Ride Home To Me

Chapter 32

"How's it going hermano?" I ask into the phone.

"Not too bad," Dom says. "How's it going with your girl?"

I chew on my lip. "It's good." That's a lie. It's not good at all. It's already Thanksgiving and I still haven't told Letty about Natalia, and why seeing her at the races is making me so weird. And knowing that something is up, and I'm acting like it's not, isn't sitting too well with my girlfriend.

"Think I could actually get a name to go with the person this time?" he teases. I chuckle nervously, glancing across the kitchen at Letty. She glances at me with an annoyed look and walks out of the room. I sigh. Letty and I have been together for months but still haven't found the ability to tell Dom. At this rate, I'd be surprised if we made it to one year.

"You already got one hermano. It'll make sense soon as you get back," I say. I chuckle at his sound of exasperation. "Here you should talk to Vince. Hey V!"

I hear him get up and trip over Leon in the living room. Dom chuckles. "Well, have a good Thanksgiving Gabi," he says.

"We'll miss you tonight. As always," I say. "Talk to you later brother."

I pass the phone to Vince and leave him in the kitchen, going over to where the team is watching a movie. I spot Letty on the couch and go over to her, plopping myself down in her lap and leaning into her shoulder.

"What are you doing?" she asks, not taking her eyes off the TV.

"Getting comfy so I can cuddle with my girlfriend," I respond.

"You been real comfy giving me attitude lately," she says, irritated.

"Will you just shut up and let me love you," I grumble. I pretend not to notice when her breath catches in her throat at hearing my response.

I wrap an arm around her waist and nestle my head into her neck, smiling victoriously when I feel her arm wrap around me. I'm glad my face is hidden though, because at the gesture I tear up and feel the familiar ache in my chest that appears when I start thinking about my ma.

I hear Letty sigh before feeling her lips on my forehead.

"You good?" she mutters.

I respond only by squeezing her softly, silently thanking her when she gets the message and tightens her comforting grip around me.

When the movie finally finishes we set up the table and pray before eating. This year feels different, though. Last year Tony and Dom were gone, but now my ma is too. It's real quiet, and we go to bed without much talking, hoping for better days to come.

A few days later I pull into the parking lot in front of the bodega alongside the rest of the team.

I turn to them, pulling my bag out of the car. "I'm just gonna head into the back and get started-" I stop when I see Nati inside, wiping off the counter.

"Oh yeah this is the new hire," Letty says, throwing an arm over my shoulders. "Nati this is Gabi."

"Yeah, we've... met," I say tersely. I pull away and rush into the back, quickly setting up the paperwork that I came here to work on. I hear the team's voices out front before turning at the sound of the office door opening.

"What the hell was that?" Letty asks.

"What?"

"Where have you met her before?"

"Pretty sure it was at some party or something," I say dismissively.

Letty scoffs at my tone. "Wow. Okay then. I'm gonna go get a drink."