The Growing Years (The Angel Chronicles Book 3)

by Mary May

  “This where you kissed me for the first time!” she said after she had caught her breath.

  “Yes, ma’am, I do recall that. It just so happens to be a favorite memory of mine. Now if I’m not in trouble, why don’t you tell me why tonight is so special?”

  He watched her face suddenly tense up and he could feel the tremors start in her body. Sighing, he pulled her tightly into his arms, placing his hand against the back of her bare neck, rubbing her knotted muscles.

  “Sabrina, I don’t know what it is that you’re afraid to tell me, but there isn’t anything on the face of this earth that would ever change the way that I feel about you. I love you with every breath in my body and with every beat of my heart, so whatever it is, you go right ahead and spit it out with no fear; you hear me?”

  Sabrina lifted her head to look at him. Tears filled her eyes then slipped down her cheeks.

  “Devon…I’m pregnant.”

  Sabrina watched as Devon blinked once…then twice…then once more. Cocking his head to one side, he looked at her intently and asked her please repeat what she had just said. Licking her suddenly dry lips nervously, she repeated her statement.

  “Devon…I’m pregnant.”

  He nodded his head slowly.

  “Yeah, that’s what I thought I heard you say the first time. Are you sure? Have you been to the doc and everything?”

  Completely unnerved by his lack of emotion, Sabrina could only nod.

  “Did the doc tell you when it is due? Did everything look ok?” he asked.

  “April 16th and he said everything looked good.” She answered, her voice barely above a whisper. Her stomach rolled dangerously and she watched for any sign of joy at the news that she had just given him. Devon took a step backwards and then another, turning to face the door. He stood with his back to her for probably only thirty seconds, but it was the longest thirty seconds of Sabrina’s life. Then suddenly she heard a loud shout.

  “Woo hoo! I’m gonna be daddy!” He turned around with the biggest smile on his face, picked Sabrina up and swung her around in a circle until she was dizzy and had to close her eyes to keep from getting sick. He set her down and then bent her over and kissed her senseless before allowing her a chance to recover. They both looked up at the sound of clapping coming from the kitchen as Cleo and Edgar stood smiling with a confused-looking Charlie standing in the middle clapping along with them. Devon smiled down at Sabrina, who was still trying to catch her breath.

  “Well, maybe I need to amend my statement just a little.”

  Looking up at him she smiled, shaking her head. “What do you mean, amend it? It sounded pretty good to me! I was terrified you wasn’t going to be happy about the baby.”

  “I should have said I was going to be a daddy again, and what do you mean you didn’t think I would be happy? Why wouldn’t I be? Whatever put a crazy notion in your head like that?”

  Sabrina shrugged, looking a little sheepish as a deep blush spread across her cheeks. “Well, we never discussed having more children, so I just thought maybe you didn’t want any of your own.” He placed his hands on her shoulders, looking into her eyes.

  “Darlin’, I figured we would talk about it when the time was right, not because I didn’t want any more! Heck, I would have a whole houseful if it was up to me and…” He trailed off because Cleo was waving at him from the corner.

  “Umm…Miss Sabrina? I hate to interrupt but maybe you best tell Miss Charlie the good news?”

  Both Devon and Sabrina turned to Charlie, who was eyeing both of them with suspicion.

  “Oh, sweetheart! I’m so sorry. Come here!” Sabrina held out her arms and waited while Charlie walked reluctantly into them, sensing somehow that her life was about to change.

  “Honey, I know that Cleo told you that I went to go see Dr. Grant today, right? But I’m not sick. In fact, I got some very happy news today. You are going to be a big a sister, Charlie…because I’m going to have another baby!” Charlie’s eyes grew very large as she looked from her mother to Devon and then back again.

  “Really? A baby? Like Kinsley? Can we have a girl, too?” Sabrina smiled.

  “Well, maybe. I don’t know what the baby will be… It might be a little boy…Will that be ok?” Charlie scrunched up her face but nodded.

  “I guess so…but try real hard to make a girl, ok?” The family laughed at Charlie’s request.

  They invited the entire family over the following weekend to announce the wonderful news. Catherine and Keelie both jumped up from the couch and hugged Sabrina tightly; then they both started talking at once about possible baby names and nursery themes. The men shook Devon’s hand and offered their congratulations.

  “Sabrina, I saw that the workers have started working on the renovations to the center. When did Eric deliver the permits?” Sabrina handed Evan a cup of coffee before she settled back on the couch beside Devon and answered his question.

  “Eric and Rachel came down about two weeks ago and surprised us with both a visit and the permits. He said once his lawyers had mowed through all the miles of red tape the city had thrown up, there really wasn’t anything stopping us from moving ahead with whatever we wanted to do. So being that we already had the plans drawn up, I saw no reason not to move on it. Sherrilyn’s dream has been put on hold far too long, in my opinion.” Catherine patted Sabrina’s knee in unspoken agreement.

  “How are the newlyweds?” Keelie asked with a smile.

  “Oh, they are fine! I swear I never seen a man fight what was so obvious from the start. Eric was a goner from the moment he saw Rachel walk down the aisle at our wedding,” Sabrina chuckled.

  “I told him that I had seen the look on his face somewhere before; I swear his face went white as snow when I told him it was the same look I had on my face when I first saw Sabrina. I said, dude…there isn’t any fighting it.” Sabrina swatted Devon’s chest with the back of her hand.

  “So you’re the reason he made poor Rachel wait so long! I’m going to tell her it was you, too! You may want to hide when they come back down for a visit!” Everyone laughed at Devon’s pained expression.

  “So will the entire east wing be dedicated for use?” Carl asked. Devon looked at Sabrina, who just grinned then waved her hand in a go-ahead gesture.

  “Well, Sabrina and I have been talking and we might as well tell you now since we have you all in one spot. We would like to dedicate the entire estate, grounds and all.” The family was clearly taken by surprise as they looked at one another.

  “Honey, if the entire house will be used, where will you raise the children?” Catherine questioned.

  “We are going to move out to the cabin. It’s plenty big enough for us, and it will be so much easier to maintain; besides, Charlie loves it out there, and I know Devon will be more comfortable. If we do that, then think of how many more people can stay here and get the help that they need. Please tell me you understand.” Sabrina turned to her mother looking for approval; she found it as Catherine smiled at her.

  “Darling, I think it’s a wonderful idea! The cabin is simply charming and there is plenty of room for everyone. So when were you thinking of making the move?”

  The angels left the family and gathered in Edgar’s room after the announcement was made about moving out to the cabin.

  “It probably would be easier to defend, don’t you agree, Gideon? I mean you wouldn’t have all these tunnels to try and monitor all the time,” Donavan pointed out.

  “Yeah, but look at all the time you spent logging the tunnels and making defense plans for this estate. It’s all wasted now!” Baylor commented.

  “If I recall, all the master planning in the world didn’t stop the attack or the near defeat before…What makes you think a change of location will make a difference?” Zareck muttered, referring to an attack on the estate a year earlier that they nearly lost.

  “What I recall was someone not pulling his share of the load…Does anyone else recall that?” Evie asked
.

  Zareck didn’t even look at her as he responded. “It was an exercise in futility. Whether I participated or not wouldn’t have made a difference.”

  Evie just rolled her eyes.

  “I thought that Gideon did an excellent job coming up with that plan on the fly the way he did. It was brilliant!” Baylor smiled at Gideon, who was leaned against the wall listening. Gideon gave him a small smile and nodded his head in appreciation.

  “A true commander would have anticipated the attack and been prepared.”

  “No one can anticipate everything, Zareck. I may only be a lowly guardian, but even I know that. A true leader is someone who can think on his feet and direct without the benefit a pre-made plan. Gideon certainly did that,” Donavan pointed out.

  “Gideon can make all the plans in the world, but without all of his warriors having his back and following them, what good are they, my brother?” Kavik added to Donavan’s point. Zareck looked at them both with disdain.

  “We got lucky. The enemy made some careless mistakes that played to our advantage. We can’t count on that next time.”

  “Were you always this faithless? How did you command warriors to go into war without faith? Geez…No wonder you were replaced.” Charlotte had barely uttered the words as she passed him before Zareck slammed his massive arm down millimeters from her delicate nose, pinning her against the wall by her wings. Leaning down he whispered into her ear, his breath stirring the light brown curls.

  “Oh, I have faith, sweet Charlotte…in myself! You must remember who was giving the orders then and who is giving the orders now.”

  Startled, Charlotte looked up into his blue eyes that reminded her of a frozen lake she saw once in Alaska, beautiful…but icy cold. She glanced behind him and saw Gideon coming for him and she almost felt sorry for him…almost.

  Gideon snatched Zareck by the scruff of his tunic, jerking him away from the much-smaller Charlotte with one solid pull. He slammed him hard against the opposite wall, pinning him much the same way he had pinned the female angel by the wings. It was a common fact that angels hated being held down by their wings. To do so was the ultimate sign of disrespect.

  “If you wanted to play, Zareck, all you had to do was ask. I’ll be a lot more fun to play with than Charlotte,” Gideon growled, inches from his former commander’s face. Zareck pushed back hard against the wall, sending them both flying across the room into the opposite wall and then through it as they “ghosted” their bodies and landed on the hard-packed dirt of the tunnel that lay beyond the wall.

  “I’ll play, Gideon. I haven’t beaten you in centuries! It will be like old times!” Zareck goaded, as he rolled until Gideon was beneath him. He landed a couple of hard blows then was thrown off balance when Gideon grabbed his fist and threw him off backwards.

  Getting to his feet, he watched as his former commander did the same. The two angels circled each other in the tight confines of the tunnel, their wings scraping the sides and the ceiling. They watched and circled, circled and watched, then came back together in a series of matched blows and blocks. Time and again the two warriors came at each other until a brilliant white light filled the tunnel, knocking them both off their feet, stunning them.

  “Enough!” The deep male voice boomed throughout the tunnel, echoing down every corridor and back again. Gideon shielded his eyes as Michael, the Archangel, stood before them frowning fiercely.

  “Both of you get on your feet…now!” Gideon and Zareck got to their feet then waited quietly. One did not question Michael…ever.

  “You were both assigned as guardians to learn something. Zareck, it is my opinion that you are a hopeless case and beyond learning anything at this point. However, that is not my decision to make, so be thankful. Gideon, you I had more hope for until about five minutes ago. Your actions, though crude, were, to a point, understandable. This is what the Lord has to say to both of you. Gideon, learn how to handle situations with more tact and finesse. Not every problem can be solved with your fists and brute strength. There is a time and a place for everything. Zareck…do what Gideon says.” Michael started to fade away when Zareck called out for him to wait.

  “Wait! Hold on! Gideon gets this grand speech about learning how to handle situations and all I get is ‘Zareck, do what Gideon says’?” Michael’s frown grew even deeper as he studied him until the angel remembered whom he was addressing.

  Zareck bowed his head in respect. “Forgive me, what I meant to say was surely my message was lengthier. Perhaps you were just paraphrasing?”

  Michael nodded then spoke once more. “Actually I did paraphrase, but I did it for your benefit, Zareck, to spare you a small degree of humiliation. However, if you prefer to hear the message in its entirety, then I shall give it to you. When Edgar told you that Gideon was only temporarily reassigned as a guardian that was, in fact, the truth. When this assignment is completed, he will once more resume his position as the commander of the Lord’s armies. Your demotion, however, was permanent. Therefore, even though Gideon is acting as a guardian now, he is also still a commander and as such he is your leader -- hence the command to do as he says. Have I made myself clear?” When Zareck offered no reply, he vanished from the tunnel, once more growing dark.

  Gideon stood slightly dumbfounded over what Michael had said when the other angels all started coming through the wall.

  “Hey, was that Michael we heard? What was he doing here? What did he say?” They all spoke at once, asking basically the same questions.

  “So, Gideon, what did Michael say?” Anthony asked for the third time. Gideon looked over at Zareck, who was glaring at him, waiting for him to tell them what Michael had said, and he shrugged his shoulders.

  “He told me to learn how to handle situations better.” He figured now was as good a time as any to put that advice to use.

  A few nights later Sabrina walked into the bedroom to find Devon pulling down his black leather bag that he kept his bounty hunting gear in. She watched silently as he opened it up and started inspecting the contents inside as if he were going to use it soon.

  “Devon? Why are you looking at that?” She knew he heard her. For one, he had crazy good hearing, and for two, he paused for just a moment while checking the clip in the pistol before sliding it back in the holster, but he didn’t answer.

  “Devon? What are you doing?” This time she walked in front of him, giving him no option but to face her. The look on his face sent cold dread coursing through her body. Hugging her arms around herself, she waited, for she already knew what was coming.

  “Sabrina, darlin’…” he started to explain but Sabrina interrupted with a hard shake of her head and a finger pointed at him like a weapon.

  “Don’t you Sabrina darlin’ me! You promised. You looked me in the eye and you promised you wouldn’t go back out there and put yourself in danger. Are you breaking that promise?” Try as she might, she couldn’t stop the crack in her voice. He handed her a piece of paper.

  “What is this?” She asked.

  “Just read it; maybe it will help you understand why I have to go back out there.”

  “So you are going? No talking about it, no warning of any kind? You are just going to leave me and Charlie and your unborn child to deal with moving, packing and the settling of the estate… all of it?” Devon turned, tunneling his fingers through his shoulder-length hair, the misery evident on his face clearly seen by anyone except Sabrina, who couldn’t see past her own heartbreak.

  “Please! Just read the report! You will understand…”

  “Devon, there isn’t a thing on this paper that will ever mean more to me than Charlie and our unborn child. That’s what you’re asking me to do, to put their well- being in second place to whatever is on this piece of paper. You took vows, not only to me, but also to Charlie to be there for her, to love her and take care of her. How can you do that if you’re dead? She already has one daddy in heaven; what is she going to do with two? Are you asking me to brin
g yet another child into this world without a father?” Sabrina wadded up the piece paper and threw it at him, tears streaming down her face. “Can you honestly tell me you won’t be in any danger? Can you? Can you?”

  “You know I can’t do that,” he answered softly.

  Sabrina walked up to him and literally climbed up him until he was holding her as she wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs tightly around his waist. “Tell them no, Devon…I’m begging you tell them you won’t do it any more. You have a family and we depend on you. I don’t care what the report says, I don’t care how bad the situation is, tell them no. Please!”

  He could feel the tremors rack her body as she sobbed, holding on to him so tightly he could barely breathe. He knew this went deeper than fear for him; this was a flashback of losing yet another father for her children.

  “Baby, this wasn’t just my old job calling me back. It goes higher than that,” he murmured against her ear.

  “I don’t care how high up it goes. Tell them no! If you can’t, then I will!” she declared. Still holding her, he sat down on the side of the bed and reached for his cell phone. He scrolled down through his contacts until he found the number he was looking for. Sabrina slid off his lap and wiped her eyes and watched to see what he would do. She prayed he was doing what she hoped he was doing. She listened to his side of the conversation.

  “Jeb, it’s me. No, I’m not on my way; that’s what I called to talk to you about. You are going to have to find someone else. Listen, I told you before that I was done; I know I said I would do the bad cases, but Jeb I’m going to be a father and I can’t be putting myself out there like that anymore. Yeah, Sabrina is pregnant…thanks…April 16th of next year. Yeah, we are pretty excited. Look, I’ll help any way I can from here as far as consulting or recon ideas, but I gotta stay away from the hard stuff. Tell the President I’m sorry…Ok, Jeb, you, too…Bye.” He pushed the end button on the phone and then looked at Sabrina, who was staring at him with bright raccoon eyes from her smeared mascara.