Gabe frowned. “You were eavesdropping?”
“We just thought you might need some help, dear,” Gabriella said. “I remember when Antonio first shared the family secret with me. I doubted his sanity too. I think it’s probably best if we all talk about it together.”
“Is it okay with you if they come in?” Gabe asked Misty.
What could she say? It was their house. She had nowhere else to go. Unless she moved back to the suburbs to hide from the baby’s crazy family. “Of course. Come in.” She rose.
Gabriella crossed over to her and took her hands in both of hers. “I know what you’re thinking. You probably think the whole shifter story is crazy. And that I’m crazy for believing it. But they can prove it, if you want them to.”
Misty was scared now. Either all of these people were nuts, or she was about to witness something so bizarre, she never would have believed it otherwise. But she had to know—one way or the other. She gulped and straightened her shoulders. “I think I need a demonstration.”
“As you wish,” Gabriella said. She turned to her husband and son as she put her arm around Misty, grasping her tightly. Part of Misty was uncomfortable, and yet part of her thought it was a good idea to keep from falling if she fainted.
“Are you ready?” Gabe asked.
“As ready as I’ll ever be,” Misty said.
In the blink of an eye, the man she loved shrank, shifted into a colorful bird, and flapped its wings to get free of his clothes.
She gasped and recoiled. Gabriella tightened her grip on Misty’s waist and arm. Then Antonio followed suit but let his sleeves drape over extended wings. The bird that was Gabe shifted again and became the man she thought she knew.
He asked her to turn around so his father could shift and yank up his sweat pants. Meanwhile, he put on his jeans again.
When they were dressed, Gabe asked, “Are you okay?”
She turned back and faced them. “I…I think I am.”
Antonio nodded sagely. “You’re a strong, brave woman, Misty. I give you a lot of credit for not fainting away. We need women like you in this family.”
Gabriella placed her hands on each side of Misty’s face, then kissed her on both cheeks. “I knew you’d be all right. That you’d understand.”
“Oh, I understand nothing. How do you do this? Why did this happen? Where do you come from?”
“It’s time for a brief history lesson,” Antonio said.
Misty’s mouth was suddenly dry. “Can I have a drink of water or something?”
Gabriella nodded. “I’ll go get you something, dear. You’d probably like something stronger than a glass of milk or a cup of coffee, but…”
Misty snorted. “You got that right. No, it wouldn’t be good for the baby. You don’t have to get it for me. I can go downstairs.”
Gabe took her hand and smiled. “I’ll lead the way.”
She wasn’t afraid of him. She had just witnessed something she’d believed he couldn’t make happen. But he did. And according to him, everyone in his family except his mother could shift like that. All six brothers. She had grown up knowing every one of the Fierros and was never afraid of any of them. She liked them all.
Come to think of it, Sandra had married Miguel years ago. She must have known. Ryan and Jayce were married too, although she didn’t know their wives. So it wasn’t just Gabriella and Antonio who’d had to navigate the revelation of a major secret. This was startling.
When they were all settled around the dining room table, Antonio began his story.
“The first reference to a firebird was in ancient Rome. However, the legend has roots in different cultures around the world. That should tell you there’s something more than legend to it. The Native Americans never met the ancient Romans, but both cultures believed strongly in a bird that can rise from the ashes after it’s engulfed in flames.”
“And as you can see,” Gabriella added, “it isn’t a legend at all. This is the family I married into. They were kind enough to tell me before Antonio proposed. I had some time to think it over and come to my own conclusions and decisions. Gabe can give you that time too.”
* * *
Gabe watched Misty sipping her water when she abruptly set her glass on the dining table. “Wait! The baby… Will he or she be a phoenix and able to do that shifting thing too?”
“We don’t know for sure,” Gabe said. “If it’s a boy, probably. But we haven’t had a girl born in the family for generations. No one can remember if the last girl shifted into a phoenix or not.”
