Chapter 17

Hurrying home from work after hearing he was discharged, Misty couldn’t wait to see her Gabe. Parker had shipped out, so she was feeling adrift. She had visited Gabe at the hospital every day, but now he was home. At last.

She didn’t mention what had happened with her boss to either Gabe or Parker, because she didn’t want to upset them. Adam hadn’t bothered her in the last two weeks anyhow, so she was glad she’d said nothing. In fact, he was ignoring her. Saying hello to all her coworkers but not even looking at her. He must have taken her “stalker” comment to heart.

She burst through the door of the South End brownstone and raced through the empty living room. She found Gabriella in the kitchen.

“Hi. Where is he?”

Gabriella chuckled. “Can’t wait to see him?”

“No. I can’t.”

“He’s in the rec room downstairs with his father.”

As she threw open the door and began running down the stairs, Gabriella called after her, “He’s still in pain. Don’t jump on him!”

That’s exactly what she wanted to do. Jump into his arms and cover him with kisses. No, that wouldn’t be good for his sterile environment either. Damn.

He was struggling to his feet, but he looked like he was smiling as soon as he saw her. Or was he wincing in pain? “Hi, future wife.”

Thank goodness. He seemed to be okay. A lot of bandages still covered parts of his head and face as well as his hands. She stopped short and blew him a kiss. “Hi, future husband. I hope I can kiss you for real soon.”

“That’s my cue to leave,” Antonio said.

They both chuckled as Gabe’s father climbed the stairs.

“I’m glad you mentioned the whole kissing thing,” Gabe said. “I want to be able to kiss you when we’re pronounced husband and wife. We have a decision to make.”

“Sure. What?”

“Have a seat.” He dropped back down on the couch and extended his arm along the back. It looked like he was waiting for her to cuddle up next to him.

“Don’t you need to be sterile? Shouldn’t I not touch you?”

“Infection won’t be a problem as soon as I’m reincarnated.”

“When will that be?”

“That’s what we need to discuss.”

“Okay…” She sat on the couch, but not too close.

“Here are the choices. We can get married now, and then the timeline doesn’t look like we had to get married—just that we had a preemie. And before you worry about my commitment, I’m just using the term had to because other people will. I do want to marry you, Misty.”

“Promise?”

“I promise. There are other good reasons not to wait. We could get you on my insurance right away. You wouldn’t have to work full-time unless you really want to. For me, there’s less time worrying about things like infection, pain, and scarring. I’ll have plenty of time to heal before the baby comes, if we get married before I…well, you know.”

“Go up in flames?”

“Yeah.” He smiled. “I guess you’re getting used to the idea.”

“It’s weird, but I understand what has to happen and why. Okay. So what’s the other choice?”

“We could wait seventy-five days or so, and you could plan exactly the kind of wedding you want. I know those things take time.”

“I don’t care about a big wedding. I also don’t care what people think as far as the timeline is concerned. What do you want to do?”

“I’m all for doing this as soon as possible.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. If you really don’t care about planning a large wedding—”

She scooted closer to the spot next to him. “I really don’t. All I care about is that the groom is willing and that the groom is you. I also like the idea of minimizing your pain.”

“I’m glad we can finally talk about this. It was too risky at the hospital. They’d have transferred me to the psych ward if they overheard us.”

She chuckled. “I know. Your parents were very helpful as far as telling me what to expect and answering all the questions I had. They were also extremely clear about my never allowing any conversations regarding paranormal life to be overheard.”

“Good. The timing kind of sucks, I know, but I can’t wait to marry you.” He moved a little closer. “I want to make love on our wedding night. It may require some creative positions.”

“I don’t want to cause you any pain—especially the first evening we’re married.”

“If that’s the case, it would mean putting off our wedding night for seventy-five days while I grow up in bird form all over again. It’s only the second-degree burns that hurt. The third-degree burns involve nerves, and there’s no feeling at all. Plus, I’ll be wearing these compression bandages.”

“I’ll do whatever you need me to do.”

“Good. I’m very glad to hear that. I want to make love to you, Misty. It’s all I can think about. I love you, deeply. I want to show you how much.” He leaned in and focused on her lips.

She tipped her face up, allowing him to take the lead. She had no idea how much pain a simple kiss might cause.

He puckered his lips carefully. The skin around them was already white and puckered from the burns. She imagined stretching it too far would cause even more pain. Yet he moved toward her and touched her lips with his. After a slight hesitation, he kissed her again, a little longer and harder. She wanted to cup the back of his head, but she didn’t know if that would hurt him or not.

At last, he leaned back and sucked in a deep breath.

“Did that hurt?”

“Not enough to keep me from doing it again.”

“Oh, Gabe. You don’t need to do anything to make me happy. Just the fact that you’re alive makes me happy.”

He smiled. “Now that we’ve decided to do this quickly, there’s one other thing I want to discuss.”

“Anything. What is it?”

“I want you to consider quitting your job. I don’t want to worry about you while I can’t do anything to help you.”

“But I need health insurance, just in case anything happens with the baby. I doubt I’ll be added to yours immediately, especially if you’re not working.”

“You’ll have mine as soon as we’re legally married.”

Misty thought that over. She imagined she’d be bored, but avoiding Adam or having to put up with his cold shoulder was becoming increasingly tedious. “Okay.”

“Okay?” He sounded surprised. His eyebrows would have lifted if he’d had any.

“Yes. If it will give you peace of mind, I’ll quit. I need to give two weeks’ notice, though. I’d like to have a good reference from my first job in case I want to go back to work somewhere else sometime.”

He seemed to be thinking it over. She wasn’t at all sure he was going to agree to that. “I don’t trust that slimy boss of yours. He’ll probably try to talk you out of it.”

“He can try, but he won’t succeed, Gabe.”

At last, he nodded. “Okay. A two-week notice isn’t too much to ask. I respect your decision to do things right.”

* * *

Before the bank opened, Misty approached her boss in his office.

“Adam, can I talk to you?” It seemed odd to be asking him for a private audience instead of the other way around.

“At last,” he muttered under his breath. Then with a cheery smile, he rose. “Of course. Come in.”

The weather had been warming up, hinting that spring was finally coming. Misty had worn a light jacket with a deep pocket, and she had her letter of resignation in there. Pulling it out, she set it on his desk and took off her coat. She sat in the chair across from his desk and protectively folded her coat over her tiny baby. She wasn’t even showing yet, but she couldn’t help already responding to the maternal instinct.

Adam sat in his swivel chair across from her and pointed to the envelope. “What’s this?”

“It’s my two-week notice. I’ll be leaving as of April fifteenth.”

“What?”

His reaction startled her. “I—I’m resigning.”

“Oh, no, you’re not,” he said through clenched teeth.

“Huh? You can’t stop me. Plans change. People leave. It happens all the time.”

He shot to his feet and began pacing. “Did your firefighter put you up to this? Because from what I understand, he’s in no shape to support you anymore.”

She leaned back and gaped at him. “What do you know about it?”

“I heard about a firefighter in a gas explosion. It was on the news. I—I recognized him.”

“How the hell could you recognize him? He went straight to the operating room, then the ICU. He was so bandaged up after that, I didn’t recognize him.”

“They showed another picture. An old one.”

She folded her arms. “I don’t believe you.”

“Fine. Don’t. But don’t throw your life away on a disfigured firefighter who might not even be able to return to the job. They only get partial pensions if they quit before thirty-two years, you know.”

“No, I didn’t know that. Tell me how you knew.”

He shrugged one shoulder. “I listen. Clients tell me all kinds of things when they need a loan.”

“Well, don’t worry about us. We’ll be fine.”

“I doubt it.”

She shot to her feet. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing!” He backed away. “I’ve just seen this before. Love is blind. And apparently in your case, also deaf and dumb.”

“That’s it. I don’t have to take your abuse.”

He laughed. “Abuse? I’m just telling you the truth. Look, you’re a beautiful girl. You deserve better.” Under his breath, he mumbled, “And I saw you first.”

Misty was becoming increasingly concerned. Suddenly, she didn’t feel safe. She backed away toward the door, but before she grabbed the handle, he advanced on her and reached it first. She must have looked like a deer in headlights.

“Just think about what I’ve said. Okay?”

“Oh, you can count on it.”

“Good.” He opened the door for her.

She stumbled as she practically ran to the back room. What should I do? Is he dangerous? She wished she could talk to Gabe right now. He’d probably tell her to get out of there.

Her coworker Betsy followed her to the break room.

“Are you all right? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

No, just a weasel who wishes my fiancé were a ghost… “I’m okay, Betsy.” Oh, hell. She had to talk to someone. “No. You know what? I’m not okay.”

Betsy took her arm and led her over to the small table and chairs where they ate their lunches. “Tell me. I promise whatever it is, I can keep it to myself.”

Misty let out a deep breath. Then she proceeded to spill her guts. She didn’t tell her everything. Just the highlights. But that was enough.

Betsy’s eyes rounded as she listened.

Finally, Adam burst in. “That’s it. I heard what you said, and I won’t have you spreading lies to my employees. Miss Carlisle, you’re fired.”

* * *

Gabe heard the door slam upstairs. He needed to stand and walk around anyway. His body was stiff from sitting in the man cave.

Before he reached the basement stairs, Misty opened the door at the top. “Gabe? Are you down there?”

“Yes. Give me a minute. I’ll be right up.”

“No, I’ll come to you.” She jogged down the stairs and greeted him with a gentle peck on his lips.

“Was that you who slammed the door?”

Her cheeks turned pink. “I’m sorry. I was just so angry.”

“About what?”

“I got fired.”

“What? I thought you were giving your two-week notice.”

“Yeah. I did that, but…well…things went south.” She flopped onto the couch. “Sit down. I’ll tell you all about it.”

“I’ve been sitting all morning. I need to stand. Go ahead and tell me what happened.”

Misty stood up and wrung her hands as she paced. She proceeded to tell Gabe about Adam’s bizarre behavior. All the way from the car ride, which she still suspected was a ruse, to their argument that morning.

He was stunned. “Why didn’t you tell me this was going on?”

“I didn’t want you to worry. God, Gabe. You had enough on your plate. First, you learned you were going to be a father, something you never wanted—”

“I want it now,” he reminded her.

“I know.” She placed her hands on his chest. “That’s such a relief and a joy…you can’t imagine.”

“I’m sorry I put you through that, before I realized our baby was a blessing in disguise.”

“It’s all in the past now.”

“Yeah, but what’s not in the past is your boss firing you. You did nothing to deserve it.”

“I kind of did. I probably shouldn’t have confided in a coworker.”

“That chickenshit would have continued if he thought he could get away with it. By your telling a coworker, he knew he wasn’t going to get away with it anymore.”

“I should have just reported him for harassment.”

“The asshole sounds totally unstable, and you were scared. I don’t blame you for not knowing what to do. Shit. I wish I had been there.”

“And done what? Beat him up? He was jealous of you. That might have made it worse. He’d have an excuse to put you behind bars.”

He sighed. “I don’t know. It sounds like you wouldn’t have been in danger if I were with you. He’d never have tried anything if I were healthy.”

“Even healthy, you can’t be with me every minute of every day.”

Gabe realized soon he wouldn’t be able to protect her at all. “It’s probably a good thing he fired you. I’ll feel a lot better in my alternate form, if I can actually see you. Meanwhile…” He pulled from his pocket the ring that he had been waiting to give her. “Maybe showing the world you’re mine will help.”

She stepped back and gasped as she eyed the beautiful diamond solitaire.

“I wish I’d been able to go shopping with you and let you pick it out instead of ordering it online, but I was unable to leave the house. If you don’t like it—”

“No! I love it! It’s perfect.”

She grasped his shoulders. They weren’t bandaged and didn’t seem to be causing him any pain. Leaning in, she touched her lips to his.

“I think I’ve healed enough to give you a proper kiss,” he said.

He slanted his lips and deepened the kiss. Their tongues were happily reunited as they swirled together. When after several moments they broke the kiss, he said, “I love you, Misty. More than I thought I could ever love anyone.”

She looked down and smiled shyly. “Can you put it on my finger?”

“Oh.” He hadn’t realized he hadn’t given the ring to her yet. “Yeah.”

“Can you? I don’t want you to hurt yourself.”

“My hands are doing well. Actually, all of me is doing pretty well.” He slipped the ring on her finger. It fit perfectly. “It won’t be long before we can make this official. We should probably discuss the kind of wedding you want.”

“I haven’t changed my mind. Nothing big. Just family.”

“I thought you said nothing big,” he teased.

“Ha. Your family is my family. I wouldn’t want to leave any of them out. And if Parker can’t be here in person, I’d like him to attend by Skype.”

“I’d like that too. He should be my best man.”

“Not one of your brothers?”

He laughed. “Too many choices. How would I pick between them?”

“I see what you mean.”

“Jayce offered to take us out on his boat for the, um, other thing. Maybe we could find a nice beach nearby for the ceremony.”

She beamed. “Get married on the beach? I love that idea. When?”

“We have to figure that out.”

“Some of that depends on Parker.”

“And it would need to be a day when all my brothers are off duty, so we’ll have to coordinate their schedules. Thankfully, they’re usually free at roughly the same times. Do you want Julie and your other girlfriends to come? We’ll have to take their availability into consideration.”

“Just Julie.”

“Yeah, she’d probably appreciate it after we tore up her house.”

Misty groaned.

* * *

What could have been extremely complicated logistics worked out fairly easily, to Misty’s relief. They were able to reach Parker on Skype early in the morning while it was nighttime over in Afghanistan. He only had a couple more days at the base before his first mission. Then he’d be unreachable. Julie said she’d take the day off.

The Fierro boys were on the same shift all over the city, but they each double-checked their schedules and had the following two days off. It was a short window, but all they needed was fifteen minutes and a preacher.

Misty had gone shopping for a special dress and found something that fit perfectly, right off the rack. A simple white gown with the sweetheart neckline she loved, and silk, like gossamer, made up the décolletage and sleeves. It was exactly what she would have picked out had she oodles of time. She didn’t even need to buy Gabe a ring, since he couldn’t wear it when he shrank to the size of a bird and his fingers were talons.

Saturday, the whole family headed to the North Shore. Dante drove Misty and Julie in his Beemer so Gabe wouldn’t see her in her dress beforehand. Antonio drove his wife and two youngest sons, Noah and Luca. Jayce and Kristine sailed there on his boat. Gabe met up with Miguel and Sandra, so the whole gang was able to arrive in three cars. A veritable feat.

Coming from Ireland, Ryan and Chloe said they’d meet Jayce and Kristine at the Cape Ann Marina where Jayce had his boat docked for the day. Then they’d “pop over” together. Gabe took his laptop so he could bring Parker in via Skype.

All the family members agreed to stay overnight in a nearby hotel, except Ryan and Chloe. Ryan was still supposed to be dead, and though people this far from Boston might not recognize him, there had been a very public funeral, and his picture was in all the papers and on the news. He couldn’t tempt fate.

Gabe and Misty would have their wedding night and the following morning together. All the phoenixes and one dragon would tow a dinghy out to sea with Jayce’s fishing boat.

Antonio wanted them to wait a week, but Parker’s schedule required they move faster than that. No one knew how long his mission would last. Marines could be sent to some very dangerous places and be expected to stay for long periods.

Misty sat in the back of Dante’s car, enjoying the banter between him and her maid of honor seated up front.

“So, those toy parties you do, Julie. How did you get into that?” he asked with a wide grin.

“Oh, you know. I just sort of fell into it.”

“Ha! Do you ever do any product testing?”

“Oh boy,” Misty interrupted. “You don’t know who you’re teasing, Dante. If you push her, even a little bit, she’ll give you a demonstration.”

Julie burst out laughing. “Hey, it sounds like a great idea to me.” Her eyes sparkled with mischief as she glanced over at Gabe’s handsome brother.

Dante’s voice shot up. “Wow! I lucked out. So, what did you bring?”

“Now?” Julie groaned. “I don’t have my goodies with me.”

“Damn. Oh well. I might have driven us right off the road. Can’t get distracted, since I’m transporting the bride.”

“Yeah, Gabe wouldn’t like that,” Julie said.

“Are you kidding? He’d kill me. So, without distracting me with demos, what kind of toys do you sell at these parties?”

“Oh, the usual. Vibrators, flavored lube, nipple clamps, blindfolds… You know, the kind of things that come in fifty shades.”

Dante gulped. “That stuff is usual now? Boy, I must be dating the wrong girls. Maybe I should venture out to the suburbs more often.”

Julie giggled. Actually giggled! Misty hadn’t seen her friend act like a girly girl, ever! Was there a romance brewing before her eyes? Probably not. Dante was a notorious flirt.

At last, they arrived at gorgeous Crane Beach. They timed it so she’d be the last to arrive and they’d have Gabe facing out to sea until they told him to turn around for his first look. She was surprised to realize her nerves were tingling. Is that the MS, or am I just nervous? Since her mouth was dry and her pulse was racing, she decided it was a case of nerves.

Dante jumped out and opened the back door for her. She ducked so she wouldn’t knock her short veil askew. The only real problem she’d had with her outfit was what to wear for shoes. A satin heel would be destroyed by the sand. So even though it was April and chilly despite the bright morning sun, she wore strappy gold sandals. If anyone gave her crap about wearing all white, she could point to her feet. Not that anyone would do that…except maybe her brother. No. Even as much as he enjoyed inappropriate teasing, he wouldn’t do it on her wedding day.

Standing still for a moment to be sure her legs weren’t going to give out on her, she took a deep breath of fresh ocean air. The see-through material covering her chest and arms kept the chill away surprisingly well. So far, so good.

Antonio met her at the wooden walkway that led from the parking lot to the beach. He smiled and crooked his arm. “Ready?”

“Yup.” That was about all she could say around the lump in her throat. I’m getting married. To Gabe! Her childhood dream was coming true.

She didn’t know how Gabe would feel about his own appearance. She hoped he wouldn’t be self-conscious about the hair and eyebrows that hadn’t grown back and the many scars he still bore. She didn’t care what he looked like. Only that he was there—willingly.

Dante hurried down the walkway to join the rest of his family. Julie lined up in front of Misty and her soon-to-be father-in-law. She didn’t realize how tightly she was clutching Antonio’s arm until he laid his hand over hers and whispered, “Relax. You’ll be fine.”

She nodded dumbly. He escorted her to about six feet behind the groom. Gabe’s bandages had been removed from his head and face. He was wearing a black tux and white gloves instead of compression bandages on his hands. Luca was off to one side, waiting with camera poised.

Antonio asked again, “Ready?”

She took a deep breath. “Yes.”

He stepped back and said, “Gabe. You can turn around now.”

When her groom took his first look at her in her wedding dress, his jaw dropped. She hoped it was because he liked what he saw and not that he realized what he was about to do. She’d have to wait and see if he took off in a panic.

Luca was taking pictures from different angles, and she hoped he got the huge smile that lit up Gabe’s whole face. She couldn’t believe how handsome he was despite the obvious remnants of his accident.

She was grinning too.

“You look gorgeous,” he said.

“And you look positively dashing.”

His gaze dropped to the sand, but he was still smiling.

She had been so focused on Gabe, she hadn’t even noticed the stranger among all her future in-laws. He carried a folder and stepped out of the crowd.

“Shall we begin?” the officiant asked.

“Wait a minute. We need to loop in the best man,” Gabe said.

“I’ve got him right here,” Noah said, holding up the tablet.

There was her brother’s smiling face. He was wearing his camo uniform.

“Sorry about my appearance. I forgot to pack my good suit,” he joked.

“You look great,” Gabe said. “I’m just glad you’re here. Well, there, but here too.”

Parker chuckled. “Come on, bro. Marry my sister already.”

She couldn’t have been more grateful for his change in attitude.

“Okay, okay. Reverend, we’re ready,” Gabe said.

“Dearly beloved…”

The preacher began with Genesis—and he could have been talking directly to Gabe. “Then the Lord God said, ‘It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.’”

Was she fit for him? She had plenty of faults and a degenerative disease, too. Could she really be all that he needed her to be? Misty couldn’t concentrate on what the preacher was saying.

She refocused her attention when he was reading from Corinthians. At least, that’s where she thought the part about “Love is patient and kind” came from. Had she been patient and kind? She hoped so. Had Gabe? Not always, but then the preacher got to the part about forgiveness. That sort of implied that people would mess up occasionally. Okay, so neither of us are perfect.

But they both nailed the next part the preacher read. “It does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.”

He had always been truthful with her. Even when he was in conflict, he was honest about it. Could she believe his declarations of love now? Absolutely. She relaxed enough to enjoy the rest of the sermon and say the appropriate words in the appropriate places.

“Do you, Misty Mary Carlisle, take Gabriel to be your wedded husband? Do you promise to love, comfort, honor, and keep him? For better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, be faithful only to him so long as you both shall live?”

“I do.”

“And do you, Gabriel Peter Fierro, take Misty to be your wedded wife? Do you promise to love, comfort, honor, and keep her? For better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, be faithful only to her so long as you both shall live?”

“I do.”

Misty couldn’t help breathing a sigh of relief. She didn’t know what the future would bring, but at least they were in it together.