“Go, honey. Fly. Be free.” Gabe took off and soared several feet above her, circling as she walked. She glanced upward a few times to see that he was still there. He obviously wanted to stay close by. It warmed her heart.
A familiar face was coming toward her.Adam? Again? Really?
“Misty! I was just coming to see you.”
Suddenly, Gabe was dive-bombing her visitor. Even though he was anunwantedvisitor, she didn’t want anything to happen to him…or Gabe. “No! Stop, Ga—”
Adam ducked. Gabe veered away from his face and instead circled around, beating the back of his head with his wings as he swooped by. Some of the chocolate was dislodged, and a bit of bright color showed through.
“Jesus, Misty! Call off your bird.”
“Please, stop!” Misty cried. “Let me handle this.”
Gabe flew up to perch on a wire overhead.
“What the hell is that thing? An attack bird?”
Misty smiled slyly. Crossing her arms, she said, “Yes. It’s my Amazon attack bird.”
“And you named it Gay?”
“Yeah. She’s usually quite happy. I guess she thought I was in danger. Am I? In danger, I mean?”
“Christ, no. I was just coming to tell you I’m seeing Terri now. I won’t be bothering you again.”
Misty remembered Terri saying that he wasn’t a bad guy and she would go out with him if he asked her. Plus, as a single mother, Terri could use the kind of financial help Adam seemed happy to provide.
“I’m glad to hear that. Terri is a sweetheart. I hope you two hit it off, and I wish you both the best.”
Adam glanced up at the bird a couple of times. “Well, I’ll be on my way now. If that’s the kind of thing they have in the Amazon rain forest, I guess I don’t mind people cutting it down.”
As he walked away, Gabe swooped over him and crapped on his head.
“Jesus!” He shot a glare at Misty. “Get your damn bird under control.”
Misty giggled. “In some cultures, getting hit with bird poop is considered good luck.”
“Well, in that case, good luck to you too.”
* * *
The last few weeks of Gabe’s confinement were without incident. They had set July 4 as his return date. Independence Day. Completely fitting, he thought. The entire family was gathered to celebrate the holiday. Two holidays, actually. The Fourth of July, and New Gabe Day, as his mother was calling it.
Misty had been excitedly chattering with Gabriella and helping her prepare food all morning. She was wearing an adorable pink high-waisted sundress that she had made, telling him sewing would keep her out of trouble. He suspected she wanted something special for the occasion—and having a hobby was never a bad thing.
He was excited too. It was all he could do to wait until everyone had arrived and Gabriella announced everything was ready.
Misty ran upstairs to their bedroom. She laid out some clothes for him and said she’d wait downstairs with everyone else. Blowing him a kiss, she closed the bedroom door behind her, and he heard her footsteps running down the stairs. She hadn’t fallen in months. He hoped, for her sake, the reprieve from her MS symptoms would last.
He couldn’t wait another second. He concentrated on his human form and felt himself growing and shifting. At last, he glanced down and saw his feet and legs and, well, the stiffy, courtesy of Misty and her adorableness. He looked in the mirror over his dresser and saw his flawless face. No scars. No discoloring. Just the same old face he was used to. Breathing a sigh of relief, he grinned and put on the jeans she had chosen for him.
Before he pulled the fire department T-shirt over his head, he checked the spot on his ribs where he’d branded himself with Buddy’s dog tag. It was as smooth as the skin he was born with. He wasn’t sad to see it had disappeared. The reason for it being there wasn’t to remember his dog. It was to punish himself. It seemed as if he had finally conquered the need to do that.
Now…how to make an appropriate entrance?
He wished he had a dozen roses to give Misty, but it was pretty hard arranging something like that without the ability to speak. Then he remembered something from his younger years that he’d hidden away. The piece had always carried sad memories, but he couldn’t get rid of it. It was another reminder that he shouldn’t get involved with a woman. Or in this case a girl who distracted him from his responsibilities.
He fished a small box out of the back of his closet, opened it, and was happy to see the necklace hadn’t tarnished even a dozen years later. It was a tiny gold heart on a thin gold chain. He had been planning to give it to the girl who’d taken his virginity. But when his dog died, he pushed her away rather than let her see him cry. She thought it was because she wasn’t good enough in bed. Then she set about to prove she was—with half the football team.
