Page 49 of Breakaway to You

In a gentle voice, I asked, “How did things end between you and Anna?”

For a split second, he seemed surprised by my question. Whether it was the question itself or that I knew the relationship with Anna had changed him, I didn’t know.

His jaw clenched for a moment before he exhaled through his nose. “She left me…waiting for her at the altar.”

I stumbled as our feet continued to move, but he quickly steadied me. His answer shocked me, leaving me speechless. He’d been engaged to Anna? All his reservations and distaste for love and relationships clicked into place. It was easy to picture Zeke dressed up in a tuxedo—since I was currently dancing with that Zeke—waiting for his bride-to-be to walk down the aisle, only to be jilted. My heart hurt for him. He would be married now if she hadn’t left. The thought made me feel momentarily sick, but I pushed that away so I could focus on this man in front of me who was kind and fun and…hurt.

“I felt like such a fool.” He forced a chuckle, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “A whole church full of people. The decorations, the flowers, the cake. The works. Except the bride was nowhere to be found.”

My fingers tightened slightly on his shoulder. “Zeke, that’s—gosh, that’s awful. I’m so sorry.”

“Eh. Was a long time ago.” He shrugged like it didn’t matter, but I could see the flicker of something vulnerable beneath the surface.

“That kind of thing doesn’t just go away,” I said gently. “It must’ve really messed with you.”

He let out a low hum. “Made me rethink the whole ‘forever’ thing, that’s for sure. Doesn’t seem like a real thing to me anymore.”

I studied him, my expression shifting to what I hoped looked like understanding. “I get it. Not that I’ve experienced something as difficult as you, but I wanted to believe in forever, too, despite my childhood. Until my ex proved I’d been foolish to do so.”

Zeke’s grip on my waist tightened slightly. “Jordan.” It came out like a curse.

I nodded, my throat working as I swallowed. “He made me think we were solid. That I was the only one. Turns out, I was just one of many.”

“He’s an idiot,” he practically growled. “He never deserved you.”

“Maybe.” My voice was quiet, my fingers tracing the back of his neck absentmindedly. “But it still made me question everything. Especially love.”

He looked down at me, his gaze softening into something deep and unreadable. “Guess we’re both pretty messed up, huh?”

A small, sad smile tugged at my lips. “Seems that way.”

We swayed in silence for a moment, the music wrapping around us like a cocoon.

And then, before I could second-guess it, I tilted up my chin. Maybe it was the way he was looking at me, like I was something worth holding onto, or maybe it was the ache of shared scars between us. Either way, I started to close the distance, and Zeke met me halfway.

The kiss was slow, deliberate. His lips were warm, firm, and the moment they touched mine, something in my chest cracked wide open. His fingers curled at my waist, pulling me a fraction closer, deepening the kiss for a lingering moment before we both pulled back, breathless.

Zeke searched my eyes. “Piper?—”

“Don’t,” I whispered. “Just…let’s not ruin it.”

I wasn’t sure how we’d gotten from talking about being against love and relationships to sharing a kiss that felt like a whole lot more than just a kiss, but here we were. And I didn’t want to dissect it or try to explain it. I just wanted to revel in the moment, to enjoy the feel of being in his arms and having him kiss me like I was someone he cherished.

He nodded slowly, his thumb brushing over my hip. “Okay.”

We kept dancing, but everything between us had changed. Now I just had to figure out whether I wanted to deny it or accept it.

Chapter19

Zeke

My thumb hovered over the send button.

I shouldn’t be texting Piper. I couldn’t come up with a single good reason to justify sending this text to her. After our conversation on the dance floor during the gala, it was clear neither of us wanted a relationship, not now, not ever. So why was I still thinking about hermore than a month laterand wanting to be with her more now than I had before that conversation? Oh, yeah, that kiss we’d shared.

That kiss had been very different from our first kiss. The first one had been fueled by built-up tension, want, and so-called acting. But the gala kiss? (Yes, I’d named the kiss, so what?) That kiss had been out of connection, need, and for me, a sense of coming home.

It had freaked me out. Kissing Piper had felt right in a way that nothing else had in my life—maybe ever. But with everything I’d been through, I wasn’t built for love. Or at least, I didn’t think I was. My feelings for Piper were confusing. The only thing I knew for sure was that I craved to be with her. It didn’t matter if we were talking or not talking, doing a therapy session or riding the team bus, sitting in a hotel lobby or at a coffee shop, all dressed up on a dance floor or wearing sweats on the couch watching a movie—as long as I was with her, I was happy.

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