Read Online Changing Her Heart by Gail Sattler - Free Book Online Page A

hand he was holding a gentle squeeze, just to remind her that they were still connected. “Should I leave, too?”
    Lacey’s voice came out as a rough whisper. “I don’t know.”
    At least she was being honest, which for now was the best he could hope for.
    â€œI’m still the same person as before, you know.”
    â€œI’m sure you are, but now I see that I don’t know that person. This is so hard for me. You probably have a good idea what kind of things I’ve seen between Eric and Susan because of his drinking.”
    Over the past six years, that was exactly the reason he hadn’t become involved in a relationship, but from the other side of the fence. He didn’t want to be the one who would hurt the other person with his obsessive behavior. However, in offering to help Eric, he realized how far he’d come. He never had any hesitations about helping a stranger, but it was taking a lot of inner strength to step forward in a situation where he couldn’t be just an anonymous mentor. This was personal, and he had something personal at stake.
    â€œYou’ve got to remember that I’m different than Eric.”
    She paused and drew in a shuddering breath. “It’s not just Eric who drinks too much. My father drank, too. He died in a car accident when he was the one who was the drunk driver. Now I know why you knew so much at the booth in the mall. You’re one of them.”
    If Randy didn’t feel sick enough before, he felt worse now. He wanted to say he wasn’t that bad, but he had been. There were many times he’d been out drinking and driving, and many times that he’d come very close to an accident. It was only by the grace of God that he hadn’t killed someone else, or himself.
    His mind reeled at the foggy memories of the one accident he’d been in, even though he wasn’t the driver. It had been his twenty-fifth birthday. He’d been out to party with the guys from work, drinking more than anyone else, justifying it because it was his birthday. Randy knew he shouldn’t drive, so Karl had offered to drive him home. One minute, they were laughing like idiots, and the next minute everything went black. In the end, Randy only had minor injuries, but Karl never woke up. That day had been the last time he’d had a drink.
    â€œPlease, believe me. Those days are gone for me. I don’t ever want to go there again. An addiction can be hard to overcome, but not impossible. I can’t say it often enough that God’s grace has saved me, in more ways than I can count.”
    She stared at him, not saying a word.
    â€œI want Eric to quit drinking and get to know God the same way I did. But in order for that to happen, it takes a lot of people, and a lot of support. Eric is going to need Susan behind him more than ever, and with everything going on, and all the changes, Susan’s going to need you, too. In order to be of the most help, it’s going to take a lot of commitment from both of us, and that means we’re going to be seeing a lot of each other. We’ll have to work together to help both Eric and Susan. That’s the only way this is going to happen.”
    He waited for what felt like an eternity for Lacey’s response.
    â€œOkay,” she whispered.
    What Randy really wanted to do was pull Lacey close and hold her to him, which was strange because he’d never been a huggy type of person. He couldn’t remember his mother ever hugging him, and certainly not his father. The last person who’d hugged him was Bob’s mother on his twenty-sixth birthday, the one-year anniversary of Karl’s death. He didn’t know why it had happened, but at the time he’d burst into tears. He hadn’t even cried at Karl’s funeral. He’d felt like an idiot, but Bob’s mother hadn’t minded. Instead, she’d hugged him tighter, which only made him fall apart