Скачать книгу

hung up with the advice still ringing in his ears.

      But you’re not better suited, not at all. It’s just another lie you let people believe, his conscience reminded him. You couldn’t possibly take that boy from the one person who loves him more than life. You have nothing to offer him. At least, nothing that really matters.

      “What do I know about being a father?” he whispered, worry overtaking his brain. “How can I be sure that I won’t do something wrong? That I won’t scar him or cause something that will make him unhappy years down the road, after I’m gone?”

      It was a prospect he had to deal with. He knew how easily that could happen. His father hadn’t wanted to leave his son the memories he carried. At least, Gabe told himself that, hoping it was true. But Daniel, Sr., hadn’t been able to accept the son he’d fathered, either. Gabe simply didn’t fit the baseball and fishing mold his father had set.

      In fact, Gabe hated sports. All he’d ever wanted was to create things, to build things. To use his brain. Being sent to his room in punishment had provided hours of solitude to do just that.

      “I won’t force Daniel to be a replica of me,” he assured his tired brain. “He doesn’t have to like computers. If he wants to fish, I’ll fish. I can learn that stuff. The company’s okay, now. I’ve got all the money I’ll ever need. I owe it to myself to take some time off—to see if Blair and I can make a go of it.” He thought about Mac’s letter. Why had it arrived when it had? Was God giving him a second chance?

      “I owe it to him to do better than my dad did for me.”

      Which shouldn’t be hard, given the past.

      You owe him love.

      That word sent a shiver of worry through his brain. Love? Gabe didn’t think he had it in him. Not the kind of love the songs were about, the kind of love he’d read about in stories and poems. Certainly not the emotion that required you to give away everything you valued for the sake of someone else, the kind of love that made you vulnerable and weak, prey to others.

      “He doesn’t need to see that part of me,” Gabe told himself. “He’ll never know about that. I’ll make sure of it.”

      But as he lay in his hotel room thinking about a black-haired little boy and his too solemn mother, Gabe wondered how he’d keep that shriveled-up, scared part of himself locked away when he’d spent such a large part of his life wondering where the next con to get his money would come from.

      “One day at a time,” he reminded himself. “With God’s help, I’ll face this one day at a time. That’s what Pastor Jake said on Sunday.”

      Surely if you kept your eyes on the future, you couldn’t get caught up in the past?

      “Daniel’s my only chance to make amends,” he whispered, eyes closed as he prayed for help. “At least if I mess up, and I probably will, I know that Blair will make sure my son gets all the love he needs. He won’t end up like me.”

      Please, God, don’t let him end up all alone like me.

      Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

      Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

      Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

      Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.

/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAgEASABIAAD/4QE2RXhpZgAATU0AKgAAAAgABwESAAMAAAABAAEAAAEaAAUA AAABAAAAYgEbAAUAAAABAAAAagEoAAMAAAABAAIAAAExAAIAAAAcAAAAcgEyAAIAAAAUAAAAjodp AAQAAAABAAAApAAAANAACvyAAAAnEAAK/IAAACcQQWRvYmUgUGhvdG9zaG9wIENTMyBXaW5kb3dz ADIwMTM6MDY6MjYgMTY6NTM6NTcAAAAAA6ABAAMAAAAB//8AAKACAAQAAAABAAAFeKADAAQAAAAB AAAIpgAAAAAAAAAGAQMAAwAAAAEABgAAARoABQAAAAEAAAEeARsABQAAAAEAAAEmASgAAwAAAAEA AgAAAgEABAAAAAEAAAEuAgIABAAAAAEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEgAAAABAAAASAAAAAH/7QZSUGhvdG9z aG9wIDMuMAA4QklNBAQAAAAAAAccAgAAAgAAADhCSU0EJQAAAAAAEOjxXPMvwRihontnrcVk1bo4 QklNBC8AAAAAAEqgIwEASAAAAEgAAAAAAAAAAAAAABgDAABkAgAAAAAAAAAAAAAYAwAAZAIAAAAB KAUAAPwDAAABAA8nAQB2AGUAcgAuAGoAcABnADhCSU0D7QAAAAAAEABIAAAAAQABAEgAAAABAAE4 QklNBCYAAAAAAA4AAAAAAAAAAAAAP4AAADhCSU0EDQAAAAAABAAAAB44QklNBBkAAAAAAAQAAAAe OEJJTQPzAAAAAAAJAAAAAAAAAAABADhCSU0ECgAAAAAAAQAAOEJJTScQAAAAAAAKAAEAAAAAAAAA AjhCSU0D9QAAAAAASAAvZmYAAQBsZmYABgAAAAAAAQAvZmYAAQChmZoABgAAAAAAAQAyAAAAAQBa AAAABgAAAAAAAQA1AAAAAQAtAAAABgAAAAAAAThCSU0D+AAAAAAAcAAA//////////////////// /////////wPoAAAAAP////////////////////////////8D6AAAAAD///////////////////// ////////A+gAAAAA/////////////////////////////wPoAAA4QklNBAgAAAAAABAAAAABAAAC QAAAAkAAAAAAOEJJTQQeAAAAAAAEAAAAADhCSU0EGgAAAAADdwAAAAYAAAAAAAAAAAAACKYAAAV4 AAAAIQA5ADcAOAAxADQANQA5ADIAMgA0ADMANwA3AF8ATwB1AHQAcwBpAGQAZQBfAEYAcgBvAG4A dABfAEMAbwB2AGUAcgAAAAEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAFeAAACKYAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQAAAAAQAAAAAAAG51bGwAAAACAAAABmJv dW5kc09iamMAAAABAAAAAAAAUmN0MQAAAAQAAAAAVG9wIGxvbmcAAAAAAAAAAExlZnRsb25nAAAA AAAAAABCdG9tbG9uZwAACKYAAAAAUmdodGxvbmcAAAV4AAAABnNsaWNlc1ZsTHMAAAABT2JqYwAA AAEAAAAAAAVzbGljZQAAABIAAAAHc2xpY2VJRGxvbmcAAAAAAAAAB2dyb3VwSURsb25nAAAAAAAA AAZvcmlnaW5lbnVtAAAADEVTbGljZU9yaWdpbgAAAA1hdXRvR2VuZXJhdGVkAAAAAFR5cGVlbnVt AAAACkVTbGljZVR5cGUAAAAASW1nIAAAAAZib3VuZHNPYmpjAAAAAQAAAAAAAFJjdDEAAAAEAAAA AFRvcCBsb25nAAAAAAAAAABMZWZ0bG9uZwAAAAAAAAAAQnRvbWxvbmcAAAimAAAAAFJnaHRsb25n AAAFeAAAAAN1cmxURVhUAAAAAQAAAAAAAG51bGxURVhUAAAAAQAAAAAAAE1zZ2VURVhUAAAAAQAA AAAABmFsdFRhZ1RFWFQAAAABAAAAAAAOY2VsbFRleHRJc0hUTUxib29sAQAAAAhjZWxsVGV4dFRF WFQAAAABAAAAAAAJaG9yekFsaWduZW51bQAAAA9FU2xpY2VIb3J6QWxpZ24AAAAHZGVmYXVsdAAA AAl2ZXJ0QWxpZ25lbnVtAAAAD0VTbGljZVZlcnRBbGlnbgAAAAdkZWZhdWx0AAAAC2JnQ29sb3JU eXBlZW51bQAAABFFU2xpY2VCR0NvbG9yVHlwZQAAAABOb25lAAAACXRvcE91dHNldGxvbmcAAAAA AAAACmxlZnRPdXRzZXRsb25nAAAAAAAAAAxib3R0b21PdXRzZXRsb25nAAAAAAAAA

Скачать книгу