A Memory Worth Dying For by Joanie Bruce Read Free Book Online Page B

Daniel’s eyes. “No, uh . . . I have something to tell you. I . . . I guess Veronica and I finally made a decision.”
    Gerald tilted his head to the side and waited.
    “We discussed getting married.”
    Gerald never moved, but his chest deflated inside his ribs, and his blood felt like it turned cold in his veins. “What do you mean . . . you discussed it?”
    “Well, she’s ready, and I guess I am too.”
    Gerald leaned back in the groaning chair and studied his son’s face.
    “If you ask me, you don’t look too happy about the whole thing.”
    Daniel plopped down in the chair opposite his father and ran his hand through his hair. His eyes blinked rapidly.
    “It all happened so fast. One minute we’re walking through their stables looking at her horses, and the next thing I know, she’s talking about adding stalls in our barn for her horses after we get married.”
    Gerald knew he had to tread lightly. Saying the wrong thing could only push Daniel in the wrong direction. “Daniel, do you love her?”
    Daniel rubbed his forehead with his fingers. “I care for her.”
    “But, do you love her?”
    “We’ve been close for so long, Dad. This is the next step, don’t you think?”
    “No, son, I don’t. You need to at least wait until your memory comes back. Two months ago, you could hardly remember Veronica. Two years ago you were still getting over—”
    “No, Dad. I don’t want to talk about my ex-wife. Veronica says she was nothing but a slut and an alcoholic.”
    “Daniel! Just because she—”
    “Stop, Dad! We’ve been through this before. I don’t want to talk about it again. Every time I think about the past, it reminds me of Angie.”
    Gerald blew out a pained puff of air. “Daniel, your sister wouldn’t want you to grieve. Angie would be the first to tell you to let it go and get on with your life. She’d want you to be happy. I’m just not sure Veronica—”
    “Enough, Dad.” The strained tone of those two words quieted Gerald.
    “My marriage was over a long time ago. It’s because of her that Angie’s dead. I want to forget the past and move on with the future. That means giving Veronica and me a chance. She’s the only one I remember from the past. I’ve known her my whole life. We’re comfortable with each other. Our marriage will have a lot better chance of surviving if we’ve been friends for this many years. We like the same things. Besides, Veronica’s right—little Chris needs a father. Today he begged me to be his daddy.”
    Gerald started. “What do you mean, his daddy ?”
    “Well, I know technically he’d be my brother-in-law, but it wouldn’t make a difference to him until he’s older.”
    Gerald’s heart was heavy. He recognized that it was probably Chris who was pulling Daniel’s heartstrings instead of Veronica. Daniel’s eyes lit up when he talked about Veronica’s three-year-old brother. Shane and Mary Duke had adopted little Chris, and exactly two years later, Mary had died of a brain tumor. Shane was so devastated by his wife’s death that Veronica took over the mothering role for Chris.
    “Have you prayed about this, Daniel?”
    “Dad. I told you, I don’t remember all that praying stuff. We never prayed when we were growing up—how am I supposed to remember it now? You might like all that religion, but I want no part of it. Just because you say I ‘got saved’ doesn’t mean I feel it in here.” Daniel placed a fist over his heart.
    “You don’t have to feel it to make it real, Daniel. Just pray, and God will bring it all back to you.”
    Gerald grimaced as Daniel shut down the conversation with a frown. “Veronica and I are getting married in a month.” With a wave of his hand, and an end-of-discussion look, he walked out the door. Gerald slumped in the chair, defeated.
    “Well, Lord, what do I do now?”
    He leaned his head back against the chair and thought about Martha. If only she were here, she’d be able to show Daniel what