nodded.
âOf what?â he demanded.
âThat you might get hurt,â she said very quietly. âYou lost your father and Danny and in a way, Amanda. Your family is broken. Only Silver is left, and if you let yourself be her father and someone claims her, or worse, she finds out about her history and leaves, youâre afraid of what will happen to you.â
Wade kept mute, but his pained dark gaze never left hers.
âThe thing is, Wade,â Connie said, touching his armas she spoke the hurtful words, âno matter whether you let yourself love her or not, Silver will leave you one day. Nobody stays forever. The only constant any of us have in our lives is God.â
âAnd how do you propose I deal with that?â he demanded, his tone stinging her heart with its oozing pain.
âYou enjoy today. Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow is an unknown. All you can guarantee with Silver is right now,â she insisted softly. âGod is here with you, waiting for you to embrace her and enjoy each second of the life He gives you together.â
âYou make it sound so easy,â he raged.
Connie shook her head.
âItâs not easy. Itâs terribly hard to live in the moment.â She swallowed. âHarder still to do the right thing even though you know it will break your heart,â she whispered, thinking of her father and whatever had prompted him to abandon her.
âSo now youâre saying I should find her family?â
âYou are Silverâs family,â Connie insisted. âAnd no matter what happens, that will never change. Unless you change it.â
Wade pursed his lips.
âBut if it will ease your mind, or if you feel it will enrich her life to know others sheâs related to, why not seek them out? Not now because you need time to build a relationship with her yourself. But someday you could ask them to be part of her world on your terms,â Connie coaxed. âNot because you want to give her up, but because you want to make her life fuller, because you want to give your daughter every opportunity.â
He still said nothing, but his eyes had darkened to almost black.
âIncluding the choice of whether or not to leave you,â she whispered.
He reared back, rage boiling in his eyes.
Connie longed to reach out and rub away the deep grooves beside his eyes, to put her hands on his shoulders and massage away the fear so he could see the truth.
âSomeone who truly loves another wants whatever is best for the other, no matter what the cost to them. Thatâs the very definition of love.â
Some inner prompting told her to stop there, to let Wade think in peace. So Connie walked away from him, gathered Silver in her arms and carried the sleeping girl upstairs.
Back in her own room, she sat on her window seat and noticed that Wade had left the backyard. To think about what sheâd said?
Connie squeezed her eyes closed. In her mind, she replayed the message with which that voice on the telephone had blown up her hopes and dreams.
If I remember correctly, your father had cancer. He received treatment but it returned and progressed so far his legs were amputated. I doubt he survived.
Eleven years Connie had spent searching for this man, hoping to hear the exact same words Silver yearned to hear. âI love you, daughter of mine.â
Wade wouldnât say it, and now it seemed as if her father couldnât.
Casting all your cares on Him, because He cares for you.
âIâm really good at giving advice, Lord,â Connie whispered as tears stung her eyes and spilled down her cheeks.
âBut Iâm not very good at taking it. Please help me.â
Chapter Seven
âA manda, can we please cease and desist from these constant wars?â On this Sunday morning, Wade dragged a hand through his hair, wearied by her harping.
âConstant?â she fumed.
âIt seems like it. Iâm not trying to be nasty,
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