“No no no,” she said, shaking her head. “About Melvin.”
His expression remained carefully guarded, though he gave her a quick nod.
“Before he died,” she started, “we talked about our plans.”
“I know that.”
She swallowed hard. “Yes, but what you don’t know is that we weren’t staying Amish.”
His expression puckered into a frown. “You wanted to leave?” He shook his head and closed his eyes as if trying to put everything in the proper perspective.
She was making quite a mess of this. “No, that’s not what I’m saying. We weren’t going to stay Amish, because we weren’t staying together.”
He exhaled through his nose. “Now I really don’t understand.”
“There was a time when I loved Melvin with all my heart.”
“Again, I know that,” he said.
“But that time wasn’t just before he died. I mean, I loved him as a person, and the friend that he had been to me all those years. But I wasn’t in love with him anymore. In fact, I think I was already in love with you.”
“What are you trying to tell me, Tillie? This is making me a little nervous.”
“You think I’m gonna back out now?” She gave him a reassuring smile, but it didn’t change his concerned expression. “I just wanted you to know that we were leaving the Amish, but it wasn’t because I didn’t want to be here. It was because I didn’t want to be with Melvin. I wanted to be with you.”
“And now?” he asked.
“I’m marrying you, aren’t I?”
He nodded, and small twinkles shone in his eyes. “But I want to hear you say it.”
Tillie was all too aware of her sisters watching, and though she was certain they couldn’t hear what was being said, they weren’t about to miss any of the action. “I love you, Levi Yoder. You’re my best friend,” she continued.
“I love you too.”
“And I’m so glad we’re getting married today. On Christmas Eve. It seems fitting.”
“More than fitting,” he agreed.
Tonight they would begin their new life as husband and wife. Tomorrow, on Christmas Day, they would wake up together, open presents, and spend time with family and friends.
Some might not say that it was a Christmas miracle, but as far as they were concerned, it was. And they were looking forward to many more Christmas miracles in their future.
