CHAPTER 45

A beautiful sunrise

The clock on the bedside table was setting 6 AM when Monica's eyes slowly open, still glassy with sleep. She had her head pillowed against Andrew's strong chest and soon heard the sound of his steady heartbeat. It always amused him to see her waking up, as the confused expression on her face endeared him deeply and he would always brush a kiss against her cheek and tighten the embrace around her small form, greeting her for a new day.

At that time of the morning, however, it was Andrew who remained fast asleep next to his beloved companion, his arm permanently wrapped around her body, leaving to Monica the opportunity to watch him. A slight smile played on her lips as she gazed at his face and contemplated his handsome features. His expression was serene and transmitted all the peace the angel could pass to those around him – to her, in special. Gently, she touched his cheek with her fingertips and caressed his face, and it still amused her the fact that in human form, his beard tended to grow and become a "wee bit scratchy." Monica inched closer, careful not to wake him up, and brushed a soft kiss against his lips.

The two angels in human form had arrived at that resort in Poconos by the end of the afternoon, on the previous day, and despite Monica's joy at their romantic weekend, this time the two-hour travelling made her feel a little tired. She chuckled at that fact, though, secretly aware that the last time they had been away on a romantic holiday she wasn't carrying a wee angel with her. There were staying at an intimate couples resort next to the Lake Wallenpaupack, up in the beautiful Pocono mountains, and their suite was on the top of the mountains, surrounded by the ever-greens.

The Irish angel gazed at her beloved soul mate for a few moments more and then managed to disentangle from his loving arms to quietly leave their bed. The morning sun was greeting the earth and its warm rays were penetrating through the bedroom window to find the wooden floor, where now Monica's bare feet were walking along. She placed a robe over her nightgown, hiding completely her three-month small belly, and approached the balcony door. She opened it quietly and stepped outside, from where she could have a breathtaking view of the mountains ahead.

"Oh, dear Father... I've existed for so many years and saw so many sunrises like this one... but Your wonderful creations never cease to amaze me... Thank You for another wonderful dawning next to Andrew..." She stroked her belly as if she could really caress the little baby inside it. "Thank You for this wee miracle I'm carrying with me, and for our friends... And thank You for letting us know that our love was never wrong... Andrew and I have always felt that what lies in our hearts is pure and holy, and sadly misunderstood by our angelic friends. But knowing that our dear friends know it too gives us peace... I know Andrew is still upset with Tess and the others, but he's an angel like me, and I trust that with time, his annoyance will leave his heart and he will forgive them..."

Monica bowed her head and closed her eyes for a few minutes, and even though she was still in human form, it seemed that that place made it possible for her to feel her Father's loving message inside her heart. Once her prayers were over, she remained there for a while, contemplating the view of the mountains covered by the ever greens as the sky, crossed by flocks of birds, turned from hues of orange to blue.

The Irish angel was lost in her thoughts and in the scenario around her and only the gentle hands over her shoulders manage to take her out of her reverie. Monica didn't even have to turn around, but merely rest her back against Andrew's chest as he brought her closer to him and kissed her cheek. "Good morning, angel."

"Good morning, Andrew." She greeted him, as he gently lay the palm of his hand over her belly, covering the small bump on it completely.

"Good morning you too, little angel!"

His words made her chuckle and they remained in silence for a moment. Andrew didn't have to ask why she was up that early, he knew her soul very well to realise that she was admiring the scenario before them and praising God for what they had.

Monica caressed his arm, now wrapped around her small shoulders, and spoke again. "It's beautiful, isn't it?"

"Very." He replied, his green eyes capturing the details of the landscape at the same time as his hand kept on stroking her belly.

"It reminds me of another place, you know..."

She finally turned around and held his gaze, and both knew what was going on each other's thoughts.

Andrew caressed her face with tenderness. "I know... And I also know how much you miss it..."

The Irish angel leaned on his touch. "I do... And after much thinking, I came to the conclusion that I can have both worlds... We will never have to tell them goodbye, Andrew, because our heavenly friends as well as our earthily ones will continue to be our friends. We've seen their imperfections as well as their beauty, and we will keep on loving them. If there is any blessing I can pray for, it is accomplishing my assignments as an angel of God, which was one of the reasons I was created, and spending some of the time when I'm not needed among those I was blessed to meet in this new journey."

The blond angel pondered about her words for some instants. "One of the many things that makes me love you the way I do is this generous and loving heart of yours, angel... I wish I had the same capacity to love and forgive that you have..."

"Oh, but you do, Andrew!" she said, with gentle emphasis, and then pressed one of her hands against his heart. "No one apart from our loving Father is perfect. But look from this balcony what lies before us... The dawning of a new day is always beautiful, and there will always be new beginnings like this, and every living soul has the chance to witness them and start things all over again. We had this chance too, almost two years ago, remember?"

Andrew chuckled lightly, and nodded his head. "Our journey... is the best thing that has happened to me in all the centuries I've existed..."

"To me too. And Andrew... Tess is having her new beginning now. The chance to redeem herself for the things that she has said and done, and maybe the Father had more than one objective with our coming to Earth. Maybe we weren't sent here just to help other people but also to make the other angels learn a lesson... Nobody holds the entire truth but the Father, not even an angel of truth like myself, not even my superior like Tess and Sam."

Andrew took her hand and kissed her palm, and then brought her close to him in a loving embrace. "Your words... they're all true, Monica..." he spoke, gazing at the blue and orange horizon . "I just wish..." He shook his head with slight annoyance at the memory of their friend. "When I think about Tess I keep on remembering all the pain and suffering that she made us go through, that she made you go through, baby..."

Monica pulled away just a little to look up at him, her eyes and auburn hair were bright and the golden sunrays were involving her small figure in a beautiful glow; for a moment Andrew wondered if she had regained her angelic form.

"Have you ever wondered if perhaps with your resistance to Tess' presence and your reluctance in accepting her forgiveness, you are acting exactly like those you claim to be hurt and disappointed with?"

He frowned at that question, surprised and at the same time amazed at how well she look inside his heart and read what was in his very soul - perhaps better than him. "Oh, angel... I never... I had never seen it that way..." he said, staring at an invisible point ahead of him.

"You cannot face intolerance with the same intolerance... Besides, you and Tess have been friends for such a long time, you've met even before I met you both. Please consider all this time and consider the fact that she's admitting she acted wrongly and now is asking for your forgiveness, for our forgiveness."

Her words seemed to touch his spirit like no other thought that had crossed his mind over the last few days, since their old angelic friend had reappeared in their life. And then he recalled Tess' words, the terrible guilt he could see in her eyes. Andrew also remembered her saying that she had been around them in her invisible form, perhaps watching over them and worried about their safety now that they were in a fragile human form.

The blond angel looked back at his eternal valentine. "You are perfectly right, baby..."

Monica pulled away completely from his embrace to hold his hand in both of hers. "Forgiving Tess is something you should do not only for herself, and I can tell she's been begging for it, but also for yourself. If you do so, then you will finally get rid of the pain and suffering inside your heart so that you can start a new beginning with our coming back Home." She now guided his hand to her belly and kept holding it. "And the harm our friends have caused us... it cannot be compared to the joy we shared over the last year; it cannot be compared to the gift of having this wee one with us for the rest of our existence, Andrew... Loving us unconditionally and filling our own existence with absolute happiness."

Happy to see a slight smile on his handsome face, she smiled too. "I lost count of the times you were my angel, telling be the truth that I refused to see... speaking to my heart the words that I needed to hear, to alert me for the mistake I was making - because it was a huge mistake... I don't know how I can thank you enough, baby..."

Still holding her smile, she tilted her head and gazed up at him with so much tenderness and love that it made him fall in love a little bit more. "First of all... I've always been your angel. And you don't need to thank me for anything because I lost count of the wonderful things you've done to me since the first time we met..."

Andrew cupped her face with both hands, and gazing at her sparkling brown pools, which held so much love for him, he spoke the words that he had always kept in his heart whenever he thought about that sweet angel who made his heart a home for her.

"I love you..."

"I love you too... for ever, Andrew..."

Their loving gaze was only broken when his lips brushed against hers, and a loving, soulful kiss sealed that conversation like a promise of a new beginning for both angels who dared to show their love for each other. It was also a new chance for those angels who chose to remain away from their friends in the "comfort zone" of their heavenly Home. Andrew's fingers entangled in her long auburn hair, softly caressing the back of her head and his strong embrace around her waist made clear to her what he had just said with words a second earlier.

Andrew kissed her lips more firmly now and, tightening is hold around her, he playfully lifted her off the floor and twirled her around, and it was then that their kiss finally broke to give place to Monica's excited giggling.

"Andrew!" her Irish lilt pronouncing his name in that particular way that endeared him so much was like music to his ears.

"Oh, Monica... I love hearing the sound of your laughter, angel!" he said, gently placing her on the floor and kissing her lips once again.

Still giggling, she wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head against his chest. "Well... I can continue to laugh because I'm quite happy, but you know what would make me even happier?"

"And what would it be?"

"Breakfast... a huge breakfast because I'm suddenly starving, Andrew..." she answered, with a sigh, and while he laughed, she corrected herself. "I mean, we both are suddenly starving..."

Andrew pulled away and kissed her forehead, "Then let's get your breakfast done, baby. You and this little angel should not be kept waiting!"

He placed a hand on the small of her back and guided her back to their bedroom when she suddenly stopped a looked at him with an intrigued expression on her face. "Andrew... do you think they serve ice cream with breakfast?"

"Ice cream?" he spoke, rather confused.

Monica nodded her head with emphasis. "Pistachio ice cream to be exact... There is an ice cream parlour not far from the school, ya know, and lately I've stopped there when the classes are over to have a cup, and of all the flavours I've tasted so far, the pistachio it's been my favourite one..."

Chuckling, he nodded his head rather amused. "I'm not quite sure if we'll find pistachio in here, baby..."

His words caused her to let out a sigh with slight disappointment. "I'm wondering if this wee one is becoming fond of ice cream the same way I am fond of coffee... do you think this is possible?"

"Well... considering how 'fond' you are of coffee, I think there might be a probability..." he said, smiling warmly at her, not missing the slight blush in her cheeks. Andrew tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and brushed a loving kiss against her cheek. "Let's go, angel. Let's see if I can get you your pistachio ice cream!"

He chuckled at how her face lit up with a smile when he mentioned the ice cream issue, and the couple of angels started to get ready for breakfast.

X

The sound of Monica's giggling as Andrew held her hand and twirled her around on the dance floor was a thousand times better than the pleasant live music that echoed through the ballroom on that beginning of evening. After spending a lovely day visiting the resort surroundings and enjoying the contact with nature – something that Monica always treasured, the couple of angels, along with the other hotel guests, was now enjoying the presentation of a rather talented band that was playing some cheerful music for a very enthusiastic audience.

Andrew placed his hand on her waist when she turned around to face him and their eyes met as they kept on their pace, swaying elegantly along the hall like they always did whenever they were dancing together. The blond angel placed her hand against his heart, while the other one remained on her waist and with grace he guided her. Monica was smiling at him, there was a spark of joy in those sweet brown pools that hypnotised him and perhaps make Andrew fall in love with her all over again – if that was ever possible.

There were no words exchanged between them while the music played, but the intensity of their gaze was enough to convey all the loving words that were coming from their hearts. And they danced cheerfully and with elegance, and then when slow music played, they swayed close to each other, her hand in his, and placed against his heart. Monica's head rested over his shoulder as he guided her along the dance floor. There were other couples around them, each of them seeming to be in their own private world, aware of nothing but each other.

"I guess I never told you this but... But my heart is always filled with peace when we dance..." she whispered, a smile playing on her lips as she remained leaned against his body. "...it seems I'm back to Heaven. No wonder you are an angel..."

Chuckling, Andrew bent down and kissed the side of her head lovingly. "Well, I'm glad you're telling me this, so I know I still have my angel abilities!" he stroked the small of her back, admiring the image of his sweet valentine dressed up in an elegant black dress that went up to her knees, with short sleeves that would allow him to caress her arms up and down like he enjoyed to do.

"You've always kept your angel abilities!"

Pulling away a little, just to look at her beautiful face, even more adorable with some light make up, he kissed her forehead. "Alright... so it's as an angel that I say that my sweet valentine needs a little rest from the emotions of the day!"

Her smile grew wider, which only made him more infatuated. "You're always a protector, aren't you?"

"Exactly. And I'm in charge of two angels, let's not forget it!"

"You never let me forget it!" she said, standing on the tip of her toes to kiss his chin.

They stopped dancing and Andrew took her hand to his lips. "Let's have dinner?"

Slightly blushed, she nodded. "Actually, I guess I'm a wee bit hungry!" And then looked through the huge glass door that separated the ball room from the restaurant. "But it seems the restaurant is quite full at this time of the evening..."

"Well, yes, but as a protector I have something else in mind for you, my sweet angel!"

Ten minutes later, they were inside their suite, savouring a romantic candle light dinner, at a table set right by the balcony glass doors, from where they could have the view from a wonderful starry sky and a bright full moon. Andrew elected to have dinner inside their room instead of placing the table outdoors, as despite the warm and sunny days, the nights in the mountains were always a bit chilly. Loving words, infatuated glances and tender kisses filled their time, and Andrew couldn't help chuckling at the way she devoured a double pistachio ice cream.

And when they were over, the couple of angels sat on the carpeted floor, covered with fluffy cushions and in front of a warm fireplace. Andrew had Monica in his arms, the back of her head leaning against his chest while his strong arms held her to him, as if physically he was stating that she was his. And holding a cup of decaf mocha, the Irish angel watched the flames dancing in front of them with joy while she elaborated a list of names that was amusing Andrew deeply.

"Aoibheann. It means pleasant, beautiful sheen of radiant beauty. What do you think of that?" When he took more than five seconds to answer to her question, she stirred in his arms and looked up at him. "Hum... I see you don't like it..."

"It's not that I don't like it, angel, I-"

"It's okay... I guess it's a little too long name for such a tiny little one..." she said, not upset at all, and caressing her belly with tenderness as she reclined against him again.

A little relieved, he kissed her cheek and smiled. "We may spend some time thinking about her name, but if there's one thing I'm positively sure of is that she'll be as pretty as her mom!"

Monica was going to say something else, but another thought crossed her mind and made her turn around to face him one more time. "What about Sorcha? It means bright, radiant light. And in a way she is our little light, isn't she?"

Not sure of what to say about the new name, he elected to focus on the second question. "She certainly is, baby. And so are you to me!"

Chuckling, she rested the palm of her hand against his handsome face; her touch was soft like an angel's. "I love you so much, Andrew... and I love the fact that even when you don't like my name suggestions you manage to be so kind and sweet so that I am not upset with you. And just for the record I would never be!"

Blushing a little, as his little secret had just been revealed, Andrew tightened the hold around her. "Well... I'm relieved to hear it!" he said, and it was totally true. "It means I could be granted with...perhaps a kiss in the next minute?"

She tilted her head, eyeing him with deep affection. "I can grant you all the kisses of all the next minutes of my existence..."

Andrew took her hand and kissed her palm. "And I promise I'll make each of them count, angel."

They were hypnotised by each other's gaze for a few seconds. Then, breaking the contact with those soft and sparkling brown eyes, the blond angel looked at her lips and inched closer, shortening the already small distance between them. Monica could feel his warm breath against her face and slowly, her eyes closed in anticipation. When Andrew's lips finally touched hers, they both felt a wave of peace and deep love invading their hearts. He ran his fingers through her neck and then entangled them in her long auburn hair, caressing the long tresses as they glowed by the light coming from the fireplace.

Monica felt limp in his arms and once again Andrew felt the duty to feel her existence with joy and all the love he could give her – a joyful assignment he would forever be glad and honoured to fulfil. He kissed her softly at first, still feeling the taste of decaf mocha in her sweet lips. And when that sweet caress was over, he placed a trail of kisses along her jaw, eliciting sighs and whispered loving words from her.

"Monica... I love you so much, baby..." he spoke against her ear, enjoying the way her slender fingers caressed the back of his head. Andrew searched for her mouth once again and kissed her more firmly now.

No matter how long they had been together, no matter the uncountable loving moments they had already shared, his gentleness and affection, combined with the passion that could forever be written in his dark green eyes, Monica always felt butterflies in her stomach whenever he was holding her like that, or kissing her, or telling her about his immense love.

Once again, the angels were at where they belonged - in each other's arms.