Enticing An Angel

by Leo Charles Taylor

  "I don't want to get between Michael and his mother," Melanie said quietly.

  "Don't worry about it," Brian said. "That's her choice, not yours or his."

  "Do you believe Michael?"

  "Of course," Brian said. "What I don't believe is how I fell for that stupid game. I'm thirty-three and should have known better. Oh, well, I'll forgive her for her one-sided version, mostly because she does it out of habit."

  Michael returned with a beer and handed it to Brian who took a quick swig and put it down.

  "Not there!" Melanie said as he was about to place the bottle on several pieces of paper that were laid out for viewing purposes.

  "Those are our wedding ring designs," she said.

  It was a good thing that Brian had finished swallowing or he would have choked. As it was, he stammered in shock.

  "What?" he asked. He didn't wait for a reply as he began to laugh and then looked at Melanie.

  "Your house?" he asked, and then picked up one of the sketches.

  "Wedding rings?" he stated as much as asked.

  "Hell, Michael," He said as he picked up his beer and remarked flippantly. "I told you to marry the woman. I didn't mean right away."

  "We're not getting married," Michael said.

  Brian just shook his head while finishing his sip.

  "Yeah, right," he said. "Anyway, we're having a family lunch on Sunday. Are you going to make it?"

  Michael tilted his head and offered a raised eyebrow and a skeptical look.

  "Bro, you still need to apologize," Brian stated.

  "I told you, she's the one that needs to apologize."

  Brian started chuckling, took a large swig of his beer, set it down, stood from the table, and patted his brother as he passed him.

  "Yeah," he said. "Let me know how that works out for you."

  He left without so much as a good-bye or a thank you for the beer. Michael just shrugged his shoulders as if to say, That's Brian.

  Once he was gone, Melanie climbed up into Michael's lap and he held her with one hand as the other one was busily holding the ice to his eye.

  "Well, I suppose you should go on Sunday," she said.

  "Oh, you think I'm going solo do you?" he replied.

  "It may not be a good idea for me to be there."

  "Tough, you little pipsqueak. I need you there for support." he began to laugh as he thought about it, and Melanie had to once again ask what was so funny.

  "Tell me, sweetie," he said to her. "A week ago when you were worried about your past, did you for once think that would be the easy part and my family would be the real source of trouble?"

  Melanie saw his point and chuckled as well. However, she believed she could live with this sort of trouble. After all, she was dealing with Angels.

  Chapter 20

  The Sunday lunch arrived quicker than Melanie expected, and she wrung her hands as they sat in the car while waiting to exit and join the Angel family.

  "Melanie, you don't have to do this," Michael said.

  "Yes, I do," she answered.

  "No, you don't"

  Michael was serious and she knew it; he wouldn’t make her interact with his family, and if she asked, he would put the car in reverse and take her home. However, she would not ask; she was stronger than that.

  "Come on," she said with false bravado and opened her door.

  They walked up to the house but didn’t make it far before the little angels spotted them, or more to the point, spotted Melanie.

  "Melanie!" they screamed as they ran to her.

  Nathan had been leading them somewhere through the yard, but they quickly abandoned him and went to their newest playmate. Melanie smiled and scooped up little Joey and began to give him raspberries on his stomach. He laughed hysterically, and then Katherine ran away when Melanie threatened to do the same to her. And, just like that, the initial tension dissipated as Melanie began to run around the yard with little children in tow.

  Michael observed her for a moment, and soon his other brothers joined them. They watched as well and had to admire the energy of the kids and the woman that kept pace with them. After several minutes of running around, the kids themselves were too pooped to run anymore. They decided it was more fun to hop on pop and insisted their dad lie down on the grass so they could sit on him. Nathan, who had remained at the edge of the yard, of course, complied.

  "You must be Melanie," a dark and brooding man said as she left the grass and walked to the driveway. He was a lone figure, watching her carefully as the other men had moved off to the area of the garage.

  "Yep, and you must be David," she said.

  David nodded slightly. He didn’t return her smile, but he did scrutinize her.

  "I've heard good things about you," he said sternly and with a raised eye.

  "Oh," Melanie said. "From whom?"

  David took a thoughtful breath. His intensity was almost a depression, but that was not quite it, and Melanie couldn’t put a finger on it. She had a sudden flash to Charlotte Bronte's Heathcliff on the moors, and she prayed he was not possessed with that dark a soul. He was certainly handsome like his brothers, and Michael had been correct, he was shorter than all the boys, save Joshua, but he still towered over her.

  "Josh mentioned you to me," he said directly.

  "Joshua?" she asked with surprise. She didn't understand how the youngest Angel, and one who had been so cruelly treated by a woman, could say anything nice about her. It wasn't that she was undeserving of kind words, but the youngest Angel possessed a jaded personality towards women, and one that was well earned.

  "Yes, he said you were 'Good people.'"

  Melanie smiled warmly and nodded her head.

  "Well, that is high praise coming from him," she replied.

  "Yes," he stated as he continued to watch her coldly. "It is."

  Her attention suddenly arrested by the sight of Mrs. Angel exiting the house via the front door. Melanie stared intently, and David turned with her. Michael, who was still talking with his brothers, quietly broke off his reverie with them; they had been standing next to the garage drinking beer and laughing about something. He approached his mother and she waited for him.

  "What's this?" David asked.

  "Michael has to apologize."

  "Ah," David stated, "enough said."

  Michael approached his mother, they exchanged a few words, and Mrs. Angel hugged her son and led him into the house.

  "That's it?" Melanie gasped.

  "Yep," David said and left her standing there in wonderment.

  The lunch itself was fine and merriment the norm. Laughter filled the air, and the fight between Michael and his mother never became a topic of conversation. It was as if it had never transpired. Mrs. Angel was pleasant enough to Melanie, and if she held any animosity towards the girl, she hid it well enough that it was undetectable, even with active searching.

  It was still an uncomfortable arrangement, but not one that Melanie avoided. When they cleaned up from lunch, the men milled about, and Melanie helped in the kitchen. She felt like calling to the men and demand they assist, but Mrs. Angel contentedly let her boys play. Melanie came to believe this time was meant for the two of them.

  It was an odd situation. There was no mention of their lunch at the deli, or of the argument with Michael, or anything that would indicate any trouble had transpired over the past few weeks. They talked about the little angels, Melanie's work, Michael, and even the upcoming weather. The biggest surprise was when Melanie addressed the woman formally and Mrs. Angel corrected her.

  "You can call me Susan," she said.

  Melanie's eyes widened, but she took the compliment in stride, and they continued their awkward conversation. More than once, Melanie spotted Michael with his brothers, and each time she spied him, he was spying on her. She felt very loved during these moments, and knew that if she gave the slightest nod he would be there to save her. However, she just smiled at him and blew him kisses. He
always smiled back.

  The day ended differently than it began. Michael and Melanie made their way to the car and both felt relaxed. The situation remained slightly tense, but Melanie had hope; at least the boys seemed to like her. This was made more evident as Michael loaded the car with leftovers and she said good-bye to the little angels.

  "Melanie," a voice called to her; she turned to see Joshua leaning against the garage wall.

  He maintained a serious expression, and when she approached, he straightened his posture. She was curious, and this became obvious in her face and mannerisms. When she was just a foot away, and staring up at him, He spoke again.

  "Welcome to the family," he said with a small nod.

  Melanie smiled and placed her hand on his chest. She held it there and blinked warmly.

  "Thank you, Joshua."

  From the front living room, Mrs. Angel watched her youngest son take Melanie in his arms and give her a hug. He smiled as he did so, and Melanie tried to wrap her arms around the boy. She succeeded for the most part, and when they separated, Susan could see they spoke a few more words to each other. She tried to imagine what they were saying but her creativity failed her. One thing she was certain of was that Melanie had enraptured her Angels, and the oldest one most of all.

  As she thought about it, she decided it could be worse. Melanie certainly was not her first choice, or any choice for that matter, but she did bring a new dynamic to the family. And, in the matter of Joshua, Mrs. Angel saw hope. If he could be brought this far by a little pipsqueak, then who could say how much further he could be brought, by a woman of finer character.

  Susan turned on her heel and walked into the house. She needed to find her address book and look for numbers. Michael may or may not be a lost cause, but she had four other boys, and now that Joshua was showing some signs of life, he would be fair game. One of her boys would marry well. She swore to that fact.

  "Did you survive it okay?" Michael asked as they drove away.

  "I believe I did," Melanie responded as she stared out the window.

  The boys had been nice, the little angels had been little angels, and even Susan had been civil enough. As they drove away, Melanie began to think of her own family. They were a shambles compared to this family, but that didn’t prevent her from wanting what she had just experienced—lunch on a Sunday, talking about whatever, boys brought into line by their mother. Yes, it was very nice, and as they continued to drive home, she had one pleasant thought repeating in her head.

  Melanie Angel.

  It had a nice ring to it.

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  Book Two: Capturing An Angel is now available Here.

  Feel free to E-mail questions or comments.

  Or Visit my site Leocharlestaylor.com

  For a Cameo appearance of Michael and Melanie, read Safe Returns (Book Two of the Chartreuse and Jonathan series. Available July 21st, 2014)

  Safe Assumptions (Book One) can be found Here.

  Book Two can be found Here.