Byron searched her eyes without responding at first, then whispered. “No wonder you never responded.” He shook his head again with an air of remorse this time. “I’m so sorry. You have no idea how confused I was. You said you had friends you hung out with so when I saw you—” He shook his head even more adamantly. “Your twin—with that guy—I assumed he was one of your friends. I figured if you were okay with having multiple friends you did that with, what I said in the text wouldn’t be that big a deal.”
Swallowing the emotion back, Vannah stared at him thinking about just how big a deal it’d been but decided to keep it to herself. Even if he did know now that it had been a big deal to her, she didn’t want him knowing just how much she’d begun to feel after just one week. Clearly, he was feeling equally entitled if he’d confronted Nena and Taz the way he had. Still, she didn’t want to get ahead of herself just yet. Yesterday and all morning had been an eye opener as far as how ahead of herself she’d already gotten. Despite this showing on his part that he was in fact feeling for her what she thought he might be, she owed it to her recovering heart to slow this down. At least until she knew for sure where this was headed.
After what Byron had called an agonizing week of waiting to kiss her again, he’d taken Vannah outside and her knees nearly gave out as he did some making up for it. But he said her dad and brother being so close by made him nervous as hell. Since Vannah had driven to the gym with her family she had to go back in and leave with them. Byron said he needed to get home and shower anyway. She’d laughed when he said he had a knot in his gut now for an altogether different reason.
“I’m having dinner with your family after just one date?”
Though Vannah had nervously laughed it off, she was just as anxious. It’s why she kept to herself it wasn’t just her, dad, Nena, and her brother they’d be dining with. Her other brother Gordo and her mom would also be there. They just hadn’t been around for the show when it happened.
Of course, her family had a bunch of questions for her when she got back into the gym, but thankfully her mother had come to her rescue and told them all to just stop already. Though she had given Vannah that, we’ll talk later, look.
Nena opted to go back to Vannah’s dorm instead of doing some souvenir shopping with the rest of the clan until their dinner and Vannah knew exactly why. She’d be getting grilled. No sooner had her parent’s SUV driven away than Nena started the inquisition.
“Why hadn’t you told me about this guy, Vannah?”
“I only started seeing him a week ago,” she explained.
Nena’s jaw dropped. “And he was that incensed about seeing you with other guys?”
“We had an incredibly romantic date last week,” Vannah explained inhaling deeply as they reached her dorm room. “We talked on the phone a few times during the week. He’s hands down the best kisser I’ve ever kissed, and we did so much of it last week.”
“Well, that’s not saying a whole lot, sis.” Nena teased as they walked into her dorm. “Not like you’ve kissed a whole lot of guys.” She turned to Xochitl who was in front of her laptop on the sofa as usual. “Hey, girl studying again? Every time I’m here it’s all you’re doing. Live a little, will you?”
“I have a paper due at midnight.”
Nena turned back to Vannah shaking her head. “You see, this is why I took this first semester off. After twelve years of school, I needed a little time off.”
“Yeah, well I have a set timeline,” Vannah said opening the fridge. “I’m not trying to waste time.”
“But you don’t have time for anything. When’s the last time you’ve even thought about making a video for our YouTube channel?”
Vannah winced feeling guilty as she took a swig from the water bottle. Nena didn’t even give her time to respond when she was back to Byron.
“Have you met this Byron guy?” she asked Xochitl.
Xochitl turned to Vannah in question. She knew all too well Vannah hadn’t wanted her sister to know about him. “We ran into him at the gym,” Vannah explained so she’d know she was free to talk about him now.
“Yeah, I’ve met him.” Xochitl nodded at Nena. “I don’t really remember meeting him, but I’d seen him before that day.”
Vannah explained to Nena about their nightmare night out at Frat Row, laughing at each one of Xochitl’s exasperated groans. She told her about the enchiladas she made and gave Byron when she’d dropped off his clean gym clothes at his shop. For the millionth time she sighed deeply. She figured she might as well admit now to her sister about how he’d thanked her with the most heavenly kiss she’d ever been treated to.
“Then he promptly asked her out that very night.” Xochitl shook her head. “And this one here didn’t think he was into her.”
Nena’s jaw dropped again. “That was just this past Monday?”
“Yes,” Vannah nodded, her insides going all wild again.
“Oh my God, Xochitl.” Nena’s eyes went even wider. “You should’ve seen him today he looked ready to explode. Well, he kind of did.”
“Explode?” Xochitl asked understandably confused.
Nena filled Xochitl in on the happenings of the day. How Byron had confronted them, and Taz reacting in his usual hot-headed way.
“You’re kidding me?” Xochitl turned to Vannah, this time she did the jaw dropping. “No wonder he sent that text. This makes total sense now.”
Vannah winced as Xochitl told Nena about the text he’d sent Vannah yesterday. How they hadn’t been able to figure out what had gone wrong since he’d been so into her all week when they’d spoken, and video chatted. But remembering his genuine explanation and how tightly he held her today, had Vannah smiling again.
“He couldn’t just ask you about seeing me with another guy? Sending that text was a jerk move of him,” Nena said with a frown. “I should bring it up during dinner tonight.”
“No, you shouldn’t,” Vannah responded immediately. “Unless you want me to point out in front of mom, daddy, Taz and Gordo that it was only because he saw you sucking face with another guy and he thought it was me.” Before her sister could even try to retort, Vannah scrunched her face. “Really? Sucking face at King Taco, Nena? Didn’t you just meet this guy a few weeks ago?”
“Not in the restaurant. He kissed me when we got to the car and then again when we got in the car.” Nena explained then laughed. “And you gotta lot of nerve. You’ve known this guy one week and already you’re bringing him to dinner with the whole family.”
“Daddy’s idea not mine.” Vannah touched her forehead. “I just hope Taz and Gordo behave.”
Nena was laughing again. “This is gonna be fun.”
Thankfully, Xochitl knew better than to ask Vannah why she hadn’t mentioned such a huge fact about herself to him during all the talking texting and video chatting they’d done all week. It’s why Vannah had purposely made less of their nonstop chatting all week when she mentioned it to Nena. She was certain her sister thought that’s all it was. Vannah hadn’t known him long enough and likely hadn’t talked to him too much yet. But Xochitl knew better.
When she first met Xochitl she hadn’t told her about her twin either. As she’d done with Byron, she’d of course mentioned having a sister she was very close to. Just left out the part about Nena being her identical twin. It wasn’t even until Nena had called to tell her she’d be stopping by to visit her at their dorm for the first time that Vannah decided to give her roommate a heads up. So, her good friend probably already not only knew why, but that Vannah would rather not discuss that right now.
“Did she tell you the best part?” Xochitl asked all bright eyed.
“What?” Nena asked curiously.
“He’s Beast, the famous boxer Beast’s brother.”
Nena’s mouth was already wide open. “Oh my God.” She grabbed her phone. “Why didn’t you say something?”
“Who are you calling?” Vannah asked.
“Daddy. Him and the boys ar
e gonna flip.”
For whatever reason that made Vannah even more nervous. The knot that had formed in her stomach the moment her dad had suggested she bring Byron to dinner only got bigger now. She wasn’t past the insecurity that Byron was way out of her league, despite his seeming genuinely into her. So, the reminder that he was a minor celebrity to boot, even if only by relation, just added to that insecurity.
“That man never answers.” Nena frowned as she put her phone down. “This makes even more sense, though. Your hot new man was on fire today. Of course, they’d be related. His brother didn’t get his nickname for nothing, you know. That Beast is an inferno when he’s pissed. I saw footage of him and his family at the airport and one idiot reporter made the mistake of getting too close to his daughters and spooking them.”
“Oh my God, I saw that too.” Xochitl nodded adamantly. “That reporter would’ve been a dead man had they not been in a public place.”
“I remember too but even daddy said any father would’ve reacted that way,” Vannah added not sure why she suddenly felt the need to soften Byron and his brother’s tempers.
Nena rolled her eyes with a smirk. “Of course, daddy would say that. He’s no better but this guy’s brother is known for his seething temper and clearly, he and Byron are cut from the same cloth. Though he was quick to change his tune the moment he realized he was facing your siblings and daddy. God, tonight is gonna be fun.”
Thankfully Vannah’s phone rang interrupting the nerve-wracking conversation. She closed her eyes momentarily when she saw it was her mother, but then hit the answer button and walked to the fridge.
“Hey, mom.”
“Savannah Bridgette Moreno, why in the world hadn’t you told any of us about your boyfriend? At the very least me or your sister?”
Vannah stopped just before grabbing another bottled water from the fridge feeling her insides tighten. “Because I don’t?”
“Oh, really? So, this guy who isn’t your boyfriend making such a scene over Sienna hanging out with another guy because he thought it was you, is just a friend?”
“Mom,” Vannah lowered her voice glancing back at her sister as she opened her bottled water. “Where’s dad and the boys? Are they listening?”
“No, I purposely passed on going into the comic book and gaming store so that I could call you.” Vannah heard her mom thank someone then was back to talking to her. “I came into the coffee shop next door instead. Seriously, Savannah, your fathers all worked up over this. Thinks you’re keeping stuff from us. You know we don’t have secrets in this family, honey.”
“I’m not keeping secrets, mom,” Vannah insisted even as her sister smirked and shook her head. “My first official date, if you could even call it that, was just this past Monday. He’s just . . . I don’t know. Intense?”
Vannah knew it sounded insane, but fact was just one week or not, she’d already shed a few tears over this guy. She explained about not having been able to see him but having kept in touch all week and how their much-anticipated lunch date yesterday was cancelled last minute.
“It’s when he saw Nena with another guy.”
She smiled remembering how relieved he’d been about getting it straight today. “Yeah, I’ll get to her too when we get home. You girls have always been so good about being able to tell me everything. I don’t want that to change.”
“It won’t. It hasn’t.” She assured her then heeding her mother’s worries and feeling a little guilty she decided to tell her more. “He’s not a boy either, mom. I didn’t meet him at school. He’s twenty-five, has his own apartment and just recently became part owner of his own business. An auto repair and restoration shop.”
Her mother’s response was not anything she’d been expecting. “Are you in love, Savannah?”
Feeling her face flush and slightly scandalized, Vannah walked into her bedroom. “Mom, I told you, it’s only been a week.”
Her mom chuckled. “Doesn’t make a difference. I didn’t even witness the outburst up close, but I saw and heard enough. With some guys it could be nothing more than them being territorial. But that boy and yes, I said boy, twenty-five is still pretty wet behind the ears, has got it bad, honey. I see your dad and the boys headed out now,” she added quickly. “We’ll talk privately about this another time. Only piece of advice I’ll give you now because clearly this was a misunderstanding of epic proportions and that only ever happens when there’s failure to communicate. Don’t do what your dad and I did for years, babe. You have something to say or that you want to know, you ask him straight out and encourage him to do the same. Trust me, you’ll save yourself a ton of heartache, not to mention eruptions like todays.”
“Okay I will,” Vannah said smiling weakly despite the flutter her mother’s words had given her heart. She thought about how she hadn’t dared question Byron’s text before today. Instead, chose to dissect it to death with Xochitl before crying about it. “And mom?”
“Yeah?”
“I love you.”
“Love you too, baby. See you in a few.”
Sixteen
Daddy Dearest
Byron
What the fuck did it even matter? Byron thought as he flung the third shirt he’d tried on, onto the bed. He’d never obsessed about what he’d wear for any occasion. Her family had already seen him and at his worst anyway. What difference would his appearance make now? Talk about nightmare first impressions. Byron had never even contemplated meeting a girl’s daddy much less having dinner with her entire family just a week after their first kiss. Especially not after that clusterfuck incident at the gym. This was insane. Only good thing about this was this had to mean something, right? Had he nailed it when he’d begun to think Savannah might be too young to know you had no control over matters of the heart? If she was truly still serious about not doing the boyfriend thing with one guy—not several fucking friends—she would’ve balked at her dad inviting Byron to dinner with them, right? She wouldn’t have all but dropped off the face of the earth the moment he’d mentioned his overnight date this weekend. And it certainly wouldn’t have been the first thing she questioned today when she got the chance.
Halfway through rummaging through his closet for the perfect shirt that said casual yet respectfully dressed for a family dinner, he got the text from Irma and thankfully so. Byron had been so anxious about this damn dinner; he’d forgotten all about her. She said she was going to have to take a raincheck on tonight. A friend had gotten stuck with an extra ticket to the ballgame that evening, and she was going to take it. Being that normally she liked calling him and dragging out the conversation, Byron got the distinct feeling her friend was a dude and that’s why she went the text route. In case Byron might pose the question. But this was exactly what he meant about the things he felt for Savannah being so different from any other girl he’d hung with. Only reason Byron had even given a second thought to the fact that she might’ve cancelled with him for another dude, was to compare it to how different he’d be feeling if it’d been Savannah. Had it been Savannah, he would’ve called her back immediately and asked what friend. Even as short time as he’d known her, given his reaction at the gym he knew now it would’ve been more of a demand than a question. But he had to get his ass in check. After today and after they got a chance to talk later when he’d be sure to get things straight, his reactions would only get more severe.
In contrast his only response to Irma was a genuinely indifferent two-word text, no worries, then got right back to fretting about dinner. Finally, satisfied with his outfit and his hair, he was out the door. He’d told Savannah he’d be picking her up. No way was he arriving alone to face her family. After texting her to let her know he was on his way, he jumped in his car and inhaled deep, exhaling sharply.
“What the hell am I doing?” he whispered as he started out the parking lot of the shop.
Just last week he’d convinced himself he’d take the clothes she’d washed for him, thank her, and be don
e with it. Then just one kiss changed everything. Now here he was on his way to have dinner with her entire family.
The whole way to Savannah’s dorm he tapped away at the steering wheel reminding himself, just like when he was sitting at the dentist readying himself to get his teeth drilled that it’d all soon be a memory. Though now he wasn’t sure if he wouldn’t opt for a root canal instead of having to face her dad again. Was saving face really worth it? The memory of holding her today after the hell he’d been through since sincerely believing that was her yesterday, and knowing he’d be spending time with her again finally, made the answer to that easy.
Absolutely.
Whatever grilling her dad might put him through tonight, and all the inevitable anxiety he’d be feeling until this dinner was over with, was totally worth the payoff.
When he arrived at Savannah’s dorm, she and her sister were already walking out to meet him. He tried not to look as uncomfortable as he felt seeing her walk out with her twin. She hadn’t mentioned he’d be picking them both up. But she had texted him earlier to ask him to please steer clear of bringing up why she hadn’t told him about having a twin in front of Nena. She said she’d explain that later.
Savannah appeared as nervous as he felt while her sister smirked smugly at the sight of him. The resemblance was uncanny. They even walked just as effortlessly in the dangerously high wedges they both wore. No wonder he’d thought them the same person. Though just like the times he’d picked up on the difference in the sweet laughter, there was a difference in their demeanor as well. So far it was the only thing that gave him hope he’d ever be able to tell them apart.
They reached his car and got in, Savannah in the front and her sister in the back. Byron turned to her sister. “Nena, right?”
He knew at least that much. Savannah had mentioned her sister enough times this past week, including how close they were. She’d just left out the most crucial piece of information.
Not Even Close (A New Generation) Page 15
