The Baby Next Door

by Vannetta Chapman

  “Should we talk to my parents first?”

  “If that’s what you want to do.”

  “Then yours.”

  “Okay.” Adrian grinned and spooned some strawberry into Nicole’s mouth. She made a grab for the spoon, so he let her have it and put a little of his ice cream into an extra cup he’d asked for.

  Nicole was quite satisfied to whack the spoon into the cup and laugh, though very little ended up in her mouth.

  “You’re going to be a gut dat.”

  “I am?”

  “Ya.”

  “More, Adrian. More.”

  They both stared at Nicole in surprise.

  “She said my name right. I can’t believe it.”

  Maybe it was the stress of the last week, but Grace finally lost it. She started laughing and had trouble stopping. She held her stomach and then put her hands to her cheeks to cool them. Adrian watched and waited, his eyes dancing in amusement. She shook her head, pulled in a deep breath and used her napkin to wipe the tears from her eyes.

  “She thinks we’re funny, Nicole. Can you believe that?”

  “What’s funny is that she finally...” Laughter threatened to bubble out again, but Grace stopped it by taking a big drink from the cup of water. “Nicole can finally say your name, but it won’t be your name for long. Soon she’ll be calling you Dat.”

  “Oh, ya. Gut point.”

  “Much easier to say.”

  “Has a nice ring to it, too.”

  As they cleaned up their table and Nicole’s hands and face, then climbed back into Adrian’s buggy, Grace’s mood grew more somber. What she had to do next was something she’d both dreaded and longed to do for over two years. She was finally going to be honest with her parents. And they were going to listen, whether they wanted to hear what she had to say or not.

  She could handle their disapproval, but she couldn’t handle their not knowing the truth.

  When they reached the house, Adrian put his hand on her arm. “I need to go and check on the animals, but I can come back if you like.”

  “Nein. I need to do this on my own.”

  “All right.” He kissed her lips. “I’ll be praying that they are receptive to what you have to say.”

  He hesitated, but then he pushed forward. “What happened to you, that part about Nicole’s father lying about his name—”

  “Everything. He lied about everything.”

  Adrian reached toward her, tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “You didn’t deserve that, Grace. Neither you nor Nicole deserve to be treated that way. You deserve to be cherished.”

  She nodded, tears threatening to fall. But she wasn’t going to cry. She was done with crying. She was ready to own up to her past, because she knew with certainty that it was the only way to embrace her future.

  * * *

  She waited to speak with her parents until dinner was finished, the kitchen was cleaned and Nicole was tucked into bed. Her dat was perusing the Budget, and her mamm was knitting at her usual lightning speed when Grace walked into the living room and sat down across from them.

  “I would like to speak with you both—if now is a gut time.”

  Her dat lowered his paper and, sensing the seriousness of the moment, folded it. Her mamm finished counting the row she was on, then pushed her knitting needles into the ball of yarn. It was a little disconcerting, having both of their attention so completely on her.

  “Adrian and I have decided to marry.” She wasn’t sure why that popped out first, but her parents reacted quite enthusiastically—which was to say that her dat grinned broadly and her mamm rose to give her a hug.

  “There’s more.”

  “More?” Now her dat looked confused and a tiny bit worried.

  “I didn’t want our marriage to be built on deception, so I told him about Nicole being my doschder. I told him about Nicole’s biological dat.”

  “We don’t need to go into that, Grace...” Her dat reached for the paper, but Grace leaned forward and put her hand on top of his.

  “You may not need to hear it, but I need to say it.”

  Now her mamm looked visibly upset. She kept eyeing her knitting as if it could save her. Grace had the urge to snatch it away and tuck it out of sight.

  “I know that you’ve never asked, that you’ve never really wanted to hear the details.” Neither parent interrupted her now. “But as I said, I need to tell you. Two years ago, I met a young man named Kolby Gibson—at least, that’s what he said his name was.”

  “Why do we need to know this, dear?” Her mamm clutched her hands in her lap. “You know we love Nicole—we love you both.”

  Grace decided the best thing to do was just plow through. “It turns out Kolby Gibson was not his real name. Adrian and I went to an attorney to see if Kolby might have parental rights. He doesn’t, because he was working under a false name. He was dating me under a false name. I don’t even know who he was...or is.”

  Her dat harrumphed and her mamm tsk-tsked.

  “The point is that I don’t have to worry anymore about him showing up here, about him wanting custody of Nicole. I don’t know why I thought he might, but it was just always there, lurking in the back of my mind. Now...now I’m at peace. Now Adrian and I can begin our life together on solid ground.”

  She waited—partially to catch her breath after such a long speech and partially to give her parents a chance to comment.

  They didn’t.

  “I know I must have disappointed you terribly. I understand now that my actions must have hurt you, and I’m sorry for that.” She brushed away a tear. She’d sworn she wouldn’t cry, but there were times when her emotions didn’t follow orders very well. “And I ask your forgiveness.”

  Her dat looked at her mamm, who put her hand over his and squeezed. That image of her hand on his, of the way they were looking at one another, told her how much she had hurt them. She’d thought the past two years were difficult for her, but now she realized how heavy the burden was that they had carried. She felt such grief for that, for what she’d put these two good people through, that it nearly pinned her to the chair.

  It was with great effort that she stood, walked over to the coffee table sitting in front of them and perched on the edge of it.

  “Can you forgive me?”

  “Of course we forgive you, Grace.” Her dat scooted forward, placed his hand on top of hers. “The more important question—the question that your mamm and I have prayed over since you first told us of the pregnancy—is whether you’ve forgiven yourself.”

  Tears cascaded down her cheeks, and Grace made no attempt to wipe them away. She realized as she sat there, her parents waiting for her answer, that she had forgiven herself—not all at once, not at any particular moment, but day by day as she’d watched Nicole grow, as she’d fallen in love with Adrian, as she’d found God’s grace in her prayers.

  “Ya. I have.”

  “Then we are happy for you, and you and Adrian have our blessing.” Her mamm put her hand on top of Grace’s dat’s, the same hand that sat on top of Grace’s.

  It was a moment that Grace would always remember, and one that would sustain her through the tough days ahead.

  * * *

  “Things went well, then.”

  Adrian and Grace were watching Nicole run through his group of goats. She wasn’t really running. It was more like lurching from goat to goat, but the goats didn’t seem to mind. They’d become quite accustomed to the little girl with the golden curls.

  “Ya. Better than I’d hoped.”

  “And it’s gut—to have that off your chest.”

  “It is.”

  “So what’s the but?”

  Grace started to laugh. “You know me pretty well.”

  “I’m a quick study when it comes to someone I plan to sp
end the rest of my life with.”

  “Okay. I’m worried about your parents.”

  “Don’t be.” Adrian wished he could fast-forward through the next twelve hours, not because he was worried about the outcome but because he could see how much this pained Grace. He hated to think that anything he might say or do, anything his family might say or do could cause her such concern.

  “At least it will be over tonight.” Grace sighed dramatically, only she wasn’t being dramatic.

  She looked as if she was having trouble pulling in a full breath. Adrian rubbed her back in slow circles, as he’d seen her do with Nicole.

  “They’re excited that you and Nicole are coming for dinner, and I’m pretty sure they’ve guessed that we’re going to announce our intentions to marry.”

  “The rest will be a surprise, though.”

  “Maybe not as much as you think.” When Grace looked at him in surprise, he squeezed her hand, then nodded toward Nicole. “She looks more like you than you realize.”

  “True.”

  “And your leaving town suddenly, then returning with a child... Let’s just say it doesn’t take a genius to figure things out.”

  Grace leaned her shoulder against his. “Did you? Figure it out?”

  Adrian laughed. “Nope. But now that I look back, when I would mention to my bruder or George or my parents how wunderbaar you were to raise someone else’s child—”

  “You did that?”

  “Yes, I did, and they’d always give me a look.”

  “A look?”

  “As if I was a bit slow. I didn’t understand it then, but now, thinking back... Well, I suspect most everyone had guessed the truth except me.”

  Grace hopped up and began pacing back and forth in front of him.

  “That’s going to make it worse—that they already know. They’re going to think of me as a liar. I obviously should have done this months ago when I first came home.”

  Nicole had plopped down on the ground and stuck her fingers in her mouth. Adrian recognized that look. She was sleepy and about to start crying. Best to intervene before she wound herself up. He was at her side in three long strides. When he picked her up, she slipped her arms around his neck and rested her head on his shoulder, and Adrian realized he was a goner. Not only did he love the beautiful woman standing in front of him but he would do absolutely anything for this child.

  He walked back over to Grace, who was still worrying her kapp strings.

  “The people who love you will not judge you, and the people who judge you are not the ones who love you.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “It means that everything will be all right.”

  “Okay.”

  “Let’s take this baby girl back to your parents’ house so she can have her afternoon nap. Tonight’s a big night for all of us.”

  * * *

  The evening with Adrian’s family went better than he could have hoped. They were barely in the door and seated around the kitchen table when Grace asked if she could speak.

  Before she managed to gather her thoughts, Adrian cleared his throat, waited until he had everyone’s attention and then he said, “Grace and I, we love each other, and we want to marry.”

  His parents broke into large smiles.

  His youngest schweschder, Lydia, squealed in delight.

  His older schweschder Beth reached over to hug Grace. Her husband congratulated them, and though her bopplin were too young to have any idea what was going on, they clapped their hands in delight. Nicole began to bang her spoon against the tray of the high chair they’d sat her in. It was plain as day that she wanted to join in on the celebration. Adrian wanted to enjoy the moment, but he realized that Grace wouldn’t be able to do so until she’d had her say.

  So he raised his hands, indicating he wasn’t finished. “Grace would like to share something with you.”

  She took her time looking around the table at each person, but when she finally started talking, she addressed her words directly to his parents. “If I’m to be a part of your family, which I hope and pray I am, then I know I must do so honestly. Nicole isn’t my cousin, she’s my child. I... I met an Englischer before I moved away, and I fancied myself in love.”

  She glanced at Beth, then Adrian, then back to his parents, who were now listening intently. “My parents thought I should move to Ohio while I was pregnant, and then when I returned, everyone just assumed that Nicole was my cousin. I should have set them straight, though, from the beginning, and I’m sorry that I didn’t. I’ll make a confession at church Sunday, but before I do so publicly, I wanted to share the truth with you...in case it changes the way you feel about...about our marriage.”

  Adrian’s parents shared a look, one he’d seen a thousand times growing up. He knew what it meant. They were on the same page. They’d already discussed the topic at hand. They’d simply been waiting. Now his mamm stood, walked around the table and squatted next to Grace’s chair.

  “We will be proud to have you as a part of our family, you and your doschder.” Which was all she needed to say in order to lift the burden of worry off Grace’s shoulders.

  As his mamm and Grace hugged, his dat stood. “I’d like to pray over this fine meal and also ask a special blessing on these two new additions to our family.”

  Everyone quieted and bowed their heads, even Nicole, who carefully placed her hands palm to palm as Grace had taught her.

  “Heavenly Father, we thank You for this gut food and for all of Your provisions. This night, we’d especially like to thank You for bringing Grace and her doschder, Nicole, into our family. We ask that You bless this union between Adrian and Grace, that You guide them in all things, and that Your loving arms remain around them through the many years they will share.”

  Amens resounded vigorously around the table, and then dishes were passed as everyone talked at once. When Grace passed the bowl of mashed potatoes to Adrian, she met his gaze. In that moment, Adrian understood that this was the one thing that had worried her the most. The confession at church would be difficult, but what she had longed for, what she had needed was the blessing of their families. She could handle whatever happened at church because she would have Adrian, his family and her family supporting her.

  Adrian realized there would be times, like this dinner and like the church service the next day, when he wouldn’t be able to take a difficult thing out of his fraa’s path. But he could walk that path with her, and he was determined to do so.

  After dinner when they’d moved to the sitting room, Lydia admitted that she was thrilled. She’d grown quite attached to Nicole. Now, sitting on the floor with the child, she glanced up at Adrian and said, “Guess I won’t be paid anymore for babysitting.”

  “And why is that?”

  “Adrian! I don’t want to be paid for watching my own niece.”

  “Huh.” He rubbed a hand up and down his face as if he was in deep thought, then snapped his fingers. “Nicole’s a bit easier to care for now. It wouldn’t hurt for her to be at the dinners with us. Maybe you could keep an eye on Nicole and help with the tourists at the same time.”

  “I could do that.”

  “In which case, you’d need to be paid, same as anyone else who helps with the Englisch tours.”

  Lydia smiled and nodded, then said to Nicole, “Let’s go see my room. When you come over to stay with us, you can sleep with me.”

  Nicole slipped her right hand in Lydia’s and proceeded to chatter about the baby doll she clutched in her left. As they walked down the hall, Adrian could hear Lydia saying, “Ya. You’re sure? That’s gut, Nicole.”

  Grace smiled at him as he pulled her down on the sofa next to him.

  His mother sat across from them, a small quilt that she’d been attaching the binding to in her hands. She didn’t pick up her quilting ne
edle, though. Instead, she beamed at Grace and Adrian. “I thought Adrian might never marry.”

  “Thanks, Mamm.”

  “And I couldn’t ask for a better daughter-in-law, a better granddaughter, than you and Nicole.”

  Which was exactly what he’d known she would say.

  Adrian’s father immediately started talking about asking the bishop to schedule a workday to build a home on Adrian’s farm. “Can’t expect any granddaughter of mine to be raised in a barn.” Which had caused everyone to laugh, and suddenly for a brief moment, Adrian entertained the notion that it might actually be that easy.

  The moment didn’t last long.

  Adrian’s schweschder, Beth, came to the doorway between the kitchen and the sitting room and asked Adrian for his help in the kitchen. Grace was talking wedding plans with his mamm, his dat had gone out to check on the horses, and Nicole was in the bedroom with Lydia. Adrian shrugged and followed Beth into the other room.

  Beth pounced as soon as they were alone in the kitchen.

  She’d never been particularly patient...or subtle. That wasn’t Beth’s way, which was one of the things he liked about her. But the look on her face had him worried. This couldn’t be good.

  “Can you talk her out of the confession thing? You said yourself that Luke won’t require it.”

  “She’s sure it’s the right thing to do.”

  Beth dropped a dish into the soapy dishwater and set about scrubbing it a bit too vigorously. “I think it’s a bad idea.”

  “Why?”

  She slipped the plate in the rinse water. He plucked it out and dried it, then set it in the cabinet.

  “Because people can be cruel, Adrian. It’s your job to protect her from those people.”

  “Grace is a big girl. She has a mind of her own, and this is what she wants to do. She wants a fresh start—”

  “It won’t be a fresh start, though. Don’t you see? When she first came back—” Beth glanced over her shoulder to confirm they were still alone, then lowered her voice “—some people, a few, were quite unkind about Grace and her situation.”