He gave a dismissive shake of his head. “I was judging you, wasn’t I? Telling you that you’d look back and see that you’d worked your life away. You were just being honest in return. Look at the difference between us, Julie. Because you’ve worked hard, you have a successful business and you own a beautiful home. I’ve played hard, and I don’t have a damn thing to show for it. In fact, I’ve lost everything I had worked for. What right do I have to be mad at you for telling me the truth?”
“It’s my fault that Ethan and Mike fired you.”
“Come on. You know better than that. That punch was the final straw. Nothing more. If it hadn’t happened, I would have done something else to justify my release. Either way, maybe this needed to happen.” He nudged her shoulder with his. “You’re right. I do need to grow up.”
Guilt churned her stomach. “Oh, Tommy.”
“Would you stop being so damn somber? I’m messing with you.” Then he gazed off into the distance. “Besides, when everything is taken away, you start to realize what’s really important. I miss fighting. And because of my choices, I won’t step foot in a CMC cage again. That’s humbling, you know?” Glancing at her, he sent her a tight smile.
“Yeah, I can imagine it is.”
The silence that fell between them was thick. Wanting to get back to the carefree way they had been moments before, she unzipped her jacket. “I got something for you, too.”
The corner of his mouth quirked up. “Really?”
She withdrew the present and handed it to him. After he ripped open the wrapping and lifted the lid, he froze for a moment with a breathed, “No shit.” He snapped his head over to gape at her. “Where did you find this?”
His amazement made her bite her lip to keep from grinning like a fool. “There’s a memorabilia sports shop in downtown Atlanta. I went over on my lunch break today and they had it.”
Awe etched on his face, he turned the baseball cap over in his hands. “Jesus, Julie. This is better than the first time you gave it to me, and it was pretty damn awesome then.”
Tommy had always been a huge Braves fan. That hat was the first big present she’d given him after she got her first job.
“There’s one more thing in there.”
He peered inside. “My iPod?”
“Yep.”
After he put an earbud in and hit play, his laugher finally made her grin break free. “Are you kidding? New Kids?”
“It’s not a tape, but I thought it’d work as a replacement.”
For a long moment, he studied her. As his gaze moved over her face, his delight faded to a seriousness that was so unlike Tommy it made her shift uncomfortably.
“Thank you,” he finally said with a grittiness to his voice she’d never heard before. He leaned over and kissed her cheek, whispering against her skin. “Best Valentine’s Day ever.”
“Yes, it is.”
As he leaned back, their eyes met and something odd happened. The air went suddenly still.
Her heart skipped a beat and a crackle zapped between them. Clearing his throat, Tommy reached over and ruffled her hair the way he used to do when they were kids. “You’re awesome, Lady J.
Think I’ll keep you as my BFF for another couple of decades.” He twisted open his Yoo-hoo and took a long swallow.
Julie blinked. Had she imagined all that sizzle?
God, she didn’t know. She wasn’t one to read into anything with Tommy because he was usually pretty straightforward and easy to read. Especially for her. But this was the first time she had ever felt what could possibly have been a mutual moment of attraction. Had it really been attraction, though? Definitely on her part. She wasn’t so sure on Tommy’s…
It easily could have been an emotional moment for him. She had given him two presents he had been very upset about losing yesterday. That had to have brought on some overwhelming feelings. Which definitely made more sense than the attraction thing.
She studied him now. Shoulders relaxed, face the same. He looked back at her with his usual casual smile. He shook an Airheads packet and tossed it to her. “Here. I know how much you loved these.”
Yeah, she’d definitely imagined it.
…
Tommy rolled over and cracked his eyelids open to check the alarm clock to see how much longer before he had to get up.
Six forty-five.
He shot straight up in bed. That couldn’t be right. He snatched the clock off the nightstand and groaned. He’d set the alarm for the correct time; he just hadn’t set it to go off. Damn it. He was supposed to have been up thirty minutes ago, and out of the house by now.
He blamed Julie. She’d fucked up his head after she’d given him her present, and continued doing so long after they’d parted for the night and gone to bed. Shoving the covers aside, he stalked across his room to the door.
There had been a freaky weird moment last night. Jesus. He’d almost kissed her. And not the way he usually kissed her—a peck on the cheek. He’d wanted to really kiss her. How nuts was that?
After tossing and turning most of the night, he’d finally found peace by connecting the ridiculous impulse to the emotions he’d been feeling at the moment—the overwhelming awe and affection he’d felt for her when he’d opened that gift had left him stunned. When he’d looked at Julie, the feelings had only quadrupled as he’d realized how much she listened to him, understood him, and was always there for him, no matter what.