Page 81 of I Accidentally Summoned A Demon
Except it was a big deal. How could it not be? She picked up the conversation with her family, and Nex’s food remained untouched. Someone who wasn’t a demon would be able to go and hold her when she cried. He’d never be able to do that for her.
“You okay?” Kat asked.
He studied her freckles, her beautiful green eyes, and her red hair she tried but failed to tame most of the time. He hated himself for what he was—someone who couldn’t be there for her in the ways she needed. “I’m fine.”
“You sure?”
“I’m sure, kitten.” He poked at his food to avoid her.
Kat’s hand landed on his leg, and she kissed his cheek. “Thanks for coming and being with my family tonight. I know it’s not your thing, but,” she leaned her head on his shoulder, “I’m glad you’re here.”
Nex rested his head on hers, some of the self-loathing easing. Doing this for her was better than nothing.
After dinner, Nex went his own way, and Kat walked with her family to the church. Every step toward the cemetery got heavier. She hadn’t visited since the funeral.
“I was thinking of flying you to California for Christmas,” David said. “So you don’t spend the anniversary alone. What do you think?”
“Oh.” Kat kicked at the snow as she walked and kept her head down. “I appreciate the offer, but I won’t be alone. I have Nex and church.”
“I think it might be a good idea for you to be with family,” Frida tried.
“I’ll be fine,” Kat said. “Really.”
Alice looped her arm through Kat’s. “It’s an open invitation if you want to come, honey. We’ll gladly fly you over. We’d be happy to have you and Nex if he can.”
They stopped in front of the cemetery, and Kat’s throat tightened. Uncle David draped an arm around her shoulders. The metal gate creaked in protest when they opened it, as if it shared the pain embedded deep within Kat’s heart. Even though Kat had only been there once for her parents, she knew where to find their grave. David gave her a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder as they paused in front of the shared headstone.
Engraved across the top was “Milton”, and directly under was “Jeremiah 29:11. ‘For I know the plans I have for you’.” Her parents’ favorite verse, and the one they often told Kat whenever life got especially hard.There’s a reason for everything, Kat, her mother always said. Kat tried to live by that motto, but it wasn’t easy after they died.
Under the verse were their names: “Joshua Elijah and Helen Katherine”. Following were their birth dates, as well as the date Kat would never forget, no matter how much she wished she could. That day stuck out more than the day of the funeral, though she’d never forget their caskets lowering into the ground. Her chest constricted, and she swallowed against the sting in her eyes.
“They would’ve been proud of you.” Alice patted Kat’s shoulder next to David’s hand.
“They would’ve been in the front row,” Frida grasped Kat’s hand, “watching and cheering you on.”
“They were watching.” Kat’s words came out in a broken whisper. She hated crying in front of people, so although the tears were about to overflow, she held them back. Her legs were ready to give out, and she was tempted to let them. “They were watching from somewhere else.”
The walk home was almost impossible. One visit to that cemetery drained the energy from her body. Telling stories about her parents should’ve been a positive thing, but it didn’t help. Kat needed a minute alone because tears were about to fall.
At the house, Kat excused herself to the main bathroom. She rested her hands on the counter and dropped her head as the tears spilled. If her parents were alive, they would’ve been in the front row. If they were alive, the house would be full of Christmas decorations, not completely void. If they were alive, Kat would come home to the smell of baking treats and cinnamon candles. They would watch Christmas movies, tour light displays, and listen to carols.
Everyifscenario brought more tears until she was shaking. The door opened, and she wiped her eyes. “It’s occupied.” Through the mirror, she saw Nex standing behind her.
“I know.” Nex brushed his fingers along her back, shoulders, then arm, all the way down to her trembling hand.
They stared at each other. Kat hated crying in front of anyone, but at that moment, she needed his arms around her. The second she turned into him, he hugged her.
He could see her barely holding herself together at the cemetery. He’d watched from a distance, hoping that maybe it didn’t count as holy ground. Hope was lost when he walked into a wall only he could feel. So, he was held at bay as Kat broke down. He wasn’t done asking about the man bothering her, but the last thing she needed right now was anything other than what he was giving her.
As he stood with his arms around her, rubbing her back in what he hoped was a soothing motion, he realized how far gone he was. Marcus was right. It wasn’t like him to go to plays, to sit at family dinners, to socialize with people he didn’t know, or to stick around when someone cried. But this was Katherine.
He would do anything for her.
He would do anything for her, and watching from a distance at the cemetery left him helpless, distracting him so much that he didn’t notice the person in the window of the church. The same person who now stared out into the snow with a frown. In all his years as an angel, he’d never seen a demon behave like this.
“What’s taking so long?”
Gabriel turned, finding his brother Uriel behind him. “I’m working on it.”
