by Delia Latham
The angel smiled. “You already know, Corbin. Obey.”
Corbin’s heart sank. God just never gave up, did He? He rolled his eyes and rounded the desk to kneel beside his pastor and friend. One last look at Guidance, who nodded his encouragement…a quick, silent prayer that he was doing “it” right…and then he opened his mouth.
For about five seconds—long enough for Corbin’s heart to sink, and for his brain to laugh out loud—nothing happened. Serves me right. I can’t believe I even hoped—
“The spirit of Elijah rests upon Elisha.” The words were out of his mouth without having taken the usual route through his brain. He’d had no idea he was going to speak, much less say something like that.
David slowly turned to face Corbin. Blinked twice. And the sludgy cloud over his eyes dissipated.
“Corbin?”
So relieved he wasn’t sure how to act, he grinned and reached out to place a hand on David’s shoulder. “Yep. It’s me.”
The other man did not offer an answering smile. “What did you just say to me?”
Corbin bit his lip. He’d blown it. Said something wrong. Lord, please help me. I don’t want to do any harm….
“Corbin!” David’s voice sharpened. “What did you say?”
“I, uhm…” He paused and ran his tongue over dry lips. “I think I said ‘the spirit of Elijah rests upon Elisha.’”
To his horror, David’s eyes filled with moisture that ran over, spilled down his face and dripped off his chin. A hoarse sob shook his frame, and he reached for Corbin and squeezed his shoulders hard.
Then he sat back and looked directly at Guidance, who stood watching in silence.
“I see you.” His pastor’s broken voice squeezed Corbin’s heart in a painful grip.
“At last!” The angel smiled, easing the pain. The emotional see-saw in the room made Corbin a little dizzy, but something else—something wonderful also swelled within his chest. He had obeyed God’s urging, and now he could see he’d done the right thing. God had come through and filled his mouth with what were obviously the words Pastor David needed to hear. Never before had he experienced such tremendous joy.
Or such an ache in his knees. The hard vinyl chair mat definitely was not designed for praying. He stood, ignoring the discomfort, completely caught up in the conversation between Pastor David and Guidance.
“Yes.” David pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and swiped at his wet face, then blew his nose. “At last.”
Corbin closed his eyes to keep from rolling them. Seriously? David was blowing his nose in the presence of an angel?
A low, musical chuckle forced him to open his eyes, if only out of curiosity. Guidance watched, his golden eyes alight. “You still don’t quite understand, do you, Corbin Bishop? We are around you every moment of every day. Your Father never for an instant leaves His children unguarded.”
Warmth crept up his neck yet again. “What you’re saying is that you’ve seen me blow my nose, too.”
David grinned and Corbin groaned. The twinkle in the pastor’s eyes said he would find a way to use this moment at a later date—and no doubt at the most inopportune time for Corbin.
“I’ve seen that…” The angel’s lips still curved upward. “And worse.”
Corbin shook his head. An angel with a sense of humor. Very funny.
To his immense relief, David sobered almost immediately. He waved Corbin into a chair and turned back toward Guidance. “I’m sorry I had such a hard time accepting that I was actually seeing…angels.” His voice broke. “I’ve always believed you were real, and I know Uncle Andy saw your—” He paused, frowning a little. “Brothers? Sisters? I’m sorry, I—I just don’t know enough.”
“It is not of importance,” Guidance said.
“Well, the point is, I believed you were real. I believed in Uncle Andy. But I’m not him.” His voice cracked, and he cleared his throat. “I loved my uncle like a father, but I cannot be Andrew Hart. I don’t have it in me!”
Guidance tilted his head to the side, studying the pastor. “Andrew was Andrew—that’s who God created him to be. But know this, David Myers, and never doubt its truth…the Father created you to be David.”
David narrowed his eyes, clearly puzzled. “But—”
The angel held up a hand. “God has chosen you to follow in Andrew Hart’s footsteps. But you’ll do so in a way that fits the man you are—not the man your uncle is.”
Praying silently, Corbin watched his friend process the information.
Finally, David nodded. “I think I understand.”
“Good. It is important. The Father does not expect you to change who you are to ‘fit’ the gift. He has molded the gift to fit you.”
David smiled, easing the tension Corbin hadn’t even known he was experiencing. His fisted hands relaxed, and he released a long-held breath.
“I will do my best to be worthy,” the minister said. “Thank you, Guidance.”
“You are welcome, David Myers.” Guidance smiled. “One more thing…you will find you are not alone in conversing with my fellow messengers.”
David frowned and lifted a hand to rub the back of his neck. “I don’t understand.”
“The Father knows you are busy with your flock, and that responsibility must be first for you. The sheep must be a shepherd’s first priority. Someone else at Heart’s Haven shares your gift. She has for some time but, like you, she was not fully open to using it until very recently. Perhaps you should spend some time with the friend of your uncle’s wife.”
Leaving David to think about his words, the angel then turned to Corbin. “And you, Corbin Bishop. I must bid you farewell.”
“I won’t see you again, will I?”
Guidance smiled and shook his head. “You have many gifts, but God has not called you to interact with me or others like me. Much like Thomas, the disciple of Jesus, you needed to see to believe. And you have a praying friend who very much needed you to believe.” His perfect lips twitched further upward. For just the barest flash of a second, Corbin wondered if Guidance was playing a subtle matchmaking game. “So the Father allowed you to see me when you prayed last night. Today, David needed to hear a message I could not deliver because he refused to see me. Temporarily opening your eyes to our existence benefitted earth and Heaven, too.”
Corbin smiled and shook his head. “Well, it’s been an experience, but I’m very glad that gift is pastor’s, not mine.”
He was once again treated to the angel’s soft, low laughter. “Farewell then, Corbin Bishop.” He turned to David. “And you, David, I will see again soon.”
David stood and faced the angel. For a moment—obviously overcome with emotion—he said not a word. But then his throat contracted as he swallowed. At last, he nodded. “And I will see you,” he said.
Corbin smiled, catching the mild double entendre in the pastor’s words. He reached over to squeeze the older man’s shoulder, and then turned to say good-bye to Guidance, but the angel was gone.
Or…perhaps not. Maybe, Corbin thought, he’s standing there watching me even now.
He picked up his and David’s mugs of coffee gone cold. “I’ll zap this and bring it right back.”
“Thank you.” The minister met his gaze and held it. “For…everything.”
“You’re welcome for everything.” Corbin smiled and hurried to the door.
But he couldn’t help casting one last look at the spot where Guidance had stood. How could such a powerful presence have so recently stood in that place and yet left no trace of himself behind?
Shaking his head, he turned and headed for the coffee station, grinning as he rounded the corner.
He might never blow his nose again.
12
Aria’s prayer session turned out less solitary than she’d expected. She should have known someone would be in the prayer room. WINGS was still in the midst of a round-the-clock prayer effort, after all. She’d been so startled, so driven by the su
dden unction to pray that she hadn’t thought about it.
She was glad to see Pia, whose swollen eyes and pink nose clearly bespoke her mental and emotional state—especially to Aria, who was already in tears when she entered the room.
Pia blotted her eyes with a tissue, and then reached for Aria’s hands. “How is he?”
The question confused her, but only for a moment. “David? I haven’t seen him. He was closeted in his office when I got here—and his door was pulled to, which isn’t like him at all. I didn’t feel comfortable interrupting him even to deliver his morning coffee.”
“That doesn’t surprise me.” Pia hitched a shaky breath and shook her head. “He left home this morning looking like death. He slept in his clothes last night, and when I suggested he change this morning, he didn’t respond. To be honest, I don’t think he heard me—or even really knew I was there.” Pia’s voice broke and she sniffled into a tissue. “Something is seriously wrong.”
Aria bit down on her lip, frowning. “I agree. Corbin’s acting strange today, as well. He disappeared into David’s office just before I came here—without knocking, and looking like someone had a hot poker to his back.”
Pia reached for her hands. “Well, you’re here, and it’s not even your prayer hour, so I’m assuming you’re burdened for them both as much as I am. Let’s pray.”
Twenty minutes later, both women gasped and looked upward. From the skylight high overhead, a blast of bright sunshine flooded the room, bringing with it a beautiful sense of peace…and a soft flutter of the air that seemed to usher in something holy. Warmth surrounded Aria’s shoulders, along with a gentle, squeezing pressure. A hug from Heaven that lifted the heavy burden from her heart and filled it instead with a joy so intense she could not contain the laughter that spilled from her lips.
She clapped a hand over her mouth, thinking it wrong, somehow, to laugh with such abandon in a prayer room. Tossing a guilty glance toward Pia, she found the pastor’s wife wearing a grin as wide as her own.
“It’s over.” Pia spoke softly, and then louder, allowing the same joy Aria was experiencing to add a delighted lilt to her voice. “It. Is. Over!”
Tears raced down Aria’s face and into her smile. She’d never enjoyed the taste of salt quite so much. Pia grabbed her in a hug so tight she couldn’t breathe…and that was welcome too.
“Let’s go check on our fellas.” Pia released her from the hug, and then took her hand and dragged her toward the door. “I have a feeling they’ve seen the Sonshine, as well.”
Aria heard the double use of the word Sonshine, and it gave her yet another thrill. Neither did the other woman’s automatic assumption that Corbin was her “fella” bother Aria in the least. Maybe he was, and maybe he didn’t know it yet.
One more maybe suggested she find a way to make sure he did.
****
Aria reached her desk mere seconds before Corbin came out of the pastor’s study. Pia slid through the door behind him, wiggling her fingers at Aria, and still wearing the ecstatic grin that had come in on the wings of the Sonshine. Aria sent her friend a smile and a thumbs-up, even as she hurried to intercept Corbin before he reached his own office.
She needn’t have worried. He met her halfway, wearing a smile that rivaled her own.
Aria stopped and narrowed her eyes, studying his glowing expression. “Happy” didn’t even touch it. Corbin seemed to actually be wearing Sonshine.
“I’m going to go a little wild here, and guess your meeting with Pastor went well.” She forced herself to resist touching him—his arms, his hands, his face, his hair. “You’ve got a classic cat-that-ate-the-canary smirk going on.”
Corbin’s grin grew even broader. Without the slightest warning, he grabbed her around the waist and lifted her off the floor, twirling her in a circle before setting her down. Even then, he didn’t release her.
“Aria, you’ll never believe what happened in that room.”
She couldn’t help grinning. With his eyes as round as small saucers and shining like that, he looked like a kid in a candy store. “You might be surprised what I’ll believe,” she countered.
He paused, and then nodded slowly. “I probably would. And I know you’ll be surprised at what I believe.”
Aria’s heart slammed against her chest, and she wondered if it might be making an effort to launch itself into Corbin’s arms. Could he possibly be talking about—?
“Angels!” Clearly unable to wait for her to guess, Corbin blurted the word. “I’ve seen one, Aria. Spoken to him. Twice.”
“Oh, Corbin.” Aria choked up, and tried to swallow the ridiculous lump in her throat. Tried again. And finally, she could speak. “I can’t tell you how happy that makes me.”
“Me too.” He nodded and tugged her further into his arms.
Aria had no intention of pulling away. She nestled close to his chest and thrilled to the sound of his heartbeat against her ear.
He held her. Just held her, rocked her in his arms and rocked her world. Saying nothing…and saying everything.
At last, he bent his head to plant a feathery kiss just at the edge of her lips, sending a fiery blast of heat from there to her toes in the space of a rapid heartbeat. “I have so many things I want to say to you, sweet songbird.”
She lifted her misty gaze to his. “And I want to hear them. All of them. But first…” She reluctant pulled away and took his hand. “Come with me. I want to show you something.”
“Where are we going?” The question seemed irrelevant, since he allowed her to lead him across the room with not even a hint of resistance.
“Outside.”
Aria hadn’t been outside herself since she arrived at work, and yet she knew what they’d find. Would Corbin see it?
She caught her breath as they stepped out the door and into…beautiful sunshine. And a gentle breeze that brushed her skin like an angel’s touch.
Corbin stopped cold and looked around as if not sure where he was. Then he closed his eyes and lifted his face to the sun. “Now this is how a nice, pleasant spring day is supposed to feel.” His voice was low and soft, but Aria heard every word.
“Yes. It is.” She shook her head and blew out a breath. “All that heaviness, that oppressing weight is gone. Just gone. And you know, I’m pretty sure our spiritual warfare is over—well, at least for this time around.”
“And I’m pretty sure you’re right.”
Corbin still held her hand in his. Now he used it to pull her close again and then tilted her chin up with his forefinger, forcing her to look at his face, despite the overwhelming shyness that suddenly washed in, around and through Aria’s being.
“What am I saying? Of course you’re right. You’ve been right all along, about everything.”
“I have?” Aria couldn’t think of anything half intelligent to say. “Well. I guess there’s a first time for everything.”
“I guess there is.” Corbin touched his lips to her temples, and then trailed a burning path of soft kisses down her face to her lips. He paused there, and Aria’s legs nearly buckled. Did this guy have even the slightest idea what he was doing to her?
“Aria…sweet Aria!” His words did nothing to alleviate the raw emotion his touch had elicited. “Let’s vow to always remember that we were standing right here under this dogwood tree next to The Falls Tabernacle the first time I said, ‘I love you, Aria Robbins, my beautiful, beautiful songbird.’”
“You—” She stopped and cleared her throat. “Did you—?”
He touched a finger to her lips and held it there.
A sudden, unexpected timidity stole her voice, and she dropped her gaze.
“Look at me.” His husky voice sent tremors through every nerve in her body. “Please…I want to see those beautiful eyes.”
With great effort, she raised her gaze to his. Smiling, he removed his finger from her lips and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “I said, ‘I love you,’ sweetheart. Shall I say it again?”
She heard the teasing note in his voice, but she nodded anyway. “Yes. Please. Say it again.”
He chuckled. “I love you, Aria.” A soft kiss burned fire into her cheek. He trailed the flame downward, and she felt the warmth of his breath against her lips. “With all that I am, I love you, my sweet songbird.”
“Ohhh.” She breathed the single word with effort. “Are you going to kiss me, Corbin Bishop?”
“No.”
“What?” She cleared her throat, determined not to squeak like that again. “Why not?”
“Well, because…you haven’t said it yet.”
“I haven’t said—oh!” She smiled despite that persistent shyness. “I love you, too. I do. And I hope you like hearing it because I plan to say so a lot.”
“I can live with that.” He smiled and placed a hand on each side of her face.
“Are you going to kiss me now, Corbin Bishop?”
“Do you want me to kiss you now, sweetheart?”
Aria rolled her eyes, threw shyness to the winds, and reached up to remove his hands from her face. She slid her own up his chest, over his shoulders, and around to the back of his head. Gently, she pulled his face closer to her own, her lips tingling with anticipation.
“Yes. I want you to kiss me…now, please.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
One more smile, one feathery touch of his fingers against her cheek. Then Corbin gently, sweetly, and yet with forceful certainty, brushed his lips against hers. Just a touch at first—a soft, sliding pressure, and then with a bold decisiveness that left no room for doubt in her mind.
This annoying guy from the big, fancy city…this frustrating youth minister who wouldn’t stick to his own ministry and leave hers alone…this sweet, handsome, absolutely wonderful man truly, without a doubt, with all his heart…loved her.
Aria’s heart leapt high in a dance of joy. If she had doubted her feelings before, Corbin’s kiss erased all questions. She loved him too.
From this kiss forward. For always. Forever.
