“Do not speak of my fraa that way,” Joseph said. He offered her a wan smile. “In answer to your question, about where I went, I went to your folks’ house.”
Rebekah walked around the cradle slowly. Joseph had gotten it back together almost perfectly. “You did? I did not see you there.”
“I had to get another piece of wood, the special wood your fater used, to fix a split piece there.” He shifted his weight and rubbed a piece of the cradle. “I hope you cannot tell.”
“It is wunderbaar, Joseph. Danki.”
“I wanted to surprise you when you were ready to be surprised, that is.” He looked Rebekah up and down. “Where is the bopplin?”
She flushed under his direct stare. “Staying the night with his grossmammi and grossdaddi. We tried him on goat’s milk and between that and his bopplin sling…” She let her voice trail off. “I owe you so many thanks for writing to Katie and Peter. Between the sling and the goat’s milk, I might not lose what is left of my mind after all.”
The ghost of a smile flickered across Joseph’s face. “He likes the goat’s milk, does he?”
Rebekah brightened. It felt good to talk to Joseph, her best friend, about sweet nothings that were so incredibly important. Her words came faster. “At my folks’ house, he woke up long enough to drain his entire bottle, then fell right back to sleep.” She swiped at her throat. The night had grown muggy and a sheen of sweat made her a bit itchy. “Mater thought we could have a night alone.”
“How very thoughtful of her,” Joseph said. From his voice, she could tell he was smiling. Slowly, she let her gaze meet that of her mann. “I have so many things to tell you, Joseph. To apologize for. First, for doubting you. Secondly, for doubting us. Third…”
Joseph pressed a finger to her lips. “Hush now. Everything is forgiven, as it was before you even asked.”
She brushed his fingertip with a kiss and moved it down away from her lips. “But I do not deserve to be forgiven. I deserve your wrath. I deserve your distrust. And most of all, I deserve your anger.”
Joseph brushed her lower lip with his thumb. “As we deserve Gotte’s wrath. His distrust. His anger.” He moved his thumb from her lips and cupped the side of her face. “Did He not forgive all of us when we were unworthy?”
Rebekah closed her eyes and bit her lip. She nodded a minuscule nod. “He did.”
Joseph’s voice was throaty and low. “Are we not meant to imitate Him not only on earth but also in our marriage?”
She moved in to embrace him, but he cleared his throat and took a tiny step back.
“It is my job to get you to heaven, Rebekah, just as it is your job to get me there, is it not?” He did not say more until she finally met his gaze. “Besides, it is I who should be asking you for your forgiveness.”
“I do not see how…” Rebekah’s brow furrowed, and she shook her head.
Joseph sucked in a deep breath and dropped his hand from Rebekah’s face. She caught it in both of hers before it could hide in his pocket or some other untouchable region.
“What could you have to confess to me?”
“Well…” Joseph looked uneasy. “I kept something from you, and I should not have done so.”
Rebekah remained perfectly silent and willed her mind not to run amok. Do not fail this test, Rebekah. Do not lapse in your faith, your hope, or your love. For Joseph or for your marriage.
“I knew the letters were from Peter. He told me of his inability to read or write in New York. He begged me not to tell you, lest you think less of him.” Joseph’s head fell, much like Rebekah’s had moments ago. “I did not intend to keep that from you. I thought if only he could come and tell you himself, in person, all would be well. That I would have kept an oath to a friend, a friend who became my brother, and helped him save what dignity he thought he had.”
His words came faster and faster still, as though he had wanted to let them spill out so many times but hadn’t. His hand, clammy in hers, trembled as he continued. “Instead, I allowed all of this to happen all for the sake of Peter’s pride.” He gave her hand a squeeze. Tears shimmered in his eyes, and Rebekah’s heart panged afresh. “I will never keep anything from you again, no matter who is asking or for what reason.”
“Now we know it is true.” Rebekah rubbed his hand gently. “Pride truly does goeth before a fall. However, if I had only had more faith.”
Without warning, Joseph erased the space between them and pressed his lips to hers. His hat, knocked to the dirt in the process, rolled across the floor and woke Buttercup. The rooster, angry at being disturbed, jumped up with a squawk and commenced to crowing his pitiable crow.
Her face pressed against her mann’s, Rebekah broke from their kiss and laughed. She laughed so hard her sides ached and tears, wunderbaar happy tears, streamed down her face. Joseph echoed her laughter in his deep, bellowing laugh. His arms tightened around her, and his smiling lips found hers again. “Ach lieb you, Rebekah Graber. I always have, and I always will.”
“And I love you, too, Mister Joseph Graber. I am sorry for—”
“Shh. No more apologies.”
They shared a kiss so passionate, so pure, that the crowing rooster was no longer a threat to their concentration. When the kiss was through, Joseph laced his fingers through hers. “Tonight is a beautiful night for a moonlight walk.”
He led her over to the lantern and blew out the flame, leaving them cloaked in total darkness. “I believe we have one more name to add to our tulip tree.”
“You know,” Rebekah whispered, “it is our tulip tree. Truly. Even though Katie and Peter’s names are also there. They are only there because of us. Because of our love.”
“Now you are getting it,” Joseph said with a wink. “Because of us, so much more love has come into the world.”
Rebekah’s heart, filled with a happiness so pristine, threatened to burst within her chest.
“Now, only to decide…” Joseph joshed as he led her onto the moonlit path that led to their tree. “Are we writing Dawson or Lil’ Bit or…”
“Both!” they said in tandem.
She pressed in close to his side as they walked down the grassy trail that only they, and possibly Thomas and a wayward mater bear and her beloved, knew.
“The first time we walked down this trail was the day I asked you to go fishing, your birthday,” Joseph said. “The day I knew I wanted nobody else in this world by my side.”
Rebekah stopped their walking and pointed off the trail. A handful of lightning bugs flitted about, flashing and twirling. “And now here we are, going to carve our sohn’s name into our sweetheart tree.
Joseph’s hand found the back of her neck. His touch brought goosebumps to her skin. “A touch of heaven on earth.”
“What is? This place?”
