Page 33 of Breakaway to You

“But you like her?” He seemed genuinely interested in my answer, and I wasn’t sure if he was grilling me to see how serious I was or if he was protecting Piper.

Answering that question was easy though. “Yes. I really like her.” And that was the truth.

How far that like went I wasn’t sure, but I did like Piper. I always looked forward to seeing her, never got sick of being around her, and thought about her way too much when I wasn’t with her. So, yeah, I could safely say Ireallyliked her.

The bartender took my order and started making the drinks.

“That’s good, I guess.” Holden took a sip of his drink and then asked, “Is that allowed? You and her? I didn’t even think of Piper as an option to date since she works for the team.”

I stiffened. “She’s not an option.” My voice came out gruff. The thought of her dating Holden, or any guy on the team, did not sit well with me.

He held up a hand. “Calm down, Hulk.” He shook his head. “I don’t think of Piper that way. Yes, she’s beautiful, but you know I’m not in the market to be in any kind of relationship.” He gave me a knowing look. “Something we used to have in common.”

Holden and I had similar backgrounds, with our parents not being a part of our lives. He luckily had an aunt and uncle who had taken him under their wings, but both of us were all too familiar with the solitary life. It was easier to keep people at a distance. That way, being alone was the norm, not something to dwell on.

The bartender slid the three drinks toward me.

“Good luck with Piper.” Holden lifted his glass to me in a mock toast.

I nodded a thank you and tapped my glass against his.

“What are you ladies toasting to?” Ryder asked, resting his arms around my and Holden’s shoulders. “Lawson, don’t tell me that you’re drinking a club soda.” He looked genuinely disappointed in me.

“Okay.” I set the drink back down. “I’m not drinking club soda.”

I could smell the alcohol on his breath, his face between mine and Holden’s. “C’mon, have some fun. We won tonight.”

“I am having fun,” I told him.

There were a few things I’d learned as I’d gotten older. One: I can’t drink like I used to when I was young. Two: Everything changes when you turn thirty. And three: I don’t have to drink to have a good time.

Okay, and possibly four was that my definition of a good time has changed too. I wanted nothing more than to go back to the table to drink club sodas with Piper. Heck, I’d actually prefer not to be in this bar but back at my place with her, sitting on the couch watching a show or talking. Yeah, times had definitely changed.

Ryder must have seen me looking over at Piper. “Oh, I see how it is. That does look like fun.”

Ignoring that comment, I grabbed the three glasses and left Ryder and Holden at the bar.

I came here to hang out with the team, but all I wanted to do was get back to Piper. To protect her from Jordan, of course. No other reason whatsoever. And it definitely didn’t have anything to do with the buzz I was feeling—a buzz that had nothing to do with alcohol and everything to do with that kiss.

Chapter13

Piper

Ihad kissed Zeke Lawson.

I couldn’t believe it. And I guessed neither could Seth.

“I knew something was going on between you, but I didn’t knowthat”—he gestured toward where the kiss had happened—“was going down.”

I shrugged, trying to act more calm than I felt. In the heat of the moment, kissing Zeke had seemed like the right thing to do. My emotions had been all over the place, and I had been so happy to see him that I had let my body take control. Probably not my best idea, but what was done was done. Now I had to figure out what to do next.

I needed to talk to Zeke and see how we wanted to navigate this new situation. He had been the one to start it all, but I had definitely catapulted our fake relationship into the real world. Now that the entire team knew something was going on between us, news would travel to my boss, Raymond, and I wasn’t sure how he would feel about me dating a player. It was against the rules, but some teams took the enforcement of those rules more seriously than others. It was like déjà vu all over again. Except this time, it was fake. But I was worried it would have real consequences.

“I thought, after Jordan, you’d never date a hockey player ever again. Especially one on the team you work with,” Seth said, speaking truthfully since I hadliterallytold him I’d never date a hockey player again.

Seth had been there during it all, and after the embarrassing public breakup with Jordan, I had vehemently declared I would never again date another hockey player or someone I worked with. Yet, here I was, making out with a hockey player—from the team I worked for—in a bar for all to see.

For a split second, I wanted to tell Seth it was fake, that I wasn’t really dating another hockey player. He and I were friends, and I was pretty sure he would understand. So why I wasn’t opening my mouth and confessing the truth was a mystery.

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