Sorting Through Life's Puzzle Pieces

Chapter 25

          While Tom knew the reunion was over, he called and spoke with the woman Maeve had been referring to as "Mom". She was a lovely lady who seemed quite welcoming. She had even agreed to helping him surprise her with his visit, as he was arriving a week earlier than planned. Following the GPS in his rental car, he had made it out to the countryside unscathed, thankful that Mae and Mom had warned him about how bad the traffic could be in the city his plane landed in.

As he drove through, he became very interested in the small town his Angel had chosen to call home. It was quite cozy. They had had many conversations about her life here, but her eyes had shown the most about two things; her girls and simply living out here. He pulled up the drive and sent a quick text before stepping out. A short, blonde woman came around the corner to meet him.

"Hey! I'm, so sorry you missed everyone else. I'm Sandy." He took her offered hand, after she pulled off her work glove.

"Pleasure, I'm Tom. How was it?"

"It was good. Her sister and kids stayed over last night, as you well know. They're out back if you want to go through and put your things down first."

"That would be a good idea." He grabbed his pack and duffel from the trunk and headed in after her. Once his bags were deposited, he went through where Sandy had directed him, and his world stood still.

"There before him stood the woman who had captured his heart, holding and infant while directing some older children how to pull tomatoes off plants.

"Kermit, do you want a new basket?"

"NO," the girl exclaimed loudly, clutching the overflowing basket tighter.

"How about you set your full basket down over there and get another one. Isn't it heavy? I will ask your momma if you can keep them both."

"Okay!" The bright smile on the small girls' face couldn't be missed by anyone. He merely leaned against the frame, watching. The vision before him was one he hoped to have for himself one day and his heart clenched as he watched Maeve be part of it. The baby started to fuss, and she quickly pulled a bottle from her back pocket, slowly rocking back and forth as she fed him. That's where that came from. He had noticed that when tired, if they were standing, she would rock slightly. When he asked her, she had just shrugged him off.

"You really do love her, don't you?" Sandy stood behind him.

"Is it that obvious?" He smirked a bit.

"Even my son never looked that smitten." He must have shown his shock, because she continued. "Oh, he loved her, loved them all. He just didn't love them more than himself." Those simple words had him looking back out at Maeve. Another woman had joined her, and he walked straight out to her, passed the feeding child to the other woman and kissed her with so much passion she was too shocked to do anything but reciprocate.

"Whoa," they heard as they held each other's eyes once they separated. "It wasn't even my kiss and I felt the earth from that one."

He grinned at the appreciative tone. "You're here! How?"

"A few things got canceled so I came on out. Your mother was an immense help." He looked at the other woman and offered his hand. "You must be the non-crazy sister. I'm Tom."

"Lynn," she turned to Maeve ignoring his hand. "Why didn't you tell me who he was?"

"What do you mean?"