Page 89 of Your Rule to Break
“I thought we weregoing to dinner?” I ask as Zack parks outside my favorite bakery. He says nothing but gives me one of those devilish smirks, one that makes me want to take us back home and throw him into the bedroom. I stretch my neck, pushing the attraction down as Zack opens the door for me and offers a hand.
I stand and take in New York City in peak fall. Soon, the leaves will be clinging to the trees for as long as they can, and then the snow will come. I take a deep breath and it’s almost like the air is telling me I'm right—it's also saying it’s time to find my winter coat.
Zack walks me to the door, and I look in to see lights on and some of my favorite bakers moving around the space. They close at 3 PM so there’s no reason anyone should be here four hours later than that.
“What’s going on?” I ask, looking up into the eyes of the man who has stolen my heart. The man who worships my body and makes me feel like I’m worthy of his affection and time.
“It’s our real first date.” His face lights up as he gestures to the building. “I’m taking you on the one I told myself I would if I ever got the chance.”
The memory hits me. Zack telling my parents, Eliza, and Mitch about our first date at the family dinner I brought him to. The one we never went on but I still think about. The one that took my breath away.
“We’re making croissants?” I squeal, looking inside to someone waving at me.
“Yes, my girl. Croissants and coffee. They’ll make us something for dinner since we can’t eat these croissants tonight.”
My heart melts with each thoughtful word. I go on my tiptoes to kiss him, and I can’t pull myself close enough.
“You’re so sweet to me. Thank you,” I say in between kisses.
“I know it might be unconventional to do something like this on a first date, but I don’t care.” He looks around before finding my eyes, and my stomach drops.
“Emilie James, I love you. All of you. All the time.” He holds my hands with his. “I’ve been trying to find the right time to say it, but all I know is I can’t go another second without telling you.”
I feel a smile reaching my eyes, my cheeks pinch.
“My dream first date with the love of my life,” he says before placing a sweet kiss on my mouth.
“I love you. To the moon. To the stars. To wherever life takes us. I’m yours, Zack.”
He presses his forehead to mine, and we soak in each other’s confession before my teeth start to chatter.
Zack opens the door and the warmth of the bakery wraps around me, comforting and soothing. But even that isn’t a match for the way Zack’s love makes me feel.
Epilogue
Emilie
ONE YEAR LATER
“It’s a trick play!” someone screams in the suite and everyone has their noses practically touching the glass as they jump up and down in excitement.
Zack doesn’t throw a touchdown, but he does snap the ball to the punter who picks up a few yards with his legs before throwing it to a Cosmos player. First down! The drive stays alive, and Willow hugs me as we watch Tripp run back out to the field.
When Zack and Tripp pass each other, running on and off the field, they take the time to do their ridiculous handshake, which ends with them acting like they’re taking a selfie. I’m sure Tripp is rolling his eyes behind his helmet, but this has Zack written all over it.
“This is wild!” Brooks cheers, standing next to me, eyes wide and cheeks warm with a smile. He claps loudly and goes along with a Cosmos chant Riley starts in the suite.
“I can’t believe I'm at a Cosmos game, in a suite, and fucking Brooks Pittman is here,” Mitch says, eyes wide as he looks up to the 6’5 NBA player. Eliza pats his chest and shakes her head as she takes a swig of her white wine.
The Cosmos are on their revenge tour, or that’s what Zack calls it. Last season, the team fell short in the division round and didn’t make it to the Super Bowl. Right now, they have the best record in the league with only one loss, which is saying something for October football.
There’s a ton to cheer for but mostly my heart swells at the full suite. We have the full Andersen family: Brooks, Riley, and even Zack’s parents. Seeing them together makes my heart squeeze in the best way. While things may have been uncertain and rocky in the beginning, it’s been a dream watching Zack get to know his half-brother. It’s amazing they’re within driving distance of one another—it’s wild how life works out sometimes.
The Andersen family is the kind of accepting you’d hope for in your own. Unfortunately, my parents don’t have that same view. And you know what? That’s okay. Eliza and I see each other once a week and are working on building a relationship that isn’t tarnished or influenced by my parents. We still do family dinner every other month or so, but it’s not the same. Conversation is surface level when my parents participate, but mostly, they watch the four of us interact.
For now, I still don’t understand what it is about me that makes my parents want to pick everything I do apart, but I do know it has nothing to do with me. That’s something they need to work on. Maybe they will? Maybe they won’t.
Eliza slides in next to me as Mitch starts talking basketball with Brooks. She doesn’t say anything but offers me a smile before reaching for my hand and squeezing it.