Kept by Bradley Sally

Author:Bradley, Sally [Bradley, Sally]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Salena House Publishers
Published: 2014-09-10T07:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Her father’s story was heartbreaking, though he tried to shrug away his abusive childhood as if it weren’t that big a deal.

Curled up on her couch, Miska hurt for him. “I’m so sorry, Dad.”

He held out his hands. “What are you going to do? Can’t change it. Can’t stop it. I guess we learn and go on.” He rested an ankle on his knee and fiddled with his loafers. “Can I tell you something? Something you probably won’t like?”

“Why would you do that?”

“Something you said the other day… I think it might give you hope.”

“Even though I won’t like it.”

“You don’t have to hear it if you don’t want to.”

Man, he was good at the guilt trip. “By all means, go ahead.”

He scooted to the edge of his seat. “I helped one woman raise a child.”

“You raised one of your kids?”

“No. Jake wasn’t mine.”

“Jake, huh?” Some kid who didn’t share a drop of DNA had gotten his time while those who could donate an organ had not? “How long were you with his mom?”

“Until she died. Jake was fourteen when I met her. His dad was like my dad, cruel and evil when drunk—which he was a lot. We were together two years when she found out she had cancer. She died six months before Jake turned eighteen. She named me as his guardian and made me promise to raise him until he was of age.”

“You were a single father.”

He chuckled. “I hadn’t thought of that.”

“How is Jake now?”

“He’s good. Just graduated from college. I went to his graduation.”

Of course he did. “You’re right. I don’t like that some guy had four years with you, years he remembers. How is this supposed to help?”

“Remember what you said about your nephew, that you wished some good man would step in and be his dad?”

“Yes?”

“Well.” He spread his hands. “I checked on him.”

“You’ve seen Liam? How is he?” Almost five years had passed since she’d held his tiny body, four and a half years since she’d seen him rocking back and forth on hands and knees. After Zane and Lacey split, Lacey had cut the whole family off. They’d been—no, she’d been too wrapped up in her mom’s final days to protest.

“Liam’s fine. Tall. Looks like your mom. Better than that, he has a good dad.”

“Lacey’s re-married?”

“A year ago. Good guy. Loves Lacey, loves Liam like he’s his own.”

“Hates Zane.”

He grinned. “We didn’t go there.”

She laughed. “How astute you are.”

“Yeah. So it seems your prayer has been answered. Liam will be okay.”

“I’m glad to hear that, but I didn’t pray for him.”

“Then your prayer was answered before you even prayed it.”

What did he mean? “Do you believe in prayer?”

“Sometimes. I’ve prayed for things to happen, and they’ve happened. Other times I’ve prayed for things and—nothing.”

“Which proves it isn’t real.”

“I don’t think so. I mean, what is God? A genie? That’s a slave, not a god.”

Her heart beat faster. “Dad.” She slid to the edge of her seat. “Do you believe in God?”

He looked out the window.

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