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

Chapter 16

chapter sixteen

luna

Chloe

Luna. You’re in Atlanta and you didn’t bring us with you?

Kriz

I told you, she’s with her sibs!

Chloe

Which means she’ll mingle with the players. Why were we not invited?

Luna

Haha next time!!

As we drove up to the hotel’s main entrance, the massive glass doors opened and my siblings walked out onto the carpet.

I gasped. “They’re really here.” I smiled widely as Ate waved at us with Lonzo towering behind her. They’d been in the country for four days now, but I wasn’t able to join them for Jason’s game in California because of my classes.

“Did you doubt it?” Gabe asked.

“I mean, I knew they were coming but it’s different, seeing them in person.” My heart threatened to burst out of my chest. Gabe unlocked the doors, and I threw mine open, stepping out into Ate’s embrace. “I can’t believe you guys are here! Finally!”

“It’s so good to see you again, Lu,” she said, squeezing me tight.

Then I felt a tap on my head. I looked up and narrowed my eyes at my brother.

“Told you I’d get taller.” He grinned at me with straight teeth. No more braces for him.

I rolled my eyes. “Jason’s still taller.” Letting go of Ate, I hugged Lonzo and had the breath knocked out of me with the force of his embrace. “Can’t breathe.”

His chest rumbled against mine, but he eased up a bit. “Consider this payback for the time you almost suffocated me on the sofa.”

“Ha!” I squeezed him for old time’s sake. In the two years since I’d last seen him, his back and biceps had firmed up so there was barely any give. “Oh my God, don’t tell me you’ve turned into a gym bro.”

He barked out a laugh and pulled away. “You like the guns?” And then he proceeded to flex his arms.

Groaning, I swatted at him. “Put those away. We’re in public.”

“Lonzo’s in great shape, for sure,” Ate commented. “But next to Jase . . .”

“You two cannot compare me to an NBA player. Those guys won the genetic lottery,” Lonzo complained as he slung a heavy arm around my shoulder.

“I can’t argue with that,” she said.

Gabe came toward us after unloading our bags with the help of a bellman. He had a small smile as he watched me, and I felt the flurries expand from my stomach to my chest. Then his eyes switched to Ate and his smile grew wider.

“Look who took time off to drive to Atlanta,” Ate drawled as they came together for a hug.

“It’s a Saturday.” Gabe patted her back but his gaze moved to me again.

Lonzo’s arm tightened around me. “Should I introduce myself or what?”

“Oh!” I said. “Lon?—”

“This is—” Ate spoke at the same time I did.

I shut my mouth. “Sorry, go ahead.” My body felt warm, and I wished I could blame it on the weather.

Ate gave me an apologetic look before turning to Lonzo. “This is my best friend, Gabe. Gabe, my brother, Alonzo.”

Lonzo released me and shook Gabe’s hand with what seemed like unnecessary force. I would have laughed if I wasn’t so appalled.

“Nice to meet you, Alonzo,” Gabe said.

Lonzo narrowed his eyes at him. “What are you doing with my sister?”

“Lonzo,” I hissed, my stomach churning. “He just gave me a ride.”

Gabe glanced from me to Lonzo, his brow furrowed. “I’m looking out for her.”

My hurt must have shown because Ate put her hand on my shoulder. “I’m sure you guys are tired,” she said. “Come on, I’ll show you to the rooms.”

She gave our room numbers to the bellman so he could bring our bags up, then she led us inside the hotel and into the elevator. As we walked, I asked them about their trip so far, and Lonzo recounted their stay in Santa Mila, the hometown of Jason’s team in California. All the while, my skin tingled with the awareness of Gabe’s presence behind me.

I thought that maybe we were actually friends now, but his words reminded me I shouldn’t read too much into his actions. The more I did, the bigger the chance I’d get disappointed. So what if he’d offered me a ride and brought a blanket, too? It was just him being thoughtful—him looking out for his best friend’s little sister. I’d wondered why he and Ate had gotten close, and now I knew the answer firsthand.

At least we’d moved past the always-arguing stage. I should be happy with that.

“Did you try Tiger Stripes when you were in Santa Mila?” Lonzo asked me in the elevator. “That boba was the best I’ve had.”

“I didn’t. It was such a short trip.” I imagined the taste of a sweet milky drink with chewy sago and groaned. “Now that you mentioned it, I want boba. With coffee. I wonder if there’s a place near here.”

“We can check after lunch if we have time,” Ate said. “But there’s an espresso machine in your suite in case you need coffee.”

I chuckled. “I have a suite?”

“You and Lonz are sharing one with two bedrooms. Jason and I are in the suite across from yours, and Gabe’s beside us.”

Gabe frowned. “I booked a regular room.”

“Jason upgraded it when he booked ours,” Ate explained.

“He shouldn’t have done that.”

“I told him you wouldn’t like that, but he insisted so it’ll be easier to hang out.”

“You’re annoyed you got a free upgrade?” Lonzo asked.

Gabe shook his head, and Ate answered for him. “It’s the principle of the matter.”

The elevator stopped at the twenty-fifth floor, and the doors opened to a wide hallway with thick blue carpeting and what looked like damask wall panels in silvery blue.

Following Ate and Lonzo to the right wing, I glanced back at Gabe, who still looked bothered.

He met my eyes and mouthed, “Okay?”

My feet slowed down. “That was supposed to be my question for you.”

“Jason’s a meddler,” he muttered as fell in step beside me.

I chuckled because Ate would probably say the same about me when it came to her and Jason’s relationship. “He means well. At least you still have your own room.”

He grunted. “What about you? Is everything okay?”

“Of course.” I kept my tone casual. “Why wouldn’t it be?”

“You seemed . . .” He scrutinized my face, as though he was trying to see right inside my head. “Upset. Downstairs.”

Oh my God. Of course he’d noticed my reaction. Could anything be more embarrassing?

I plastered on a smile. “I’m just tired. I still need to catch up on sleep.”

His eyes narrowed. “Are you sure?—”

“Hey!” Lonzo called out from the end of the hall, where he and Ate were watching us. “Our rooms are over here.”

“Right.” Trying to ignore the weight of Gabe’s stare, I hurried to my siblings. “This ours?” I nodded to the door on the right.

“Yes.” Ate handed Gabe a keycard and nodded at the door diagonally across our own. “You’re in there. 2503.”

“Thanks. I’ll see you for lunch?” he said to her.

“Uh huh. Reservation’s at noon, but come over whenever you’re ready,” Ate answered. “I’ll hang out with Lu and Lonzo.”

“Alright.” Without looking at me again, he unlocked his door and disappeared inside the room.

When I met Ate’s eyes, they held a world of questions but she didn’t say anything.

Lonzo opened the door for us and headed straight for one of the armchairs in the fancy living area. “What’s up with you and that guy?” he asked as he sat, his legs sprawling across the carpeted floor.

“Nothing.” I pretended to admire the suite even though I couldn’t pay attention to a single detail. “This place is amazing.”

“I don’t like him.”

I frowned at Lonzo. It wasn’t like him to make snap judgments. “You’ve known him for ten minutes.”

He jutted his chin—a sign that he was prepared to argue the point. “I saw the way he looked at you.”

“With annoyance and a sense of duty?”

Lonzo snorted. “Trust me, there was no annoyance on his face when he looked at you.”

“You’re imagining things,” I said above the pounding of my heart. “You heard it from him—he’s only looking out for me because of Ate.”

“I heard what he said, and I call bullshit.” Crossing his arms over his chest, he slumped deeper into the chair. “I don’t want him for you.”

“That doesn’t matter because like I said, there’s nothing going on between me and Gabe.”

Lonzo raised an eyebrow at me. “Someone’s defensive. Right, Ate T?”

The doorbell rang then, saving Ate from having to answer. We spent the next couple of minutes bringing my bag inside and tipping the bellman. After that was settled, Ate and I sat on the sofa, and I ran my hands over the plush velvet upholstery.

“This is the life.” I sighed as I rolled my head on the ultra-comfortable backrest.

“Yeah, yeah,” Lonzo said. “Back to Gabe. Why did no one tell me the guy looked like some, I dunno, Latino actor?”

Ate and I exchanged glances and laughed.

“He’s going to love that.” I filed it away in my head for future use. I could already picture his reaction when he heard it.

“Jason had a similar first impression of him.” Ate’s expression turned serious as she said to me, “I’m glad you two are getting along better.”

Lonzo leaned forward, perching his elbows on his knees. “Are you seriously okay with him hanging around our sister?” he asked Ate.

“You’re getting worked up over nothing, Lonzo,” I said.

He continued staring at Ate. It was as if he couldn’t hear me—as if my opinion didn’t count. “He’s so much older than her.”

Ate sighed. “I trust Gabe with my life. And Luna can make her own decisions.”

“But—”

“I’m not meddling with your relationship, and I won’t meddle with hers, either,” she continued.

“Dani’s my age,” he argued. “It’s not the same thing.”

“It’s not the same thing because Gabe and I aren’t together,” I said loudly. “Trust me, if we were, I wouldn’t hide it.”

Lonzo shook his head. “I don’t care what you two say—I’ll be watching this guy.”

“I thought you’d be more into watching the game, but go ahead.”

“You’re lucky Papa’s not here, or he would drag you back home.”

“Alright, you guys,” Ate called out before I could respond to that. “Relax. It hasn’t been an hour yet, and already you’re fighting.”

“Just like the old times. Right, Ate L?” Lonzo winked at me, suddenly reverting to his easygoing self.

I rolled my eyes. “I need coffee.” Standing, I headed for the kitchen, which was bigger than the one in my apartment. Along the way, I poked Lonzo’s bicep as a sign that we were okay, because even though he annoyed me to no end, he was still my brother.

Back in Manila, he’d looked out for me when it came to other guys but he’d never been this protective. I wondered if it was just Gabe’s age that bothered him or if there was any truth to what he said about the way Gabe looked at me.

Then I tried to stop myself from hoping that there was.