“Hey, Hil,” Leo said, his voice cheerful.
“Hi, guys,” I said, scanning the crowd as they all greeted me. Leo, Ri, Pedro, and Garrett. But no Gui.
A pain sliced through my heart.
Gui hadn’t come to the fitting. I mean, I kinda of expected it since he was in Florida, but I thought he would take a flight, be here for the fitting, and then go back to Florida.
After lots of how are you doing and how was practice and all that, I showed them their tuxedos and waited while they disappeared inside the fitting stalls. Leo was the first out. He hopped on the podium in front of the mirror, and I marked the few adjustments needed. Then the others came out, but before I had a chance to mark their tuxes, Sonya came in the room.
Like last time with the girls, she had brought in champagne and I almost laughed at the face she made when she walked in and saw all these gorgeous men dressed up.
Another point for my future. I was able to admit they were all gorgeous.
Ri, Pedro, and Garrett got lost in the champagne.
Like a sneaky cat, Leo approached me in the back of the room. “Tudo bem?”
I forced a smile. “Sure.”
He frowned at me. “You’re not good at lying.”
I grunted. “Well, to be honest, I’ve been better. And that’s saying something.”
He nodded. “Is it because of Gui?” I lowered my gaze, not sure I should engage in this topic. “It’s okay. You know I know about you two.”
That didn’t make talking about Gui with him any easier. I cleared my throat. “He should have come for the fitting. I can’t have a perfect tux for him without any fittings.”
“He was ready to come last night,” Leo said. “He was taking a flight last night, just to be here this morning.”
A knot weighed down my forehead. “What happened?”
“Bom, he heard that you went to see Reese yesterday afternoon at the club.”
“What?” I yelled. The others looked at us, so I turned my back to them and lowered my voice. “How does he already know about that?”
Leo’s eyes widened. “So you admit it? You went to see Reese yesterday?”
“I did, but it isn’t what you’re thinking. Even my mother had heard about the non-kiss. I didn’t have his phone number and I didn’t know how else to reach him. So I went to the club and asked him why the hell he was spreading those rumors.” I knew Hannah had already explained to Leo what had happened that night. I was glad I didn’t have to repeat myself now. “I guess that after hearing the rumors people must have seen us talking and thought we were having some kind of date. I didn’t even leave the parking lot!”
“I get it,” Leo said. “Do you mind if I tell Gui?”
“Does it make a difference?”
Leo nodded. “It does. He’s been kind of a jerk lately. Even far away, he can get on our nerves. Even my father said he got a few calls from the other team’s coach, complaining about his attitude.”
I frowned. “I don’t want to give him hope though.”
“Why not? What are you afraid of?”
“Hasn’t Hannah told you?”
“Actually, no. She said it was your problem, and she had already said too much to me.” I could kiss my sister for that. “So, will you tell me?”
I opened my mouth to lie, but then closed it again. This was Leo. My sister’s fiancé. The guy who was there for her, who helped her heal much faster than I did. I trusted him with my life.
“A lot of things. I’m afraid of the level of awkwardness it’ll be if we give this, whatever it is, a try and it doesn’t work. Of falling in love and having my heart broken. Of finding out Gui isn’t the guy I think he is.”
Leo nodded. “I understand.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “You do?”
“Unfortunately, it’s all about your past. You trusted someone before, you thought highly of him, you thought he was something, and in the end, he disappointed you.” Disappoint was such a weak word. “I get why you’re so guarded and afraid to trust again …”
Leo seemed to want to say more, but Ri called out, “Hey, you two. Will you stop gossiping?”
Pedro turned to me, his hands in his jacket. “Hil, is this right?”
I took a deep breath and pushed thoughts of Gui away from my mind. Instead, I focused on my progress, on how well I was doing. A couple of months ago, I would cringe before entering a room alone with these guys, even though I knew them all and trusted their girls. I would be on the defensive the entire time, fighting a panic attack every time one of them got too close. Now, here I was. Deep down, my gut was still tense, and I kept revisiting some of the self-defense moves I had learned in class, but I was feeling confident and strong enough to be here without feeling scared or fighting a panic attack. In fact, I enjoyed their company.
I forced a smile on my lips and went to help these four men with their tuxedos.
Gui
I kept thinking I should have gone to Santa Barbara last night, regardless if Hilary was with Reese or not. However, because I had decided to act like a fucking child, I felt bitter and decided to stay in Orlando, even though there had been no game today and there wouldn’t be one until Sunday afternoon.
For the most part, this trip had helped. Because the team was new to me, we practiced a lot, which took a lot of my time and kept my mind busy. But, whenever I had down time and had nothing to do besides go back to my hotel and binge on some series on Netflix or stalk everyone on Facebook—mostly Hilary, though she rarely posted anything there—it was fucking lonely and boring.
I wished I hadn’t come. I wished I were there with my family. I wished I were there to face Hilary and ask her about Reese.
Disgust and rage swept over me, and I dragged my feet to the kitchen for another shot of whiskey. Late this afternoon, Dan, the team’s best player—after me, of course—had called, inviting me for a dinner at his house. I didn’t know why, but my brain conjured an imagine of a nice townhouse with the team plus a couple of other people having a nice quiet dinner. I should have known better. I had been here only a few days, but the guys liked parties as much as I did.
Dan’s house was a freaking mansion almost as big as the Taylors’ mansion in Santa Barbara, and it was packed. Besides the team members—Dan, Austin, and Zack, the coach and his wife, and a couple of the wealthy club members, I had no idea who all these people were.
In the kitchen, I didn’t even need to ask for a whiskey, or find the bottle. A waitress saw my empty glass and exchanged it for a full one.
“Thanks,” I said, taking it from her. She smiled then turned to some other guest.
I exited the kitchen and weaved through the crowd, finding a living room with big glass doors opened to an outside patio.
I had been to Florida only a handful of times, and I always forgot how hot it could be during the summer—too fucking hot for my taste. I took a sip of my whiskey and leaned on the patio’s rail, looking at the starry sky.
And the first thing on my mind?
Hilary.
Que merda! I thought that putting some real distance between us for two or three weeks would work like a charm. It is just an infatuation, I told myself. As soon as I stop spending time with her, my feelings would be gone, I assured myself.
Right. As if I didn’t know my feelings had changed from simple interest to …
No, I wouldn’t go there. She had made it clear she wasn’t ready for anything. I could wait, I wanted to wait, but I also didn’t want to wait. I wanted her. Now.
But it was like she had said before: What guarantee did I have that she would be able to push through her fears and allow herself to be with someone? To like someone? To like me?
This was so fucked up.
If only I found a way to get her out of my head.
“Hm, what is a hot guy like you doing out here all alone?” a sultry voice said.
I glanced over my shoulder and saw a girl standing a few feet behind me. She was pretty
, with long, fake blond hair, bright red lips, and too much makeup. Her dress was too tight and too short, accentuating her generous curves and screaming, “Take me now,” which was what she was going for.
“Enjoying the view,” I said with a grin, entering game mode. I hadn’t acted like a player in weeks, but it came back to me as if it were second nature.
With a flute of champagne in her hand, she sauntered closer and leaned her ass on the rail beside me. “So, you’re the one that came to save my cousin’s team?” I raised an eyebrow. “I’m Brenda. Austin is my cousin,” she said, as if it didn’t matter. “So, are you said hero or not?”
“I don’t know about hero, but I can help most of the time.” I extended my hand to her. “I’m Gui Fernandes.”
She shook my hand and narrowed her eyes at me. “Oh, I detect an accent. Where are you from?”
I pulled my hand back. “Brazil.”
Her grin widened and she leaned closer. “I had heard Brazilian guys were hot. Now I can confirm that.” She licked her lips. “I also heard that Brazilian guys are good in bed. I would love to confirm that too.”
She extended her hand and slid her finger up my arm. I expected to feel a shiver, a course of desire, something.
Nothing.
What was the fucking problem with me? If it had been two months ago, I wouldn’t have thought about it twice. Actually, I wouldn’t have thought about it at all. She was hot, free, and offering. There were no warts or fungus on her that I could see. Nothing that could disgust me later. Besides, if I drank two or three more shots of whiskey, even that wouldn’t matter. It would be too damn easy to lose myself in this girl, to erase the thoughts in my mind, the images of the other girl haunting me each second of the day, even if only for a few minutes. Perhaps that was how I would recover from her rejection.
Having made up my mind, I leaned toward the girl to say something dirty that would tell her I could confirm her suspicions when my phone rang. I froze, taking three seconds to decide if I should ignore it or not.
It was Leo. I sighed, as if his phone call could save me from make a huge mistake. “Que foi?” I answered with a bite.
“Get your head out of your ass, tche,” Leo said. “I have something important to tell you.”
I turned my back to Brenda. “What?”
“I talked to Hilary today.”
“I guess that is a given since you went to the studio.”
“Não, veado, I mean I talked to her about yesterday. About her meeting with Reese at the club.”
I groaned. “I’m not sure I want to hear this.”
“Sim, you do. Apparently, even her mother had heard about the non-kiss—her words, not mine—and she went to the club to confront Reese about it. She wanted to know why the hell he was spreading rumors. She was pissed. And sad.”
“So …” I took a deep breath, trying to clear the haze in my mind. “So, she wasn’t there to see him? To spend time with him?”
“Não.”
“And what he said to her? About the rumors?”
“He said it got out of hand. People distorted the truth, and he felt proud that everyone thought they were together. Apparently, he apologized and said he would fix it. At this moment, she can’t stand him.”
I cursed under my breath. “So I didn’t go back there last night for nothing.”
“Sim. Told you it wasn’t as bad as you thought it was. You can’t assume anything until you know the facts.”
I pressed a thumb and forefinger to my temples. “Easier said than done.”
“Yeah, I know,” Leo said. “But, Gui, seriously. You’re a brother to me, and Hilary is like a sister—”
“When you say it like that …” I groaned.
“—don’t mess this up. I have no idea what you intend to do, if you intend to do anything, and I won’t interfere, but I want you to remember that, whatever happens, it’s bigger than just you. It’s bigger than just the two of you. We’re all going to be a big family now, and I would love if it didn’t start with problems and weirdness.”
I sighed. “I … I don’t know what I’m gonna do.”
It was the truth. As much as I wanted to leave this party right now and grab the first flight to Santa Barbara, go to Hilary’s apartment, bang on the door until she opened, sweep her in my arms, and kiss her until she confessed her feelings for me, until she was so wrapped around me she would never let go, that wasn’t what she wanted. Not right now. She had made that clear. It hurt, but I would respect her wishes.
“Are you all right?”
“Yeah. Sim, I am.” It was an automatic answer; one that both Leo and I knew wasn’t entirely honest.
“I need to go. Hannah needs me to help her with closing the stable for the night.”
“All right.”
“If you need anything, call, okay?”
“Yeah.” I sighed. “Thanks. For letting me know.”
“No problem. Tchau.”
“Tchau.”
I turned off the call, and when I spun on my heels to tell Brenda something had come up and I would have to go, I found her spot empty. Relieved, I let out a long breath. I glanced at the stars one last time before I left the party and went to my hotel. Alone.
Chapter Twenty-Six
After the last couple of days I had, it was nice to relax.
On Saturday afternoon, the urge to go to Hannah’s ranch and see Belle, and go for a ride with her, hit me fast and hard, something I had never expected to feel.
However, it was here now and it was welcomed.
So, without announcement, I drove to Hannah’s ranch and, when she saw me there, I invited her to go for a ride with me. The smile she shot me … I didn’t think I had seen my sister smile at me like that before.
Leo was there and I invited him to come with us, but he waved us off, saying he had to go do something with Ri and Pedro. Okay, then. If he said so.
“This is so nice,” Hannah said as we rode along one of the many riding trails on her ranch. She was with Argus, of course, and I had Belle. “I have to confess. Never in a million years would I have imagined you and me riding together.” She turned that thousand-kilowatt smile on me again. “I love it and I hope this is the first of many.”
I nodded. “I know what you mean. I would have laughed at anyone who said this—” I pointed to her and me and the horses. “—would happen.” I returned her smile. “I’m glad that I was wrong, though. I … I love this.” I opened my right arm, englobing everything around us. The path, the trees, the green, the smell of the leaves and flowers, the sound of the birds and the clop-clop of the horses’ hooves. “It’s peaceful.”
Hannah took in a long breath. “It really is.”
I looked down at the mare under me and ran a hand over her neck. “Hannah, I want to ask you something.”
My sister lost the smile and her eyes gained a worried shine. “What is it?”
I bit my lower lip. “Hm, I hope you’re not offended, but, well … will you sell Belle to me?” Hannah stared at me with huge eyes for three seconds before breaking into a loud laugh. I couldn’t fight the small smile tugging on my lips. “Hannah! It’s not funny.”
“Sorry.” She inhaled deeply, calming down a little. “It’s not funny, I know. It’s just so awesome and it makes me so happy, the need to laugh for joy was too big to ignore.”
I rolled my eyes at her. “Will you sell me Belle or not?”
“Of course not, silly.”
Shock locked my limbs. Wow, I hadn’t expected that. I mean, I thought she would say no at first, but then I would talk her through it and she would give in.
“W-why not?”
She offered me a half-smile. “If you want her, she’s yours. No need to buy her from me. I’ll have the papers drawn up this week. In a few days, she’ll be officially yours.”
My heart stuttered for a moment and tears welled in my eyes. I wanted to jump off Belle and hug my sister. I settled for reaching to her and squeezing her
hand. “Thank you,” I said, my voice breaking.
“You’re more than welcome.”
I leaned over Belle. “Hear that girl?” I hugged her neck. “Soon, you’ll be mine. For real.”
***
The phone on my desk rang.
“Hilary speaking,” I said, knowing it was Sonya.
“A client of your is here,” she said. “He says he doesn’t have an appointment, but he wanted to see if he can have his fitting sometime today.” My throat closed and I plopped down on my chair. “Hilary? Did you hear me?”
“Y-yes.”
“His name is—”
“Guilherme Fernandes, I know,” I said, trying to recover from the surprise. Which was impossible, so I just barreled through it. I glanced at my computer screen and opened my schedule for the day. “He can have his fitting right now, actually, if we have a fitting room available.”
“We do,” she said. “I’ll bring him to fitting room one, then.”
“Okay. I’ll be right there. Thanks.”
I put the phone down and stared at it for a long time, not sure what to do next—other than get up, stop by the closet area where all the clothes were hung when not being worked on, pick up his tuxedo, and meet him in the fitting room.
My palms became sweaty and my breathing grew shallow.
Oh my gosh. Gui was here.
Slowly, I got up and moved through the motions until I had his tuxedo folded over my arm, and I stood in front of the door of the fitting room one.
After a deep breath in and out, I knocked on the door and opened it.
Gui was standing in the middle of the room, his eyes on me. My breath caught. He looked gorgeous, as always. He had his Montenegro baseball hat backward, and wore a pair of fitted jeans and a blue and white polo shirt, and brown cowboy boots. How he made it all work together, I had no idea. That would never be an outfit I chose for anyone, but on him, it worked.
But what really got to me was his eyes. They shone with so many unsaid words. Most of them I couldn’t decipher, but I could see the frustration in him, the worry, the caring, and the relief too.
Breaking Through (The Breaking Series Book 3) Page 24