Page 96 of Breakaway Hearts

“Thank you.” I clink my glass against hers and take a sip, letting the rich flavor sit on my tongue for a second before I swallow. “Actually, do you mind helping me get everything onto the table?”

“Not at all.”

The guys are chatting amongst themselves, catching Reese up on what’s been happening with the team while he’s been out. Jake sits near his father, flipping through a chapter book he must’ve brought himself.

Margo and I slip back into the kitchen, and she gives me a hand as I do a few last minute meal prep things. There are still a few minutes left on the oven timer, so I take the opportunity to clean the last of the dishes as Margo stands nearby, her hip braced on the kitchen counter.

“So,” she says, arching a brow at me. “How are things with Reese?”

My fingers slip on a dish, almost dropping it into the sink. She’s the only person who knows the truth about what we’re doing—or at least, most of it. We haven’t had many chances to talk about it since I unloaded my secret on her at the game that night, and I’m sure she’s been curious about what’s happening.

Well, that makes two of us.

“They’re good,” I say.

She makes a disbelieving noise. “That’s it? Good?”

“Well, they’re… confusing,” I admit.

“How so?”

I keep my gaze fixed firmly on the pot I’m washing, chewing on my lip for a second before I answer. “Because I think maybe I have feelings for him.”

My stomach flips itself over like a pancake as I realize what I just admitted to out loud, and Margo steps closer, leaning in and dropping her voice.

“Holy shit, really?”

“Yeah, but…” I give up on the last pot, deciding to let it soak for a while. Grabbing a towel, I finally turn to face her as I dry my hands. “It doesn’t matter. He still wants Sienna back, and I think she’s starting to want him too. So it’s stupid to feel this way. I’m not what he really wants. I mean, I’ll always have him as a friend, but this?” I gesture around at the house. “This isn’t real. It’s all a lie.”

“Huh.” She gives me an inscrutable look, crossing her arms.

“What?”

She lifts one shoulder. “I dunno. I’m just not sure it’s as much of a lie as you think it is.”

I twist the towel between my fingers, nearly chewing a hole through my lip. I don’t know what to say to that, but as her words bounce around inside my head, my heart rate picks up, nerves and hope battling inside me.

What Reese and I are doing now issafe. We have rules in place. We have an easy way out if we need it. If we decided to end this, it’d be simple enough to go back to just being friends.

But admitting to feelings beyond friendship would make that impossible.

If I let myself hope for more, it could all come crashing down.

I could lose him, maybe permanently.

And I don’t know if I could handle that.

Chapter33

Reese

The sound of the timer beeping in the kitchen draws my attention, and a minute later, Callie tells us all to head into the dining room.

Rebelling against her orders, I insist on helping carry stuff in from the kitchen, my eyebrows rising at the feast she’s prepared. Serving dishes I didn’t even remember I had are piled with chicken thighs, Brussels sprouts, potatoes, dill, feta cheese, and sautéed kale. My stomach rumbles at the sight and smell of it, Jake bounces in his seat as we set everything on the dining room table.

Noah kisses Margo lightly, holding out her chair for her with a sweeping gesture that makes her laugh, and then he takes the seat beside her.

Callie and I are the last to sit, and before she can slip into her seat, I tug her into my arms.

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