Chapter Fourteen

T im gently assisted Amy into the two-seat buggy. He climbed up beside her, taking the reins in his hands with practiced ease. The horse, familiar with the path, started at a leisurely pace, allowing them to look around at the beauty that surrounded them.

"Feels good to be out, doesn't it?" Tim asked, the corners of his mouth turning up in a gentle smile.

"Very," Amy agreed, her cheeks flushed with the faintest touch of color.

For a while, they rode in comfortable silence. As they passed the meadows that rolled like waves in the breeze, Tim cleared his throat, his voice growing solemn.

"Amy, I... " He paused, searching for the words. "When you were sick, my world had stopped spinning. I don't think I realized how much I...how much I cared for you until the thought of losing you became real."

Amy turned to look at him, her eyes wide with a mixture of surprise and something warmer, a spark of deep affection. "Tim, I never knew."

"Guess I didn't either, not really. Not until then," he admitted.

"Tim, I've always dreamed of having a big family," she confided. "But being here, with you and the children...For the first time, I feel like I'm part of something real, a true family."

After their drive, Tim and Amy sat out on the porch, side by side on the swing. Tim reached for Amy's hand, his fingers weaving through hers with an easy familiarity.

"Amy, I love you," he said softly.

"I love you too, Tim," she whispered back.

Later that night, as they were all getting ready for bed, Amy found herself in the little girls' room, a thick book of fairy tales propped open on her lap. The girls lay tucked into their beds. Amy's voice breathed life into the age-old stories of knights and dragons, princesses and magic spells.

Tim stood just outside the doorway, leaning against the frame. He watched Amy with a tender gaze, admiring the way her expressions changed with every twist and turn of the tale. Her love for storytelling and nurturing the fertile imaginations of their little ones was just another thread in the tapestry of her kindness.

"Goodnight," Amy said as the story came to an end, closing the book with a soft thud. The girls murmured their goodnights, and they closed their eyes.

Amy tiptoed around the room, tucking in both girls with care. She bent over their small beds, placing a gentle kiss on both foreheads. "Goodnight," she whispered.

"Goodnight, Amy," they echoed, their voices drowsy and content.

When she went to the next room, she kissed Beatrice goodnight and heard something unexpected. Beatrice looked up at Amy. There was a softness there that hadn't been before. "I love you too," she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper.

Amy's breath hitched, tears pricking at the corners of her eyes. She leaned down to hug Beatrice. "Sweet dreams, Beatrice."

George was next, and he smiled at her kiss and words of love. "Love you too, Amy."

Amy found her way back to her bedroom, where Tim awaited. His presence was a balm to her soul, his smile the kind that set her world right again.

Tim stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her, his embrace enveloping her in warmth and safety. "Amy, I think we're the luckiest people on God's green earth," he said.

She nestled into him, feeling the truth of his words resonate within her. "It feels like a dream, Tim. One I never want to wake from."

"God knew, Amy. He knew exactly what He was doing when He brought you to me." Tim's voice was filled with conviction, and he pulled back just enough to look into her eyes.

Amy gazed up into those eyes and nodded. "He did, didn't He?" Her voice trembled with the weight of her gratitude.

Tim nodded. "I couldn't believe I would ever find love again after Felicity. And look at me? Happy as a lark!"