Dominion (Guardian Angels) - By Melody Manful Page 0,15

pulled away. “Look at you, all grown up.” I believed from the tone of his voice that he was proud of me.

“Logan is a good teacher,” I told him. “And I’d take care of Mom, so don’t worry when you leave. Nothing will happen to us.”

“I’m worried about you, too, honey,” he said. “And I never wanted you in my crazy world. When you were born, I dreamed of riding ponies and having princess tea parties with you. And now, you’re not my little girl anymore.” My father sounded sad, and I knew he regretted the life that we were forced to live.

“Dad.” I forced a smile. “I’m all right. Besides, ponies and princesses are overrated.”

He smiled. “I’d still have loved to attend a tea party with you,” he said, pulling me into another hug. I winced against his chest.

“Maybe next time,” I said, hoping those three days he’d spent with my mother and me weren’t the only time we had with him.

“It’s a date,” he whispered, still holding on to me. I wanted to pull away from him because my body ached, but I didn’t, because hugging him was something I wished could happen daily. “I’m on a break for two months, so I’ll be popping in often.”

I felt my spirit light up with happiness. “Can’t you just stay with us?”

“You know I can’t.”

I knew that would be the answer the moment I opened my mouth to ask the question, but I couldn’t stop myself from asking it anyway. I couldn’t let go of the hope that he would one day say yes.

“Come on, let’s clean up and get you home to confess,” and with that we went to work cleaning up after ourselves.

The ride back home was much more fun and relaxed. We talked about different ways I could tell my mother that I broke her lamp. He talked about some of the places he’d been, and I told him about my friends and things my mother and I did while he was away.

When we got home, my mother took one look at me and started telling my father never to take me anywhere near the CIA training center again, but of course, she always said this. I took the opportunity to tell her that I broke her lamp, but she didn’t even care, she just continued to grill my father.

I hung out for a while with my parents and then said goodbye so they could have time alone together. My mother was always happiest when she was around my father, so I made sure she was able to spend time with him alone whenever he visited. When my parents were together, their happiness was infectious. Everyone around them smiled because they looked so in love. I loved seeing them together because whenever my father was around, our lives felt complete.

I was glad my father was going to be dropping in and out for two months. I would be able to spend more time with him, and my mother would smile without pain in her eyes.

The only time I saw my mother happy—besides the times my father came to visit—was when she was with me. I was the center of her universe. She lit up when she talked about fashion because she loved it, but whenever I smiled or laughed, she automatically did the same.

It was the same for my father when he was with me. He loved when I was happy. Every time he came to visit, he constantly tried to make me laugh. I loved seeing them happy, too, so I attempted to do whatever would bring them happiness. Going back into my room, I didn’t think much of my pain. Instead, I was delighted with my father’s pride in my training skills.

I’d trained with Logan for years. The first time Logan handed me a gun, although it had been empty, I freaked out. We started my training with paintballs and empty guns until I was ready to train with a real gun. I didn’t understand then why I had to learn to use those weapons just because of my father’s work, but now I did—the world was a battlefield, and I was born right in the middle of it.

Now I could hold any weapon without flinching. Training with Logan wasn’t something my mother was happy with, especially when it came to guns, but she couldn’t forbid me to learn because she agreed that I needed to be able to defend myself. However, she herself never