A Precious Gift

by Shelley Shepard Gray

  His words were so sweet. So different from how she’d feared he would react. So much the opposite of how her mother said she’d been treated. She was at a loss for words.

  So, instead of saying a thing, she relaxed against Kyle and let herself find comfort in his arms. She hadn’t known it, but she’d needed this. The reassurance. The tenderness. Tears pricked her eyes again.

  Stupid tears.

  She hadn’t come over to cry on his shoulder, but it looked like that was happening again. She inhaled, hoping to stave off the worst of it.

  He patted her shoulder blade. “Gabby, are ya crying?”

  “No.”

  He pulled away, looked down at her face. Swiped her cheek with a finger. “Are you sure about that?” he teased.

  “I don’t want to cry right now. I’m trying not to.”

  “Maybe you can’t help it.”

  Maybe she couldn’t. Honestly, her whole body was acting strange. Stupid hormones, too. “I’m better.” But then, of course, one rebel tear slid down her cheek.

  “Hmm. Looks like you need something else to think about.”

  “Like what?” She was eighteen and pregnant.

  “Like this,” he murmured, just before he kissed her.

  His kiss affected her like it always did. It pushed all reason and caution away and only made her think of him. Before she was really aware of what she was doing, Gabby had her hands around his neck and was kissing him back wholeheartedly.

  “Mmm-hmm,” he murmured, holding her closer.

  “Kyle Lambright! What in the world are you doing on our picnic table?”

  Oh! That was his mother. Gabby jerked away from Kyle and pressed her hands to her face.

  She felt Kyle turn toward his front door. “I’m kissing Gabby, Mamm!” he said.

  “Kyle, don’t be cheeky. I want to know why.”

  He paused. “All right, then. Gabby and I need to come inside and talk to you.”

  “Now?”

  “Jah. It’s important, Mamm.”

  “Come on, then. I’ll make us some tea.”

  The moment Mrs. Lambright closed the door, Gabby glared at him. “What are we going inside to talk to your mother about?”

  He grabbed her hand. “About the baby, of course.”

  Gabby gaped at him. “I didn’t come over here to make an announcement, Kyle!” she practically hissed. “I came over to tell you the news.”

  “I know. And you did tell me.”

  “So I think we should wait.”

  “Nee, I don’t think so,” he said as he scooted off the table and gently pulled her off, too. “This is inevitable. We might as well get it over with.”

  “But … I don’t want to tell them until I make some decisions. I don’t even know what I’m going to do.”

  He froze in midstep. For the first time since she’d known him, Kyle’s expression hardened. “This ain’t about just you, Gabby. It’s about me, too. Nee, it’s about the three of us.”

  She was having trouble keeping up. “Three?”

  “Jah. You, me, and our baby. You aren’t alone, Gabby. Not anymore.” Looking determined, he added, “For the rest of our lives, it’s now the three of us. We’re a family, ain’t so?”

  They were a family? While those words were sinking in, she followed him into his house.

  Kyle hadn’t gotten mad. He hadn’t walked away.

  Neither had he yelled at her or tried to shift the blame to rest firmly on her shoulders. Instead, he was already thinking of them as a unit and was anxious to share the news about the baby with his parents.

  So far, nothing that had happened had been anything like she’d imagined.

  Not a bit of it.

  FIVE

  “Usually, I would go back home and wait for Harley to come home. But one day, when I was seven and Harley was thirteen, I only pretended to leave.”

  For the first time in his life, Kyle felt like thanking his brother Harley for being so closed-mouthed. Harley was a master of hiding his emotions—a direct result from bearing the majority of their stern father’s wishes.

  Harley’s ability to conceal his thoughts had always irritated Kyle. It had made his oldest brother seem far too stern and difficult. It had always made him feel on edge—he’d never known where he’d stood with Harley.

  Recently though, Harley had begun to soften a bit. Kyle knew it was because of the recent changes that had occurred between him and Katie. Katie had encouraged him to show and share more of his emotions. And because of her influence and Harley’s willingness to do most anything to make her happy, everyone in the Lambright family had benefitted from the softer side of Harley.

  But now, as he mentally prepared himself to shock his mother, Kyle was glad that he could mimic his brother’s original trait and look completely calm. Gabby needed that.

  Though he was no expert on relationships, he knew that she needed him to be at ease and at least appear confident. She didn’t need to know that he was currently shaking in his boots.

  “Mamm?” he called out when he didn’t see her in their pale-yellow kitchen.

  “I’m in the living room, Kyle,” she replied. “Both Daed and I are.”

  “We’re going to talk to your father right now, too?” Gabby whispered.

  “I guess so.” He shrugged, hoping he looked far more relaxed than he felt. Keeping his voice low, he added, “I thought he was at a meeting in town.”

  “Maybe that would have been better.”

  When he felt her tremble, Kyle squeezed her hand lightly. “This is a good thing. Now you won’t have to worry about what he’s going to say. We’ll get it all over with at one time.”

  “You’re not worried about what they’re going to say?”

  He shook his head, hoping she believed his lie. Because for sure, he was really worried.

  No matter how much he would like it to be different, he knew that the upcoming conversation was not going to go well. His parents didn’t like surprises, and they didn’t like their children to ignore all of their teachings.

  This pregnancy fell into both of those categories.

  Their house was big and sprawling, but that didn’t mean there was a lot of space in between rooms. Fifteen steps later, he was bringing Gabby into their living room and facing his parents, who were sitting in a pair of cream-colored wing chairs.

  After looking pointedly at him and their linked hands, they stared at Gabby.

  By his side, Gabby stiffened, then her cheeks slowly turned red. His hands turned clammy.

  “It will be all right,” he whispered. Though, truth be told, he wasn’t sure if he was trying to reassure her or himself.

  “Gabby,” Daed said at last. “Hello.”

  “Hi, Mr. Lambright. Mrs. Lambright.” Her voice sounded strained.

  “Come on, let’s sit down,” he said. Though he hated to break their connection, Kyle let go of Gabby’s hand and gestured to the sofa.

  She perched on the edge of the couch. He took a seat right next to her.

  When he saw his mother inhale, obviously ready to launch into a speech about how they should not be kissing on the picnic table, Kyle knew he had no choice but to speak fast. Having them embarrass Gabby was not going to make their news any easier to share.

  “Mamm, Daed, Gabby came over this morning to tell me some news.”

  His parents exchanged a concerned look before his mother spoke. “What is it?”

  Feeling like Gabby was practically shrinking into the fabric of the couch with every second, Kyle weighed various approaches. Was one way better than another? He wasn’t sure.

  “Kyle?” Daed prodded.

  “Um, there ain’t no way to tell you this easily.” He glanced at Gabby. She now had her hands folded across her midsection.

  “I think you’d best spit out whatever you have to say, son,” Daed murmured. “The sooner the better.”

  “All right then. Gabby is pregnant.”

  Right there in front of
them, his father’s face turned to stone. His mother? Well, she looked like she was about to faint.

  Visibly attempting to not burst into tears, Gabby hung her head.

  He hated that.

  Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, he leaned close and whispered, “It’s going to be okay,” he said again. “No matter what, you aren’t alone.”

  When she met his gaze and nodded, Kyle felt like he’d finally done something right. After one more encouraging nod, he dropped his arm and stared back at his parents. “I know you’re surprised. I’m sorry.”

  His mother now was looking at them with a softer expression. And his father? Well, his expression had gone from stone to something a little less scary.

  “How long have you known about this, son?” he asked.

  “I just found out today.”

  “I came over to tell him,” Gabby said.

  “I see.”

  “And … have you known long?” his mamm asked.

  “No. I just took the pregnancy test this morning.”

  “What did your mother say?”

  “I haven’t told her yet.” Her voice quivered. “I wanted to talk to Kyle first.”

  His mother closed her eyes. “I see.” When she opened her eyes again, she stared hard at him. “Kyle, I have no words.”

  She might say that, but he knew she’d have lots to say the moment Gabby left. “Don’t start, Mamm. No one is to blame.”

  His mother shook her head. “Of course someone is to blame, and that someone is you.”

  “Mother.”

  “Don’t you act so surprised, son. You know better.”

  Well aware that Gabby didn’t need to hear his mother’s upcoming lecture, Kyle lowered his voice. “Mamm, I know it’s a shock, but I think we’re all shocked right now. Have a care, if you please.”

  “I’m sorry,” Gabby said quietly.

  “Nee,” his father blurted. “Don’t apologize. Not now, anyway.”

  Whether it was his father’s stern expression or his tone, Gabby flinched.

  Again, Kyle tried to run interference. “Hey now, he didn’t mean—”

  “I can speak for myself, son,” his father interrupted. Turning to Gabby, his voice softened. “What I am saying is that what’s done is done. Ain’t so?”

  “Yes?”

  His mother chuckled. “I’m sure we’ll be having many more talks, but I think if there is one thing that we can all agree on it’s that a baby is a blessing. Always.”

  Kyle felt the rock that had embedded itself in his chest shift. He was going to be able to breathe easier. “Mamm, Daed, even though I know you aren’t happy with me, I’m glad we told you.”

  “Jah. Well, we’ll be talking to you later, but that is for another time,” Mamm said. “Now, Gabby, how are you feeling?”

  “Scared. I didn’t plan for this to happen. I’m embarrassed, too. I should’ve known better.”

  “I meant physically, dear. How are you feeling?”

  “Oh! A little achy and a little bit nauseated.”

  “You’re feeling all that right now?” Kyle asked.

  If she hadn’t been so nervous, she would have laughed. “Yeah. But I’m okay. I think I’m supposed to feel like this.”

  He hadn’t even thought about things like that. “Oh.”

  His father gave him a disappointed look.

  Gabby cleared her throat and spoke to his mom again. “I read on the Internet that I’m supposed to feel different, right?”

  His mother smiled softly. “Yes. The body does a great many things to get ready for this journey.” Standing up, she reached out a hand to Gabby. “How about you and I go into the kitchen and see if eating something might help make you feel better?”

  She looked at Kyle warily. He nodded. “It’s okay. I think that’s a gut idea. I’ll um, sit in here with my daed for a little bit.”

  Gabby’s expression relaxed as she followed his mother down the hall.

  When the women were out of earshot, Kyle looked his father in the eye. “I know you are disappointed in me.”

  “I am. You are too young, Kyle.”

  “You’re right.”

  “And this Gabby—last I heard, her mother didn’t even like the two of you seeing each other.” He lowered his voice. “I mean, she liked it even less than we did.”

  “She doesn’t.” He straightened his shoulders. “But I really do love Gabby, Father. I’m serious about her.”

  “I hope so, because you two are going to have a long road ahead of you.”

  “What am I supposed to do, Daed?” he asked. “Should we get married right away? But if we did that, I don’t know what we’d do then. I don’t have a job. Where are we going to live?” A dozen more questions ran through his head, each one seeming more impossible than the last.

  “The first thing you need to do is be by her side, which you did, jah?”

  Warily, Kyle nodded.

  “And then you need to speak to us and not keep secrets.”

  He’d done that, too. “Jah.”

  “So, I’m guessing that the next thing to do is visit with Gabby’s mother.”

  He already had a good idea of how it was going to go. “She’s going to be so mad. She’s going to hate me.”

  His father scratched his brow. “I could be wrong, but so far it don’t sound like Gabby is blaming you. She’s blaming the two of you.”

  “You’re right. I’m pretty sure her mother is going to put the blame on my shoulders, though.” He straightened. “But I’m okay with that.”

  “You are?” His father didn’t sound surprised. Instead, it sounded like he was simply encouraging Kyle to talk more. That was strange but good, too. He needed to talk about everything he was feeling. Even if it wasn’t right or even if he should have known better, Kyle knew he needed to talk about what he was feeling at the very least.

  “I’m older, and the man,” he said slowly, pausing a moment to gauge his father’s reaction. But his father was simply staring at him.

  Waiting for him to continue.

  Feeling like a child again, Kyle fumbled through his explanation some more. “I … I should have known better.”

  “Hmm,” Daed murmured.

  Okay. So he hadn’t given the consequences of what they were doing a whole lot of thought. But, he also had two older brothers, one of whom was engaged, and the other recently married. Though neither of them talked about their private lives with their women, Kyle knew he could have asked either of them about birth control. They might have lectured him, but they would have spoken to him frankly.

  Sure, it would have been really uncomfortable, but it would have been easier than what they were going through now.

  “When are you going to speak to Gabby’s mother?”

  “Whenever Gabby is ready.”

  “I’m thinking the sooner the better is best, son,” his father said.

  Eager to get it over with, Kyle nodded. “I agree.”

  Daed stood up. “Gut.” Resting a hand on Kyle’s shoulder, he said, “You should go rescue Gabby from your mother’s clutches now. If we’re not careful, your mother will soon be discussing cradles and high chairs with the poor girl, and I don’t think she’s quite prepared for that yet.”

  After shooting a grateful look in his father’s direction, Kyle strode toward the kitchen. What a morning the Lord had in store for him! He’d started out thinking about bags of feed and ended it realizing that he was going to be a father in a few short months.

  SIX

  “Instead of going home, I hid in an abandoned tree house in the woods by the Kurtzes’ farm.”

  Jimmy had never seen their house in such disarray. Mamm was cleaning and scrubbing anything that didn’t move, Daed was suddenly working on a porch swing, and everyone else was tiptoeing around them.

  Except for Kyle. Kyle was holed up in his room and hadn’t come out for hours.

  “What’s going on around here, Jimmy?” Betty asked when she found
him in the tack room of the barn. “Mamm and Daed are working like the bishop is on his way over, Harley ran out of here after talking to Kyle, and every time I knock on Kyle’s door, he tells me to leave him alone.”

  Jimmy didn’t know how to answer her. He knew whatever was going on had to do with Kyle and Gabby, but he had no idea what, exactly, the problem was. And since he’d already said too much to Kyle that morning, he was hesitant to speculate anymore. “I didn’t know Kyle let Harley in his room,” he murmured. “He told me to go away when I knocked.” Of course, he’d probably deserved Kyle’s cold shoulder, but it had still stung.

  Betty groaned. “That’s all you have to report?”

  Jimmy grinned at her choice of words. Report indeed. “Being told off by my little brother felt pretty important to me.”

  His sister folded her arms across her chest and tapped her foot. “You are missing the point, Jimmy. There’s a crisis going on in the middle of our house and you and I are stuck out in the dark. We need to find out what has happened to Kyle.”

  “I’m thinking Beth probably don’t know what’s going on, either.”

  “Beth is nannying. She can’t help but be out of the loop.”

  Jimmy knew his youngest sister had a point. Their sister, Beth, was a busy nanny for an English couple. She even spent the night over at their house one or two times a week. All he was trying to do was calm down the most excitable member of the family. Experience had taught him that whenever Betty was riled up, everyone else was going to be riled up, too.

  “I don’t know what to tell ya, Betty. We’ll find out what happened when the time is right, I reckon.”

  “Whatever that means,” she murmured with a groan. Still looking like a struggling detective, she peered out of the small window of the tack room. “Daed looks intent but not angry. What do you think that means?”

  “There ain’t no telling.”

  “You say that because you haven’t caught sight of his expression.” She waved a hand. “Come over and see for yourself.”

  “Nee. I’m not going to spy on Daed.”

  “But—”

  It was time to finish up this silly, speculative conversation. “Betty, you know as well as I do that our parents just had a talk with Kyle and Gabby. They probably told them to break up and Kyle’s upset.”