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“Is that what they told you happened?”
“It is what happened.”
“You haven’t seen the letter.” He closed his eyes and shook his head. The last thing he wanted to do was destroy her memory of her father, but it wasn’t his call. Her uncle had chosen to write it all down, and Gavin had no right to withhold it from her.
“What letter, Gavin?”
“When you weren’t answering my calls, I went to your house. I wanted to ask you to accompany me tonight.” He looked over at the rising sun. “Last night. But when I arrived, I found your car door open. It looked like you’d been in the middle of cleaning the house when you were abducted. I searched the house to see if I could find a clue that would lead me to you.”
“Stop beating around the bush, what did you find? Tell me about the letter.”
“You should read it yourself.” He reached into his back pocket and pulled out the letter.
“You kept it?”
“It was the only clue I had.” He sighed. “I showed it to Grayson, and he showed it to our father, but they’re the only other people who have seen it.”
She took a few steps so she could read by the porch light, and he followed and reread the words over her shoulder.
Samantha,
You have been the light of my life, and I’ve never known how to tell you about this, even though you deserve to know, so I’ve kept these grave secrets to myself. Should something happen to me, you’ll find this letter. It’s the cowards way of sharing the information, but I ask you to forgive me for not having the courage to speak the truth.
When my sister and I were seventeen and eighteen, Sarah, your mother, was kidnapped. At first, we had no idea who had taken her, but then I heard from Mason Kennedy, Jr., and I told him how distraught I was that I couldn’t find my sister.
He laughed and reminded me of something I’d done to annoy him. That was when I knew he had Sarah. I searched for her, and I begged others from the Continental Alliance to help, but nobody believed me that he’d taken her.
Then one day I was invited to a wedding reception. Sarah was the bride, all smiles, hanging onto the arm of her new husband. Though I knew it was likely coerced, I couldn’t prove it. She claimed to be happy, and I was so glad she was alive, that I didn’t press the matter until months later.
Eventually, I managed to get Sarah alone, and I asked her what happened. She told me how they’d kidnapped her and kept her in a room with other girls. She’d accepted her lot in life. She claimed that since she’d spoken her vows before God, she intended to keep them and to make her marriage work even if it wasn’t what she’d thought she wanted. She explained that although your father knew the marriage was arranged, he’d had no idea that she hadn’t been a willing participant until months later when he found her crying.
Given his heart in the matter, she opened herself up to him, and God blessed their union. They fell in love and made a great team, but I was never able to accept him as family. I felt he’d stolen her youth and innocence. I’ve asked God to forgive me for the hardness of my heart. I stayed away for years, but the day your parents were killed, I realized the wrong I’d been. While your father may not have been as much a victim of the Continental Alliance as your mother was, he was an unwitting participant in their scheme. And didn’t deserve my animosity.
Please forgive me (and your parents) for keeping this from you. If the CA ever approaches you about membership, stay far away from them. I’ve been trying to gather enough evidence to put Mason, Jr. away for years, but nobody will take me seriously. Names, dates, and locations are recorded in the notebooks in my safe. They list coerced marriages that have taken place since the date of your parents death. Take them to someone who will investigate.
Love you more than life itself, Uncle Richard.
A sob shook her body, and he held her close while she wept.
Chapter Forty-Six
Samanthasippedhermorningcoffee and read a passage from her mother’s devotional. Her parents had been in love. She was certain of that much. She’d seen them together and knew it to be fact, but from what her uncle said, it hadn’t started out that way. They must’ve grown to love each other. What a strange way to start a marriage. And she could’ve been placed in the same situation had she not been rescued from that bunker. The image of her mother held captive wouldn’t release her. It was no wonder Uncle Richard struggled to forgive her father.
Her heart clenched. All the sermons she’d heard over the years hit differently now that she knew the truth, but if anything, the concept of grace and forgiveness felt more real. She knew that God’s grace had shined on her parents marriage and healed the wounds that could’ve festered and made both parties bitter. Instead, she’d grown up with loving, merciful parents who put her needs ahead of their own. She’d been blaming God for their deaths, but God hadn’t forsaken her, she’d run from him. If she had leaned on him as she mourned their loss, he would’ve helped her through it, but instead, she’d refused to trust him with the pieces of her broken heart.
Now she was faced with a new challenge. How could she reconcile the parents she knew and loved with what she’d discovered in her uncle’s letter? She’d made the call to tell Wade about the journals. He offered to come get them and take them to the FBI. It would be a relief to have them out of the house.
But in the meantime, she had to figure out what she was going to do about Gavin. She wasn’t sure if he’d meant his proposal or not, but marriage wasn’t something she could jump into without hesitation. Marrying a man like Gavin would mean giving up everything about herself. She couldn’t continue her work as a park ranger if she were to move to New York City. Her friendships would suffer. But he would be worth the sacrifice. The devotional based on James 1:17 reminded her that every good thing came from God. Gavin was good. Did that mean he a gift from God? It seemed so.
Her phone rang, and she set down the devotional and glanced at the caller id. Her heart gave a little lurch. Would he ask again? If he did, she knew her answer.
GavinsatbetweenCateand Grayson at the yacht club. Their father had insisted on taking them all to lunch to celebrate Cate’s safe return.
The elder Garrison cleared his throat getting everyone’s attention. Grayson leaned back and took a sip of his coffee like he was getting ready to watch an amusing show. Jenna rolled her eyes at her husband’s antics.
“I think a semester off is in order, Cate.”
“I know you went to the University of Pennsylvania, Dad, but I’m not sure I want to go back there. I’d never be able to force myself to go into the Fisher Fine Arts Library again.”
