Free Rebecca's Bouquet by Lisa Jones Baker

honest, William didn’t discuss it much until we moved in with you.”
    â€œWhat kind of regrets?”
    â€œHe feels abandoned. Surely you can understand why. I mean, he was so young when his mom died. That’s a lot for any kid to deal with. To make things worse, less than a year later, Daniel left.”
    Rebecca gave a sad shake of her head. “I can’t even begin to imagine the suffering William went through. His faith is strong. So is his determination. But even for the toughest person, losing a mother and a father . . . that’s an awful lot to cope with.”
    â€œIt is. Oh dear. And to think that I’m responsible.” Her voice cracked with emotion. “I feel awful.”
    Rebecca let out a deep sigh. “On one hand, he loves Daniel and seeks his approval. On the other, he resents his dad for not raising him. He’s sure that his mother never dreamed his dad would leave him. I have no doubt that Miriam had planned for William to grow up Amish, but because of the circumstances, Daniel probably should have taken him.”
    â€œI agree. But how can we fix it?”
    Rebecca pressed her lips together and considered the question. Beth wanted to help William be close to Daniel. That realization prompted a new hope in Rebecca.
    She thought out loud. “We can’t change what happened. What’s done is done. Like they say, hindsight’s twenty-twenty. At this point, their relationship can probably never be perfect. But there’s got to be a way to bridge the gap.”
    â€œI hope so. We would have raised William if Daniel hadn’t felt such tremendous obligation to his late wife.”
    â€œBut wasn’t raising William Amish important to Daniel, too?”
    Beth shrugged.
    â€œObviously, Miriam didn’t consider Daniel remarrying outside of the faith.”
    â€œI’m sure she didn’t.” Beth held up a hand in defense. “Don’t get me wrong. Daniel’s a good man. But despite his strict Amish upbringing, he’s very open and accepting of other religions. To be honest, I don’t think all of the picky details of living Amish are important to him.” Beth took a deep breath and put her hand over her mouth as if to unsay what she’d said. “I’m sorry, Rebecca. I didn’t mean it to come out that way. What I meant was that to Daniel, it’s a person’s heart that counts. Not whether or not he uses electricity.” She let out a sigh. “Do you get what I mean?”
    â€œOf course. Daniel must have known that marrying you would cause controversy. The Amish are good people. They’re also cut-and-dried about their way of living. They don’t make exceptions to the rules.”
    â€œDon’t I know it. Being shunned used to bother Daniel a lot. Especially when we were first married. But time heals all wounds. I really think he’s moved past that. If only we can mend his relationship with William . . . I’ll be so happy.”
    Rebecca smiled a little. “I’m glad you’re with me on that one. With the two of us working to bond them, we’re bound to succeed.” She stopped to consider the situation. “To be honest, I’m glad I had the opportunity to grow up with William and to love him. It’s hard to imagine life without him. At the same time, I regret what he’s gone through.”
    â€œMe too. I carry such huge guilt, Rebecca.” She paused. “Please pray that God will forgive me.”
    Rebecca squeezed Beth’s hand. “You can’t take all of the responsibility for what happened.”
    Rebecca ran her fingers over her damp forehead. The temperature had risen since they’d started their walk. She thought of how good it would feel to remove her kapp and tie her hair up in a ponytail.
    When a breeze finally fanned her face, she closed her eyes a moment in relief. When she opened them, her thoughts drifted back to the