Epilogue
Two Years Later
They’d all come over to the house, each of them wearing the same worried expression on their face. Neither his boys nor their wives were completely sure that he and Leanna were going to be able to handle the rigors of babyhood all that well.
Every time Evan hugged one of them hello and received their congratulations, he saw that each looked a little bit smug too.
He supposed he couldn’t blame them. He was now fifty years old and had a new baby girl to raise.
Evan even managed to thank his boys when they showed him and Leanna the schedule they’d devised. Every two days, a different couple would come over to help with not just the nighttime feedings but also the farm, cooking, and cleaning. It was all very generous of them.
It was also unnecessary.
He still knew how to care for a baby. Sure, it had been many years since his boys were so small, but there were some things a person didn’t forget.
Besides, he had no desire to have his sons or daughters-in-law telling him and Leanna what to do. So far, Jennifer Owen Keim thought her parents were doing just fine.
After the women set out a number of presents on the coffee table and added a coffee cake and two casseroles to the bounty that was already filling the kitchen counter, Evan encouraged everyone to sit down.
All while tiny Jennifer slept contentedly in his arms.
“Where is Leanna?” Kurt asked. “Is she resting in bed?”
“Nee. She just got out of the shower and is getting dressed. She’ll be along presently. Come in and make yourselves at home.” Just like you always do, he thought.
“Want me to take Jennifer?” Russell asked. “I’ll be happy to.” Smiling at his wife, he added, “Or Silly can.”
With effort, Evan bit back a smile. First at Priscilla’s nickname. Next at the way it suited her perfectly. Finally at the way his very Englisher son was acting as if he was an expert on babies. Since his own was a whopping six months old.
“I’ll be happy to,” Silly said. “My parents have little Evan for the day.”
Yes, Russell had named his firstborn after him. It still made a lump form in his throat whenever he thought about the gift Russell and Silly had given him.
But few things could compare with the wonder of the tiny baby girl in his arms. Little Jennifer was a wealth of delicate toes and fingers, baby yawns, and sweet coos. He’d loved her from the moment Leanna had placed her in his arms.
“Danke, Russell, but I’ve got Jennifer. For now, at least.”
“I told you that Daed doesn’t like to share,” Jeremy said. “When Becca and I came over last week, I barely got to hold Jennifer for ten minutes.”
To everyone’s surprise, Jeremy and Becca had eloped just four months earlier.
They’d ignored both his and Becca’s parents’ advice and tied the knot in a short civil ceremony at the courthouse.
Their decision had caused no small amount of chaos, but the young couple didn’t seem to care.
Jeremy had told both him and his three older brothers that he expected them to welcome Becca into the family with open arms.
Though his brothers had grumbled, Evan knew better than to do anything but welcome his newest daughter-in-law wholeheartedly. After all, he knew a thing or two about following one’s heart.
Returning to the present, Evan patted Jeremy on the back. “I’ll let you hold Jennifer again sometime soon.”
“See what I mean?” Jeremy asked. “He’s ridiculous.”
“You’ll understand one day. When you are much older,” Evan said as he watched Trip carry in a pile of covered dishes. “What is all of that, Trip?”
“Supper, Daed. Mary and I volunteered to take care of it.”
“That is mighty nice of you. There’s a lot of us now.”
“It was no trouble, Evan,” Mary said sweetly. Her smile brightened. “There you are, Leanna! How are you feeling today?”
“Pretty gut, I think.”
“You think?”
When he turned her way, she laughed. “Nothing to worry about, Evan. Don’t worry. Now everyone, let’s get settled.” With easy movements, just as if she hadn’t given birth to a six-pound baby girl two weeks ago, Leanna played hostess.
In short order, the table was set, children were summoned, and a pair of candles were lit in the centerpiece. Trip and Mary organized the kitchen counters. Evan watched all of it with interest since he still had his hands full with Jennifer.
But what could he do? Jennifer was as content in his arms as a duck in water. No way did he want to risk making her upset.
Katherine and Becca took over the kitchen and started making a fresh pot of coffee. Silly encouraged Leanna to sit down and quietly chatted with her.
Trip and Mary were supervising their four kids, each of whom seemed to want to do anything else besides sit in the living room with their tiny aunt.
“We have chicks in the henhouse, if you’d like to see ’em,” Evan murmured.
And . . . off they went, much to the amusement of Leanna.
Which seemed to be the norm with her. Leanna was constantly smiling. She’d been that way during their first few months of wedded bliss, through nine months of pregnancy, and now in these first few days of motherhood.
Hours later, after everyone ate, gifts were opened, and only Jeremy and Becca remained, the house was quiet again.
Evan stoked the fire in the fireplace and collapsed on the couch. Bumble, looking just as pleased, fell asleep next to his feet.
When Becca accompanied Leanna into the nursery, Jeremy sat down next to him.
“Becca has been a good addition to our family, son.”
“Jah. I think so too.” Shifting to face him, he said, “Daed, sometimes when it’s just the two of us, I can’t help but think about all those years when you and I were alone in this house.”
“I think about that too. Why, we didn’t even have a dog.”
“You liked the quiet.”
“I thought I did. It was an empty life, though.” He rolled his eyes. “Remember when I told you that I didn’t need any more children? That I thought four was enough?”
“I remember.” He took a breath. “Just as I remember sitting here, struggling about how to let you know that I found my girl.”
“Thank the Lord that I had better advice for you than for myself. Becca not only suits you like a glove but fits right in with this crazy family. We all love her.”
“She loves all of you too.” Jeremy chuckled. “She has more patience with everyone than I do.”
“Before you know it, you two will be telling us news about a new addition to the family.”
“It’s going to be a while, Daed. We might have been anxious to marry, but she and I are still young. We have plenty of time for that.”
“True.” He shrugged. “At least we don’t have to worry about that too much. The future is always in the Lord’s hands.”
“Jah.”
They sat in silence for a moment. Jeremy seemed lost in his thoughts, and Evan had learned to keep quiet when one of his boys looked like that.
And sure enough, he was rewarded a few minutes later.
“Hey, Daed?”
“Jah?”
“What do you think would’ve happened if you and I had followed our brains instead of our hearts?”
It took him a minute to catch on to what Jeremy meant. “You mean if you had broken up with Becca because you weren’t sure if you should be English? And if I ignored my feelings for Leanna because I didn’t want to have another child?”
“Yeah. And if Leanna had decided never to get married again . . . ”
Thinking of Edmund, Evan frowned. “Or if she’d decided to marry someone else . . .”
Jeremy cleared his throat. “Do you ever wonder what your life would be like if those things had happened?”
Evan pondered that for a spell. Tried it on for size. Then he shook his head. “Nee,” he said.
Jeremy raised an eyebrow. “No? That’s it?”
“I said no because I know that the Lord had already determined our futures. Because, one way or another, the Lord always provides, Jeremy. He holds us in His arms and guides our futures. That is how it is. It is how it will always be.”
When they heard a faint baby’s cry, followed by a burst of feminine laughter float down from upstairs, Jeremy looked at him and smiled.
The End