A Precious Gift

by Shelley Shepard Gray

  “Just a few cuts and scrapes from when I fell. I think I was trying to make sure I didn’t land on my belly.”

  “When we get you home, I’ll sit with you on the couch and you can take a nap.”

  “That sounds perfect.” She couldn’t wait to get home, which was now a beautiful old Amish house.

  Rubbing her knuckles with a thumb, Kyle cleared his throat. “Ahh, Gabby, this is probably the worst timing in the world, but I want, no, I need you to know that what we have between us isn’t just for now. I want us to be a family.”

  Though they’d talked about their love for each other, neither of them had spoken too much about their future.

  They’d done that at the encouragement of his parents. After sharing that they hoped that she and Kyle would always be a couple, his parents had also cautioned that both parenthood and marriage were for a lifetime. Mr. and Mrs. Lambright had even said that they’d thought it was possible for her and Kyle to be good parents even if they had to wait to enter into a relationship that they weren’t ready for.

  “We will be a family, no matter what happens to you and me,” she said lightly.

  He leaned closer. Pressed a light kiss to her brow. “Nee, that isn’t what I mean.” Drawing in a breath, he said, “Gabby, I want you to be my wife.”

  She gaped at him. Had he really just said what she thought he’d said?

  “I’m trying to tell you that I already think I love our baby, but I know I love you and I want you forever. Will you marry me?”

  A lump had formed in her throat and her eyes were stinging. She inhaled sharply, trying to retain her composure. “Kyle—”

  He cut her off. “Nee, listen. I promise to work hard. We won’t always have to live with my parents and siblings either. One day, we’ll get a home of our own.”

  Though they hadn’t talked much about their future, they had talked about how she wasn’t ready to become Amish. As much as she loved living with the Lambrights, she’d learned that converting to the Amish faith meant more than being willing to ride around in a buggy or make do without electricity. It was an adoption of a whole way of life and adherence to faith that she wasn’t ready for.

  Which meant that Kyle was the one who was going to have to change.

  “ Kyle … are you certain about not being Amish?”

  “Jah.”

  “Really?”

  He laughed. “Yeah.” He winked. “Does that sound English enough for you?”

  She smiled happily. “It does, but I don’t need you to sound English. Just to be certain.”

  “I am. I really am.”

  “Then I am, too. I’m certain about being your wife, Kyle.”

  “So, is that a yes?”

  “It is.” Raising her face to his, she murmured, “I’m so happy.”

  “Me, too.” Just as he leaned down to kiss her, his father walked in.

  He stood at the doorway and grunted. “Ah, here you are, son. Kissing Gabby yet again.”

  “We’ve got a good reason, Daed,” Kyle said. “I just asked Gabby to be my wife and she said yes.”

  Gabby looked over at William and smiled. “It looks like you’re stuck with me forever, Will . . .” Her voice drifted off as she saw who was standing right behind Kyle’s father. “Mom?”

  Her mother, looking shaken and maybe even a little scared, said, “Gabrielle, I know you’re surprised to see me, but I couldn’t stay away. Not any longer.”

  Staring at her, then at Kyle and William, Gabby wondered what, exactly, her mother meant.

  FOURTEEN

  “Late that night, I knocked on Harley’s door and asked him why he’d stayed with me.”

  Kyle knew he was wearing what Gabby teasingly called his “Amish face.” It actually wasn’t anything Amish, but rather something very “Lambright.” It was his father’s usual resting expression, where all his features were so set that no emotion seeped through.

  As he stood next to Gabby’s hospital bed, feeling tension radiating from Gabby—and fighting his own confusing thoughts—Kyle couldn’t help it, though.

  So many things had just happened, he could hardly keep up. And he was feeling so many warring emotions, it was a wonder his head wasn’t about to explode.

  He was grateful that Gabby hadn’t gotten seriously hurt during her fall. Elated that she’d just said yes to his proposal. He was also confused and, yes, angry that her mother had shown up right at that moment. Especially when she’d been nothing but silent for weeks.

  Therefore, he was coping by tamping everything down. Kyle didn’t know if that was the “right” way to act, or if there even was a “right” way to be. All he did know was that his only concern at the moment was for Gabby.

  He moved closer to her, watching her expression carefully. He knew right then and there that if her mother made her cry, he would shuttle her out the door immediately.

  Her mother was still standing awkwardly in the doorway. Half in, half out. Every other time he’d seen her, she’d been dressed stylishly, wearing a lot of makeup, and her hair had been down upon her shoulders.

  Today? She had her hair in a limp ponytail, was wearing a faded pair of jeans, tennis shoes, and a sweatshirt, and hardly any paint on her face. He actually thought she looked younger and far more approachable.

  Or maybe it had more to do with the way Karen Ferrara was looking at Gabby. There was doubt and longing in her eyes, and a foreign tentativeness that Kyle had never expected to see.

  And because of that, some of the coldness he felt for her thawed a bit.

  He glanced at his father. He was remaining silent, but he was staring at him intently. Kyle knew his daed was waiting for him to do the right thing.

  But what was that?

  Kyle knew he wasn’t prepared to do anything other than what Gabby wanted.

  Turning to her, he reached for Gabby’s hand again and examined her face. She looked confused but not upset.

  “Mom, what are you doing here?” Gabby said after another second or two passed.

  “Well, um … William here called and talked some sense in me.”

  “My father called you?” Kyle blurted. Just then, he noticed his mother had joined them. She was standing in the middle of the hallway. He reckoned his mamm was doing her best to stay out of the way but was eager to jump in to help.

  “I did,” Daed said. “I figured Karen would want to know about Gabby’s fall.” Smiling at Gabby, he added, “I thought it also might be time to try to smooth things out. Ain’t so?”

  Gabby smiled softly at Kyle’s father. “Yes.”

  That interplay seemed to be the encouragement Gabby’s mom needed. Stepping into the room at last, she said, “I think I was being foolish and stubborn. I had been so hurt by Paul, it was difficult for me to remember that all Amish men aren’t alike.”

  Gabby clutched Kyle’s arm. “Paul?”

  “Yes. That is your father’s name, Gabrielle. His name is Paul Yoder.”

  Gabby looked up at Kyle. He shrugged. He’d never heard of the man, but he wasn’t too surprised. There were a lot of Amish in the area. His parents entered the hospital room just in time to hear the tail end of Karen’s words. Looking up at them, he said, “Mamm? Daed? Do you know this man?”

  His father shook his head. “Nee. I don’t know a Paul Yoder. Does he still live in the community?”

  Karen shook her head. “He lives in Indiana now.” After taking a sigh, she added, “Gabby, I want you to know that part of the reason that I’ve been staying away is because I was trying to locate him and tell him about you and the baby.”

  Gabby’s eyes were wide. “But, Mom, you hate him.”

  “Well, hate might have been a strong word, but you’re right. I can’t deny that I have no good feelings for that man. But I realized that I had to do the right thing for you.”

  “Did you find him?” Gabby asked.

  Karen nodded. “It took me a while, but I actually did. He works for a furniture company out in Shipshe
wana.”

  Gabby looked like she was about to cry.

  After glancing at his parents’ stunned expressions, Kyle perched on the side of Gabby’s bed and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. When she leaned toward him, he rubbed her back a few times then said, “What did this Paul say?”

  Karen’s expression became almost as harsh as his father’s “Amish face.” “Paul told me that he’d married and that his wife, children, and extended family had no idea about me or Gabby and he intended for it to stay that way.” She swallowed.

  “What a snake!” his mamm said.

  Smiling grimly, Karen nodded. “Then he had the nerve to offer to send Gabby some money.”

  “I hope you told him what he could do with it,” Gabby muttered.

  Karen’s eyes lit up. “I sure did. I gave him my address and told him to send it right away.”

  Kyle covered his mouth in a poor attempt to cover his shock.

  Gabby, on the other hand, looked completely incredulous. “Mom, did you really do that? Why?”

  “Because you deserve it.”

  Gabby shook her head. “No.”

  Karen’s voice softened. “Gabrielle, I’ve loved being your mother. I’ve never regretted my decision to have you and raise you by myself. But it was hard. There were many, many months I thought I might not be able to pay rent, or our bills, or make sure you had enough warm clothes. Of course, things got better for a while after I met and married Lane’s dad, but you went without a lot.”

  She pulled out an envelope from her purse. “I received the money yesterday. It’s yours.”

  Gabby shook her head again. “I don’t want it.”

  “I thought you might say that, which is why I’m glad Kyle and his parents are here with you.” Looking at Kyle directly, she said, “I hope you’ll hold on to this for Gabby.”

  “Nee,” he replied. “If Gabby doesn’t want it, then I don’t either.”

  “I know all about pride, Kyle. It’s what kept me from ever forcing Paul to accept me or our daughter. It hurt too much to ever see myself from his point of view—as his mistake.” She lifted her chin. “But I have to say that I did learn something along the way, and that’s that while pride might fuel your insides, it doesn’t feed your children.”

  She glanced at his parents before speaking again. “Look, Gabby, I know your situation is completely different from mine. You’ll never be alone like I was. You have Kyle and his parents and me and Lane. None of us will ever allow you to feel like you have no one to rely on. But now you have an extra security blanket, too.”

  Kyle glanced at his parents, who were now looking at Karen with a lot more respect. His mother darted a glance his way and slowly nodded.

  He turned to Gabby, who still was clutching his hand in a death grip. “Gabrielle, I have to say she has a point.”

  “Mom, I never thought about what you had to go through. I mean, I guess I did, but I never really thought about what it must have been like.” Her voice lowered. “It must have been so hard.”

  Her mother shrugged. “That doesn’t matter now. Like I said, I’ve made my own mistakes. Please take it, Gabby. Paul is going to regret his choice to never know you, I’m sure of that. But we might as well let him do this. It’s not enough, but it’s more than I ever expected.”

  “All right,” Gabby said.

  Kyle leaned forward and took the envelope from Gabby’s mother. He knew that not only was she trying to make amends, but she was also trying to make a difference for her grandchild’s life. He could appreciate that.

  His action seemed to push Gabby out of her stupor. “Are you sure, Mom? I didn’t pay any of the bills. Maybe you should keep some of it.”

  “Absolutely not.”

  Kyle’s mother spoke. “I think it’s time we all sat down, don’t you? I could ask the nurse to bring us more chairs.”

  Looking uncomfortable again, Karen shook her head. “Now that I know you are okay, I think I’ll go ahead and leave and let Gabby rest. But, Gabby, when you are ready, maybe you could give me a call and I could stop by soon?”

  “I’d like that, Mom.”

  “Me, too.” Her mother smiled. “I really am so sorry about how I reacted when you told me your news. I should’ve been better.”

  Gabby nodded. “I love you, Mom, but I want you to know that it’s going to take me some time to get over it. I mean, if not for Kyle, I would’ve been on the street. I would have had nowhere to go.”

  “I know. And I don’t expect you to forgive me easily. Maybe I don’t even expect Kyle to ever forgive me. What I did was awful and inexcusable. But I can only say that what I did was a kneejerk reaction. I wanted to apologize almost right away, but I didn’t know how. I am very sorry.”

  Kyle pressed his lips to Gabby’s brow. “What do you think?” he whispered.

  “I don’t know.”

  Kyle leaned close and whispered into her ear again. “Life isn’t fair, but it doesn’t mean that you can’t forgive her.”

  She inhaled, looking ready to disagree, when a new sense of peace seemed to envelop her. Then, she nodded.

  Kyle relaxed. Gabby understood what he’d meant. Forgiveness didn’t need to be a mutual or a reasonable decision after hours of worry. No, all that was needed was a steadfast heart.

  Looking over at her mom, Gabby said softly, “I forgive you, Mom.”

  Karen had tears in her eyes now. “Thank you. I promise, I’ll try to make it up to you.”

  Pushing away the bitterness that she’d been holding close, Gabby recalled everything her mother had done for her. All of the sacrifices, the working long hours, the time she’d taken on extra clients in the evenings so that Gabby could take gymnastic lessons. No, she wasn’t perfect, but Gabby knew she wasn’t perfect, either. No one was.

  “You don’t need to make up anything, Mom. As long as you can learn to accept me and Kyle and the baby, there’s nothing more you will ever need to do.”

  Her mother smiled tentatively at Kyle. “Already done.”

  When Kyle reached for Gabby’s hand again, he knew everything was going to be better. At last.

  FIFTEEN

  “ ‘I stayed with you so you’d always remember that you’re never alone, Kyle,’ Harley had said in that quiet way of his. ‘I wanted to make sure you knew that even when I’m mad at you, or when I don’t agree with something you say or do, I’ll never leave your side. Just like the Lord will never leave you.’ He had looked at me intently, then said, ‘One day, I hope you’ll do the same for someone else.’ ”

  TWO MONTHS LATER

  They’d weighed all the options but in the end decided that only a marriage sooner, rather than later, would do. Kyle had said it best—they might be young and have a lot of differences to get used to and make up for, but they had in abundance what mattered the most: love.

  Gabby was very glad that they’d made the decision to have a quiet, family-only ceremony just two weeks ago. It hadn’t been the wedding of her little girl dreams—there was no long white gown, no huge group of friends, or five bridesmaids dressed in matching gowns.

  But she had worn a simple white dress and carried a bouquet of pale pink roses that Kyle had brought her that morning.

  The ceremony hadn’t taken place in a beautiful old church. Instead, it had been in front of a justice of the peace and a pastor from the church that she and Kyle had recently begun attending. The vows had been the same, which turned out was all that had mattered.

  And while they hadn’t had a huge reception with piles of gifts, the dinner that Emma, Beth, and Betty had cooked had been wonderful. As had the company and the warm hugs.

  But maybe the best part of it all—besides Kyle, of course—was the part Lane and her mother had played. Lane had walked her down the aisle and her mother had made a real wedding cake from scratch, and had even arranged Gabby’s long hair into a beautiful updo that had been the hairstyle of her dreams.

  Her mother’s presence had been something
she hadn’t counted on but had been so grateful for. As had her gift to Gabby and Kyle—a wedding night in the honeymoon suite in a local hotel.

  Things hadn’t turned out like she’d dreamed, but she had a feeling that she was never going to regret one second of what had happened.

  God had played a part in everything and had reminded all of them again and again just what was important.

  “Gut matin, frau,” Kyle called out as he came inside. “Wait, what are you doing up?”

  “When I saw that you were already out of bed, I decided to get up, too.” Finally, she noticed that he was holding a basket and a carafe from a nearby coffee shop. “Kyle, what’s that?”

  “A decaf mocha latte with chocolate croissants.”

  There was a time not too long ago when he would have had no idea what either of those things were—or where to get them.

  “You went to The Coffee Shack?”

  “I did.”

  He looked so pleased with himself. Like he was gloating. “Why? What did you get my favorite things for?”

  “Because it’s our two-week anniversary and I wanted to do something special for you.”

  Taking a bite out of the croissant, which was still warm, she almost moaned. “This is really special,” she said. “Perfectly special. Thank you so much.”

  “It wasn’t much.”

  For him to go out and take the time to get her things like this? It was everything. Just like everything he’d done. He’d loved her even though they were so different.

  He’d accepted her pregnancy with a maturity some men twice his age might not have possessed.

  He’d brought her to his house, persuaded his family to give her a place to live, and had stood by her side even when her own family hadn’t.

  And then, when Lane and her mother had come around, he’d gifted them with forgiveness and accepted them into his life.

  Finally, he’d married her and had even elected not to become baptized in the Amish church, choosing to slowly make his own path by her side, as her husband.

  “I wish I had something for you.”

  “You’re here. That’s enough, don’t you think?”