Page 21 of Touched By Destiny
“Eric, this conversation isn’t finished,” Clark insisted loudly.
Those words did nothing to slow Eric down as he retreated toward the open staircase in a pair of cotton shorts exquisitely highlighting the perfect curve of his ass. It was a shock to Gabriel’s system to see Eric again after a week. They’d never been apart, and Gabriel had missed him. Far more than he could even put into words.
It went beyond an initial rush of desire. In a perfect world, he’d run to him and scoop him into his arms. Gabriel closed his eyes for a moment and cursed the stupid part of himdesperate for Eric’s company. His heart was absurd, and Gabriel had to be brave enough to let Eric go.
“You aren’t listening to me,” Eric retorted sharply without glancing behind him. “So, I’m through discussing it.”
“Eric,” Clark yelled, but Eric’s retreat wasn’t slow, and he disappeared out of sight. Gabriel waited for a slammed door, but it never happened. It shouldn’t have surprised Gabriel. Eric was rarely given to dramatics, nor did he often argue with his family.
“Clark, it’s not the end of the world,” Rosalind said. “Sit down and eat your breakfast.”
“Why does he need to learn how to drive?” Clark asked, but he sat and picked up his fork.
“He’s twenty-five; he should’ve had his license years ago,” Richard remarked. “I have mine.”
“And you never use it because I refuse to allow either of you or Maribeth to gallivant around the city without guards,” Clark groused. “It’s not safe, and I refuse to lose any of you.”
“Dad, he’s not going to do anything reckless,” Richard insisted, his gaze sliding over to Gabriel and narrowing slightly in disapproval. “Making rash decisions leads to mistakes. And they can hurt.”
Gabriel knew Eric had confided everything about their phone call to Richard. Considering how Gabriel had rejected Eric, it honestly surprised him Richard wasn’t picking up his knife and stabbing him with it. Few were as protective of Eric as Richard.
“Gabriel, I’m sorry you’ve come home from a relaxing vacation to immediately deal with family woes,” Rosalind offered apologetically. “There’s plenty of food on the island; make up your plate and come sit down.”
With a nod, Gabriel did as he was told, but his appetite had fled a week ago, and everything tasted like dust. Since he had basic needs if he wanted to survive comfortably, hecontinued to fuel his body with food and exercise. As a resurrected man, going without eating wouldn’t kill him, but he imagined relentless hunger wasn’t painless. Attending to necessities and thinking were all he’d done for the past week. It had been the longest seven days of his life.
“If it was just driving, I wouldn’t have gotten so upset with him,” Clark said as Gabriel grabbed a seat next to the chair Eric had vacated before his arrival.
“What else happened?” Maribeth asked.
Clark shook his head and glanced at Gabriel apologetically. “Eric enjoyed his week with Rhonda and asked me to consider reassigning her as his permanent guard.”
“He did?” Richard asked incredulously. Gabriel was more stunned Richard had been left in the dark than he was at hearing about Eric’s wish to be rid of him. If he were in Eric’s position, he wasn’t sure he’d want to spend so many hours of the day with the man who’d rejected him either.
“Yes,” Clark replied. “Rhonda’s lovely to be with and a trusted member of our security team. But she’s only five years out from her resurrection. I’m sure even if I asked her to take over the duty, she’d decline. Rhonda’s focused on learning everything she can about not just personal security, but how the casinos function. She’s very happy with her current role. It’s wonderful we have someone Eric trusts so you can have breaks, Gabriel, but I’m sure you agree things should remain as they are.”
“Perhaps we should spend more resources on preparing Rhonda for the future,” Gabriel commented without looking away from the cut fruit he was pushing around his plate. “I won’t be around forever, and someone will have to replace me.”
“Won’t you?” Richard asked sharply.
“Dear, you know that as painful as it is, inspirits aren’t immortal,” Rosalind replied. “But I hope we have you, Gabriel,for a very long time. I don’t know what I’ll do without you. My heart breaks to think about it.” She patted David’s hand. “This family won’t be the same without our inspirits.”
“David, you need a necromancer soulmate,” Richard insisted.
David’s mouth twisted, but he didn’t say a word as he stared at his plate. The shy inspirit went nowhere without Rosalind, and his forays were limited to an occasional trip to get groceries. Even amongst his family members, David was quiet and preferred to observe rather than speak.
“Yes, he does,” Rosalind said. “So does Gabriel. And neither of you are going to find your soulmates if you’re always hanging around the house. I’d love the both of you to show more interest in your futures and your happiness.”
“Mom, totally agree that David needs his soulmate,” Richard said with another pointed glance in Gabriel’s direction. “But I don’t think everyone needs a soulmate to be happy.”
Rosalind chuckled. “Oh, Richard, I almost feel sorry for the poor man who has to convince you to take a chance on your heart. I hope he’s up to the task, or you’re going to drive him out of his mind.”
“On that note, I’m going to work,” Richard replied and rose with his plate in hand.
“I’m ready to go too,” Clark said. “Gabriel, Eric wants to ghost-hunt this morning. I’ll meet with you first thing after lunch to catch you up on everything you missed while you were on vacation. And I want all the details about your trip too.”
“We didn’t even get the chance to talk about it,” Rosalind bemoaned. “I have questions. I’ll save them for dinner. Call if you’re going to miss it.”
“Of course,” Gabriel said, though he doubted she’d want to hear he’d spent his time trying desperately not to imagine a world where he was worthy of her youngest son.