Her affection toward Benjamin did not go unnoticed by her mother, whose lips formed a thin line.
“Sit down,” Vivian said excitedly. “We have a great dinner planned. I’ll be right back with the rest of the plates.”
Her mother grabbed her arm to stop her. “They’ve put you to work? Don’t tell me your father’s credit card didn’t go through!”
“It did, Mother!”
Her father scoffed at his wife’s comments.
“I thought you were a guest here!” her father said.
Vivian giggled. “I am!”
Her mother curled up her lip with disgust. “Then why are you serving the meal? Shouldn’t you be sitting here with us?”
“I kind of work here now!” she said excitedly.
“What do you mean you work here?” her mother asked with a snort of disdain so loudly, it made Vivian feel uncomfortable. “You work for me!”
“That’s something we can discuss later,” she said. “Right now, I’d like to enjoy our visit.”
“Is there something else you aren’t telling me?” she asked Vivian.
“I made your favorite stuffing,” she said to her mother, hoping to keep her from pressing further.
She was embarrassing Vivian, and it was obvious she was not about to let up. She was going to press and press until she squeezed the truth out of her daughter. It was what she did. She’d always done it, and Vivian had never been able to keep anything from her—not even now that she was an adult.
It was Benjamin who saved her from herself. Feeling him suddenly at her elbow, Vivian knew he was about to tell all, and she would not have to continue to face her mother alone—as she’d always done from the time she learned to talk.
“I was hoping to present this to Mr. Waterford at a time when we could have a man-to-man talk, but…”
Her mother suddenly and dramatically feigned passing out as she interrupted Benjamin. “Don’t tell me you’re going to ask for my daughter’s hand in marriage!”
He turned to Vivian’s mother and forced a nervous smile. “As a matter of fact, I was, but I was hoping for a better time than this to ask. I suppose it’s out there now.”
He was trying to be polite, and Vivian was proud of him for that, but even she couldn’t have kept her composure if she was in Benjamin’s shoes at the moment.
“I think maybe you should keep that to yourself and maybe think about it some more,” her mother suggested in a condescending tone. “I’ll be taking my daughter back to Chicago with me tomorrow, and there will be no union between the two of you.”
“I’m not going anywhere with you, Mother!” Vivian said. “My place is here with Benjamin—as his wife.”
“But I always planned on you marrying Brad Ellington!” her mother said.
Vivian laughed at her mother’s comment. “He got Silvia Camden pregnant a couple of months ago, Mother!” she said. “They had to get married before she started to show. Besides, I didn’t like the way you always pushed us together at club functions. I never liked him; he was always very grabby.”
Her mother snarled her lip at Benjamin. “But still; an Amish man?”
Vivian looped her arm in Benjamin’s. “He’s a fine man, Mother.”
Just then, Molly came bounding into the room and jumped into her father’s arms. “This is my daughter, Molly,” he said to Vivian’s parents.
Her mother gasped, drawing her hand to her mouth. “He has a child?”
Molly leaned over and Vivian caught her up into her arms. “She’ll be my daughter too, as soon as we’re married—and your grandchild!”
Lila guffawed nervously, throwing her head back. “Oh, I get it. I told you it would be nice to have a son-in-law and a grandchild, and this is your way of getting me back for nagging you about it. Joke’s over; time to stop this charade.”
“You’ve got it all wrong, Mother!” Vivian said, furrowing her brow. “I’m truly going to marry Benjamin, and I’m going to be a mother to Molly. I love them!”
Her mother scoffed. “You just met him! How could you love him?”
Her mother was embarrassing her, and she wanted it to stop.
“How long did you know Daddy before you married him?”
She let out another guffaw. “Only a few days, and you can see how that turned out!”
“That’s between you and Daddy, and it’s both your fault. If the two of you weren’t so stubborn, and would admit you still loved each other, I’d be willing to bet you’d both be much happier!”
There. She said it. What she’d been wanting to say to both of them for a long time.
Her mother huffed. “How dare you talk to us like that!”
“She’s right, Lila,” her father interrupted. “I’m willing to tell you that I still love you—even if you aren’t willing to admit it.”
Her mother’s expression softened, and her face turned pink. “Why haven’t you said anything all this time?”
“I thought you liked your independence,” he said. “I still get to see you and we’ve become good friends, so I figured I should leave well enough alone. The truth is, I’ve missed you, Lila.”
Tears pooled in her mother’s eyes, and Vivian found herself getting choked up.
Molly covered her eyes with her hands. “You can kiss him, Grandma, I won’t look.”
Laughter filled the room.
“Grandma,” Lila said trying it on. “I like the sound of that.
Benjamin scooped up Molly, and everyone tip-toed out of the room to give the older couple a little time alone to work things out.
Chapter 11.
“What does a Flower Girl do?” Molly asked innocently.
Vivian pulled the girl into her arms. “The Flower Girl has the most important job of all.”
Her eyes grew wide. “I do?”
She smiled at her soon-to-be daughter. “It’s your job to make sure I don’t get lost on my way to marrying your father by leaving a trail of flower petals for me to follow so I can find him.”
She stood at attention and gave Vivian a serious look. “I won’t let you get lost. I’ll do the best job ever so you can find Daed. He loves you, and so do I.”
Vivian swallowed the lump in her throat, tears pooling in her eyes.
“I love you too, Molly.”
She picked up her basket of rose petals and headed toward the door, then turned back. “I’ll do the best job ever so you can hurry up and be my new mamm.”
Vivian blew her a kiss, and she hurried out the door.
Vivian looked in the mirror, noticing the gleam in her eyes.
I’m about to be married to the most wonderful man! She said, unable to contain her giddiness.
Her father poked his head in the room. “Are you about ready? You have a very eager man out there waiting to marry you.”
She hugged him, trying not to let her eyes tear up. “I’m so happy you’re here to give me away, Daddy.”
“I’m happy too,” he admitted. “I’m happy all around. If you hadn’t decided to run away for Christmas, your mom and I would have never gotten back together. So for once, I’m glad you disobeyed me!”
She scoffed. “I didn’t run away, and I didn’t disobey you, Daddy. I was exercising my independence.”
“We deserved to have you ditch us for Christmas,” he said. “But it all worked out. It doesn’t matter what it was as long as it led you here. Your mother and I haven’t seen you this happy in a long time—probably not since you were a little girl.”
Vivian smiled, choking back the tears that threatened to spill. “I am happy, Daddy. But I could say the same thing for you and mom. I’m so happy for the two of you.”
“We owe it all to you, and we intend on making it up to you.”
“You already have, Daddy, just by being here. Better late than never.”
“Your mother and I had a long talk, and we were wrong about a lot of things. We were so wrapped up in competing for your attention after we separated that we
lost sight of what was really important.”
“Your blessing was all I needed, Daddy.”
“Of course you have it,” he said. “From both of us.”
She let a tear roll down her cheek.
Her father wiped it away. “Now don’t start that. You look so beautiful, I don’t want you going out there to meet Benjamin with a red, puffy face. It won’t match your pretty dress.”
Vivian looked into the mirror again, wiping her face and sniffling.
“Katie made a beautiful dress for me, didn’t she? I can’t believe she made it in less than a week.”
Her father smiled. “That is a pretty dress, but mostly because you’re wearing it.”
She smiled shyly. “Oh, Daddy. You’re just saying that because I’m your daughter.”
He pulled her into a hug. “You remind me of your mother on our wedding day. You look so much like her, but I’m sure Benjamin will be happy you didn’t take after either of your parents in the personality department.”
They laughed lightly, agreeing with his statement.
“If I don’t get you out there, your mother is going to change her mind about me again, and I just got her back. I don’t ever want to lose her again—or you.”
“You won’t lose me, Daddy. In fact, you’re getting the son you never had, and a grandchild in the deal.”
He nodded. “And your mother and I couldn’t be happier about that. You’re getting a wonderful new family.”
She smirked. “I’ve always had a wonderful family, and I didn’t think it was possible, but now it will be even better.”
Her father held out his arm to her. “Shall we go make this family complete?”
Vivian tucked her arm in her father’s, and they began the short journey toward the front of the church, where Benjamin waited for her. Even from the back of the church, she could see his bright smile that made her happier than she ever thought she could be.
Following the trail of rose petals left by Molly, she walked toward Benjamin, the love of her life, and her future.
THE END
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Amish Christmas Gift Page 8