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Gabe knew what he should do. He should get the book and read the story to the boy himself, but he couldn't do that. He simply could not let the child sit next to him while he read him that particular book.
One more time, Daddy. Read Stellaluna one more time. Please.
"The book's about a bat, right?"
Edward nodded. "A good bat. Not a scary bat."
"Let's go outside and see if we can spot one."
"A real bat?"
"Sure." Gabe led the way to the back door and held the screen open. "They should be out by now. They feed at night."
"That's all right. I got stuff to do here."
"Outside, Edward. Now."
The boy ducked reluctantly under his arm. "My name's Chip. You shouldn't come out here. You should stay with Tweety Bird so he don't die."
Gabe swallowed his impatience and followed the boy outside. "I've been taking care of birds since I was only a little older than you, so I guess I know what I'm doing." He recoiled from the harsh sound of his words and took a deep breath, trying to make amends. "When my brothers and I were boys, we'd find baby birds that had fallen out of their nests all the time. We didn't know then that you were supposed to put them back in, so we took them home. Sometimes they'd die, but sometimes we could save them."
As he remembered it, he was the one who'd done all of the saving. Cal's intentions were pure, but he'd get wrapped up shooting baskets or playing softball and forget to feed the bird. And Ethan had been too young for the responsibility.
"You told Mommy Pastor Ethan is your brother."
Gabe didn't miss the accusing note in Edward's voice, but he didn't let himself rise to it. "That's right."
"You don't look the same."
"He looks like our mother. My brother Cal and I look like our father."
"You don't act the same."
"People are different, even brothers." He picked up one of the tubular lawn chairs that leaned against the back of the cottage and unfolded it.
Edward dug the heel of his sneaker into the soft earth while he let the rabbit dangle at his side. "My brother's like me."
Gabe looked over at him. "Your brother?"
Edward's forehead puckered as he concentrated on his sneaker. "He's real strong, and he can beat up about a million people. His name is… Strongman. He never gets sick, and he always calls me Chip, not that other name."
"I think you're hurting your mother's feelings when you tell people not to call you Edward," he said quietly.
The boy didn't like that, and Gabe watched the play of emotions cross his face: unhappiness, doubt, stubbornness. "She's allowed to call me that. You're not."
Gabe picked up the other lawn chair and unfolded it. "Keep watching just above that ridge. There's a cave up there where a lot of bats live. You might be able to see some of them."
Edward tucked the rabbit next to him as he sat in the other chair. His feet didn't touch the ground, and his thin legs stuck out stiffly in front of him. Gabe felt the boy's tension, and it bothered him to be regarded as some sort of monster.
A few minutes ticked by. Jamie, with a five-year-old's impatience, would have jumped out of the chair after thirty seconds, but Rachel's son sat quietly, too afraid of Gabe to rebel. Gabe hated that fear, even though he couldn't seem to do anything about it.
The fireflies came out, and the last of the evening breeze died down. The boy didn't move. Gabe tried to think of something to say, but it was the boy who finally spoke.
"I think that's a bat."
"No. It's a hawk."
The boy drew the rabbit into his lap and poked at a tiny hole in the seam with his index finger. "My mommy'll get mad if I stay out here too long."
