Breaking Through (The Breaking Series Book 3) (40 page)

As for my plan, it wasn’t going as I had imagined, but there was still time. The night was young.

I stood and walked three steps before halting again.

“You look stunning,” Reese said, standing in my way.

“Thanks,” I said.

He looked around. “This all looks great. The food was delicious too. I heard you did all this?”

“Not alone.”

“Congratulations.”

“Thanks.”

He looked to his feet, and then turned worried eyes at me. “I heard what happened last weekend. I’m sorry about that. How are you feeling?”

This was the worst part of it all. Of course, most people here had heard about what happened last weekend. How could I have forgotten that? So all these people weren’t staring at me because I looked pretty, or because they were impressed with my designs or the party organization. They were staring at me because, in their minds, I was even more damaged than before.

I wouldn’t let that stop me from having a good time. Yes, I had gone through some bad patches, through some terribly damaging events, and I had survived. I had made it. And even though these events hurt me, I had grown from them, and I was proud of that.

I smiled. “I’m fine, actually.”

Reese leaned closer. “Is it true you beat up a three-hundred-pound man?”

The rumors … people already had made Mike bigger than he was. “Yes, I did.”

“That’s …” He cleared his throat. “I’m sorry you had to go through that, but I’m glad you were able to defend yourself and your friend. Good for you!”

I knew he meant every word and that made me hopeful that other people would see it that way too. “Thanks.”

“So, hm …” Reese ran his hand through his hair. “I was wondering if—”

“Excuse me,” Gui said, appearing out of nowhere and stepping between Reese and me. He stared at me with such intensity, my knees wobbled.

“Hey!” Reese protested, coming to stand beside Gui.

Ignoring him, Gui extended one hand to me. “Dance with me.”

I didn’t think twice. I simply slid my hand into his and let him guide me to the dance floor. As I walked by Reese, I mouthed, “I’m sorry.” I was sorry for leaving him hanging like that when I knew he was about to ask me to dance too. But I wasn’t sorry Gui had asked first.

In the middle of the dance floor, Gui stopped and turned to me. He placed his hands on my waist and pulled me close, all the while looking straight through me. I didn’t break the stare as I slid my hands up his arms and rested them on his shoulders.

The song was a slow, romantic ballad. And suddenly my plan was back on track—though with a few modifications.

“I know I said it before, but you are especially beautiful today.” His voice was low and careful, a gentle caress to my ego.

“Thank you.” I tilted my head to the side, and suppressed a smile. “So … why didn’t you let Reese ask me to dance?”

“Oh. I’m busted. Damn,” he joked, a small grin illuminating his handsome face. “I wasn’t sure if he had already asked or not. Once I saw him talking to you, I don’t know. Something hit me hard. Right here.” He briefly let go of my waist to tap his chest, right above his heart. My breath caught. “I just knew I couldn’t let you dance with him, and I knew it was just a matter of time until he asked, and you wouldn’t say no, because you’re polite like that.”

“I hope Gabi wasn’t mad about being dumped on the dance floor.”

He chuckled. “Nah, she was glad to be rid of me. I know she wants to go around the party and see if she can find a guy to flirt with.”

“She’s not like that!”

“I know. I’m just kidding.” He frowned. “But you know, sometimes I wonder if she would look for a guy, an American guy, and get hitched just so she would have an excuse to stay here.”

“She wouldn’t do that.”

“Wouldn’t she? She wants to come live here so badly.”

“I know, but she wouldn’t go so low as to get married to any guy just to stay here. I know that if it’s really meant to be, she’ll find another way to make that happen.”

Gui raised an eyebrow. “Are you talking about Gabi right now?”

“Maybe, maybe not.”

His expression grew serious again, and his stare turned concerned. He lifted one hand and caressed the cheek where I had a fading bruise hidden under pounds of makeup. “I’m sorry you had to go through something like that again.” His fingertips lingered on my face for three more seconds, and then he set his hand back on my waist. “But I’m very proud of you.”

“I’m proud of me too,” I whispered.

The song changed from one corny romantic ballad to another, and the tension grew thick between us. I was barely aware of other couples dancing around us, because in my world, there was only Gui and me. Now, if only I could make sure he still felt that way too.

All of a sudden, he exhaled and let out, “Okay, I wasn’t able to tell you all I wanted to last Sunday. I need to tell you. I was out of my mind when Leo called me. I was so pissed that, of all days, I decided to go to Fresno that particular day. I wanted to get to you as fast as I could. I never wished for a teleportation device as much as I did while I was driving back here. I wanted to be by your side. I wanted to make sure you were okay, see you with my own eyes, because only hearing Leo tell me on the phone what was going on was killing me. Actually, I wanted to have a time travel machine, so I would be with you when you went to your friend’s house and I would have kicked that bastard’s ass to the moon and back.” He raised his hand to my face again, and placed two fingers on the hidden bruise. “I would kill him for laying a hand on you. I’m so sorry for not being there for you.”

I placed my hand over his. “Don’t apologize. There was nothing you could do. And, unfortunately, I’m convinced that was something I had to go through. By myself. Alone. I had to face him because if I didn’t, I would never know what I was capable of, how strong I am, and how I can take care of myself if the need ever arises.”

“I hope the need never arises again.” He sighed. “If only you gave me a chance, I would take good care of you.”

That was all I needed to hear.

With a smile, I knotted my arms around his neck, tried to stand on tiptoes—hard with four-inch heels—and raised my face, angling it just right.

“Are you sure about that?” I asked, holding my breath.

“I was never this sure about anything else in my entire life.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Even polo?”

He chuckled. “Even polo.”

I was okay with that. Screw a grand gesture; besides, this was Hannah’s big day. I would already steal her spotlight enough with a little gesture. Still smiling, I tugged on his neck, so he would know exactly what I wanted.

His eyes widened for a millisecond, and then he leaned down and met me halfway. His lips claimed mine, first slow and soft, as if he was afraid of scaring me away. But I wasn’t scared anymore. I parted my lips and increased the intensity of the kiss, showing him exactly what I wanted. Who I wanted. His arms wound around my waist, and he pulled my body flush with his. A sigh escaped my throat as my delicate figure molded to his hard frame.

Someone cleared his throat beside us.

We broke the kiss, but we didn’t spring apart, as we looked to the source of the noise. It was Leo, watching us with a big smile. Hannah was with him, of course, and she winked at us.

“Not fair,” she said, her tone teasing. “It’s my big day, but everyone will be talking about you two from now on.”

I let myself look around. Sure enough, everyone was watching us. Everyone. My parents had wide eyes, Gabi jumped up and down as if her day had been made, Bia shook her head with a wicked smiled, Pedro and Ri gave us the thumbs up, and Reese stared at us with disappointment. And Gui’s parents … well, I wasn’t sure what the expression on their faces meant, but I hoped it meant they were willing to meet me.

My cheeks extremely hot, I hid my face in Gui’s chest. He chuckled and kissed the top of my head. His arms tightened around me.

“I’ve got you,” he whispered in my ear. “You’re okay, Hil. You’re fine now.”

His words rang true. I used to answer with I’ll be fine. For the first time in so long, I felt strong enough to answer, “I am fine,” and that brought me an amount of pleasure and pride that I couldn’t even begin to describe.

I stopped hiding in Gui’s chest—even though he had a nice chest and I wanted to hide there every day—and raised my head high. I was proud of me, I was proud of Gui, and I was most certainly proud of us.

I stared him in the eye and smiled. “I really am fine.” Once more, I wound my arms around his neck, and with a grin, he leaned down and kissed me again.

And this time when our family and friends cheered, we didn’t stop.

Chapter Thirty-Two

After spending the Sunday tucked in with Gui at my apartment—but he went back to his own apartment for the night—Gui took me to Los Angeles the next morning. I was a bundle of nerves on the passenger side of his Jeep, alternating between chewing my nails, chewing my bottom lip, or wringing the skirt of my dress.

Gui reached over and rested his right hand over mine, stilling my compulsive movements. “It’ll be all right, Hil. You got this.”

Did I?

I hadn’t touched this project in so long and had to scurry to finish it this past couple of days—and yesterday, when Gui insisted on seeing the project, I didn’t let him. All the time, my laptop had been turned away from him while I put my presentation together.

Now we were here, with three of my design professors, plus the professor that got me this chance and two T.A.s, all in the first row of the auditorium-like classroom. Gui had stayed in the back, so he wouldn’t disrupt the presentation, and my focus, in any way.

I stood in front of them all, with the big, white screen at my back.

I started the PowerPoint and the first thing that popped on the screen was a video from YouTube—a video showing a group dancing one of the dances from Gui’s state in Brazil.

I tried not to, but I couldn’t help myself. I glanced at him and saw the surprise stamped on his face.

Then I launched into my rehearsed text, telling the professors about Rio Grande do Sul and the many dances only performed there. I told them about my brother-in-law’s family, that they had been living here for over three years now and that I learned a lot of things about their culture. I showed them pictures of the different food and the different drinks, I played a few seconds of different songs, and I showed them a second video of the dancing.

“And that was my true inspiration for this project,” I said, changing the slide. The main two of my designs for this project popped on the screen. It was a dress like the
prendas
wore for the dances, and also the
bombacha
and shirt the men wore. I picked up five A3-sized papers, reinforced by thick cardboard, and handed them to my professors. They looked at the drawings on the papers, probably giving attention to every little detail, every little element that composed the clothes.

Then, to their surprised, I opened my tote and pulled out the
prendas’
dress. I stepped into it and pulled it over my clothes. I had made the dress myself at Fallon White’s studio—though I had used my own fabric.

In the back, Gui watched me with a hand over his mouth.

I took a long breath. “Now, for the best part of this presentation.” I beckoned for Gui to come down the stairs. He froze for two seconds, and then rushed down.

“What are you doing?” he whispered, as he joined me in the spotlight.

From my tote, I pulled out a
gaúcho
hat I had gotten from Leo and a red silk scarf, and put them on Gui. “Just … dance with me,” I whispered back.

I changed the slide and a new song filled the speakers in the room. And Gui and I danced one of the many
dan
ç
a folclórica
from his home state, the only one he had tried to teach me. I just hoped I still remember it.

I had cut the song so it only went on for a minute—not too long, but not too short either.

When the song was over, I turned to my professors and bowed. Gui lowered his head in an attempt of a bow, then looked at me with a now-what kind of face.

I smiled and shrugged.

The sound of applause filled the room, and I was surprised to see my professors standing up, applauding some more, and nodding.

“Well done, Miss Taylor,” one of them said with a big smile. “Very well done!”

They all congratulated me, wished me well, and by the end, I left the classroom almost certain I had passed this class. Finally.

Gui reached for my hand as soon as we walked out of the classroom and squeezed it hard. “I had no idea that that …” He shook his head in disbelief. “When did you start this project?”

“The night you first told me about the
invernada
thing.”

His eyes widened. “That was a couple of months ago.”

“Yup.” I pulled him around a corner, guiding him through the long hallways of the building.