Huckleberry Summer (Huckleberry Hill)

by Jennifer Beckstrand

  She walked past her father and took Aden’s hand. The muscles in Aden’s jaw relaxed as he lifted her hand and pressed it against his chest. She could feel his steady heartbeat. “Did you know, Dat, that I have never heard an unkind word come out of Aden’s mouth? He stood between me and a bear with no thought for his own safety. When we got arrested, his only concern was for me, even though he was the one with a broken nose.”

  Aden let go of her hand and slipped his arm around her shoulders. She fit nicely, tucked under his arm. Dat pursed his lips and flared his nostrils.

  “You need not worry about your daughter’s safety,” Aden said. “I will see that no harm comes to her ever.”

  The sound of his voice, clear and determined, sent a ribbon of warmth up Lily’s spine.

  “That’s a fine promise, coming from the boy who led her to jail.”

  Lily looked into Aden’s face and gave him a faint smile. “Aden has asked me to marry him, and we are going to be married today. Here. With Estee and Floyd,” she added, in case Dat didn’t catch on.

  The surprise on Dat’s face didn’t last long. Anger followed close behind. He balled his hands into fists as his neck turned bright red. “Not in my house, you won’t,” he sputtered. “You will marry Tyler or I will wash my hands of you.”

  “I don’t want to marry her,” Tyler interjected.

  Dat turned as if he were the bottle in a Spin the Bottle game. He knit his brows together. He didn’t have a leg to stand on if Tyler backed out. “Jah, you do.”

  “I’ve changed my mind. I wouldn’t marry Lily today even if she wanted me to, which she doesn’t.” He glanced at Lily, and the corner of his mouth curled slightly. Lily breathed out all the tension she’d bottled up.

  Tyler put a hand on Dat’s shoulder. “David, would you want to marry a girl who doesn’t love you?”

  “Love grows with time,” Dat countered, but Tyler had knocked the wind out of him.

  Tyler shook his head and frowned. “Aden is a gute man. You raised Lily well. Trust her judgment.” He held Dat’s gaze for a few seconds before turning to Aden and Lily. “You’d better go. It’s almost time.”

  Aden grabbed Lily’s hand.

  Tyler gave Dat’s shoulder one last pat. “A fuss at the wedding wouldn’t do anybody any good.”

  Tyler marched out of the shed, and Aden and Lily followed close behind. Dat didn’t move.

  Lily looked toward the house. Women in blue, green, and purple dresses and men in dark hats and suspenders flocked to the yard. A row of buggies sat side by side on the road with a few cars and a van in the mix.

  Tyler regarded the gathering crowd. “They’re in for a surprise.”

  Aden kept a tight hold on Lily’s hand. “There aren’t enough words in the whole world to thank you, Tyler.”

  Tyler smirked. “Your lip is swollen and your nose is crooked. Why would anyone want to marry you?”

  “I’ve been asking myself that all morning.”

  Tyler growled. “I’m really trying to hate you, Aden Helmuth, but I can’t. I like you too much.”

  Lily sidled closer to Aden. “I’m sorry you got hurt, Tyler.”

  “I’m not. Stuff like this keeps me humble.” Tyler swiped his hand across his forehead and let the air out of his lungs. “My uncles and aunts should be here by now.”

  “They’re coming?” Aden asked.

  “They’ve come all this way for a wedding. Might as well enjoy the food yet.”

  Aden laughed. “And glare at the groom.”

  “None of my family will glare at you. Except my mamm. She might give you a dirty look.”

  “I won’t be offended.”

  “I know you won’t. You think you deserve it.” Tyler tromped to the front yard without looking back.

  Dat marched past them on his way to the house. He didn’t say anything, but he looked as formidable as a gathering storm. With great effort, Lily subdued the powerful ache that filled every corner of her body.

  She didn’t fool Aden. He pulled her close to the house where curious eyes would be less likely to see them. “Oh, Lily, I’m so sorry.”

  The compassion in his voice unraveled her composure, and she let several tears slip down her cheeks. She sighed as he wrapped his strong arms around her, the best balm she could ask for.

  “I feel like a big chunk has been ripped out of my heart,” she said, nearly unintelligible between sobs. “He used to love me so much.”

  “He still loves you.” Aden rested his chin on the top of her head and gently stroked her arm. “We don’t have to marry today. You can go back home, and I will work to gain your father’s approval. I could put up another mailbox.”

  Lily giggled through her tears. “Jah. That worked out so well.”

  He cleared his throat as if his next words might choke him. “Then if you want, I’ll go away. I only want you to be happy.”

  She abruptly pulled out of his grasp. “You’ll do no such thing. I don’t have a life if not with you, even if it’s in Ohio.”

  He smiled with relief and folded her into his arms. “What would you say if I bought Mrs. Deforest’s old house? She offered to sell it to me yesterday. We’d be close enough to your family to mend some fences, I think.”

  Lily buried her face in his chest. “I . . . I would really like that.”

  He let her cry for a minute before nudging her chin with his finger. When she tilted her head up, he brought his lips down on hers and kissed her until she thought she might float to the sky. How did he do that?

  He pulled away and took a step back. “I don’t know how I could stand another day without you.”

  They neither of them saw him before it was too late. Pilot tore around the corner of the house, took a flying leap, and toppled Aden to the ground.

  Clearly surprised, Aden threw his arms around Pilot’s neck and let Pilot lick his cheek, his chin, his ear. When he’d had enough dog slobber, Aden tried to push Pilot off his chest. Having the time of his life toying with Aden, Pilot wouldn’t budge. “Pilot, you rascal. Get off me.” Aden looked at Lily, his eyes pleading. “Can you please get this dog under control?”

  Lily giggled and folded her arms. “He’s your dog. You should have trained him better.”

  Aden groaned in exasperation. “I deserve that. Pilot’s flattened you a few times.” Aden struggled to his feet while Pilot did his best to thwart him. “Stupid dog,” Aden said, “to trample a man on his wedding day.” Aden brushed the dirt and grass from his trousers. The wet spots from landing in the snow would have to dry on their own. “I’m still reeling from that kiss. Pilot has never been able to knock me down before.”

  His eyes twinkled, and he leaned in for another kiss.

  She held up a hand to stop him. “You’ve got dog germs all over your face.”

  His countenance fell. “Do you have lip sanitizer?”

  “Here.” Always prepared for an emergency, Lily pulled a package of wet wipes out of her coat pocket. Aden bent over and held his gaze on her as she tenderly cleaned his face, finishing with his lips, which to her knowledge hadn’t touched dog saliva at all. But unable to resist that smiling mouth, she wiped it anyway just before giving him a kiss.

  “Okay,” he said in a loud, authoritative voice as they walked around to the front yard. “I’m marrying you right now. Does Estee mind if we go first?”

  They heard the creaking, scraping sound of a very sick vehicle before they saw it. A faded-yellow school bus lumbered up the road, wobbling and tilting to one side as its axles groaned and complained with every inch. The bus stopped in the middle of the road. Whoever drove didn’t even bother to pull it to the side out of the way of oncoming traffic. The driver killed the engine, or it died of old age. Lily wasn’t sure which.

  The door swung open, and Jamal hopped out of the ancient bus, grinning as if he had parted the Red Sea.

  With Lily determined to keep up, Aden sprinted to Jamal and hugged him as if to squeeze all the air out of his lun
gs.

  “Jamal, I can’t believe it!”

  Jamal gave Aden a friendly slug. “You owe me, brother. Do you have any idea the hoops I had to jump through to find this bus last night? At midnight? And then, of course, none of your relatives have phones. That would have been too convenient.”

  Lily watched in amazement as one by one people emerged from the bus as if they’d just gotten off a roller coaster. They took stock of their surroundings and headed toward the house.

  “I called about ten friends to round up your family so I could get them here in time,” Jamal said. “Your cousin Freeman’s family wouldn’t leave their house because they thought Dylan was a kidnapper.”

  Aden raised his scarred eyebrow. “You sent Dylan to pick up my cousins?”

  “I know, I know, the tattoos and three nose rings make Amish people suspicious, but I didn’t think they’d refuse to come.”

  An older man with thick glasses and a snowy white beard passed arm in arm with an equally elderly woman. She waved to Aden. “Hullo, Aden.”

  “Hullo, Aunt Hannah.” Aden patted Jamal on the back. “I can’t believe you’re here.”

  “It took us all night, even though I broke every speed limit between here and Sugarcreek. I didn’t want your family to miss it.”

  “What did my mamm say?”

  “She didn’t sleep on the bus, that’s for sure. That woman could talk Snoop Lion under the table. She bawled me out for three hours and then spent the rest of the trip telling me what she planned to do to you. I’d steer clear of her if I were you.”

  “Aden?” a woman called from the direction of the bus.

  “Too late,” Aden said.

  Two people who could only be Aden’s parents stepped off the bus, walking as if they hadn’t used their legs for days. Aden’s mamm was a small, wiry woman with dark eyes, a thin face, and a smattering of freckles across her nose. Just like Aden.

  Aden’s dat stood only a few inches shorter than Aden, with the same green eyes and square jaw. Lily could see the family resemblance with Felty too. Grandfather, father, and son all had a strong brow and intelligent eyes.

  Jamal made a beeline for the house. “Don’t let her see me.”

  Lily took a step back as Aden’s mamm and dat hobbled closer. Aden’s dat smiled affectionately, if wearily, and gave his son a stiff hug. His mamm frowned, reached up, and took Aden’s face in her hands. He bent over as she stood on her tiptoes and pecked him on the cheek.

  Aden’s smile was so wide that the corners of his mouth almost touched his ears. “Mamm, I’m so glad you made it.”

  His mamm planted her hands on her hips and stared Aden down as if he were a pesky fly to swat. “You’re glad? I got ten minutes’ notice, young man. Ten minutes to pack my bags and get on that bus or I would miss my son’s wedding. I was informed that my son, who never writes, was marrying a girl I’ve never met ten hours’ drive from Sugarcreek. Have you no more consideration than that for your parents?” She jabbed a finger in the direction of the bus as her voice rose in pitch. “And that Jamal fellow is, hands down, the worst driver I have ever seen. He steers with his knee.”

  Aden twisted his mouth sheepishly. “I really wanted you to be here.”

  Aden’s mamm didn’t seem to draw a breath, even when she paused to let him answer. “No, if you’d really wanted us to be here, you would have hinted that you’d met a girl in one of your letters. Oh, I forgot. You only wrote us once to tell us you’d been arrested. Such a pleasant note for a mother to receive. If you’d really wanted us here, you would have told us you were engaged weeks ago and actually informed us of the date. You deserve a spanking, young man.”

  Aden wrapped his arms around his mamm and smiled. “Yes, I do, Mamm. I really do.” She seemed to soften in his embrace. Lily smiled to herself. Who could resist Aden’s innocent charm?

  “I love you, Mamm,” Aden said. “Don’t ever forget that.”

  “I love you too, you big knucklehead.” She cuffed him lightly on the back of the head.

  “Ouch!” Aden rubbed the base of his skull even though his mamm hadn’t given him more than a tap.

  “I better be the first to hear about any new grandbabies, or there’s more where that came from.”

  Another group of relatives disembarked from the bus. “Gute day for a wedding,” someone called.

  Aden waved and smiled. “Hello, Onkel Manny.”

  “And you can forget about a gift,” Aden’s mamm said. “They didn’t have anything suitable at the gas station where we stopped to go to the bathroom.”

  Lily liked Aden’s mamm instantly. It was easy to tell that she was all bluster and no bite. “I’m sorry,” said Lily. “This is all my fault.”

  Aden’s mamm turned her attention to Lily. “It’s never the woman’s fault, dear. Aden knows that.”

  Aden and his dat nodded to each other, as if they’d had this conversation dozens of times.

  Aden’s mamm bloomed into an affectionate smile. “Are you the bride?”

  Butterflies started making a fuss in Lily’s stomach. Not butterflies—more like a herd of buffaloes. She was about to officially meet Aden’s parents. “Jah. I am Lily Eicher.”

  “I am Frieda, Aden’s mamm. To own the truth, Jamal couldn’t say enough about you, Lily.” Frieda shielded her mouth with her hand in case anybody tried to listen in. “That boy can talk the hind legs off a goat. But don’t get him talking while he drives. He doesn’t look at the road.”

  Lily giggled. “It’s not safe to be in a car with him. Do you have another way home?”

  Frieda took Lily by the arms and stared into her eyes as if she were trying to read her mind. “Lily Eicher, do you love my son?”

  A thrill shot through her just thinking about it, and unbidden tears sprang to her eyes. “Jah, more than anything and with all my heart. I am so grateful he chose me. God is good.”

  Frieda kept her eyes locked on Lily. “Are you willing to put up with his nonsense?”

  Aden rubbed the side of his face. “Mamm, I’m not going to get arrested ever again.”

  “Don’t interrupt us, Aden. You have no say in this.”

  Lily wrapped her hands around Frieda’s arms. “I’d chain myself to a tree for your son.”

  Frieda broke eye contact and glared at Aden. “Aden, you didn’t!”

  “Mamm, Lily has never chained herself to a tree.”

  Frieda nodded and smirked. “I’m glad to know she has more sense than that.”

  Those pesky tears managed to escape. “My heart’s desire is Aden’s happiness.”

  Frieda’s eyes began to dance. “Will you see to it that he keeps himself out of trouble?”

  “Of course.”

  To Lily’s surprise, Frieda tugged her into a fierce embrace. “I told Emmon it would take a remarkable girl to see into Aden’s heart. I’m so glad my son found you.”

  Out of the corner of her eye, Lily saw her mamm emerge from the house and march down the porch steps. Lily’s throat dropped to her toes. What would Aden’s parents think?

  “Lily,” said her mother, in a stern voice that Lily had probably only heard a handful of times in her life. “Tell me this instant what is going on.”

  Frieda turned to Mama with wide eyes. “You didn’t know about this wedding either?”

  Mama put her hands on her hips. “No, I certainly did not.”

  Aden’s mamm propped her hands on her hips as well and glared at her son. “Aden, this is outrageous. What do you have to say for yourself?”

  Aden grinned stupidly and shrugged.

  “You must be Lily’s mother,” Frieda said.

  Mama eyed Frieda suspiciously and nodded.

  “I am Frieda Helmuth, and I am shocked, shocked by these goings-on. I hope you don’t take this the wrong way, but I am almost glad that you didn’t know about the wedding. I hate being the only one left in the dark.”

  Mama frowned. “This is wrong, Lily. You don’t know what you’re getting int
o.”

  “Mama, please try to understand. I love Aden.” She sidled next to him and took his hand in full view of everyone. His warmth spread through her.

  “But what about all the relatives?”

  Frowning intently at Aden, Frieda hooked her arm around Mama’s elbow and pulled her toward the house. “Cum. We must figure out a way to feed all these people you didn’t expect. Have you got pickles? Everybody likes pickles.”

  Aden squeezed Lily’s hand. “They’ll work it out. My mamm has a way of making everything turn around all right.”

  “This is a lot of people to feed,” Aden’s dat said.

  Lily twisted her mouth into an uncomfortable grimace. “My mama expected a wedding. She didn’t expect Aden.”

  Aden’s dat’s forehead sprouted furrows. “Oh, my.”

  “There was a different groom,” Aden added.

  “Oh, my.”

  “Aden did nothing wrong. It’s all my fault,” Lily said.

  “It’s never the woman’s fault,” Aden’s dat said.

  He and Aden burst into brief laughter, and then Aden’s dat stopped laughing as if someone had put a cork in his mouth. “Your mamm will have strong words for you when she finds out.”

  Aden groaned. “Do you think I could avoid her until I’m married? She won’t be quite so mad when she knows she can’t undo what’s been done.”

  “Maybe I’ll see if I can soften the blow.” His dat hurried to the house.

  Relatives and friends and complete strangers passed them on the way to the house. They waved and smiled and shared their congratulations. Pilot tried to greet everyone and scared more than one small child, until Felty appeared and grabbed him by the collar, tied him to a leash, and hooked the leash to a fence post.

  Felty winked at Lily as he walked toward the house. Anna must have already gone inside. “I found Arizona,” he said.

  “Was it lost?”

  “The license plate. It’s on that rickety yellow bus over there. It wonders me who brought a school bus all the way from Arizona.”

  In the midst of the crowd, Aden turned and caressed Lily’s cheek with his fingers. “My dearest, sweetest Lily, are you happy?”