He led me inside. We settled in the tent, angel lights dancing on the roof, and I smiled at him. "Did you ever think we'd be here one day?"
"I did actually. I fell in love with you when we were just kids, that night on the dock. I couldn't put a word to it, but we both understood each other in a way not many people did. It was the first time I had the urge to kiss a girl, but kissing a ten-year-old would have been the most uncool thing.”
I laughed. "Is that so?" I climbed onto his lap, and he wrapped his arms around my waist.
"Your brother would have killed me anyway. Then they packed you off to boarding school, and all I looked forward to were the holidays when I could sneak into your room or your rooftop hiding spot, and we'd talk about what we'd been up to. Those were the highlights of my growing years."
My hair fell like a curtain around us. He cupped my face in his hands. "This is where I always want to be, Tara, and one day when you're ready, I want to make this official."
My heart thudded in my chest. I leaned down and kissed him, giving him my heart and soul, something he’d always had.
* * *
I wasedgy the next morning, and Jude understood that. We arrived at the courthouse early. I wore a charcoal, gray pantsuit and kept pulling the lapels of the jacket.
"She will be here," I assured her. "She promised she would."
My mother walked up the stairs and came to stand beside me. She reached for my hand, and I squeezed hers. She smiled at me. "She's here."
I breathed a sigh of relief, hugging Sarah. “Thank you for everything you have done.”
“It was long overdue,” she said with tears in her eyes.
Tiffany Craig was a beautiful woman,and when she took the stand, all eyes were on her, although not all were pleasant ones. I looked back and caught a glimpse of her husband, looking like he was ready to burst.
Tiffany stood and made her way over to the witness stand and after taking her oath, she sat. She cast me a brief glance, her eyes full of understanding and sympathy. "Would you state your name for the court?"
“Tiffany Craig.”
“And what is your relationship to the defendant, Tara Craig?”
“She is - was my daughter-in-law. I am married to her ex-husband’s father.”
"Thank you for that. Mrs. Craig, how would you describe the defendant's character?"
“She has always been a warm and friendly woman, a devoted mother and wife.”
“What would make you say she was a devoted mother?”
"We used to have parties at our house when the kids were younger, so they would often be left with a nanny. Tara was always the one mother who would get up, as if on cue, every hour to make sure her daughter was okay."
Maria nodded and looked at the judge.
“Would you consider her to have ever acted negligently in your presence?”
“Of course not, she was responsible all the time.” A small frown creased her brow.
‘Mrs. Craig, how would you describe the relationship between Tara and Reid Craig?"
"She stared down at her lap, and my heart was in my mouth. Would she have the courage to say what she needed to? Maria assured me that she'd been prepped well.
“They were always tense when they were together, barely spoke to each other.”
“What do you mean by tense?”
“Reid used to take pleasure in belittling Tara.”
“Objection, Your Honor, that is hardly the definition of tense.”
