“Then, as Heather said, it will suck for you. And so you know, we were married today. I just couldn’t wait to have her in my life as my wife.” His mother sputtered about time and divorce. “Never. I won’t ever divorce her. She is the love of my life, the woman that I’ve been waiting for. And if you cause us any trouble, any grief, then you will be barred from our home, and our children. I won’t have you being negative around them or us. It’s up to you.”
“This is uncalled for. I demand that you come back to the estate with us and we’ll discuss your options, and how you’re going to take care of the two of us now that we’ve decided to divorce. I won’t have you treating us like this, just because you’ve been getting some pussy.” Heather moved toward Mr. Sanders. “What? You don’t think I’m telling it—?”
Using a little—just a tiny bit—of her magic, she punched him in the face. And when he fell back, landing on his ass, she turned to Mrs. Sanders. Enough was enough.
“Get out of here. And take this sack of shit with you. If you ever again talk to me or my family like you just have, then I will take care that you never darken our doorstep again.” Mrs. Sanders asked if she was threatening her. “No. I’m telling you a fact. Now get out and be glad that I’m allowing the two of you to leave here on your own. David, help your father, if you would. Your parents are just leaving.”
David was laughing when he helped his father up, laughed as he escorted them to the elevator, and he was still laughing when he came back, pulled her into his arms, and told her how much he loved her. Heather was glad now that she’d listened to her heart and set the ground rules for her life.
Epilogue
Tholan looked around the room. There were so many people here that he was glad now that they’d decided to have the wedding outside instead of renting a large hall. He didn’t think there was one big enough for this sort of thing anyway. He looked back at Brooks when he called to him.
“Dad, do you think she’ll be there? I mean, she’s not run off, has she?” He straightened his tie and told him that she would never do that. “I can’t believe that I’m getting married. But I also can’t believe she said yes.”
“It was meant to be.” Brooks, now twenty-four, had met his mate. And now, in a large ceremony that her parents had insisted on, he was going to be leaving the nest too. “You’ve talked to her, haven’t you? About the house?”
“I did, and I have to tell you, Dad, her parents are really upset about it. They wanted us to live near them. I don’t think that would have worked out so well, do you?” He held his tongue. It was difficult with Brooks’s new family, but they’d work it out. “Heather told me what to say to them. I think, like she did, it made them respect me more. Doubtful that it’ll last, but I don’t care so long as Margo is in my life.”
“Good for you. Have a seat and try not to fidget so much. I can’t believe I still have to tell you that. We have about an hour before it starts, and I’m just going to step out for a moment. David is here if you need something.” When Brooks nodded, Tholan stepped out of the tent and into the yard where everyone was still mingling.
David had fathered four grandchildren for him, and Heather was having a fifth. Tholan thought grandchildren were more fun than anything. And he loved them so very much.
Looking at the group there, he thought of all the men that had come before him as a mystic. All of them had children and grandchildren—some, great grandchildren. But they still worked on the compound, and still trained the new protectors every day.
Riss and Kala had retired. They had wanted to see the world and had left the compound in the hands of their oldest son. There had been improvements, not only to the equipment that they used but also the way that they were being trained. Cell phones had been a big issue, and they’d had to work around them for a long time now. Tholan had one, but sometimes would forget where he’d put it. He thought perhaps it was because he didn’t like it. It was too connected to things.
Judith still ran her shop, though like Riss and Kala, she too had taken some time off. Not that she didn’t still make things—Tholan didn’t think she’d ever be able to stop doing that—but she and Agon would travel the world looking for herbs, new and old, and to try new foods. That was what they had wanted to do for a while now, and Tholan was glad that they’d gotten some time to do it. But he had a feeling that they’d be back at the ovens soon enough.
Galin had stayed at the compound. Tholan thought it was because he enjoyed the new recruits that he could tell jokes to—he was good at them, too. His delivery was spot on, and he never messed up. Tholan still couldn’t tell a joke well, and even the stupid book of knock-knock ones had been a failure. Galin had given up trying to help him with them.
Kip had gone on to college and gotten a law degree. He worked with Parker on cases, the two of them making quite the name for themselves. Dusty still helped with the computer things. He’d never seen another person who could find things that no one else did on them. She was thrilled to be helping Kip, and Parker as well.
Renie ran the local grade school. She had been nicknamed The Enforcer, and she loved it. But children were safe in her school. They were also fed well, had book bags and supplies every year, and no one was left out when projects were bought in. They loved her despite her nickname. Tholan even took to calling her that at meetings he’d have with her.
Arryn, too, had stayed with the compound. He worked with the animal watchers and told them ways to use their time wisely. He also made sure that they had rest when they were finished for the night, even if they only had to sit on a swing and sway back and forth. Tholan had thought it silly until he sat on one for an hour and felt like the weight of the world had been lifted from his shoulders.
Valyn, still a jokester, had left the compound altogether some years ago. He worked in town trying to get new businesses to come in. The employment rate was at an all-time low of less than one percent, and Jenny, his wife, was trying to get him to run for a high office position. Her way of thinking was that if he could do that for their town, he could do so much more for the entire state.
Jenny worked at the nursing homes and hospitals still, bringing books and treats for all those that wanted them. And she still sat with families when they lost someone, as well as would spell them a while when they’d been waiting. That, Tholan thought, was the hardest on her—sitting with a family that was waiting for their loved one to pass on.
Tholan didn’t work at all, not outside the home anyway. He would occasionally help out at the compound when needed, but he was a stay at home daddy. They didn’t have small children at the house right now, but he would go to get them when needed. A shed had been put up, and it was stocked with things that all newborns might need, and older children too, from diapers and clothing to strollers and baby beds. Car seats were bought when needed, to keep them up to date on all the laws.
Parker worked with Boss. And sometimes, when he needed just a few hours to himself, she would sit at his big desk and take care of things. It relaxed the man, and gave him a much-needed reprieve, as well as time to catch up on things like riding rollercoasters and shopping. Boss had become quite the shopper, even online at times. When he thought of the gifts that they’d gotten last year, he had to laugh. Boss should really read the description before handing gifts out from now on. It was funny but embarrassing as well.
Tholan looked at Heather, heavy with child, and her husband, David. He had become a renowned surgeon over the years, called by other hospitals to come in and show them how to do a particular procedure. He told him once that with age comes practice. Tholan thought that by the time the man was his age, he’d be perfect at anything.
David’s parents had died not long after Heather had their first child. They had never made up with them, were never allowed to visit their home. The one and only time that they had been invited, they had drawn guns on each other and had to be arrested. That was the straw that broke the back, Tholan thought. His parents died alone in the
ir respective homes, never having laid eyes on any of their grandchildren. “Natural causes” was what the reports said, but Tholan thought it was loneliness. He knew firsthand what that could be like.
When he was told there were only five minutes to go, he went back into the little tent and told them all to be ready. The men lined up, and Tholan made his way to Parker so that they could be seated with the rest of the people there. And when the music sounded that the bride was coming out, everyone stood up and watched her make her way to the front of the large gathering.
Before she made it there, however, she stopped where they were seated. Letting go of her father, who was giving her away, she pulled Parker to her first, kissing her on the cheek, then did the same to him. But she pulled them both out of their seats and brought them to the front with the rest of the wedding party. Then she cleared her throat before speaking.
“Today I marry the greatest man I have ever known, with the exception of my own father. And with that, I am marrying into the sweetest family that a woman could have ever been a part of. When Brooks asked me to marry him, the entire clan of Daniels cheered with me. They cried when my mom passed away when Brooks and I were newly engaged, even though they’d not known her well.” She looked at the two of them as she continued to address the guests. “Several days ago, I will admit I got cold feet. I was sure that Brooks was making the biggest mistake of his life in marrying me. I mean, really, who am I but just a waitress that he met at a family gathering? Oh, and they tip well too. Very well.”
Everyone laughed, but she wasn’t finished. “Parker sat me down and slapped me gently on the cheek. I was shocked, but also knew to pay attention to her. She told me that there was one person in this world for each of us, and we only got one chance to make it right for us. Parker told me that I was luckier than most in that I found my true love when I did. Brooks was set to move away the next day and canceled his plans to be with me.” Margo hugged Parker. “I could have canceled, she told me, and she’d take care of it all. But she also told me to close my eyes and try to imagine my life without Brooks. Getting up in the morning and not having his blueberry waffles. To think about what it would be like to watch Ohio State alone. To go to bed without his side being filled and his pillow smelling like him. I couldn’t do it. So, here I am today.”
Margo looked at him then, and he was almost afraid of what she’d say. “Tholan told me once that Brooks had been a gift to them. He told me that he and Parker knew that they’d have no children of their own, but one day, Parker found out that she was with child. And that they decided right then that their life couldn’t be more complete. Then he told me how I had come into their lives, like the other spouses of their children, and filled spaces in their hearts when they thought it was full. He told me every day after that that he was and forever will be the luckiest man alive to have been blessed with so many people that loved him.”
After she hugged him, he started to sit down with Parker. But Brooks pulled him up beside him and said that he wanted them there. That they were going to be just as much Margo’s family as they were his. And while the two of them were pronounced man and wife, he and Parker kissed as well. It could not have been a happier ending of a wedding.
There were so many gifts to the couple that they’d been stored in the house. Two rooms of them, all of them in the prettiest shades of gold and silver that he’d ever seen. As he walked through the rooms, admiring the love that people had bestowed upon his children, he noticed one package, sitting in the middle of all the beautiful wrappings, that was in the deepest shade of red that he’d ever seen. He didn’t have to look to see who it was from.
“Dad? Margo and I were just— What’s that?” He handed the package to his son, as his name was the only one on it. “Is this a joke? I mean, who gives a gift to the married man?”
“Open it.” Brooks tore the paper off and stared into the box for so long, he was nervous. Brooks looked at him before reaching inside and pulling out a scroll like parchment that was also wrapped in a red ribbon. “Is this from Hell?”
“I think so.” Brooks, like all the children, knew about Hell. They hadn’t ever seen him, nor had they talked to him, but they knew that he’d been the one that had given them the gift of Brooks. When he peeled off the ribbon, he opened the scroll up and laughed.
It was a drawing, of Hell himself. Brooks had drawn it when he’d been no more than three years old, right after they’d told him the story about his coming to them. When a small scrap of paper hit the floor, Tholan bent to pick it up. Handing it to Brooks, he read it to him.
“I have taken the liberty of giving you a bit of money. I have no need for it, and I wanted you to have it. Do not, under any circumstances, think that I’m doing a good deed. It’s just money that I have no use for. Have a good life, Brooks, and have lots of children.” It was signed with a single H.
After the kids had left on their honeymoon, Tholan told Parker what had happened. She laughed about the good deed too as they made their way up to their bedroom. In the morning they’d have a crew come in and clean up for them. But for now, they needed to rest.
Tholan laid by his Parker and picked up his latest romance book. Kathi Barton was becoming one of his all-time favorites.
Before You Go…
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Kathi Barton, winner of the Pinnacle Book Achievement award as well as a best-selling author on Amazon and All Romance books, lives in Nashport, Ohio with her husband Paul. When not creating new worlds and romance, Kathi and her husband enjoy camping and going to auctions. She can also be seen at county fairs with her husband who is an artist and potter.
Her muse, a cross between Jimmy Stewart and Hugh Jackman, brings her stories to life for her readers in a way that has them coming back time and again for more. Her favorite genre is paranormal romance with a great deal of spice. You can visit Kathi online and drop her an email if you’d like. She loves hearing from her fans. [email protected].
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Tholan: Mystic Protectors: An Angelic Paranormal Erotica Page 17