42 Hours

by Bethany Lopez

  She looked up at me, nose wrinkled in confusion. “For what?”

  “For giving me a chance,” I said truthfully.

  “Scott,” Gaby’s eyes were wide and glittery, “I had a crush on you long before that fateful junior year. Obviously we went to school together for a long time, and I always noticed you around school. Until Cal and Shelly started dating, we never hung out in the same circles, but I remember sitting three seats behind you in science class when we were in junior high, and I thought you were the most beautiful boy I’d ever seen. You were always quiet, focused on track and hanging out with Cal … then TJ, and you were never without a girl on your arm. But I have to admit, I always wished it was me there next to you … I’m happy to be here now.”

  The last bit of fear and uncertainty flipped out of me at her words.

  “Gabs,” I said as I released a deep breath. There was nothing I could say to that, so I leaned down to capture her lips and relay what her words meant to me through a tender kiss.

  “I’m happy you’re here too,” I said when I pulled my lips from hers.

  She leaned her head on my shoulder and snuggled in as we both looked up at the sky. When the sun broke, and the sky began to fill with orange and yellow lights, I asked her, “I have to go to a charity event for Brandt on Friday, black tie … Would you come with me?”

  “I’d like that,” Gaby replied. I swore I could hear the smile in her voice and I smiled in response.

  I wanted Gaby to see how she would fit into my life in every aspect, and attending one of Brandt’s events was a perfect opportunity. I was expected to attend all events, and he had them quite often.

  We sat in silence, our gazes to the sky, until the sun was up and our coffee was gone.

  “You hungry?” Gaby asked after a while.

  “Yeah, you?” I responded.

  “Yes,” she replied, letting the blanket fall from her shoulders as she stood up. “I’ll make breakfast, since you made coffee … and lunch yesterday.”

  “Sounds good,” I said as I took her hand in mine and led her back to the house.

  I sat at the counter as Gaby got out the makings for French toast. When she pulled out the cream cheese and strawberries, I asked what she was doing with them and she replied, “Stuffed French Toast. With bacon, of course.”

  I was seriously going to marry this woman.

  While she worked, Gaby entertained me with stories from the bakery.

  “She grabbed the wrong dye from the store, and ended up with purple fingers.” Gaby was in the middle of telling me about her co-worker Suzy’s first time being responsible for buying ingredients for a last-minute cake order, and getting it all wrong. “She couldn’t get it off for three weeks! I thought she’d quit after that, but she stuck with it. I’m happy she did. She’s a hard worker.”

  She put the plate in front of me. There was French toast stuffed with strawberries and cream cheese, topped with powdered sugar with syrup on the side, and crispy bacon. She finished it off with a fresh cup of coffee and a glass of orange juice.

  “You’re going to spoil me,” I said with a grin as I picked up my utensils, eager to dig in.

  “It’ll be my pleasure,” Gaby said sincerely, her eyes on mine.

  I looked back at her, put my silverware back down, and stood up, pushing my chair back and rounding the counter to take her in my arms. I brought my hand up to the back of her head and fisted her hair, tugging it lightly to bring her head back, then took her lips with mine. The kiss was hard and deep, then softened as the taste of her filled me. Her arms came around my waist and brought me closer to her, and she matched my intensity.

  I was just about to say to hell with it and pick her up when a low voice came from behind us, “I guess I should have called first.”

  I broke from Gaby and turned, wincing when I saw Brock standing in the entryway. He looked rumpled and tired, like he’d gotten up before the crack of dawn to drive out.

  I felt Gaby stiffen in my arms and whisper, “Brock.”

  Brock had a ball cap in his hand, which he slammed down on his head before turning on his heel and heading back toward the front door.

  I watched in slow motion as he walked down the hall, and my stomach tightened with shame and regret, because I’d seen the look on his face and I knew that Gaby meant more to him than I’d initially thought.

  TJ was coming sleepily down the stairs when he saw Brock and said absently, “Mornin’, brother.”

  Brock stopped in his tracks and turned his head to his friend and replied, “A fuckin’ head’s up would have been nice … brother,” before opening the door and slamming it behind him.

  I watched as TJ looked at the closed door, then back and Gaby and me, and saw the moment the situation hit him. “Fuck!” he spat out, running his hand through his hair.

  “I have to go after him,” Gaby said softly, pushing away from me and rushing toward the door, leaving me standing in the kitchen as I watched her leave.

  Chapter 20 – Gaby

  My heart was pounding and my head was spinning as I ran after Brock. I couldn’t believe that I’d forgotten he was coming this morning. If I was being honest, I hadn’t thought of him since the day I saw him at the bakery, and that made me feel even worse.

  What kind of person does that?

  Brock was slamming the door of his truck when I hit the sidewalk and ran after him in my bare feet.

  “Wait!” I shouted out, and my stomach dipped nervously when he turned his head and I saw the hurt and anger on his face.

  I ripped the passenger door opened and pleaded, “Brock, don’t go … Let me explain.”

  I noticed his hands tighten on the wheel and I felt tears well in my eyes when he responded, “There’s nothing to explain. Things are pretty clear.”

  “I’m sorry,” I said quickly, begging him to hear me out. “I never meant to hurt you. I don’t want you to drive all the way back home, you just got here. Come inside and let me explain what happened. Things just happened this weekend with Scott … I wasn’t thinking.”

  The look on Brock’s face made my words catch in my throat.

  “Gaby, shut the door,” Brock said calmly.

  I shook my head and opened the door wider. I needed him to understand.

  “Gaby,” he said again, his voice tight. “Let me go. There is nothing you can say right now that is going to make me understand what I just walked in on.”

  “Brock … please,” I tried again, wiping away the tears as the fell down my face. I started to pull myself up into the seat. “You’re a great guy…”

  “Let me go,” Brock repeated, cutting me off and making me stop with one foot up on the running board. “Please.”

  The look in his eyes told me that I would not be able to get through to him now, not when he was so upset, so … defeated, I backed away and shut the door. The door had barely latched when he peeled away from the curb and his truck took off down the driveway.

  I hugged my arms to my waist and watched him leave as I choked back a sob.

  I turned when I heard footsteps behind me and saw Scott approach, his hands out as if he were going to pull me to him. I held my hands up to stop him and said, “I need to be alone for awhile,” then I pushed past him and ran up to my room.

  Brock’s face flashed through my mind as I cried into my pillow, causing me to cry harder. When the bed shifted, then sank down, I jumped and lifted my head to see Sasha staring sadly down at me. I pushed myself up from my prone position and fell ungracefully into her open arms.

  “I hurt him,” I whispered sadly into her shoulder. “I hurt Brock.”

  “I know, baby, I’m sorry,” Sasha replied, her hand stroking my hair. “Give him some time, he’ll understand.”

  I attempted to shake my head.

  “I don’t think so … You didn’t see his face. He’s really mad at me,” I cried.

  “He cares about you, Gabs, and I know he’s hurt now, but he’ll want you to be happy, s
o he’ll forgive you. Just give him some space, then go explain everything to him. He’s a good man. He’ll forgive you,” she said confidently.

  Sasha knew Brock pretty well; he and TJ had gotten close over the years, and I knew she’d been spending time with him since she and TJ became an item. I wanted to believe what she was saying was true, that Brock would forgive me, but I hated the thought of him being hurt by my actions. I should have thought of his feelings, instead of being selfish and only thinking of my own.

  I stayed in Sasha’s arms until my tears dried up. I was pushing away from her to say thank you when Shelly came into the room and shut the door behind her.

  “I’m so sorry, Gabs,” Shelly said sadly as she joined us on the bed.

  I felt my eyes well again at her words, and I stayed silent for a moment as I tried to control my emotions.

  “You have nothing to be sorry for,” I managed when I had my tears in check. “I’m the one who threw myself into this weekend with Scott, without giving Brock a thought.”

  Shelly’s hand came to my back and rubbed it soothingly.

  “You didn’t do anything wrong,” she insisted. “You and Brock were dating, but you weren’t exclusive.”

  “That’s just a technicality,” I replied.

  “Stop,” Sasha said sternly. “Shelly’s right, and I’m not going to let you beat yourself up over this. I’m sorry that Brock’s upset, maybe he was more into you than he let on, but that’s not your fault. You were in a casual relationship. You weren’t even having sex for crying out loud.”

  I looked at my friends, gauging their sincerity, and felt better at what I saw. Still … I wouldn’t feel right until I cleared the air with Brock.

  “I need to talk to him, to make him understand.”

  “Give him a couple days,” Shelly said. “He’s hurt and angry right now, so let him work through it. Then, you can explain to him about you and Scott. Not just what happened this weekend, but your history, but you have to prepare yourself for the possibility that Brock may never understand.”

  I hated the thought of losing him completely; he was a great guy and an even better friend, but Shelly was right. Considering Brock’s relationship with Scott over the years, and the fact that he’d been pursuing me for a long time before we actually started dating, he might not be able to forgive what he’d witnessed.

  “You want to come with us to the grocery store to pick up stuff for the barbecue, or do you want to stay here?” Shelly asked when I’d finally started to breath normally again.

  “I’ll stay here,” I said, moving my hand to indicate the bed. I wanted to stay in bed. “I need to be alone for a while.”

  “Okay,” Sasha said as they both stood up and looked down at me.

  I laid back down and covered myself up, turning on my side and facing the wall.

  I heard them walk out of the room, then I heard Shelly say, “She needs to be alone right now. Just give her some time.”

  I assumed she was talking to Scott, but I didn’t hear a response to her statement before I heard my door click shut, indicating that I was alone. I pulled the covers up over my head and closed my eyes tightly, eventually falling asleep.

  When I woke up some time later, I had a pounding headache and my face felt sticky from the tracks of my tears. I got up and went to the bathroom. I brushed my teeth, washed my face, and pulled my hair back into a ponytail at the base of my neck. I could hear the sounds of my friends moving around downstairs, and the strains of the latest Luke Bryan CD floated up the stairs.

  I took a deep breath, looked at myself in the mirror, told myself to get a grip, and headed down to join my friends. And Scott. I’m sure he was a little freaked out after everything that happened this morning, and I owed him an explanation for my reaction.

  Shelly was cutting up fruit and Sasha was mixing together what looked like a pitcher of Sangria. They looked up when I entered and I mouthed, “Scott” at them, since they wouldn’t have been able to hear me over the music. Shelly pointed the tip of her knife toward the backyard, and I kept on going until I was outside. Cal was at the grill. I scanned the yard and saw that TJ and Scott were playing horseshoes by the side of the house, so I turned my feet that way and headed over to where they were playing.

  TJ noticed me first and called out to Scott. When he had his attention, TJ lifted his chin in my direction, causing Scott to turn toward me. When his gaze locked on mine, he dropped his horseshoes and walked over to me.

  I stopped and waited.

  Scott stopped awkwardly right in front of me, as if he wanted to take me in his arms, but was no longer sure if I’d welcome it.

  This made me extremely sad.

  This morning everything had felt perfect. Effortless. Now, two men who meant the world to me were affected by my actions.

  “Are you okay?” Scott asked, his concern evident.

  “No,” I said honestly, my heart lurching when he frowned at my answer. “I feel terrible for the way things played out. The last thing I wanted was for Brock to get hurt.”

  Scott shook his head.

  “It’s not your fault, Gaby, it’s mine. I knew you were dating Brock, and I pursued you anyway,” Scott began. “And I’m sorry that Brock was hurt, but I don’t regret being with you this weekend, Gaby. It was better than I’d ever imagined, and I’m not willing to let you go, now that I know how amazing things are between us.”

  “Scott.” I clenched my hands at my sides, because when his words registered in my brain, I wanted nothing more than to launch myself into his arms. “I can’t go any further with you until I’ve talked to Brock and worked things out.”

  Scott stilled and asked, “What do you mean, work things out? Have you decided you want to continue to date him?”

  “No,” I responded, almost smiling when he visibly relaxed. “But I can’t begin a relationship with you when things are unresolved with Brock. I know, that probably sounds ridiculous after everything that’s happened this weekend, but now that I know how I hurt Brock with my actions, I can’t move forward until I’ve at least tried to make things right with him. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself. I hope you can understand that.”

  “I do,” Scott answered. “And I’ll back off while you do what you need to do, but, Gabs … I’m not letting you go this time.”

  My heart pounded, and this time, I did smile at him.

  “I’m counting on it,” I replied, before I turned to go help the girls with the food.

  Chapter 21 – Scott

  I tried to give Gaby space, while keeping her aware that I was there for her if she needed me. I grabbed her a beer when I noticed hers was low, threw away her plate when she stopped eating, and brushed the hair off her cheek when I passed by to grab the barbecue sauce. I could tell she was still upset, and working through how she could make it up to Brock, and I hated that being with me this weekend was making her feel so guilty, but that was one of the things I loved most about Gaby. Her compassion. And the love she had for her friends.

  So, I spent the day chatting with my friends and trying to ease the tension that had descended on the group after Brock’s visit.

  In addition to Gaby, TJ also had a hard time dealing with what he was viewing as a betrayal of his friendship with Brock.

  “TJ, I’m sorry that I put you in this position; you have to know that I never would have intentionally done so.” We’d finished eating and cleaning up, and were sitting outside watching the sun go down. The girls were inside playing a game, while Cal, TJ, and I sat back and let our food digest.

  “I know, man,” TJ said, his voice full of regret. “And, believe me, I’m all about you and Gaby being together. I think the two of you make each other happy, happier than I’ve ever seen either of you, but Brock was right … Once I saw how things were progressing with the two of you, I should have given him a head’s up. He’s my friend too.”

  I knew there was nothing I could say to make TJ feel better, but I realized that I would
probably have to man up and have a conversation with Brock myself. I’d let Gaby have her say with him first, and let him get over his initial hurt, but I needed to let go of the bad blood between us and make this right. For my friends, and for my relationship with Gaby.

  “Brock’s pissed right now,” Cal added, even though he hadn’t seen what transpired. He was good friends with Brock too, and knew him well. “But he’s a good dude, as loyal as they come … He’ll come around. He’s liked Gaby for a while, so this is gonna sting, but he won’t hold a grudge against us.”

  “I hope you’re right,” TJ muttered. “I’m not sure I’d be so forgiving.”

  I flinched noticeably at TJ’s words, causing him to say, “Sorry, Scott, but it’s true.”

  “It’ll all work out,” Cal said again, always the optimist. I wished I could have the same outlook on life that Cal did, but, in my experience, shit never worked out the way I wanted it to.

  I looked into the window, and I could barely make out Gaby sitting at the table with the girls. Her hair was up, and it looked like she was laughing. If anyone could help lift her spirit, it was her friends. The sight of her made me breathe a little easier and I hoped my luck was turning around.

  “So,” I began, wanting to change the subject to something more positive, “is everything on track for the grand opening?”

  Cal grinned at my words and nodded his head enthusiastically, “Yup, less than two weeks. I can’t believe it’s almost here already!”

  TJ sat forward in his chair, leaning his elbows on his thighs as his face brightened. “I’ve made headway on Brady’s Malibu, so I will definitely have it on display for the opening, along with my Camino. Sasha put in an order with Bee Sweet, and they’re gonna cater the desserts, but I think Shelly was going to handle the food stuff.”

  He looked over at Cal for affirmation.

  “Yup,” Cal agreed. “Shelly’s got it covered. She’s doing stuff like meatballs, wings, etcetera … I’m letting her run with it. She’s pretty excited. And I know whatever Kat and Gaby come up with for the desserts will be awesome. I went around to local businesses and talked with the owners to get their help advertising, and the response has been great. Brock even sent out emails to his clients offering them a free oil change for first-time customers.”