“How do you know that?”
Gunner looked over toward Scott and then back at me. “Look at who he’s watching like a hawk. He can’t keep his eyes off her. ”
Josh and I both noticed at the same time, and then we both asked, “Jessie?”
“Yep. He stopped by the other night, and we had a few beers. He opened up and said he hasn’t been able to stop thinking about her since the night he drove her home after they dropped off my drunk ass. ”
“Really? Jessie, huh?” I said with a smile on my face.
“Dude, Ari is so head over heels in love with you. You ain’t got nothing to worry about,” Josh said with a chuckle and started toward the bar.
After about four beers, I was feeling pretty good. Ari was having fun, and Ellie was so damn happy that my heart was overflowing.
That was when I saw the bastard talking to the DJ. What in the hell is his romantic ass up to? “Ah hell…what’s he doing, Josh?”
Josh looked over toward Gunner and shrugged his shoulders. “Don’t know. ”
Gunner started to walk back toward us, but he was focusing only on Ellie.
“Holy hell, Ellie. That boy is looking at you with nothing but love in his eyes,” Amanda said.
I glanced over at Brad and Amanda. She was sitting on his lap, and his hands were on her belly. I smiled, thinking about how far they had both come in the last few weeks.
Then, Kenny Chesney’s “Because of Your Love” started to play. Gunner walked up and reached for Ellie’s hand. “Dance with me?”
Ellie smiled and stood up as he kissed the back of her hand. As they were heading out to the dance floor, Gunner turned around and winked at me.
I watched while they were dancing, and Ellie buried her face into his chest. I had to hand it to him. He made my sister happy. I grinned just a bit at the thought of my best friend and sister being so in love with each other.
“He loves her so much,” Ari said from behind me. She put her arms around me and kissed my cheek.
“I know he does. ”
“He’s so sweet with the way he’s always sweeping her off her feet. ”
Wait. What?
She moved around and sat down next to me, facing Amanda and Heather.
“Did Ellie tell you how he packed up everything the other day and took her and Alex to the river for a picnic?” Heather asked.
The other two sighed.
I looked over at Josh, and he just smiled and shrugged his shoulders. Then, I glanced toward Brad.
“Don’t even try, dude. He’s got us all beat,” Brad said.
Fuck this shit. I stood up and walked over to the DJ. I can be just as romantic as Gunner.
I asked the DJ to play a certain song, and he gave me a thumbs-up. When I went back to our table, I noticed Brad and Josh laughing at me.
Bastard friends.
Ari tilted her head at me and smiled. Gunner and Ellie were standing there, talking to Heather, when I sat down.
Leaning down, Gunner whispered in my ear, “Hope you picked a good song. ”
I snapped my head around to him. He started laughing, and I was just about to curse his ass out when “Like Jesus Does” by Eric Church started.