Page 65 of Seven Rules for Breaking Hearts

“Nothing.” He adjusted, rolling onto his back and tucking me into his shoulder. It felt so natural, being in bed together like this. Easy. Like I didn’t have to overthink it. “I don’t want to scare you off.”

I snorted. “I think that would have happened a long time ago, if it was going to happen.”

He hesitated a few seconds before speaking again, his voice a deep rumble where my cheek was pressed against his chest. “You said something the other day about weddings. How people always look for a hookup.” He angled his head so that he could look at me and I nodded because yes, I remembered saying that. “Is that what this is? A wedding hookup, and then next week it’s back to business as usual?”

“No,” I admitted. “This isn’t just a hookup.”

His arm drew me closer to him, and he kissed the top of my head. “I know it’s soon to be having the what are we conversation and I’m not saying I need a definitive answer,” he mumbled against my hair. “And I know dating is probably complicated with the podcast and everything. But I really like you, Margo. I’ve always liked you, but I think I like you even more than I thought I would.”

I smiled to myself. “I know the feeling.”

“Enough to consider moving forward with this? After we get back home?”

“Okay.” I pulled away from him and sat up cross-legged in bed, dragging the sheets with me. “Let’s talk logistics.”

“Sexy.” He gave me a roguish wink as he folded an arm behind his head, which only emphasized his bicep.

“Shut up,” I said, grinning despite myself. But if we were going to do this, I needed to make sure I laid it all on the table. “I’m thinking about moving back home with my mom.” When he stared at me, nonplussed, I elaborated. “I know I said that we’re only a fifteen-minute drive from each other, but I’m going to be living in Fontana again. That’s like an hour drive from Glendale.”

“The apartment in Glendale isn’t my apartment.”

“What?”

“It’s Erin’s. I’ve been splitting my time between her place and my parents’ place to cut down on the commute while I look for somewhere closer to work. I could find somewhere in the middle. Claremont, or La Verne, maybe.”

I hesitated, chewing the inside of my cheek. “It’s a bit early to be making a decision like that because of me.”

“I’d be closer to my parents, too. And my friends. Peter mentioned that he and Jo are looking at places in Rancho.” When I didn’t look entirely reassured, he added, “Trust me, it would be beneficial all around.”

“Okay, so the podcast,” I brought up instead. I wanted to make sure I covered all the bases. “Even if I figure out something outside of Seven Rules, social media is a big part of my résumé. I think I’m always going to be putting out content, one way or another. Are you sure you’re okay with that?”

He shrugged. “As long as we can keep our personal lives and our public lives separate, I don’t have a problem with it.”

Guilt clawed at my insides, and I realized the source of my earlier unease—this had started with plans to use him for the podcast, and while my intentions had changed, I wondered whether he’d instill so much confidence in us, if he knew the truth. Perhaps it was one of those things I was better off not confessing. What would be the point? To alleviate my own guilt, yes, but if that meant hurting him in the process …

“So, that’s it, then,” I said after a pause. “You want to keep this thing going, after we go back to real life?”

“I want you, Margo.” Declan pulled me over him so that my legs were straddling his waist. Heat erupted low in my belly, but he only dragged my mouth down to his and caught it in a soft kiss. “I want to give this a fair shot.”

“Okay,” I agreed, my heart stuttering in my chest. “So we give it a fair shot.”

The rules had served a purpose. They helped me keep a wall up, and that had stopped me from getting hurt because I never put my heart out there in the first place. Without the rules, I was defenseless. I was wearing my heart on my sleeve for the first time in my life, and all I could do was hope it was for the right person. Someone I could trust not to turn around and shatter it into a million pieces.

From: Renee Dunkirk ([email protected])

To: Jo Hernandez ([email protected])

CC: Margo Anderson ([email protected])

Date: Jul 25, 9:03 AM

Subject: Pictures

Hi ladies,

I shared some of your recent Twitter and Instagram posts with my superiors and they are loving everything you’ve shared so far. Just a friendly reminder as we approach the big day: our contract stipulates at least five plugs on the next season of your podcast. While I’m aware you haven’t begun recording yet, we want to ensure we get a jump on discussing the sort of language you’ll be using to describe the nature of our sponsorship. I’ve attached a document that offers some potential phrasing, but of course, everything is up for discussion.

Feel free to reach out to me with any questions.