A Reluctant Bride (38 page)

He didn't say anything. She turned the doorknob, but it was locked.

“Aden, please. Talk to me.” When he didn't answer she said, “
Yer vatter
came by today.”

He threw open the door, anger flaring in his eyes. “Why didn't you tell me?”

She took a step back, not because she was afraid, but by the sheer power of his reaction. “Because you haven't exactly been in a talkative mood.”

He took her arm and led her into the bedroom, shutting the door behind him. “What did he want?”

“The papers.”

Aden groaned and walked the length of the room. He spun around. “Did he threaten you?”

Should I tell him?
He looked angry enough to burst, but she couldn't keep this from him. “
Ya
,” she said softly. “He did. But I'm not afraid of him.”

“You should be.”

She went to him, touching his firm arm. “What can he do to us?”

“He can put us in the
bann
for hiding Sol.”

Her lips pursed. She couldn't believe she'd forgotten about
that. “Then we'll ask Sol to leave, and we'll ask the church for forgiveness. There's nothing else he can do.”

“He has power, Sadie.”

“Not over us.” She touched his cheek, feeling the soft hair of his beard under her fingertips. “He doesn't hold that kind of power anymore.” She watched as Aden closed his eyes, and she ran her fingers down the length of his jaw. A bold move on her part, but she couldn't pull away. She didn't want to.

He needed more than her words and her reassurances. He needed
her
.

His eyes opened, and he gazed at her, the color of his irises deepening to almost emerald. Then he stopped her hand with his.

“Sadie,” he said, his voice raspy. “Don't.”

Hurt coursed through her. He was rejecting her? Had she made a mistake? She withdrew, resisting the urge to pout, to make this about her. Regardless of her misinterpretation of his feelings, he was hurting. He'd done so much for her—now she wanted to be here for him. “What happened with
yer mudder
?”

He turned from her, but not before she saw him swallow. “Nothing I shouldn't have expected.”

She started to reach for him again, but put her hands at her sides. “Do you remember what you told me the other day?”

“I've said a lot of things, Sadie. You can't expect me to remember them all.”

She bristled, but continued. “You said that we would handle things together.”

“I meant the bills.”

“Really? Because I got the impression you meant everything.”

Aden turned slightly.

“Or were you only talking about
mei
problems?” Her palms fisted as tears slipped down her cheeks. “
Mei
brokenness?”

He faced her completely, shock and remorse shading his expression. “Sadie,
nee
,” he said, going to her. “I didn't mean that at all.”

“Then why won't you tell me what happened?” She took his hand, for once not embarrassed that he saw her crying. “Why won't you open up to me?”

Tears welled up in his eyes, and he looked away. But she wasn't going to let him off the hook that easily. She touched his chin and guided his face toward hers. “You're
mei
husband,” she said softly. “How we got here doesn't matter anymore. What we do from this day forward does.”

Aden cupped her cheek with his hand, wiping away her tears with his thumb. “I've never had anyone on
mei
side before,” he choked.

“You have me. And you have God.”

His eyes held hers for a moment before he dropped his hand. “I told
mei mamm
about Sol. I thought she'd be happy. But all she was worried about was how
mei daed
would react. I even offered to bring her here so she could see him, but she refused.” He shook his head. “She chose
Daed
. She always has.”

“Is it because she's afraid of him?”

“I think so. I'm not sure. All I know”—he swallowed again—“it hurts, Sadie. And I feel guilty about that because
mei mamm
and
daed
are here, and
yer
parents aren't.”

Pain slashed at her. How many times had she questioned God about her parents' deaths? Why would he allow it? But God had also allowed Aden to suffer at the hands of his brother, and although he never said it out loud, she suspected his father's too. She and Aden were both suffering. Both broken.

Yet they could help each other fit the pieces back together. Maybe that had been God's plan all along.

Sadie took his hand, her insides shaking even though she knew what she was doing was right. She led him to Abigail's door and opened it. Without letting him go, she walked into the hallway and headed for her bedroom. He didn't say anything until they went inside. She released his hand, shut the door, and leaned against it, not turning on the light.

A flash of lightning lit up the sky, brightening the room for a second, long enough for her to see the questioning in his eyes. She stepped toward him, her legs trembling, and searched for his face in the dark. When she found it, she put her hands on either side.

“Sadie . . .”

The warmth of his skin seeped into her palms. Another flash of lightning illumined his face, highlighting his confusion. A booming crash of thunder followed, surprising her, causing her to jolt against him.

His arms wrapped around her waist. “Sadie, what are we doing?”

She answered him with a kiss, her lips featherlight on his mouth. He didn't respond right away, and she thought he might push her away. She still wasn't completely sure he wanted this.

She just knew she did.

Then his hands tightened around her as he responded. She felt so much emotion pouring from him as he continued to kiss her, his hand rising up her back to cup her neck as she put her arms around him. They ended the kiss at the same time. She heard only their rhythmic breathing as the raindrops splashed against the windowpane.

He moved away from her and turned on the light. He remained by her nightstand, keeping his eyes on hers. “I need to know something,” he said, wariness entering his voice.

She touched her lips, still feeling the heat from his kiss. “What?” she asked, confused by his withdrawal.

“I need to know . . .” He took a few steps toward her. “That you kissed me because you wanted to. Not because you felt sorry for me.”

How could he even think that after what they'd both just experienced? But she held her tongue as she searched his face. He meant the question. He really doubted her intentions. “Did you kiss me out of pity?”

He shook his head. “Definitely not.”

She took his hand again, liking how it felt in hers, marveling how much had changed in such a short period of time. How she'd gone from nearly hating him to . . . loving him. Admitting it to herself wasn't that hard. But she wouldn't say it to him, not yet. A simple—okay, not so simple—kiss had thrown him off balance. No telling what a proclamation of love would do.

But . . . she could show him. “Stay with me, Aden.”

His hand jerked in hers, but he didn't let go. “I can't. Not after that kiss. Not when I feel . . . the way I'm feeling.”

“I feel it too.” And when she kissed him this time, she made sure he understood exactly what she meant.

The rest of the week had been uneventful, which had both surprised and relieved Sadie. Sol had managed to keep himself hidden for the most part, appearing only for breakfast and supper. She didn't know where he spent the days, and she didn't ask. Aden never brought it up, and she was content to be in the dark when it came to her brother-in-law's activities, since he'd done nothing that she knew of to put her and Aden at risk.

Patience had remarked a couple of times that Sadie seemed different. She had replied to her friend with a smile but nothing more. She was different, and it wasn't because she and Aden had consummated their marriage. She was in love, and while nothing in her life had changed since then, she had. She still marveled that she could fall for him after less than two weeks of marriage. Then again, now that she knew the real Aden, how could she not love him?

That Saturday after the store closed, she and Aden had searched for her father's papers again. They had looked everywhere, including her parents' bedroom. It hadn't been as difficult to be in the room as it was the first time, but she had cried when she opened her mother's hope chest and saw everything
Mamm
had saved over the years. Having Aden there with her helped. He never told her to stop crying or made her feel weak because of her tears. He merely held her, rubbing her back, letting her use his shirt as a handkerchief until she was done.

But they hadn't found the paperwork. Sadie had surrendered. Obviously it wasn't in the house or the office. She had no idea where to look next.

As she prepared for church on Sunday, Sadie pinned the front of her best dress closed. The dark green color had been her mother's favorite, and this was the last dress she had made for Sadie. With unsteady hands she slid the last pin into place, her nerves a little wracked at attending church for the first time since she and Aden had married. There would be questions, but she could face them now with Aden by her side. They were a united front. She was securing her
kapp
to her head when she heard a knock on her bedroom door.

“Is it okay to come in?”

She smiled at Aden's question. Her room was small, and he
had left to let her dress in private. Despite the intimacy they shared, there was still some awkwardness between them. It wasn't unpleasant, and technically they were still getting to know each other.

We have the rest of our lives to do that.

“
Ya. Kumme
in.”

He walked into the room, and she could barely breathe. Over the years she'd seen Aden in his church clothes, which weren't any more special than the typical clothes all Amish men wore to church. Yet Aden looked more than handsome in slim black pants, a fitted black vest, and a crisp white shirt.

He frowned when she didn't move. “Is something wrong?”

She shook her head, finally able to tear her gaze away from him. “
Nee.
Just finishing getting dressed. I'll be ready to
geh
in a minute.”

“Sol's gone.” Aden sat on the edge of the bed.

“For
gut
?” She could feel him watching her and she hid a smile. She finished pinning her
kapp
to her head.

Aden shrugged. “I have
nee
idea. He hasn't said much the past couple of days. He's put on some weight at least from
yer
cooking.”

She turned to him. “Do you think he's drinking again?”

He shook his head. “He's not acting like he did when he drank. He's just . . . quiet.”

She nodded and slipped the last bobby pin between her hair and
kapp
. She couldn't worry about Sol, although Aden was concerned. She took one last look in the mirror before going to him. “He'll be okay, Aden. You have to believe that.”

But he didn't move. He kept looking at her, long enough to make her blush. She glanced down at her black-stockinged feet.

“I'm sorry,” he said, rising from the bed. “It's just that . . .”

She looked up. “Just what?”

He swallowed. “You look beautiful.” Before she could say anything, he kissed her . . . and it wasn't awkward at all.

When they got to the Yutzys', the service was about to start. They went to the barn where the service was being held. Sadie sat on the women's side, finding a seat next to Patience on the hard wooden bench. Aden sat across from her, giving her a quick wink while everyone was milling around. Once they were all seated, Joel Zook, who had a fine singing voice, led the hymns.

After the singing, Bishop Troyer began his sermon with his usual confidence. For almost an hour he preached on so many topics it made her head spin. Honesty. Respect of elders. Doing the Lord's will. Striving for peace and not division in the church family. More than once he had pointed his gaze in Aden's direction, but Sadie didn't dare look at her husband. She wouldn't draw more attention to him. His father was doing enough of that.

“I believe we have such dissension in our midst,” the bishop said. “In fact, the Lord has spoken to me about it. There are young men and women here who have sinned against the church. They've sinned against me personally.” He looked at Aden. “They have allowed a former church member who is in the
bann
into their home.”

Sadie gasped. She looked at Aden, who also seemed stricken.

The bishop narrowed his gaze at Sadie. “They have let him eat at their table. They have given him shelter. They have listened to his lies.”

Patience whispered to Sadie, “What is he talking about?”