a little fuzzy, but I remember how much I hurt you when I left here seven years ago, and I promise you I never intend to hurt you again. Please, Lucy, marry me so I can spend the rest of my days proving to you just how much I love you.”
Tears constricted Lucy’s throat. Was this really happening to her? Was this handsome mann she had loved since they were mere children really kneeling before her asking for her hand in marriage? She could see the sincerity in his eyes that pooled with the moisture of his emotion.
“Jah, I mean yes! I will marry you.”
Liam stood faster than he should have and scooped Lucy into his arms, ignoring the pain in his ribs. His lips met hers again, and she leaned into the kiss, deepening it with all the love she felt for him.
With those three simple words, Liam had brought years of worry and angst to an end for Lucy. Her wait was finally over, and her future was about to begin with the mann she’d loved since they were both young. Her future was finally secure, and she would never again have to wonder if he still loved her or what could have been between them, because he was very much in love with her, and they were going to spend the rest of their lives together.
Chapter 30
Liam had no idea how he would break the news to his mother that he’d regained his memory. She’d gone to such great lengths to shelter him from the news of his father’s death, and that of his favorite horse, that he didn’t have the heart to hurt her again.
But tell her he must.
He’d enjoyed the last week with her and Lydia, and didn’t want to break the bond they’d revisited. His love for them was steadfast, and they needed to know he regretted the decisions he’d made as a foolish youth. He intended to make up for lost time with his family as well as Lucy, but he wasn’t certain how to approach the subject. He’d always jumped in feet first, but he was an adult now, and needed to control his impulsive nature to spare his mother and sister from further pain.
Liam stood in the doorway of the sitting room admiring his mamm’s devotion to her quilting stiches. She had always sewn the most beautiful quilts, and the proof of that was spread among most every haus in the community. She was always making a quilt for a birth or a special occasion of some sort, and her unyielding allegiance to the recipient of the gift was a trait he admired most in her.
Emotions welled up in him as he watched his mamm from the doorway. How could he strip the smile from her face, when it had only just appeared when she’d brought him home?
Liam cleared his throat as he approached, hoping it would encourage her to acknowledge him before he lost his nerve. He crossed the room when she looked up from her sewing, and sank down in the chair opposite her.
“Steve tells me the quilt shop will be ready for you to go back to at the end of the week.”
Nellie set her work aside, her face turne
d ashen. “You remember everything now don’t you?”
Liam wanted to sit at her feet the way he used to when he was a young boy, but he had to be the man he’d grown into and show her he could take responsibility for his actions.
“I remember how much I hurt you and Lydia, and I’m sorry. I acted like a selfish child and I never meant to hurt you. I felt so much shame over daed’s accident that I didn’t think you wanted me around. If I’d gone with him that day, I might have been able to spare this family the pain of losing him. I might have been able to save his life, but I let him go alone because I’d stayed up too late with Lucy the night before and fell asleep in the loft. When he found me, I protested the trip and he allowed me to stay behind. I should have been there with him.”
Tears fell from Nellie’s eyes, and her expression turned soft. Her heart filled with remorse.
“If you had been there, I would be mourning the loss of my son too.”
Liam stood up and ran his hand through his short hair, another reminder of his rebellion. “Isn’t that what I’ve forced upon you all these years? My leaving had to have been just as painful as Daed’s death for you, especially since I left of my own free will. Daed didn’t choose to leave you, but I did.”
Nellie reached out a comforting hand and placed it on Liam’s arm. “If I hadn’t been so consumed with my emotions at that time, neither of my kinner would have suffered. I couldn’t be a parent to either of you then. If I had tried to talk to the two of you instead of letting you fend for yourselves, you might not have left. It’s partly my fault that you felt you had no other choice than to leave. I’ve had to come to terms with that recently, and take a bended knee for abandoning you as your mamm during our mourning period.”
She stood up and crossed to the window, looking out at the Graber’s cornfield that was nearly ready to be harvested. “I let go of my faith during that time. Instead of leaning on Gott, I tried to come to terms with the loss on my own. I questioned Gott’s decision to take your daed from us. I was angry and so filled with sorrow that I neglected to see that my own kinner suffered the same loss.”
Liam stood behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Please forgive me for leaving you when you needed me to step in and take daed’s place at the head of this familye. I should have been brave instead of a coward. I should have stayed and taken care of his familye the way he raised me. I let you both down and betrayed daed’s memory.”
“I forgive you for leaving us,” Lydia said from the doorway.
Chapter 31
Liam couldn’t believe the transformation as he looked at the finished quilt shop. They had moved the last of his mamm’s things into the building and she would be ready for the grand opening in the morning. He relished the excitement in her as she bustled about the shop straightening and rearranging everything until she was satisfied with its position in her shop.
Her shop.
The Quilter’s Square quilt shop had become a reality for his mamm, right down to the old sign that she’d insisted on repainting herself. He’d never taken more pride in his work than he had in finishing the shop for his mamm. She deserved to have something she enjoyed after all the heartache she’d endured over the years. It was a blessing that had come from the pain of losing her husband.
Liam’s crew packed up their tools and loaded up the trucks while he took one final look around. Steve walked out with Liam’s schweschder giggling beside him. They’d been officially courting for a few weeks, and Liam couldn’t be happier for them.
Liam was to meet Lucy next door at the bakery in a few minutes when she closed up her shop, but part of him couldn’t pull himself from this moment. This quilt shop had brought him back to his familye, and to the woman he’d loved since they were children. But it was Gott who deserved the glory for healing their hearts and renewing their love.
Liam stepped over to the display of quilts his mamm had fashioned in the front window to draw in customers. Everything looked so professional and pristine; his mamm was going to be a huge success with her quilting. Her success as a person far outweighed anything she would achieve among the Englisch.
Liam sensed his mamm’s presence behind him. He turned in time to catch the smile that spread wide across her face.
“Danki for this, Liam. Your daed would be so proud of the mann you turned out to be.”
Liam tipped his head down. “But I’m nothing like him.”
Merriment permeated Nellie’s expression as she looked upon her son with adoration. “You don’t need to be a farmer and plow fields to be like your daed.”
She placed a hand over his chest. “It’s what’s in your heart that makes you alike. He was a mann of honor, and you have followed in his legacy.”
The warmth of her love penetrated his heart. He had found his way back to the life he’d spent so much time running from. Now, it seemed, he couldn’t get enough of it.
****
Lucy put the last of the pastries into a box to take back to the Yoder farm. She’d been spending every evening meal with Liam’s familye that would soon be hers too. Afterward, Liam would take her for a buggy ride. They had spent many evenings discussing whether or not they would take the classes for the baptism into the church, but neither of them had made up their minds. Lucy had recently told Liam that he couldn’t have one foot in both the Amish community and the Englisch ways, but she had begun to rethink that statement where it pertained to their future together.
Lucy had to admit that she liked the new Liam—the Englischer. She enjoyed taking rides in his truck just as much as she relished the buggy rides they took. Nellie hadn’t pushed them into making a decision, and even the Bishop hadn’t summoned them for a meeting, though they suspected it was imminent.
If it was left to her decision, they would remain in the community but separate themselves and live more as Englischers than Amish, but if she intended to marry Liam, he would have the final say, and she would accept it. She had no desire to wear trousers or learn to drive, but there was something intriguing about watching the mann she loved working at his own business, a business built on Englisch principles.
Liam’s decision to leave the community had given Lucy the courage to openly express her desire to explore the possibility of joining the Englisch. She had always been too frightened to consider leaving the community, but with Liam by her side, she felt free to draw from his strength. His love and devotion to her was all she needed, the rest would take care of itself.
Chapter 32
Christmas day, Goshen, Indiana
Lucy sat in the rocking chair of her newly-built home and stared out the window at her husband as he shoveled the porch in preparation for their familye to visit. She sipped hot tea and huddled under the wedding ring patterned quilt Liam’s mamm had so lovingly made for them.
Nearly weightless snowflakes drifted lazily about, while the sun fought to peak through the gray sky. It was still hard for Lucy to believe she and Liam had been married for nearly two full months. Since their engagement, they’d been in a whirlwind of preparations, between the baptismal classes and the baptism, and finally, their wedding.
Lucy looked around the room admiring her husband’s handiwork. Their haus was the first that Liam’s company had built from start to finish, and Lucy could not be more in awe of his talents as a contractor. She felt overwhelmingly grateful that the community, including her daed and bruder, had all joined together to help get it built so quickly.
Content with their decision to remain in the community, Lucy was happy especially now that they’d just received the news that she was expecting their first boppli. She had never imagined her life could be so full of blessings, when only a few short months ago she’d felt so hopeless. Lucy whispered a prayer of thanks, feeling overjoyed by all that she and Liam had endured.
The front door swung open, snow swirling into the haus, as Liam stomped inside. He pulled off his gloves and blew warm breath on his cold hands.
“It smells like C
hristmas in here. Are you baking my favorite cookies?”
Lucy smiled as he moved over to the fireplace to warm himself. “It wouldn’t be Christmas without them.”
He shrugged out of his coat, pulling something wrapped in white tissue paper from his pocket. Liam knelt down in front of his wife and unwrapped the paper to reveal a sprig of mistletoe and dangled it above her head.
“It wouldn’t be Christmas without a kiss from mei fraa, either.”
Lucy threw her arms around Liam and pressed her lips to his. It was the happiest she’d ever been, and with the boppli on the way, things were only going to get better.
The End…
Table of Contents
Copyright
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
The Quilter's Son: Book One: Liam's Choice Page 9
