Christmas With The Houstons (Acceptance #4) by D. Kelly Read Free Book Online Page B

and where she wants them to go when she goes to heaven.”
    “Oh. Did she give them to me? She always said what’s hers is mine.”
    “We won’t know that for a few days. The court will review all of her paperwork and decide when you can have it.”
    “Will I stay here until then? With Hannah and Mrs. Robinson?”
    “No, sweetie, probably not.”
    “Oh,” she replies sadly and lies down on me, her head propped on my stomach. Jaxson chooses that moment to kick and Mia giggles.
    “Your baby kicked me!”
    “He does that a lot. He likes to kick his daddy, too.”
    “He’s lucky. His mommy and daddy are here and not in heaven.”
    Her eyes grow solemn and she carefully considers her words.
    “April, am I going to heaven, too?”
    Her words bring tears to my eyes but I blink them back. She can’t see me get emotional.
    “Someday, when you’ve lived a long life and you have grandkids of your own, I’m sure you will go to heaven. Not before, though, because you have a whole life to live first.”
    “Do you want to see Tank?”
    Tank makes me think of Jake and Luvbug and puts a natural smile on my face.
    “I’d love to see Tank. What is he?”
    “You’ll see,” she says, laughing as she runs inside the house.
    A minute later, she’s back out on the porch clutching the polar bear from the mall.
    “This is my bear, Tank,” she says as she wiggles him back and forth in front of my face.
    What are the odds her polar bear is named Tank? It’s not a really common name. At least I don’t think it is.
    “Nice to meet you, Tank.”
    “Nice to meet you, too, April. Are you going to find Mia a new mommy and daddy?” Her voice sounds like a cartoon character; she’s using imaginative play to address her biggest fear and her greatest hope at once.
    Swallowing over the lump in my throat and blinking my eyes to ward off tears, I answer as honestly as I can.
    “We’re going to do our very best Tank… I promise.”
    “Can Tank come, too?” she asks in her adorable little Mia voice.
    “Of course, sweetie. Wherever you go, Tank will be able to go, too.”
    Denise has been watching us through the window and Hannah’s little head pops up. I give her a subtle nod and Hannah runs out.
    “Mia, the cookies are done. Come help me decorate them!” she says excitedly, grabbing Mia’s hand and pulling her to the door.
    “Will you be here when I’m done, April?” Mia asks sweetly and my heart just melts.
    “Absolutely. Especially if you make one for me.”
    “Okay!”
    Denise sits next to me on the porch. “Everything is on the table, girls, you know how to do it. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
    “Okay, Denise,” they call out in unison.
    When they’re out of earshot, I finally ask Denise how it’s going.
    “It’s been rough. She’s been through so much. She’s like an old soul. She sits at the window and stares at the house. Unlike other kids, she doesn’t ask when her grandma is coming back because she knows she isn’t.”
    “Have you known the family long?”
    “Oh, yes. Mia and her grandmother, Rose, have lived across the street for years. When Mia’s mom was younger, she used to play with the foster kids I had back then. Such a tragedy what happened to her.”
    “I don’t know what happened to her since I’m not technically on her case. I just happened to be there when it happened and had promised I’d check in on her.”
    “You’ve always been one of the good ones, April. Nothing ever falls through the cracks with you. Mia and her mom lived with Rose. Maggie, Mia’s mother, got involved with the wrong crowd, and she was pregnant at sixteen. After Mia’s dad was killed, she worked her butt off to change her life.”
    With a sigh, she pauses and then continues, “Maggie was working the late shift at a restaurant. On her way home, she was hit by a drunk driver. Poor thing never had a chance. It took a toll on Rose, but she kept going for Mia. She had a heart condition, and the stress