Gabe rolled his eyes. “Let’s eat.” He strode back to the dining room, followed by Misty and his father.
When everyone was seated again, Gabriella said, “Gabe, would you please say grace?”
Gabe’s eyebrows shot up. “Grace? Is it Thanksgiving?” Since when did they say grace on an ordinary day?
His mother just stared at him.
“Okay, fine.” He folded his hands and bowed his head. The rest of the dinner guests followed suit. “Good food. Good meat. Good God, let’s eat.”
Gabriella let out a long sigh. “I apologize for my son, Misty. What can I say? I did my best.”
His brothers chuckled.
“Hey, you did a good job raising us, Mom,” Gabe said.
Antonio reached over and squeezed his wife’s hand. “She certainly did. Any five-foot-two woman who can have seven grown boys quaking in their boots is a pretty remarkable mother.”
Gabriella laughed. “Since when do my sons quake in their boots?”
“Never,” three voices said at once.
“Right. So, getting back to you, Misty,” Gabriella said. “How is Parker? Have you heard from him?”
“Yes. We’ve been able to talk several times. He’s still stateside right now.”
Gabe wondered why he had to keep an eye on Misty if Parker was so available. As if she sensed his question, Misty continued, “It all depends on our schedules and whether he’s out on training maneuvers.”
“Oh, good. I imagine he worries about you while he’s away,” Gabriella said.
Gabe realized Parker probably didn’t know how often he’d be allowed to speak to his sister after he deployed. Maybe because they were the only family each other had, the military would let them stay in close contact. It didn’t excuse Gabe from his responsibilities, but it eased the tension a little bit.
“Yeah, I know he worries about me, but I’m more worried for him.”
Gabe concentrated on his mother’s pasta primavera and let the others carry the conversation. Noah talked about a fire he had responded to in Dorchester. Luca was asked about his classes. He had learned not to say much about his criminal justice major, but he was able to elaborate on his general studies at Northeastern University.
Miguel and Sandra talked about a vacation they were planning. The two of them were going to St. Kitts for their anniversary in February. Ten years. Everyone seemed to latch onto that topic with excitement.
Gabe hadn’t gone away on vacation in a long time. And now that he had Misty to take care of, he doubted he’d be going anywhere real soon. Just another reason why commitments and responsibilities were not for him. He didn’t like being tied down.
The only upside to staying home was that his bank account had grown exponentially. He’d made a few investments in the stock market, just to test the waters, and had been able to pick good stocks with growth potential. He liked knowing where his money went, so he didn’t go in for those money markets that some unknown management company looked after.
Gabe did have the money to support someone else, but that was the last thing he wanted to do.
“You’ll have to tell us how you like St. Kitts,” his father was saying. “I’ve heard it’s a great place to retire.” He glanced at his wife, and she rolled her eyes.
It was already looking suspicious that his father had retired twenty years ago and barely looked the part. Thirty-two years of service would have made him fifty years old when he retired. In truth, he was much older than eighteen when he’d started. Now, he should be over seventy, but he didn’t look a day over fifty.
He flew on occasion just to age his human body. In bird form, a phoenix aged like a normal bird—sort of like a hawk. About two months equaled birth to maturity. He did not allow his sons the same luxury. He was so worried they’d get caught, he’d forbidden them to shift.
Antonio was getting antsy. He wanted to move to the Caribbean and retire there, like, tomorrow. Gabriella was human and getting on in years, but she refused to leave until all her sons were happily married. It was a stalemate, and Gabe guessed a third option didn’t exist.
His mother could die before all her sons had found the kind of mates who would accept their paranormal identities. But she would die trying. And she wanted grandchildren—a lot of them. Her two oldest sons had married dragons, and dragons could only reproduce with other dragons. So they were out. And Miguel, third in line, was now out of the running too.
Miguel and Sandra had met in high school and had stayed together through thick and thin. Sandra had been shocked but quickly accepted his alternate form when he revealed it to her. Recently, they had lost a child. Sandra had miscarried in her second trimester. She’d had to have a hysterectomy, so more children were not in the cards.
That put the pressure on Gabe. And he’d bet his mother was already picturing Misty in a long white gown. Then a maternity dress. Gabriella was a notorious matchmaker. Well, she was going to be disappointed again.
He looked over at Dante and Noah. They were twenty-four and twenty-two, still kicking up their heels and having all the fun that young single guys have. They both gazed at Misty with rapt attention as she talked about the islands she had visited on a cruise.
