Breaking Down (The Breaking Series Book 4) Read online

  Maybe it was my emotions running high, maybe it was the moment, or maybe it was the craziness in my head, but I slowly took off the dress, folded it on a hanger, put on my clothes from before, and walked to the front of the store to buy my rented wedding dress.

  12

  Gabi

  I paced my bedroom, watching the time on my phone. It was five fifteen and Tyler wasn’t here. Meu Deus. He wouldn’t show up. And my family was on the way. What would I tell them?

  Ha, I got you. I just wanted to see you all one more time before I go back to Brazil.

  No, that wouldn’t work.

  Gui and Pedro came back shortly after I had come back from my wedding—tche, that was hard to swallow. I hid the dress in the guest bedroom’s closet and the ring in my suitcase. The guys stayed most of the afternoon in the living room, playing video games, but I was too nervous to play with them. Instead, I retreated to the guest bedroom, took a long shower, and changed into nicer clothes. Since this would be a celebration, I chose a jean miniskirt and an off-shoulder beige blouse with 3/4 sleeves, and brown cowboy boots. We Fernandeses were big lovers of cowboy boots. I pulled my hair up in a ponytail and applied a little makeup—second time in one day. Since I rarely used any makeup, it had to be a record.

  At five thirty, I started panicking. Meu Deus, he wouldn’t show up.

  I was reaching for my phone to call Tyler and ask him why the hell he wasn’t here already when a knock came from the door. Two seconds later, Gui stuck his head inside. “Hey, hm, the doorman told me there’s a Tyler downstairs asking for you.”

  My hands started shaking and I hid them behind my back. “Send him up.”

  Gui crossed his arms. “Who's Tyler?”

  “Just send him up, Gui.”

  With suspicion in his eyes, Gui marched to the kitchen—and I followed him—where he told the doorman to let Tyler up. Pedro was probably holed up in his room, not up for another get-together, and Hilary sat on a high stool at the kitchen’s island, drawing on her pad. I spied over her shoulder and saw a beautiful feminine suit with elegant lines and sharp edges.

  “Pretty,” I said.

  She smiled at me. “Thanks.”

  “I know you had class this afternoon and have class tomorrow morning. Thanks for coming.”

  She waved me off. “That’s why I didn’t take any classes early morning or late evening this semester, so I could drive up here to spend the evenings with you guys if I wanted to. Besides, your message made me curious.”

  From across the kitchen, Gui glared at me. I ignored him and went to the front door. I took a long breath, sent a prayer out, and opened the door. I counted five seconds until the elevator dinged and Tyler walked out. He halted and stared at me.

  My cheeks heated up as I realized he looked nice in dark jeans, a white polo shirt, and brown cowboy boots. It was like we had planned our outfits to match.

  “Ready?” I asked in a low voice.

  His eyes held my stare as he nodded. He resumed walking and was soon standing beside me inside the apartment. By then, Hil had abandoned her drawing pad. She and Gui watched us with curious eyes.

  “Come on,” I told Tyler, gesturing him to follow me to the kitchen.

  I halted near Gui and Hil. “Guys, this is Tyler Reid. Tyler, this is my brother Gui and his girlfriend, Hilary.”

  “Hey there,” Tyler said, extending his hand to Gui.

  My brother watched Tyler’s outstretched hand for two seconds before taking it. “Nice to meet you.”

  Tyler shook Hil’s hand next, and even though she was kind, I could see the question in her gaze.

  Gui stuffed his chest and crossed his arms. “So, hm, Tyler, how do you know Gabi?”

  Tyler opened his mouth to answer, but the doorbell rang. Saved by the bell!

  Usually, I ran to the door to answer it, but I didn’t want to risk leaving Tyler alone with Gui, not even for a second. When the bell rang a second time, Gui finally moved and went to the door.

  “You have the damn keys,” he complained to Bia as she and Garrett entered the apartment. “Why didn’t you use it?”

  “I told her to use it,” Garrett said, shrugging.

  “Oi pra você também,” Bia said, strutting across the living room. Then, her eyes landed on the guy by my side. “Tyler? What are you doing here?”

  With narrowed eyes, Garrett walked by Bia and greeted Tyler, clasping hands like friends usually did. “Hey, Ty, how is it going?”

  “Good, good.”

  Gui looked from Bia to Garrett to Tyler to me. “You all know each other?”

  Garrett stared at me for a moment and I averted my eyes, ready to blurt some new lie and then the doorbell rang again. Gui had to go back the three steps he had just advanced. He opened the door for Leo and Hannah. Five minutes later, Ri also showed up.

  I let out a long breath. They were all here. Bom, apart from Pedro who was in his bedroom, and Iris. I wondered if we could still consider her part of the group. I mean, everyone hoped she and Pedro would make up soon.

  Once more, I introduced Tyler to the rest of my family and friends. It was probably a little confusing to understand who was who, but he would get it soon.

  For once, the guys stood around the kitchen’s island with us instead of sitting in the living room playing video games, and when the drinks were being passed around, Gui continued being a pain in my ass.

  “Tyler, you didn’t answer my question before,” Gui said, his tone a little wary. A little challenging. “How do you know my sister?”

  Tyler and I exchanged a brief glance and I nodded. He lifted his chin and held my brother’s hard stare with his own. “Well, to tell you the truth, I’ve known her for a year now. And we’ve been dating for almost just as long.”

  Gui’s jaw hit the floor. Bia spat out her drink. Ri chuckled as if it was a joke, and the rest of the gang stared at us—at me—as if I had grown an alien head.

  “Come again?” Gui finally asked, his voice low.

  “That’s impossible,” Bia said, not more than a gasp. “Gabi would have told us if she had been dating you.” She looked at me. “Right?”

  I grimaced and the pain that crossed her features hit deep in me. Droga, I knew that besides Gui, she would be disappointed in me for the lie, but I hadn’t expected it to hurt this bad.

  “I’m sorry,” I muttered. Then, I cleared my throat and continued, “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you all before.” I took a step closer to Tyler, brushing my arm against his. A shiver ran up from the spot where we touched to my shoulder and up my neck. “To be honest, our relationship wasn’t serious at first.”

  “What do you mean?” Ri asked, a little amused. “You were in Brazil most of the time.”

  “That was why I didn’t think it was serious. We only saw each other when I visited, and when I was in Brazil, we would talk every day via Skype and phone and text messages. But, we realized we really liked each other.”

  “And a few days ago I realized she was leaving once more,” Tyler took over, “and this time she wouldn’t be back until July, and I felt … I realized I didn’t want her to go. So …”

  I gulped, willing the shaking of my hands to go away. Slowly, I fished the ring from my skirt pocket and slipped it into my finger.

  Everyone gasped and then the room went quiet.

  Nobody moved a muscle or even breathed for a few, long seconds. I thought Gui’s eyes would pop from their sockets. Or the tense muscle in his neck would burst open.

  “Que porcaria é essa?” Gui finally asked, his voice low and laced with something I couldn’t decipher. Anger? Frustration? Shock? “That’s … absurd.”

  At that, the room erupted with loud voices asking, talking, crying, and even laughing.

  Overwhelmed, I stared, not sure what to do or who to answer first.

  “Tche, the apartment better be on fire or I’ll think you all went crazy,” Pedro shouted from the hallway leading to the bedrooms, his hair disheveled and three-d
ay-old stubble darkening his jawline. That shut everyone up again and we all turned to him. He crossed his arms. “Então, what’s going on?”

  Gui was the first one to answer. “My dear sister is engaged.” He gestured to my hand.

  Pedro’s eyes went wide, then a small smile spread over his lips. He looked from me to Tyler and back to me. “Are you happy?”

  “Y-yes,” I answered, caught by surprise. I focused on the fact that I would stay here in the U.S. with my family and friends, and I could pursue my dreams. That made me happy. “Yes, I am happy.”

  Pedro took a step closer and pulled me into a tight hug. “Then, I’m happy for you too. Congratulations.”

  After embracing me, he shook Tyler’s hand and congratulated him too.

  “Thanks,” Tyler said, his voice rough. I hoped no one saw how disconcerted he was right now.

  All the while, everyone watched our exchange.

  Pedro frowned at our family. “O quê? Aren’t you happy for her? You should be. You guys should congratulate her. Them.”

  Hilary was the first to smile and congratulate us. Next was Hannah. Then the rest of them—except for Bia and Gui. They stayed in the back of the group, glaring at me. At us. They didn’t utter another word for a long while.

  More questions were asked—how we met, how we managed to sneak around, what Tyler did, where he lived, what our plans were. I answered most of them as honestly as I could—which wasn’t honest at all—and to some, like what our plans were, I answered with a “We’re still talking about it.”

  At some point, Garrett pulled Tyler into the living room where they played video games with Leo, Ri, and Pedro. Hil and Hannah finally changed subjects and started talking about Hil’s upcoming showcase.

  Gui came to my side, leaned against the kitchen’s counter like me, and watched over our family and friends. “Have you already told mãe and pai?”

  Droga, I hadn’t really considered how I would do that yet. “Ainda não. I’ll Skype with them tomorrow morning and tell them everything, including that I won’t be going to Brazil tomorrow.”

  His eyes bulged. “You won’t be going? What will you do, then? Just quit college?”

  “Something like that.” I hadn’t actually thought that far ahead. Of course, staying here meant I wouldn’t be going back to Brazil, to my parents, and I wouldn’t be going to college. One more thing to add to my to-do list: call the university and drop my classes for the semester.

  “They will kill you.”

  “I’m hoping they won’t.”

  “Pai will.” He finally turned his eyes to me. “You know how this looks like, right? What is he getting from all of this? You get the green card and he gets what?”

  I blanched. Of course I expected Gui, and everyone else actually, to connect the dots and accuse us of a sham engagement, but hearing it out loud was different.

  Gosh, if my brother was this mad because of an engagement, imagine if I had told him I was actually already married to the guy.

  Once more, I donned the act I had barely begun but was starting to hate. “How can you think that of me? Don’t you know me? As if I would ever get married like that. You’re so wrong.”

  His jaw popped, and after a moment, he continued, “If it’s not a pretense, then you should have gone slower. Can you imagine how pai will react once you introduce him to a guy and tell him you’re already engaged? You’re in so much trouble.”

  I lifted my chin and faced my brother. “I don’t need his permission to do anything. I’m already twenty years old. I have my own money, and—”

  “His money. Grandpa’s money. My money. We gave it to you.”

  I flinched. “Wow, that’s a low blow.”

  “It’s true.”

  “Fine. You want your money back? I’ll make a transfer tonight before I go to bed. Happy?”

  I turned my back to him and went to the balcony for some fresh air.

  Leaning on the rail, I inhaled a lungful and exhaled slowly. Tche, this was going to be harder than I thought.

  And Gui had just landed a nice punch to my gut. His money … It wasn’t only his money, or our father’s money. It was our family’s money. The ranch started with our grandfather, and the money had been passed down to the family. I had money that I had inherited from our grandparents, and more that our father had given to me through the years. Gui had given me some from his polo winnings as birthday and Christmas gifts. If he wanted that back, I was glad to give it to him.

  I felt heat simmering in my head as I was about to explode. The fresh air of the balcony wasn’t helping.

  I had gotten only a few minutes of silence for myself before I heard the balcony glass door sliding open then closed. Steps approached and then Bia leaned on the rail beside me.

  She stayed quiet, watching the stars. She was never, ever quiet.

  “You’re mad at me,” I said, breaking the tense silence.

  “That’s one way to put it.” Her voice was terribly calm. Not a good sign. “I just …” She looked at me and I could see the disappointment and hurt in her sea-green eyes. “We were always so, so close, despite our age difference. And despite the distance.”

  For some reason, I wanted to defend myself. “We haven't been that close the last three years.”

  “It isn’t easy to maintain a friendship when you're so far away.”

  “Believe me, I know.”

  “I should have tried harder, though,” she said. Me too. But that was done now. Those three years were gone. “Still … why didn’t you tell me?”

  My defensive side was still on. “Why didn’t you tell me you were having trouble in Fort Howell? Why didn’t you tell me about Garrett? I never found out about all of that until months after.”

  She flinched. “Touché.”

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean that in a bad way.” I sighed and stared at her. Garrett knew the truth about Tyler and me. It would be hard for him to keep this from Bia. But if I told her the truth … To be honest, I needed someone who knew about it besides Garrett. Someone I could talk to. Someone who, after the first shock, would be there for me. “It’s a sham, Bia.”

  She blinked at me. “O qué?”

  “The engagement. Actually, Tyler and I got married this afternoon.” I let out a hollow chuckled.

  Her jaw dropped open. “O quê?”

  “I found out he needed money, and I needed to stay here. So, I offered him a deal. I would pay him to marry me. Then, we get a divorce in two years.” She just stared at me, her sea-green eyes huge. “I know it’s not the best solution, but it was the only one I had. And I don’t regret it. Not right now at least. We’re not hurting anyone. In fact, we’re helping each other. Tyler will be debt free and I’ll be playing polo here. And I’ll be with you guys.” I paused. “Hm, one more thing. Garrett knows. He helped me track Tyler down. I asked him not to tell you. I didn’t want you to worry if Tyler turned my offer down.”

  She blinked again. “Garrett knows?”

  “Don’t be mad at him. I made him promise he wouldn’t tell you.”

  She crossed her arms. “And why are you telling me?”

  “Because you’ve always been my best friend, and even though we grew a little apart, I still consider you that.”

  She looked out to the dark night. “So, what’s your plan? Lie to your brother and my brothers for the next two years?” She gasped, returning her gaze to me. “Meu Deus, what about your father?”

  I flinched. “Tyler and I will stay engaged for the next two years. When someone asks about the date, we’ll just say we aren't in a rush. When the two years are up, we'll get a divorce, and we’ll just tell everyone else that we broke up.”

  Bia shook her head. “You know that’s crazy, right?”

  “I know.” I reached for her, but she took a step back. Droga. “I understand you’re mad at me, but please, don’t tell anyone.”

  “I won’t tell anyone,” she said, her tone harsh. “But that doesn’t mean I’m okay
with it.”

  “I know,” I whispered.

  The hurt was still clear on her pretty face. Without another word, Bia retreated into the apartment. I stayed on the balcony, looking up at the stars and doubting everything.

  What had I done? I had married a stranger and now had to pretend to be in love with him in front of all the people who mattered to me. Even though I wanted a life here, I hadn’t really thought about how I would have to abandon my entire life in Brazil. Meu Deus, my horse. What would I do without Tostado?

  A deep sadness dug a hole in my chest and tears welled in my eyes.

  13

  Tyler

  I handed the remote control to Garrett. “That was fun,” I admitted. I hadn’t played video games in so long, I had forgotten how much fun it could be. And, from what I gathered from our conversations so far, the guys here—Garrett, Leo, Pedro, and Ricardo—seemed to be into horses, obviously, video games, monster truck racing, and working out. So far, so good.

  “Wait until you reach level twenty,” Garrett said. “It gets crazy. Good crazy.”

  “Don’t worry,” Ricardo said. “Soon you’ll be mastering all these games too.”

  Pedro snorted. “As if you’ve mastered them all.”

  Ricardo sat up straighter. “Is that a challenge?”

  Pedro, who had been sulking most of the time, stood up and puffed his chest. “It is!”

  Garrett jerked his chin to the two brothers bickering. “They do that a lot,” he said with a chuckle.

  I just stared, amused.

  As Pedro and Ricardo assumed the control of the video game for their challenge, I scanned the place, taking in everything and everyone. The apartment was large—the living room alone was probably the size of my entire shitty two-bedroom apartment—and the furniture and the decorations on the shelves and walls looked expensive. The sofas were large and comfortable, the dining table was heavy and long with big, high chairs, and even the kitchen looked like it cost at least twice more than my former college's annual tuition.