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“I don’t know,” she answers rebelliously.  “What do you want to be?” 

I can tell she’s perturbed.  He’s ruffling all kinds of her feathers.

“Your boyfriend.”  He whispers it.

Janna’s eyes lock with his.  “You do?” she breathes.

He nods.  “I want you to be my girlfriend, Nana.  I don’t want anyone else taking you to the Snow Ball.”

“So, I’m going to have to turn down Bobby?”

Lyric narrows his eyes.  “Is he the guy that asked you to dance at homecoming?”

Janna nods.

“I’m sorry, but you’re going to have to turn him down.”

“Oh.  So, you want me to sit home alone that night?” she asks, sounding miffed.

“No!  I want you to save all your dances for me,” he admits.

“You do?”  Her voice is melting now.  Probably her heart too.

“Absolutely.”

“What about Melody?”

“I told her that I couldn’t break my promise to you.  I asked her if she could make do with Harmony for one night.  She agreed.”

Janna leans forward over the edge of her bed.  “So, you’re taking me to the Snow Ball?”

“If you’ll still have me,” he murmurs engagingly as he throws his hands out to either side.  “Will you?”

Her eyes grow wide.  She nods.  “Yes.”

I’m grinning as I watch this touching, little tableau.

“You will?”

She bobs her head up and down.

“Does that mean I get to decorate cookies with you tonight?”

“That depends.”

“On what?”

She presses her lips together before answering.  If Kookie had made that expression, his dimples would have been curtseying to his observer. 

Janna’s voice sounds, “Am I your girlfriend now?”

A blank expression floods Lyric’s face, but I didn’t miss the second of intense vulnerability that pierced his countenance following her question.  “Do you want to be?”  His voice vibrates with vincibility.

“Yes,” she breathes.

“Then, yes, you are,” he drawls.  Relief overcomes his face, but I can tell that he’s still trying to hide just how terrified he was of losing her.

Her eyes light up.  “What are we waiting for then?”

He blinks.

“Let’s go frost some cookies before my brothers eat them all!”

Facing him, she starts to climb down off her bed, but halfway down, she catches her foot on the ladder and pitches forward.  My heart lurches, but Lyric saves the day.  He catches Janna as she falls.  My heart in my mouth, I watch with relief as he drags her up against his chest.  For a few breathless moments, they stare into each other’s eyes.  I wonder if they’ve forgotten I’m standing a couple feet away.  

But then Janna’s eyes leave his face to find mine.  I smile at her.  “I think we need to put some more cookies into the oven.”

Lyric steps back and helps her find her footing on the floor, then they follow me to the dining room.  As they take their places at the table, I head for the kitchen.  Smiling.  Janna officially has her very first boyfriend.  And he is such a nice kid!