"Our wedding," Malcolm gently reminds me.

"Oh," I say, suddenly feeling stupid all of a sudden. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize we were doing it tonight."

"Well, I don't see any reason for us to wait," Malcolm says. "Do you?"

"Absolutely not," I tell him, squeezing his hand. "The sooner the better."

Malcolm smiles at me and returns his attention back to Daniel.

"The kids are welcome to come if you want to bring them," Malcolm says.

"I doubt the boys will," Daniel chuckles, "but Bai will want to come."

"I would love for her and Lucas to spend some time together," I tell Daniel, remembering what I once thought about the two of them forming a lasting friendship. It would be nice if Lucas had someone his own age who understood the world of angels and demons and who would always be a part of his life.

"Then I'll make sure to bring her," Daniel promises. "We'll see you both tonight."

Daniel phases, leaving Malcolm and me alone.

"I guess I should have asked you first," Malcolm says almost apologetically. "I just thought you would want to have the wedding as soon as possible."

The look of uncertainty on Malcolm's face pushes me into action.

I wrap my arms around his neck and kiss him soundly on the lips, deepening it to a point where I leave my future husband breathless. When I finally relent, I pull back and look at him.

"Of course I want to do it as soon as possible," I tell him. "I would do it right this minute if I could."

Malcolm smiles and leans in to nuzzle my neck with his lips.

"Good," he says against my throat. "Because I don't think I can wait much longer to have you in my bed."

I giggle and reply, "That goes both ways."

Malcolm lifts his head and looks at me.

"I don't want you to worry about the seals anymore today," he tells me. "It's your wedding day, Anna, and I plan to make it a day and night you won't ever forget."

"I plan to keep you to that promise," I tell him, bringing his head down to mine. "Now kiss me, Malcolm, because it will be the last one we share until G.o.d officially makes you mine."

Malcolm kisses me with an intensity that makes me wish we had already exchanged our vows. I simply keep in mind that it won't be too much longer, and I send up a silent prayer asking that nothing happens this time to delay our union.

Chapter 5.

Malcolm doesn't release me from his kiss for a very long time. Not that I was about to complain. If it had been left up to me, I would have taken full advantage of the situation and phased us directly to the honeymoon stage of today's events. The only reason I didn't was because we were so close to Malcolm's goal, and I knew how important it was to him for us to do everything properly. I wasn't going to rush him just to satisfy my own physical needs, even if they were great...and becoming increasingly demanding for some reason.

Malcolm eventually pulls his lips away from mine but gently touches our foreheads together, keeping our physical connection to one another. His eyes remain closed, and his breathing is even and deep. He doesn't say anything, and I don't rush him. He's had a rough day, and I've been the major cause of his worry. I would move all three planes of existence if I thought it would ease his burden.

"Are you all right?" I ask him, taking both of his hands into mine, enjoying the comfort the warmth of his skin has always provided me.

"I will be," Malcolm replies, keeping his eyes closed.

"Is there anything I can do to help you?"

Malcolm's eyelids flutter open and he leans his face away only a fraction of an inch from mine to say, "Stay alive."

"I have no intention of dying," I a.s.sure him. "I have too much I want to do, like having your babies."

Malcolm grins, and I see a little bit of his tension ease at the reminder of our son's prophecy.

"Thank G.o.d for Lucas' gift," Malcolm says. "Otherwise, I might go completely insane with worry."

"Speaking of Lucas' ability to see the future," I say, "he had a vision while you were away."

Malcolm sits back slightly at hearing this news and looks alert. "What did he see?"

"He said he saw a war," I tell him. "He said you, me, and the others were in the middle of a fight, but that we were outnumbered."

"Did he see anything else? Did he see who won?"

I shake my head. "No, he didn't. He didn't even know who it was we were fighting, why we were in a battle with them, or when it would happen."

"Well, I'm sure it will all play out the way it's meant to. There's no reason to worry about something we can't control," Malcolm says in a resigned voice, but I knew I had just added something else to his list of burdens.

"Whatever it is, we'll face it together and win."

"I don't care about winning if it means I might lose you, Anna."

"I thought you said we weren't going to talk about all of that for the rest of the day?" I ask, gently reminding him about his earlier statement.

"Is there anything you would like to do in particular today before the wedding?"

I smile at the question. "Yes, there is, but I believe we decided that would have to wait until after we said our vows in front of G.o.d."

Malcolm chuckles, obviously picking up on my meaning. "Is there anything else you would like to do before the wedding?"

"Nothing that would be nearly as much fun," I admit with an exaggerated sigh. "Are we even supposed to be with each other before we get married? Isn't it bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding?"

"Yes it is," a new but recognizable voice chimes in.

I look over by the fireplace to see Lilly standing in front of it. She's wearing a white sleeveless summer dress, looking perfect in her part as an angel on Earth.

Malcolm and I both stand up.

"What on earth are you doing here?" Malcolm asks, taking my hand as we walk over to greet our new guest.

"I heard there was a wedding later on this evening," Lilly says, smiling at us. "And I sort of doubted Anna has had a proper wedding shower considering everything that's been going on down here."

"No, she hasn't," Malcolm says, looking confused by Lilly's suggestion. "What did you have in mind?"

Lilly smiles and holds out one of her hands to me.

"Something special," she says mysteriously, waiting for me to accept her offer.

I release my hold on Malcolm's hand and place it into Lilly's grasp.

"I'll have her back in time for the wedding," Lilly promises Malcolm. "I a.s.sume you have things to do until then to keep you occupied?"

"Yes," Malcolm answers. He leans into me and kisses me chastely on the lips in front of our company. "I guess I'll see you later at the altar. Have fun with whatever they have planned."

Before I can make a reply, Lilly phases us.

I find myself standing in front of a house surrounded by snow-capped mountains. The sun is bright in the sky and a warm breeze blows through my hair, lifting it off my shoulders. The colorful flowers planted in the boxes hanging from the front porch railing permeate the air with their sweet aroma.

As I look at my surroundings, I get an odd sensation that I don't belong where Lilly has brought me. A gentle force seems to be urging me to leave, telling me it's not time for me to be here yet.

"Where are we?" I ask, knowing exactly where we are but having a need to ask the question.

"Heaven," Lilly tells me. "My version of it anyway. Come on. There are some people inside who have desperately wanted to meet you for a very long time."

I follow Lilly up the stairs to the front porch. I notice an empty, white painted swing on the right-hand side of the porch swaying gently back and forth in the breeze, making the chains creak. Before Lilly can even reach out a hand to grasp the doork.n.o.b, the door is yanked open. Two women stand in the entryway smiling at me for all they're worth. I instantly know who they are because I've seen them in Malcolm's memories, Caylin and Jess.

Caylin walks up to me and takes me into her arms, hugging me lovingly.

"Oh, Anna," she says, tightening her hold even further. "I've waited so long to see you again."

"Stop hogging the bride, kiddo," Jess complains good-naturedly. "I'm her ancestor too, you know."

Caylin laughs and steps back, giving Jess room to take her place in my arms.

"It's so good to finally meet you, Anna," Jess says before releasing me. "It's been a long time coming."

"It's nice to finally meet the two of you too," I tell them.

"Where is she?" A woman says loudly from the depths of the home's interior.

Two beautiful black women walk up the hallway from the back of the house. One is dressed in a pair of jeans and a nice dark blue shirt while the other is dressed in an old-fashioned dress with a black and red rose print pattern. I remember seeing the first woman in Malcolm's memory about Lilly's wedding. She was standing on the dais in the place of the Maid of Honor. The second woman is someone I don't remember ever seeing, but I instantly feel like I know her.

"There's my baby girl," the older of the two women says, taking me into her arms. "Oh Anna, it's been too long."

After the woman lets me go and steps back, I look at her face and can't seem to shake a sense of dej vu.

"How do I know you?" I ask.

"You and I spent a great deal of time together before you were sent to Earth," the woman says. "My name is Utha Mae, Anna."

"Were you the one Will and I stayed with while I was here?" I ask, remembering Will mention someone very special taking care of me while I was in Heaven.

"Yes, I was," Utha Mae says proudly. She begins to look me up and down with a look of pride on her face. If you didn't know any better, you would have thought she was my mother. "I knew you would grow up to be a beautiful woman, inside and out. Malcolm sure is a lucky man. He gets someone with beauty, smarts, and the purest heart of anyone I've ever met."

"Has that man been treating you better?" The young black woman asks. "Cause if he isn't, I'll find me a way to get back to Earth and kick some sense into him."

"Get in line, Tara," Jess says. "If anyone gets to kick Malcolm's a.s.s, it's me."

"Uh," I say, trying not to laugh at their eagerness to do bodily harm to Malcolm. "He's treating me very well. There isn't any need for a Heavenly intervention."

Jess groans her disappointment. "Man, I was really hoping you would say something different. I've been waiting for a good reason to ask G.o.d to send me back to Earth for a visit."

"You're just jealous that we can go back anytime we want," Caylin teases.

"I'm totally jealous!" Jess admits. "But I bet if I have a good enough reason, G.o.d won't deny me the chance to go back. At least he better not if he wants Heaven to remain peaceful or in one piece."

I look at the women standing before me and can't help but notice someone very important missing from the greeting party.

I look over at Lilly and ask, "Is my mother here?"

I can tell Lilly was waiting for me to ask this particular question and feel a slight tension enter the merriment of the moment.

"No," Lilly answers, "Amalie isn't here."

"Why?" I ask, feeling my heart drop inside my chest at the possibility that my own mother doesn't want to see me.

Lilly seems at a loss to know how to answer my question.

So, Utha Mae tries.

"I'm sure she just needs some time, baby girl," Utha Mae tells me. "Let's be patient. She still has a while yet to show up."

I hold back my tears of disappointment and try to preserve the joy of the moment. But, why wouldn't my own mother want to see me? Did she feel like my birth cheated her out of a real life? Did she regret not doing what Lucifer suggested and abort me so they could be together? There really wasn't any way for me to ask these questions to those present. How could they know what my mother was thinking?

"Who's ready to eat?" Tara says in what I can only a.s.sume is an attempt to quickly change the subject.

"Leave it to you to bring up food at a time like this," Jess says with a roll of her eyes at Tara.

Tara places a hand on a c.o.c.ked hip. "And what is that supposed to mean, Jess Collier?"

"That you've been eating since you got here, Tara!" Jess answers with a smile.

"And why wouldn't I?" Tara says. "I can eat all I want and not gain a bit of weight. Pretty much sounds like Heaven to me!"

It sounds like a very justifiable reason to me also.