He came to stand before her, and knowing he’d have no patience for idle talk, Lorena got straight to the point. “I love you. Your future is here with Drew and me. He is not my natural child either, yet I could not love him more had I birthed him myself.”
“I do love you, Lorena. That has not changed or diminished,” he insisted. “Neither has my love for the lad. I want you, but Abigail and your uncle Stephen have stripped me of my dignity, my accomplishments . . . my very soul. I’ve nothing left to offer. I no longer feel worthy of your love.”
His voice sounded so somber, so devoid of hope, Lorena shuddered.
“Nothing could be further from the truth, Brogan. You are worthy to be called Drew’s father. And I truly believe you need to be his papa as much as he wants you to be.”
He did not deny or affirm her words but said nothing.
It was all the encouragement Lorena needed. “This challenge you face . . . it’s not a matter of what you believe has been stolen from you. It’s to do with your thinking and in the way you perceive things should have been. It is hopeless thinking that prevents you from seeing the whole picture. Self-pity has blinded you.”
Brogan’s careworn face contorted into a painfully bitter sneer. “Self-pity?”
She certainly had his attention now. Lorena had prepared herself for just such a response.
“You had it all planned,” she said. “But, as you’ve admitted even to yourself, the way you intended to get Drew back was wrong. Surrender your plan, Brogan. Surrender your dreams to God, and let Him show you His plan for your life.”
He scoffed. “I see what you’re trying to do, Lorena. You think to fill me with silly hope, because you feel sorry for me, but all the sympathy in the world won’t alter the past. The truth remains. I came here to deceive you. I know the plan for my life. I have never belonged anywhere . . . except on the sea. And the only thing I have ever received of the Almighty is indifference.”
Lorena shook her head. “Think back, Brogan, and you’ll see how untrue that statement is. God has had His hand on your life. Even when you refused to acknowledge Him, He was there. You told me the story, remember, of how Mr. Smith found you as he was off-loading cargo in Boston Harbor? Two huge wharves with the capacity to handle about five hundred ships, countless sailors and dock workers passing by every minute, and it just so happens that you caught the eye of a rare man with Christ in his heart, who reached out to help you. Do you think it was coincidence? Had anyone ever offered to help you before Mr. Smith came along? It was God’s grace, I say. Abigail and Uncle Stephen meant to see you killed, yet you were protected during the war. A few inches more and that splinter from the cannon shot of a British corvette would have struck you in the chest instead of your shoulder.”
At his look of confusion, Lorena explained, “Drew told me the story. Brogan, you not only survived but returned a hero to your country and made your fortune. Best of all, you were brought into the life of a child who desperately needed someone looking out for him. I believe God ordained that you should be Drew’s guardian in the same way Mr. Smith has been yours. For who better than you to understand the love an unwanted child would need? God has seen the good treasure of your heart, even though you’ve made mistakes. He has taken what others meant for evil and turned it around to your advantage.”
Though Brogan reacted with no more than a hard, thoughtful stare, something in his eyes told Lorena he was struggling with a way to overcome his prideful nature, a way to turn his cheek from the wrongs he’d been dealt and still maintain his self-respect as a man.
“Angst and anger fester inside me with no one alive on whom I can vent my wrath,” he admitted. “They will not give me peace.”
“There is a cure. It’s called forgiveness. If you can receive God’s mercy for the mistakes you’ve made and forgive others for the hurts they’ve inflicted on you—”
“Forgive! How am I to forgive?”
Moving closer, Lorena touched her fingertips to the front of Brogan’s full white shirt, and when he didn’t resist, she pressed her palm over his heart. She felt it beating and knew he needed encouragement to take that heroic step. To forgive.
“My father is of the opinion, and I agree, that revealing Drew’s natural parentage would serve no good purpose. You have earned the right to be his father. You dreamed of a son, and now God wants to bless you with a family. There is no one to stand in the way of our happiness. We can go on with our lives as planned. Marry, and raise other sons and daughters besides. Abigail and Uncle Stephen cannot stop us, unless you remain unwilling to lay aside the past.”
He searched her face as though willing himself to believe. “You make it sound so simple,” he said.
“Simple? Certainly not. Only a courageous man could be so forgiving.”
At her challenge a mischievous gleam sparked in his eyes. “Ask any of my men. You’ll not find a braver soul anywhere in New England.”