Page 68 of Just One Kiss

"I was responsible for the ball, but you were the one who painted happy faces all over his stone patio."

"It washed right off, and I thought he should think about smiling more." she said defensively. "But I got grounded for a week."

"Because you didn't realize he had a security camera in his backyard."

"That was a mistake," she conceded. "However, I'm fairly sure I told you my idea beforehand and you loved it."

"I loved you," he said, the words spilling out of his mouth before he could stop them.

She jerked, surprise and wariness filling her pretty brown gaze. "Don't—don't say things like that."

"It's the truth. I didn't actually mean to say it, but it's not a lie. You were the first girl I loved."

"But not the last," she said sharply.

He actually wanted her to be the last, but she was already rattled by what he'd just said. "Who knows who'll be the last?" he murmured.

She stared back at him. "You don't have to hang out. Brett and I can finish the tree together."

"No way. I want to see the end results. My lights are on there. I'm part of it."

"Fine. You can stay, but no more talk of the past."

"Deal. How do you feel about tinsel?"

"What?"

"Tinsel or garlands? It's usually one or the other, but I don't see either in your boxes."

"We never used tinsel or garlands. We had a dog when I was little—Tiger. He would either eat the tinsel or pull the garlands down, so we just stopped putting them on. It was all about the ornaments."

"Is Tiger in heaven?" Brett asked.

"He is," Hannah admitted.

"Stormy is in heaven, too." Brett said. "He's with my dad. Mommy says they can still see us. Daddy knows when I'm being good. He's proud of me."

Hannah gave her nephew a sweet, tender smile. "I'm sure he's always proud of you, honey."

"He liked me a lot," Brett added. His expression shifted. "Russ liked me a lot, too."

Hannah stiffened, shooting him a quick look.

He was as surprised by Brett's comment as she was. From what they'd learned about Kelly's boyfriend, Russ, it didn't seem like he was a good guy or a man who would like children.

"He said he'd always protect me and Mommy," Brett continued. "We didn't have to be afraid. He would take care of us."

"Do you know where Russ is?" Hannah asked carefully.

"He's camping. He's going to catch a big fish. Mommy said he had to stay and wait for the fish to come. I wanted to wait with him, but she said we couldn't." He paused. "Can we turn the lights on now?"

"We're just about there," Hannah said. "We need to put some ornaments on the top of the tree first."

Jake jumped to his feet. "That's my cue." For the next few minutes, he filled out the tip-top of the tree while Hannah worked on the middle, and Brett gave them suggestions on where to put the ornaments. They ended their decorating when he placed a beautiful angel on top of the highest branch. "Now we're done," he said. "Hannah, do you want to do the honors?"

"They're your lights. Go for it. But wait—let me turn off the lights in the room."

As Hannah darkened the room, he hit the switch and the tree lit up. Brett's expression of amazement made Jake's heart flip over in his chest. They'd created a magical moment for this little boy, and in light of everything going on in his life, that was a very good thing.

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