A Forever Thing: A Contemporary Christian Romance NOVELLA Read Online Free PDF

fault for not paying attention.”
    She sat silently and allowed that to sink in.
    After a moment, Angie sat back. Dawning lit across her face. “It… it wasn’t my fault. I didn’t kill Daddy. That other driver did because he fell asleep when he shouldn’t have, right?”
    “You tell me.”
    Angie nodded and swiped at her tears. She started to wipe her nose on her shirt sleeve but stopped. She smiled up at Kelly, crawled over to her nightstand, plucked out several tissues from the box, and scurried back over to Kelly.
    When she finished blowing her nose and wiping her eyes, she gazed up at Kelly again. “I like him, Mom.”
    “Who?”
    “Officer Baker.”
    “Oh?”
    “Do you?” Was that hope she saw in her daughter’s eyes?
    “Yes, I do. Tate… Officer Baker, is a very dear friend.” A friend she and Brad had lost contact with once they’d moved to California. A fact she regretted.
    “Do you think he likes you too?” Angie asked.
    Kelly shrugged. Where was Angie going with this? “I think so.”
    Angie nodded and chewed on her thumb nail.
    “Why do you ask that?”
    “Will you ever get married again, Mom?”
    Confused by Angie’s line of questions, Kelly scrambled to find the right words. If she said yes, would Angie be angry? And if she said no… She exhaled. “I don’t think so, baby. I think my heart will always belong to your father.”
     
    ♥ ♥ ♥
     
    Tate backed away from the door as his dream of winning Kelly’s heart shattered. He quietly made his way to the front door, put on his coat, and slipped out into the night, and headed home. He hated leaving like that, but he had no way of hiding his real feelings if she decided to come out of that room, which she would have eventually.
    Minutes later, his cellphone rang. He didn’t recognize the number, so he let it go to his voice mail. A double chime indicated they’d left a message.
    At the front door of his home across town, he slipped the key into the lock, stepped inside, and flipped on the light switch. No cheery Christmas music greeted him like it had at Kelly’s. No warm fire or bright lights flashed to whatever Christmas tune played. No Christmas decorations or fresh pine scented tree. Only a small nativity on one of his end tables. The smallest of reminders of what Christmas was really all about.
    He tossed his keys and cellphone onto the kitchen counter and made a K-cup pod of plain coffee in his Keurig brewing system. He sat down in his recliner, sipping his coffee and wishing things were different. Wishing he could be at Kelly’s with her and Angie, but that wasn’t going to ever happen. Kelly’s words had seen to that.
    Whenever something bothered him, he prayed and read his Bible. So true to how he’d always dealt with life, he reached over and picked up his well-worn Bible. On his lap, he let it fall open. Although he read the words, tonight none penetrated the melancholy in his soul. His mind simply wouldn’t let go of Kelly’s image. Or Angie’s. The little girl had stolen his heart, right along with her mother.
    His doorbell rang, and he looked up at it in puzzled surprise.
    Who could that be?
    Tate put his Bible back onto the end table. He slowly made his way to the door, hoping whoever was there would go away and leave him alone. He didn’t feel like company. The bell rang again. His mind scrambled for a way to get rid of the person without offending them. Nothing came by the time he opened the door.
    For one second, when the door revealed the surprise arrivals, his heart stopped beating.
    There, bundled in winter coats, hats, scarves, and gloves and gazing up at him, stood Kelly and Angie. Red cheeks and all.
    “Are you okay, Officer Baker? Mom and I were worried. Why did you leave without saying goodbye?” Worry creased Angie’s forehead.
    Instantly he felt bad for causing it.
    Guilt pressed in on him. Within seconds, he tugged them inside, and pulled Angie into his arms. “I’m sorry, Angie. I had to