Page 29 of Just One Kiss

She gave her mom a long, pointed look. "You have to find a way to forgive her. Not just for her sake, but for yours. It's important for your recovery."

Pain filled her mother's eyes. "You're right."

"I am?"

"Yes. It's difficult for me to admit that I took my grief out on Kelly. But I didn't kick her out of the house. She left. I tried to find her, and I couldn't."

She was glad to see her mom taking some responsibility, but there was still a lot of defensiveness in her answer. "You didn't try that hard to find her. You couldn't, because you were drinking all the time. You fell apart after she left. You were wasted by four in the afternoon. I know you think you tried, but you didn't."

Hurt filled her mom's eyes. "You can be so harsh, Hannah."

The criticism stung. Maybe she was harsh when it came to her mom's alcoholism, but there was a part of her that hadn't yet been able to forgive her mother for everything that had happened to her. And she knew she had to follow her own advice and find a way, but today wasn't about them.

"Let's focus on what's happening now. Have you ever heard from Kelly? Has she ever sent a postcard, dropped you a text? Have any of her friends' mothers told you they know something about her life?"

"She has never reached out to me or my friends. I'm sure if she was going to contact someone in the family, it would be you or Tyler."

She'd tried calling her brother earlier, but she hadn't reached him yet. Hopefully, he'd call soon. "I've never heard from her. I don't think Tyler has, either."

"Well, there you go. Kelly doesn't give a damn about any of us until she needs something."

In this instance, it was difficult to argue with her mother, although she could tell her mom that the apple didn't fall far from the tree, because her mom tended to take a lot more than she gave.

"I have to go," her mom said, getting to her feet.

She stood up, surprised by her mom's words. "Go? Just like that? I need your help."

"To do what?"

"Don’t you want to meet your grandson?"

Indecision played through her mom's eyes. "You said he's asleep."

"You could peek in."

"I—I don't think I can." Her mother shook her head. "Kelly really hurt me, Hannah."

"Kelly did, but Brett didn't."

Her mom swallowed hard. "I'm just afraid, Hannah. I don't want to go back into the past. I've finally gotten to a good place in my life. You know how hard I've battled to get here."

"Which means you're strong enough to deal with this now," she said, wishing desperately that for once her mom would step up and be the strong one. Maybe she just didn't have it in her.

"Well, perhaps I could do it later today or tomorrow. I need a little time. I have to meet Marty now. We have things to do before the carnival."

"So do I."

"I'm sure your coworkers will cover for you," her mom said, dismissing her comment with an airy wave, as she practically ran toward the door. "I'll see you later."

Her mom was out of the house before she could get another word out.

Shaking her head, she walked quietly up the stairs to check on Brett. He was still asleep in her guest room, a small figure protected by pillows on either side of him as he lay in the middle of the queen-sized bed. His cheeks were rosy red, and he was the picture of innocence. He had no idea what was going on his life and how bad it might get.

An overwhelming feeling of protectiveness swept through her. Brett might not have his mother or his grandmother, but he had his aunt, and she would take care of him. She would give him everything he needed and more. He deserved nothing less.

But she still felt a little alone in her resolve. She wished her mother had stayed. She wished her brother would call her back. She even missed Jake, which was the craziest feeling of all, and one she could not allow to seep into her soul.

She'd had such a hard time getting over him when she was seventeen. She'd probably cried for a year straight. Every time she'd thought about him, she'd been filled with a deep pain that came from her soul. It shouldn't have hurt so much. It should have just been her first teenage heartbreak, but the feelings had lasted long beyond her teen years. And now, when she'd finally gotten to a good place, those emotions were coming back.

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