Karen Hopkins - Forever

I hadn’t gotten the door open more than twelve inches when Summer squealed and pushed me aside to open it more quickly.

There was a flurry of drab-colored dresses and white caps bouncing around for a minute before things calmed down.

I recognized the blonde girl who’d flirted with me the night on the road, but not the slender girl with the black eyes and pale skin. The healthier-looking girl with the brown hair and lighter eyes of the same color seemed familiar.

“I didn’t think you ladies were allowed to go visiting your non-Amish neighbors after dark.” I couldn’t help smirking, even though Summer shot me a look that would have killed most men.

The blonde answered with a tilt to her head, “We’re sorry to come by unannounced. We’d like to visit your sister, if we may.”

For a second I was without words. All that could be heard was the tapping of Summer’s foot while the girls looked expectantly at me. I wasn’t used to girls asking me before they did something. At that moment, I could almost understand Noah’s insistence on staying Amish.

I was careful not to look at Summer’s face, but I had the feeling she was glaring when I said, “Sure thing. Stay as long as you want. She’s upstairs. You know the way.”

The girls brushed past me, following closely behind Summer.

It was an odd sight, and Justin obviously agreed when he finally roused from his gamer chair and peeked around me to watch the girls heading up the stairs.

“Ever since we moved here I’ve felt like I’m caught in the middle of an insane reality show version of Little House on the Prairie,” Justin said before he turned and disappeared back into the family room.

I mumbled to myself, “I couldn’t have said it better myself.”

13

Rose

I was expecting to see Summer walk through the door, but when Suzanna, Miranda and Sarah followed her in I leaped from the bed right into Suzanna’s arms. In turn, I hugged Miranda and then clutched Sarah even more tightly than the others. A couple of minutes later, the five of us were all cross-legged on the bed.

“I still can’t believe you shot Levi,” Suzanna exclaimed.

“And jabbed his eye out,” Miranda added with a look of awe on her face.

The mention of Levi brought a flash of images through my mind that I didn’t want to see or think about. I shrugged and gazed out the window into the dark.

Sarah must have sensed my reluctance to speak of it. She coughed lightly and said, “We’re relieved that you’re all right, Rose. I envy your strength. If I’d been in the same situation, I wouldn’t have been so brave.”

Turning to Sarah, I had to admire her subtle beauty. Her brown hair with its golden highlights was similar to the rest of the Miller kids, but her wide-spaced eyes were a lighter brown than those of her siblings. Those eyes were deep pools that seemed sad most of the time. Noah’s sister always spoke kind words in a soft voice. I wished I was so naturally nice.

“I’m sure if you were faced with a life-or-death situation, you’d be able do the right thing, too,” I said quietly.

Sarah nodded and then reached over to squeeze my hand.

I looked at Miranda with reservation. She was Levi’s sister, although she certainly had no reason to love him after the sick things he’d done to her when she was younger. But still, I’d nearly killed Levi when he’d come to Cincinnati to attack me. Could she really forgive me for doing such a thing?

“Miranda, I’m sorry about what happened with Levi, but he left me no choice.”

Miranda scooted closer and hugged me. “Don’t you dare apologize—he would’ve killed you for sure.” She whispered into my ear, “I’ve been taught the way of grace, and I forgive Levi...but I’ll never forget what he did to me. He deserved the punishment you served on him.”

When she pulled back, her eyes were moist, and she hurriedly wiped them with the back of her hand.

In an attempt to lighten the dark mood that had descended on the room, Suzanna giggled. “Have you heard, Rose—we all have suitors now.”

“Hush now, that’s not true!” Sarah exclaimed with wide eyes.

Summer finally woke from her silence and said, “Whoa now, did Sarah finally tell that Edwin dude how it was going to be?”

I was surprised when I saw the clear distress on Sarah’s face. Her voice rose to a level I’d never heard from her when she nearly shouted, “It’s not Edwin—it’s Micah!”

Summer and I exchanged a confused glance. I said, “Who’s Micah?”

The amused smirk on Suzanna’s face contrasted greatly with Sarah’s worried frown.

Sarah murmured, “Oh, just a new boy in the community.”

“Not just any boy, either.” Miranda paused and looked to Suzanna for approval of what she was about to say. When Suzanna nodded, Miranda added, “He’s Constance’s brother.”

Hearing Noah’s ex-fiancée’s name spoken sent a ripple of instant anger coursing through me.

“When did you begin dating him?” I asked, trying to keep the level of my voice calm.

“Oh, we aren’t official...and we probably never will be, anyway.”

Sarah shrugged. I saw the glint of moisture in her eyes before she turned away.

My heart suddenly went out to her, fearing that I might be the cause of her problems.

“Why would you say such a thing?” When Sarah wouldn’t meet my gaze, I looked at the others. Suzanna and Miranda both shook their heads sadly, and Summer gave me a knowing look.

After a long, uncomfortable silence, Sarah finally said, “Elijah Schwartz doesn’t want his children mingling with the Miller family in the future.”

Suzanna and Miranda exchanged unsure glances when Sarah looked straight at them.

“I guess you girls already know about Rose and Noah being together again, right?”

My heart stopped, and I held my breath. I didn’t think anyone besides Noah’s parents knew.

Suzanna breathed a sigh of relief. “We learned about it by accident.” She looked at me and smiled. “Your guy is kind of dumb about being secretive. We overheard the news. I couldn’t be happier for you.”

“I came down to the kitchen late one night to get a drink when I noticed the lamp on. I wasn’t being sneaky or anything, but I didn’t want to intrude, either. When Mother spoke of it to Father, I heard. Looks like we’ll be sisters, after all,” Sarah said as she patted my leg.

A roll of nausea passed over me, and I swallowed. I wondered at Sarah’s words—would we really be sisters one day? Then I thought of the baby inside of me, Sarah’s own niece or nephew. What would Sarah think if she knew about my pregnancy?

“Reckon, it’s better we get it out in the open, so we can move on to other drama,” Summer said. She turned to Sarah and asked, “So you can’t date this Micah guy you have the hots for, because Noah broke it off with Constance?”

Sarah nodded.

“That is a sticky situation. I’m sure in time, it’ll all sort itself out and his family will be fine with it,” Summer said.

Sarah muttered, “I hope so.”

Hearing the depression in Sarah’s voice, I realized that this was yet another reason for Noah and me to delay being together. If we hooked back up right away, it would make it even worse for Sarah and Micah. Maybe this was another aspect of the situation that Noah was considering when he’d told me that we needed to take our time.

My heart felt lighter, and the angst I’d been carrying toward Noah disappeared. There were more people being affected by our decisions than I’d known. Glancing at Sarah’s worried face, I was determined to do whatever I could to make sure that Noah and I didn’t ruin her chances at being with the guy she loved. Of all people, I could never do that to a friend. I understood too well how awful it was to be kept away from the person you wanted to be with.