Page 10 of Letters From Home

“Jack! You’re going to fall!” Jessica’s voice broke as she leaned out the window, calling to her son. “Stop right now!”

Jack glanced back at his mom, wobbling as he turned his head to look toward the house. Nick knew this wouldn't end well—he needed to get to Jack before the boy got hurt.

“It’s okay, Jack,” Nick called, unzipping his own jacket and tossing it to the ground. He forced down the fear that threatened to paralyze him. “You stay there. I’m coming to help you.”

His chest pounded as he gripped the lowest branch and swung himself up into the tree. “It's like riding a bike,” he said to himself quietly. “You climbed plenty of trees as a boy. You’ll get there in time and get Jack down safely.”

Please help me get to Jack in time, he prayed.This kid means everything to me.

But Nick wasn’t a boy anymore. He might only be in his twenties, but the size difference between a child and a man made climbing trees a very different challenge.

Nick wedged himself between the tightly woven branches, urging himself higher as Jack clung to the top of the tree. Nick's hands slipped on the slick limbs. This climb had taken a deadly turn. The tree wasn’t just covered with snow—it was lined with ice.

“Be careful. Both of you,” Jessica pleaded, her voice breaking as she called out the window. “Jack, listen to Nick. Stay still.”

But Jack’s eyes grew wide as he glanced down at the ground. The boy looked back at his mom, then down at Nick. “I’m scared.I’m coming down,” he announced, inching his way closer to the tree trunk.

Nick climbed faster, fueled by fear and adrenaline. “Stay there!” he hollered. “It's better if you stay still.”

As Nick’s hand lost its grip again on the icy branches, he knew they were running out of time. He needed to reach the boy before Jack slipped. If Jack fell from that height, he could break an arm or leg. Or worse. The thought made Nick’s stomach churn.

He’d told Jessica that he was all in—ready to commit to her and Jack. Now he knew it was true. He would walk through fire to protect them.

Or climb the tallest tree on her property, apparently.

Nick held back an oath as he watched Jack slip again. Now the boy clung to the branch with one hand, swinging precariously as he stared down at Nick. “Help me!” he called. “I can’t hold on!”

No one gets hurt today, Nick swore to himself. He judged the distance between the two of them and scampered sideways. As the boy’s fingers slipped, Nick lunged and reached for Jack’s sweater. He felt a rush of relief as his fingers latched onto the boy’s clothes. Nick held tight to the boy’s bright orange sweater and yanked him back to safety.

Nick wrapped one arm tightly around Jack as he steadied himself in the tree. “Climbing can be a lot of fun, but we start from the ground. Not the top,” Nick said, his voice shaking as held the boy close. He glanced up to see Jessica’s worried face peering out the window. “He’s fine! We’ll be down in a minute.”

Nick climbed back down the tree, urging Jack to follow closely. When they reached the bottom branch, he grabbed the boy’s arms and slowly lowered him to the ground. Nick’s hands slipped as he tried to ease himself out of the tree. He fell flat on his back at the foot of the tree, knocking the wind out of him.

Better me than Jack,he thought, staring up through the icy branches.And I’d rather fall from the bottom, not the top.

Jessica raced toward them, scooping up Jack in one smooth motion. She held out a hand to help Nick, then wrapped her son and Nick in a fierce hug. “I’ve never been so scared,” she said, tears falling down her face. “Thank you for saving Jack. I couldn’t have done it myself.”

Nick looked back at the tree and shuddered. He knew nothing would stop Jessica from trying to help her boy. If he hadn’t been there, she might have climbed out the window herself. Nick gave a silent prayer of thanks that he’d visited on his day off. “I’m all in,” he repeated. “But Jack is never going to climb out a window again. Am I right?”

Jack nodded, tears filling his eyes. “I’m sorry! It looked like fun. Will you still teach me how to climb a tree? Maybe a smaller one.”

Jessica let out a watery laugh and wrapped them both in another hug. They were still hugging when Grant pulled into the driveway, his eyebrows raised as he took in the scene.

“Everything okay?” he asked.

“Everything’s great,” Nick said, his back straightening as he glanced up at the tree branches. “I need to nail a window shut. Then we’re going out for ice cream.”

“Before dinner?” Jack asked.

“We’ll have dinner at the ice cream shop, then dessert.” Nick pulled back from the group hug and winked at Jessica. “Maybe we'll have a family game night, too.”

Chapter seven

Jessica

Jessica held her handout to Jack and led him back inside the house. She was ready for a break after the adventure they’d had—but moms didn’t get breaks, especially when they worked through naptime.

This afternoon and tonight would be a fresh start. She had a feeling things were about to get a lot better. She could finally admit that she cared about Nick, and he adored them. That thought gave her the energy to keep moving forward.

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