“We are.” Miri smiled.
The woman opened the car door and unfastened the straps on the car seat. “Michael, there two very special people here to meet you.”
“Who is it?” Wide, curious eyes stared back at them.
The social worker set him on the ground. She gestured to Michael and Miriam to introduce themselves.
Michael nodded for Miri to go first.
She kneeled down in front of their son. “My name is Miriam. I’m your mom.”
“You’re my new mommy?” Excitement sparkled in his tone. He threw his small arms around her neck and kissed her on the cheek. “I love you.”
Michael saw that Miri fought back tears and he massaged her shoulder. He crouched down next to them. “And my name is Michael. I’m your dad.”
“Your name is Michael just like me? That’s super-duper cool.” He giggled.
Michael grinned and glanced at Miriam. “I think so too.”
“How will they tell us apart if we got the same name?”
Michael exaggerated a shrug. “One of us could use a nickname.”
“My old dad used to call me Mikey. But he went to be with the angels.” He stared up into the sky. “Way up there past the airplanes.”
“Do you like the name Mikey?” Miri asked.
The boy nodded several times.
“Okay, then, Mikey. I guess we’ve got that settled.” Michael tousled the boy’s hair.
“Mikey,” the social worker said, “we need to get all your stuff out of the car. Do you think you can help me?”
“Yep! ’Cuz I’ve got big muscles like my new dad.”
Michael chuckled. “I can help too.”
The social worker looked at them. “I have a couple of papers for you two to sign. May we go inside? I’d like to take a look around, see his bedroom.”
“Oh, uh, jah, sure.” Miriam frowned. She’d never had a person from the government inside her home before. It seemed strange.
“Let’s go show you your bedroom, bud.” Michael hefted a large black garbage bag over his shoulder.
The social worker removed a bicycle from the trunk and set it on the ground. “He knows how to ride already.”
Miri shared a worried glance with him. “It’s okay,” he mouthed soundlessly. Bicycles were not allowed in their Amish district. Acclimating their son to the Amish ways would take some time, but he aimed to make it as painless as possible for the boy.
Mikey hopped on his bike and rode it alongside Michael as he walked to the house.
“Just park that thing right here, bud.” He gestured next to the porch steps.
Michael held the door open so everyone could file inside.
Miri led the way to the bedroom, followed by Mikey with his backpack, then the social worker and Michael, who each carried a large black garbage bag.
“Here it is,” Miri said, holding the door open. “We can put your clothes in the drawers later, Mikey. And the toybox just has a few toys, so you can put the ones you brought with you in there too.”
The social worker nodded. “And the bathroom?”
“Just down the hall,” Michael answered.
“Very well. If we could just briefly review the papers I brought and get them signed, I’ll be on my way.” She smiled. “And the car seat stays with me. You’ll need to purchase one, if you haven’t already.”
“Yes, we’ve already bought one.” Miri and Michael shared a smile. Shopping for a car seat and toys had been a pleasure for both of them. It made their son’s coming home all the more real.
The moment the social worker drove away, Michael walked to the phone shanty to call Dawdi. He’d been looking forward to meeting Mikey since he first learned about him. Miri’s folks were anxious to meet their grandson as well. He’d left Miri to help settle little Mikey in while he made the phone call, but he couldn’t wait to get back to the house.
As he entered the house, he heard Miri and Mikey talking in the bedroom. It sounded like they were putting his things away. Miri had made sure to bake cookies that morning so they’d have treats for their son and their guests.
He stood in the doorframe watching the two interact. Ach, he could hardly believe this was their son. And that he was actually living in their house now.
Mikey held up a die-cast toy and showed it to Miri. “This one’s my favorite. It’s an F16 fighter jet. I wanna fly one of these when I get big like my dad.”
Miri glanced up and noticed Michael standing there observing them. Her smile was tentative. He could sense her mild anxiety. She was likely thinking what he was. How would they be able to get these Englisch ideas out of his head? Because last he checked, being a fighter pilot was nowhere near a suitable job for an Amish man. And although the Ordnung might change by the time their son became a man, it wouldn’t change that much. He couldn’t see the Amish ever embracing anything but non-resistance. And flying a jet of any kind? Not gonna happen.
“What do you say we taste one of your mom’s cookies?” Michael clapped his hands and rubbed them together. Then he frowned dramatically. “Unless you don’t like cookies?”
Mikey shot to his feet. “I love cookies! Are they choc’late?”
Michael led the way into the dining area.
“I made three kinds. Sugar cookies, peanut butter, and chocolate chip.” Miri smiled.
“Uh oh.” Mikey shook his head.
“Is something wrong?” Michael’s gaze bounced from Miriam to their son.
“Yep.” He nodded. “I’m ’lergic to peanuts.”
“Oh, you are?” Michael frowned, looking at Miri. “Did they mention that? Is it in his paperwork?”
“I can check.” Miri hurried to Dawdi’s desk and found the large envelope left by the social worker. She pulled out the documents and scanned them. “Jah, it says so right here.”
Michael crouched down in front of their son. “What happens to you when you eat peanuts?”
Mikey put both of his hands around his neck. “I can’t breave.”
A concerned look passed between Michael and Miri. “Well, we’ll just have to be sure that the peanuts can’t find you then.” He reached over and tickled his son’s belly. “No peanut butter spread for you, buddy.”
“I made the peanut butter cookies last, so the others should be fine. I’ll just put them away for now.”
“Good idea.”
Miri leaned close and whispered, “It also says he’s afraid of the dark.”
“It looks like a trip into town might be in order. I think they have those battery-operated push lights at the dollar store.” Just then he heard the sound of horse hooves. “Oh, it looks like Mikey’s got some visitors.”
“I do?” He took the chocolate chip cookie Miri offered.
“Yep, your grandma and grandpa.” Michael smiled.
“I never had a grandma and grandpa.”
“Well, you do now. Let’s go say hello.” He reached for Mikey’s hand. “Unless you wanna ride way up here on my shoulders?”
“Yeah! Just like an airplane.”
Michael hoisted the boy up, and they all headed outside. “You’re gonna have to watch your head when we walk through the door. Don’t want to knock you out on your first day home.”
Mikey giggled when he spotted the horse and buggy. “Why are they riding in a big box?”
Michael chuckled. “That’s called a buggy. Maybe we can go for a ride later and you can see how fun it is.”
“We can?”
“You bet. But right now, you can say hello to your grandparents.” He lifted the boy from his shoulders and flew him down like an airplane.
“That was fun!” Mikey stared up at him in admiration, causing Michael’s heart to swell with pride. It felt so natural having him here.
Sammy maneuvered the buggy to the hitching post. He and both of Miri’s folks exited the buggy, each carefully eyeing their new grandchild.
“How come Mommy and Grandma wear those funny hats?” Mikey leaned close and
whispered in Michael’s ear.
“Those are called prayer coverings or kapps. All the women around here wear them.”
“How come?”
“To symbolize their submission to God. You will understand it better when you get older.”
Mikey shrugged. “I don’t get it.”
“That’s okay. You don’t have to.” Michael assured.
The grandparents came near and Michael introduced them all. “This is our son, Michael. But we have agreed to call him Mikey.”
“Well, let’s take a look at you, boy.” Miri’s daed sized him up. “Yep, it looks like you’re going to be big and strong like your dad.” He tweaked his cheek.
Mikey’s mouth opened and he stared up at him in awe. “I am?”
“And just as good looking as your mom.” Miri’s daed winked in her direction.
“In that case, he’s gonna have a tough time keeping all the girls away.” Michael loved the tinge of color on his fraa’s cheeks.
“I have a girlfriend at my preschool.” Mikey beamed.
Miri laughed. “He sounds just like his vatter.”
“You’re going to have your hands full,” Sammy said.
“For sure and certain,” Miri’s mamm agreed.
“I don’t think Mikey’s had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Seuss yet.” Sammy smiled at Michael.
“Dr. Seuss? I love Dr. Seuss. He’s my favorite book!”
“I think you mean author, bud. But this Dr. Seuss doesn’t know how to write books.”
Mikey brightened. “Does he have a wocket in his pocket?”
Michael chuckled and shook his head. He loved this kid’s energy. He was so much like himself. They even shared a love of the same children’s books. It was amazing how much they were alike.
“Does he like green eggs and ham?”
Michael scratched his beard. “I don’t know. I’ve never offered him any. He likes carrots, though.”
“Kumm, I’ll introduce you.” Sammy offered his hand and led Mikey to their horse.
As the afternoon passed, so did their anxieties. Der Herr had truly been at work and had smoothed out the path for their son to find them again.
EPILOGUE
Mikey’s first month at home had gone better than they’d expected. He hadn’t batted an eyelash when they’d switched out his Englisch clothes for the ones Miriam had sewn for him, although they’d kept his pajamas. As a matter of fact, he’d been excited to dress “just like Daddy and Dawdi.”
Church, on the other hand, had been a bit more challenging. Four-and-a-half-year-old Mikey hadn’t been used to sitting in one place for hours on end, and he hadn’t liked being separated from his mamm. He’d wanted them all to sit together. Michael had kept him with him for the majority of the service, then ended up taking him outside during the final third. Toys and snacks hadn’t proven enough to occupy him. But the leaders had been encouraging, noting that their children sometimes had problems sitting still. It was the way of children, they’d said.
On a non-church Sunday, the Pete Stoltzfus family had come to visit. Since their son was near in age to Mikey, the two boys had hit it off immediately. Hopefully, the boys wouldn’t grow up to have a rumspringa like their wild fathers had. Miriam and Michael would definitely need to spend some time on their knees. They didn’t need another heartbreaker.
The fluttering in Miriam’s belly, more than just butterflies, reminded her that she had news to share with her husband after the others turned in for the night. After seeing Michael interact with Mikey, she was certain he’d make a gut vatter for their boppli. Right now, he was tucking Mikey in with their latest Dr. Seuss purchase. Perhaps they could sway their young son to become an author of children’s books. The interest was definitely there.
She pondered these things as she removed her kerchief and let her hair down. She brushed out the tangles as a smile played on her lips. Der Herr had been so gut to her. In less than a year, He’d turned her entire life around. He’d given her things she hadn’t known that she’d wanted or needed. But He’d known.
“I think he’s out now.” Michael whispered from the doorway.
She turned as he entered their bedroom and closed the door.
He sidled up behind her and took the brush from her hands. “May I?”
She nodded. He already knew she loved it when he offered to brush her hair. She relinquished the brush to his capable hands, closing her eyes, indulging in the gentle sweeping motions.
“Guess what? He wanted me to leave his light off tonight.”
She half-turned. “Really?”
“Jah. He asked if Mommy and I used a light in our room. When I told him no, he said he wanted to sleep in the dark like Daddy.” He chuckled. “Then I told him I’d leave the bathroom light on for him, but he assured me that he didn’t need it anymore because now he had a headlamp like Dawdi.”
She sighed in contentment. “He’s growing up.”
He moved her hair to the side and his warm lips dropped to her shoulder, meandering to her neck. “Jah.” His voice lowered. “But I think he’s going to get lonely. I think we should maybe…see about…a companion for him.”
She grasped his hands and wrapped his arms around her midsection. “We’ve already got one on order.”
He leaned back and stared at her. His mouth dropped open. “Are you…are you saying what I think you’re saying?”
She nodded. “By this time next year, Mikey will be playing with his new brother or sister.”
“Gott willing.” He grinned. “And by the way things have been going so far, I’d say this is a pretty gut indication that He is.” He shook his head. “All these things.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, when I first came back to the Amish, Dawdi encouraged me to read the Bible. He’d quoted that verse, Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you. I’ve never seen a clearer picture of that, Miri. And I’m not just talking about material things. He’s done things I hadn’t thought possible. He’s placed love, joy, and peace in my heart.”
“All these things.” She grinned. “I like it. I think I’ll claim that promise for myself. Although, I don’t know what more Der Herr could add unto me.”
Michael rubbed the place where their little one resided, happiness dancing on his lips. “Oh, I do.”
THE END
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DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Prior to growing into adulthood, veering from the path our parents brought us up on sometimes seems inevitable. Was there a time in your life when you rebelled? What did you learn from that experience?
2. Miriam carried bitterness in her heart because of past wrongs. Have you been through a season of bitterness? Have you relinquished it to God?
3. Regret can play a role in our ability to move forward. Is there something in your life you profoundly regret?
4. Have you ever known someone like Michael, prior to his recovery?
5. When Michael learns the reality of Miri’s past, his focus immediately changed. Do you think he was pursuing answers because of selfishness?
6. Would you have a difficult time trusting Michael, if you were in Miri’s shoes?
7. Sammy seems to have advice for every situation, due to a lifetime of experience and studying God’s Word. Do you have a “Sammy” in your life?
8. When Christ entered Michael’s heart, He changed his desires. Have you accepted Christ into your heart? Has God changed your desires?
9. Michael eventually realized that seeking God’s will was the key element missing in his life. Have you tried ‘seeking first the kingdom of God’? What were your results?
10. God has adopted those who have called upon Him. Do you know anyone who’s been ad
opted, physically speaking? Have you ever considered adoption?
11. Who was your favorite character in The Heartbreaker? Why?
A SPECIAL THANK YOU
I’d like to take this time to thank everyone that had any involvement in this book and its production, including my Mom and Dad, who have always been supportive of my writing, my longsuffering Family—especially my handsome, encouraging Hubby, my Amish and former-Amish friends who have helped immensely in my understanding of the Amish ways, my supportive Pastor and Church family, my Proofreaders, my Editor, my CIA Facebook author friends who have been a tremendous help, my wonderful Readers who buy, read, offer great input, and leave encouraging reviews and emails, my awesome Launch Team who, I’m confident, will ‘Sprede the Word’ about The Heartbreaker! And last, but certainly not least, I’d like to thank my Precious LORD and SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST, for without Him, none of this would have been possible!
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The next book in the series, The Charmer (Amish Country Brides):
The Charmer
Amish Country Brides
Release Date: July 1, 2020
The Heartbreaker (Amish Country Brides) Page 14
