Page 1 of Curve Ball (The San Jose Coyotes #2)
GAEL
T his can’t be fucking happening to me right now.
“It’s just not working for me.” Natalia pushes the salad around on her plate with her fork, trying hard to not make eye contact with me. Probably because she knows I know she cheated. “Come on, it’s not like you thought we would get married.”
Actually, prior to finding out that she cheated, I could have seen myself marrying her. She was everything I ever wanted. I thought she was a good person.
How fucking wrong was I?
Leaning back in my chair, I stare across the table at her, trying my best to keep my demeanor casual. “So this has absolutely nothing to do with you hooking up with Santiago Barraza?” Her eyes shift and her lips purse.
Gotcha.
“What do you want me to say?”
“Did you or did you not…” I lean across the table and whisper. “Fuck him?”
Natalia drops her fork and lets out a drawn-out sigh, then looks straight into my eyes. “I did. ”
“So what, having a boyfriend means nothing to you? For fuck’s sake, Nat, we’ve been together for two years. It’s not like there was any confusion about us being together.” I clear my throat, reach for my glass of water and take a sip. “Why?”
“Santi… He’s just more put together. He knows what he wants in life and it’s not all centered on baseball.”
Here we fucking go again. “I said we could talk about it after my first year in the majors.”
“And I want a baby now, Gael. I want to be married to a man who is able to financially take care of his family. I’m a quality woman and I don’t want to have to live on a budget.
My children would deserve the best. Christ, every time I would bring it up, you would run like a scared little boy.
So I finally stopped bringing it up and found someone who felt the same as me. ”
Someone who has a bigger salary than me, who’s been playing longer than me. Someone who has a huge fan base.
It all makes sense now.
I push my plate away and look around the restaurant. My cousin stares at me from the servers’ station and gives me a strained smile. It probably wasn’t a good idea to do this here. The last thing I need is for my mom to come out or one of my Tías. Bianca catches my eye and signs, You finished?
“ No. Don’t come over right now.” I sign back and she gives me another smile.
That bad?
“Worse.”
Natalia turns to see my cousin at the back and whips her head back around, grunting in disgust. “Talking shit about me?”
I roll my eyes. “She was asking if I was finished. Not everything is about you, Nat. Believe it or not, my family loves you.”
It’s the truth. My parents thought I struck gold with Natalia and have been on my ass to propose .
It just never felt like the right time.
“How long have you been fucking him?” It has to have been for a while if she’s been talking to him about kids and marriage.
“That’s not important.”
“ ?Cuánto tiempo?” I growl, losing my patience.
“I don’t fucking speak Spanish, Gael.”
“No, you don’t. You just have a very specific fucking type. How long, Nat?”
“Six months.”
Those two words break my heart.
“Did you fuck him in our bed? In our apartment?” I will set all that shit on fire if she did. “Did you ever fuck him, then come home and fuck me?”
“I… Look it’s,” Natalia can’t even look at me as she tries to come up with whatever lies to make this seem less than what it is.
“Answer me.” I spit, though I can already guess that she did.
“You know what, fuck you, Gael. Yes. I fucked him in our bed. On our couch, in our shower. And, yes, some nights I would come home from fucking him and then would fuck you, too. You thought you got me really wet when it was just his cum still inside me.”
Keep it together, Gael. Do not cause a scene in your family’s restaurant.
“You need to find somewhere to go tonight. Have him come pick you up. You can pack your shit and leave tomorrow.” I catch my cousin’s eye and sign to her, I’ll text you later.
Okay, hope you’re good. I’m sorry, G.
Natalia gets up and walks away from the table and before she even gets out the door, I can hear her whispering into her phone. “Santi, can you come get me?”
Knowing that if I go home right now, all I’m going to do is take a bat to everything, I pull out my phone and send Kai a text.
Gael
Can I stop by? Nat and I broke up.
Kai
For sure. Do I need to bust out the tequila?
Gael
I’ll bring some.
“Fuck,” Kai mutters, bringing the glass to his lips and downing the tequila. “That’s some fucked-up shit, dude. Make sure you go get tested. Who knows what Santiago’s also been dipping in?”
I sit on Kai’s couch and sip leisurely, letting the burn from the alcohol numb the pain festering inside my chest.
“Am I just a piece of shit, Kai? Maybe I fucking deserved it, you know. I knew she wanted kids and wanted to get married… but it never felt right. What she wanted, the money, the status… I just don’t have that. Yet. Not saying that I won’t, but… she wanted that all right now.”
Kai pours more tequila into his glass and leans back in his chair.
“Don’t let her get to your head like that.
You’re a fucking amazing guy. Even if you had gotten married, she could have still cheated on you.
She wants the fame. He’s got the fame. She wants the money and he’s got it.
You think a piece of paper would stop her? ”
He’s right. Natalia probably would have slept with him even if we were married. I don’t even think it was about not being married or having kids. It almost feels like it was a cop-out. Just an easy thing to say to cause a rift between us.
“Can I crash here tonight? I told her not to come home tonight, but in case she does, I really don’t want to be there.”
Kai’s phone buzzes, and he doesn’t move to check it. “Bro, you don’t even need to ask.”
I motion to his phone. “Am I fucking up something for you?”
“Nah, it’s Isla.”
Ah, the stepsister.
The love of his life.
“Just make a move, man. The worst thing she could say is no.” It hurts to see him still pining for her, letting no one get close to him, hoping she’ll change her mind and finally be with him.
“She’s got a boyfriend.”
Fuck. That has to sting.
“I’m so—” and he cuts me off.
“Don’t be. She’s mine. Always has been mine. It’s only a matter of time before she sees it. I know it’s gonna happen. That motherfucker doesn’t stand a chance. Which reminds me, I have to go place a flower order. You know where the spare room is. Sheets are clean.”
Kai stands and pats my shoulder as he passes and heads down the hall to his room. Poor guy. I love Kai like a brother, so I really fucking hope that she doesn’t destroy him. Not that I can fucking talk. I’m letting a woman who apparently didn’t give two shits about me decimate my confidence.
My phone pings and thinking it’s my cousin, I dig through my pocket for it.
Natalia
I’ll come by the apartment while you’re at practice and I’ll leave the key in the mailbox. I will not apologize for what I did, but I will say I’m sorry for not ending things with you sooner.
Pinche puta.
Gael
Ok.
The alcohol gives me a little bit of courage, so I type out.
Gael
It’s only a matter of time before he does to you what you did to me. I just hope that fucking the big-time player was worth destroying our relationship. Because, let me be clear, I will never take you back.
I take the glasses and the bottle of tequila to the kitchen counter, rinsing and putting them in the dishwasher. Then grab a bottle of water from the fridge and head back to the spare bedroom. I can hear Kai in his room on the phone.
“Princess, just go home and go to bed. Do I need to come get you?”
I shake my head and head into the room, closing the door behind me. He’s got it so bad for her.
I kick off my shoes and tug my shirt over my head and toss it on the floor, then flop onto the bed. Bunching up the pillow, I lie there and just let the negative thoughts consume me.
Not good enough.
She cheated for six months.
Did she ever even love me?