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

Chapter 25

chapter twenty-five

gabe

Tala

Happy birthday, Gabe

By the way, Luna’s flight took off on time. Just in case you’re curious.

The ringing woke me up.

I cracked my eyes open with a groan and instantly regretted last night’s decisions. I’d known that having too much alcohol was a bad idea, but the longer I spoke with my father, the more drinks I consumed.

The doorbell rang again. Damn me for having been too drunk to switch on the do not disturb sign last night. Or was it this morning?

With half-closed eyes, I padded to the front door and swung it open.

The room attendant flashed me a smile and chirped, “Happy birthday, Mr. Martins!”

I kept myself from grimacing even though her perky voice grated on my hungover nerves. “Thank you,” I managed to say.

“I’m sorry, did I wake you? I was instructed to greet you at this time.”

“What time is it?”

“It’s noon, sir.”

That snapped me awake. Noon ? I hadn’t slept in that late in more than a decade.

Only then did I notice the serving cart in front of me. It held two steel domes, a coffee pot, and a full table service set.

“May I bring this inside?”

I frowned. “I didn’t order anything.”

“We received a request to deliver this to you.”

I’d been staring at the cloches like they held the answer to my confusion, but at the woman’s explanation, my eyes snapped up to her face. “Who requested it?”

She gave me an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry, I can’t tell you that. But rest assured that this was all prepared in-house and has not been compromised in any way.”

Nodding, I stepped aside to let her roll the cart in. As she set up the table, I hunted for my wallet in the bedroom and pulled out some cash. I passed the full-length mirror along the way and realized I’d been half-naked all this time.

I was never getting drunk again.

I pulled on a shirt before heading back into the dining area.

“Enjoy your meal, Mr. Martins.” The woman smiled at me.

I handed her a tip. “Thank you.”

When I was alone again, I stared at the large plate of scrambled eggs, bacon, sausages, and toast. Beside it was a smaller plate with a mini chocolate cake and a blue candle.

And propped in the opposite seat was a bright blue balloon with the words Happy Birthday printed in silver.

My stomach churned. Only one person would have thought to get me that, and our phone call last night shot back into my head with painful clarity.

I squeezed my eyes shut as the weight of what I’d said sank in. Luna had called me an asshole in the past, and she was right.

Finding my phone under the discarded shirt on the bedroom floor, I unlocked it to find two messages from Tala. The first was a birthday greeting. The second came in just an hour ago, informing me that Luna’s flight had left on time—“in case you’re curious,” she’d said.

I swallowed and tasted bile and regret. Then I dialed her number.

“Enjoy your breakfast?”

Tala’s voice sounded curt, and it told me how badly I had screwed up . “I’m an idiot.”

“Uh huh.” She heaved a sigh. “But you’re still my best friend. Happy birthday, Gabe.”

“Thanks.”

“That was Luna’s idea, by the way. I just helped her pick the food.”

I groaned. “Great.”

“Morning-after regrets?”

“I didn’t sleep with anyone.” The words slipped out of my mouth without thought.

“I didn’t say you did. Did you hear me say anything?”

I grunted and poured myself a cup of coffee. “Why do you sound amused?”

Laughing, she said, “Because I can’t believe you, Mr. I Don’t Do Relationships, are being defensive about my sister.”

“First of all, I never mentioned relationships. Second, I never mentioned Luna. Also, you used to say you didn’t do relationships until Jason came along.”

Tala squealed, and the girlish sound was so unexpected from her that I paused mid-sip. “The way you said Luna’s name.”

“What about it?”

“You sounded lovestruck.”

“The hell?” I rubbed my nape, suddenly feeling warm. “You’re imagining things.”

“You’re still in denial. That’s fine; I’ve been there too. Just remember when you come to your senses that I called it early.”

“The alcohol must have damaged my ears because I’m hearing nonsense. I need to eat.”

“Drink plenty of coffee too so you finally realize what’s what.”

“Hanging up now.”

“I’m noting this date on my calendar.”

“Goodbye, Tala.”

“Bye, Gabe. Oh, and I’ll text you Luna’s flight details if you change your mind.”

She hung up before I could tell her I already knew them. Maybe it was for the better, so I wouldn’t give her more fodder for her baseless theories.

My relationship with Luna had nothing to do with love. I simply valued her as a person. Who else would have thought to arrange a surprise breakfast delivery for me because she knew I was alone? She could have canceled it after our disastrous phone call, but she hadn’t.

Here I’d fabricated wanting to extend my trip as an excuse to miss her arrival. I wanted neither of those things—I only wanted to reestablish the boundaries between us.

At this point, was that even possible? And did I even want that in the first place?

My brain throbbed, telling me now wasn’t the best time for self-reflection. Not when I hadn’t gotten the alcohol out of my system.

Grabbing a piece of toast, I checked the status of Luna’s flight.

I could still pick her up. She wasn’t arriving until tomorrow. It was the right thing to do—she was landing in the evening, and after almost thirty hours of travel, she’d be exhausted. She shouldn’t have to go through an unfamiliar commute on top of that.

Mind made up, I took a quick trip to the bathroom before digging into my breakfast.

I couldn’t wait to see Luna again. Forget about managing attachments. I was already too attached, and I couldn’t walk away now.

luna

Smothering a yawn, I walked past the guard by the sliding doors leading out to the arrival hall. A small crowd huddled up ahead, but I looked past them. I had no one waiting for me, and that was okay.

Like I’d told Gabe, I was a big girl. I could manage a one-hour commute.

I followed the directions to the bus stand and heaved a sigh of relief that the line was short. Unfortunately, the next bus wasn’t for another forty minutes. I could get a taxi, but the fare might amount to a week’s worth of groceries.

The bus would have to do.

“Luna!”

My pulse sped up as I turned toward the familiar voice.

Gabe jogged toward me. The sleeves of his navy-blue dress shirt were pushed to the crooks of his arms and his pants were creased, but to me, he looked perfect.

He stopped right in front of me, and we stared at each other.

“Your phone is still on airplane mode,” he said. “I tried calling.”

“You said you weren’t coming.”

His Adam’s apple bobbled. “I made a mistake.”

“I’m not your responsibility, you know. You might think I’m a kid, but I can take a bus by myself. I’m not incapable.”

“I know you’re not. You’re more than capable, Luna.”

“You said you wanted to stay in Miami longer.”

“I lied.”

My lips parted as pain sliced through me.

“It was easier to do that than admit the truth,” he hurried to add. “Which was that I wanted to be here with you.”

“Is that so bad?”

He ran his palm behind his neck, looking so uncomfortable that I wanted to put him out of his misery. “I shouldn’t get attached,” he finally said.

I quashed the excitement that rose in me at the implication of his words. “Because?”

“You might leave too.” Though he spoke in a flat voice, his words seemed heavy with emotion—an emotion that blazed in his gaze.

“I’m not going anywhere,” I said, needing to reassure him.

“For now.”

I wanted to promise I would never leave, that I wouldn’t add my name to his list of deserters. But I couldn’t make promises I wasn’t sure I could keep. “Why did you come here then?”

“I’m already attached. Why subject myself to a place I don’t care for when it’s futile to stay away?”

His admission sent my heart soaring in breathless flight. “So you wanted to see me, did you?”

“I wanted to pick you up.” My eyebrows flew up, but he rushed to add, “I meant, drive you home.” He ruffled the back of his hair.

I wanted to do it for him and see if his hair was as soft as it looked.

“I don’t have many friends, but I like to think I can be good to the very few I have. I’m sorry I let you down.”

Way to bring me crashing back to reality. Friends . I needed to plaster that word in all caps across my brain to stop it from making irrational conclusions. “Lucky for you, I give out bonus chances,” I said, trying to keep my tone light.

A smile crept across his face.

“Thing is, I already have a bus ticket.”

“If you want to take the bus, I’ll buy another ticket and go with you.”

“What about your car?”

He shrugged. “I’ll come back for it tomorrow.”

I laughed at the idea. “ That’s practical.”

“I can compromise,” he said. “I have to tell you, though, my car is a hundred times more comfortable than the bus. No strangers beside you, no bags hitting your leg. I’ll even adjust the air conditioning for you.”

“You’re really selling this, huh?”

“I also have a blanket.”

Tilting my head to the left, I said, “Sounds like you really want me to ride with you.”

“I do.”

I froze, because I didn’t expect him to admit that so easily. Then I pressed my lips together in fear that I’d squeal with delight the moment I opened my mouth.

“So, bus or car?”

“Car.” I managed to speak like a normal, level-headed adult. “But can we make a stop?”

“Just say where.” He grasped the handle of my suitcase, and as we walked to the parking lot, he kept pace beside me, brushing close whenever other people passed by. I felt hyper aware of his presence, every little instance of contact echoing through my body.

I wished there was more of a crowd so he would have to stick right by me.

When we came to his car, he loaded my bags in the trunk, then opened the passenger side door for me. A bouquet of assorted yellow and white flowers laid there on the seat.

My heart jumped into my throat, but I warned myself not to assume they were for me. Maybe he was seeing someone after dropping me off.

Yellow was my color, though.

“I was supposed to bring that to you in the airport,” he said from behind me. “But I had to rush, and I didn’t want to ruin them.”

I stared at the flowers, afraid that if I blinked, they would disappear. “What’s this for?”

“To welcome you back. And also to apologize for me being an ass.”

Turning to him, I caught his wince.

“Again,” he added.

“It’s okay. You were drunk.”

“That’s not an excuse. And you shouldn’t accept it as one.”

“Okay then. I guess I’ll make you work a bit more on your apology.” Ha. A part of me had forgiven him the moment I saw him coming up to me at the bus stop. Did that make me easy? I had always believed actions spoke louder than words, and him being here said a lot.

It told me that even though we weren’t on the same page emotions wise, I mattered to him. Enough for him to drive here even though he didn’t have to.

“So where to?” he asked after we had both settled in. He looked at me like he had all the time in the world. Like he would bring me anywhere I wanted to go.

I smiled, cradling the flowers in my lap. “The grocery store.”