Chapter 9

The rain that insisted on falling during the last two days started to cease by the end of the morning. And some time later some shy sunrays managed to break through the dark clouds and reach the country side, revealing all its beauty, hidden behind the bad weather conditions. And the shining sun seemed to have lifted the spirits at the small castle where Monica and Andrew were staying at. Breakfast was served by 8 a.m. and the blond angel even joined them (yet, being permanently watched by his dearest friend), almost completely recovered from the cold.

Later on, while little Marie was playing with her dolls, Rose went up to take a walk in the garden, watching with a shy smile as the flowers she'd planted there were starting to bloom. She was exactly in the middle of the flowers when she heard footsteps behind her, even though John was quick to make some noise so as not to scare her. When the beautiful Irish woman turned around, she saw him smiling back at her, holding a bouquet with bluebells in his hand.

"Looks like the sun has really cheered you up!" he said, giving her the small flowers.

"I guess its rays are more shiny today..." she replied, taking the little bouquet, "...they can reach inside my heart, you know."

Narrowing his eyes, he looked deep inside her brown ones, trying to decipher the sudden spark he could see in them. "Did something happen, Rose?"

She looked at him for long moments, with a beautiful smile on her face, and then blushed a little. "Yes... something did happen..."

Wanting to find out what was causing that sudden change, he kept on talking. "And... judging by this pretty face of yours, it must be something good..."

Still smiling, she smelled the tiny flowers in her hands, "They're so delicate... Thank you, John..."

"You're more than welcome... And if you promise me you'll keep on smiling like this every time I bring you flowers I promise I'll come here everyday with a new bouquet for you!" he joked, even though deep inside he really meant it.

"I just realised how many times I've told you the words 'thank you.' It's much more than I can count..."

"You didn't have to thank me, Rose. Not even once." He turned serious again, and somewhat unsure of her reaction, he reached out and caressed her cheek.

"It's impossible not to be thankful... for all that you've done for me since our paths crossed..."

"Then let's make a deal: I just need this pretty smile... Whenever you feel like thanking me, let me see this pretty smile of yours, and I'll have my best reward!"

It seemed John was looking deep inside her soul. Words ceased from that moment on, and the couple remained locked up in each other's gaze for long minutes. Rose felt a surge of emotions deep inside her heart and suddenly, unexpectedly, a lonely tear fell from her eye. John reached out and wiped it away, taking the chance to cup her cheek, even though he feared her running away from him once again. But to his surprise and great joy, she didn't. Much on the contrary: the woman he'd been in love with for the past two years was returning his loving gaze with the same intensity, and that fact alone only encouraged him to inch his face a bit closer, allowing her to feel his warm breath against her delicate skin.

Slowly, their eyes closed and John finally crossed the small distance between them, brushing her lips with his in a loving, affectionate kiss. Suddenly all of her senses seemed to be heightened, the soft feel of his lips on hers, the musky smell of his cologne and the easy way his arms wrapped around her waist as their kiss went on. Her hands automatically went up his arms to his chest, then travelled to his neck and then back up to his face.

John held her firmly and yet so gently, as if was holding the most precious treasure in all the universe – which was exactly what she was to him. He made her feel like she was in the loving, protective arms of an angel, where no harm would happen to her, and his loving kiss caused pleasant butterflies in the pitch of her stomach; a set of wonderful sensations she would never forget.

As their lips parted and they paused for breath, the couple gazed into one another's eyes. She had taken her hands away from his face and settled them back down to his chest but he took one of them and then placed it to his cheek, brushing his sweet lips to her fingertips, trailing soft kisses over her palm.

"I love you, Rose... You've made me the happiest man in this whole wide world... you always have..."

"I love you so much, John... but I was so afraid..."

"Afraid? Afraid of what, sweetie?"

"I thought that... that maybe I could disappoint you... and then you'd go away from my life, and that I wouldn't bear..."

He frowned a little and shook his head in disbelief, as that statement sounded way too absurd, "Rose... baby... Nothing could be farther from the truth. I've been loving you in secret for all these years." John gently admonished her, tenderly caressing her cheek, "You're my everything, my eternal angel. I don't think I'd be able to tell you everything that I feel for you, baby, but if you give me this honour, I'll spend the rest of my life trying to do so... I'll spend the rest of my life loving you more every single day."

"That would be the best present I could ever receive... And you've given me so many already..."

All the love in his heart was reflected in the way he looked at her. Overwhelmed with tenderness, John cupped her face in his hand and ran his thumb across her cheek. Rose smiled up at him and on the following second, their lips met once again.

Not far from them, in the living room, Monica walked away from the window with a pleased smile upon her face. The extra spark in her eyes and the fact that she was so lost in deep thought only served to amuse Andrew even more, and he came closer to her from behind without being noticed.

"Monica? Is there something on your mind?" he spoke, almost in a whisper, in her ear.

Surprised, the Irish angel turned on her feet and looked at him with the same enthusiasm, "Andrew! You're getting better every minute, aren't you?"

Chuckling, he placed a gentle hand over her shoulder and nodded, "Yes, I guess so... And that means we'll be leaving this inn very soon, angel..."

As he pulled her a little closer, Monica leaned on his chest and sighed with visible contentment. "It's alright... Something tells me our free time assignment is finished, and it was very well succeeded, you know, Andrew?"

"Well, in that case I think the honours are all yours, angel, as I stayed in bed practically all the time!"

"No... if you hadn't made me a surprise and brought me here in the first place, none of this would have happened!" she kindly objected.

Laughing, he blushed a little and nodded, taking her hand and kissing its back.

X

"It's a pity you two have to leave, Monica. I was starting to get used to you around, even though you spent only a few days here," Rose said; she, John and little Marie were standing in front of the small castle, where they said their goodbyes to the two unexpected guests.

"Andrew and I will be forever thankful for your help, Rose... Both you and John appeared when we most needed!" the Irish angel replied.

"And it seems we've been friends for years..." the Irish woman spoke, with a grateful expression on her face.

"Will you and Andrew get back to visit us someday, Monica?" little Marie wanted to know, visibly sad that her "guests" were leaving.

The Irish angel knelt in front of her so that they were at the same level, "Who knows, wee Marie? I love this place so much that I intend to come back soon, once I have the chance to!" she blinked at the little girl, who giggled with some complicity in her eyes. They held each other and then Rose held Monica herself, "Thank you for everything, Monica..."

The new-formed family watched as the angels walked away from the small castle, and even only little Marie knew about their real nature, they all felt like something was different, and that, somehow, Heaven had been presented them with joy and hope.

"I was starting to get used to them already!" Rose said, as John wrapped his arm around her shoulders, "They are such nice people!"

"They sure are! I guess I felt it from the start, when I met them on the road..."

Little Marie giggled again, watching with sparkling eyes as the couple held each other naturally. Rose and John exchanged an amused look and he took the little girl in his arms, as both started tickling her.

"Let's see what's so funny here, missy!"

Her happy and excited yelling was like music to their ears, and as Monica and Andrew started to disappear on the road, they walked back to inside the castle. "You're not leaving too, are you, uncle Johnny?"

"Well, I got a ceiling to fix, and Andrew warned me that the problem might be in the attic, so I'll stay around a bit more... if you two ladies don't mind."

"Oh, we don't! Right, mommy? Uncle Johnny can stay with us, can't he?"

Rose looked at him with so much love and tenderness that he was sure, at that very moment, that she was the woman with whom he would spend the rest of his life.