“Oh, He is, but we get to participate.” Zoey nodded. “Another verse I love is in Colossians…chapter one, I think. It talks about how in Christ, all things are held together.”
There was thatallword, again. Working good, even through fires and denied claims. Missing kids. His frown deepened. “So is that what you’re doing when you pray? Trusting God to hold it together?”
She opened her mouth, then slowly closed it. Her brow furrowed. “I?—”
Lightning split the sky, followed by a crack of thunder.BOOM. They jumped. Linc cast a glance toward the house, wishing to see their answered prayer via movement behind the curtains, lights turning on—somethingto indicate Amelia was there. Safe.
Home.
Because if she wasn’t inside, wrapped up in a blanket or drying her hair after a shower or rummaging for a snack…He swallowed. What if Ms. Bridges found out about this? Would they take Amelia away, prove him an incompetent father?
His gut tightened. Maybe he was.
“Let’s go.” He got out, slammed the door. Knowing deep down, with every pounding footstep through the rain, that Amelia wasn’t inside. He continued to plead with God to let him be wrong.
A pile of mail sat at the front door, tucked close against the wall, next to a giant box of protein powder he’d forgotten he’d ordered. He didn’t care. He brushed past it, burst through the front door, dripping water all across the entryway. Didn’t care about that, either. “Amelia!”
Nothing.
He hollered again, louder. Judging by Zoey’s wince and the way she clamped her hands over her ears, he figured Amelia would have heard him, even if she was out in the woods.
More silence.
He started to shake. “This is all my fault.”
“Don’t do that.” Zoey shook her head. “We can go back out. We’ll find her.”
“And look where?”
Her silence confirmed his fears. There was nowhere else to look. Thiswashis fault—he should have just talked to Amelia earlier, like Zoey suggested. Who knew what would happen next when they found her?
Ifthey found her.
His stomach flipped. Prayer hadn’t helped—God wasn’t working this for their good. Linc was, once again, alone. Amelia had literally run away from him. And he had Zoey, but for how long? When all of this fell apart, when they took Amelia away, Zoey might not stick around either.
Because people left.
Linc pressed his lips together, went to the porch, and scooped up the soggy mail, dumping it on the table in a heap. Zoey’s name was listed on several envelopes, with a big red FORWARDING ADDRESS stamped in the corners.
The one on top caught his eye—must have caught hers too.
Zoey frowned. “This is my insurance company.” She slowly picked up the envelope, tore it open.
A check fluttered to the table.
“Linc.” She gasped. “It’s the full amount.”
He set his jaw, huffed a breath. Of course. Now, of all times. “That’s…great.” Perfect, really. He could get rid of everything he wanted, everyone he cared about, in one awful night. Rip the Band-Aid.
“Wow.” Her eyes lit, the check shaking slightly in her hands. “I can’t believe it. So much earlier than we thought.” She looked up. “I didn’t know if it was coming at all.”
Obviously, which was the only reason she’d agreed to marry him in the first place.
The only reason why she’d stayed.
Well, now she could be like everyone else.
“Congratulations.” He stalked to the pantry, grabbed a few bottles of water and almond-free granola bars. Two bananas. Amelia might be hungry in this storm, and he wanted to be prepared when he found her.
