Page 133 of Breaking Rules

“I love you too.” I hug him back.

“Ben,” Tom calls, pulling me with him as he strides toward the living room. At the threshold, he lets go of my hand and eats up the space between himself and Ben.

“Yes?” My cousin cocks a curious brow at his boyfriend.

“To hell with it,” Tom mumbles. “I’m in love with you,” he says, looming over the couch. “And it’s driving me nuts. Literally. I can’t imagine my life without you. You’re my every day. You’re my past, and, most importantly, you’re my future. Every freaking day is better than the last because of you, because of your love and support. I’m the luckiest guy to have you all to myself. You’re my friend and my lover…and I hope you’ll agree to be my husband.”

Tom lowers to one knee and holds out a small box. “Will you marry me, Ben Lawson?”

The room falls silent, but in my mind, it’s a riot. God, this is the most beautiful moment.

Ben’s throat bobs as he swallows. He’s nervous. I cross my fingers, hoping with all my might I know what his answer is.

After several long seconds, he sighs. “I should’ve known you wouldn’t be able to resist making a scene.” He chuckles. “Yes, Tom. I’d be happy to call you my husband.”

The moment those words leave his mouth, the room erupts. Ben stands and helps Tom to his feet. Then, hand in hand, they stare at each other, lost in their own bubble. Tom slides the ring onto Ben’s finger, and then he captures his lips in a heated kiss. My heart is ready to jump out of my chest. I’m overwhelmed by happiness.

As if he and I are opposing magnets, I can’t stop myself from searching for Xander. When I find him, those gorgeous blue-green eyes are locked on me, his face bright. God, he’s so handsome, so kind, so incredibly caring. He’s my light, guiding me through the darkness. Never in my life have I been happier than I am with him.

CHAPTER42

LAST LOVE

BELLA

January

“Okay, I give up.”I pout. “Please tell me why we’re going to Miami.”

“Wish I knew. My sister hasn’t given me specifics.” Xander buries his nose in my hair and inhales. “A couple days away from Boston will do us both a lot of good, though.”

“Are you sure?” I glance at the runway out the airport window, watching a plane land.

“Yes. After divisional playoffs on Monday and all those articles and paparazzi, I’m exhausted, and I can imagine you need a break too.”

He’s not wrong.

I had my worries about Jake and his promises, but the day after he attacked me, Xander and the whole team got an email from management. I was bowled over. Jake went to rehab, claiming he’d had a nervous breakdown after our breakup. In his statement, he was very apologetic about letting down the fans and not being able to help the Warriors make it to the Super Bowl. He promised to get better and come back refreshed.

The support he got from management and the fans was astounding; in reality, it was just a PR stunt. Rumor is, Jake’s agent hired a crisis PR company to help navigate it all and make sure his reputation remains intact. And it worked.

The news about me and Xander broke two weeks later, right before the last game of the regular season. Since then, we can’t go anywhere without being hounded by paparazzi. Gossip magazines are sensationalizing our relationship, spinning lie after lie, each one worse than the last.

I turned off my DMs and comments on all social media; the messages I was getting were more than enough to disturb what little peace I’d found. To the world, I’m at fault for it all. I’m a cheating whore who ruined Xander and Jake’s friendship and put the Warriors’ chances for the Super Bowl at risk. Receiving death threats was the last straw for me.

Therapy is a priority, but with this public backlash, with Xander’s games and practices, with my own job, there just isn’t time to find a reputable therapist I mesh with.

Xander has helped me stay focused on the important things. He helps me remember that, even on the cloudiest of days, the sun is still there. I just can’t see it. He is my rock, despite how hard it all is on him as well.

Meg sent me an article in which the journalist dug into Xander and Jake’s college days and how much time they spent partying. Miraculously, he didn’t discover anything about Stacey. She definitely doesn’t deserve to be dragged into the spotlight.

Jake made a public statement through his rep the day after the first article about my relationship with Xander was published, insisting he respects my decision and wishes me nothing but happiness. He reassured the public that Xander wasn’t the reason we broke up.

Isabella was my first love. I naively thought we could build something new when we reconnected as adults, but we became different people during the years we were apart. I’m not the right guy for her. I never was.

Things have improved since then, but not much. We’re still villains in the public eye. Speculation that Jake was covering for us, that we are the reason he had a breakdown and went to rehab, is still rampant. Every day, I regret keeping my mouth shut about Jake’s attack.

“Yeah, a little break will be nice,” I say.

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