Page 70 of Breaking Rules

She slips it onto her head and pulls her hood up. “I just don’t want anyone to recognize me. If the paparazzi followed you home and are waiting outside… I don’t want to create more problems for you.”

I stand up and level her with a glare. “You’re not creating problems for me. I’m glad you’re here.”

The corners of her mouth tremble, but a small smile graces her features.

“And I’m glad you’re getting out. You haven’t been outside in, what? Three days?”

“I figured I’d take Milo for a walk. I wasn’t sure when you’d be home, but now that you’re here?—”

“No, no, no. You’re not bailing on Milo. He’s been patiently waiting for you. No need to upset him.” I pick up my bag and sidestep her. “Actually, I’ll go with you. Wait for me, please.”

“Okay, but hurry up.” She pushes up the sleeves of her hoodie. “I’m getting hot.”

Chuckling, I jog to my bedroom.Fuck yeah. Having her here makes me happier than I could have imagined. The rest of the team went out to celebrate our win, but all I wanted was to get home to Bella.

Fuck, I’m digging myself a grave.

She’s a friend. A friend who has been through a lot and doesn’t need to add any of my shit to her plate.

I’ve been tossing around ways to expose Miller without Bella’s involvement, but I haven’t settled on one. Now, it’s time to get serious about it.

* * *

As we cometo the intersection, Milo stops and sits without being told.

With a huge smile, Bella crouches and presses a kiss to his head. “Aww, he’s a smart boy.”

The way she praises my dog makes my chest feel lighter, and I can’t help but smile. Something is seriously wrong with me…but I don’t care.

For a while, we’re quiet, walking close, my shoulder almost touching hers. Milo slows us down, stopping here and there to sniff things or roll in the grass. His happy yips mix with Bella’s laughter, melodic and soft. What happened in college completely fucked me up, but watching them now heals the wounds of my soul just a little.

“Oh God!” Bella yelps. She scoops Milo up, then spins to me, wide-eyed. “What do we do?”

Dread fills me, but when I realize what the issue is, I smile. A German shepherd without a leash is ambling his way toward us.

“Everything’s fine. Put Milo down.”

The crease between her eyebrows deepens. “No way. What if he gets attacked?”

“He won’t.” I wrap my arm around her shoulder and hold her close. “Trust me.”

Tension rolls off her, and rather than put my dog down, she pulls him closer. I rub a hand up and down her arm, soothing her while we wait. If I know my neighbor, he’ll be out here any second. Typically, he only lets Pup off his leash to let him play, and he never lets him go too far.

“Pup!” A booming voice startles us as an older man runs toward us. “You’re a bad boy, Pup. You shouldn’t have run away from me.”

When Mr. Jensen catches up to his dog, he quickly clips the leash on and straightens.

“Hi, Mr. Jensen.”

“Xander, hey.” He breaks into a wide smile. “I was so worried Pup would scare someone, I didn’t realize it was you and Milo.” His eyes settle on Bella, and he grimaces, probably because she’s still locked up tight, Milo pressed to her chest. “Er, Miss, I’m very sorry if Pup scared you. My grandson put on his leash, but clearly he didn’t fasten it properly. He would never hurt you, I promise. He’s friendly and old, just like me. And he loves Milo.” He takes a step closer and holds out a hand. “I’m Mr. Jensen.”

She takes it but keeps Milo in her other arm. “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Jensen. I’m Isabella. I was just worried this little guy would get hurt.” She untangles herself from me and puts Milo on his feet. He instantly walks up to Pup, and they sniff each other, tails wagging.

“Pup would never hurt Milo. They’re old friends.” Mr. Jensen smiles warmly, his gaze shifting to me. “Congratulations on your win, by the way.”

“Thank you, sir.”

We chat for a minute, and then Mr. Jensen heads home for dinner.

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