Immediately, her hands began sweating.
Jay noticed her discomfort. “What’s wrong, Emma?”
She shook her head, not trusting herself to try to explain. Instead, she did what she knew was the right thing and stood up. “Hello, Rachel. Good evening, Samuel.”
A little bit of the worry eased from Rachel’s expression, though it was evident that she was uncomfortable. “Hello, Emma.”
“Grandmommi! Dawdi! Hi!” Lena said as she hopped up and ran over to them. Mandy and Annie followed.
As William watched them curiously, Jay got to his feet as well. “I’m guessing these are Sanford’s parents?” he asked Emma quietly.
“Jah.” She swallowed. “They are nice folk.”
“I’m sure they are.” He gave her a smile before introducing himself. “Hi, I’m Jay Hilty.”
Sanford’s parents had always been gracious. Right away Samuel shook hands with him and introduced Rachel. Then Jay found a way to usher the girls back to their places at the table, introduce Sanford’s parents to William, and then, to Emma’s bemusement, invite Rachel and Samuel to join them!
In the midst of all that, he’d somehow made it obvious that he was important to Emma . . . and that he would not appreciate them being distant or rude to her, especially not in front of her girls.
Though they politely declined his offer to join them for supper, Rachel and Samuel did linger. After eyeing the children all together, Rachel said awkwardly, “Emma’s mother told us that she and the girls had been spending time with another family. I’m, uh, glad to know you . . .”
“I’m pleased to know you, too.” Jay smiled. “Since we each have three kinner, we sometimes tease each other that we have too much in common not to be friends, though of course, our losses are not something we wish others would share.”
Samuel exchanged a glance with Rachel who then smiled awkwardly. “I imagine not.”
Emma noticed that Samuel was obviously waiting to help Rachel if the conversation became too much. Then, to her surprise, she realized that Jay was doing much the same thing for her. He, too, was being protective. Unable to help herself, she lifted her chin and shared a smile with him.
He squeezed her shoulder as he said, “I know this is hard, but I really would like us all to be friends. Emma has told me how much you both mean to her and the girls.”
Rachel’s lips parted slightly. “You still want to know us, Emma?”
Emma felt her throat tighten as she suddenly understood her mother-in-law’s concerns. “Of course I do, Rachel! I love you and Samuel, and the girls do, too.” When she saw that Rachel, too, was trying to hold back her tears, she added softly, “Lena, Mandy, and Annie will always be your grandchildren. They’ll also always be Sanford’s daughters. I want them to know you both. I want them to grow up hearing stories about their father. Only you two can help me do that.” Aware that a tear was now slipping down her cheek, she reached for Rachel’s hand. “I promise, you will always have a special place in our hearts. That hasn’t changed.”
“Our feelings haven’t changed, either,” Samuel said. “I think we can make this work.”
“I think so, too,” Rachel said as she clutched Emma’s hand. Then, with a sigh, she smiled. “I promise, I am happy for you both.”
Emma had never expected such words to come out of her mother-in-law’s mouth. “Thank you for saying that.”
“It’s the truth,” Samuel said. “I miss Sanford. I miss him every day. But no amount of prayer or tears is going to bring him back.”
“As hard as it is to admit it, we need to move forward,” Rachel murmured.
Samuel nodded. “Rachel and I have been talking.” Looking at his wife fondly, he said, “She and I have been married for forty years. I can’t imagine what life would have been like if one of us had lost the other. I do know that I would never have wanted my wife to spend the majority of her life alone if I had passed on to heaven thirty years ago.”
“Plus, those kinner need two parents,” Rachel said. “They are a handful.”
“Would you like to join us?” Emma asked, repeating Jay’s earlier offer.
Rachel looked at the empty seats, her eyes cloudy with what Emma recognized as a mixture of hope and hesitation. Emma had felt the same thing when she’d first brought over that meal to Jay’s farm but wound up staying several hours.
“You really wouldn’t mind?” Rachel asked.
“I would be sad if you didn’t want to join us.”
“Well, since you have so much pizza laid out, I think sharing it would be the least we could do,” Samuel said. “Someone’s eyes were a little too big, I think.”