“Did he say the right things?”
She nodded, her cheek rubbing against the soft cotton of his shirt. “I guess I need to learn to trust his words again.”
“That’ll take time. Like building your own team.”
“We used to feel like a team.” She looped her arm through his. “Can we get back to that?”
“Maybe. Maybe not. But if you can get through this, you can get to a place that’s sweeter.” He patted her knee. “The two of you are evolving, and that always involves pain. Just don’t let the pain win.”
She squeezed his arm. “I’ll try.” It was one thing to work on getting over Brayden, to forgive the pain and heartache so she could say goodbye. It was quite another to work through it so she could say hello.
“Look for the good in him. It’s there. That will make it easier.”
Tilly had always considered herself a strong woman, independent, but she wasn’t sure she was strong enough to look at Brayden and not feel the betrayal.
Later that week, Tilly had just finished up with a tour that had her swearing off children forever when she bumped into Harper Richmond in the hallway of the front offices.
Harper winked. “How are things with you and Brayden?”
Tilly thought about the explosive and telling kiss she’d shared with Brayden had on the “set-up” road trip. She couldn’t prove that Harper had worked it so she and Brayden were both on that roadie, but she highly suspected the happily-in-love woman had made it happen.
“We’re in a weird place,” she answered honestly.
Harper grew thoughtful. “That explains a lot.”
“It does?” Tilly scooted closer, caught by Harper’s hook.
“He explored a few options before accepting the latest assignment. It was almost like he didn’t want to leave town.” She winked. “I thought you were sick or something, because he acted like he didn’t want to leave you.”
“Wait—he tried to stay behind?” Tilly’s hand hiked to her stomach. “No way.”
“He cares more about you than his job, but Isaac advised him to take the shot. You don’t ask to sit on the bench—you know?”
Tilly nodded, still trying to wrap her head around this new information. Brayden was all about baseball. He’d reluctantly gone into coaching, but she’d seen him in the bullpen. He was a natural. And the way he’d gotten through to Gunner, who put up one heck of a fight, was admirable.
Maverik had told her to look for the good. Prioritizing her over his career was a big plus sign in his favor. She understood why he had to go. She would have told him to leave, even though they weren’t settled. Baseball was different than any other career choice in the world—it was a way of life—and yet the crazy schedule, adoring fans, and stardom all felt natural to her. Being with Brayden was natural.
Harper’s secretary joined them, ushering Harper away to some conference call. Tilly hardly remembered to say goodbye because her thoughts were so focused on Brayden. If she was looking for some good, she’d found some.
A small tear in her heart stitched together. She wasn’t better, but it was a start.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Brayden
The practice facility in Denver wasn’t terrible. There were some ballparks that barely provided the basics. Others went all out for visiting teams. This one was the middle of the road. Brayden was in the cage, working with Gunner. He managed to avoid the guy in social situations—they’d agreed that they wouldn’t be friends—but they still had private practices.
His phone chimed and he pulled it out to check the message. The flowers he’d sent Tilly had arrived. That was awesome. He’d spent an hour online looking for something that reminded him of her, of the desert gypsy she’d been before the accident. He wanted the flowers to remind her of who she was too. Besides climbing indoors with Gunner, she hadn’t gone climbing at all. That was sad. She was meant to be out there, scaling cliffs and conquering mountains.
A ball whizzed past his head, practically shaving his temple. “Dude?! What the heck?” he bellowed at Gunner.
Gunner grunted. “I’ve been throwing grapefruits for the last five minutes and you haven’t said a word. Quit wasting my time.”
He rubbed his eyes with his finger and thumb. “I’m checking on Tilly.”
“Leave your bleeding heart at the door, will you? I’m closing tonight.”
Brayden shook his head to clear it. He’d thought about Gunner’s appearance on the mound on the plane ride. “You could confuse them with a cutter.” He dangled the information out there. “No one’s seen you throw a decent one yet.”
