"Emily!"

My elder cousin, Sarah, grabbed my hand and began to drag me away toward the exit of the Throne Room.

I pulled against her in protest. I didn't want to leave Papa yet. She had already tried to bring me away from the Throne Room multiple times already, but each time I had refused. I didn't plan on leaving anytime soon. I had missed Him too much.

"But–"

"Girl, you've been here for so long. Papa's not going anywhere. We have so much to show you!" she entreated, as she continued to pull my arm.

"Come on, little sister," another voice agreed. I looked up to see my brother, John, smiling with quiet laughter. "We've been waiting too."

My older brother's request tweaked me, and I began to falter. I turned away and looked up at the Throne, not sure what to do.

Amidst the shining brightness and rushing of wind and thunder, I saw my Father smile at me and heard His soft whisper.

Go on, My precious one. They are doing what I have asked of them. He chuckled. Remember, this is not Earth. I'll be with you. Have fun. Go see what I have for you.

I smiled at Him. Ok. I'll be back.

I turned to my cousin and my brother. "All right, you two. You win. Where are we going?"

The two of them broke into large grins.

"Why your house, of course!" Sarah exclaimed. "Come on!" I let her pull me away, my brother following behind. I did cast one more look back at Papa as we quickly walked through the massive doors.

Love You.

I felt His smile. I love you, too. Then, He added playfully, I'll see you in a little bit.

His tone indicated something, but I had no time to ponder what He insinuated, as I was flooded by hugs and kisses from family members the moment we were out of the Throne Room.

"My Emily!" my German grandmother, Hildegard, called out, holding my face in her hands, and giving me kisses.

"Hi, Omi," I said, tears coming to my eyes. She was always the sweet one, and the last of my grandparents to pass away. That had been hard.

"I see you managed to drag her out," her husband and my Italian grandfather, Mario, said to my brother and my cousin. He looked exactly like the photos I used to see of him and my Omi on their trips to Europe before they had my dad.

I glomped on him, kissing his cheek. "I missed you, Gramps." Gramps probably had been my favorite grandparent, more so because we had a lot in common and he was actually my friend.

"Missed you too, sweetie," he replied, returning the gesture.

"Trust me, Gramps," John said, answering over us. "It wasn't easy. I'm pretty sure Em would have stayed there forever if Papa Himself didn't say anything."

"How do you know He told me?" I questioned, narrowing my eyes at him.

John wiggled his eyebrows. "Benefits of living here for a while. And you just confirmed it." My brother had lived here all his life, along with my cousin Sarah.

I stuck out my tongue at him. "Eavesdropper."

"Goodness gracious, you two," my grandmother, Evelyn, remarked. "You barely have been here together, and you already act like a bunch of hooligans!" She looked barely older than 25 and straight out of a 1950s period piece, with her curled dark hair and red lipstick.

"Oh, let them be, Evie," my grandfather, Clement, said, placating her. "They're making up for lost time." He had been the first of my grandparents to reach Heaven, being the oldest, but somehow he looked the youngest out of all of them.

"Hi, Grandma. Hi, Poppie. I missed you. It's been so long." I hugged each of them hard.

I had been blessed to have a large family on Earth who all loved the Lord. No one was missing. My parents were next, along with my in-laws, and then my aunts and uncles and extended grandparents or people who were my family without being blood-related. Going through everyone there probably took a month in Earth time, so I won't recap every conversation. But when we had all had our moments, Sarah got everyone's attention.

"All right, everyone! Emily still hasn't seen her house yet," she said. "We can talk more on the way."

So, our large group began moving down into the city, chatting, laughing, more hugging, joking, and more kisses. I barely paid attention to my surroundings, as I was so focused on seeing so many faces in so long. I honestly could have cared less about my house. I loved seeing my family again all together.

"We're here," John announced, gesturing to a huge mansion, not a house as they all had been calling it. It was a mix between the beautiful homes my family and I would drive by as a child and the Professor's house in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. It was my house.

"That's not a house," I said, mouth agape. My family all laughed and mentioned that they all had a similar experience when they first saw theirs.

"Here it's a house," said my father. "Size is irrelevant." Turning to my mother, he said, "Bonnie, why don't you lead the way? You've been helping prepare it."

My mother took my hand, with a huge smile on her face. "You're going to love it! The Lord made sure you had something special."

We stepped into a large foyer with two staircases curving opposite of each other leading to the second floor.

"This isn't a house," I reiterated. "It's a castle!" I froze for a moment, and suddenly, I couldn't contain myself and began to squeal. "IT'S A CASTLE!" Without even thinking, I began to run around and look at every nook and cranny, saying such things as, "Oh, look at this!" or "That's GOLD!" or "Look at this beautiful cabinet!" or "Umm… that's a marble lion."

"Emily!" Sarah called, breaking my frenzy. "We got something special to show you."

I froze and tilted my head. "Oh?"

She smiled. "You're going to love this."

Sarah and my mother led our family through my home, and I probably stopped at every interesting thing I saw. I couldn't help it. My home had been filled with every little detail, and I want to stop and appreciate it all.

While doing so, I noticed something and I voiced my curiosity. "Why is there a cross on certain pieces?"

My father-in-law, Randy, answered, "It's the Lord's insignia. It's a sign He made it."

My eyes widened. "You mean… He personally made them?"

He nodded, smiling, and I stood there blinking for a few moments in shock. It was only until my mother-in-law, Tillie, took my hand, laughing, and reminded me we needed to keep going.

My mother and Sarah eventually brought us to two large beautifully carved wooden doors, flanked by two suits of armor. But they stopped and turned to me.

"Close your eyes!" they said with mischief.

I narrowed my eyes in suspicion. This seemed very familiar. "Hold up, is this what I think it is?"

Gramps snorted. "Too smart for her own good. Just play along, girl."

I rolled my eyes, but did close my eyes. Hands took mine, I assumed my mom's and Sarah's, and guided me as I heard the doors open. They led me a few more steps than I expected forward into the room.

"You can open them now," said my father, and I did and screamed.

"IT'S A LIBRARY!"

And it was. My own personal library. Filled from floor to ceiling with books upon books. There were even ladders that I could fulfill my dream of sliding on like Belle! I ran about the room, scanning the shelves and finding all the books I loved to read, along with some I had never seen before. I assumed they were ones He knew I'd like and put them there for me to read.

It was warm and cozy, with floor to ceiling drapes over the windows. There was a reading nook all nestled with cushions by one of the big windows looking out into the backyard. I plopped in it and grabbed a pillow, giggling.

"Oh, thank You, Lord!" I praised, knowing He heard me.

"He's wonderful, isn't He?" asked my Omi. Of my grandparents, she had been the closest to Him in her life. I had learned much from her.

"Yes," I agreed, and my eyes began to fill with happy tears. I turned away, still a bit embarrassed about crying in front of everyone, and gazed out the window.

In doing so and looking out into the yard, I noticed a door that led into a stone walled space covered in ivy and climbing roses. I couldn't see over the walls, so my curiosity was piqued. It reminded me of The Secret Garden. A childhood dream of mine had been to find a secret space I could escape to.

"Hey, everyone," I began, "um, what's that?" I pointed to the mysterious door, still looking out the window.

The room went silent.

Surprised, I turned and looked to see my family all grinning. Grins that told me something was up, and they all knew something I didn't. I was almost scared.

My eyes flitted back and forth between them. "Why are you all smiling?" I asked, now very suspicious.

"That's where we are headed next," a few of them spoke, and then laughed or chuckled as they had answered at the same time.

Ignoring my suspicion, the ladies of my family took my hands and began to usher me out of the library into the hall. The men followed behind, still grinning like fools.

"What is going on?" I asked, almost accusatory. "You all are scaring me. What are you all planning?"

"Shush, child," said my grandmother, Evelyn. "You'll find out soon enough."

"Just trust us that you will love what's in store," my Omi added.

I finally shut up and let them lead me out a back door onto the back porch and patio. The walled whatever-it-was was clearly visible now and seemed larger than I had originally thought. Something vaguely familiar about this curious space began to tingle at the back of my mind. My heart was beginning to beat faster.

As we neared the door, I noticed it was actually open, just slightly but enough to clearly be seen from a few yards away. I tried to see what was past the door and began to slowly walk toward it. I didn't even notice that my family had let go of me and wasn't following me.

As I put my hand to the door, I heard John call out, "Say hello for us!" I turned to look back at them, wondering why they weren't following.

"This is just for you," said my mother with a large smile on her face.

"And don't forget to shut the door behind you." Sarah winked.

"Have fun!" called Gramps.

I just gave a small wave incredulously and gingerly stepped through the door.

It was a garden. A very familiar garden.

And occupied.

My eyes grew wide. I knew where I was.

Spinning around to look back at my family through the door, I turned beet red as I saw them grinning and waving like when they watched Ben carry me up the stairs on our wedding night. I swiftly and nearly slammed the door shut in embarrassment and could hear their laughter at my response from beyond the door. It quickly died away, and I figured they had left knowing their job was done. (I also heard a light chuckle from behind me, but I refused to acknowledge it.)

I let out a breath of air, as I leaned my forehead against the door. I swallowed, trying to remember to breathe. I had been here so many times I had lost count. I knew the scene behind me. I could close my eyes and describe it. The rows of flowers to my right, and to the left, the bench that sat under a large cherry blossom tree. I could tell you of the small walkway that led down the left and toward the back of the garden, where an archway opened and if you stepped through, led to the true garden.

I turned my attention to my surroundings allowing myself to fully take it in. I had never seen it like this. It had only been in my mind's eye. It now stood before me in full color and crystal clear. Real. Tangible.

As real as the Person who stood smiling in front of me.

This wasn't just my garden. It was His garden. Our garden.

Tears began to flow as reality began to set in.

"I'm here," I breathed chokingly, taking a few steps forward. "You're here."

A pair of warm hands instantly reached out to clasp my neck and brought my lips to meet their Owner's own in a full open-mouthed kiss, fully surprising me. I took a step back, but through half-lidded eyes, I saw my Lord. I did not pull away, and my eyes fully closed as I smiled against His kiss. It did not last long, as He released my lips to rest His forehead against mine.

"Welcome Home," Jesus whispered. His Voice was filled with joy and His eyes gazed at me with love.

I threw myself at Him, wrapping my arms around His neck and returning His kiss. I felt Him smile, as He matched my ardor. His hands quickly moved to lift me off the ground, so I was able to wrap my legs around His waist, effectively clinging to Him.

I brought my hands to His face and stroked His cheeks as I continued to kiss Him hard. Here in our garden, as I had done countless times on Earth, I was free to express what I had been wanting since I first laid eyes on Him here in Heaven.

"And I am able to do the same," Jesus whispered against my lips. He gently nuzzled His nose against mine and kissed me again. "I missed you, My love."

He moved His lips from mine, burying His face in my throat, kissing the skin there. My head tilted to rest on top of His, and I clutched at His hair and at the edge of His robe at His neck. My tears wouldn't stop falling. Tears of relief.

"What we had on Earth was only the beginning." His chest rumbled, and His Voice deepened. "I'll make sure you can't tell which way is up."

"I don't care how You do so," I said breathlessly. I cupped His face again, so I could look straight into His eyes as I cried, "Just let me stay with You."

Jesus' eyes of blue fire blazed. "I have no intention of letting you leave any time soon." He kissed me again hard, and I melted.

After a few moments, Jesus gazed into my eyes and smiled. "You remember there is more to this place?"

Looking down at Him, I nodded feeling my cheeks warm. "...I do."

He chuckled. "That sounded like a marriage vow," He teased. Immediately, my face turned fully red, but He kissed my cheek and whispered, "I accept." With that, He swept His left arm under my legs so He now carried me bridal style.

Turning to the back of the garden, Jesus carried me to the archway and without hesitating stepped through. The sound of a waterfall filled my ears, filling a pristine pool of crystal clear water. Water reeds bordered the bank on the left, and soft green grass covered the ground like a carpet. An ancient tree stood not far from the water's edge, and at its roots were cushions. Cushions I had sat with Him countless times. When I saw the sight before me, I almost burst into tears all over again.

Jesus pulled me closer to His chest for an embrace and kissed my temple. "It was always real, Emily," He whispered. I turned to look at Him, tears flooding, for He knew how many times I had wondered if it had been real. But it was; I had been here with Him. I had come home.

I returned His embrace, tightening my arms around His neck and burying my face into the crook of His neck. As I clutched Him, I felt joy begin to rise up in me, and a smile began to grow on my lips. Soon I was laughing, and I couldn't help but peck kisses all over Him, making Him laugh.

Jesus then placed me on my feet, and I began to spin around and around. Suddenly a song began to flow out from my lips. It was a new song; one I had never heard before. But it was mine. For Him. As I sang, the very trees and water seemed to sing and make their own music to match my song.

When my song was over, I stopped and waited for the music to stop. But it kept going, and I looked over at my Lord confused. Jesus smiled gently and took a few steps forward before holding out His hand, with a slight bow. My breath caught in my lungs, as I recognized His invitation for a dance.

Forcing my hand to not shake, I reached out to take His hand. The next moment, my Lord had pulled me in and immediately began to spin me around in a wild dance. He made me fly, whirling me about the grassy bank. I felt as light as a feather as He lifted me in the air before bringing me back down again into another spin.

As preoccupied as I was with Him, I did not notice when Jesus slowly inched us to the edge of the pool or when we began dancing on the surface of the water. I only cared about Him and making sure I never took my eyes off of Him. So when the music neared its end, I only had His half grin as a warning before He dipped me.

It was here I realized He had brought us out on the water, and I instinctively clutched at Him.

Jesus gave a small laugh and said, "Are you still afraid?" He leaned in. "Or have you forgotten you are with Me?"

I looked up at Him, biting my lip in embarrassment. "I guess I did…"

He raised an eyebrow as if I had given Him a challenge. "It seems I will have to remind you what drowning is like with Me." To this, He pressed His lips to mine and let us fall into the water.

The moment the waters enclosed up around us, I remembered. Every single fiber of my being shook and felt as if it were on fire. I went limp against Him, not able to withstand His overwhelming tangible love, but He did not let me go. Instead I was met with His ardent kisses and fervent touches. Here, there was no one but us. Yet, I began to disappear and all was Him. I truly felt one with Him.

I do not know how long He kept me there. Time was irrelevant, gone. I only felt its flow again when He lifted me out of the water, with a rush and a gasp from me. He still held me in His arms, and I was hanging limp against Him with my arms around His shoulders. My chest heaved as if I hadn't breathed in ages, but it wasn't from lack of air but more from a rush of elation.

His chest hummed against mine, and I felt Him nuzzle and kiss my cheek.

"Was that a bit much?" Jesus asked softly, with a twinge of humor.

I took in a few more breaths before lifting my head from His shoulder and resting my forehead against His to face Him with a smile. "I don't care if it was. It was worth it."

Jesus smiled. "Yes," He agreed, and His eyes flashed, "to make you Mine." And He kissed me again, and I reciprocated with all I could give. I would never get tired of them.

Turning us about, He carried and set me to sit upon a boulder at the edge of the pool. Here, the water was halfway up to my knees. He stood between my legs, wading in the pool, as I looked down at Him. The waterfall thundered but I barely even noticed it, seemingly fading away as Jesus filled my whole vision.

Almost hesitantly, I lifted my right hand and cupped His face, using my thumb to stroke His cheek. He smiled at me, and His eyes never left mine as He leaned into my hand. I wished my words could be adequate to express how much I loved Him. They truly fell short, but I used them anyway, as I felt tears flow once again.

"I love You, Jesus," I breathed in all but a whisper.

My Lord's eyes blazed for a moment before closing them as He clasped my hand and turned His face to kiss the wrist. I shuddered as His eyes opened to look at me once again, His mouth still against my wrist. I felt as if I would be swallowed again by His gaze alone, ignoring the fact that He sent what felt like lightning through my hand.

"When you say it like that," He began, His Voice deep and dark, "I want to bring you back under with Me."

My breath caught. "I-I wouldn't mind that," I replied with a stammer, the thought of returning to the pool, to Himself, overtaking me.

Jesus raised an eyebrow, before a half grin appeared on His lips. "I have a better idea."

I barely had time to blink before He jumped out of the water, suddenly completely dry, picked me up, (I couldn't help but voice a small yelp.) plopped me on the pile of cushions by the ancient tree, and knelt over me, holding Himself up on all fours. I lay flat on my back, sprawled out beneath Him, my chest heaving with the rush of euphoria.

His eyes roved over me, and I felt as if I was completely naked, but He smiled. Leaning forward on His arm by my head, so His nose almost touched mine, He said, "You are so beautiful, My love." My bottom lip quivered, and I couldn't meet His eyes. He said I was beautiful, but He was the One who was beautiful.

Jesus lifted a hand to touch my chin, making sure I was looking straight into His burning eyes of blue fire. My hands trembled and I clutched the cushions by my head, as my body began to shake under His gaze.

"Do you remember how I made you Mine here?" He asked softly.

I did remember. How could I have forgotten? "...yes." I barely spoke, even if I did at all.

I was visibly shaking now, and He touched my cheek, brushing it with the backs of His fingers. His gentle strokes calmed me, and I was now able to meet His gaze without help. His eyes were burning pools of love, and I gained more confidence. "Yes, I do," I repeated, smiling a bit.

Jesus smiled back, understanding my repetition of my earlier "vow". He leaned in even closer, and in a Voice that I felt more than heard, He said, "Then you should know what I intend."

His lips met mine, and as my hands came up to clutch His shoulders, He made me One with Him again.

When I awoke, I was laying on the pile of cushions with a blanket over me, curled in on my side. The sound of a waterfall filled my ears once again. I had not even realized I had fallen asleep. A hand rested on my head, brushing away the stray hairs. I lifted my eyes to see Jesus half resting against the trunk of the tree and half lying beside me.

"Hi," I greeted with a sleepy happy smile.

He smiled with a small laugh. "Good morning." Once again, He was the most beautiful being I had ever seen and I lay there for a moment in awe.

I took His hand from my head and kissed first the knuckles and then moved up to kiss His wound, the symbol of His love.

"Thank You," I murmured against His hand.

"You're welcome, My love," He replied. Using the thumb of His captured hand, He stroked my cheek."Come, sit with Me."

I pushed myself up, and He held out His arm for me to lean against Him, wrapping His arm around my shoulders. We sat there in silence for a few minutes, content in the other's presence, listening to the sounds of singing birds and the rushing of the waterfall.

"Did you enjoy your house?"

I blinked for it took me a moment to recall how I had gotten here with Him in the first place. "Yes!" I replied excitedly once the memory came back, pulling back so I could face Him. "Oh my goodness yes! It's beautiful!" I began recounting every little detail I had found, and thanking Him for every piece He made. Once finished, I gave a small pout. "You didn't have to do that much."

Jesus chuckled, "Yes, I did. I promised I would."

I pursed my lips. "Still–"

He pressed His lips to mine again, effectively stopping me. "I will do anything for you. Are you not My Queen?"

Heat rose up in my cheeks. He had called me His Queen again. I almost melted at His feet again, as I was struck dumb.

Jesus gave a smile that bordered on a smile of satisfaction as I remained silent, grappling with His title for me.

"That brings Me to one more gift I have for you." He laughed lightly and added, "Well, at least for now." He began to reach into His cloak, but then stopped and raised an eyebrow at me.

"Close your eyes and hold your hands out," He said, and then added with a wink, "No peeking!"

I gave a mock offended pout, but did as He instructed. I felt as He placed a mid-sized, metal object in my open palms.

"You can open them now."

In my hands was a gold key. It was beautifully decorated. The bow was a rose, leading to the shank or stem, and the bit was shaped similarly to a crown. Its whole length was an inch shorter than my hand. I squinted at it for a moment, wondering what it might be for.

"It's the key to our garden," Jesus explained, smiling.

I looked up at Him, my eyes widening, just beginning to realize the implications. He chuckled, and I looked back at the key as my thoughts came around. He was giving me access to Him. I could come here whenever I wished, and He would be here. I could come Home.

I lifted the precious gift to my mouth and kissed it. "Thank You," I whispered, my eyes filling with happy tears.

Jesus lifted His hand and brushed my tears away. "Did you think you would be limited on how much you could see Me?" I bit my lip, realizing that unintentionally I had thought so. I thought that what I did made a difference in how much access I would be granted. But it had nothing to do with me, but had everything to do with Him. "Here it is better. Why would I take away something that we already had on Earth?" He explained.

My chest struggled to fight against hiccuping sobs, and I smiled hesitantly through tears of joy and embarrassment. "I (hic) guess that was silly (hic) to think," I said, failing miserably at controlling my emotions.

Jesus only smiled and pulled my head towards Himself, so my face was buried in the nape of His neck.

"Oh, My precious one." He spoke as if I were a child, and I realized All of Him was speaking. "You have no idea what I have in store for you." He kissed my forehead before gently pushing me back and I met His gaze once more. "I can't wait to show you."

I smiled up at Him, lost in His eyes. "As long as it's with You."

Jesus brought His hand to my face, and spoke a promise He had kept and would never break. "Always. For you are My Home."