Chapter 33
— chapter thirty-three
So much had happened during the last month. After she and her parents spoke with the bishop, Jenna made her decision. To her surprise, neither the bishop nor her parents attempted to get her to change her mind about leaving the faith.
“You are a young woman who has been through so many difficult years,” Bishop Burke said. “Only you have walked in your shoes, not me.”
“Danke. This isn’t an easy decision.”
“I can’t help but think that your life’s path has been so challenging because the Lord has been leading you. Maybe He’s known that you needed to be strong in order to be with Nelson.”
“He’s the best man I know,” Jenna said.
“Then you should hold tight to that, for that is what matters.”
Jenna had held tight to those words ever since.
It had felt strange to take off her kapp and imagine a future with electricity, but she realized that neither the clothing nor creature comforts would make a difference to her.
She still loved the Lord, and she still loved Nelson. That was what mattered to her the most.
Nelson, of course, had been overjoyed by her decision. They decided not to make any immediate plans. Instead, he would heal and she would wrap her head around their future together.
When September came around and the first leaves were starting to change, Hank invited Jenna, Nelson, and Katie over for supper with him and Fanny.
Just as things had been changing for her and Nelson, Fanny and Hank had become a couple too.
After hearing so much about the house and all the work that Nelson’s company had done inside it, Jenna had been excited to see it. Her first impression exceeded her expectations. The house was large and beautiful and the woodwork inside was exquisite.
While she and Fanny sat in Hank’s sunroom and played cards with Katie, the men grilled hamburgers and hot dogs. Then, just as they were all about to sit down, Nelson reached for Katie’s hand and smiled. “Ready?” he asked.
“Yep.”
“Ready for what?”
“To get married!” Katie shouted.
“What?”
“Nelson got you a ring!”
She gaped as Nelson knelt down at her feet, pulled out a ring, and gazed into her eyes.
“You know I love you, Jenna. You know I’ll wait as long as you want until you are ready, but I don’t want to wait any longer for everyone to know you are mine.
Would you wear my ring? Will you be my fiancée until you are ready to be my wife? ”
This was it. This was love. It was messy. Unscripted and in disarray, and she wouldn’t have it any other way.
“I love you so much that I’d marry you tomorrow.”
When he slid the ring on her finger, she decided that the weight felt good. The ring felt right.
It all felt right.
It was the right moment. It was the right time.
It was the right forever.