Faith elbowed me, cutting off my yawn.

“Thanks,” I mumbled, blinking hard and sitting up straight. Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, I could really use a caffeine IV drip!

“You must be exhausted.” She kept her voice low since we were sitting in church waiting for the service to begin. “But for what it’s worth, I thought the carnival yesterday was amazing. Caleb had a fantastic time.”

I smiled. “I’m so glad,” I whispered back.

“It was really sweet of Jax to spend so much time with him and to treat him to so many games and sweets. I can’t believe Caleb didn’t go home with a tummy ache. He fell asleep before I could even get his teeth brushed.”

Good thing Adam wasn’t in town yesterday or that would have never happened. But I bit my tongue. Faith didn’t need me to point out the obvious.

I’d seen my nephew yesterday while I was working at a booth alongside Micah. I’d been listening to the suddenly vocal preteen ramble on about working in Jax’s office.

I think I met my match in talking nonstop! Remembering the sullen, quiet kid he was a couple of months ago, it was hard to reconcile this was the same child. The man who said he wouldn’t be a good role model had certainly made a difference in this young man’s life.

“How much longer do I have to stay here, Miss Grace? Even after working off what I owed Jax, I still have money! He’s so cool to work for! Did I tell you he showed me how to draw a building so it looks more real? Did you know how much planning goes into building something? Like all the pipes for bathrooms and wires for all the lights? And I got to see what all the plans look like on his computer. He can make it all three dimensional, did you know that? I think I might want to be an architect when I grow up!”

I glanced at the volunteer sheet. “You have about forty more minutes before Ethan is scheduled.”

“But that’s forever!”

I smiled as I accepted a little girl’s tickets to play. Teenage time was certainly an exaggerated version of real time. “You’ll live.”

“Auntie Ger-ace!”

I’d know that voice anywhere. In Caleb’s effort to pronounce the “r” in my name, it often came out more like “grr.” I thought it was cute, and I would pretend to growl and snap at him like a tiger, always making him laugh.

I searched the crowds for my nephew. I found Faith first. I was surprised to see her walking next to Jax, and even more astounded to see my nephew riding high on Jax’s shoulders. Caleb was laughing as he held onto Jax’s shoulders.

They looked like a happy family. For a second, I felt an unfamiliar tug of jealousy. Not because I was worried my sister was trying to take anything away from me. I just wanted to trade places with her. Watching them, I realized how much I wanted that scenario to be real—for me, specifically for Jax and me.

Jax appeared to be enjoying the time as well. But when his eyes followed Faith’s to find mine, his pleasant look morphed into something different. His smile changed from warm to crackling with heat. It was enough to make a girl’s panties incinerate, especially knowing that look was all for me.

Jax lifted Caleb from his shoulders and led him to our booth. While Faith helped her son “fish,” for a prize, Jax leaned in. “What do I have to do to win the biggest prize here?”

My eyebrows dipped. “What prize is that?”

“You, of course.” He winked at me.

I didn’t care that it sounded like a cheesy pick-up line. I didn’t care that what I was about to do was unprofessional. I crooked my finger at him, and when he drew near, I whispered, “You already have.” Then I stretched forward and kissed him.

I’d only meant for it to be a brief peck, but once my lips touched his, they decided to linger. My hand reached for his chest while his cupped my face and held our lips together.

“Woohoo! I knew it!”

I jerked back at Micah’s holler. Jax’s thumb caressed my cheekbone. “Oops.”

But there wasn’t a note of apology in his voice, and his eyes were dancing with mirth. I giggled like a little school girl, but my heart was full. Maybe my vision wasn’t as far out of reach as I feared.

He glanced at his watch. “What time does this end?”

“At nine, but I have to oversee all of the clean-up. I’ll probably be here until midnight.”

“I’ll find you.”

Faith nudged me again, and my eyes sprang open. I hadn’t realized they’d closed again while I got lost in my memories. I was pretty much dead on my feet when Jax found me last night. I’d started the day at six thirty in the morning and worked all the way until midnight, just as I’d predicted. But I’d been kept going by all of the positive feedback. There was even talk about making this an annual event.

Jax had collected me, driven me home, and tucked me into bed. I fell asleep to his kiss on my cheek and the warmth of his body as he spooned me. I’d awoken to a cold bed, but hot coffee and a huge cranberry muffin on my bedside table.

I yawned again. Why couldn’t Tom, the organist, have chosen something peppy this morning instead of the slow music that felt more like a lullaby. I pinched myself to stay awake, wishing I could be given a pass to skip church like Angie did when she worked the night shift. But unlike Angie, who didn’t give a fig about what anyone else thought, I felt some need to redeem myself in the eyes of the congregation. I wouldn’t give them the satisfaction of giving them more to talk about such as to speculate why I wasn’t in church twice within a short time.

I felt our pew vibrate as someone bumped it as they moved along its length. My mouth nearly dropped open as Jax settled beside me, looking mouthwatering in a light blue chambray-fabric suit with a white shirt but no tie.

“What are you doing here?” His eyebrow lifted, and a flash of uncertainty made his eyes crease. “That came out wrong,” I hurried to correct. “I’m glad you’re here. I’m just surprised. But really, really happy to see you.”

My hand warmed as his fingers entwined with mine on the pew cushion between us. “This is a part of who you are.” He shrugged, as if it were so simple I should have figured it out for myself.

Somehow, I made it through the church service without giving in to my need to climb into his lap and publicly confess how much I loved him. Even if he couldn’t say the words, gestures like showing up here were enough to show me how he felt.

When the service was over, Faith and my mother swooped in on Jax, showering him with hugs and greetings. Of course, my mom told him he’d be joining us for the family dinner. Even Caleb joined in, trying to speak while his fingers flew with the same words, almost faster than his mother could interpret for clarification. He thanked Jax for all the games and food from yesterday. When Jax promised he’d throw a football with him tonight, a shadow crossed Faith’s face before she camouflaged it with a grin. We all knew Adam never made that kind of time for his son. Other church members offered Jax a warm welcome as well, including me in their smile and greeting. There were consistent congratulations on the success of the carnival.

Hmm. Maybe my trial is finally over!

We’d almost made it to the back of the church when Mrs. Wordsworth, flanked by two other BAGs, stepped in front of us. “I see you’ve brought another one of your friends here. I do hope you’ll keep a closer eye on him than the last one,” she said, her mouth forming a sneer.

Blood rushed to my face. I stood speechless, humiliated that they would call out not just me, but Jax as well. Words I wanted to say lodged in my throat.

Jax squeezed my hand and took his time studying the women blocking our path. “Time has a way of outing all of us for who we really are, don’t you think?” Jax wrapped his arm around me. “I’m far from perfect, but then, I doubt anyone here is”—he cleared his throat—“except you lovely ladies, of course. He squeezed me. “And Grace.”

I could only imagine the face I made as I fought to control my laugh. Mrs. Wordsworth’s face turned even more sour, probably from being lumped in the same category as me.

“Fortunately for me, Grace lives up to her name,” Jax continued. I looked up to see him smiling at me. “She sees the good in me and forgives me when I fall short of the man she deserves. We should all be so lucky. I think I heard something about that in the sermon today. A good lesson we all need reminding of sometimes, wouldn’t you agree ladies?” He tipped his head. “Have a good day. And thank you for the, um, friendly welcome,” he said, emphasizing the word “friend.”

He didn’t even have to push past them; they parted like the Red Sea before Moses. I looked back at them. All three were standing there looking as if someone had just trampled their prize rose bushes.

I smile brightly at them. “Hope you have a good week,” I called over my shoulder as I kept pace with Jax. Faith and Mama were waiting on the other side, beaming. Daddy stood behind them, not smiling.

Mama winked at me, and Faith smiled before they turned and left the church. Jax didn’t budge his arm. If anything, it tightened beneath Daddy’s stare. This had to be how a western stand-off felt.

I was just about to say something to break the silence, but Daddy beat me to it. “See you at dinner tonight?” he said to Jaxson.

Jax nodded. “Definitely.” He guided me past my father out into the sunshine.

“Jaxson?” My father’s voice called.

We both turned and waited.

“You’re not the only one who’s lucky.” He looked at our clasped hands and smiled.

Jax grinned as if he’d won the lottery.