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It was interesting to see this place without the scales of trouble over my eyes. I still had more than I wanted, but I’d managed to set that aside for the day.
I glanced in the rearview mirror. Gabriel’s head bobbed as he looked out the window, soaking up the winter green fields. His eyes were glued to a horse grazing by a fence near the road. Then they darted up to a bird flying high above.
His innocence and curiosity caused my blood to pump a little faster. I hadn’t asked Holly’s permission about our excursion, and what if I’d gotten this wrong? What if Gabriel didn’t like it?
I turned down a dirt drive, and Holly snapped her head toward me.
“Is that a hangar?” She pointed out the windshield toward the metal buildings.
The image of my father pointing a gun at Muriella flashed through my mind, but I shoved it away. She was safe. He couldn’t reach us here anymore.
“What’s a hangar?”
I rolled to a stop away from the large door and looked back at Gabriel. “I’ll show you.”
We hurried across the dirt. I yanked open the door. Gabriel’s eyes rounded when he saw what was inside.
“A real airplane?” He raced around the plane.
Holly and I watched him. His excitement was contagious, but I couldn’t get a read on what she was thinking.
“Since the puppy isn’t a possibility right now, this seemed like the next best thing.” I shoved my hands in my pockets. That odd feeling I only had when the two of them were near grew stronger as Gabriel touched the smooth finish of the plane.
“You bought him a plane?” Holly asked incredulously.
“It’s mine.” When she gave me her stern mother look, I tried to think about anything but how beautiful she was when she was angry. “I had it before I knew you.”
She didn’t seem completely convinced that was the truth.
“Can we go inside?” Gabriel sprinted to us, his cheeks flushed with excitement.
“Are you sure you want to?” I teased.
“Yes,” he shouted.
When we stepped into the plane, he stopped as if uncertain where to go. He took in the opulent leather seating area which was a far cry from the commercial jet he’d flown to New York on.
“Want to see the cockpit?”
He nodded, unable to speak. Holly followed us to the front of the plane. I sat in the captain’s chair and hoisted Gabriel onto my lap.
“Does this look familiar?” I asked. After school we’d not only been playing soccer, but I’d been teaching him about flying.
“That’s the alt-alt-itude indicator.” He motioned to the correct instrument and pride surged through me. I’d taught him that.
“Very good.”
We spent over an hour with him asking questions about everything. Holly was mostly quiet, but she appeared pleased.
“Want to take her up?”
Gabriel gripped my knee. “Can we?”
My gaze averted to Holly. “Can we?”
“Okay.”
“That was awesome.”Gabriel beamed as we entered their apartment. “Can we do it again?”
