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“Okay…Dennis.”
McCauley disappeared, then reappeared as Alistair shuffled in, staying by the curtain while his father came over.
“Son.”
Gage didn’t know what to do.
Alistair set his hand on Gage’s shoulder. “You good, Son?”
Gage nodded. The lump in his throat stuck there.
Alistair tugged him forward, and when their heads touched, he squeezed the back of Gage’s neck.
All Gage could do was not breathe for a second while he got his first hug from his father.
Alistair stayed there probably longer than was necessary.
Gage grabbed a handful of his old man’s shirt and held on for dear life, gasping when he should’ve been cool. And yet, he didn’t care at all that he was on the verge of breaking down.
Thank You, Lord.
Gage had been given something he’d never had. So he didn’t know what losing it felt like, just what it’d felt like to lose his mom.
This was a gift—pure and simple. The goodness of God regardless of the status of his birth and how he came to be. What his mom had told him over and over, that he wasn’t good enough to be accepted by people.
Gage had strived for so long. Proving himself. Building a career. Gaining rank and becoming team leader.
All the things that meant something in his life hadn’t come about because of any work he’d done. They were all gifts. Blessings. Things God had given him that proved His goodness, and proved He had a plan all along for Gage’s life. That He had always been there, and He’d never—not once—failed to look out for Gage.
Thank You.
All along God had been working in his life.
Help me with this now. Please, Lord.
Gage leaned back, still hanging on to his dad. “How do you convince a woman to take a chance on you?”
Alistair McCauley touched Gage’s face, his thumb moving over Gage’s cheek. “She worth it?”
“She always has been. But she didn’t know it.”
Alistair nodded. “Sounds like there’s work to do.”
FORTY-FIVE
Three weeks later
Clare shook her head. “That’s crazy, right?”
Gage gripped the steering wheel. “Your mom does seem like maybe she’s trying to change.”
He seemed kind of nervous, which he hadn’t been since she got out of the hospital. In the last couple of weeks, she’d had multiple meetings with the police department, signing paperwork for Vanguard to officially become a contractor.
Hobbling in and out on crutches because she had a broken ankle had been irritating but seemed to help the PD’s view of her. She’d been injured in the line of duty according to them.
She and Gage had hung out there until she was released. At that point her people had already finished repairs on her apartment—which they’d started with—and Bob’s. From there they headed downstairs, making fixes as they went. Cleaning up and replacing drywall.
Selena had moved in as soon as she was released as well. Clare had fixed up a guest room for her, and the young woman had helped her get ready for more than one date with Gage. Clare just needed to figure out how to tell Selena what she’d found out about the girl’s missing father.
