Luck and circumstance might have brought us together, but our relationship evolved quickly, and right now, I was sure Gabi was the one.
For some reason, a deep fear of losing her filled my chest, and it was suddenly too hard to breathe. I had just lost someone I loved; I couldn’t bear the thought of losing her too.
Needing to touch her, I reached across the seats and placed my hand on her thigh.
She looked at me. “Are you okay?”
I forced a small smile. “I’m with you, so yeah, I’m okay.”
Her lips curled up in a grin and my heart squeezed. Yup, I wasn’t falling for her. I had already fallen.
At her brother’s apartment, everyone was so nice, it almost made me sick. I wanted to shrink into myself, to turn back and go back to my bed with Gabi in my arms, where I could hide from the world and pretend everything was all right.
But for Gabi, I greeted them all as best as I could, and I was introduced to three new guys I didn’t know, or couldn’t remember. Malcolm, Justin, and Reese were players of the Knight House, one of Montenegro’s biggest competitors.
“What are they doing here?” Gabi asked in a whisper.
Hannah rolled her eyes. “Apparently, they are Ri’s new party buddies.”
“You know, they are all single like him,” Hil added.
I glanced at the living room. Ricardo, Malcolm, Reese, and Justin were standing behind the couch, with drinks in their hands, and absently watching the TV while talking.
“It’s just so odd to see them here,” Gabi said.
The girls continued talking about how the three guys had just been automatically added to the group by Ri and they really didn’t like it. I wasn’t in the mood to listen to that, so I made my way to the living room.
“Want something to drink?” Garrett asked as I sank down on the couch. Pedro and Leo already had the joysticks in their hands and resumed their game.
“Yes, hm, beer will be fine,” I said.
He brought me a beer and plopped down beside me. “Next one, you go get it. You’re practically family now.”
Family. Gabi was my only family right now. And these people were her family. It would be nice to actually belong to their family. To have more people to care about. And despite everything, I could easily see me having a good time with the guys and video games, and the horses, and the monster truck races they always talked so much about.
I looked over my shoulder. Gabi was in the kitchen with Bia, Hannah, and Hilary. She smiled at something Bia said, then drank a sip of her Jack and Coke.
My heart squeezed.
This beautiful, caring woman was my wife.
Tears burned behind my throat and I swallowed them. What the fuck? I was like a sappy romantic movie right now. Too emotional, too raw, too wounded. I knew it was all because I had lost someone important to me and my emotions were all screwed.
I sighed. This phase would pass, but I knew the love I felt for Gabi would stay there, stronger than ever. She was my anchor now, the only thing I had left.
“Your turn.” Leo shoved the joystick on my hand. I started passing it back to him but stopped. What the hell. This was my family now, right? And they were trying to distract me, to make me feel a little better. Well, I would take advantage of that.
I grabbed the remote with both hands and scooted closer to the middle of the couch. “Great.”
The time flew while I played with the guys.
Later, Leo found a polo ball beside the couch, and he started dribbling it like he was playing soccer. Then Gabi came from the kitchen with the broom and easily took the ball from him. She dribbled past him as the others cheered, and she sent the ball under a sofa table along the wall, as if she had made a goal.
The guys cheered and the girls laughed.
And I smiled for the first time in days.
“You’re just too good,” Ri said with a smile.
“Dude, you’re a natural,” Garrett said. “It’s a shame you won’t accept Florida’s offer.”
My smile faded. I frowned at him. “Offer from Florida? What are you talking about?” The room went quiet, the paused video game music the only sound in the entire apartment. I twisted around and glanced at Gabi over the couch. “What is he talking about?”
She shot a glare to Garrett, then looked at me. “It’s nothing. You shouldn’t worry about it.”
“Why shouldn’t I worry about something that will kill your dreams?”
She sighed. “I got an offer from a club in Florida. But I knew you wouldn’t move there with me, especially now, so … I declined.”
I rose to my feet and faced her. She got an offer from a club and didn’t tell me? Worse, she had considered moving to Florida. The question was, did she consider moving down there without me? A deep pain like I had never felt cut through my chest. It was a deeper pain than losing my father. Different. Like the hurt of being betrayed. Or being pushed aside.
“You just forgot about it, because giving up on your dreams or the possibility of moving down to Florida isn’t something worth telling your husband, is it?”
“Tyler, I—”
“Husband?” Gui interrupted her, his voice a gasp of surprise. “Did you just say husband?”
Gabi looked down at her feet.
I was already feeling betrayed. Why not add fuel to the flames? “Yes, husband. Gabi and I were never engaged. We never even dated. She made me a deal and I accepted. We got married so she could get a green card.”
There was a loud collective gasp.
“I knew it,” Gui hissed. “I knew it. My gut told me so. But Gabi insisted it wasn’t and …” He tilted his head, looking from me to Gabi and back at me. “I thought you two really liked each other, so I forgot about that.”
“We do like each other,” Gabi said. “We didn’t plan on it, but it happened.”
I was swimming in anger and frustration. Did we really like each other? Did she really like me?
“And what did you get out of it?” Gui asked in a bark.
“Money. I got a lot of money. With all my father’s treatments, I was drowning in debt, still am.”
Gui cursed. “You son of a bitch.” He turned on Gabi. “I can’t believe you did this.”
“Gui, shut up.” She waved her brother off and turned to me. “Ty … your father wasn’t doing well, and I knew you wouldn’t go with me. I didn’t want you to worry. That’s why I never said anything.”
“But you’re giving up on your dream, for what?”
She stared at me. “I thought that was obvious.” I snorted. She was taking care of me, stupid me, while she could be living her dream of playing professional polo. I bet that if my father hadn’t been sick, if I hadn’t been vulnerable, she would have left. “Besides, we had to make it look like our marriage was real. Is real. I couldn’t live away from my husband. The immigration office would find out and take back my green card.”
That was the nail on the coffin. She had blatantly admitted she stayed because she wanted her green card. It wasn’t because of me. It wasn’t because she liked me.
Without a word, I whirled around and marched out the door.
54
Gabi
Tyler ran out the apartment and I ran after him.
Until Gui grabbed me by my wrist and pulled me back.
“Gabi, wait,” he said, his voice none too gentle.
I jerked my arm back. “Let me go.”
“Husband? Really?”
I groaned. “That’s not important right now.” The anger in his eyes told me otherwise. For the first time, I looked at the expressions of my family and noted all of them looked a little surprised, except for Bia and Garrett who knew the truth. Merda. I sighed. I didn’t have time for this. “I’m sorry we lied to you.”
Gui pointed to the door. “You gave money to that guy!”
“That guy was practically your friend five minutes ago. He hasn’t changed, Gui. He was in a bad place when we met. His father was dying and
he was buried in bills. He had a crappy apartment and didn’t have a decent meal or a decent night sleep in too long. I offered him the only thing I had. Money to cover his debts. Money that he didn’t get because we divided into three parts.” I clenched my hands, the rage growing inside me. “Tyler is a great guy with a kind heart. He didn’t use me. For all accounts, I used him. Until we actually let down our guards and realized we liked each other.” I gulped “I love him, Gui, for real, and right now, I’m going after him to try to fix this mess.”
Stunned, my brother let go of my arm and I scurried out of the apartment.
When I got to the sidewalk, Tyler was already half a block ahead of me.
I ran after him. “Tyler, wait.”
He glanced over his shoulder. “What do you want?”
I halted in front of him, causing him to stop. “I want to talk to you. I want to explain.”
He crossed his arms. “It’s okay, Gabriela.” I flinched from the use of my full name. “You don’t owe me any explanation. This is a fake marriage after all, isn’t it?”
“No, it’s not, not anymore, and you know that.” I edged closer to him. “I don’t get why you’re so upset about this. I’m not going to Florida.”
“Because of your precious green card.”
“No, droga. Because of you. I don’t want to leave.”
“Right, because that’s what you said upstairs.”
“What?”
“Before I left.” He jerked his chin to the building behind us. “You said you knew I wouldn’t want to go, and you couldn’t go without me otherwise you would lose your green card.”
I gaped at him. Droga, I had said that, but it wasn’t only that. That wasn’t the main reason at all. “Tyler, I—”
“Enough, Gabriela.” He took one large step back. “I don’t want to hear any more of it. Ever.” He strutted past me.
“Where are you going?”
“I don’t know,” he said, walking away.
I watched as he practically ran from me.
When I couldn’t see him anymore, I walked back to my car and went back to our apartment. Alone.
I didn’t sleep well, and when I got up, I felt worse. Tyler wasn’t in my bed with me, or in his previous bedroom, or anywhere else in the apartment.
Where could he be? Where had he slept? Had he slept at all?
I tried to rein in all my worry. It was okay. Tyler was an adult and he probably just needed some time to cool off.
Instead of biting my nails off, I decided to make breakfast and start my day. Hopefully, Tyler would walk in soon, we would make up, and everything would be all right.
But as the hours went by, nothing happened. I paced the apartment, staring at the door, waiting for him. And he never came. I grabbed my phone and almost called him, but always gave up. He needed time. I had to give him time. He would come home soon.
Though I had no news of Tyler, I had gotten several texts from Garrett, apologizing for letting the Florida thing slip. He didn’t know that Tyler didn’t know. Bia also texted, asking me to forgive Garrett. I texted them both back, letting them know I wasn’t mad. It was okay. It wasn’t Garrett’s fault. It was mine. I should have told Tyler sooner, even if it was just to let him know about it, so there were no secrets between us.
The guilt inside me and my anxiety wasn’t helping.
So, instead of waiting for Tyler at the apartment, I wrote a quick note for him and left it in the kitchen counter, and went to Hannah’s ranch.
It was almost noon when I got there and Hannah was finishing up with a riding group.
“Hey, you,” she said as I entered the stable. “Came to see Branca?”
“Sim. I’m gonna take her for a ride. Is that okay?”
“Sure. There are no groups out right now, so you can choose any trail.”
I stopped by Branca’s stall. The mare saw me and her ears perked up. She came to me and pushed her muzzle into my belly.
I smiled and ran my hands under her chin. “At least someone is happy to see me.”
Hannah glanced at me. “That doesn’t sound good. How is Tyler?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. I was able to catch him after I left Gui’s place, but he just walked away and I haven’t seen him since.”
She frowned. “Have you called him?”
“Not yet. I’m trying to give him some space.” I ran my hand along Branca’s neck. “How was Gui after I left?”
“Upset. But we talked to him. He was mostly upset about the money, more than the lie. But he’ll be okay. Like Tyler, he just needs a little time to process it all. I’m sure he’ll understand.”
“Do you understand?”
She paused. “I think I do. Leo and I talked about it on our way back here last night, and we both concluded that we would have probably done the same in your shoes. What you did was nothing wrong. However, that doesn’t mean you didn’t lie to your family. And that’s gonna take a while to fix.”
I sighed. “I know.”
She patted my arm. “It’ll all be okay, though. I’m sure of it.”
Unfortunately, I wasn’t so sure.
Hannah stayed with me while I tacked Branca, giving me an update on her progress.
“She’s doing pretty good,” she said. “It has been a while since Tyler has been here to work on her, with his father's death and all, but Jimmy and I have been giving her some special attention. I can’t say it’s as effective as Tyler’s therapy, but at least she was moving a little and putting that foot to good use.”
“That’s nice of you. Thanks.”
She smiled at me. “My pleasure.” She handed me some reins. “Here. I’ve gotta make a phone call, then check on the horses in the other stable. I’ll check on you and Branca later.”
I nodded. “Thanks.”
She walked out the stable. I slid some reins over Branca’s head and gently pulled her out in the arena. For the next half hour, I walked around the arena beside Branca, gently exercising her and strengthening her hurt leg while my mind took off.
I thought about everything and anything.
I thought about Branca and her leg. I thought about Tyler and his therapy. I thought about Gui being mad at me again. About the offer from the Florida club. He would call again soon and I had to tell him my answer. It hadn’t changed since the argument last night.
I thought about Tyler and our situation the most.
He hadn’t showed up at home all night and morning. I had no idea where he was, and even though I knew it was crazy, I couldn’t stop my brain from imagining him getting wasted in some bar and then ending up in some random girl’s bed. My stomach turned each time that thought crossed my mind.
I knew he wouldn’t go to Florida with me, but now I wasn’t even sure he wanted to see me ever again. Apparently not, otherwise he would have come home again, wouldn’t he? But what did that mean? Our relationship was over? Did he regret it? Our marriage was fake again?
It was too much, too confusing.
I wanted to fight for him but I needed a signal first. I wouldn’t lay my heart open only to have him stomp all over it. If there was no sign … then, all I wanted to do was run away. I wanted to give up on everything. If he decided the deal was over, then I had no choice but to give up on everything.
And why the hell did I care about this deal so much? The deal wasn’t more important than he was. What did I have to do to prove that to him?
As if sensing my unease, Branca nudged my shoulder with her muzzle.
“Hey, pretty girl.” I reached up and caressed her forehead. “How are you doing? Feeling better? I hope so. I can’t wait to see you galloping again.”
She shook her head, as if saying she wasn’t in any hurry to gallop again. I chuckled.
I took her for one more lap, then hosed her off, put her in her stall, made sure she had plenty of water and food, and left while Hannah was talking to some of her clients who had just arrived. Not feeling like chatting, I just waved at he
r and she waved back at me.
My heart was in my throat the entire drive home. It sank to my stomach when I parked my car into my parking space and Tyler’s beat-up truck wasn’t beside it.
Droga.
It was late afternoon. Where could he be? He couldn’t avoid me forever, could he?
I dragged my feet into the apartment and gave in. I pulled out my phone and finally called Tyler. It rang several times, but he didn’t pick up. I sat down on a stool in front of the kitchen counter and watched the clock on the microwave. Once ten minutes had passed, I called again. And again it rang, but no one picked up. I repeated the process three more times.
Disappointment mixed with anger and worry. I didn’t know what was worse … to imagine that something had happened to him or to let it sink in that he really was avoiding me.
I was about to call him a sixth time when my phone rang. My heart deflated when I saw it wasn’t his numbers—it was from Florida.
Frowning, I answered. “Hello?”
“Miss Fernandes? This is John Cross. How are you?”
The polo director of the club in Florida. Perfect timing. I inhaled deeply. “I’m good,” I lied. “How about you?”
“I’m doing great.” He paused. “Sorry for going directly at it, but I’ve been pretty busy lately. My to-do list is miles long. So, do I get a yes on my offer?”
Droga. I wanted to say yes, but I couldn’t. I didn’t expect Tyler to change his mind, forgive me, and decide to move to Florida with me. And going without him wasn’t an option. I would lose my green card and would have to leave the country.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Cross, but I can’t accept it. I want to, but I can’t go right now.”
Silence. “I was hoping you would say yes.” His tone changed from cheery to cold in one breath.
Breaking Down (The Breaking Series Book 4) Page 28