The Odds of Happily Ever After (The Reyes Siblings #2)

Chapter 1

chapter one

luna

Ate

Have a safe flight, Lu. Enjoy first class and text us as soon as you land.

Lonzo

YOU FLEW FIRST CLASS? Jason’s the man!

Take care, Ate L!

Dragging my suitcase behind me, I scanned my surroundings and tried not to appear too anxious.

I had been in this airport one year ago. That day marked many firsts for me—my first time on a plane, being away from my country, traveling alone . . . and my first time seeing my older sister since she moved six years earlier. Despite the thirty hours I’d spent traveling, my exhaustion and body aches faded as soon as I heard Ate call my name.

This time, I’d flown seven hours in a first-class cabin, compliments of Ate’s boyfriend Jason. I would have traded it for an economy seat if it meant my sister would be waiting to welcome me again.

As I stepped out into the arrival hall to a sea of unfamiliar faces, my doubts and fears came at me all at once. I had always lived with at least one family member a wall away, if not in the same room. Moving across the globe hadn’t scared me this much because I’d known Ate would be here.

Now I was completely, utterly on my own.

My nerves pulled tighter as my eyes darted across the room, searching for something to focus on, anything familiar that could be my anchor. But I was an hour away from Sterling, and my friends were in class. Aside from Ate, who was in the US for only one more day, my family was in Manila.

I took a deep breath, trying to slow down my racing heart.

Get yourself together, Luna. You’ve got this. One thing at a time.

Pushing my shoulders back, I scanned the signs and found the arrow for the bus stop. I was about to follow it when I felt the weight of someone’s gaze. Was someone judging me for looking helpless?

My stomach churned. I told myself to ignore whoever it was, but my head turned to the left anyway.

I froze.

Of all the people I could have predicted seeing here, Gabe Martins was nowhere on that list.

He strode toward me, his blue-gray eyes staring me down.

Clouds hinting at incoming rain. That’s what they’d always reminded me of.

Rainy days were always my favorites. They meant having a break from the heat, trading in my iced drinks for a hot one, and getting comfy on the sofa. Cozy, happy things.

The total opposite of the words I’d choose to describe the man standing in front of me.

One of Gabe’s thick brows winged up, breaking my daze. I unstuck my tongue from the roof of my mouth. “What are you doing here?”

“I was in the area,” he said.

“I didn’t know you hung out around the Charleston Airport.”

“I had an errand.”

What errand ?—

My eyes widened as the pieces clicked into place. Sterling was an hour away from Charleston, and unless Gabe had a meeting in the city, he wouldn’t have any other reason to be here. “Did Ate send you here?” I asked, horrified.

“No.” His answer came instantly, accompanied by a frown. Now that was a familiar sight. “But you’re traveling alone?—”

I thought nothing could be more embarrassing than your sister asking her best friend to pick you up. Wrong . It was infinitely worse for said best friend to pick you up because he thought you couldn’t get home on your own.

Though, maybe . . . was it possible he’d been worried?

I shook my head. Here I was being delusional again.

Talk about pathetic.

Gabe, worried . . . about me ? If he was, it was definitely just because he felt some sort of obligation toward me because of Ate. I couldn’t fool myself into believing he’d care about me otherwise.

Did I mention I’d had a crush on this guy since the moment I met him?

Kill me now.

“You didn’t have to come,” I told him. “It’s easy enough to take the bus.”

Needing to get out of there ASAP, I tugged at my suitcase handle, only to find resistance. My eyes met Gabe’s, and maybe my mind was playing tricks on me, but I thought I spotted a hint of amusement in his gaze.

“This again?” he murmured.

I rolled my eyes. “What is it with you and grabbing my bags?” He had done the same thing the first time I met him at this very airport—and again when he caught me after one of my thrifting sprees in town.

“Are you going to call me a thief like you did last time?”

“That depends. There’s such a thing as asking, you know. You should try it.” I tried to hang on to my annoyance, but a teasing note crept into my tone. I clamped my lips shut, worried he’d accuse me of flirting with him—again.

His words from last year came back to me: “Some of us have better things to do than gossip and flirt.” As if I’d done anything more than try to get to know him.

That tiny spark in his eyes vanished. “Fine. Can I carry your bag?”

“I mean, you don’t need to carry it. It has wheels. But hey, we’re making progress.” I chuckled nervously, trying to lighten the mood. “Seriously, I’m okay. I’ll take the bus. Besides, aren’t you worried someone from school will see us together?”

His lips pressed together in a tight line. “It’s a risk, but I’m already here.” He glanced around us and spoke in a low tone. “The longer we discuss this, the more we’ll attract attention. You know what the logical decision is.”

My eyebrows swung up. “You know what? I’m good with the bus.”

“Luna.”

I hated the way he said my name. He rarely did, but on those rare occasions, it always came out exasperated and scolding—like I was a child who did nothing but misbehave.

Which only triggered my instinct to rebel.

He sighed as though he could read my thoughts. “Can I please just drive you home?”

My argument died on the tip of my tongue. I could continue debating with him or simply walk away, but either option would prove him right.

Or I could be logical and mature and show him he was wrong about me.

“Okay,” I said. “But I get to choose the music.” Smiling, I handed my bag to him. I already had the perfect playlist in mind.

When he clenched his jaw, I half-expected him to withdraw the offer. But this was Gabe, and he was nothing but rational. “Let’s go.”

He gripped my suitcase, and I began walking to the exit. To my surprise, he fell in step beside me. He kept a careful distance—couldn’t have anyone thinking there was anything going on between us, after all—but he didn’t lead the way or trail me like I assumed he would.

As we passed other travelers heading out of the hall, a thought occurred to me. “Don’t you have work?” It was a Wednesday afternoon, right smack in the middle of the work week.

“Not at the university.”

I glanced at him. Even though he annoyed me, I couldn’t ignore that he’d taken the time and made the effort to pick me up. Also, he was the reason I got to travel to California with my sister. So I swallowed my pride and said, “Thank you for picking me up. You seriously didn’t have to, but I appreciate it.”

He grunted. “You’re welcome.”

“I’m still surprised you came. Here I thought you’d go out of your way to avoid being seen alone with me.”

“Thankfully, this is far enough from Sterling, and no one should be able to tell you’re a student at the school I teach at.”

“If I was wearing one of our college shirts, would you still insist on giving me a ride?”

He looked straight ahead. “Good thing you’re not.”

“Guess it’s lucky I don’t have one.”

I thought the conversation would end there since he’d never been the type for talking, but he shocked me by asking, “Not fashionable enough?”

I snorted. “Not cheap enough.”

“Don’t you have an employee discount at the store?”

“Yeah, but new clothes aren’t in my budget right now.” Not when I had bills and groceries to worry about. I narrowed my eyes at him, anticipating his response. “I can be practical, you know.”

“Good.”

A minute passed. When he didn’t say anything more, I sighed. “God, you’re such a grump.”

No reply.

Knowing it annoyed him when I talked too much, I pressed on. “You could have come in disguise. Like a cap and shades, distressed jeans—that kind of thing.”

He raised an eyebrow at me. “And that wouldn’t look suspicious at all.”

Now that he mentioned it, he was right. Gabe, a.k.a. Professor Martins, had a uniform—plain shirt, crisp trousers, casual jacket, and leather shoes. Any deviation would set off alarm bells. I’d known him over a year and had never seen him switch things up other than going without his jacket, as he did now. He was predictable, but I couldn’t deny he had style.

“Do you even own jeans?” I wondered out loud as I followed him to his sleek, slate-gray sedan.

Without a word, Gabe popped the trunk and loaded my suitcase inside, his biceps flexing under his white button-up shirt. Then he rounded the car, opened the passenger door, and waited for me to settle in before closing the door.

When we were both buckled in, he spared me a look. “This doesn’t change anything.”

I frowned. “What do you mean?”

“You’re Tala’s sister, so of course I’ll check in on you,” he said, using Ate’s given name. “But we’re not friends.”

Heat crept up the back of my neck. “ Excuse me. I never asked you to check in on me. I never asked you to be my friend either.”

“So long as that’s clear.”

I glared at him. “Why did you even come here when you obviously don’t like me?”

“I told you. Because you’re Tala’s sister.”

“What is that, your motto?” Even though I’d already guessed that was his motivation, it didn’t sting any less to hear it. It was every girl’s dream for a guy to admit he only did you a favor because of someone else. My anger deflated, replaced by the familiar feeling of insecurity. “Don’t worry, I’ll tell Ate you did your duty.”

“Luna.”

I hated this version of my name even more because this time, it was weighed with the worst emotion. Pity .

Screw it.

“My music, right?” Without waiting for his response, I reached for the infotainment system at the same time he did. He dropped his hand like I was contagious, and wasn’t that just the cherry on top of this crappy afternoon?

“Go ahead,” he said, pulling out of the parking slot.

I connected my phone and put on my peppiest girly-pop playlist. From the corner of my eye, I caught the grimace on Gabe’s face.

Maybe it was petty of me. But you better believe I smiled.