Songs of the Soul by Mary Manners

Author:Mary Manners
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: christian Fiction
ISBN: 9781522300939
Publisher: Pelican Book Group
Published: 2018-01-18T05:00:00+00:00

5

“I’m trying to understand how this happened, Brooke.” Cade wandered back onto the deck a few minutes later and sat along the edge, letting his legs dangle. He needed fresh air and the heat of the sun to cool this sudden chill in his heart. Thirteen years and a handful of months had passed without Jayden knowing the true identity of his father. “Tell me about Joe…about how you two came to be. Did he know about Jayden…about me?”

Brooklyn stood at his side, silent for the longest time. The creek beyond the yard prattled downstream, dancing and singing beneath the warm sunshine while bumblebees worked at pollinating knockout rose bushes in the flowerbeds to the side of the steps.

Finally, Brooke lowered herself onto the deck and crossed her legs as she settled in beside him. “Yes, Joe knew everything.”

Relief flooded through. At least Cade hadn’t been a secret. “Tell me…more.”

“Are you sure you want to know?”

“I’m asking, aren’t I?”

“OK.” Brooke sighed heavily before diving in. “I met him at the bank, a couple of weeks after you left. I went in because my account got hacked. He helped me clear things up. He was a little bit older than me and so kind at a point in my life that I really needed a little kindness. He’d just been transferred here to Cedar Ridge, and we were both feeling sort of lonely. We got to talking and I offered to show him around. We spent a little time together, a dinner here and there…a ball game. He was steady and responsible…predictable, which suited me just fine.”

“Everything I wasn’t, right?”

“Yes. At least that was the truth back then. Now…I’m not so sure.” She shrugged. “About six weeks into dating I realized I was…carrying Jayden. I broke down and confided in Joe. I thought he’d run, but instead he offered to marry me right there on the spot.”

“Just like that?”

“Yes. I know it sounds crazy, but we filed for the license and planned a quick ceremony at the courthouse the following week. We decided to keep the truth about Jayden to ourselves, and no one was ever the wiser. Jayden favors me in appearance, so there was never any question. In his heart, Joe was Jayden’s dad from the very beginning to his final breath. He never spoke of things any other way.”

“Did you love him?”

“Of course I loved him. He was…a really good man. He took care of me, and he doted on Jayden, too.”

“Yet they argued?”

“Oh, they had their differences, as you and I both did with our parents. It’s a rite of passage. But the day Joe died…well, there was just that once that was truly awful. Jayden wanted to go to a concert—your concert—with his friends, but Joe nixed the idea. He really couldn’t offer a good reason, one that sat well with Jayden. Only I understood that it must have hit too close to home.”

“I’m sorry, Brooke.” Cade set his ice pack aside and took her hand. Her touch warmed the chill in his fingers.

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