"Because you were in trouble. I told him what I knew, and he shocked me when he grabbed his bag and said he was coming with me, that you might need him."
Even though she was feeling a lot of fury for his father at this moment, she was touched that he'd jumped into action the way he had.
"On the way up here, we talked a little more," Jake continued. "I started to realize that I couldn't ask you to forgive me if I wasn't willing to do the same thing for him. We both made big mistakes."
"We all make mistakes…" She paused and smiled. "Except me, of course. I've been perfect."
He laughed. "That is true, Hannah. You really haven't done anything wrong."
"I'm joking. I'm not perfect. I'm stubborn, bossy and opinionated, and I have a great capacity and willingness to carry a grudge. I'm going to try to work on all of that."
"Not too much. I don't want you to change, Hannah. I love you as you are."
"Thank you for telling me your secret, Jake. I won't say anything to anyone."
"You can do whatever you want. I don't want to put the burden on you. And if you want the details, they're yours."
She felt honored by his willingness to trust her, because if the secret could hurt his family, then she could hurt his family. She was also starting to understand that the Jake who had hurt her so badly had done so because he'd been hurt himself. It didn't excuse his behavior, but it made her happy to know that she hadn't completely misjudged his character the first time around.
"I don't need to know anything more," she said. "And I promise not to brag about your dad as much as I have in the past. I partly did it just to annoy you."
"It worked. I hated that you had so much respect for him when… See, I still want to tell you. I'm never going to stop wanting to tell you."
"You don't have to tell me. I know. He cheated on your mother."
Jake frowned. "Are you guessing, or do you actually know that?"
"I'm guessing from what you just said about protecting your mom and brother."
"He swore it only happened the one time and he has tried to make it up to my mother every day since then. I told him he should tell her, but I don't know that he will. And maybe he shouldn't. They do seem happy. I never wanted to break the family up."
"Keeping his secret didn't stop that from happening, because it broke you. And you broke with your family."
"But they were still okay. That was what kept me going."
"I get it. I have looked up to your father, and I am grateful to him for a lot of things, but I never thought he was perfect. I'm disappointed in what he did. Maybe it will change how I feel about him going forward. On the other hand, he helped save my life tonight and the lives of my sister and my niece. I can't discount that."
"He does have some good qualities, but I don't want to talk about him anymore," Jake added with a smile. "Actually, I don't want to talk at all." He lowered his mouth to hers and his hot kiss made her heart melt and her body shiver all at the same time. They kissed for several long minutes until somewhere in the distance, she heard sirens. Help was coming.
"They're here," she said breathlessly. "Should we go down to the bridge and help?"
"In a few minutes. Trust me, we have plenty of time. That was a hell of a big tree that fell on the road."
He kissed her again and again until they heard shouts and saw lights. And then they went down the road as the police and fire department put together a makeshift bridge to cross the river.
Seeing the branch that Jake and his father had come across made her stomach flip over. They both could have lost their lives. Thankfully, they hadn't. "I can't believe you crossed over the river using that branch. You really are fearless."
"More like extremely motivated," he said, gazing back at her. "You were worth the risk, Hannah."
She met his gaze. "You're worth the risk, too, Jake. I'm sorry it took me so long to see that."
"I'm just glad we're there now."
"Just in time for Christmas," she said, as she kissed him again.
Chapter Twenty-Four
It took the rescuers over five hours to clear the tree and the road and put together a bridge safe enough to transport everyone out of the area. While Hannah thought it might be a good idea for Kelly to go to the hospital, her sister insisted that she could recover just as well at Hannah's house. She wanted to have both her children with her for Christmas. With Dr. McKenna concurring that Kelly and Violet would be fine to recover at home, Hannah had no choice but to give in, but she was determined to keep an eye on both of them.
Since Jake's truck was completely disabled, Jake and his father took her car back to the medical center, so she could ride in the ambulance with her sister and the baby. Jake told her he'd meet her at her house as soon as he got his dad home.
"What do you think Mom is going to say when she sees me?" Kelly asked, as the ambulance took them home.
Since Hannah knew both paramedics, they’d allowed her to ride in the back with her sister while they sat in the front.
“I have no idea,” she said. “But Mom will be very happy that you're safe. She'll also fall in love with Violet in one minute, which is how long it took her to fall in love with Brett."
While Brodie had contacted her mother, letting her know that both of her daughters and her granddaughter were safe, she had yet to get a signal
