his heart all lit up inside. “You and your mother could be sisters.”
“I don’t know about that.” Hannah giggled from across the room, her eyes shining with pride. “But there’s no doubt you’ll be the prettiest girl at the dance.”
Tanner put an arm around Jenny and squeezed her shoulders.“Ty’s at baseball practice, but he says hi. Oh, and not to worry. He’ll miss his game the day of your graduation.” He winked at Matt. “Thanks for letting us share your day.”
Jenny glowed under the attention and adoration, and Matt couldn’t help but feel his heart swell. Some days it seemed like only yesterday when he burst into Jenny’s room and found her nearly dead, bottles of pills spilled around the bed from her attempted suicide. Watching her now, tall and lean, with the curves of a young woman, it was hard to believe four years had passed since that awful time.
The distance Jenny had come since then was a race that could only have been run with God, and Matt was most thankful for Jenny’s faith. A faith that added an angelic glow to her considerable beauty.
Matt pulled Jenny aside before her date arrived and took her hands. “You’ll be the most beautiful girl at the dance.” He kissed her cheek. “I want you to know how proud I am of you.”
“Thanks.” Jenny’s eyes were watery and she smiled. There was a gentle silence between them, and Jenny’s face grew serious. “A long time ago I asked you whether you loved my mom, remember?”
Matt felt his expression soften. “Yes. Outside the jail. After the verdict against the drunk driver.”
“Right.” Jenny blinked and two tears left tracks across her made-up cheeks. She dabbed at them and laughed at herself. “I wasn’t going to cry.”
Matt reached for a tissue and handed it to her. Then he told her the same thing he’d always said when her losses seemed overwhelming, when tears overflowed the walls around her heart: “Tears are okay, Jenny. They mean you’re breathing.”
She smiled and nodded. “Anyway,” her gaze met his, and he could see how much of the little girl had faded from her face thesepast years. “I’m glad the answer was yes. You’ve made my mom so happy. And you’ve made us a family again.” She sniffed, her eyes more serious than before. “Maybe … maybe I don’t say it enough, but I love you, Matt. You may not be my daddy, but you’re my father. I think of you that way more than you know.”
Matt hugged her tightly. There would be other times like this … the day he would walk Jenny down the aisle in place of the dad she’d lost, the day she would have her firstborn.
But this day, this moment, would remain in the treasure chest of his memory forever. Her feelings for him were more of a gift than she knew, and it took him a moment to find his voice. “I love you, too, honey. You’ll always be my oldest girl.”
He wondered about Grace then, about raising a little girl who had suffered so little love in her early years. “I hope Grace grows up to be just like you.” He grinned at Jenny and reached for his camera. “Come on. Your mom’s waiting. I think she wants about a million pictures.”
By the time the hearing for Grace’s mother arrived two days later, Hannah had the photographs of Jenny’s night developed and in a scrapbook. In fact, she was more organized than she’d been in years. Anything to pass the time.
Matt and Jenny both stayed home with Hannah that morning, each of them silently finding ways to keep busy. Hannah pictured the courtroom somewhere on the other side of the Santa Monica Mountains and imagined what stage the proceedings might be at.
Do any of them know what’s at stake?
At eleven o’clock the phone rang. Hannah stared at it while Matt and Jenny hurried in from other parts of the house. Her heart pounded as she reached for the receiver. “Hello?”
“Mrs. Bronzan?”
“Yes?”
“This is Mrs. Parsons from Social Services.” She hesitated while Hannah
“I don’t know about that.” Hannah giggled from across the room, her eyes shining with pride. “But there’s no doubt you’ll be the prettiest girl at the dance.”
Tanner put an arm around Jenny and squeezed her shoulders.“Ty’s at baseball practice, but he says hi. Oh, and not to worry. He’ll miss his game the day of your graduation.” He winked at Matt. “Thanks for letting us share your day.”
Jenny glowed under the attention and adoration, and Matt couldn’t help but feel his heart swell. Some days it seemed like only yesterday when he burst into Jenny’s room and found her nearly dead, bottles of pills spilled around the bed from her attempted suicide. Watching her now, tall and lean, with the curves of a young woman, it was hard to believe four years had passed since that awful time.
The distance Jenny had come since then was a race that could only have been run with God, and Matt was most thankful for Jenny’s faith. A faith that added an angelic glow to her considerable beauty.
Matt pulled Jenny aside before her date arrived and took her hands. “You’ll be the most beautiful girl at the dance.” He kissed her cheek. “I want you to know how proud I am of you.”
“Thanks.” Jenny’s eyes were watery and she smiled. There was a gentle silence between them, and Jenny’s face grew serious. “A long time ago I asked you whether you loved my mom, remember?”
Matt felt his expression soften. “Yes. Outside the jail. After the verdict against the drunk driver.”
“Right.” Jenny blinked and two tears left tracks across her made-up cheeks. She dabbed at them and laughed at herself. “I wasn’t going to cry.”
Matt reached for a tissue and handed it to her. Then he told her the same thing he’d always said when her losses seemed overwhelming, when tears overflowed the walls around her heart: “Tears are okay, Jenny. They mean you’re breathing.”
She smiled and nodded. “Anyway,” her gaze met his, and he could see how much of the little girl had faded from her face thesepast years. “I’m glad the answer was yes. You’ve made my mom so happy. And you’ve made us a family again.” She sniffed, her eyes more serious than before. “Maybe … maybe I don’t say it enough, but I love you, Matt. You may not be my daddy, but you’re my father. I think of you that way more than you know.”
Matt hugged her tightly. There would be other times like this … the day he would walk Jenny down the aisle in place of the dad she’d lost, the day she would have her firstborn.
But this day, this moment, would remain in the treasure chest of his memory forever. Her feelings for him were more of a gift than she knew, and it took him a moment to find his voice. “I love you, too, honey. You’ll always be my oldest girl.”
He wondered about Grace then, about raising a little girl who had suffered so little love in her early years. “I hope Grace grows up to be just like you.” He grinned at Jenny and reached for his camera. “Come on. Your mom’s waiting. I think she wants about a million pictures.”
By the time the hearing for Grace’s mother arrived two days later, Hannah had the photographs of Jenny’s night developed and in a scrapbook. In fact, she was more organized than she’d been in years. Anything to pass the time.
Matt and Jenny both stayed home with Hannah that morning, each of them silently finding ways to keep busy. Hannah pictured the courtroom somewhere on the other side of the Santa Monica Mountains and imagined what stage the proceedings might be at.
Do any of them know what’s at stake?
At eleven o’clock the phone rang. Hannah stared at it while Matt and Jenny hurried in from other parts of the house. Her heart pounded as she reached for the receiver. “Hello?”
“Mrs. Bronzan?”
“Yes?”
“This is Mrs. Parsons from Social Services.” She hesitated while Hannah
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