“But he couldn’t throw anymore,” Gunner said quietly.
“No, he couldn’t.” She sniffed. “Love sucks.”
Gunner wrapped an arm around her shoulder. “I have no idea what you see in that guy.”
She laughed through her tears and punched him lightly in the side.
“But you gotta know he’s still in love with you.” He gave her shoulder a squeeze.
“He has a crappy way of showing it.”
“Yeah, well, he’s had a rough time lately. I don’t know if you’ve heard, but there’s this pitcher who won’t listen to him.”
She cocked an eyebrow. “Oh yeah?”
Gunner dropped his head back like an exasperated teenager. “He goes on and on about my grip.”
Tilly gulped. “You have short fingers.”
He pulled away from her, splaying his hands out in front of him and frowning.
She lifted a shoulder. “I noticed when I was showing you the ropes.”
He shoved her shoulder. “You and Brayden deserve each other.” He got an evil glint in his eye. “You know. If you wanted to make him really jealous …” He put his hand on her cheek.
“Youarea punk!” She shoved him away, laughing.
“So I’ve heard.”
“But you’re a good friend, too.” To her and to Brayden, though she wasn’t going to tell him as much. He and Brayden would have to work out their own issues. Some guys never really got along, and that was fine, as long as they respected each other. Maybe Gunner and Brayden were on that path.
He gave her a hug. “Make him work for it, ’kay? For me.”
She laughed. “I’m not even sure I can think about opening my heart to him again.”
“You’re already thinking about it.”
She blushed, because she was. What was a girl supposed to do with the boy who broke her heart?
Chapter Thirty-Two
Brayden
Brayden spent the evening gaming with Blake and Juan and trying not to think about what Tilly and Gunner were doing. Their avatars dropped into the battlefield as a group, and they gathered guns and ammo quickly. Brayden went after every enemy they came upon like they were Gunner. When a pic popped up on Gunner’s social media of him and Tilly at the indoor climbing facility, Gunner’s arm around Tilly, he threw his controller down and stormed out.
His buddies were cool with it. Too cool. He’d become so moody that a tantrum wasn’t anything to raise an eyebrow over. He’d have to work on that.
Right now, he was working on him and Tilly by sitting on his front porch, waiting for her and Gunner to pull up. Her Jeep was in the driveway. Clover had driven it home, Dustin following behind. They’d invited him to dinner, but he’d gone to Blake’s instead.
He didn’t have to wait long for them to show up. Thank goodness. The climbing facility closed at ten, and Gunner had an early practice in the morning. As Gunner’s truck turned the corner, Brayden got to his feet and walked down the sidewalk, planning a repeat of what happened in Atlanta, right down to the kiss. His fingers twitched with the need to wrap up in her hair.
Gunner hopped out of the truck and opened Tilly’s door. At least he had the decency to treat her right. Still, it irked Brayden that it was Gunner who had taken her climbing, Gunner who put his hand on her lower back, and Gunner who ignored him as they headed for her front porch.
He picked up the pace. “Evening,” he called.
Neither of them turned his way. They faced one another. Tilly’s head dropped back, and she took a deep breath.
Gunner grinned widely. “Can we have a minute?” he asked Brayden.
