[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
.A few tears meandered down her cheeks and for a moment she allowed herself to picture a ten-year old girl twirling about by the picnic table in a pair of shorts and a pink T-shirt.Her long, brown hair swung around, and her laughter, Kallie’s laughter, filled the air.It was the best vision she’d ever had of Kallie—one she’d keep tucked away in her heart.“Kam!” Johanna called.Holden started to release her, but she held his arms firmly around her.When Kam looked up, the largest smile in recorded history bloomed on his face.He abandoned the cart and ran toward them, throwing his arms around Johanna’s waist.Kam was a first rate hugger, but Johanna felt this embrace reach deeper than any hug he’d ever given her.He stepped back and tossed a glance between Johanna and Holden.“I wondered when you guys were going to stop sneaking around.”“You little punk.” Johanna reached out to grab him, but he skittered away.“Holden and Mom have sweaty hands, sweaty hands, sweaty hands,” Kam sang as he hopped down the steps and jumped around in the yard.“What is all the noise out here about?” Ted pushed open the screen door with his crutch.“Mom and Holden like each other!” Kam yelled.Ted let loose a low chuckle.“No crap, kid.Tell me something I don’t know.”Kam fell over into the grass, laughter shaking his small body.“Well, I guess there’s no harm in doing this then.” In a swift move, Holden dipped Johanna low and planted a wet, sloppy, noisy kiss directly on her lips.Ted and Kam hooted and cheered, but Johanna almost didn’t hear them over the thumping of her heart.A thumping Holden caused every time he got close, touched her, looked at her.Kam stepped back onto the porch.“This doesn’t mean you can get all kissy during my party.” He pointed a scolding finger at Johanna and Holden.“My friends don’t want to see that kind of stuff.”“Yes, sir.” Holden saluted him.“We’ll behave.” He grabbed Kam around the waist and hoisted him in the air.He let him dangle over the porch railing, and Johanna was impressed with Holden’s ability to hang onto a wiggling eighty-pound boy.Holden set Kam down when Johanna mentioned the boy’s face appeared ready to explode.Red-cheeked and still laughing, Kam righted his bunched up camouflage T-shirt and twisted shorts.He looked at the watch Ted had given him that morning for his birthday, one with a compass and calculator, and pushed Johanna toward her purse on the porch bench.“C’mon,” he said.“We’d better go visit Dad.”He set off for the Bronco, and Johanna glanced at Holden.“I promised Alex I’d bring Kam by so he could wish him a happy birthday in person.” Johanna looked down to her sneakers.Holden lifted her chin so she’d look at him.“You don’t owe me an explanation, Johanna.He’s Kam’s father.He has a right to see him.”“My son gave up his rights when he acted like a dumbass.” Ted let the screen door slam shut as he retreated back into the house.“Ted hasn’t exactly forgiven Alex.”“Kam told me why he got arrested.He believes his father is a good man.” Holden looked in the direction of where Kam had run off.“He must be if he contributed to that kid of yours.Good begets good.”“Alex is a good man.He just…acted like a dumbass, as Ted said.He got wrapped up in bad decisions.Decisions that cost him his freedom and Kallie her life.” Johanna sifted out a long breath.“I’d better get Kam over there so we can be back in time for the party.” What she meant was, I’d better keep my distance from you, Holden Lancaster, before you hurt me too.She grabbed her purse from the bench and headed down the stairs.“Johanna?”When she turned around, Holden was sitting on one of the porch steps.“I promise never to act like a dumbass.You have my word.”She pointed a finger at him.“You better remember you said that.”And I’d better not be a dumbass for believing you.****Waiting to see Alex took forever.Was it because Johanna didn’t really want to see him today? Was it because Kam talked about Holden the entire time they sat in the waiting area? Was it because a mega-dose of guilt was attacking her system?You have nothing to be guilty about.Alex divorced her when he got sentenced to prison.She had been willing to stick it out, but he had insisted on giving her freedom back.She hadn’t done a damn thing with that freedom.Until meeting Holden.And Holy Hell, she wanted to go wild with him.When Alex finally shuffled into the visiting room, Kam and Johanna were immediately on their feet.“What happened, Dad?” Kam sat when the guard gave him a stern look.Alex didn’t answer until the door closed.“Don’t worry about it.”“Alex, your eye and cheek look terrible.” Johanna sat and stared at the dark purple, almost black bruises around Alex’s left eye and along his left cheek.It looked as if he had on Halloween make-up.The area around his eye was swollen, almost hiding his actual eye completely.“There was a small issue in my cell two nights ago.” He looked at Johanna with his good eye, then glanced at Kam.Okay, not a topic discussable in front of the kid.“You’re okay?” she asked instead.“It’ll be fine.” Not I’ll be fine.He managed a lopsided smile at Kam.“So, are you all ready for your party, birthday boy?”“Yes,” Kam said slowly, still focusing on Alex’s bruising.They’d never seen Alex in such a condition [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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.A few tears meandered down her cheeks and for a moment she allowed herself to picture a ten-year old girl twirling about by the picnic table in a pair of shorts and a pink T-shirt.Her long, brown hair swung around, and her laughter, Kallie’s laughter, filled the air.It was the best vision she’d ever had of Kallie—one she’d keep tucked away in her heart.“Kam!” Johanna called.Holden started to release her, but she held his arms firmly around her.When Kam looked up, the largest smile in recorded history bloomed on his face.He abandoned the cart and ran toward them, throwing his arms around Johanna’s waist.Kam was a first rate hugger, but Johanna felt this embrace reach deeper than any hug he’d ever given her.He stepped back and tossed a glance between Johanna and Holden.“I wondered when you guys were going to stop sneaking around.”“You little punk.” Johanna reached out to grab him, but he skittered away.“Holden and Mom have sweaty hands, sweaty hands, sweaty hands,” Kam sang as he hopped down the steps and jumped around in the yard.“What is all the noise out here about?” Ted pushed open the screen door with his crutch.“Mom and Holden like each other!” Kam yelled.Ted let loose a low chuckle.“No crap, kid.Tell me something I don’t know.”Kam fell over into the grass, laughter shaking his small body.“Well, I guess there’s no harm in doing this then.” In a swift move, Holden dipped Johanna low and planted a wet, sloppy, noisy kiss directly on her lips.Ted and Kam hooted and cheered, but Johanna almost didn’t hear them over the thumping of her heart.A thumping Holden caused every time he got close, touched her, looked at her.Kam stepped back onto the porch.“This doesn’t mean you can get all kissy during my party.” He pointed a scolding finger at Johanna and Holden.“My friends don’t want to see that kind of stuff.”“Yes, sir.” Holden saluted him.“We’ll behave.” He grabbed Kam around the waist and hoisted him in the air.He let him dangle over the porch railing, and Johanna was impressed with Holden’s ability to hang onto a wiggling eighty-pound boy.Holden set Kam down when Johanna mentioned the boy’s face appeared ready to explode.Red-cheeked and still laughing, Kam righted his bunched up camouflage T-shirt and twisted shorts.He looked at the watch Ted had given him that morning for his birthday, one with a compass and calculator, and pushed Johanna toward her purse on the porch bench.“C’mon,” he said.“We’d better go visit Dad.”He set off for the Bronco, and Johanna glanced at Holden.“I promised Alex I’d bring Kam by so he could wish him a happy birthday in person.” Johanna looked down to her sneakers.Holden lifted her chin so she’d look at him.“You don’t owe me an explanation, Johanna.He’s Kam’s father.He has a right to see him.”“My son gave up his rights when he acted like a dumbass.” Ted let the screen door slam shut as he retreated back into the house.“Ted hasn’t exactly forgiven Alex.”“Kam told me why he got arrested.He believes his father is a good man.” Holden looked in the direction of where Kam had run off.“He must be if he contributed to that kid of yours.Good begets good.”“Alex is a good man.He just…acted like a dumbass, as Ted said.He got wrapped up in bad decisions.Decisions that cost him his freedom and Kallie her life.” Johanna sifted out a long breath.“I’d better get Kam over there so we can be back in time for the party.” What she meant was, I’d better keep my distance from you, Holden Lancaster, before you hurt me too.She grabbed her purse from the bench and headed down the stairs.“Johanna?”When she turned around, Holden was sitting on one of the porch steps.“I promise never to act like a dumbass.You have my word.”She pointed a finger at him.“You better remember you said that.”And I’d better not be a dumbass for believing you.****Waiting to see Alex took forever.Was it because Johanna didn’t really want to see him today? Was it because Kam talked about Holden the entire time they sat in the waiting area? Was it because a mega-dose of guilt was attacking her system?You have nothing to be guilty about.Alex divorced her when he got sentenced to prison.She had been willing to stick it out, but he had insisted on giving her freedom back.She hadn’t done a damn thing with that freedom.Until meeting Holden.And Holy Hell, she wanted to go wild with him.When Alex finally shuffled into the visiting room, Kam and Johanna were immediately on their feet.“What happened, Dad?” Kam sat when the guard gave him a stern look.Alex didn’t answer until the door closed.“Don’t worry about it.”“Alex, your eye and cheek look terrible.” Johanna sat and stared at the dark purple, almost black bruises around Alex’s left eye and along his left cheek.It looked as if he had on Halloween make-up.The area around his eye was swollen, almost hiding his actual eye completely.“There was a small issue in my cell two nights ago.” He looked at Johanna with his good eye, then glanced at Kam.Okay, not a topic discussable in front of the kid.“You’re okay?” she asked instead.“It’ll be fine.” Not I’ll be fine.He managed a lopsided smile at Kam.“So, are you all ready for your party, birthday boy?”“Yes,” Kam said slowly, still focusing on Alex’s bruising.They’d never seen Alex in such a condition [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]