Eden (25 page)

This time was different from the
visits we’d made before. This time, I could feel Eli. I could
almost smell him. It seemed like he was closing in; that he was in
the next room and making sounds to signal he was heading our way,
but there was no sound. I could only feel it.

His energy grew stronger, and then he
was standing in front of us. The same ensemble as usual, I smiled
at his casual sandals. I withstood the urge to hug him. He had
saved our hides the last time I’d seen him, but I didn’t know where
we stood now.

Eli’s smile was immediate and sincere.
“Hello, Nina. You look positively radiant! Doesn’t she look
radiant, Jared?”

“
She does,” Jared
said.

“
Time is so inconsistent
between planes. It seems like I’ve been waiting ages for you two. I
trust the family is doing well?”

“
So far,” I
said.

Eli held one arm across his middle,
and touched the other hand to his mouth as he feigned being lost in
thought. “Hmmm...you’re going on a trip, soon? Leaving this
weekend?”

Jared nodded.

Eli’s eyes widened. “I heard. You
really aren’t going to make this easy for the dark side, are
you?”

Jared took a breath. “You don’t seem
concerned.”

Eli laughed once. “It’s hard to be
concerned when nothing is a surprise. Just once I’d like to say,
‘Ohemgee!’ you know?”

I laughed, and Eli nodded, glad for my
reaction.

Jared released my hand, and then
rubbed the back of his neck. “This is no road trip. We need
protection in the air.”

Eli pulled his mouth to the side.
“He’ll remain neutral.”

Jared frowned. “How can I protect her
if the plane goes down? This opens us up to any amount of
obstacles. Power failure, engine failure...if we end up in the
water, we could wind up in a storm with fifty-foot waves. That’s
not balanced.”

Eli nodded. “True. I’ll put Samuel on
it. Make sure things stay fair. Deal?”

“
Good enough,” Jared
nodded. “One more thing….”

“
Oh, you’re ready, are
you?” Eli said, his eyebrows shooting up.

I couldn’t help but smile. “That looks
awfully close to surprise to me.”

Eli grinned from one ear to the other.
“It feels like it, too. I should probably say, ‘Ohemgee’ to make it
official, right? Ohemgee! You’re ready?”

Jared smiled and then looked down,
nodding. “We’re ready.”

“
For what?” I
asked.

Eli’s expression softened. “The last
question. The child is special, Jared. The first angel born to
earth. As you already know, this child is capable of much, and has
powers beyond your comprehension, but your wife is your only
responsibility.”

Jared frowned, trying to understand
what Eli was trying to tell him.

I gripped Jared’s arm. “But I thought
once the baby is born, it’s protected. Isn’t that true?”

“
Yes,” Eli said. “But
Jared is not its protector. He is yours.”

Jared put his hand on mine. “Ask your
question, Eli. Ask the only question left.”

“
Can you trust her?” he
said.

“
Nina?” Jared said. He
looked at me, confused.

I could see Eli staring at us. His
words were soft and slow. “A mother’s love is everything, Jared. It
is what brings a child into this world. It is what molds their
entire being. When a mother sees her child in danger, she is
literally capable of anything. Mothers have lifted cars off of
their children, and destroyed entire dynasties. A mother’s love is
the strongest energy known to man. You must trust that love, and
its power. Can you do that?”

Jared never took his eyes from mine.
“Yes.”

Eli nodded. “Then have confidence to
carry out your plans.”

I looked to Eli to tell him goodbye,
but he had vanished. I took a deep breath, and threw my arms around
my husband. “Do you feel better?”

“
Not that I think you
incapable, but I’m not practiced in the art of
spectating.”

“
He just told us we could
go to Jerusalem and be safe! He just said everything will be all
right! Didn’t you hear him?”

Jared frowned. “I heard him tell me to
hand you total control.”

I smiled. “And I heard you say you
would.”

Jared nodded, clearly frustrated. “I
know. I will.” He took my hand and led me to the Escalade. I shot
him a warning glare, and he winced. “I swear.”

“
I don’t think he means
that I should lead the operation. My love for our child will keep
it safe. I take that as a good thing, and it sounds very
simple.”

“
Too simple. I don’t want
you thinking we’re going to land and take a taxi to the Sepulchre
and everything work out as planned. It’s going to get messy, very
fast.”

I squeezed his hand. “We can do it. We
have to.”

Jared took my face in his hands and
pressed his lips against mine. I grabbed his blue T-shirt in each
of my fists and pulled him closer. My stomach kept us farther apart
than usual, but I was as close as I could get for the
moment.

“
Whoa!” Jared said,
backing away.

I grabbed my stomach and laughed. “You
felt that?”

“
Of course I did. Think
Bean’s trying to tell us something?”

“
That we’re grossing him
out?”

Jared opened my door and
helped me in. “Oh, now it’s
him
?”

“
I don’t know,” I said.
“I’m playing around with both.”

Jared shut the door and in the next
moment, slid into his seat. He shoved the shift into gear and then
pulled away, a residual smile on his face.

I leaned over and hugged his arm,
leaning my head on his shoulder. For the first time in a long time,
tomorrow didn’t seem so ominous. Eli gave us all a bit of
hope.

My cell phone rang, and I fished it
from my purse, reading the display. “Hi, Beth,” I said.

“
How long have you been in
town?”

“
A few hours. I know I
said I would come over. We had to see Lillian and Cynthia,
first.”

“
Okay, I get that, but you
could have at least called!”

I frowned. I was failing right and
left at friendship. “Okay. Let me make it up to you. I’ll meet you
at the pub in twenty minutes.”

“
The pub?
Really?”

“
Yes. I’m sure you need a
drink. I’ll call Ryan and Claire. They can meet us
there.”

“
Just like old times!”
Beth squealed. “I’ll tell Chad!”

I dropped the phone into my purse and
smiled. “She hung up on me.”

Jared frowned. “Do you think it’s wise
to meet in a public place after the day we just had?”

I looked out the window. “This is my
town. I dare them.”

Jared chuckled, and then took my hand,
kissing my fingers. “You’re very attractive when you’re
feisty.”

I grinned over his compliment, and
watched Providence pass by as we made our way to the pub. Once in a
while I would sneak glances at him. Jared hadn’t changed much since
we met. He was still the tall, blond, movie-star-handsome man that
sat next to me on the bench almost three years before. His chest
and arm muscles still caught my eye when they moved and flexed
under his shirt; his blue-gray eyes still made me pause. Life
couldn’t have spiraled out of control anymore than it had, but I
wouldn’t trade it. A different life didn’t even appeal to me at
that point. Despite that we were about to run for our lives, I had
everything I’d ever wanted, with a man I loved desperately. Was the
danger, stress, and fear worth it? Damn right it was.

The neighborhood around the pub had
deteriorated since my freshman year. The streets seemed darker, and
instead of college students congregating outside the front door,
those loitering were much older, wearing sad stories on their
faces. Jared pulled into the parking lot across the street. Nearly
hopscotching my way around the puddles in the road, I ignored the
stares of those standing outside, and led Jared into the pub. Tozzi
was no longer behind the bar. In his place was a large woman with
long, yellow hair. She didn’t greet us when we came in.

“
New management, I’m
guessing,” Jared said as we found a table. “I guess Beth hasn’t
been here lately, either, or she would have said
something.”

“
It’s a shame. Some of my
favorite Brown memories are of this place.”

Jared put his elbows on the table and
settled in, smiling. “You mean the first night we
danced?”

I rested my cheek on the palm of my
hand, shooting a flirtatious smile across the table. “That’s
exactly what I was referring to, yes.”

The music was loud, so I resorted to
texting Beth to see if she wanted to meet elsewhere. I felt safe
anywhere if I was with Jared. Although Chad was no pipsqueak, I
couldn’t imagine she would be comfortable here.

Seconds after I sent the text, Beth
and Chad pushed through the door. Beth’s eyes were wide as she
looked around, and only slightly relieved when she recognized Jared
and me. She waved at us, and then pulled Chad hastily across the
room to our little corner.

“
What in the hell happened
to this place?” she said.

I leaned into the table. “Do you want
to leave?”

“
Why?” Chad said, puffing
up his chest. “I’m ready for a beer.”

We ordered, then Claire appeared, with
Ryan right behind her.

One of the men whistled, and then
slapped Claire’s backside. She jerked to a stop, and with her
stiletto boots, kicked the leg of the chair the man was in. It
splintered, sending him tumbling to the ground. Neither Claire nor
Ryan glanced behind them. They simply continued to our table as if
nothing had happened.

One of the misfits at the man’s table
stood, and then Jared pushed himself away from the table, rising
until his six feet, two inches towered over his challenger. Even
from across the room he was intimidating. When the friend promptly
took his seat, Jared did the same.

“
You always have to make
an entrance,” Jared grumbled to his sister.

“
I’ll never get his greasy
fingerprints out of this fabric.”

“
That’s what you get for
wearing pleather,” Ryan joked.

“
This is
not
pleather,” Claire
seethed. She jerked her head, shaking her bangs from her eyes. Her
ice blue irises glowed against her nearly white hair, and I
silently hoped that Bean looked just like her. A little nicer, of
course, but physically, Claire was the perfect female
specimen.

Beth filled us in on the magnitude of
emotions at Titan, the rumors, and how well Grant was handling it
all. The longer Beth talked, the hotter the pub became, as more
grungy bikers and seedy individuals flowed through the door.
Hearing Beth over the noise became more difficult for Chad, but
Jared and I only pretended to struggle. To me, Beth sounded like
she was talking directly into my ear.

A fight broke out, and Jared stood. He
was on high alert, waiting for the crowd around us to shell. I
watched the scuffle until they were thrown outside, and then I
breathed. Jared was right. I was too confident. Even with the added
security of Claire and Ryan, Chad and Beth could easily be hurt if
the rowdy crowd inside shelled and we had to fight our way
out.

“
Maybe we should find
somewhere else,” I said.

“
I agree,” Beth jumped
in.

“
I’ll get the tab,” Jared
said.

Claire rolled her eyes. “You guys are
babies.”

Beth and I left Claire and Ryan
sitting at the table, walking together toward the door. Just a few
feet away, we waited for Chad and Jared to pay the bill. Chad was
laughing at something Jared had said. I smiled. There was something
so satisfying about Jared socializing with someone other than our
inner circle. It made him more...human.

Spending time with people who didn’t
know our secrets was relaxing for me, and it seemed to be that way
for Jared, too. In that moment, I accepted my choice to keep the
truth from Beth. Not only was it for her own safety, but I could
rationalize that it was for my own sanity as well.

“
You’ve really popped!”
Beth said, gesturing to my stomach.

Instinctively I put my hand on my
rounded belly. “Crazy, isn’t it? It seems like it happened
overnight.”

Just then another fight broke out.
People were punching and shoving, their bodies bouncing against
each other like pinballs. I desperately tried to find Jared in the
chaos, but when a line of sight finally opened up, he was no longer
beside the bar.

Knowing the safest place for us was
outside, I hurriedly opened the door and pushed Beth into the night
air. The fighting spilled out onto the sidewalk, forcing Beth and
me farther away. I tried to keep her out of harm’s way, tugging on
her until we found ourselves in the alley.