Grady swallowed the tasteless toast and cleared his throat. He caught the pastor’s gaze and said, “I know you’re worried that I’m going to fight Jessie’s adoption. I never had a say in it, and it wasn’t fair what Linx did tome.”
Both Mark and Jean froze, eyes wide andfearful.
“I know how you feel,” Grady continued, “because at that moment when I thought Jessie had been burned to death, my entire heart and soul cavedin.”
“You don’t have to explain,” Jean’s voice squeaked. “We all love her and want what’s best forher.”
“Yes, that’s what I want,” Grady said. “And I have to follow my heart on this. In my family, we have a motto, ‘heart comes first.’ Even though logically, I should fight for my right as Jessie’s father, I know in my heart it would hurt her. It would hurt all ofus.”
“What are you telling us?” Markasked.
“I’m not going to pursue custody. I love Jessie and all I want is for her to heal after this ordeal. I want her to be loved and cherished, not fought over like a piece of meat.” Grady dropped his gaze to thetable.
If heart really came first, why did doing the right thing slice his heart into tinypieces?
