Page 21 of Just One Kiss

He’d gone to a youth retreat three years ago and returned a different kid. He’d never given her the details, but she was pretty sure he’d had an encounter with the Lord that she would maybe never understand.

Her relationship with God had been all about checks and balances. She was a good girl. She did the right things. She tried not to sin and that was that.

The way Jaden lived his life had inspired her to believe that perhaps she’d been doing it wrong for a lot of years . . . but she wasn’t sure how to have the kind of encounter that would change anything.

“You want God to be real to you, don’t you, Mom?” he’d asked her once.

“Of course I do.” And she did—but how? What did that look like? It wasn’t like she could take God out for coffee. And besides, wasn’tshesupposed to be the one teachinghimhow to build his faith? When had their roles reversed on this issue?

“Then let go of everything you think you know and go find him for yourself.”

She hadn’t understood what he was saying then, so why were the words replaying in her mind now?

“You think of church as an obligation. You think of God as a disciplinarian. You think you can work your way to heaven. But it’s about so much more than that.”

Jaden had her number, that was for sure. But what did it change?

God took things from good people. Like taking her mother before they were ready to live without her. Was He going to take skiing away from Jaden too? Or worse—was He going to take Jaden?

“Well, I should go,” Josh said. “But I’ll see you at your appointment.”

Jaden groaned. “This is really going to cut in on my training time.”

Carly wanted to jump in with some important motherly wisdom, but Josh beat her to it.

“It’s important, kid,” he said. “We need to make sure you’re okay.”

“I know,” Jaden said.

“And I’m sure you’re okay,” Josh added.

“Yes,” Carly said. “But you do need to take it easy.”

Jaden rolled his eyes. “Fine. Thanks for the pizza, Dad.” He headed back upstairs, leaving Carly to see Josh out.

A shadow came across his eyes as he pushed a hand through his hair and faced her. “I’ll see you Tuesday, I guess.”

For a second, there he was again—that moody teenager who could stop her heart from beating with a single glance.

She walked to the door, pulled it open and nodded. “Yep.”

He started to walk through it but stopped directly in front of her. She squared her shoulders and put on her bravest face as she looked up and met his eyes.

But the second a connection between them was made, her bravery faltered, her legs turned wobbly and her breath caught in her throat.

“You gonna be okay?” he asked.

“I’m fine.” She forced the words, but inside, her heart crumpled, the weight of the fear she’d been pretending she didn’t have nearly crushing her from the inside out. Tears clouded her vision.

He put a hand on her arm, and for a moment she thought he might hug her and he absolutely could not hug her because if he did, she would come undone and her secret would be uncovered.

She wasn’t as strong as she pretended to be.

“You sure?”

“I’m okay,” she managed to say.

He squeezed her arm. “I’m kind of scared.”

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