Halfway to forever by Karen Kingsbury

the day before. Not just to Hannah, but to each of them in the grocery store and found Grace in Matt's lap. He was reading to
Brent ways.
Two weeks ago Sunday, they'd been coming home from
ti, urch when Hannah checked the rearview mirror and saw Grace ~
plnd jenny holding hands. Three days later she came home from
,her, nuzzling the side of his face against her creamy cheeks and
giggling with her at the silly parts.
Hannah froze in the doorway, moving in slow motion as she set the bags at her feet. She remembered thinking that it was
finally happening, just as Matt had known all along. Grace was
falling in love with them, and they with her. Not because they
were just another nice family who took care of her for a few weeks while her mother dealt with the legal system, but because Grace
was starting to understand the truth.
This time she wasn't going anywhere. She was home. Forever. A week after that, jenny took Grace to a park down the street
and then out to lunch. When they came home, they both wore
gaudy, blue-beaded bracelets and matching grins. "Grace wanted to go shopping." Jenny laughed and swept the girl up onto her
hip. "We bought sister bracelets, right Grace?"
Grace planted a wet kiss on jenny's cheek. "Right." She slid down and ran to Hannah. "Wanna see?"
Hannah studied the band of beads and saw a silver plate on top that read, "Sisters Always." The words were barely legible through her tears.
"That's wonderful." She straightened and grinned at Jenny. "I'm sure Jenny won't take it off for a minute."
In the days since then, Grace had established a nighttime ritual. Hannah and Matt would walk her up to bed and pray with her. Then they'd
give her a chance to pray, and almost always her prayer was the same.
95 jj~ !illll jd~
`II!
I
K A R E N K I N G S B U R Y
"Dear Jesus, thank you for giving me a family Please don't ever take me away from here because this is my home. And I want
to live here forever and ever."
Once in a while, Hannah and Matt exchanged a glance as
Grace finished praying. A glance that, in a moment's time, spoke both their greatest fears and their greatest faith that certainly God would
grant the child's request. Not once in the past three weeks
had they voiced concerns that Grace would be anything other than their forever daughter.
With a sigh, Hannah let the memories fade as she worked the
sponge into the countertop. They had heard nothing but good
news from Mrs. Parsons. The termination process was on schedule,
and within six months Grace would be free for adoption. The
path ahead looked smooth and without trouble.
Still... She paused and stared once more out the window at the sea. It would be good when the process was over. When Grace Bronzan would
forevermore and legally be Grace Bronzan, and her little-girl prayers could be about schoolwork and making friends and having a good day
The way other little girls' prayers were.
Then they could get on with life.
The thought sent a piercing reminder through Hannah's heart.
Once the adoption was complete, they could indeed move on. But
what about jade and Tanner and Ty? What about their unborn
baby?
It was still almost too much to believe. Jade had cancer? How
could she? After all she and Tanner had been through? Hannah
pictured jade in the hospital room the other day. If anyone could
make it through brain cancer it was jade. Hannah smiled. Her
friend always fought for what was right, whether as a parent volunteer
in Ty's classroom or by encouraging Tanner in his legal
work.
94
Certainly she would fight now After all, there could be nothIt wasn't right that jade was sick. Hadn't they had enough grief in
more right than seeing jade well again, seeing her baby safely
tia ehvered, seeing the four of them become a family, the way jade
end Tanner had always dreamed they'd be.
She thought of the hundreds of conversations she and jade
'had held. Together they had shared their life stories, sometimes in laughter, sometimes in tears. They marveled often at how much
; they had in common, how God had brought both of them
'through the flames of loss and heartache.
But this time... the situation was as grim as it had ever been.
Hannah's heart skipped a beat as she considered the possibilities.
their lives already?
Hannah held her breath and then exhaled long and slow As