Arielle Immortal Journey (The Immortal Rapture Series Book 5) (18 page)

“Dad, when did you get all these?” she asked, pointing at the
bird
feeders. “I don’t think you had them the last time I was here.” Her
father followed her gaze and chuckled blissfully.

“You know your mother,” he said. “She thought it would be a great idea if we could watch the birds. They are quite beautiful, you
know? Listening to their chirping is enjoyable, but watching their daily antics is a spectacular show. You mother and I spend quite a lot of time out here…” his voice trailed. He paused for a long moment.
“I do miss
our walks, pumpkin,” he said. His voice quivered and Arielle’s
insides clenched. Her gaze roamed his face, and reaching out, she placed her hand in his. He clasped it gently.

“I love you, Daddy, and I miss our walks too,” she whispered, blinking back tears. He pressed her hand lovingly.

It was a little after noon and the sun was moving across the sky, casting bright rays of light on the pond, creating a mixture of colors on the water. Her father swallowed back a lump that formed in his throat. The realization that his little girl was twenty-one years old and a capable adult was heart wrenching. “You grew up awfully fast,
pumpkin,” he said, releasing a frustrated sigh. “I knew this day would come, I just didn’t think it would be this soon.” They reached the bench and sat down facing the lily pond. Silence grew between
them.

“The roses are stunning, Daddy,” she said to break the silence.

“Yes, they are.”

“Did I tell you that Sebastian and I filled our backyard with freesia?”

“No, you didn’t, but I’m not surprised,” he chuckled. “Freesia appreciation in this family goes way back,” he snorted. Arielle
chortled blissfully.

“I guess you’re right,” she replied. “I remember seeing and
smelling freesia in our house ever since I was a little girl.”

He nodded and gave her soft smile. “Have you discussed your wedding plans with Sebastian yet?”

“No, Daddy. Eva, Gabby, and I, want to surprise the guys.”

“So, when do you plan to do that?”

“Later on this year.”

“What are you waiting for?”

“Well, the weddings will not take place until next year, so we
still have time to finalize all the little details before we present a complete plan to the guys.”

“Sebastian thinks that you have changed your mind,” her father said blankly.

Arielle was startled with her father’s statement. “What?” The question echoed throughout her shocked brain. “Daddy, did
Sebastian talk to you about this?”

“Yes, and why are you surprised? The man loves you, Arielle, he’s anxious to get married, and he can’t understand why you are waiting. And truly neither do I.”

“Daddy, I have told Sebastian that I want to graduate first.”

“I just don’t understand this generation of yours. In the old days your mother and I handled all the details of each phase of our wedding together. Don’t you think that Sebastian would like to be part of those details you are speaking about?”

She settled her hands on her lap and stared at the water.

“Yes, I’m sure he does. But, Daddy, if it was up to Sebastian we
would elope. He wants to get married now, today, so I have to hold him back. He also wants to pay for everything and I will not allow that. I need to concentrate on my schoolwork right now, and I’ll surprise him right after commencement,” Arielle said. “What did he say to you, exactly?”

“He has asked your mother and I, several times, if you have talked to us about the wedding. I really like Sebastian, and I feel sorry for the old boy. And most of all, I don’t like lying to him,
Arielle.”

Arielle’s eyes searched her father's as she said, “I know, Daddy, and I am sorry, but I’m thankful you’re keeping my secret. I know that he’s relentless.” She laughed nervously thinking about Sebastian and his insistence on finding out the date of the wedding.

“It's strange,” her father mumbled.

“How so?” Arielle asked.

“Well, it’s usually the girl that pushes for a wedding date, not the guy.”

“Yes, I know, but like I said before if Sebastian had his way we would have been already married.”

“I am sure you are doing the right thing, I just feel sorry for
him,”
her father replied. Arielle looked at her watch and it was already 1:30.

“Daddy, I have to go, Paul is coming over. He needs my help
with something. He’s going to be at the house at two. We’ll talk about this another time.”

He nodded softly. They rose to their feet and took the path back to the house where her mother was waiting.

“I’ll call you soon,” she told her parents. “Sebastian would like to have dinner with you before you leave for Spain.”

“Oh, how about tomorrow night?”

“I’m sure it will be all right, but let me ask and I’ll call you.”

“All right,” her mother said, and gave her a huge hug and a kiss. Her father held her longer, trying to suppress his emotions. Arielle felt every one of those emotions anyway through her gift. Remorse along with confusion flooded through her.

“I love you, Daddy,” she whispered, gazing into his tired eyes. “I’ll be back soon.” He smiled sweetly. She was out the door and on the way back to the house, anxious to get this revelation with Paul over with.

Chapter 14

SHE ARRIVED AT HOME
a few minutes before 2:00 and headed to her room to freshen up, a tense anticipation twisting in her stomach. She hated doing this but somehow it always ended up in her lap.
Her gaze fell to the mirror above the dresser and the anxious
expression on
her face made her frown. She closed her eyes tightly and took a few deep breaths. Her lids felt swollen, and opening her eyes took great effort.

The doorbell snapped her out of her reverie. She took a couple
more
deep breaths, and then went for the door. Paul was standing at the
threshold with a wide smile spread across his handsome face.

“Hi, Paul, come in.” She reached for him and he laid a kiss on her lips that made both of them laugh out loud.

“I sure missed you,” he said, his smile showing his pleasure at seeing Arielle again.

“Me too. I’m so glad you are here.”

“I must say,” Paul said, “I’ve been waiting impatiently to hear what you want to talk to me about.”

“Come in and sit down before we get into what we want to tell each other. Would you like something to drink?” she asked as she led the way into the kitchen. “I only have soda and tea.”

“Ah, soda would be just fine.” He followed her into the kitchen and perched on a stool at the counter. Arielle pulled a couple of
sodas out of the fridge and handed him one.

He popped the top and took a sip, gazing at her with a smile.
His voice came out steady and clear. “So what’s up?”

“I thought you wanted to talk to me?” Arielle asked.

“I do, but you go first,” he said, and clasped his hands on the counter top.

Arielle took a seat across from him. Reaching over the counter, she enfolded his hands in hers and stared into his clear blue eyes.

“You are making me nervous. What’s wrong?”

“Paul, how do you really feel about Loren?” Her question took him aback, and she noticed a shadow flicker across his eyes.

“Why?” he asked, gazing at her intently.

“Work with me,” she chuckled. “I’ve reasons for asking.”

“Well, I’m deeply in love with her, and I’m planning to propose to her on Christmas Day. What’s this all about?”

Arielle met his gaze and pressed his hands warmly.

“Is there anything in this world that could change the way you feel about her or alter your plans?”

“What do you mean when you say change my plans?” He
looked confused.

“This is the thing,” Arielle said, meeting Paul’s gaze. She took a deep breath as she considered a better way to ask the question. She bit her lower lip and exhaled. It was difficult finding an easy way to move into the main issue.

“Arielle, what’s the thing? What’s going on?” Paul asked.

“Paul, have you ever had any thoughts about immortality?” she asked calmly.

His eyes widened. He looked at her baffled. “How do you mean? Medically or scientifically?”

“Neither,” she said, and groaned. She pressed her lips together and tried again. “What I’m asking is…have you ever thought of living forever, like for eternity.”

“Well, that’s quite an intriguing question. But speaking honestly, that’s not something that occupies my thoughts on a regular basis.” He chuckled, watching her sardonically. “But that’s quite an amazing idea. I truly couldn’t think of a single soul on this planet that wouldn’t wish for eternal life.”

Arielle looked down at her hands and pressed her lips together. She knew that in the next few minutes Paul’s life would change forever.

Paul cleared his throat, bringing Arielle's attention back to the moment. She looked up at him just as she heard his voice say
skeptically, “However…” his voice trailed. He paused for a short moment. “It’s funny that you asked me something like that,” he said, and rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

“What do you mean?” Arielle probed.

“However…eternity with Loren sounds amazing,” he said, and voilà there it was; Arielle had the opening she needed.

“Let me ask you a question,” she said, gazing into his eyes. “What if Loren was an immortal and she could live forever?”

“Is that a hypothetical question or are you trying to say something?”

She felt the weight of his gaze as she tried to look unaffected by his words. He shook his head, pursed his lips, and she finally heard him say, “I don’t quite understand the question.”

“Let me try another way,” she came back passionately. “Would you love Loren any less if you found out that she was an immortal?”

“An immortal?” he repeated slowly. Suddenly, he looked
intently in her eyes. “What do you mean by an immortal? I don’t understand what you’re asking.”

“Paul,” she said patiently, “what if Loren could live forever?”

He shrugged. “Let’s pretend that I’m understanding what you’re asking,” he chuckled. “And I assure you that I don’t. If Loren was an immortal, it would be totally unfair to me.”

“Why is that?”

“If she could live forever that means I would die and she would still live on. I don’t think that would be fair. So no…I wouldn’t like it if she were an immortal,” he said firmly. “But truly, Arielle, what in bloody hell are you trying to say? I’m totally confused.”

Arielle frowned. She was not coming across as well as she
hoped. She considered her choice of words and couldn’t think of a better way to get through to him.

“What if you found out that Loren had special powers that were beyond human understanding. Would you love her any less?”

“Of course not, she’s the girl of my dreams, she’s absolutely amazing, fascinating, exciting, and I’m going to love her until the end of time.” His voice dropped to a soft whisper. “Arielle, I’m
irrevocably in love with her. Now that you know how I feel, tell me what’s going on without any insinuations.”

“It’ll be difficult to hear what I have to say, and I’m a little
nervous
about that.” She was just about ready to speak when she heard the doorbell.
Thank God!
she thought. She ran to the door and let Gabrielle and Eva inside. She felt relief at that she now had supporters. Paul rose to his feet and welcomed both of them with
open arms.

“How about this? Like old times,” he said with a bright smile.
“I’m glad to see you because I was getting a little worried with
Arielle’s riddles and enigmas.”

“What were you all talking about?” Eva asked, pretending that she didn't know anything.

“We were talking about immortality,” Paul said, beginning to laugh even harder. He quickly noticed that the girls were not laughing. He immediately stopped, and looked at them puzzlement in his gaze. An eerie silence fell between them.

“What? Don’t tell me that you all believe in this stuff?” he said, a bit shocked by their expressions.

“Absolutely,” Arielle heard Eva’s sweet voice say as bliss spread across her beautiful face. Arielle was amazed at how quickly Eva was adapting to her new identity, and how proud she was of herself.

“Paul, the three of us are here for the same purpose. We are here to save your relationship with Loren as we happen to know that she loves you immensely,” Arielle said.

“There’s nothing wrong with our relationship, and nothing will ever get between Loren and I,” he said firmly. “Oh, my gosh, Arielle, you are driving me crazy, Please say what is it that you are trying to
say before I go out of mind. What’s this big secret that Loren is
keeping from me?”

Arielle covered Paul’s hands again with her own. She stood
there quietly gazing in his questioning eyes. The silence was awkward. She took a couple deep breaths and came out with it.