Chapter 31
Gabriella
“Hey, Kerri?” Vic hollers up the driveway as we’re all arriving home from stopping for pizza after the game.
“Yeah, Dad?” Kerri and Abby turn around.
“Kerri, go shower and get changed, then your mom and I want to talk to you in the kitchen.” Abby’s eyebrows shoot up, but Kerri is cool as a cucumber.
“No problem, Dad,” Kerri says quickly.
“Ooo, you’re in trouble.” I can hear Abby sing-song as both girls turn and jog into the house, leaving Vic and me laughing behind them.
Kerri walks into the kitchen about 20 minutes later, wearing mesh shorts and an oversized hoodie.
Vic and I are sitting on the stools at the kitchen island.
Here and the garage seem to be the places where we have the hard discussions.
I’m not sure why, I think it just carried over from when I was a kid.
“Well, you all are drinking water, so I guess this convo can’t be too bad.” Kerri likes to keep things light, but her quip also makes me think she’s nervous.
“Funny.” Vic gives an unamused smile. Is he serious? Why is he acting pissed? This was just going to be a lighthearted talk. “Whose hoodie is that?” Oh, I see the shift now. Hmm, I didn’t even realize.
“Dad, this is just a friend’s hoodie.” Kerri brushes off the question, walking over to grab a glass and fill it with water from the tap.
“Kerri, don’t be obtuse. What friend?” I clarify before she gets Vic riled up.
She huffs, “Mom, it is Reese’s hoodie. You know, Reese, from the boys’ soccer team?
” I nod, remembering that he’s a nice young man who has a crush on Kerri, but she completely friend-zoned him.
“Dad, he’s a senior like me. He’s a friend of mine.
Some bitch at school spilled something on my shirt last week, and he loaned me his hoodie to cover it up. ”
“Last week?” Vic deadpans.
“Yes.”
“Why are you wearing it now? A week later? You could have washed and returned it. Plus, it smells like a dude. That tells me you haven’t washed it.” God, Vic is such a dad sometimes.
“Dad, it does smell good. He said I could keep it since he has a bunch. Mom knows him and knows he’s just a friend. Is this what you wanted to talk to me about?”
“Okay. Fine. On to the actual question. Why was Trip Harris at your game tonight?” Vic asks, taking a drink of water.
Kerri’s eyes grow wide and then quickly shrink back to normal size after catching herself.
Vic missed it while he was drinking his water, but I didn’t.
“Trip? Um, I don’t know why he would have been there.
Was he there? I didn’t see him. Maybe he was there for someone else.
When did you see him? Was he on his bike? Was he by himself?”
Vic puts his glass down while both of our eyebrows rise in surprise at Kerri’s sudden transformation into a jabber jaw. I have to say something before Vic’s Spidey senses go off in the wrong direction. “Kerri, are you friends with Trip?”
“Yeah, well, you guys told me to be nice to the guy. So, I was, even though he’s a total dick and treats people like they owe him something.
You know he could be a little freaking nicer to someone who offers their friendship, even if it is out of obligation.
” Kerri huffs out, stunning Vic and me with her irritation.
“Okay, well, just to be clear, Dad and I were concerned you might be more than friends since he showed up to your game, and that was a little out of character for him,” I tell her in a calming tone to try to soothe some of her aggravation that seems to be building.
“Oh.” She relaxes, “Look, Dad, I’m nice to him when I need to be. You all are the ones who told me to. Other than that, I steer clear of him.” She pauses, “But just for communication’s sake, would it matter if we were more than friends?”
Vic’s jaw pops and his nostrils flare, but he takes a breath before answering, “Kerri, Trip honestly reminds me a lot of me growing up. I was a total troublemaker and thought the world owed me for the shit I went through. I had a giant chip on my shoulder and was unapologetically me. I love Trip. I’ve known him his whole life.
” Vic stops for a minute and runs his hands through his hair.
“I just want you to be with someone better than me.” I reach out, grabbing Vic’s hand that’s resting on the counter, interlocking our fingers.
Kerri looks down for a minute, then smiles before asking, “So, you were a troublemaker?”
“Oh hell, we’re not getting into that tonight.” Vic starts to scoot back from the island.
“Come on, Dad, tell me.” When Vic shakes his head, Kerri starts negotiations, “Okay, how about you answer ten questions for me?”
Begrudgingly, Vic comes back with, “Two.”
“Eight.”
“Four.”
“Seven.”
“Five, and that’s my final offer, kiddo.” Vic’s face is unamused, but I can feel his pride in Kerri’s negotiating skills.
“Deal,” Kerri says with a grin. “Can Abby come down for this? I know she wants to hear about you.” Vic nods, Kerri calls Abby, and I grab bowls of ice cream for everyone.
“So, is there a restriction on the topic of these questions?” Abby asks, sitting next to Vic in her pink hoodie and white mesh shorts, with her bare feet swinging from the stool.
Vic smiles and runs his hand over her hair, smoothing the waves, “No, sweetheart, you can ask whatever.” After pausing to think, Vic adds, “You know, you all can ask me stuff anytime. It doesn’t have to be tonight.
I’m beat and would love to head to bed in the next hour.
That’s the only reason I’m limiting the number.
We can resume these questions tomorrow if you would like.
” Both girls smile at that. Vic has never put restrictions on talking about himself with the girls or me.
I think that the communication barriers have just subconsciously been built over the years between all of us, putting each of us in our corners without realizing it.
“First question.” Kerri breaks the ice, “Why do you call Mom Rockstar?” Vic laughs, and my brows furrow. That’s a good question.
Vic looks over at me, his laugh fading, but the corners of his mouth are still upturned.
“Your mom and I have known each other since fifth grade, when her family moved to town. I developed a massive crush on your mom and finally indulged in my crush the summer before seventh grade. Then I had to work my ass off to get out of her friend zone all of eighth grade. Then your mom went away for the summer before freshman year of high school.” Vic pauses to look at me.
“Oh my god, I totally forgot about that summer.” I’m shocked he remembers.
“Where did you go, Mom?” Abby asks
“Well, grandma and I got in some pretty big fights after I turned thirteen. I had developed a giant crush on this super amazing, trouble-making boy that I had known since fifth grade.” I can’t help the smile that spreads on my face at Vic’s look of bewilderment.
“Oooooo,” Abby adds, giggling with Kerri.
“I didn’t know that part,” Vic says, still surprised.
“Yeah, mom found my diary and read about the boy, Victor, at school that I had loved since he first held my hand in the school assembly, starting the fifth-grade school year.” I turn to the girls and smile like a swooning schoolgirl, “I was the only new kid, and this cute boy sat next to me and said he would protect me and be my friend. Of course, his other friend held my other hand and told me that we could only be friends since his buddy liked me.” The girls coo, and I burst into laughter at the look on Vic’s face at this new information.
“Who was the other boy, Mom?” Kerri asks.
“It was Uncle Tyson,” Vic answers Kerri, still staring at me. “I can’t believe he outed me like that in fifth grade, and I then waited until the ninth to make my move?” Shaking his head, he gets back to the story, grinning big.
“Okay, so apparently, Mom got sent away because of me. That’s a new fact to me, but anyway, your mom came back playing soccer like a pro. It probably had something to do with her summer spent in Europe with her uncle, who’s a professional footballer over there. That’s besides the point.”
“I didn’t get to see Mom until the first day of school because she spent the three days before school re-adjusting her sleep schedule after returning from England.
I missed her all day since we didn’t have each other’s schedules, but I knew she’d be at soccer practice.
So, I went and sat with Ty on the bleachers after school, waiting for her to show up at practice. ”
“Both girls and boys soccer teams were holding tryouts, as well as the track teams, football, and cheerleading squads, so there were like a million people on the field and in the stands. About two minutes before tryouts started, this beautiful girl with long, chocolate brown hair tied into a high ponytail came jogging out of the locker room onto the field, and it was like time stopped.”
“Everyone on the field stopped what they were doing, stopped talking, stopped running, joking, laughing, you name it, they all stopped when she came out. It was like she captured everyone’s attention like a Hollywood movie star.”
“Wow, Dad, you must have already loved her then, huh?” Abby asks. Vic just nods, still staring at me.
“But, Dad, her nickname is Rockstar.” Kerri interrupts. Vic looks over at her and nods.
“It is, Kerri. Thanks to your uncle Tyson. When your mom stole my breath with her appearance, my leg started to bounce, my body started to shake, I couldn’t sit still, and I was so excited to see her.
Ty made fun of me for being Gabbi’s fanboy and reminded me that it’s not like she was some rockstar.
That’s where I corrected him and told him that she was my Rockstar. ”
The girls swoon, and I sit there in silence. “Why am I this many years old when I found out the basis of my nickname?”
Vic purses his lips and looks like he’s thinking, “I guess because you never asked.”
A simple enough answer. Staring at him, staring back at me, my body wants to cling to him. I want all of my skin touching all of his. I don’t want to sit down here for any more questions. I think it’s time for bed.
Something in my eyes must convey that message to Vic because the next words out of his mouth are, “Enough questions for tonight, you can ask more tomorrow, we’re heading to bed. Goodnight, girls.” Vic and I ignore the pouts and boos that the girls give us, then give each a kiss goodnight.
When we reach the top of the stairs, Vic and I stand in front of my bedroom door, both of my hands in his. “Gabbi, look, I just want to say that–”
“Staywithme.” Oh god, did I just blurt that out? I lift a hand covering my mouth quickly as Vic’s eyes watch me. I shift from foot to foot, nervous about his reaction.
“G...” Vic’s voice is soft, probably trying to soothe the panic he thinks I’m feeling, but I’m not panicked about what I asked him. I’m more panicked about the possibility that he might say no.
“Vic, please. I am not being rash. I’m also not asking to have sex. I’m asking you to please come spend the night with me in my bed.” Please don’t say no. Please don’t say no.
Vic quietly opens the door to my bedroom and lifts his arm to say, After you, then walks in behind me and closes the door. Vic slowly approaches me and stands in front of me. Oh, holy shit. Both of us are staring at each other, and neither of us knows what to do.
“No sex, okay?” I make that clear.
He lifts his hand to my face, brushing his knuckles down the side of my cheek. “What do you want, Gabbi?” He sounds so patient.
I decided the best thing at this point is honesty. “I want to feel your skin on mine, and I want you to hold me. Can you do that?”
He gently grabs the hem of my shirt, dragging it off me as I lift my arms, allowing the intimate moment to continue.
“Of course I can, baby.” He takes a step closer and pushes his chest against mine.
Reaching around to unhook my bra and letting it fall to the floor, he slightly leans his chest away from mine.
I feel like I should be self-conscious, but I’m not. This just feels so right.
Vic is staring at my half-naked body with a look of awe on his face.
It’s then that I reach for his shirt and slide it up and off as he lifts his arms to accommodate the movement.
Fuck, he’s still the hottest man I’ve ever laid eyes on.
His chest, his abs, his arms, I fucking love every inch of this man.
We both stand there, half-naked, staring at each other.
“Why am I so nervous?” I whisper. Like speaking too loudly might spook him, or me, or both, I guess.
“It’s been a while, Gabbi. It almost feels like when we were nervous teens.” I chuckle a little at his comparison. “But this time, I know what I’m doing.” His eyes alight with mischief, and a smile ghosts his mouth, then he’s pulling back the covers.