“Really, Gunner? If it was so long ago and meant so little to you, why didn’t you tell me about it the minute she started coming on to you yesterday?”
Fuck! I didn’t think Ellie had noticed how Victoria kept flirting with me yesterday. “Ellie, sweetheart, please don’t do this. Please don’t bring up something from my past that is meaningless. You’re my life, Ellie. You and Alex. You know this!”
“Ellie, are you coming with us or not?” Ari asked.
Ellie looked at me and gave me a weak smile. Thank God she’s seeing how silly she’s being.
“I’m gonna stay. Put ice on your hand, sweets,” Ellie said to Ari.
“I’ll call you tomorrow,” Ari said with a smile before she started to leave with Jeff.
“I love you, Ells. You know how much I love you,” I said.
She smiled and nodded. “Oh shit! I have Jeff’s truck keys.”
When Ellie turned to go after them, she ran right into Jessie, Drake’s daughter. Aaron, Jenny, and Dewey were following right behind Jessie.
“Oh my god, I’m so sorry!” Ellie said.
Jessie started laughing. “No worries, Ellie. How are you?”
Ellie glanced at me and then back at Jessie. “I’m good. Thank you for asking.”
When Ellie looked back at me, I instantly remembered how jealous Ellie had gotten when she saw me talking to Jessie in the barn.
“Hey, Gunner! Shit, you remember all the good times we had here?” Dewey said with a smile.
“Yeah, good times.” I smiled at him.
“Fuck…you and Jess had your first kiss here, didn’t y’all?”
Ah shit. Dewey and his big mouth.
Jessie started laughing. “Yep! That’s right. One of a few kisses!” She winked at me and then looked at Ellie. “We were in high school. It was so very long ago.”
Ellie slowly turned and glared at me.
Oh, son of a bitch. Why is this happening?
“Like a sister…right, Gunner?” Ellie turned and walked off.
“Ellie!”
I followed her out of the dance hall as Jeff was about to walk back in.
Then, he saw Ellie coming out. “Oh, good. You got my keys, Ells?”
“Will you drop me off at Emma and Garrett’s place, please?” She handed him the keys and walked to the truck.
“Ellie! Stop!” I jogged over and grabbed her arm. “Why are you acting like this? All this shit happened years ago, Ellie. Stop being so damn jealous over nothing.”
“What else have you not told me, Gunner? Any other girls gonna walk in tonight and say how they kissed you or fucked you?”
I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. This is so stupid. “Ellie, this was so long ago. It was before you and me, and really, the way you’re behaving is stupid and childish. We’re married with a baby for fuck’s sake.”
The moment I saw the tears forming in her eyes, I felt sick to my stomach. “Wait, sweetheart. I didn’t mean to just say that—”
“Just stop. I’m leaving. I’ll see you in the morning.” She turned and jumped into the back of the truck.
I looked over at Jeff as he shrugged his shoulders.
“Is she pissed about Victoria? I thought she got over it.”
I ran my hands through my hair as I headed over to him. “Fucking Dewey mentioned how Jessie and I had our first kiss here. The first time Ellie saw me talking to Jessie, she got jealous, and I told her Jessie was like a sister to me when I was growing up.”
“Uh-huh. A sister you kiss?”
I let out a breath and shook my head. “It was high school, Jeff. I’d say that’s far enough back that she shouldn’t worry!”
“Dude, I would think it has more to do with the fact that you told her you were only friends, and now, she just found out that you kissed her.” Jeff raised his eyebrow at me. “Y’all date?”
I looked back at the dance hall. Fuck, this is not happening. I turned back toward the truck. Jeff had given Ari the keys, and she had started his truck, so there was no way Ellie could hear us talking.
“For a bit, right before I started UT, but we weren’t meant to be anything other than friends,” I said.
“You sleep with her?”
I looked at him, and the moment our eyes met, I didn’t have to give him my answer. He shook his head and walked toward the driver’s side of the truck. I stood there and watched them drive off with a sick feeling in my stomach.
“I take it you never told Ellie we were more than friends?” Jessie said from behind me.
“No, no, I didn’t, Jessie. The first time she saw us together, she got insanely jealous. I didn’t think it would matter. It was so long ago.”
Jessie let out a laugh. “Yeah, it was a long time ago. You were never worried she might ask about the first time you had sex?”
I turned and looked at her. “No. Why the fuck would she ever ask me that?” I walked past her to head back into the dance hall. I need a damn drink.
When I saw Scott at the bar, I walked over to him and slapped him on the back. Jessie came in right behind me, and I noticed when Scott did a double take at her.
“Holy shit, is that little Jessie Rhodes?”
“Yep.”
“Damn. She grew up…and she looks like a girl. I mean, she looks like a woman…a very hot woman.” Scott took a drink of his beer.
I glanced back toward Jessie. She was talking to Josh and Heather, and I assumed Heather was getting her caught up on everything.
Scott and I talked at the bar for a while longer. I lost count on how many beers I’d downed. Scott kept looking over toward where Jessie and Heather were talking.
“You should go say hi and catch up with each other. Didn’t you like her for a bit in high school? Before Chelsea? Jessie always had the hots for you.” I downed my beer.
Scott turned to me. “What? How do you know that?”
I looked at him and smiled as I stumbled back. Why is the fucking room spinning? “When I fucked her, she called out your name.”
Scott shook his head. “Nice, Gunner. You’re fucking trashed, dude.” He grabbed my arm and walked us over toward our table.
“Looks like Gunner got himself drunk. I’m gonna take him home. Any volunteers on who can drive his truck back?” Scott asked.
I tried to stand perfectly still. Shit, I haven’t been this wasted in a long-ass time.
Jessie jumped up so fast that it caused me to take a step back. I ended up tripping over a chair, and I started to fall backward, but Scott and Josh jumped up and caught me.
“Jesus H. Christ, Gun. How much have you had to drink?” Josh asked.
“Well, he just downed at least six beers in the last thirty minutes while we were talking at the bar. Not sure how many he had before I got here,” Scott said.
“I’ll drive his truck!” Jess announced. “I mean, I think he should drive with you, and I’ll follow y’all in his truck.”
I looked at Scott and raised my eyebrows. I was just about to say, I told you so, when he grabbed me, and we headed out the door.
Shit, I wish the room would stop spinning.
I was pacing back and forth in the living room, trying to remain calm. For the last thirty minutes, I’d been trying to call Gunner. When the bartender from the dance hall answered Gunner’s phone, I was stunned. I was guessing that Gunner must have dropped it or left it on the bar.
Where is he?
I grabbed my cell and called Heather.
“Hey,” I said.
“Hey, sweets. Is Gunner home yet?”
“Um…no. When did he leave?”
“Well, he was really wasted, so Scott was giving him a ride home, and Jessie was following them in Gunner’s truck.”
Oh, just great. I can’t believe he got drunk. “Well, I guess that’s my fault he got drunk. I acted like an insecure, childish brat,” I said.
“No, sweets. He really shouldn’t have lied to you about Jessie,” Heather said.