“The feeling is mutual.”
“Are you going out with her?”
“I’m scarednotto.”
“Maybe you’re smarter than I thought you were. But if you kiss her, I will kill you.”
“Duly noted.” Gunner pulled his shoes out of the locker. “So, are you going to fight for her? She seemed to like the sound of that.”
Brayden nodded. “Yeah. I am. So seriously. I will kill you.”
Gunner backed away slowly and then darted for the door.
Brayden wasn’t that worried about Gunner making a move, but he’d sure as heck be waiting in his front room when Tilly came home, just to make sure she was alone on the doorstep. While he waited, he’d figure out how to dig himself out of this giant hole.
He’d get Tilly back no matter what he had to do.
Chapter Thirty-One
Tilly
Tilly pulled into the players’ parking lot after the afternoon game had finished and she clocked out. The guard waved her through without a pass or even a hard look. Maybe the news of her breakup with Brayden hadn’t gotten this far down the organizational chart, so he wasn’t that worried about letting her in. She didn’t care why she was able to enter the restricted area so easily; she was just thankful that she was able to park there and wait for Gunner.
Her cheeks flushed as she thought about walking in on him and Brayden fighting over her. That was so … dumb? And yet sweet-ish. If Brayden wanted to get back together, he should have talked to her, not Gunner.
And since when did he want to get back together? Since they’d kissed? Was he just looking for some lip action, or was there more to the new light in his eyes?
He’d said he’d been asleep—numb, even—since the accident. She could attest to the fact that he hadn’t been himself. Was he really just waking up from it all like someone waking up from a nightmare only to discover they actually did fall out of bed?
And then there was the ring. If he’d been about to propose, he’d been ready to spend the rest of his life with her. They’d talked about so many future details that a proposal wouldn’t have been a surprise. But it would have made her giddy. He’d been on the edge of a big change when he fell. His life altered that day, just not the way he’d planned. That could have sent him into a state of shock.
She set the parking brake and climbed out of the Jeep, needing big skies and lot of air as her mind replayed what had happened between her and Brayden over the past six weeks.
Gunner came out of the nondescript door, a bag slung over his shoulder. He saw her and changed his direction, dropping the bag at his feet and leaning against the Jeep. “’Sup.”
Tilly chuckled. “I’m sorry about last night. I kind of put you on the spot. If you don’t want to hang out tonight, I understand.”
He scuffed his shoe along the pavement. “Well, I could go home.” He lifted his eyes and gave her a once-over. “But you look like you could use a good time. And I’m all about having a good time, so …” He pumped his eyebrows.
She laughed and shoved his arm. “I didn’t even plan anything because I felt aweful for roping you into this.”
“Come on. I’ll drive.” He tipped his head towards his Dodge truck, all shiny and pretty. “I’ve got an idea.”
Tilly dropped into the passenger seat and buckled up. The truck was large enough that she’d had to hop to get in, and yet the inside was cozy. The gray leather was warm against her skin. “How was practice?”
Gunner pulled a sun reflector off the dash, folded it, and stowed it behind his seat. “Brayden put me through the wringer.”
She cringed. “Is he still mad about last night?”
He started the truck and pulled out of the lot. “I think his plan was to wear me out so that I would be too tired to go out with you.”
Butterflies fluttered in her stomach. She clasped her hands together and put them in her lap. “Sounds like him.”
They chatted for a few more minutes.
“We’re here.” Gunner pulled into the parking lot of an indoor rock climbing facility. The Climbing Crew brought first-timers here for lessons before heading out.
She tightened her fingers and they turned white. “I can’t climb.”
