Page 78 of Forever Fallen

“Okay. Valk’s got a chair waiting for you right beside Marisol.”

“Has she had the baby yet?” Sophie asked politely, remembering the woman who was very pregnant at her grandmother’s funeral.

“Not yet.”

“Oh, mercy… poor thing! I know she was having problems with her ankles swelling and was miserable. I hope the baby comes soon for them and she has an easy labor,” Sophie said openly concerned.

Marisol’s poor belly was enormous, and the woman even joked about her waddle repeatedly when they talked.

“That’s probably what she’s thinking too…” Armadillo laughed. “Alrighty, if you want to push that button? That will open the sliding door on the van, and I’ll wrangle Luke.”

Sophie pressed the button and quickly got out of the van – only to move and help Delilah with her things as she awkwardly got out of the vehicle, her stomach slowing her down as she made a face.

“Heartburn,” Delilah volunteered, grimacing. “I’m getting it badly this time around and feel like I could breathe fire sometimes.”

“Maybe they have some antacid inside that is safe?”

“Oh, I know they do – Marisol practically chugs the stuff,” Delilah chuckled. “They say that heartburn is an indication of how much hair the baby will have… and if so? Valkyrie’s kid is going to have a mop of hair on his or her head.”

“That bad, huh?”

“Just hormonal changes can be rough sometimes,” she shrugged. “Let’s go inside so I can sit down before my ankles start swelling.”

The two women walked slowly to the house and Sophie put her arm around Delilah, making casual talk, as they stepped inside the massive house boldly, like they lived there. She could hear Armadillo behind her, telling Luke to behave and they would catch frogs in a little bit.

Walking inside, Sophie started to hesitate…

The house looked empty.

She glanced around to see figures moving outside in the distance. Was everyone in the backyard?

All the lights were on in the house, making it hard to see who was outside in the evening air. The sun was setting in the distance and her stomach growled painfully at the lateness of the hour.

“Is the restaurant going to be close to us?” Sophie joked softly, heading down the hallway towards the back door with Delilah… and smelled something cooking.

Glancing at the kitchen, she saw five crockpots lined up along the counter – and a box with a plastic serving utensil on top of the dishwasher.

They weren’t going out to any restaurant…she realized only seconds before Armadillo walked around the two of them, sliding the back door open, revealing the wonderland that lay ahead of her.

There were candles in glass jars of every shape and size all around them. They lined the deck, were in the grass, and on top of several fence posts, giving off a warm glow that was only accentuated by the fading orange sun.

There were some lawn chairs setting in the yard, almost in a semi-circle… and then she saw Ryan. He was standing there, in his uniform, looking at her proudly.

There was something in his stony expression that gave him away, and if she couldn’t read him so well? She would have thought he was bored or irritated… but that wasn’t the case.

She saw his throat work as he met her eyes… and was stunned as several of the other airmen lined up beside him, each shaking his hand or patting him on the shoulder before whispering something to him.

She heard several clicks – and realized that the woman she was helping to her seat had pulled out a camera, quickly snapping a few photos of the airmen together.

“Go…” Delilah said softly, smiling at her. “I’m going to go sit down.”

“What is this…?” Sophie whispered in disbelief.

“Ask him…” the pregnant woman urged, smiling happily.

Ryan started to walk towards her, and Sophie took a few steps, looking around in disbelief again. It was like stepping into a real-life version of a famous painting,Midsummer Eveby Edward Robert Hughes captured this perfectly.

The candles glow along the lawn, the darkening skies, making the trees look almost black against the deep blues of the atmosphere as the world prepared for evening.

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