Page 7 of Breakaway (Nashville Knights Hockey #3)

Chapter Seven

CHLOE

“ A re you sure he’s not here?” I ask again.

“Yes.”

“Positive?”

Pulling up to the security gate, we get buzzed in without question.

“At least the security guards still like you.” Dax laughs.

“Probably more than Duncan.”

Each house is bigger than the last as we drive to the back of the neighborhood. I don’t know why I ever thought I would be happy in a place like this. It’s about as opposite me as the sun and the moon.

All I want is a house with enough rooms for a family— one day —and a space to create.

Dax laughs as the ostentatious house that was once mine comes into view.

Well, partially mine. It’s not like there’s much in the way of my things here.

When Duncan asked me to move in, I put most of my belongings in storage.

Sold off the furniture I had, because why would I need it?

My primary focus then became planning our wedding, which didn’t leave time for much else .

“You’re growling,” Dax tells me.

“Ugh. Sorry. Just frustrated that I’m moving into a new apartment and have nothing.”

“Sorry.” Dax pats my knee. I ignore the warmth that spreads through my body at the slight touch. Ever since I got the tiniest peek of his ass at the lake, it’s all I’ve been thinking about.

Who knew your best friend’s ass could be a great distraction from your fiancé cheating on you?

“Besides,” Dax continues, “my mom said he used the honeymoon tickets since you, in her words, refused to marry him.”

“Refused?” My voice gets abnormally high and shrieky. Something I’m finding happening more and more often. “I can’t believe her. Refused!”

“Just be thankful we can be in and out today without having to see him.”

“There’s that,” I grumble.

My nerves ratchet up as Dax parks in the circular drive. The all-black facade shines in the sunlight. A fountain burbles in front of the gray front door. All the curtains are drawn as I fish my key out of my purse.

“You sure you don’t want to stay here?” Dax jogs past me, grabbing the key from my hand and opening the front door. “Who wouldn’t love all of this?”

The entryway might be the most unwelcoming space I’ve ever been in. Solid black marble with a stone statue in the center greets us.

“Who looks at this and says they want it?” I curl my lip up in disgust at the horrible sculpture. “And he said I had no taste.”

“C’mon.” Dax grabs my elbow and steers me upstairs. “Let’s get your stuff and get out of here. It wouldn’t surprise me if a ghost lived here. ”

I snicker as he walks up the equally garish stairs. “His name is Ralph.”

“Oh, you have a ghost then?” Dax smiles at me as I lead us toward the bedroom.

I nod. “Very friendly. Probably the only thing I’d want to take with me that wasn’t mine.”

Stepping into the main bedroom, I draw up short. It’s a mess. Sheets are in heaps at the foot of the bed. A half-drunk bottle of champagne sits on the nightstand. And lying in the center? A red, lacy thong.

“I cannot believe him!” I storm into the room, heading straight for the closet. All of my clothes are in piles. “He thinks I was in the wrong for running out on him? When he clearly has already moved on?”

Grabbing my clothes, I chuck them behind me and start ripping things off the hangers. I can’t help it.

The man cheats on me and has the nerve to say if I come back, he’ll still marry me? Then moves someone else in here when I don’t come back?

“What. An. Asshole.”

I pull all of his clothes out of drawers. Pull every last one of Duncan’s precious sneakers from their place of honor on the shelves.

He probably loved them more than he loved me.

“Hey.” Dax grabs my hand before I can start in on whoever’s clothes now take up the small space where mine were. “Is this helpful?”

I glare up at him, letting out a deep breath. “Yes. How are you related to someone so terrible?”

“I don’t claim him.” Dax smiles at me, before pulling me in for a comforting hug.

“I wouldn’t either.”

I wrap my arms around Dax and let his strength keep me standing. How did I let myself get so taken by someone like Duncan? Did I really think I couldn’t find someone better? Someone who treated me right?

When we got back together before getting engaged, my mom pushed me to lock him down. I guess she got into my head more than I thought. Telling me I wouldn’t find anyone as good as Duncan.

More like she wanted me to be financially secure. But when I was with Duncan, he was always so sincere in what he said and did that it was hard not to believe him that he loved me.

Joke’s on me, I guess.

“Okay.” I push out of Dax’s arms, his cologne washing over me. The same cologne that he’s used for years. The clean, manly scent I always teased him about using too much of in high school. “Okay, no more thinking about Duncan. Let’s get my stuff and get out of here.”

“Without destroying the place, Sunshine.” Dax taps my nose. “I don’t want to have to bail you out of jail.”

“Would be something good for my list.” I laugh.

“No,” Dax deadpans. “I want you to stay boring if it means you don’t get arrested.”

Grabbing one of the boxes we brought in, I start piling clothes in it. I don’t care that they’re a mess. I just want to get out of here.

“Fine. No jail time. But I’m selling the jewelry he gave me. Is that fair?”

He nods. “More than fair.”

Dax and I sort through the mess I made—something that made it harder in hindsight to go through everything—and get all of my clothes into three of the boxes.

A few pairs of shoes take up box number four, with a few knickknacks, jewelry, and picture frames filling the last box.

They’re all piled onto my purple chair that now sits in the middle of the messy room .

“Is it pathetic that all of my worldly possession can fit into five boxes?”

Dax smiles. “Technically your chair doesn’t fit in a box.”

“Stop it.” I swat at his chest.

“Hey. You’ll get all of your furniture when you move into your new place and can decorate however you want.”

“Think I should take the stone statue?” I laugh.

“Only if you plan on destroying it to use in your jewelry.”

That pulls more laughter out of me. “I don’t think I could pay people to buy stuff with that god-awful stone in it.”

Dax looks around as we carry the boxes downstairs. “He really is full of himself.”

Photos of Duncan line the walls. Photos of him playing hockey. Various sponsor photoshoots. Ones from before he was dropped after it came out he was sleeping with the coach’s wife.

We weren’t together at that point. One of the longer stretches we were broken up. But he said he didn’t know the woman he was sleeping with was married.

God. I feel like such an idiot for having taken him back.

It takes us two trips to get everything in the back of the truck before we head back to Dax’s house.

A house that I love. With a wooden exterior painted blue and white, the front porch and overhead balcony are decorated with various flowerpots. My doing, to make it more welcoming.

All the walls are painted a light gray with soft rugs on top of the refinished hardwood floors. Every bit of Dax’s house is what it should be.

Soft .

Warm.

Open.

It’s perfect, I think as we’re pulling into the three-car garage.

“Want to leave everything in here?” Dax asks, turning the truck off.

“Sounds good to me.” I unbuckle my seatbelt and hop out. “Want me to order pizza?”

“I can get it,” Dax says.

I shake my head. “Absolutely not. You’re helping me move. It’s the least I can do.”

“As long as you get?—”

“Thai chicken,” I finish. “I know. With breadsticks and cheese sauce.”

He beams back at me. “It’s like you know me or something.”

“Only for a year or two,” I joke. “I’m going to go get cleaned up before it gets here.”

“Sounds good. I’m going to get a quick workout in.”

“Sorry moving my boxes didn’t help.”

“If you need help moving your furniture around, that might count as a workout.” Dax winks, turning to head toward his weight room in the back of the house.

“Hey, Dax?”

“Yeah?” He stops, leaning against the wall.

Bounding over, I rest a hand on his forearm to press onto my toes and peck his cheek. “Thank you. I wouldn’t have made it through any of this without you.”

The tender look Dax aims my way sends my thoughts spiraling. Nothing but care and kindness. “You know I’m always here for you, Sunshine. Whatever you need.”

“You’re the best friend anyone could ever have. If they gave out trophies, you’d get number one every time.”

This time, Dax returns the kiss on my cheek before leaving and pulling the door closed behind him. I’m standing in the middle of the hall, glued to the floor.

I can feel the imprint of his lips on my cheek. The soft skin of his jaw as it brushed against mine. My skin tingles with awareness from the brief touch.

What in the world is going on?

Dax and I have always been affectionate with one another. It’s never affected me in the past, so why is this time different?

It must be all the emotions still bubbling over inside of me. That has to be it. There’s no other explanation.

Because this is Dax we’re talking about. I absolutely cannot be having feelings for him. Feelings for Dax would make everything messy and complicated. After running out on his brother, the last thing I want is complicated.

Hell, at this point, I don’t even know if I want anything new, let alone complicated. If I do, it needs to be easy. A nice guy who treats me better than Duncan.

Doesn’t Dax treat you better than Duncan ever has?

I ignore the voice in my head and phone in the pizza order.

I don’t need to be thinking about how well Dax treats me. It’s a moot point because I’ve sworn off all men for good.

Including Dax.