Page 74 of On the Breakaway

Sloane grins. “I’ve earned it. I’ve given Wyatt and Grayson plenty of reasons to hover over the years.”

“Grayson hovers?” I ask before I can stop myself.

“Oh yeah, maybe worse than Wyatt. My brother and Grayson hit it off in their rookie year. Grayson’s family kind of took us in.”

Harper glances at me and wiggles her eyebrows. “That sounds really nice of him.”

I kick her under the table.

Sloane doesn’t notice. “Nice doesn’t even cover it. His mom still calls me sometimes just to check in.”

My food is set in front of me, so I lean back and throw out the same insult I used on him the other night. “He has one hell of a hero complex.”

Sloane smiles. “Who wouldn’t want to be saved by Grayson?”

The weight of those words presses down on me.

“Avery can’t stand the guy, actually,” Wesley says, swirling her straw through her drink, completely unaware of the inner turmoil she’s causing.

“Really?” Sloane looks surprised. “Why?”

Harper grins. “She thinks he’s too nice.”

“It’s not that,” I start, then stop, because maybe it is. “He’s always so collected. It feels performative.”

Then, as if it clears everything up, Wesley adds, “She’s got a weird ex-boyfriend thing that we don’t talk about.”

My mouth drops open. “I can’t believe you just said that.”

Wesley throws her hands up and shrugs.

Sloane just laughs. “Don’t we all have an ex-boyfriend thing we don’t talk about?”

The knot in my stomach loosens. “I like you more than them,” I tell her while flipping off Wesley across the table.

“I get the Grayson thing, though.” Sloane shrugs. “Some people are put off by the whole nice guy thing. Some people prefer impulsive and fiery instead.”

As in the type who would tell you to ditch a guy, shove you into a bathroom, then bury their face between your legs.

Except Grayson somehow manages to be both.

Before I can spiral, Wesley zeroes in on me. “Speaking of impulse, have you broken that dry spell yet?”

I choke on my drink while Harper nearly loses her mind beside me.

Sloane lights up. “Wait. There’s a dry spell?”

“Oh my God,” I mutter, dropping my head into my hands.

Wesley grins. “Answer the question.”

“First of all, yes. Obviously.”

Harper squints. “Obviously?”

“It’s not like I haven’t had opportunities. I just needed the right man for the job.”

Sloane points at me. “I need details.”