Weeping Angel: Malvada (Book 1 of the Weeping Angel Series)

Chapter LIX

Mom reluctantly pulls away from the hug and wipes the remaining tears on her face away with her fingers.

"Your dad and Josh are worried about you, Emma. You should go talk to them." She sniffs, but I hesitate.

"I'll be okay. Call your dad upstairs, I need to talk to him about the funeral." She assures me. "We need to go over the guest list tomorrow and figure out who'll be catering."

I sigh and nod at mom, sending her a small smile before walking out of the master bathroom. I distinctly hear chattering downstairs. I waltz into the living room and find dad and Josh sitting beside each other on the loveseat couch, discussing something.

As if sensing my presence, Josh's eyes flicker over to me, his gaze softening and filling with relief. Dad follows Josh's gaze and stands up when he sees me.

"Are you okay?" I ask when I reach them.

Dad throws an arm around me and pulls me into a hug. "Of course. Are you okay, kiddo? How's your mom?"

"I'm fine, dad." I smile warmly. "Mom wants to talk to you. She's in your room."

Dad gives me a quick kiss on my head and eyes Josh before walking out of the living room, leaving Josh and me standing there alone.

I quickly turn around and tilt my head, making sure dad is gone, but I squeal when a pair of arms wrap around my waist, and I'm pulled into a hard chest. I lift my head and find a pair of soft blue eyes gazing down at me.

Josh leans in and smashes his lips against mine, letting me feel the fear, relief, and happiness as our mouths move together in synchronous harmony. My small body is pressed against his sculpted chest, and I run my fingers through his silky brown hair, deepening the kiss with everything I had.

Reluctantly, I pull away but lean my forehead against his as our heavy breathing mingled together.

"When I saw Malvada attacking you, I lost it, Rose. I thought I'd lose you." Josh says painfully, his voice deep and hoarse.

Something tightens around my heart. "Hey, I'm okay now. You and mom saved me."

Josh tightens his hands around my waist, our lips inches away from each other. "And I'd do it over again if it meant you being okay."

I lean back to look at him, my hands resting on his broad shoulders. "I know. She can't hurt us again, Josh. It's okay."

Josh takes my face in his warm hands and plants a chaste kiss on my forehead, his blue eyes boring into the depths of my soul.

"I love you, Rose."

The familiar warmth spread through my body, igniting a spark that sent my heart on fire. The way Josh was looking at me, it was as if he snatched every ounce of breath from my lungs. There was something in those intense blue eyes that I always found myself drowning in, and I felt so safe and warm.

This boy radiated everything that brought my heart nothing but pure happiness and swallowed all my pain, worries and problems away with just one look.

The same feeling arises every time Josh kisses me, whether it was on my lips or forehead, and my entire world stops spinning. Every time he held me in his arms or intertwined our fingers together, it was as if he was untying all of my knots.

My skin tingles from where his lips grazed my forehead, and my pulse was racing. My heart pounds in my chest like a blacksmith's hammer, and the bittersweet emotion that I didn't understand or admit to until now floods me like adrenaline running through my system.

This is what falling in love feels like.

"I love you, Josh." I breathe, stretching the meaning of every word.

I stand on my tippy toes and inch closer to Josh, and he tangles a possessive hand in my hair, his lips capturing mine halfway, making my heart soar and erupt with genuine happiness and love.

***

The rest of the week passed uneventfully, besides making dozens of calls to different caterers for Clarice's funeral, only to have them all reject my request despite offering more money, which drove me mad.

Luckily, two days before the actual funeral, I landed on a caterer who was available for Friday, and I figured out the menu with her and my mom.

Before we knew it, it was Halloween, which is also the day of Clarice's funeral, and it felt like thousands of rocks were placed on my shoulder, and my brain was stuttering, trying to process and accept that my sister was no longer with me.

I take a shaky breath and pat my black lace dress down, adjusting it around my knees. I fluff out my loosely curled copper hair in front of my dresser mirror and gently wipe a single tear that escaped my eye with my index finger.

I take a photo frame of Clarice and me that's on my dresser in my hands. We look to be around five and seven in the picture- we were in mid-air in our backyard from our old house, probably jumping around and laughing on the huge trampoline we used to have. I chuckle softly, shaking my head at the memory.

This wasn't going to be easy.

I set the photo frame down and pick up a folded piece of paper. I had spent the last two nights writing a few words about Clarice, but I couldn't write a single sentence without feeling like a sobbing mess.

I promised myself and Clarice I'd read my letter out loud, no matter how badly I wanted to break down and curl into a ball and cry my heart out.

I shake off the uneasy feeling in my chest and shove the piece of paper in my black side bag along with my phone.

The second I turn around, I see mom and dad walking into my room. Mom was wearing a short-sleeve black dress that ended at her knees, and dad was wearing a black sweater and grey pants.

I smile sadly and wrap my arms around them in a tight hug.

"Ready to go?" I ask once we pull apart, but furrow my brows together when I notice a white coat hanging off of mom's arm.

"You're going to work?" I frown.

"I got a call from the hospital earlier today. They need me for some time."

I narrow my eyes at her in disbelief. "They know today's Claire's funeral, though."

"She'll come with us for a few minutes and then go for about an hour or two. I'll pick her up in time, kiddo. Don't worry." Dad adds and throws an arm around mom's shoulder.

She sends dad a small smile before assuring me, "Of course. You won't even notice I'm gone."

I open my mouth to protest, but I close it immediately. I can't ask mom to ditch work like that. It has to be some emergency that they need her on such short notice.

I shrug it off as nothing and follow them out of my room and down to the front door. We pull on our jackets and shoes before jogging towards my parent's car. Mom gets in shotgun, and I slide into the back seat while dad gets behind the wheel and smoothly pulls out of our driveway.

The ride to the church was tense and depressing, but luckily dad takes a shortcut, and we get to our stop in fifteen minutes. Josh, Mason, Ethan, Gabby and some family were already there, their cars parked outside the building.