Twenty-Nine
Six Months Later
“So, was I right or was I right? Is there not something magical about Fenway Park?” Gabe smirked at me confidently as we at on the T and my mind drifted back to the Patriot’s game where he’d listened in shock as I told him I’d never set foot inside one of Boston’s most sacred places. That seemed like a lifetime ago. I’d been a different person then and my life had changed so much since that day.
We’d hardly had a chance to talk as we squeezed our way out of the ballpark after the walk-off homerun secured the Red Sox win over the Yankees. But now, we were seated side by side on the snug seats of the train car with plenty of time to talk as we made our way back to his place.
“If it makes you feel better to hear it, I will say it. You were definitely right,” I said, wrapping my arm around him and resting my head on his shoulders. “Thank you for taking me.”
“I’m glad you had a good time. We should go to another game before the season ends,” he suggested.
“It’s a date,” I said and I felt him kiss the top of my head. Quiet settled in between us, which allowed my mind to wander.
It’d been six months since the night Tyler was arrested. I’d never felt such power as I had that night, but it’d been scary too. The euphoria of that moment was only momentary. I was quickly brought back to earth when the legal battle began. As expected, Mr. Reeves tried everything to get Tyler off. It didn’t work though, especially when it came to light that he had concocted the entire lie of Tyler being in Canada the night he’d pushed me down the stairs. I hadn’t realized what a powerful man Gregory Reeves was, but he was. It’s amazing what money can do, including forging flight logs and passports. After the lie came to light, Mr. Reeves was put under investigation by the Massachusetts State Bar, but his money and connections helped Tyler escape any jail time. He was given probation and a fine. It wasn’t what I’d hoped for, but if he ever came near me again, I knew there was nothing anyone could do to keep him out of prison. Plus, his admission to Harvard Law had been revoked and I got some satisfaction over that. The protective order was still in place and Tyler hadn’t been a part of my life since his sentence was finalized.
That day in court, when he learned what would happen to him, our eyes had locked for a split second. I thought I saw a hint of remorse in them, but I knew it was just wishful thinking on my part. As he walked out of the courtroom, I never could’ve imagined the night I met him at O’Leary’s for the first time would eventually lead to all of this. Part of me wished I had a rewind button to go back and prevent myself from ever meeting Tyler, but mostly, I wouldn’t change anything because it led me to Gabe and I couldn’t imagine my life without him.
Gabe had been by my side through it all and I loved him even more because of it. I still didn’t know what I’d done to deserve him, but I was grateful for him every day.
“What time do we need to be at your parents’ house tomorrow?” I asked him once I’d returned from my reverie.
“Around six. I’ll swing by after my shift, a little after five, and pick you up and then we can head over.”
“What’s your mom making for dinner?” I asked. His mom had invited us over for dinner the next day and my mouth was already watering thinking about it. I’d come to love Carmen’s cooking. She invited us over frequently and I always looked forward to it, including now, even though I’d polished off a Fenway Frank in the ninth inning and was completely full.
“Tamales and the best Mexican rice you’ll eat,” he said with a smile. “Plus, Abuela is making her famous flan.”
“I’ve never had that.”
“You should feel honored. She doesn’t make it much anymore, but she wanted to for you.”
“I hope she didn’t go to any trouble on my account,” I said and he looked at me with those dark eyes of his.
“My grandmother adores you, Sam. She wanted to make it for you,” he said and I couldn’t help but smile. I’d grown to love Gabe’s family. They always made me feel welcome and part of the family. Carmen always greeted me with a big hug and his grandparents loved to hound us about getting married and what beautiful babies we’d make. It made me blush every time, but it also got me thinking and I found myself wondering about that stuff too. I wasn’t anywhere near ready for marriage, but I could see myself as Gabe’s wife and he as my husband someday. I could see him as an amazing father and I wondered if someday it might actually come true.
I’d grown close with his sisters too. Marissa and Daniella looked up to me as an older sister almost and I was glad they liked me. His sisters meant everything to him so I was happy we had a good relationship.
I’d grown especially fond of Gabe’s father. He was a quiet man, but a good man. He loved his family and I saw so much of him in Gabe.
Over time, they’d become the family I never had, and they included Rachel and I in all of their family events. We’d never had such nice holidays as we had with Gabe’s family. It was how I always imagined it could be and hoped someday to have my own family where happy memories were abundant.
“I love your family, Gabe. They’re really incredible,” I told him.
“They are,” he agreed. I think he’d learned to appreciate them even more after spending time with me and seeing what I didn’t have growing up. I started thinking back to my own mom. We hadn’t spoken much since the blowup at Tim’s funeral. I hadn’t lost hope that someday she’d come around. My therapist had helped me to focus on the positive and that’s what I did with my mother.
I’d started sessions shortly after everything happened with Tyler. It’d been scary to talk to a total stranger about my darkest secrets, but I was grateful Gabe had encouraged me to do so. I’d forgiven my mom and I hoped someday we’d have a relationship. I was also still working on accepting that what Tim and Tyler had done to me had not been my fault. I still had a ways to go, but I was much further along in my self-healing than I ever would be if I tried doing it on my own. I’d been terrified to start therapy, but now, I couldn’t imagine my life without it.
The train squealed to a stop and we stood up. He took my hand and led me onto the platform. Gabe didn’t live far and soon the old red brick building came into view.
“Is Trey home?” I asked and he grinned coyly at me.
“Nope. We have the whole place to ourselves,” he said and I felt myself blush as my mind began to think of all the fun we could have in an empty apartment. I saw it in his eyes too and I felt our pace quicken.
I followed Gabe upstairs. It was quiet when we walked in, but it was a beautiful sound. It wasn’t always easy to find time alone, not with me living with Rachel and Gabe sharing his apartment with Trey. They often worked opposite shifts, but that didn’t always happen.
“I love the sound of silence,” he said, closing the door and setting his wallet and keys on the counter and turning towards me.
“Me too,” I said and then without another word, our eyes locked and he walked over to me, sliding his arms around my waist and pulling me close. Before I could say anything, his mouth was on mine, kissing me so deeply, a low moan escaped my throat, which only seemed to excite him even more.
“You have no idea what you do to me, Samantha Everly,” he said softly when he pulled back so our lips were nearly touching as my heart pounded in my chest. “Every day I love you more than the day before.”
He was breathing hard, but then he looked into my eyes and I knew I would never get tired of the love that seemed to radiate from them whenever he looked at me.
“I love you too, Gabe,” I replied softly. “So much.”
Our eyes remained locked, causing my heart to beat even faster. I was aching for him, aching for him to make love to me. He knew I was and so he scooped me up in his strong arms and walked me to his bedroom, pushing the door open with his foot and then closing it behind us before laying me gently down.
He stood at the foot of the bed, slipping off his shoes and then taking his t-shirt by the collar and pulling it over his head until he stood before me in nothing but his jeans and strong muscles. I would never grow tired of looking at him like this.
Slowly, he crawled onto the bed, making his way to me until his body covered mine. Our eyes met and he smiled at me, gliding his hand over my hair before pressing his mouth to mine, kissing me deeply as his fingers began undoing the buttons of my shirt. My body was trembling just at the thought of what was coming. Before Gabe, intimacy hadn’t been easy for me. I didn’t realize how difficult it was until I realized what it could be with Gabe. Before him, it was void of feeling. It was simply a tactic men used to take from me. I felt nothing. With Gabe though, it was nothing like that. It was beautiful. He made me feel so loved and cherished every time and I couldn’t wait to feel that again…to be as close to him as I possibly could.
I felt him pull away slightly, as he worked his way down my blouse, but it was just enough for me to catch his eyes.
“Where did you come from, Gabriel Torres?” I asked him and he smiled, leaning down and kissing me once more before looking at me again.
“From your dreams,” he answered and we both laughed as I wrapped my arms around this man who I’d fallen absolutely, completely and totally in love with. If he was a dream, I never wanted to wake up.