I placed Abria on her feet, jogged to the front door and swung it open.
Weston looked yummy as a chocolate bar in jeans and a brown knit long sleeved shirt that accentuated his sculpted form. His coffee-rich eyes sparkled and he smiled. “Hey.”
I wrapped around him and breathed in his scrubbed-clean cologne, so freshly applied the scent dampened my nose going in. “Mmm, you smell great,” I murmured.
“So do you.” His face nuzzled deep into the curve of my neck. “Yum, hamburgers.”
We laughed. I eased back and lightly slugged his arm. He shut the door and I held out my hand. “Hungry?”
His keen gaze swept me from feet to eyes. “Starved.”
I led him through the afternoon sunbeams pouring in the windows and into the kitchen. He greeted Mom, who gave him a hug before she handed him a clear glass bowl filled with yellow cake and cream, layered with strawberries. “You’re just in time. Take that outside for me, will you please?”
She winked.
Weston nodded in good-mannered obligation and he and I went out on the deck. Abria stood on the same chair she’d tried to climb moments earlier, her gaze skyward, arms reaching.
Weston greeted Krissy with a nod, Luke with a handshake and then he gingerly placed Mom’s trifle down on the table.
“Hey, Weston.” Dad waved the spatula in greeting.
“Mr. Dodd.” Weston left my side to join Dad. “How’s it going? Looks good.”
“Going good. Hope you’re hungry.”
“Very. Can I do anything?”
“We’re about ready, I think.” Dad’s gaze flicked over Weston’s shoulder to me. I couldn’t keep the smile from my face, and felt insipidly in love, so I reached for another carrot stick and crunched, habit taking my gaze to Abria.
“Okay.” Weston crossed to me wearing a huge grin, his hands diving into the depths of his front pockets.
“You look happy,” I murmured.
“Dad came home today,” he said.
I hugged him. “I’m so glad.”
He reached for my hand and our fingers twined. “Me too. Mom’s happy to have him back and when I left to come here, they were in their bedroom, talking. At least I heard them talking. Not that I was listening. You know what I mean.” His cheeks flushed.
I nodded. “That’s the best news I’ve heard in a long time.”
“Ready.” Dad announced, plopping the platter of meat down on the table.
“Up!” Abria squealed, arms reaching for the sky.
Mom came through the door and immediately grabbed her. “Why weren’t you guys watching her?”
“We were,” Luke said, then dipped his head sheepishly.
“She’s fine, Mom.” I pulled out a chair to sit and Weston moved in behind me, and his hand covered mine. He finished bringing the chair out and I sat. Weston sat in the chair next to me.
“Luke, bring Abria’s highchair to the table, will you please?” Mom tilted her head in the direction of the kitchen.
Luke got up and went inside.
Dad found an empty seat and surveyed the bounty on the table. “Looks good. Mmm, my favorite dessert.” His eyes sparkled at Mom. “Thank you.”
Mom sent him a private smile that warmed me, then she sat across from him.
Luke dragged out the highchair and placed it table side, then hefted Abria into it and locked the tray in place. Abria grunted with protest, her frustrated gaze skyward.
I followed her eyes to the blue sky filled with billowing white clouds, tinted now with warm amber shafts of light as the sun slid closer to the western mountains. I never looked at the clouds without thinking of Matthias and Heaven. Knowing he was happy and safe in a place I looked forward to, but didn’t long for like I had longed when he had been my guardian.
“Up!” Abria repeated, her hands straining.
Mom studied her with interest. “Do you think she remembers Matthias?” she whispered. Luke had yet to tell Krissy about Matthias, and the two of them were engaged in a chat.
Who could forget him? “I’m sure she does,” I said. Another pang of familiar missing gnawed its way through my soul.
Dad extended his hands to his sides on the table top in invitation to join us all together for a word of prayer. The warm spring sun bathed us in radiant beams. We held hands and Dad bowed his head, sharing thoughts of gratitude.
My cell phone vibrated in my pocket just as Dad finished. Mayhem broke out as arms reached for meat, buns, condiments, salad and everything else. Chat filled the air. Abria continued repeating, “Up! Up!Up!”
I pulled out my cell phone. A text. From Britt.
i’m back. i wanna c u, zoe. is that ok?
It took me a few seconds to put aside the surprise of hearing from her.
sure.
Britt and I planned to talk later. I slid my phone back into my pocket. I wondered how she was, where she was in her life now.
Weston handed me a burger.
“Thanks,” I said. “That was Britt. She’s back,” I kept my voice soft, so our conversation wouldn’t be heard. But Dad was analyzing his barbequing job with Mom and Krissy and Luke were laughing over something.
“Up!Up!Up!”
Weston reached for the ketchup. He grabbed the bottle and squirted a blob on his hamburger meat. “You going to see her?”
“She wants to see me.”
He finished dressing his hamburger and his eyes met mine. “She needs you in her life.”
“Aww, thanks.”
“It’s true.” He kissed my cheek.
“Up!” Abria, uninterested in the food spread on her tray, now tried to squirm to her feet, so she could stand in the high chair.
I took a bite of my hamburger and stood. “I’ll take her,” I said around a mouth of food.
Weston pushed his chair back from the table and stood, ready to help me. I shook my head. “Don’t. It’s okay.”
“Thanks, honey,” Mom said. “You can try sitting her in a regular chair.”
We all knew that wouldn’t keep her in one place.
I gathered Abria into my arms and walked the length of the deck with her. “What is it with you today?” I whispered into the softness of her ear.
“Aren’t you hungry?”
She arched away from me, her gaze locked on the pastel orange clouds passing through a sunset-washed sky. “Are you thinking of Matthias?” I asked, watching her face closely for any recognition to his name. She glanced at me for a split second. A rush of joy oozed through the open spaces where missing him gnawed.
“He’s up there, watching over us.”
“Us! Us! Us!”
I hugged her tight, a smile creasing my lips. I followed her gaze heavenward. “Ab-so-lute-ly.”
A Special Thank You Writing this series has been a wonderful experience for me, as I’ve taken many of the incidents in the HEAVENLY stories from my own family life. I’m grateful for the gift of writing, and that I can share this story with my loyal readers many of whom have, through their enthusiasm, spread the word about the books to the world. To them I owe hugs and friendship and a mention: Sadie Ann Price, Katrina Whittaker, Tammy Williams Owens, Melissa Silva, Lisa Sano, Aurora Momcilovich, Maria Cabal Gomez and Lynsey Newton to name a few. So many readers have connected with me and thanked me for opening their eyes to the curious and sometimes hard to understand world of those who live with autism. I’m pleased when lives are touched and grateful to have any part in helping others understand the difficulties and treasures living with the handicapped can bring, if we—as people—put aside our apprehension.
Thank you, reader, for sharing in my story.
Jennifer Laurens
About the Author
Jennifer Laurens is the mother of six children,
one of whom has autism. She lives in Utah with her family, at the base of the Wasatch Mountains.
Other Titles:
Falling for Romeo
Magic Hands
Nailed
&nb
sp; Heavenly
Penitence
Visit the websites: www.heavenlythebook.com
www.jenniferlaurens.com
Book Three
Zoe’s secret is out. And the powers of Hell are ravenous to claim her soul. Her brother, Luke, knows her secret: that she sees both good and evil spirits. Her boyfriend knows. At least Matthias is her guardian angel again. But now Hell’s most ruthless leader will stop at nothing to have her soul.
Albert, Matthias’ father, is relentless in his hunger for Zoe. He wants to destroy Matthias and will use Zoe to do so.
The battle between Heaven and Hell tests every-
thing Zoe has. As she witnesses everyone im-
portant in her life suffering, she’s brought to the ultimate choice: will she sacrifice her soul to save the ones she loves?
Jennifer Laurens, Absolution
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