Page 136 of Breaking Rules

“Why?” I ask, readjusting my hands around his neck.

“I just wanted to swim a little, to kiss you under the moonlight and go back to our warm bed. But the moment I had your legs wrapped around my waist, my mind turned into jelly.” Xander laughs, spinning us around. “God, I love you. I have no idea how I survived all these years without you. I wasted so much time on the wrong people.”

“All those wrong people led us here, to this moment.” I cradle his face, forcing him to look at me. “And now you’re stuck with me.”

“And you’re stuck with me.” He steals a quick kiss before leaning back. “You’re my perfect match, Bella.”

I close the distance between us and kiss him, over and over again. I don’t want to let him go.

Love is a simple, four-letter word…but the feeling it signifies bestows the power to change everything. Xander’s love for me has turned me into a believer. I believe in our love for each other. I believe in us, in our future.

He’s my second-chance love. Our bond is way stronger than anything I’ve ever felt before. It’s deep and overwhelming. Our love makes me feel like I’m losing my mind.

To be loved by a man like him is exhilarating—a man who can touch my soul with his words, heal my wounds with the touch of his fingertips, ease my pain with just a peck on my forehead. He’s an attentive lover, caring boyfriend, and wise best friend. He’s my everything.

Xander is the place my mind wanders to when it needs a break from my racing thoughts. He makes me happy in a way no one else ever has.

There’s no one else for me.

He’s my last love.

CHAPTER43

YOU OWE ME A WISH, MR. QUARTERBACK

XANDER

February

“How do you feel?”Garcia stops beside me. We’re shoulder to shoulder, watching people fill the Sharks’ stadium in Miami.

“Good. Ready to get that trophy.”

“I thought you got your trophy when Isabella agreed to be with you.”

“Bella isn’t my trophy.” I turn to face him, arms crossed. “I’m not with her because of how she looks. She’s my person.”

“Wow.” Carter whistles, joining us. “Sounds to me like you’re ready for the big step.” He gives me a hard slap on the back before he puts me in a headlock and runs his knuckles over my hair. “Are you going to steal the show and propose to your girlfriend?”

“Steal the show? Nah.” I laugh and push him away. “Happiness loves silence. Do you remember Logan Jones from the Beavers?”

Carter huffs a laugh. “How could anyone forget? The guy helped his team win three Super Bowls. He’s a fucking legend. Why?”

“He proposed to his girlfriend after that first win, but no one knew until months later. He did it in the middle of the empty stadium so the moment could be just between the two of them.”

“So…are you planning to propose to Isabella or not? You lost me.” Garcia frowns. “Meg loves grand gestures. She wouldn’t mind if I proposed for everyone to see.”

“Bella is the total opposite. And no, I don’t have plans to propose.” The thought flashed in my head when I saw her reaction to Tom getting on one knee for Ben. It’d be the most logical continuation of our love, but it’s too soon.

“Like, never?” Garcia scratches his jaw.

I groan. “Just not now. This whole thing with Miller…”

The fucker didn’t pay for any of his wrongdoings. He didn’t pay for drugging Stacey. He didn’t pay for all the abuse he inflicted on Bella. Even now, in “rehab,” he’s posting Stories about his everyday life on Instagram. He kept his place on the team because management didn’t want backlash, and with Isaiah Gibson helping us get here today, they’re happy. I was so fucking tempted to tell them the truth about Miller. My words could easily be his undoing, but he outplayed me with the help of his agent and PR company, and I was forced to stay quiet.

Garcia’s face pales. “Sorry, man. I shouldn’t have brought it up.”

“Thanks.”

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