“What willwedo without you?” Nash asked in return. He wasn’t laughing.
Momma did it for him, with a wheezing chuckle. “Life was never dull with you in it, Nash. You bring that life everywhere you go. Porter? Oh honey.” Momma noticed his tears and tried to reach them with her shaking palm. “You’ve shown us who you are always—so brave, so noble, a good strong man.”
Her gaze rose to find their wives, Emily and Cadence. Once again, Cole wished that he could’ve talked Eva into coming in, but her presence in this room was too complicated. Momma kissed the rest of her daughters-in-law, starting with Emily. “My sweetheart. I’m humbled you called me ‘Momma,’ if even… so short a time. I’ll meet your parents in heaven. They’re proud of you and your brother, River… I know.”
Emily bowed her head, her dark hair sliding over her shoulders. A tear slid down her cheek as she leaned into Nash.
My momma really loves You, God. It’s evident in everything that she does. I mean, she loves us too, but well, she’ll still miss us if she’s going to be with You, so if You really insist on taking her home, well… Please take very good care of her.
That was without question, because in that moment, Cole felt a comfort and a strength rush through him that was beyond anything that he was capable of feeling, considering these tragic circumstances. God would watch over her. He was sure of it. He felt the reassurance so clearly, so profoundly, that he knew with absolute surety that they weren’t alone in this hospital room.
Youarelove!
The realization, though he thought he knew this fact before, filled him with amazement.
Our momma taught us to know You because that’s all we’ve felt when we’ve been with her. If this love I feel from You is what You have for her, then yes, I trust You to take her.
The peace of knowing that God was a part of this process eased the sorrow consuming him. All would die because of the nature of imperfect bodies in this fallen world. Death was only a matter of “when,” and yet, despite the temporary existence of bodies, each soul mattered, because… well, why would God take the time to comfort Cole, who was about to lose his mother?
She was just one grain of sand in an endless sea, but… she was one in a million.
Momma’s eyes found Cadence next. “My daughter.”
Cadence fell to her knees in front of her, crying. “No, no, not yet. I don’t want to lose you now that I’ve found you.” Her words were smothered in Momma’s blanket, but Cole heard them well enough.
“My dear.” For the first time, Momma choked up, and unsurprisingly, it wasn’t for herself. Her hand slid over Cadence’s soft black curls. “Darling, you’re like seven sons, do you know that?”
Cadence brought her head up at the Biblical reference to Ruth and Naomi’s unbreakable friendship. Her eyes glistened with happiness even as she sobbed. The two of them had formed a special bond when Cadence had helped their momma with her gardens over the summer.
Porter’s wife had made a plaque for her mother-in-law outside of the greenhouse that said: “Remember the Lilies of the Field.”
And it meant everything—God was over all. Cole had to trust in that now.
“Don’t let my flowers die,” Momma whispered to Cadence. “You’ll bring beauty to Harvest Ranch no matter what you do… with my beautiful grandchildren.”
Cadence was six months pregnant with twins—they were Lacy Lynch’s babies, though Porter would be their father now. Those children would be Slades, and the Slades protected their own.
Cole actually understood why West had gotten involved with so much on the line. He was the only one who had the connections to destroy Lynch and stop that vindictive man from ever going after them again; but why had West thought that he needed to manipulate Eva to do it?
So foolish.
The consequences of their feud had rained chaos and pain over their heads.
And yet, here was Cadence, finally safe in the arms of a family who loved her. Her shoulders trembled. Porter knelt next to her, squeezing her tightly.
“I wish I could seeallmy grandchildren as they come into this world,” Momma said. Her voice turned wistful. “But I’ll live on… in my loved ones, their children, the grandchildren, and on and on. That’s one way of being immortal, isn’t it?” She sighed.
Cole would miss that sigh; he’d miss the animation in her face when she scolded or laughed, and despite that, or even because of that, a glow of warmth encircled him like an embrace—the kind of embrace his momma always gave her boys—she would always be with them.
The assurance of the eternal nature of her soul pierced his core and filled him with peace. This wasn’t the end. He’d see her again.
But how to remember this feeling when the eventual loss came? And how could he share this comfort with his brothers?
West sat in the corner, biting at his fingernails, acting above it all when he wasn’t.
I hope you realize that if you take her, God, that Lily Slade won’t stop bugging you about her boys, especially about West. She won’t rest until you’ve rescued that little lost sheep of hers.
As if to prove the truth of her words, Momma’s eyes traveled lovingly over each of her children. “I’ll sneak away from those heralds of singing angels to peek over you all. I don’t want to miss a thing.”