Emotionally exhausted, Desiree stepped into her room. She didn’t wait to here the rest, she just wanted her room back. ‘I thought you would have l...ft by now.’ She said as she stepped into her room startling Gabriel from his thoughts. He sat up on the bed and she could see his face heating in the darkness. When Gabriel didn’t say anything, she told him to get out, but he still didn’t move. She stood staring at him sitting on her bed, and if looks could kill she was sure he wouldn’t have a pulse.. That was what she always said when her mother grounded her. It was a reflex."Until your brain and your good sense catches up with that new body of yours. I'll not have you running around like some slut," Abbey said.Maddie gritted her teeth all the way home. She knew her mother expected her to throw a fit, but she was determined not to give her the satisfaction. When they arrived at home, she calmly closed the SUV's door, walked lightly to her room and quietly closed its door. Now she could cut. " he said."That's not what is bothering you Lamar. You are bothered because you didn't hit a home run last night. Like it or not, and sometimes I don't either, I have worked with giants among men over this last year and a half. Not every man, in every incident was a super hero, some like you were just good solid men. Good men who were doing the best they could in a difficult situation. There is no shame in not being a giant. The shame would have been, if I had allowed something to turn nasty. So, I thought to myself, Nicholas and Tasha are an item, it seems. But I didn't say anything.The waiter took our orders for drinks and appetizers, and when the drinks arrived, Duane asked for our attention."If I may, I would like to propose a toast. To my friends, here at table, you have made these weeks fly by effortlessly. I could never have run these clinics without your help. Nicholas, my trusted assistant, who has been a part of my support staff for so long, and will be returning with me.