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“My family and I have been so blessed to share in your lives. Silver Veil has been a wonderful place to live, and I thank each of you for your kind words and for the part you have played in my life.
“Years ago, God spoke a dream into my heart, and Silver Veil is the result. I pray for this town every single day, and I pray for each of you. I will speak more later tonight, but for now, I want to stress this. Do not be afraid. God is with you. Do not be hateful and bitter. God’s love is strong and can change even the hardest heart. And please, do not mourn me when I pass, for I am going to a better place to be with our Lord. I won’t be sad, so don’t you be sad either.”
He looked at Helena and smiled. She gave a slight nod, but the look of serenity on her face was enough to put tears in Aaron’s eyes. To his surprise, Isabella reached for his hand and held it tight. Their gazes locked for a moment, and then they both turned back to her parents.
“That was beautiful, Papi,” Isabella told her father as he slumped down in his chair. She leaned over and kissed his cheek.
“Thank you, my dear.” He drew in a ragged breath and began to cough. When it subsided, he looked past her to Aaron. “I think it’s time for me to go home.”
Aaron got to his feet, still holding Isabella’s hand. Daniel noted this and glanced up to smile at Aaron. There was no use trying to hide it. Aaron knew seeing him draw closer to Isabella was more pleasing to Daniel than if God had offered him more years of life.
“I’ll help you stand, my darling, and we’ll all go home,” Mrs. Garcia said, getting to her feet.
“No, I want you to enjoy the day. I’m fine. Aaron will see me back, and then I’ll return to spend part of the evening with you.” Helena looked at him with great apprehension, and Daniel laughed. “I promise I won’t die while you’re gone.”
Helena chuckled, and even Isabella smiled. “Very well, my dear. So long as you promise.”
“I do. Now, go and have fun.”
The day had turned out just as Daniel had hoped. He smiled as Aaron pulled the coverlet over him and turned to grab his Bible off the bedside table.
“I’m thinking you probably want this,” Aaron said.
Daniel nodded. “I do. I want to spend some time reading before I take my nap.”
Aaron handed the Bible to him, then checked to make sure his glass had plenty of water. Seeing that it did, he turned back to Daniel.
“Go on, now,” Daniel urged him. “You’ve got me all propped up, and I have everything I could possibly need. Go find my daughter and see if you can’t get past the hand-holding stage.”
“I just started holding her hand.”
“I haven’t got time for you to take this slow,” Daniel said, grinning. “Maybe explain that to her and apologize for being pushy.”
Aaron laughed. “I don’t know what to think about all of this. I wasn’t looking for a different job or town to live in, and I certainly wasn’t looking for a wife.”
“Well, you’ve managed to take care of the first two, so move on to the third and let me die a happy man.”
Aaron sobered at this, and Daniel could see the concern in his eyes.
“Aaron, we both know what’s going to happen, but as I’ve said all along, so long as I have things settled for my girls, it will be all right. I’m not afraid to face my Maker, and I don’t want you to be afraid of my going.”
“To be honest, my worries are rather selfish. I fear that I won’t be the man you need me to be.”
“I want you to be the man God called you to be, and then you will be what I need. You’ve already been the son I never had. I’ve so enjoyed our years together. Don’t be afraid of this next step.”
“But you won’t be here to make sure I do things right.”
Daniel smiled. “You won’t be alone. Put your trust in God, Aaron. He’s the one who mapped this out for the both of us. I think we can trust Him to see to the details.”
