AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"I'm so sorry, baby bro. I never meant to hurt you," Gabe says with tears in his eyes.
"I'm so glad to see you all," Nate says sincerely. "My whole family together."
"They haven't left your side. I guess they're not so bad after all," Gabe grumbles, but he obviously doesn't mean it as seriously as he usually does.
"Oh hush, GABRIEL, one day you'll learn to love us back." Letting out a throaty laugh, I throw my head back and let it rip. I see Nate's eyes widen in surprise when I use his brother's full name, but he doesn't say anything.
"Well, it's not every day that I almost get my ass kicked by not one but two little gremlins." Gabe crosses his arms over his chest and nodding his head towards us.
Ava and I both look at each other before replying, "And we meant it," before bursting out laughing, again.
"What the hell happened while I was asleep? Did I go to another dimension where Gabe actually learned how to play nice?" Nate asks in shock with his brows furrowed, like he can’t believe his eyes.
"Well, let's just say Gabriel isn't as big and bad as he'd have us all believe," I say, placing my hand on top of Gabe's.
"Okay, so when did you two become best buddies?" asks Tucker.
"And since when do we call him Gabriel?" asks Danny, scratching his head.
"YOU don't," Gabe snaps, before flashing a smile to show us he's not that serious.
"More importantly, why the hell is Gabe ALLOWING you to call him Gabriel?" Nate asks, looking from Gabe to me suspiciously. "Since Mom died, no one but me has ever called you Gabriel and lived to tell the tale."
"No one else has ever deserved to." Gabe shrugs.
"Did I ever tell you why mom called me Gabriel?" he says, turning to look at Nate, who just shakes his head.
"She said I was an angel, which we all know is the worst type casting in the world. " he lets out a low, almost sad chuckle before continuing. "But since the day she died, it's been my goal to be your guardian angel. No one but you has ever deserved to see that side of me. No one else has earned the love and respect to use that name. That name was reserved solely for you and Mum, the only people who cared enough to look past the fuck-up I am to the goodness I have inside," Gabe adds quietly.
Everyone just stares at him open-mouthed. Gabe's never shared any of his life with us. He barely even spoke to any of us unless he had to. "So, what changed, brother?" Nate asks curiously.
"Well, let's just say I realized I'm not your only guardian angel. Maybe there's room for one more tiny member in our fucked-up family. Hell, anyone brave enough to try and take me on to protect you, in my opinion, is okay in my book," Gabe says with a big, genuine smile, shocking us all. I let go of Nate's hand and crawl across the bed to hug Gabe.
"Yay, can we keep him?" I say, laughing and looking back at Nate.
"Let go of me, woman. What's with all this hugging anyway?" Gabe grimaces as he tries to break free of my tight grip, but I refuse to let him. Instead, just hold him tighter until he stops wiggling away and gives in.
Finally, I let go of him, and he turns to Nate. "Fuck me, I would guard your manhood if I were you. That woman has a viper grip. That's got to hurt." Gabe laughs as he pretends to cover his privates, putting his hands down and crossing his legs as he turns away slightly.
The whole group now erupts in laughter, lightening the mood. "Looks like Dorothy may have found a heart for the Tin Man after all," Tucker says with a laugh.
"This Tin Man can still kick your ass, remember," Gabe says, giving him a death glare before smiling slightly to show him he's not entirely serious.
"Wow, I never thought I'd see my entire family in one room without blood spilling," Nate smiles. "It really is a birthday miracle."
"Shit, your birthday, I totally forgot. Sorry, baby, I didn't have time to bring you a present," I gasp, covering my mouth.
"Then it's a good thing your best friend had time to go to the gift store while we were waiting for Nate to wake up, isn't it?" Ava says proudly, pulling out a small gift bag from the overnight bag she brought my clean clothes in.
"Wait, what is it?" I ask.
"A little something that only you can give him," Ava replies with a mischievous grin, "Do you trust me?"
"With my life," I reply proudly.
"Then go give it to your man, but no looking," she says, smiling broadly from ear to ear.
I hand the gift bag to Nate, who reaches inside and pulls out a small bear. I see that it's holding a heart. So, I assume it must say I love you or something equally sappy, until I see Nate's eyes widen and he looks at me strangely. "Bella? I don't think I understand," Nate says, continuing to look at me really strangely.
