Page 29 of A Love That Broke Us
“Yeah, that backfired real quick, didn’t it?” he says, laughing. “Do you remember how awkward the next morning was?”
“Um, yeah. I’ve spent the last two years trying to forget. Turns out Adam and Alley? Just friends.” I hold up my fist, and he taps it with his knuckles.
It’s funny. For so many years, I thought Adam wasthe one, back when I was too young to know what love really meant. I used to dream of him kissing me. It wasn’t that the kiss wasn’t good—itwasgood. But the energy was all off. We both felt it. Like it wasn’t meant to be. And standing here now, bantering and laughing with him, I feel nothing beyond the friends that we are. He’s safe. Familiar. But he doesn’t make my chest tighten or my pulse race. Not like Jensen. Jensen always gives me that fluttery feeling, the kind that tells you something good is about to happen if you just stick around long enough to find out.
Our laughter quiets, and after a beat, I say, “Michael told me about Andrea… how your engagement fell through. I’m really sorry. How are you holding up?”
He takes another sip, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallows, his mood shifting somber. “I’m doing alright. It sucks, but it’s for the best. It really is.” He nods, like he’s trying to convince himself. “Way to kill the mood, by the way.”
I laugh softly. “Yeah, sorry. I’m a lame-ass. I just haven’t seen you, and… I wanted to tell you that.”
He glances past me, then grins. “But look at you. Michael says you’ve got a new boyfriend. Tell me about him.”
My eyes light up. “I do. His name is Jensen. He’s funny, hot, successful?—”
I pause, Adam’s grin growing as he looks past me, eyes fixed on something behind me, like he’s trying not to laugh.
Before I can turn around, arms wrap around my waist and a deep voice sends chills down my spine. “Who’s funny, hot, and successful?”
My breath catches.That voice.
I whip around, practically squealing as I sling my arms around Jensen’s neck and he pulls me into a heated, gotta-have-you-right-now kind of kiss.Did he really just do this?
My heart bursts wide open, making all the room in the world for everything Jensen. He can’t be real. He tugs on my bottom lip before pulling back, and suddenly, I couldn’t care less about New Year’s or parties. I just want him. All to myself.
“You’re the best,” I whisper, tightening my grip around him. “Seriously, I can’t…” I stumble, shaking my head in disbelief. “How?”
Jensen chuckles, the sound reverberating off his chest. “I stole your phone for a second and got Michael’s contact info. He’s known for weeks.”
I gape at Michael, who’s now standing next to Adam and Stella.
“What? You knew?”
Michael laughs. “We all knew. Even Leo, when he picked you up yesterday. It’s been fun keeping this from you.”
My eyes land on Stella. “I can’t believeyouwere able to keep it a secret.”
“Oh, Stella didn’t know,” Michael says, still laughing. “I only told her twenty minutes ago.”
Stella shoots him a look that could kill.
“C’mon, babe! You’re awful at keeping secrets. You would’ve told her.”
“No, I wouldn’t have.”
I turn back to Jensen while Michael and Stella continue to bicker. “I’m so happy you’re here.” A smile is permanently plastered to my face—seriously, my cheeks actually hurt from grinning. It’s him. He’s here. And somehow, he just keeps getting better. “You’re making me feel a lot of things right now, Jensen Adams. And now I kind of want to get out of here and thank you properly for being the best surprise I’ve ever had.”
“Oh yeah?” he replies, one brow raised. He leans in for another kiss. “Well, I won’t say no to that… but I did just fly across the country to party with you on New Year’s Eve. And if we leave now, you might regret it later.”
I shake my head. “Uh-uh. Nope. I wouldn’t.”
He presses a kiss to my forehead. “Why don’t you introduce me to your friends, and I promise you can make it up to me later.” Then he leans in, whispering against my skin, his breath hot. “After I really give you something to thank me for.”
Heat spreads through my core.Holy hell. How does he do this to me?My whole body melts, and it takes everything I have not to drag him out of here right now. I have to literally give myself a mental pep talk just to chill.
With a deep breath, I turn back to the group and officially introduce Jensen to my friends and family. Jensen naturally charms everyone, and I savor every second of having him here with me.
The night is absolutely perfect, everything I could’ve wanted and so much more. Jensen and Leo hit it off, their shared connection through Matt making conversation easy. They chat for a bit, but he spends most of the night with me, his hand in mine, making me feel like the luckiest girl in the room. And when midnight comes, Jensen’s lips meet mine—fierce and all-consuming, like he’s claiming me for the year to come.
