Chapter 14 Gabriel
GAbrIEL
When Taylor told me how little time he’d have for a relationship, I hadn’t been that worried. I’d never been in a relationship, and I considered myself to be pretty independent. I didn’t anticipate what it would feel like to start to fall in love.
Even still, with as busy as he was, when I told Taylor about setting up the LLC for Plant Daddy Botanicals, he was over that same night with his laptop.
He sat in the same stool Alex always chose and said he’d hang out for as long as it took.
He promised he wasn’t working, but a spreadsheet was open on his screen, so I was skeptical.
It was probably my fault for accepting his offer to handle my folder of business receipts.
“I have to do this thing with my parents in a few weeks,” I said, looking up from my paperwork.
I was nervous to ask, but I couldn’t hold it in any longer.
“It’s a Saturday night, and I’m almost positive they’re going to try to bring someone to set me up with.
Would you come play boyfriend and protect me? ”
“I can make it work. I don’t need anyone encroaching on my turf,” Taylor teased. “What’s the event?”
“A neighborhood block party, but I always end up getting roped into helping my parents with things.”
Everything within me fought against talking about my complicated relationship with my family.
I had so much to be grateful for, and there were so many parents out there who were even worse, but I’d promised Taylor I’d fill him in eventually.
If I wanted him to be my backup, I needed him to know the whole story.
“That’s part of why I left last weekend and drove to your house.
We were at dinner, and my mom ambushed me with a blind date.
The whole family showed up with their single daughter, like we were on Mexican Matchmaking.
My mom can’t handle that my life hasn’t followed the exact timeline she envisioned, so she’s taken matters into her own hands. ”
Taylor nodded sympathetically. “That sucks. I’ll be there if you need me to be.”
“Thanks. I know it’s too early for you to meet my parents, but I could use the support.”
“If it weren’t for Margo’s wedding, you probably wouldn’t be meeting mine ever.” Taylor grimaced. “Not if I could help it, anyway.”
I couldn’t blame him. Part of me was already anticipating that the block party would go terribly.
“That’s fine; meeting the parents is kind of a serious thing,” I said.
“It’s not that I would want to hide you from them. They just haven’t been invested in my life. As soon as I turned eighteen, it was made clear I was on my own. So, I don’t make an effort to keep in touch with them. The only reason I do is because of Margo.”
“Why does Margo still talk to them?”
“She was diagnosed with cancer when she was seven,” Taylor said.
“My parents checked out after that. I don’t think they really wanted us to begin with, but when shit hit the fan, it became too much.
I took her to all her appointments as soon as I got my license, and I tried to shield her from how bad things got when they divorced. ”
“Yikes.” I winced. “You were just a kid.”
“Yeah, but Margo was younger, and she was sick. I didn’t want her to shoulder that responsibility. I wanted her to get better and stay better, and she did.” Taylor rubbed the back of his neck the way he did when he was stressed.
I rounded the corner and started massaging his shoulders.
“Anyway, she doesn’t know or remember most of how things went down, so she still talks to them, and they’re invited to the wedding.”
“This explains so much about you.” I smiled and shook my head.
Taylor scrunched up his forehead, creating a small furrow between his eyebrows.
“You’re a natural caretaker,” I said, “and you’re always trying to make the people around you happy. You dote on Margo. You showed up for me tonight the moment I asked. I’m pretty sure if you looked up the word responsible in the dictionary, your photo would be there.”
Taylor grimaced. “I grew up fast. I don’t love that for me, but it is what it is.”
I squeezed his shoulders. “Baby, you’re an incredible, kind, generous, and dependable person.
Despite the difficulties you faced as a kid, you managed to get yourself and Margo through it.
I think you’re one of the best men I’ve ever met, and I’m not just saying that because you make me come my brains out. ”
Taylor blushed and tucked his chin to his chest, but I chased him with my lips, trailing kisses along his jaw.
“What did you want to be when you were a kid? Like when you used to daydream about being a grown-up, what did you imagine?” I could tell I needed to change the subject to something lighter, and I noticed Taylor’s little sigh of relief.
“I was a theater kid, but behind-the-scenes stuff. I loved the costumes the most. If I could have done anything, it would have been working on designing costumes for movies or plays. It combines history and fashion in a way that’s always fascinated me.”
“I could see that.” I grinned. “I always love what you’re wearing when we go out.”
“My clothes are so boring.” Taylor cracked a small smile. “Pretty sure you’d think I looked hot in a paper bag.”
“You would, but that doesn’t disprove my point.”
In an out-of-character move, I’d arrived first—early!
—to volleyball practice. As I was walking to our usual meeting spot, I felt that familiar jolt of anticipation when my phone buzzed in my pocket.
When I pulled it out, I was immediately disappointed.
Mamá let me know that the Lopez family would be attending the block party with their daughter.
Gabriel
I’m coming to help Papá with the asada. I’m not interested in Daniela.
Silence followed, and I knew from experience that it didn’t mean the conversation was over.
It meant she was upset and wanted to punish me by giving me the silent treatment.
I tossed my phone into my gym bag and plopped down in the sand to wait for the rest of the crew to show up for volleyball practice.
Our family was from the mountains, but I was an ocean baby.
Michoacán would always be home in a deep, ancestral way, but I loved having my toes in the sand and listening to the waves crashing against the shore.
The hustle and bustle of the beach on a Saturday was a lot, but we could always carve out enough space to set up the net.
Even on the weekends when we didn’t have a tournament, we made time for a practice game and some drills.
I hadn’t been waiting long when Oscar arrived and threw his gym bag down beside mine. He had the carrying case with our net and the mesh bag of volleyballs over his shoulder. I grabbed his hand so he could pull me to my feet.
“Hola, primo,” he said, pulling me into a hug.
“I’m glad you’re here to help me stake out our spot. It’s such a nice day that the beach feels especially crowded.”
“Yeah, yeah, I was a little late, so what? It’s not like anyone else was on time.”
“Hey! I was on time.” I wanted credit for this win.
I genuinely was almost always late. If I started a project, especially for Plant Daddy, it felt like I became blind to the time, and before I knew it, I was behind schedule.
Today, because I’d been chatting with Taylor over breakfast, I was out the door before I’d had the chance to get distracted.
“You gonna be at the block party next weekend?” I asked, tugging the net from the bag.
Oscar grabbed the other side of the net and walked it backwards. “Yeah, I don’t think I’ll be able to get out of it.”
Oscar’s parents were awesome. My parents hadn’t wanted me to come out to anyone, but when I told my Tio and Tia that I was bi, they responded that they didn’t care what the Catholic Church said.
I was perfect, and they loved me. When Oscar came out as gay a few years later, they said the same, and I know it was his parents’ reaction to me that helped him come to terms with his sexuality.
It was the one thing I’d done before him.
Once the golden child had come out, my parents started to change their tune and were at least outwardly more supportive.
“Thank goodness. I don’t want to deal with that mess alone. Mamá won’t get off my case about settling down with some church girl.”
Oscar cringed. “Do they know about Taylor?”
“I’m bringing him as backup.”
Oscar whistled, likely in acknowledgment of the impending drama. We fell back into our usual banter while we set up the net, and by the time we were finished, the rest of the team had arrived.
“Let’s get the game going,” Lucas called out.
Brian was shirtless, of course, because he always was. Alex pulled off her shirt, too, leaving her in a black sports bra.
The three of them claimed one side of the net, and Kat joined Oscar and me on the other. The league we played in was a recreational one, but we all loved the trash talk and the camaraderie. And, since it was a queer league, we got our fair share of eye candy at the tournaments and social events.
We spent about an hour and a half volleying back and forth, practicing our positions, and rotating out every fifteen minutes or so. By the time we were done, I was caked with sweat and happy as a clam.
“Anyone want to grab a smoothie?” I called out as we packed up the net.
“Kat and I are out,” Alex said. “We have to work this afternoon, and I need to shower first.”
“David and I have dinner with his folks in Venice tonight, so we’re out too, unfortunately.
” We didn’t see much of David, even though Lucas and his husband had been together for five years.
He struggled with social anxiety and didn’t make it to many of our games.
“They’re in town for the weekend, so we’re playing tour guide.
I was barely able to sneak away for this. ”
Fortunately, both Brian and Oscar were in for smoothies, so I helped Oscar carry our gear back to his car, and we walked down the boardwalk to the smoothie shop.
I was hoping to have more distractions from Taylor, who seemed to dominate every spare thought in my brain.
Of course, the guys wanted to hear all about how that was going.
“Is the sex good?” Brian asked.
Oscar frowned. “I don’t want to hear about my cousin’s sex life.”
“I’m not talking about the sex,” I said at the same time.
I wanted to gush about how incredible Taylor was, but I also wanted to keep him to myself. I’d never felt protective of a sexual partner before. Part of the reason Brian asked was that I usually shared details about my conquests without prompting.
Taylor was so much more than a conquest, though.
Brian narrowed his eyes in my direction as if he could tell exactly what I was hiding. “You always want to talk about sex. Either it’s terrible, or you’re falling for him, and I’m guessing you wouldn’t be with him if it were terrible… which leaves one option.”
People assumed that because of Brian’s Playboy ways, big muscles, and tattoos, he was a bit of a himbo, but he was far too observant and intelligent for his own good.
I coughed and took a big gulp from my water bottle, considering how to respond. “I’m not sure what we’re doing. I’ve never had an exclusive thing like this before, so it’s uncharted territory, but I’m having a good time with him.”
“Pretty sure no one is supposed to know what they’re doing when they’re falling in love,” Brian replied. “Not that I’d know.”
“I didn’t say anything about love,” I said quickly.
Whenever I’d gotten close to official boyfriend status in the past, I’d always run away, especially after Maria. Ever since she shut me down, reminding me I wasn’t husband material, I’d avoided repeats altogether.
Taylor was the only one I’d wanted to repeat and repeat and repeat.
“Earth to Gabriel,” Oscar said.
I’d zoned out, staring at the smoothie shop menu, and we’d reached the front of the line. We ordered and found a small table on the back patio.
“He deserves so much better than me.” I sighed. “I’m about to turn thirty, and I don’t have anything to show for it.”
“Ok, first of all, you are a catch,” Brian thrust his finger at my chest. “And I bet Taylor knows it too because he wanted to lock this awesomeness down immediately.”
I lifted my eyebrows skeptically.
“Second of all,” Oscar says, piling on. “You can’t let what our family says get in your head. You’re a college graduate, you have a career you enjoy, and you pay your rent. Just because you’re not a millionaire with three kids by now doesn’t mean shit. None of that matters if you’re miserable.”
I took a long sip from my smoothie. “Easy to say when you’re a fancy lawyer and everyone in the family worships you.”
Oscar reached out and slapped the back of my head. “Don’t sabotage a good thing because you believe lies about yourself. Who cares what our family thinks? What matters is what you and Taylor think.”
I let their words marinate in my mind as we finished our smoothies and moved to less sensitive subjects.
Brian was interviewing for a new international route with his airline, which was a big deal.
If he got it, he’d have to start traveling almost every week, but he assured us he’d still be around for weekend games as often as he could.
Oscar was recovering from a rough breakup by adopting a new dog and needed to show us all six hundred photos he’d taken over the last three days.
And the whole time, I thought about what love was supposed to feel like.