Mom in the Middle

by Mae Nunn

  “Is the seat next to you taken?” Guy’s voice penetrated the quiet moment.

  Her soul soured at the sound she hadn’t heard in over a week. She raised her head. “If you’re still willing to sit beside me, that seat is yours anytime you want it.”

  He sat, reached out his hand. She slipped hers into it without hesitation. The handsome face she’d grown to love was a mixture of feelings. A perfect reflection of the confusion in her heart. His brows were drawn together in concern and though there was sadness in his eyes there was also a spark of hope. The prospect of moving on to a new phase of his life made him even more appealing. The lips that had kissed her so tenderly were pressed together, as if to hold back words that wanted to be said. His chin was low, not in worry but in sincerity, angling his head close to hers.

  “Are you ready for this day?” His voice was an extension of the mixed messages that played across his face.

  “Definitely.” She nodded, certain of what she must do.

  “So many people have invested their time, prayer, hard work and wise counsel in our family this week. Today is a day of new beginnings for all of us.” She cast her eyes down to their hands folded together, squeezed his for strength and resolved not to cry. Dillon’s tears, real tears as he’d cried himself to sleep asking for Guy the past few nights had been all she could stand. She had to be brave for her son, for her parents.

  For herself.

  God had brought her to this place for a reason. He had a purpose for every experience He’d put her through and how she realized it wasn’t to punish her. It was to prepare her.

  Guy had never known love until Abby. She was so strong in her weakness. She was the epitome of what God could do with a heart that had been broken. There was determination in the tilt of her chin, surrender in the softness of her mouth, acceptance and quiet joy in the lovely brown eyes.

  “I want to apologize for not being part of that circle of friends who completed the work at your house this week. I need to show you what was so important that it kept me away from you.”

  She placed the fingers of her other hand against his lips.

  “You don’t owe me any explanations or words of apology. I understand firsthand why the women you’ve dated have always wanted to tie you down. You must not realize how strongly you’ve impacted the lives of others, especially my family. The changes to the house alone are incredible. For the first time in her life my mother was lost for words and that alone was priceless.” She smiled, a look of pure pleasure that he intended to put on her face for the rest of his life if she’d have him. If she could only accept him.

  “But, Guy, you made the insurance your personal mission and the outcome of that is nothing short of a miracle. Then you sent Casey to finish things here so I could focus on my kids at school. And now you’ve made the time to come say goodbye in person. You’re the kindest man I’ve ever known.”

  He didn’t deserve her praise. This was not the time but one day soon, before he took her to Iowa to meet his family, he’d tell her everything. How he’d gone home to see his parents to ask their forgiveness for operating outside of company policy. How they’d stood solidly behind his decision to negotiate the most generous possible settlement for the Reagans. How his father had accepted not only Guy’s decision to step down, but his personal recommendation to have Casey take his place on the Heart and Home board. How his parents couldn’t wait to meet the woman their only son loved.

  “Will you stop being the mom in the middle of everything for a few minutes and let me talk?”

  “I’m sorry for carrying on like this. You’re probably in a hurry to get on the road.” She tried to tug her hand free from his, but he held fast to her hand just as he planned to do with her heart.

  “I’m not going anywhere unless you tell me that’s what you need.” He forced the words out, not wanting to give her the opportunity to exercise that right. “Just bear with me for a minute.”

  He stood, tugged Abby to her feet and led her to the front pew of the small sanctuary. “Wait here.”

  On the far side of the room, he reached for the curtain and prepared to reveal the window behind the thick drape that blocked the Texas heat.

  Father, I’ve learned more about the true meaning of service from knowing Abby for a couple of months than I ever did from all my years of rescuing others to make myself feel good. I believe I’ve found the woman You mean for me to share my life with. Even so, if this is not Your will, I’m prepared to accept whatever this day holds.

  He pulled the short cord; the panels swept back; sunlight hit the stained glass and a rainbow cascaded into the room.

  Abby’s breath caught in her throat. The splendor of the work was amazing. The splashes of color matched those she had throughout her house in small doses. Guy’s unique style, his artist’s fingerprints were evidence of his identity. The simple clear window that had formerly afforded the congregation a view of the playground outside had been replaced by a masterpiece of intricately cut and soldered stained glass as fine as those in any thousand-year-old European cathedral.

  She crossed the floor as if drawn to the color. Her trembling fingers made contact with the vision. Flowers of every hue leaped to life and seemed to dance, move with the sunlight. Above their swaying heads, a pair of cupped hands released a butterfly, God’s miracle creature that must literally be reformed and reborn before it can reach for the heavens.

  “Abby.” His voice was soft, tender, almost pleading.

  “I hope you will accept this as my tribute to Phillip, and my gift to your family. I worked on it around the clock all week, praying that one day you’d see it as a symbol of new life and new purpose. For you.”

  She didn’t wait for him to invite her into his arms. She boldly stepped forward, slipped her hands around him and pulled him close. She tipped her head back to see into the depths of the blue eyes she loved beyond belief.

  “I actually see it quite differently.”

  “You do?” His gleaming eyes reflected the peace and hope she knew must be shining in her own as they pooled with the emotion she wouldn’t deny another moment.

  “To me it confirms the transformation God’s already made in me. My time of ashes is over and he’s replaced the grief with beauty. I’m a new woman ready for a new love. I’ve been longing with all my might for that new love to be you. I adore you, Guy. Whatever you do, wherever you go, I will still love you.”

  “Oh, Abby.” He pressed his forehead to hers. She felt a tear fall from his lashes and mingle with her own. “I’m not going anywhere unless you and Dillon are with me. I thought I had things all figured out, but you taught me that my life was unfinished until I found you. Until you found me.”

  “What about your family business? What about Galveston?”

  “I think I’ve finally got the last laugh with Casey. While she was complaining about all the extra work I was putting off on her, I was really preparing her to step into my job. It’s what she’s always wanted and now it’s hers. I just hope she doesn’t let it blind her to what’s most important in life.”

  “And what would that be, Guy?”

  “Having a soul mate to love. Having a purpose and a home.”

  “For you that’s Iowa. Mine is here in Texas with my family. How will we make that work?”

  He stepped back and extended his hands for her to follow his downward gaze. The fancy boots were gone, replaced by the scruffiest pair of sneakers she’d ever seen. She wanted to laugh out loud and burst into tears of joy at the same time. Instead she stepped back into the arms of her soul mate to wait for his answer.

  “If your home is here, then mine is, too.” His voice dropped to a tender whisper, choked with longing.

  “Please, say you’ll marry me, Abby.”

  Yes was too simple. So she answered him with a kiss that said, I’ve found the one my heart loves.

  Dear Reader,

  Writing this third book in my TEXAS TREASURES series was a struggle. Mom in t
he Middle is a story I really wanted to tell, but as it began to unfold my life began to unravel. I was spread too thin physically, emotionally and spiritually. Instead of setting reasonable limits that would help me focus, I broadened my vision and stepped on the gas. Even as the Holy Spirit pleaded with me to “Be still” I ran full speed ahead until I quite literally hit a concrete wall (in my new yellow Mustang GT convertible!). OUCH!

  God has an incredible way of getting our attention, doesn’t He? For months He wooed me sweetly, quietly and persistently and I refused Him. But with three badly jammed fingers and three days to edit my manuscript He finally had what he wanted. All of me. I gave myself and the story over to Him as I should have from the beginning, and he turned my confusion into crystal clear peace.

  I hope you will recognize the Father’s touch on Mom in the Middle. Until we meet again, let your light shine.

  QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

  The sandwich generation is growing. More and more women are finding themselves in the difficult position of dividing their caregiving time between aging parents and young children. How would you stay positive and handle the stress of such demands?

  In the beginning of Mom in the Middle, Abby sees her circumstances as a penance that God has placed upon her because she doesn’t please Him. Why do you think she reacts to her situation in that way?

  When Guy comes into their lives, Abby sees him as a threat instead of a comfort. Why do women so often feel they have to do everything themselves? That they shouldn’t accept, let alone ask for assistance?

  There is a triangle of strong conflicting emotions between Abby and her parents, with behavior changing constantly as we watch them together: Abby and Shorty, Shorty and Sarah, Sarah and Abby. Why do you feel the dynamic between close family members seems to shift from one moment to the next?

  Guy has grown up in a home full of women who anticipate and meet every possible need. Do you think women do their sons and brothers a service or disservice with this kind of affection and attention? Why or why not?

  In response to the wonderful treatment he’s had from the women in his family, Guy gives back by helping any woman he finds in need. In doing so he often creates false expectations. Do you believe it’s possible for single men and women to be close without romantic expectations clouding the friendship?

  Abby struggles with letting go of the memory of the young man who was not only her husband but also her lifelong friend. Can you think of a time when you had to deal with this type of a loss, or help a close friend or relative through such a period of mourning? Do you think Abby’s feelings were typical?

  What do you think Guy saw in Abby that changed his perspective on a long-term relationship, marriage and a family of his own?

  Even in her strength and independence, Abby carried what a lot of men would see as “baggage” into a relationship. Do you think today’s woman views the responsibility of caring for her aging loved ones as a burden or, as in Abby’s case, an honor entrusted to her by God?

  Though neither is searching for a soul mate, that’s exactly what Guy and Abby recognize in one another. When Solomon wrote, “I found the one my heart loves,” do you think he believed there was one person created specially for him by God? Do you believe in soul mates? Why or why not?

  ISBN: 978-1-4268-8595-2

  MOM IN THE MIDDLE

  Copyright © 2007 by Mae Nunn

  All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the editorial office, Steeple Hill Books, 233 Broadway, New York, NY 10279 U.S.A.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  This edition published by arrangement with Steeple Hill Books.

  ® and TM are trademarks of Steeple Hill Books, used under license. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Trade Marks Office and in other countries.

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  *Texas Treasures