Page 27 of Breakaway Hearts

The movers haul my suitcase and backpack upstairs, and I direct them to the spare room—which, like the rest of the house, is absolutely spotless. Oh man, Reese is in for a rude awakening if we’re about to be roommates. He knows me, and he’s been to my place, but I always make it a point to tidy up before he arrives. And by tidy, I mean stuff everything into a closet.

I can’t really do that in his house.

Once they’ve dropped off my backpack and suitcase, I walk the movers downstairs, thanking them profusely, and close the door as they drive away. Then I pad through the foyer into the living room and plop myself down on the couch.

The adrenaline that surged through me as soon as I saw the smoke rising from my building slowly starts to ebb away, and I glance around at the living room walls, which look somehow both familiar and strange at the same time. Maybe it’s because the last time I was here, it was as a guest, not a resident.

How did I go from fake dating my best friend… to living with him?

Chapter9

Reese

I pass the puck a little clumsily to Noah, who shouts at me above the din of the arena, but it’s clean enough that he gets a stick on it and makes a shot on goal. It barely misses, and although the crowd groans, we keep pressing for an opening.

I can’t help but be alittledistracted, what with the fact that Callie’s apartment went up in flames and she’s probably moving into my house at this exact moment. But I focus all my attention back on the ice, letting the years of practice and training take over. I’m not entirely on autopilot, but I’m relying heavily on the muscle memory that I’ve spent thousands of hours building up.

The game goes by in a blur, and we end up scraping by with a win against the Royals, two to one.

As we shake hands and make our way back to the locker room, all I can think about is Callie.

I reach into my bag for my phone before I get changed out of my gear and heave a sigh of relief when I read her text saying she’s moved in safely. I type out a reply telling her that the game just ended and that I’ll be home soon. She responds, congratulating me for the win followed by a confetti emoji and a smiley face.

I grin and tuck my phone back into my bag before undressing and hopping into the showers. I’m enjoying the hot steam when Noah glances over at me.

“Hey, man,” he says, scrubbing at his dark brown hair under the spray of water. “You seem a little distracted. Everything alright in paradise? Honeymoon stage over already?”

“Shut up,” I shoot back with a laugh. “Nah, things are okay. Well, not really okay, but Callie and I are great. There was a fire at her place right before the game, and the fire department evacuated everyone from the building. So I moved her into my place for the time being.”

Noah whistles. “Damn, that sucks.”

“Tell me about it.”

“But isn’t it a little soon to be moving in together?” Noah ducks his head under the water to rinse the shampoo out of his hair. “I mean, you guys just started dating.”

“I’m not worried about it,” I say, and that’s true. Callie and I are just friends, even if everyone else thinks we’re a couple. Nothing is going to be different just because we’re under the same roof. “Besides, it’s a temporary arrangement. And there’s no way I’m going to let her be homeless for however long the repairs take.”

Noah nods, and there’s a look in his eyes that suggests he would’ve done the same for Margo in this situation, no matter what stage of their relationship they were at. I know he would’ve. The guy was smitten from the moment he laid eyes on her.

“Alright, I trust your judgment. I’m assuming you’re not coming out tonight then?”

“Can’t,” I say without a hint of hesitation. “I need to go home and check on Callie. I bet she’s all shaken up from the fire.”

“I get it.” He steps out from beneath the water, grabbing a towel and wrapping it around his waist. “Give her my best. If she needs anything at all, we’re here for her.”

I grin, warmed by his concern for her. I plan on making sure there’s absolutely nothing she needs, but it’s good to know the guys have her back too.

“Thanks, I’ll let her know.”

I finish rinsing off and follow him back into the locker room, where the rest of the guys are changing and wrapping up for the night. I get dressed and take care of my post-game interviews as fast as possible, then slip out without another word.

I speed home, and when I pull into the driveway, I take a second to compose myself as best I can. I won’t lie and say it was a complete shock when Callie told me there was a fire at her building. It always seemed like the place was an inch away from falling to the ground.

But for Callie, that place was home.

And as much as I’m kicking myself for not getting her out of there sooner, she doesn’t need me ragging on that right now. She needs someone to be her rock.

“I’m home!” I call when I open the door.

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