An Honest Love (36 page)
“Of course.” She’d wanted something to savor, and he had definitely delivered. “I thought you’d never ask.”
A
nna tore off a brown tassel from an ear of corn, yanking down on the husk. She and Lukas sat on their small back deck, another improvement Lukas had added to the house. A stack of corn lay between them, and they sat in plastic chairs, shucking and preparing the corn for canning. She had been removing every last piece of silk from each ear before putting it in a large bin. Their garden had been plentiful that summer, and the corn was full and dripping with sweetness. It was a lovely September evening, and Anna couldn’t think of a better way to share it than working side by side with her husband.
“I’ve been thinking,” Lukas said, grabbing another ear of corn from the stack. He pointed to the back corner of the yard behind the house. “I think that’s a
gut
place for a swing set.”
Anna froze, stunned. Why was he talking about putting up a swing set?
“Stephen can help me dig a pit, and we can fill it with sand and put some timbers around it. I think with my
bruders
’ help, we can build the set quickly. There’ll be a tire swing, of course. And maybe a small sandbox right beside it.”
“You mean for your nieces and nephews to play in?”
He shook his head. “Sure they can play when they come over, but that’s not who it’s for.”
The peace she’d felt moments ago shattered. They hadn’t talked about children in months, at least not directly. Moriah and Gabe’s son had been born a few months ago, a plump healthy baby they’d named Caleb. Lukas had been so happy to hold his new nephew, and the familiar waves of regret had covered her when she saw her husband with the baby. She still felt a small measure of loss and failure. She knew it would take years before those feelings would die . . . if they ever did.
“Look at all this around us, Anna.” Lukas stood up and spread his hands wide. Beyond their neatly mown backyard was four acres of grassy field, where their horses grazed contentedly. “We have more space than we need here. The house is too big, even for the four of us. And look at all this land.” He stood up to another empty space next to the picked-over vegetable garden. “I’d like to put a trampoline over there. We had one when we were growing up, and it was a blast.”
“Lukas.” Anna rose from her chair, wondering if her husband was having a breakdown or something. “We don’t need a swing, or a trampoline.”
“We would if we had
kinner
.”
“Lukas, I . . .” She turned around, unable to speak.
He moved to stand in front of her. “I can wait, Anna. I don’t want you to feel rushed into this. When you’re ready to talk about adoption, we can.”
“Adoption?” He had never said anything before about it, and she had always assumed that he would want his own children, not someone else’s.
He nodded. “I’ve been thinking about this for a while. Like I said, we have more than we need and plenty to spare. We have enough money, space, land . . . and love . . . to provide for a
kinn
or two.”
She grinned, excitement growing in her. “Or three.”
“As many as the Lord wants us to have.” He put his arms around her neck. “I think this is what he wants for us, Anna, to open our home and our hearts to the
kinner
who need them. It doesn’t matter whether a
boppli
comes from us, or comes to us. We will still be a family.”
“You know it’s not that simple,” she said, hating to put a damper on his enthusiasm. Or her own. But they had to be practical about this.
“
Ya
.”
“I’ve heard you have to go through a screening process. And that someone comes out and looks at the house. They’ll probably check our finances too.”
“I don’t have a problem with that.”
She moved away from him. “We might not be able to adopt right away. We might have to foster some
kinner
first.”
“That’s another thing I want to talk to you about. Dan Mullet came to see me in the shop today.”
“Do I know him?”
“I don’t think so. He was in a buggy accident last year, before you moved to Middlefield. He and his wife got four
kinner
and one on the way. But it’s been a struggle for them financially.”
Anna’s heart went out to his family. She and Lukas were blessed financially, and she assumed he wanted to help the Mullets out. “How much do they need? If we can provide it for them, we will.”
His expression filled with warmth. “I knew you were going to say that. But that’s not what he asked for. Remember that old barn that burned down a month ago? It was on a Yankee’s property and had been abandoned for a long time.”
Anna nodded. “I’m glad no one was hurt.”
“
Ya
, it’s a miracle because it turns out a teenage
bu
was living in it for a few months. A runaway. Dan’s twin son and daughter were bringing him food and clothes without telling anyone. Turns out he had been living with cruel foster parents, which was why he ran away. When the barn burned down, the secret came out. The
bu
had to go back to children’s services.”
“To those same foster parents?”
Lukas shrugged. “I don’t know. I have no idea how all that works.”
“So what does Dan need from us?”
“He asked us if we’d consider fostering the
bu
.”
“A teenager?” She’d always imagined that if they were going to adopt, it would be a baby, not a child nearly grown.
“Anna, if you don’t want to, that’s okay. Like I said, we can wait until you’re ready. I didn’t give Dan an answer, I just said I’d talk it over with you.”
Anna sat down in the chair and looked out over their property as the sun dipped below the horizon. “What do you want to do, Lukas?”
He knelt down next to her and took her hand. “I think the Lord wants us to take in this
kinn
, Anna. I know I want to.”
Anna reached out and touched her husband’s face, his thick black beard soft against her fingertips. As she looked into his eyes, all her doubts disappeared. “Me too,” she said softly. “What’s the
bu’s
name?”
“Sawyer.”
“Someone who saws wood,” she said, marveling at the connection between the child’s name and Lukas’ vocation. “We definitely have to take him in, Lukas.”
He kissed her, then pulled away, smiling. “I’ll let Dan know in the morning. This won’t be easy, Anna. We’ll do whatever it takes. One step at a time. Together.”
“I know we will. I love you, Lukas.”
“I love you too. You’re going to be a great
mami
, Anna.”
“And you’ll be a great
daed
.”
He reached for her hand and she entwined her fingers in his. As they watched the sun set, their hearts were filled with hope for the future, and for their new family.
T
his book wouldn’t have been possible without the help of several people. Thank you to my editors: Natalie Hanemann and Jenny Baumgartner, whose insight and hard work on the story were invaluable. I can’t thank you enough for everything you do! To Jill Eileen Smith and Jenny B. Jones for brainstorming with me; your chocolate is in the mail. To Tamela, my awesome agent who keeps me from worrying about business so I can focus on the story. A special thank you to the medical professionals and others who shared their expertise: Ronda Wells, James Morse, Harry Kraus, Kimberly Zweygardt, Kristen Ethridge, and Kathy Harris. And to you, dear readers, for allowing me to share Aaron, Elisabeth, Lukas, and Anna’s stories with you.
Danki
.
1. Elisabeth doesn’t have much confi dence in herself, something many of us struggle with. How can our faith help grow our confi dence?
2. Aaron has difficulty letting go of his past and accepting God’s forgiveness. Has there been a time when you had trouble accepting God’s mercy? What made you finally accept it?
3. Anna is afraid to tell Lukas the truth about her possible infertility because she’s afraid of losing Lukas. Do you agree with her decision? What should she have done?
4. Despite Aaron’s warnings, Elisabeth attends the party at the Schrocks’. Have you ever been warned against doing something, only to do it anyway? What lesson did you learn from that experience?
5. At the party Elisabeth stood up for her beliefs, despite peer pressure. Share a time when you defended your faith.
6. After her procedure, Anna decides to put her faith in God’s healing instead of seeking more medical treatment. That decision lands her in the hospital, and she has to accept the fact that she may never have children. Have you ever prayed for something and felt that God said no to your request? How did you respond?
7. The title,
An Honest Love
, is something the characters in the novel struggle with—honesty with each other and with themselves. Why do you think they had such a difficult time telling and accepting the truth?
