“No, everything’s not fine, asshole!”
Valerie pressed both palms against Alex’s impossibly strong chest. “Stop it, Alex.”
“Hell no!” Alex boomed, taking a step in her door. “So is this it? Is this what you do every time we get in an argument?”
“Relax, dude,” Art said, lifting a hand up in front of him.
Valerie shook her head, willing Art to stay quiet. His talking would only make things worse no matter what he said. She turned back to Alex and shoved his chest hard. “You were on a date the other night!” The warm tears in her eyes pissed her off. She was so sick of crying over Alex. “You have no right to barge in here—”
“The hell I don’t!”
His enraged voice despite her tears alarmed her. Normally her words alone could calm him. She glanced up in time to see something dangerous flicker in Alex’s eyes, something she’d only seen a handful of times, and in the next instant, he turned to charge at Art. Valerie knew there was no way she could stop him, so she jumped into his arms instead, clinging on to him as a baby chimp would to its mother. “Stop it, Alex!” she cried, surprised that she was actually crying.
Her crying must’ve startled him too because he slowed instantly. The loud clatter in the kitchen made Valerie turn to see Art pulling a knife out of the drawer. “No!’ she yelled, undoing her death grip on Alex and dropping to her feet, but she still fisted Alex’s shirt in her hand.
“What in the world!” They all turned to see Isabel at the door, holding a bag of groceries and staring at them in shock.
Valerie took a deep breath, glancing from Art, who stood in her kitchen wielding a knife, to Alex still heaving, then back to Isabel staring at them all stunned. Giving into the emotion, her face crumbled, and she pushed Alex away from her though he didn’t even budge. “This is Isabel’s brother, Art, you idiot.” She turned to Art. “I’m so sorry about this.” Then she turned to Isabel. “We were having some wine while he waited for you, and Alex showed up . . .”
Alex reached for her arm. “Baby, I—”
She shook his hand off her roughly. “Go home, Alex. I’m so done with you.”
“Valerie, please just let me explain. Would I be here?” he asked, his voice much calmer but the urgency even more prevailing. “Would I be here ready to kill someone over you if I didn’t care?”
“Yes!” she yelled back. “Yes, you would! Because that’s who you are. That’s what you’ve always done. But that’s not how you show someone you care for them, Alex, by attacking their friends. If you really cared, you’d stop with all your lies—”
“They’re not lies. I swear to you.”
Valerie hadn’t even noticed that Art had grabbed his things and was now headed out with Isabel. “No!” she said, turning to them. “No, no, no! Please don’t leave. You just got home, Isabel.”
“We’ll go,” Alex said then turned to Valerie and took her hand. “Just give me a few minutes, please. We’ll go talk somewhere else. Isabel and her brother can stay here.” He jerked his head back to Art. “I’m sorry, man. I didn’t know.” He shrugged. “I just . . ”
“I get it.” Art nodded with a smirk. “I’m just glad I really wasn’t here on a date with her.”
Alex managed a smirk even though Valerie could see just how tense he still was. With her adrenaline and emotions still in high gear, she couldn’t bring herself to do even that. But she didn’t think it was fair to make Isabel leave. Her poor roommate had endured enough of their drama over the years. It was embarrassing at this point. As late as Isabel was getting home tonight, clearly she’d had a long day. Valerie should be the one to leave, not her.
Besides, another thing she was certain of was Alex wasn’t going anywhere until she heard him out. Given why Valerie was so upset with him, under normal circumstances she would’ve refused. But Art had come here tonight because he said he needed to talk to his sister about some family matters, though he didn’t elaborate. The least Valerie could do after he’d been dragged into her and Alex’s insanity was give him and Isabel some privacy.
She began to walk away, but Alex tugged at her hand. “Please, Z.”
“I have to change,” she said, and the pleading in his eyes was replaced with relief, and she saw his chest rise and fall slowly as he took a deep breath and let it out. “I’ll meet you at your truck when I’m ready.”
It took her just a few minutes to slip out of her shorts and into a pair of jeans. She left the lacy tank on since it was still warm out and then slipped into a pair of casual backless wedges.
Alex was leaning against his truck when he saw her walk out. He wisely didn’t attempt to touch her when he held the door open for her. She got in and waited for him to go around to his side, wondering how this night would end. Usually, she could predict it. At this point in one of these crazy nights, she’d likely be in his bed in a few minutes, but this time there was an underlying sadness about the whole thing. A dull ache in her heart she didn’t think was going away this time, as it always did once they made up. Almost as if she could feel the end nearing.
He got in the truck, his presence as big and overpowering as always. Neither said anything at first, and he didn’t start the truck.
Finally, he took a deep breath. “Look,” he began then exhaled. “Sal has said this more than once to me. You and I . . . We’re so much alike. It’s why things get so crazy—”
“I can’t,” she said before he could finish.
He stared at her blankly. “You can’t what?”
“I can’t do this anymore, Alex. It’s exhausting. We’re not kids anymore and—”
“That’s why I’m here, Valerie,” he said, turning to face her better, then reached for her hand. “I don’t wanna do this anymore either. I’m ready for a change. I wanna prove to you that I’m ready.”
“How?” she asked, feeling the hurt overwhelm her again. “By going out with girls you call smexy when you could’ve spent that time with me? If I did that, you’d be—”
“Pissed,” he finished for her, his brows furrowing instantly. “I’d be pissed, okay? I get it. But how many times have I had to play in one of my own football games, knowing that you’re up in the stands hanging out with another dude or walk into a party to see you getting a little too friendly with someone else? Which is all I did the other night by the way. Chat.”
“Oh, I’m sure little Ms. Smexy got friendly.” Valerie pulled her hand away from him and crossed her arms in front of her again. “And I could bring up a million things I’ve had to deal with in the past as well. You said things were changing now.”
“I owed her—”
“I bet you did.” Valerie huffed.
“Not like that. She’s a smart girl. A smart, timid girl who’s helped me out a few times academically in the past. Calling her that was an inside joke.” Valerie rolled her eyes, but he went on. “She’s one of those girls. . . you know the type. She wouldn’t believe she’s sexy no matter how many times someone told her she was.”
“All right, Alex, I don’t need to hear about how much you’ve tried to convince her she is.”
“No! I haven’t. I meant . . .” He stopped and let out an exasperated groan. “My point is she’s just a sweet girl who I owed a favor to. She had an extra ticket and no one to go with, so I went with her. We were only there a couple of innings. But that’s not even what I wanted to talk to you about tonight.”
The double standard was infuriating, and Valerie could feel the hurt being drowned out by annoyance. “What is it you came to talk about, then? That I should be okay with you hanging out with other girls as long as they’re sweet, but I should continue to expect you to act like a raving maniac—not just you but your hotheaded sidekick—if I so much as hang out with one of my sweet friends?”
“No.”
“That whenever you have a week like this past one where you’re too busy to even call but then I find out you made time to go out with someone else I should just sit tight and unde
rstand that you owe lots of girls favors.”
“I didn’t go out with her and it’s not—”
Valerie opened her door and got out. She’d heard enough of his bullshit. “Valerie!” Alex called out as he jumped out of his side and she hurried around his truck. “Listen to me!” he stopped in front of her, forcing her to stop. With both hands on her shoulders, he stared at her very seriously. “I swear to you I’m ready for a change. Give me this one last chance. My life is real busy right now, yes. And I’ll likely still be really busy, but I’ll do my best. I have this whole weekend off, and I wanna spend it with you, not just in bed either.” She saw the humor dance in his eyes. “We can go somewhere. Anywhere you want. Or we could stay home. It’s up to you. All I want is a chance to prove myself. This has gone on too long. I completely agree. And I don’t like it either. Like tonight”—the trace of a smirk she’d seen earlier vanished—“if I get to your place and there’s another guy there, no matter how comfortable you seem, even if you are alone having a glass of wine with him or whatever, I wanna know in my heart that there’s a valid explanation. That there’s no way you and him are . . .” She saw that legendary jaw of his go taut. “Tonight I didn’t and I hate that. It’s why I need this change too. It’s either that or end this, and that’s not something I’m willing to do. Please tell me you’re not either.”
Valerie dropped her head back in defeat, her shoulders slumping at the same time. “Alex, I feel like we’ve been over this so many times—”
“No, we haven’t,” he said quickly. “When have I ever made you any promises?”
She thought about that for a moment. Never. It brought a lump to her throat, and the stupid tears once again filled her eyes. This time Alex did something he never did when he saw her tear up. He smiled. “I can’t promise too much yet. My life is insane right now, but I’ll promise you this much, sweetheart. Change. No more games. No more craziness. Time to grow up.”
“Time to grow up,” she said softly, staring ahead.
“Come stay with me tonight,” he said, pulling her to him, and just like always, she knew there was no way she could say no. “Let’s start this change this weekend.”
She studied him, wondering if, once again, she was making a mistake. In a few days, would she be fuming about him disappearing on her again? He smiled at her again, those dimples melting her heart. How in the world did she ever stand a chance? She wished she was just being vain—that it was just his beautiful smile, his dimples, his amazing body she was addicted to—but there was so much more. That was what made it so hard to walk away from him. There was so much more about this man she was in love with than just his perfect exterior.
It was still something she couldn’t explain, but she’d felt his sincerity from day one. Just like the intense way his beautiful eyes pleaded with her now, the intensity of how he felt about her—not just physically but emotionally—was a palpable thing. Always had been. There was no way anyone could fake all that. The only thing she couldn’t understand was why he always had to blow it.
“Okay,” she whispered, hoping she wasn’t making a huge mistake.
Before she could even give it a second thought, he lifted her in his arms, and laughter escaped her. Something else almost escaped her as she wrapped her arms around his big neck and he cradled her so effortlessly in his arms. She almost told him she loved him, but that was something she’d hold off on. As much as she wanted to be excited about Alex Moreno’s first ever promise to her, she dared not go there just yet.
~~~
Over the years, Valerie had picked up on a few things from Alex. She hated to admit how closely she watched when he didn’t think she was looking, but she did, especially when he was checking his phone. She’d caught him doing the same to her plenty of times, so it went both ways.
The expressions he made when he was responding to texts or emails were so telling. If he looked concerned or even a little irritated, she knew whatever he was responding to had something to do with the restaurant. Someone had called in and they were short staffed or they hadn’t got the delivery they were expecting—something. He was never secretive, nor were there any signs of unease about those texts.
If there was any sign of humor along with the irritation, it was usually Romero or maybe one of his brothers yanking his chain about something.
Then there was that look. Sal was right. She and Alex were so much alike when it came to lots of things. Like their poker faces. Neither had one. So she knew the moment when he was reading something he didn’t want to talk to Valerie about. Oh, he tried to put on a poker face, act irritated after the initial reaction to the text, or even laugh, but she knew the look too well. It was one she’d seen too many times over the years. She’d been waiting for it the morning after the near disaster at her apartment. They’d been up for a while after having slept in from their long night of making up.
Unlike Alex, she’d left her phone in the bedroom. But he’d already had several calls and texts from the restaurant, so he brought it with him into the kitchen while they had breakfast.
Valerie had never been much of a cook, but if there was one thing she could whip up, it was a good, hearty breakfast. So she’d put together a small feast for her and Alex.
They were in the middle of digging in when he got the text. He did his usual glance at the preview of the text on his screen then ignored it. He never ignored a call from the restaurant or any texts from his brothers when he had the day off. When he was off, it usually meant one or both of them were working. He’d just gotten off the phone with Romero a few minutes earlier. Valerie and Alex would be spending their first full day as a changed couple at Romero’s. His uncles were barbequing for the Padres game and then having people over to watch the big fight tonight.
This text was the test.
Normally, Valerie wouldn’t ask when he suddenly didn’t mention who was texting him as he did all the other times. She didn’t want to this time either, but if it were true things had changed, she should. So she did.
“Is that Romero again?”
He peered at her over his glass of milk as he took a long drink. She eyed him chewing slowly as he set his glass down.
“No, it wasn’t,” he said, picking up the phone again and keying in his password quickly. “It was Chelsea,” he said, “the intern on the team’s medical staff.”
Try as she might, Valerie wasn’t able to keep her brow from lifting in reaction, and he glanced up from his phone just in time to see it.
“She was just asking about my ankle.” That didn’t make it any better, and Valerie continued to stare at him as he texted Chelsea back. “She’s hoping to make it into the NFL medical staff someday. Probably will, she’s smart as a whip,” he stupidly added as if Valerie weren’t already feeling like an idiot for sitting there watching him text another girl.
His phone pinged again, and he read it then glanced up at her. “She’s glad to hear my ankle’s better.” He grinned.
Valerie remained silent, unable to so much as smile at that. So she bit into her toast instead as he texted his smart-as-a-whip little friend back. She was well aware that she was likely glaring now, but she didn’t give a shit.
He looked up at her as he sent his response to Chelsea’s second text and actually laughed. “All right, all right,” he said. “I’ve never slept with her if that’s what you’re thinking. I’ve never even gone out with her, but she has hinted before, and she flat-out asked just now if I wanted to hang out later tonight.”
Valerie pushed her chair out, but he reached for her hand. “And this is how I responded,” he said, showing her his phone.
Valerie looked down at it, reading the exchange between him and the intern.
Chelsea: Hey you. It’s been a while. How’s your ankle?
Alex: Hey, Chels. Much better. Should have the okay from the doc to play again in a few days. Thanks for asking.
Chelsea: That’s great news. I remember how bummed you were about it. I thought
of you today because of the Sanchez fight. I know you’re a fan. You watching it anywhere special? We’re all going over a friend’s house tonight. I was thinking maybe you could stop by. We can catch up.
Alex. Thanks for thinking of me, but I already have plans. Me and my girl are watching it over at a friend’s house. Should be a good one!
Interestingly, it’d been a few minutes, and Chels hadn’t responded to that last text as quickly as she had to his previous ones. Valerie glanced at Alex, who was watching and waiting for a response as if he should be petted for being good. Clearly, she still didn’t appear as impressed by this as he was expecting, because his smile waned.
Valerie stood to carry her plate to the sink still having not said a word. The moment she put her plate down in the sink Alex wrapped his arms around her from behind, inhaling deeply.
“Okay,” he began. “So this is all new. We both have friends we’re gonna have to break this new change to. I won’t be making any announcements or sending out a group message or anything, but just like with Chels, one by one they’ll get the news about my girl.” He kissed her cheek. “You can’t be mad every time something like this happens, especially if I’m being honest with you.”
She nodded then shrugged looking up at him. “You know it’s still gonna kill the mood every time.”
“Just so you know,” he said, nuzzling her neck. “Normally, I wouldn’t have responded to her if you were here. I never respond to anyone that quickly. I would’ve just ignored it and responded to her later. I only did because things are different now. I’m trying to prove to you I’m serious about this.”
She turned to face him, bringing her arms around his waist. “Why don’t we do this,” she offered. “Since I get the feeling it’ll be a while before all your little friends are informed of this new change in your life, why don’t you continue to ignore the calls while I’m around and respond to them when I’m not. At least not in the same room.”