Luis Carlos slapped the table and Gabi flinched. “Don’t be a smart ass with me, Gabriela.”
Regina’s hand tightened around Luis Carlos’s arm. “What he means is that we didn’t even know you were dating someone. Then, you announce an engagement even before you introduce us to your boyfriend.”
“It was … kinda fast,” Gabi said, her voice low, unsure. “We started seeing each other over a year and—”
“It didn’t look like it could work with her being away for so long,” I cut in, trying to help her. I stared at Luis Carlos. Gabi could be afraid of him and worry about his opinion, but I couldn’t care less. For her, though, I would try to be more civil. “But, every time she was gone, I counted the days until I got to see her again. And I knew she did the same. We missed each other.” Playing my part, I reached over and entwined my fingers with hers over the table. “Then last month I realized that, with her starting college soon, she wouldn’t come to visit her brother and cousins as often. I realized I didn’t want to be away from her, so I told her my true feelings and proposed.”
“And I accepted.” She lifted our entwined hands, showing off her ring again.
Her father narrowed his eyes at her. “And you just threw away your entire life for him?”
“Luis Carlos,” Regina whispered.
I could feel Gabi’s hand and arm tensing. “I didn’t throw away my life. I would have, if I had come back and started college. I never wanted to go to college, and you know that. You know what I always wanted to do, and you never supported me.”
Luis Carlos let out a short, sarcastic chuckle. “Didn’t support you? I did everything for you. Everything. I just encouraged you not to pursue a career in polo, because I knew polo for women is dead.”
“Here. It’s dead here.”
He tilted his head at her. “And how is polo working out for you in the U.S.?”
Gabi pressed her lips tight. She didn’t have an answer for that because it wasn’t working that well either. I squeezed her hand in mine.
With a loud grunt, Luis Carlos pushed his chair back and marched out of the room.
With tears in her eyes, Regina stood. “I’m going to …” She gestured after her husband, then she followed him.
Once we heard their heavy steps on the stairs, I let go of Gabi’s hands. “That went well.”
“Better than I expected.”
“What did you expect?”
“I thought he would punch you once we approached the subject.”
I gaped at her. “What?” She had mentioned her father wouldn’t be accepting of this, but to punch me? My imagination hadn’t gone that far.
She shrugged. “I’m glad I was wrong.”
“Well, I’m glad too.”
We finished lunch and we took our plates to the kitchen, where Maria was mixing what looked like cake batter. She smiled at us.
Then, I followed Gabi upstairs and through a long corridor with too many doors.
At the end of the corridor, she stopped in front of a door and said, “This is your suite. The bed shoul—”
“We’re sleeping in separate bedrooms?” That sounded odd. When my father stayed with us, we had to sleep in the same room for the sake of appearances.
“Sim. Probably a request from my father.” She rolled her eyes. “Call him old-fashioned. If this was a real relationship and we got married—”
“We are married,” I said in a low voice.
She stared at me. “But they don’t know it. Anyway, the bed should be made, and there will be towels and toiletries in the bathroom. Do you need anything else?”
I shook my head. “Nope. I think I’ve got all I need.”
She nodded. “I’m going to take a shower then nap for about an hour or so. I need to close my eyes for a minute or I won’t last later tonight.”
“Later tonight? Why don’t you go to bed early tonight?”
“Oh, yeah, hm.” She made a cute pout as if considering how to tell me. “Saturday night is family night.”
“Oh-kay.”
“Like … not just my father, my mother, and me. My mother’s family … my grandparents and my aunt and my uncle and my little cousins will come over for dinner and they always stay until past midnight.”
I just stared at her. More family? Who were these people and why the hell did they get together so often?
I groaned. “And you’ll introduce me to all of them.”
“Yup.” She smacked her lips. Then grinned. “Sorry.”
I sighed. “It’s okay. I guess.”
“Okay, hm, this is my bedroom.” She pointed to the door across the hallway and few feet to the left. “Call me if you need anything.”
“Will do,” I said as she retreated.
She entered her room and closed the door.
I entered my bedroom, and once more wondered what the hell I was doing. Then, I repeated my mantra.
Debt free, debt free.
31
Gabi
I ended up napping for over one and a half hours. But at least now, after eating, showering, and sleeping, I felt human again. These trips … I wouldn’t stop doing them, but they were terrible. Twenty plus hours between two or three flights and layovers and not sleeping well. Just terrible.
I put on some jean shorts and a tee and cowboy boots, pulled my hair into a ponytail, and left my room. I paused when I saw Tyler’s bedroom door was open.
Meu Deus, where could he have gone? I hoped he hadn’t bumped into my father. Meu Deus, my father would skin him alive if—
Loud voices rang through the corridor and, my heart accelerating, I ran toward the stairs, but then saw the TV room with the door open—and the voices coming from there. I spied inside. Tyler was seated on the wide suede sofa, his feet propped up on the ottoman, and the TV on an action movie.
“Oh, hey.” He pointed the remote to the TV and turned down the volume. “Did I wake you?”
“No. I woke up by myself. Did you sleep?”
He shook his head. “I lay down but couldn’t sleep.”
I glanced at the TV. “I see you already got the hang of the TV.”
“Your mother showed me how the remote controls worked. Netflix here is a little different, but I managed to find something.”
“Good, good. Hm, have you seen my father?”
“Seen, no, but I heard your parents talking downstairs, in Portuguese, a little while ago.”
“I’ll go talk to him. Better to clear the air now than to endure his glares when my family arrives later.”
“Do you want me to come with you?”
“No, I think I should talk to him alone. At least once.”
He nodded. “Good luck.”
“Thanks.”
I went down the stairs and found my mother in the kitchen, as always. I often teased her that she should open a bakery, because she loved cooking and everything she cooked was so good. At least the ranch employees were always pampered with lots of goodies.
She looked up from the table where she was mixing some batter and smiled at me. “Hi, sweetheart. Were you able to rest?”
“Not as much as I wanted, but I’ll survive.” I looked around. “Have you seen pai?”
Her smile faded. “He’s at the main stable.”
As I suspected. When wasn’t he around his precious horses?
My mother let go of the bowl she was stirring, turned to the oven, checked whatever was in there, then spied on a pan on the range, and came back to the bowl. “Do you need help? I can help you—”
“Don’t be silly. You know I can handle the kitchen all by myself.”
“I know, but it’s nice to help and be helped sometimes.”
Her kind eyes met mine. “I appreciate the offer, but I would rather you go talk to your father and make amends first. Then, when you two have solved everything, come back and help me. Deal?”
I smiled at her. “Deal.”
My father was in his second office, as I called it—a ro
om in the stable with a desk and chairs, a computer, and some shelves with files. His office inside the house was much fancier.
Joaquim, a stable boy, was with him, talking about some buyers interested in coming over to look at the horses. My father saw me at the door and stopped talking for a moment, then he finished quickly and dismissed Joaquim. The boy scurried out the office as if it were on fire, though he took a second to stop and greet me.
“Can we talk?” I asked, still from the door. I was going to try and be as respectful and mindful as I could.
He shrugged and looked down at the papers in front of him. “Sure.”
Sighing, I took a chair across from his desk. I went directly to the point. “What can I do so you won’t be mad at me?”
He looked up at me. “Break the engagement, send the guy away, and stay here.”
“Pai, be reasonable. You know that’s not happening.”
He clicked his tongue. “What can I do, Gabi? You’re practically an adult—”
“I am an adult.”
“—you’ve got your own money, you’ve got your own life. It’s not like I can control you. But that doesn’t mean I’m happy. This decision … it took us by surprise. An engagement? Where did that come from?”
“I already told you, pai. We didn’t expect this to happen either, but our feelings spoke louder.” I paused. “I’m sorry I sprang this on you like that.”
He let out a long breath. “I’ll need some time to adjust.”
“I understand. Just please … try not to be too rude to Tyler, okay?”
He didn’t answer right away. “I can’t promise anything.”
At least that was a start.
32
Tyler
I wasn’t ready to meet more of Gabi’s family, but they started arriving around six in the evening, despite my wish to just watch a movie and go to bed early.
Gabi took me outside to a large back patio with a pergola, where there was a long table with two benches, and a wide brick pillar with a hole in the middle. Gabi explained to me that it was called churrasqueira, and that they made Brazilian-style churrasco with it. Luis Carlos put pieces of steak through long metal spear things and placed them on the churrasqueira.
“That’s called espeto,” Regina said, handing me a cold glass with beer.
“I think his head is going to be a huge knot soon, for learning so many new words so fast,” Gabi said with a smile.
“Trying to learn, you mean,” I said. “It’s too many. I’ll have forgotten half by the time I go to bed.”
Regina chuckled, but she didn’t quit. She passed a full plate to me, introducing me to more Brazilian cuisine. Polenta frita, salsichão with farofa, chicken hearts … All the food had been great so far, but I was getting overwhelmed with all the new flavors.
The guests arrived soon after, and I was introduced to her grandmother and grandfather, and Regina’s middle sister, Rosane, and her husband, Bruno, and their two kids, André and Luciana, who were eleven and eight, and Felipe, Regina’s younger brother.
“He’s thirty-four, a lot younger than my mother, and he never married,” Gabi whispered to me. “And he never had a serious girlfriend either. My mother says he’ll die alone.”
I frowned.
Gabi had a big and tight family on both sides—her father and her mother. Meanwhile, I had no one. My mother disappeared, my father was dying. Soon, I would be left alone.
A sudden pain cut through my chest and I had to inhale deeply, calming my emotions. This wasn’t the time and place to get all sappy.
The grandparents didn’t speak English. Rosane and Bruno could speak it, but they weren’t too great at it, and the kids were just learning. The only one who could carry on a good conversation was Felipe, but ten minutes into a conversation with the guy and I was already convinced I didn’t like him.
“Last winter, I went to Greece. It was crazy, man. I went on a cruise in the Greek Islands with some of my friends, and I gotta tell you, I never partied so hard.”
He was the first member of Gabi’s family who didn’t speak or seemed to live around horses, but he did speak a lot about his playboy lifestyle. About his expensive and frequent trips, the many, many parties he went to, and the flock of girls who kissed the ground he walked on.
And, to be honest, the guy’s looks weren’t anything out of the ordinary. The Fernandes bloodline came from Gabi’s father, so this guy wasn’t anything like Gabi’s brother or cousins. He was okay, though. He wasn’t too tall, but seemed to work out a lot. He had black hair and big brown eyes. But nothing special.
The guy was getting on my nerves. Gabi, on the other hand, seemed to know exactly how to navigate around him. Sometimes, she added fuel to the flame in a teasing way and he didn’t even notice, and sometimes she cut him off completely. And all the while he thought she was his fan.
Poor guy.
“Let’s eat! Tá na mesa!” Luis Carlos said, taking a big wooden tray full of steak to the table.
In a flash, everyone squeezed into the benches around the long table. I sat between Gabi and Rosane, my hips pressing on both of theirs. I knew this was normal for them, but it was uncomfortable to me. I scooted as close to Gabi as I could without pulling her to my lap, but that only made Rosane get closer and squeeze me more.
Around the table, people passed food around, talked, and laughed.
I pushed aside my jealousy for Gabi having such a tight family, and for a moment tricked myself and pretended I was really a part of all of this. I was part of this family now, and if I needed them, they would help me.
With that thought pulsing inside my head, I smiled and tried enjoying the night.
33
Gabi
“I’m sorry about this,” I said as I drove us back to Porto Alegre. Both of us were dressed up—Tyler in dark jeans and a dark gray shirt with the sleeves rolled to his elbows. His hair had a little more shine than usual, which led me to believe he had applied some kind of gel or mousse. But just enough so the strands didn’t fall into his eyes all the time.
As for me, I had opted for a tight black dress and black high heel sandals. The nightlife in Porto Alegre was a lively one and people dressed like models. It began late and ended early in the morning.
“It’s okay,” he said, looking out the window. “I get it that they expect you to introduce me to your friends and go out like a normal couple.”
I flinched.
A normal couple. Worse than those words were when husband and wife crossed my mind.
“Sim, but we don’t need to go.”
He glanced at me. “What do you mean?”
“We can simply go to our townhouse in the city, order some food, and go to sleep. My parents will never know we didn’t meet my friends and go clubbing. Not unless we tell them about it.”
He stayed silent for a long while and I was about to say his name when he finally said, “No. It’s fine. Let’s go meet your friends. At least time will pass faster.”
Or it could be incredibly awkward and slow. I groaned. I had hoped he would agree to skipping the club and holing up inside my family’s house. At the club, I would have to face my friends. The girls would ask me three thousand questions about Tyler and me, and I knew they would be watching us closely. I already had lied to too many people. If I could avoid lying to more, I would.
On the other hand, this would be my last opportunity to see my friends before moving to the U.S. for real. I had been so worried about my polo career and being close to Gui and Bia and Leo and Ri and Pedro that I hadn’t thought about the rest. I was about to leave my friends behind, and it hadn’t hit me how much I would miss them until now.
My throat closed and I had to take a deep breath before a tear escaped.
In the city, I drove us to one of the best neighborhoods and stopped my car in front of a fancy building’s closed gate. One of the security men from the front entrance approached me.
“Boa noite, senhorita Gabriela.”
<
br /> “Oi, Raul,” I said in Portuguese. After a few more exchanged words, the gate opened and I drove my car down the ramp to the parking garage underneath the building.
“What’s this place?” Tyler asked as I parked my car beside a white Mercedes.
“This is my best friend Priscila’s place.”
“I thought we were going clubbing.”
“We are, but clubbing starts late here. Like, after midnight. So, people here get together somewhere before going clubbing.”
He shook his head. “That makes no sense.”
“I know.”
We stepped out of the car and went to the elevators.
Inside, I turned to him. “Are you ready?”
His jaw popped. “Will I ever be?”
I let out a hollow chuckle, not sure how to answer that. Would he ever be? Would I ever be? The more time this went on, the more time we spent together, I wondered if this was a mistake.
This wasn’t the time and place to worry about that.
I sucked in a sharp breath and rang the bell.
The door opened wide not five seconds later.
“There you are!” Priscila yelled in English. She had short blond hair, bright hazel eyes, and was taller than me. She was pretty, especially when she was smiling so widely at Tyler. “Hi, I’m Priscila Casagrande, Gabi’s best friend.” She shook his hand. “Nice to meet you.”
“You too, Priscila,” Tyler said.
“Please, call me Pri. That’s what my friends call me.” Priscila stepped aside. “Come in.”
And into the lion’s den we went.
34
Tyler
I didn’t know what to expect this evening.
When Gabi had told me we were going out, I had thought she would take me into a little town for a traditional Brazilian dinner or something. I hadn’t expected her to tell me we were going clubbing in the city with her Brazilian friends.
Just what I wanted.
Breaking Down (The Breaking Series Book 4) Page 18