Chapter 16 Gabriel
GAbrIEL
As we walked up to my parents’ house, I kept my eyes peeled for Oscar, hoping he’d arrived before us and could mediate if things got out of control.
Of course, we didn’t run into him before we reached my parents’ front steps, and Mamá rushed out the door to greet us. My heart was racing, and I could tell I was squeezing life out of Taylor’s hand, but I couldn’t stop myself.
Instead of complaining, he leaned over to whisper in my ear, “You say the word, and we’re out. Ok, angel?”
I nodded even as I had to release his hand to accept my mom’s hug.
“Mijo, it’s good to see you,” she said. “Papá is ready to start the carne asada.”
“Mamá, this is my boyfriend, Taylor,” I said, gesturing toward him.
“Mucho gusto, Senora Rivera.” Taylor smiled. “I took Spanish in high school, but I’m sorry to say it’s not great. I’ll need to practice.”
She gave him a suspicious once-over. “A qué se dedica, mijo?”
“Mamá, inglés. He’s an accountant.”
She hummed and squinted.
I sighed. “We’re going to find Papá.”
Taylor took my hand, and I pulled him away.
It grated on me that my mom wasn’t even trying to see how awesome he was.
Wasn’t even giving him a chance. We found my dad in the backyard, hovering over a cooler where the beef and chicken were ready to be grilled.
Knowing him, it had been marinating for a few days in the fridge.
As stressed as my family made me, the food was always unmatched.
“Papá, how can we help?”
“Hola, Senor Rivera. I’m Taylor. Nice to meet you.” Still with a smile on his face, Taylor reached out his hand.
My dad shook his hand, giving Taylor a small smile, but staying quiet—not unusual for him. At least he was being nice.
“Can you each grab a cooler, and we’ll carry them out front?” Papá asked.
I squeezed Taylor’s hand before releasing it to grab the first cooler. Taylor bent down to pick up the other without complaint, and I momentarily got distracted by his arms flexing with the cooler’s weight.
I was happy we could get wrapped up in grilling and didn’t have to wade into the crowd of neighbors lining the street.
Families played corn hole, and the abuelito who lived on the corner was handing out paletas to any kid who passed by.
My dad made polite conversation with Taylor as he manned the grill.
He’d got my dad talking about the Mexican soccer team and listened intently despite not being much of a sports fan.
“I didn’t know you were into soccer,” I whispered, teasing.
“Everyone knows they’re the hottest athletes, so my interest is more anthropological.” Taylor lowered his voice as if to avoid my dad hearing, but the snort from the neighboring grill seemed to indicate that he hadn’t been as quiet as he’d hoped.
“Hotter than volleyball players?” I asked, hand to my chest, feigning offense.
“I was speaking in generalities. There is a particular volleyball player who, in my opinion, could give any soccer player a run for his money. ”
“I guess I’ll accept that,” I said with a wink.
He raised his voice back to a normal level to include my dad in the conversation again. “The only sport I follow much is basketball. My sister’s fiancé is a big fan.”
“Lakers?” my dad asked.
“Yup, are you a fan too? Maybe we could get tickets to a game sometime.”
Papá nodded and tipped his beer toward Taylor as he turned the chicken he’d been supervising on the grill.
He was a man of few words, preferring to let my mom steamroll the conversation most of the time.
As he and Taylor fell back into a comfortable silence, I realized I’d maybe assumed my dad’s opinions were the same as my mom’s since she was so loud, and he never contradicted her. At least it felt like he was trying.
That gave me the confidence to step away for a moment to grab us another round of beers. I kissed Taylor on the cheek and told him I’d be right back. I wanted to be quick; I wasn’t trying to get cornered by my mom or thrust upon any bachelorettes while I was defenseless.
Jogging up to the drink fridge in the garage, I surveyed the options.
Taylor wasn’t a big beer drinker, but it was either that or tequila.
My parents kept my favorite lager stocked at their house, and my dad had been converted too.
Since Taylor was driving today, I avoided the tequila and grabbed three beers.
I closed the fridge with my hip and turned, immediately spotting the Lopez family chatting with my mom in the yard.
After passing my dad his beer, I made a big show of wrapping my arms around Taylor from behind and rising onto my tiptoes to reach over his shoulder and kiss his cheek. He glanced around, like he was trying to figure out who I was performing for, as he turned to face me.
“The family my mom is playing matchmaker with just showed up,” I whispered.
Taylor chuckled and took the beer, bringing the bottle up to his lips. I couldn’t look away from his mouth. How did everything this man did hypnotize me? He blushed when he caught me staring.
I was both relieved and anxious when I heard Oscar greeting the next-door neighbors. While he’d never bought into the competition set up between us, my parents were insufferable about it.
Mamá followed behind him as he made his way over.
“Taylor, man, good to see you again,” Oscar said, going in for a hug.
“Likewise. What a pleasant surprise. Do you live nearby?”
“Nah. My parents do, though.” He threw an arm around me. “Got roped into helping, same as this one.”
Taylor laughed, tilting his face up to the sun. I lived for the moments when his shoulders relaxed. The man carried the weight of the world.
“You didn’t work today?” my dad asked Oscar by way of greeting.
Of course, we were going straight there.
“Nope, I have a paralegal now to help with paperwork,” Oscar said. “Means I don’t have to work as much on the weekends.”
Papá was pleased by this, of course. It meant Oscar was rising in the ranks, another step higher on the unreachable pedestal my parents had placed him on.
“He got a promotion,” Mamá added.
“Congrats,” Taylor said, lifting his beer to toast him.
“When are you getting a promotion, mijo?” My mom so helpfully directed the spotlight onto me.
“I’m not trying to get a promotion, Mamá. I just started this job a few months ago.”
She clicked her tongue in censure.
“The gardens are beautiful right now,” Taylor said, looking at my dad. “Have you been to see the new exhibit he designed? I’ve seen photos, and it’s incredible.”
I could kiss that man. Neither of my parents had ever expressed much interest in what I did at work.
Of course, my mom continued talking as if Taylor hadn’t spoken. “Why can’t you show a little initiative like your cousin? We worked so hard so you could go to school, and now what are you doing? Not an important career like Oscar.”
I wanted to disappear. It wasn’t even the hundredth time I’d heard her say the same things, but to be dressed down in front of Taylor stung. I knew I wasn’t good enough for him, and my mother laid out all of my shortcomings. I wanted to deny her claims, but it all felt so true.
I sipped my beer and slumped my shoulders.
Oscar was tense, as if not knowing what to say, and my dad remained silent as usual, poking at the meat on the grill.
I could practically see steam coming out of Taylor’s ears as his knuckles whitened on his beer bottle.
The noises of the party amplified around us as someone started blasting classic merengue hits from a speaker, but I didn’t absorb any of it.
I sighed and walked away from the conversation. It wasn’t worth the confrontation.
Of course, that took me right into the path of Daniela, my mother’s eligible bachelorette. This was turning out to be worse than a telenovela.
“Seems like you need an escape,” she whispered, touching my arm. “Do you want to dance?”
“I’m here with my boyfriend,” I said.
“Nonsense, mijo. It’s just a dance,” my mother said, appearing behind me and snatching our beers out of our hands.
“I’m not interested,” I said again, stepping back.
“Excuse me,” a deep voice cut in from behind me. It was the voice I most wanted to hear, and it instantly calmed my heart. Taylor wrapped his arm around me possessively.
“He promised me the first dance,” Taylor said, forcing calm into his voice and looking into my eyes. “Although I don’t know the steps.”
I knew he was way out of his comfort zone, but I couldn’t be more grateful.
“I got you, baby,” I said.
I was desperately nearing the end of my rope, but I couldn’t help but smile at Taylor. He was trying so hard to shield me from my parents’ nonsense.
“Now I look like a fool in front of the Lopezes,” my mother hissed. “Why didn’t you tell me you had a boyfriend?”
“You didn’t ask.” I threw my hands up in frustration. “You don’t care about my life aside from how you can brag about it to your church friends, and I’m never doing anything impressive enough for you!”
My mom began ranting in Spanish about how I’d set her up to embarrass her, and I couldn’t help but shrink back as I felt the attention of all the neighbors turn our way, curious to hear the gossip.
I could feel the exact moment Taylor snapped. He dropped his arm suddenly from my shoulders and grabbed my hand.
“Senora Rivera?” he said, interrupting my mom’s tirade.
The shock on her face was priceless.
“Gabriel is one of the most incredible people I know. Maybe it’s taken him longer to find his stride, but it’s because he refuses to settle.
Not many people have the courage to keep trying things until they discover what they truly love, but Gabriel does.
If you took five minutes to try to learn more about your son, you’d see that. ”
My mother sputtered.
But Taylor wasn’t finished. “You act like he’s not serious about his life, but he throws his whole heart into everything he does.
I feel honored to be with Gabriel. He could have chosen anyone, and I’m the lucky person here with him.
Are you kidding me? He’s smart and determined and caring.
I don’t know how you could be anything but proud of him. ”
You could have heard a pin drop in the yard. I’d never seen Taylor this upset; it was like there was a storm cloud in those blue eyes.
I’m pretty sure there were hearts in mine.
It finally hit me how right he was, and how much I was letting my mom’s disappointments color the life that I loved.
“Taylor’s right, Mamá.” All the frustrations I’d kept such a tight lid on finally spilled over.
“I’m thankful for how hard you worked to create the life we have here.
All I’ve ever wanted is to make you and Papá proud, and I hope someday you see that.
But the whole reason I didn’t tell you about Taylor was that I knew it wouldn’t be enough for you.
I knew you’d be disappointed, like you have about every other decision I’ve made, even though I’m happier than I’ve ever been. ”
I turned to Taylor and took his hand. “This isn’t a set-up. It’s real. And we’re leaving.”
Taylor followed behind as I practically dragged him across the lawn. Once we’d rounded the corner and made it down the street to his car, the tears finally spilled down my cheeks. Taylor’s arms were around me in an instant.
I released an embarrassingly loud sob into his neck. The whole afternoon: all of my mother’s nagging, my dad’s silence, all my insecurities dragged out in the street. I couldn’t hold it in anymore.
Mostly, I was overwhelmed with the way Taylor had supported me and defended me and held me through it all. He said he was the lucky one, but we’d have to fight for the position. Maybe we were both lucky.
“I need you,” I said, finally.
“I’m here.” He used his thumbs to wipe the tears from my cheeks.
I kissed him, desperate for his lips on mine.
When I finally pulled back for a breath, I whispered against his lips, “Take me home.”