A Forever Thing: A Contemporary Christian Romance NOVELLA Read online

  “Let me go.” Angie squirmed until Kelly had no choice but to release her. The girl might be petite, but she was strong.

  And just like that, Angie took off toward the house.

  Kelly and Tate both ran after her.

  Once again, they were met with the unmistakable sound of Angie as she slammed her bedroom door.

  This time, Kelly didn’t ignore her tirade. She crossed the room without hesitating, swung her door open, and stormed over to Angie sprawled across her bed, face down, crying. At the sound of her daughter’s cry, her anger slithered away. Her daughter pretended to be tough, but she wasn’t.

  Kelly sat down on the bed and tried to sooth Angie by rubbing comforting circles on her back. But Angie pulled away and huddled closer and closer to the wall.

  Her action felt like a slap. Kelly settled her hand on her lap. “Angie, what is going on? Please talk to me?”

  “Leave me alone,” Angie bellowed between sobs.

  Once again, Kelly felt completely helpless and inept to deal with her daughter. If only Brad was here. He would know what to do. Then again, if he was here, Angie wouldn’t be acting like this. Embarrassment at the state of her life swarmed over Kelly as her gaze slid to Tate. He stood in the middle of the door frame, watching them.

  Kelly didn’t know what to do. She didn’t dare leave Angie alone for fear she’d run away. Again. To make sure that didn’t happen, with a heavy heart, Kelly stood. She stopped at Angie’s door and looked up at Tate. “Time to get a hammer.”

  ♥ ♥ ♥

  A hammer? What was she going to do with a hammer? Tate followed Kelly into the kitchen. She rummaged through a large bottom drawer. Before he had a chance to say a word about the hammer, she stood, hammer in hand, along with a small canvas bag. “It’s time to remove her door and put these on the windows.” She raised the bag, and he wondered what was in it. Exhaustion lined her face, along with worry.

  It all threw Tate into a storm of concern. Had she done this before? Was her daughter truly a troubled child not just gripped by a sudden burst of pre-teen angst?

  Off duty now, he decided to find out and to see if there was anything he could do to help.

  Since the door was put in backwards by the previous owner or renters, Kelly stood in the hallway instead of inside Angie’s bedroom and began to pound on the door latch pin.

  At the first sound, Angie sat up, tears replaced by anger. “What are you doing?” she yelled and shot off of the bed. “Leave my door alone.”

  Kelly stopped. Fire flashed from her eyes even as a dark calm came over her voice. “What I should have done earlier. You know the routine.”

  Silently, Tate removed the hammer from her hand and went to work on removing the door.

  “You know the routine,” Kelly answered in a calm voice. What came next wouldn’t be pleasant.

  Angie ran over to her window, pressed her back against it, and splayed her arms and hands against the pane. “Not my windows.”

  “Yes, your windows.”

  “Great. Just great.” Angie anchored her arms over her chest. “First you take my phone away and now you’re taking my door away too.”

  Tate glanced up at Kelly. His heart went out to the woman. He’d hauled many a rebellious child to juvenile detention. Kids with chips on their shoulders. Kids who were out of control. Like Kelly’s daughter. He couldn’t believe how much the girl looked like her mother. Kelly hadn’t changed much. She was still petite. Her hair was still as blonde as it was growing up. The only thing different was her beautiful smile wasn’t there.

  “Yes, I am. And I’m putting alarms on all the windows again,” Kelly’s voice remained amazingly calm.

  Again? How many times had Kelly had to do this? Tate wondered as he removed another pin.

  “I know how to disarm them.” Angie stepped forward and sent her mother a defiant smirk.

  “Not these you don’t.” Kelly brushed past Angie and strode over to the window.

  While he continued to take the door off, Angie sat down on the edge of her bed, arms crossed, shaking her crossed leg, and glaring back and forth between him and Kelly. If it wasn’t so pathetic, Tate would laugh. But there was nothing funny about this situation. Kelly had a real problem on her hands.

  He removed the last pin, hoisted the door, and set it in the hallway.

  Kelly walked over to him. “Now to put these on the rest of the windows and doors.”

  More anger seethed at them from across the room.

  “What are those?” Tate asked.

  “Alarms. There is no way to disarm these.” She stepped out into the hallway, cupped the back of her hand near her mouth, and whispered, “If you know what you’re doing, there is. But Angie doesn’t know how to disarm them. Yet.” She sighed.

  Poor Kelly. Again, his heart went out to her. But it also went out to the little girl who was obviously troubled about something. Over the years of being a police officer, he’d discovered kids didn’t act like that without a reason. Whether that reason was real or imagined. “Where do you want this door?”

  “In the garage. But, I can get it. I’m used to carrying them.” She tipped her eyes, and there was no humor in her, only frustrated exhaustion.

  “Don’t worry about it. “I’ll put it away for you.” He put the door away in the garage and came back inside to find Kelly still in the hallway outside of Angie’s room. “You need help putting the rest of those on?” he asked, gazing down at the bag in her hand.

  “No. They only take a few minutes each.” She paused. He could tell she was contemplating something. “I’ll tell you what you can do. If you don’t mind, that is.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Keep an eye on her until I get done.” She jerked her head toward Angie’s room. “Last thing I need is for her to bolt out the front door.”

  He nodded and then went and sat down on the loveseat in the living room that gave him full view of the girl’s bedroom door straight at the end of the hall.

  Quietly, Angie peered out. When she spotted him, she rolled her eyes and stomped back into her room, flopped down on her belly with her hands at her side and her feet hanging partly off the bed.

  “Lord, I don’t know the whole story here, or what that girl’s problem is, but she’s reacting to something,” he whispered as Kelly went to work on the windows. “Something’s going on inside her that is manifesting itself on the outside. Only You know what that is. I’m asking You to heal that girl, Lord. And give Kelly the wisdom to know the right thing to do and to say. Give her the courage and the strength she needs to help her daughter.”

  “Amen.”

  Tate turned toward the sound of Kelly’s voice behind him.

  “Thank you for praying for Angie.” She glanced into her daughter’s room. The girl now laid curled up in a fetal position, and if Tate wasn’t mistaken, she was either asleep or acting like it.

  “Would you like some coffee or something to drink?” Kelly asked as she gathered up the hammer and pins. “I can fix you a cup of hot chocolate or tea or coffee if you’d rather have either one of them.”

  Bone tired, yet wanting to talk to Kelly, he decided to take her up on her offer. “Coffee, if you have some already made, that is.” He started to stand but she held her hand up.

  “I’ll get it, you stay sitting. You’ve got to be exhausted after trekking through those woods.” Her eyes closed, then rested on his. “I’m so sorry Angie caused everyone such trouble.”

  “Don’t you worry about that. That’s what we’re here for. To serve and to protect.” He smiled, hoping to see a smile on her worry-lined face.

  A long pause, she nodded then headed toward the kitchen. A minute or two later, she came back with a plate of cinnamon rolls and two cups of coffee. She rounded the loveseat and set the hot beverages on the coffee table in front of the loveseat. She handed him a paper plate with a poinsettia design and offered him a cinnamon roll. After he put one on his plate, she sat down on the lovesea
t. Now they both had a clear view of Angie’s room.

  “Hey, these are good,” he said around the bite in his mouth even as he worked to compose himself with her so near and now so much more like the Kelly he’d fallen in love with.

  She smiled. It was the first genuine one since he’d arrived. “Glad you like them. It’s my grandma’s recipe. There not as good as hers, but I try.”

  “Well, I’ve never had your grandma’s cinnamon rolls, but if yours aren’t as good as hers, I can only imagine how delicious hers are because these are excellent!” He took another bite and enjoyed the sweet cinnamon bread with walnuts and raisins and maple flavored icing on top. Halfway through, he clutched the candy cane coffee cup handle and smiled at the cartoon image of the little girl with her back to a large Christmas tree. She held a partially opened Christmas present behind her back while her mother looked down at her. The caption bubble above the mom read: Eve, are you opening your presents? The bubble above the little girl read: The serpent tempted me. He made me do it.

  “Cute.” He peered over the rim of his cup at Kelly.

  She held up hers for him to see.

  He chuckled at that one too.

  With a twisted smile and grimace, she said softly, “Brad bought these. You remember how much Brad loved Christmas. It was always his favorite time of the year. Mine too.” She sat back and took a sip. “I wish it was Angie’s.”

  “She doesn’t like Christmas?” That surprised him. “I thought all kids did?”

  “She used to. Before Brad died.”

  Tate wasn’t at all sure where the lines of friendship, duty, and propriety lay, but he wanted to know. “If you don’t mind me asking, what happened?”

  Kelly‘s eyes locked on Tate’s for a brief moment before she leaned forward and glanced down the end of the hall toward Angie’s room, the girl hadn’t moved an inch. When she looked back at him, he couldn’t mistake the sadness in her eyes. “He was killed on Christmas Eve three years ago by a truck driver who had driven several hours past his 12 hour driving quota. From the story I got, the guy was trying to get home to his family,” she barely said above a whisper. “Not sure I blame him, but…”

  Tate took Kelly’s hand in his. Her fingers curled around his like they had so many times before.

  “He dozed off at the wheel and hit Brad head on. Neither one of them made it.” Another quick glance at Angie’s room, and she continued. “That evening, Angie had mentioned how her friend had gotten an iPad and how she had prayed that God would give her one too. Brad spoiled Angie something awful. Whatever she wanted, she got. So even though it was late, and we’d technically gotten her everything on her wishlist, he headed out to the store to get her one.” Kelly looked away. “He never made it back. And Angie’s never been the same. I think she blames herself for his death.”

  It all made sense now. Why the little girl didn’t like Christmas, and why she acted up. False guilt was an ugly thing. He’d watched many a kid head down the wrong path because of it and other lies just like it. Well, he wouldn’t let another. Especially Brad and Kelly’s child. He would do whatever he could to help Angie. To help Kelly. Besides, he’d lost Kelly once. To Brad. He wasn’t going to watch Kelly lose someone else she loved. Not if he could help it.

  ♥ ♥ ♥

  Kelly couldn’t believe how comfortable she felt with Tate. As if the years had rolled away, and they were still two best friends, hanging out in her living room, sharing their lives. That is, until… Her gaze came up to Tate’s. “Tate, do you mind if I ask you something?”

  “No, not at all.” He set his empty plate on the coffee table. “What is it?”

  “How come you and I never got together?”

  The surprise was there in his eyes, if only for a moment. But it was there just the same.

  He sighed and a look of calm acceptance came over his face. “Because I didn’t think you wanted to. Then you started going with Brad, and I wasn’t going to do anything to hurt my two best friends.”

  The truth seared into the soft spot in her heart. If only she would have known. But it didn’t matter now. She had fallen in love with Brad. Completely and totally. “Did you ever marry?” she asked with a quick glance at his ring finger and before she picked up her cup and took a sip of her caramel vanilla cream coffee. He picked up her hand again.

  “No.” His dark brown eyes zoned in on hers. “There was never anyone who could take your place in my heart.”

  Shock snapped into her. “What do you mean? Are you saying what I think you’re saying? That you… That you loved me?”

  “Mom, what’s he still doing here?” Angie’s petulant voice cut right through the moment.

  As if it were a hot coal, Kelly let go of Tate’s hand and shot off the couch.

  Guilt flushed her face and she felt like a child who’d been caught doing something they weren’t supposed to.

  Angie stood there with her arms crossed. She tapped her foot and glared at Kelly and Tate.

  It took effort, but Kelly drew in a long steady breath to compose herself. “Angie, you will not use that tone with me. And you will apologize to Officer Baker.”

  “For what?” Angie tossed him a defiant, disgusted look.

  Kelly inwardly cringed. She ran out of things to say to her daughter. Nothing she tried helped. In fact, Angie was getting worse. Lord, help me out here.

  “Angie.” Tate stood and walked over to her. Angie’s arms fell to her side and trepidation replaced her defiant look. At six-foot plus and in that uniform, he could be quite intimidating. “The truth is, I’m leaving now. But… I want you to know that I’ll be back to check on you.”

  “I don’t need anyone checking up on me.” The defiant look was back and darker now. “And you’re not welcome here.”

  “Angie!” Kelly screeched, mortified by her daughter’s behavior. In three strides, she clutched Angie by the upper arm to take her to her bedroom and give her a good tongue lashing, but she’d only taken one step when Angie said, “You see that, Officer Baker? That’s child abuse. I want to file a report and have her arrested.” She pointed her thumb at Kelly.

  Kelly’s gaze flew up to Tate’s. Angie had done a lot of things to undermine her, but nothing as extreme as this.

  “Arrest her, Officer Baker. You’re a witness. Ow. You’re hurting me!”

  Hurting her? She barely had ahold of her arm.

  Why would her daughter say that?

  Where did she get these ideas from?

  Her friends?

  Television?

  Where?

  Stunned speechless, Kelly could only stare at this stranger she called her daughter.

  “Okay.” He shrugged and reached for the handcuffs. “If that’s what you want.”

  Life felt like it had dunked her in the surreal tank as Kelly blinked at him. “You’re….you’re not serious.”

  “I have no choice, ma’am.” While Angie stared Kelly down with a smirk of pure satisfaction, Tate sent Kelly a discreet wink. “Mrs. Larkin, you’re under arrest. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have a right to an attorney. If you can’t afford one…”

  Kelly listened as he read her the Miranda Rights and wondered where he was going with this. When he finished, his attention shifted to Angie. “I’ll have to take you in, too, Miss Larkin. While your mom is sitting in a cold jail cell with other prisoners who have done only who knows what to get there, we can find a nice foster care family who will take you in. So, you need to go pack your bags. You won’t be coming back anytime soon, especially if the courts find your mother guilty. She’ll have to pay a hefty fine and spend some time in jail.”

  Ducking, Kelly hid her smile at Angie’s descending mouth and blinking eyes. She wasn’t sure if this was true police procedure or not, but neither did Angie. She did know, Tate was off duty now. Not that police officers didn’t arrest people while off duty, they did, but once again, Angie didn’t k
now that. That’s probably why he was doing what he was doing.

  Kelly decided to go along with him. “I’m ready, Officer.” She turned around, put her hands behind her back, and peered over her shoulder at Tate who stood right in her line of vision. “Go ahead and cuff me.”

  Tate clicked one side of the handcuffs open and reached for Kelly’s wrist.

  “No!” Angie blurted. “I…I… She… she didn’t really abuse me. Mom didn’t hurt me at all.” She rolled up her sleeve. “See. There isn’t even a bruise or a mark or anything.”

  Tate leaned over and took his time inspecting Angie’s arm. “I don’t know. It looks pretty red to me.” He stood up straight. “I’m afraid I’m going to have to take you in, Mrs. Larkin.”

  Angie’s eyes widened, she twisted her arm, and studied the spot Tate had just inspected. “What? I don’t see any red. See.” She held her arm out for him to inspect again.

  “Well, I did.” He sighed. “I’m sorry, Angie, but based on the evidence, I’m going to have to arrest your mom and take her to jail. I sure hate to do this because she’ll be locked up with other bad people who have done some really bad things to other people. But,” he shrugged. “I don’t have any other choice.”

  “No. No.” Angie shook her head. “I don’t want you to arrest her. Please, Officer Baker. Don’t take my mom. I don’t want her to be locked up with other bad people who might hurt her. I don’t want her to go.” Angie threw her arms around Kelly and looked up at Tate with pleading eyes. “Please, let her go. Please.” She clung so hard that Kelly nearly lost her balance backward. She wanted to loosen Angie’s arms, but even if the hug was a little bit too tight, it felt nice. Painful, but nice. After all, it had been a long time since Angie had put her arms around her.

  Tate squatted down in front of Angie, and his eyes zoned in on hers. “Angie, you’ve made some pretty serious accusations here. Accusations that have some serious and really tough consequences for both you and your mother. I’ll let it go this time, for your sake, if,” he emphasized the word if. “If you promise me you will never falsely accuse your mother of abuse again. Notice I said falsely.” He did a quick glance up at Kelly, then back down at Angie. “Then I won’t arrest her this time. But, if you accuse her again even if you admit that she hasn’t done anything to harm you, I will have no choice but to arrest her and take her to jail and you to a foster home. So what do you say? Do I have your word?”