Chapter 18
Victor
“So, you got her back, huh?” Ty asks when he sees Gabbi enter Big D’s. She looks amazing in her bootcut jeans that hug her phenomenal ass. That blue crop top isn’t hurting either, fuck, I’m so gonna handle that tonight!
Big D’s is a bar that Ty and I started coming to a few years ago, when we first got stationed here.
It’s a bit run-down, but the atmosphere is chill.
There are dark wood bars and floors, historical New York memorabilia all over the walls, and a small stage in the corner for local bands.
It’s one of the places people can still smoke inside, but most prefer to smoke on the back patio, so the smell isn’t too bad inside.
“Yeah, we talked last night and decided,” I respond to Ty with a smirk on my face and my eyes locked on Gabbi, greeting others as she walks toward me.
Only Gabbi would come visit for three weeks and already know enough people to make her look like a regular here.
I don’t even know all these people. I have no idea how she does it.
Ty elbows me to get me to snap out of my cartoon heart eyes, “Does she know what you’ve been up to the past two years, Lover boy?” Sometimes I want to punch his shit-stirring face.
Before I can respond, a smoky New York accent lingers from behind the bar, “Is this the girl, Kid?” Vera, Big D’s wife, wipes down the bar in between customers, while Ty and I sit in our usual seats at the end.
Vera is a short, curvy woman with long, jet-black hair, and I swear she has silver-colored eyes.
She’s probably in her 50s, but who really cares?
She could still kick us all out of here with one word.
Vera may be about five feet nothing, but her presence demands attention and respect.
“Yeah, Mama, that’s her. What do you think?” Vera’s been around me enough to know that I’m no saint when it comes to the ladies, but she also knows that there’s only been one woman to capture my heart.
“Damn, Kid! She’s beautiful. I like her smile.
Really lights up the place. So, you guys decided to get back together after your two-year hiatus of finding yourselves?
” She asks, using air quotes and letting out a chuckle.
“Does she know what you’ve been up to for the last two years?
” I guess she didn’t hear Ty ask that same question a few minutes ago.
“Yes. To both of you.” Attempting to explain and rein in my agitation, I swivel my head between Vera and Ty to make sure I’m answering both of them at once.
“We broke up a couple of years ago because the timing wasn’t right.
I was in training constantly, and she was in school.
She’s taking a break from school, and she asked if she could come visit.
I said yes. She was supposed to stay for a week, and it’s been three because we both wanted her to stay.
We’ve discussed it. She knows all of my shit, I know all of hers.
We both accept that we were each living our single lives and are happy to be reconnected.
That’s the short version. Any additional questions?
” Again, swiveling my head back and forth to make sure both of them were getting my eye contact.
“Just one.” Ty is exasperating.
“What?” My voice reveals my annoyance, but Ty doesn’t flinch; he just kicks his chin up, looking over my shoulder, causing me and Vera to look too.
“Does Summer know that you and Gabbi are back together? Because she is runway-model-stomping toward you, and Gabbi is heading over here from the pool tables. Collision course, dude, you may want to handle that before…”
“Hey, Vicki.” Summer slides up in front of me.
All 5’8”, curvy, blonde bombshell of a woman, placing her hand on my t-shirt-clad stomach and raising a bit on her toes to kiss me on the cheek.
I pull away, but not fast enough. I’m kind of in shock, actually.
I haven’t seen Summer in a couple of months; everyone told me she was shacking up with one of the officers on base.
I groan at the nickname she gave me last year when we were out on the lake with everyone, drunk out of our minds. “Don’t call me that, Summer.” I roll my eyes and pull her hand away from me by her wrist.
Just as Summer goes to speak, Gabbi sidles up to my side, greeting me in a sugary sweet tone, “Hey, baby.” I’m not sure how much of the interaction Gabbi saw, but she grabs my jaw, turns it toward her, and pulls my face down, landing her soft, sweet lips on mine.
Gabbi adds a slight stretch of her tongue.
I think people call it church tongue, whatever, it was classy and totally fucking hot.
Turning to Summer with a smile on her face, Gabbi asks, “Who’s your friend, Vicki?
” Drawing out my horrendous nickname. Oh shit, well I guess she saw the whole interaction then.
Summer just stands there, hands on her hips, mouth slack-jawed, eyes wide. I clear my throat to break the awkwardness, though Gabbi doesn’t seem thrown at all; it’s a little unnerving to be honest. “Gabbi, this is Summer. Summer, this is Gabbi, my girlfriend.” That should do it.
Summer’s eyes snap to mine, then shoot back and forth between me and Gabbi. “I see.” She wraps both lips around her teeth and nods, backing up, then turns and walks away.
“Ah, so that’s Summer? Do you think she got the message?” Gabbi has never been super jealous, at least not from an insecure angle, more like a possessive, he’s mine, and you can’t touch it angle, which is super fucking hot. At least I think so. Maybe I like a little crazy…so sue me.
Ty huffs a laugh-cough noise, “Let’s just say, for safety purposes, I hope so.” He takes another sip of his beer, eyes peering at Gabbi over the tipped bottle.
Vera leans past me to look at Gabbi and reaches her hand out, “Hey, sweetheart, I’m Vera, co-owner of this devil’s playground. You can call me Mama. What can I get you?” Gabbi shakes Vera’s hand with a big smile.
“Hey, Mama, so great to finally meet you. I’ve heard all about you. I’ll take the same as Vic, please.”
“Oh, baby, don’t believe all the hype.” Reaching down to grab a beer out of the cooler and sliding it across the bar to Gabbi, Vera laughs with her pack-a-day smoker’s chuckle.
“But I believe everything I’ve heard about you, the hype seems to be pretty real.
” She winks at Gabbi and shrugs a shoulder at me.
Gabbi looks over at me with her mouth open in shock. Rolling my eyes, all she gets in response is a shoulder shrug from me and a wink while dragging another long sip from my beer bottle, the amber liquid cooling my throat.
Gabbi doesn’t miss a beat, “Well, that is certainly a nice surprise, thanks for sharing, Mama.”
“Are you kidding? This boy is lost without you.”
“MAMA, for fuck’s sake!” I raise my voice in annoyance and possibly a little embarrassment.
“Kid, don’t play fucking games. You wanted her, she’s here, life is too short to keep secrets, just live in the present and love as hard as you can when you find it.
As for that one over there,” Vera points in Summer’s direction and leans a little closer to Gabbi, but Ty and I can still hear perfectly.
“Watch out for her, she doesn’t take losing well, and for her, everything is a game. ”
Gabbi sips her beer and glances over her shoulder at Summer, “I’m not worried. She probably got the point already, but I don’t have a problem with letting her know politely if need be.”
“Politely?” Ty and I both said at the same time, deadpanned.
“Yes.” Gabbi states incredulously, “Politely.”
Ty bursts into a fit of laughter, way over the top, but I’m seeing his point. Gabbi’s past shows that when it comes to me, her friends, or her family, she has a very short fuse and a fine line of politeness before she hulks out, in the most classy, feminine way possible.
“Tyson Harris, I am not that bad.” Gabbi tries to defend herself while Vera’s smile widens, continuing to listen to what Ty has to say.
“Gabbi,” Ty gives her that aww, you’re so cute when you’re lying face and cocks his head to the side. “Darling, my dearest and oldest girlfriend. You are lying. I have two words. Kelly Ashur.” Gabbi scoffs at Ty’s words.
Vera’s ears perk up like a dog’s. “Oh, do tell, who is Kelly Ashur and what did she do?”
Ty leans back, shifting his eyes to Vera, and starts talking like he’s a cast member on Steel Magnolias, “Well, Mama, when we were all in tenth grade, Kelly Ashur was a girl from the rival high school, the next town over from ours. She played soccer, and so did Gabbi. Gabbi and Vic had been together since freshman year, so they were a well-known couple, and Kelly Ashur had a reputation for getting whatever she wanted, if you know what I’m saying.
” Ty gives his signature eyebrow waggle, causing Gabbi to roll her eyes playfully.
“Get on with it, Ty.” Gabbi motions with her hand, telling Ty to continue.
“Kelly met Vic one night out at a local hangout when Gabbi was home sick. Now, before you go judging my sweet Vicki over here.” Ty puts his arm around me, and I’m not sure my eyes could roll any harder.
“Gabbi was contagious and had told Vic to go out with his friends. Which he did, however, Vic didn’t seem like he was having a great time, he wasn’t drinking, and was actually preoccupied with worrying about Gabbi. ” Ty pauses for a drink.
“Why is this the first time I’m hearing about this?” Gabbi looks at me with her big browns. I just shrug in response, not really knowing what to say, and she slides her free hand down to hold mine. I bring our hands up to my mouth to place a kiss on hers while Ty continues.
“Kelly saw that it looked like Vic was sad and decided to go and make his night better.” Vera’s eyes grow big, and she looks at me with condemnation.
“Nothing happened, Mama!” I feel the need to defend myself.