Page 178 of Unbroken Rules (Rules 3)

“When?” I try to convince myself that he did it when we were still dating. Just so he won’t be a saint who paid for his ex-girlfriend’s family for months.

“The day after we broke up.”

Damn it.

“Why?” I’m overwhelmed. “Why would you do that? You… You didn’t owe me anything.”

“Are you kidding? I owed you everything. Your dad was in a wheelchair because of an accident I caused, and you refused to admit it, but there was way too much on your shoulders. I knew if I couldn’t be there to help you, someone else had to.”

“D-Does my dad know?”

Haze nods. “Yeah, he called me the day he found out he’d get a nurse.”

“But how did he connect the dots?”

Haze runs a hand through his hair. “I went to visit him when he was in a coma.”

It comes back to me. My dad told me a while ago that Haze came to see to him alone at the hospital.

“I felt so fucking guilty, I… I told him I’d do anything to make this right. I guess he heard me, and from there, he put the pieces together.”

My head starts spinning. This is so much to take in.

“So, he knew all along? All this time, he knew you’d paid for us?”

“Yeah, but I made him promise not to tell you. You wanted nothing to do with me anymore, and you were right… back then.”

Back then?

As in I’m not right anymore?

“I didn’t want you to think I was trying to sway your decision because I wasn’t. And you were right. You deserved someone better.”

Again with the past tense.

His blue eyes cut me with every glance.

“Are you mad at me?” he worries.

Mad at him? Thankful is more like it. He spent so much money on helping his ex’s family—hell, he practically saved it. And he didn’t think I’d ever find out.

My voice softens. “Of course not.”

Hesitant, he steps forward, as though he’s testing the waters. I don’t stop him. He gets closer. And closer. And closer. Until we’re mere inches apart. I can’t move. He pushes a strand of hair off my face with the back of his hand, and I curse myself for shivering at something so little. I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but… in this moment…

I want to kiss him.

I know I shouldn’t. I know crossing this line would mean completely destroying one year’s worth of efforts, but I really, really, really fucking want to kiss him. I eye his lips. It’s been forever, but I vividly remember how breathtaking it was. So, before I make the mistake of falling all over again, I walk out of the room.

No, I try.

But the door won’t open.

It’s locked.

No! Allie talked about going down to lock the bedrooms sometime during the party in case some of the guests wandered around and wrecked her uncle’s boat. He said one scratch on his “baby” would lose Allie access to his boat for five lifetimes. She’ll unlock them all when she goes down to sleep later.

“We’re stuck,” I say and explain the situation to him. I triple text Allie, call her four times. No reply. Same goes for Kendrick. They’re probably drunk out of their minds, making out somewhere. I try Alex, Kass, Will—everyone. Not a single peep.