The Rules of Heartbreak: An Enemies-to-Lovers/Next-Door Neighbor Romance (The Heartbreak Series Book 1)

by Brittany Taylor

  “For now, let’s go home.”

  Epilogue

  Several months later

  “I told you—you can’t be trusted on ladders. You’re going to fall.” Dallas stands behind me, watching as I try to decorate our front yard for Christmas.

  “I’m going to fall if you keep talking.” I groan, trying to reach across the front window. The wreath I’m holding between my fingers swings in the brisk winter air. I sniff and stand on my toes a bit higher.

  “This is ridiculous.” He huffs. “I should be doing this. Besides, who hangs wreaths from the window? I thought people put them on their front doors or some bullshit like that.”

  With Christmas only a few weeks away, Dallas and I are behind the rest of the neighborhood when it comes to decorating.

  Each of us still has our house across the street from one another. I considered selling mine, but the attachment I’ve grown to my mother through the gift of her house is too much for me to give up. At least it is right now.

  As far as Dallas’ house is concerned, he feels the same way. It’s the house he and Hailey bought together, and I can’t fault him for hesitating to sell. For now, we are splitting our time between them and enjoying being together. If he ever wants to sell, I figure he will do it when he feels the time is right.

  “Just so you know,” Dallas says, “I don’t remember your mother ever hanging wreaths on the windows.”

  “Oh, yeah?” I ask him, glancing over my shoulder. “What did she do then?”

  He shifts his eyes up in thought then grins. “Actually, she never did decorate.”

  “Well, I happen to think she would have liked my wreaths.”

  “She probably would have.”

  Silence follows his words, and my chest warms thinking of her.

  The same day Dallas and I made up at his bar, I told him about my mother’s voice recording and why we were separated after I was born. It was the first time I’d seen tears in his eyes since he told me about Hailey that night in the rain.

  He truly did love my mother.

  “Are you still set to perform tonight?” I ask him.

  “Yeah, I told Colton I’d show up a little earlier to help him with some of the barbecue.”

  After the night of Dallas’ surprise performance on stage, he agreed to perform every weekend. He still only plays a few songs, and although I haven’t returned to work at the bar, I still come in every night he performs. Sometimes he even drags me up on stage to sing with him. Teaching is a joy for me, and I don’t plan on replacing it with any other sort of career, but I enjoy singing for fun with Dallas.

  “Did Vada say she was coming?” I ask. Vada stays busy at the newspaper, finally fulfilling her role as editor in chief. She actively tries to spend as much time as she can with me and Dallas, a promise she made after quitting the bar. I’m not sure she does the same for Colton.

  “I think so.” Dallas shrugs. “But with her, you can never tell.”

  “Right.” I nod, pressing my lips together.

  “Are you sure you’ve got it?” Dallas asks. I can hear the nervousness in his voice.

  “Just a little more.” I stand on my tiptoes and stretch my arm out, hoping the wreath will catch on a nail my mother must have used for hanging plants.

  Before I even realize I’ve leaned too far over, I start to fall. My heart leaps out of my chest just before Dallas steps to his right and catches me. He corrects the ladder and stares up at me in disbelief. His face pales. He’s certainly no stranger to my clumsiness.

  “This is what I’m talking about.” He lets out a light laugh. “Here, let me help you.” He moves to pick up the wreath and hang it himself. I climb down the ladder and step back, allowing him to make his way up.

  He easily hangs the wreath without any effort then climbs down, standing beside me to study his work.

  “Looks great,” I tell him, breathing in the cool winter air. The winter hasn’t been nearly as brutal as the ones in Minnesota, but sometimes I still catch the same shiver down my spine when the breeze blows through.

  “Thanks.” He wraps his arms around me, pulling me to his chest. I tip my chin up and look into his eyes, putting my arms around his waist. I slide my hands under the bottom of his sweater and run my fingernails across his smooth flesh. He groans against me as goose bumps rise across his skin.

  “I think we should make another rule,” he says, twisting his mouth in thought then giving me a devious grin. The golden hue of the lights hanging throughout the neighborhood reflect off his ice blue eyes, melting me from the inside out.

  “I thought we said no more rules.”

  “We did.” He grins. “This one is a bit different.”

  I pause and give him a smile back. “Fine. Let’s hear it.”

  “Rule number one: My wife isn’t allowed to use ladders anymore.”

  “Your wife?” I whisper, a white puff of air escaping from my mouth.

  “Yes,” he says, his face turning serious. He swipes his thumb across my lips and examines my face as if he’s trying to engrain it in his memory. “I love you, Sloan, and there’s no doubt in my mind that I want to marry you. I never thought I would be able to say these words again or want the same out of life as before, but you make me want those things again. You brought me back to life, and I want to spend the rest of it with you. I want to be there to catch you when you fall.”

  He pauses when a laugh erupts from my throat. It’s a small one, enough for Dallas’ mouth to quirk at the sound. My stomach flutters.

  “Marry me, Sloan.”

  “Okay.” Tears build in my eyes, but I hold them back and stand on the tips of my toes. “I’ll marry you, Dallas Beckett.”

  And then without hesitation, under the clear Texas sky, he leans down and claims my mouth with his.

  Sneak Peek

  Vada

  Never settle for second best.

  That’s what my mother taught me from a young age. Maybe she knew I’d one day need to remember those five words. Words she considered wisdom.

  Ever since the day I was born, I was considered second to everyone and everything in my life. Second to my older brother, Dallas. Second when it came to learning anything in life.

  Even second when it came to falling in love.

  Over the past twenty-five years, that’s the kind of woman I’ve become. Second. Putting everyone before myself. Like when my brother’s wife passed away and he struggled to keep himself afloat. Or when his business partner, Colton, needed someone to help run his restaurant in my brother’s absence.

  I was happy to help my brother when he needed me the most. After all, that’s what family is for. It was Colton’s lack of commitment that left me questioning where I stood in our non-relationship relationship.

  Consistently falling into second place, I’ve learned, only leaves you broken hearted.

  That’s why the day I became Editor-in-Chief for the Austin Chronicle was the best day of my life. It was my chance to be excel further in my career. I was able to plant my feet firmly in first place, refusing to let them take a step back.

  I push aside the twinge of pain I feel in my chest at the thought of Colton. I take a breath, reminding myself he’s not mine and he never was. He’d never let our relationship move further, consistently keeping me in second place to everything and everyone in his life.

  I dig the heel of my stiletto into the tile of the elevator and take a deep breath. It’s been over a year since I’ve been in the office full time. Even after receiving my promotion to editor-in-chief, putting it on hold to help my brother’s bar keep from going under. I brush my fingers through my loose curls and stare at my reflection on the glass doors in front of me.

  The reflection of the woman staring back at me looks vastly different from the one who wore flannel shirts and served hundreds of margaritas every night. The woman staring back at me is the woman I truly wanted to be. The woman in first place. The woman who gets it all. Or so I hope.

 
; I can’t help the nerves floating through my veins. Admittedly, it’s been a while since I’ve felt this way. Deserving. Deserving of anything good.

  I clear my throat and run my fingers along my neck and down to the top of my chest. My skin is damp with anxiety. Before allowing it to get worse, I blink a few times and shake off the nerves, tipping my chin a bit higher. In the history of the newspaper, I’m officially the youngest person to ever be promoted to Editor-in-Chief. The position is usually left for more seasoned reporters but the last article I’d written before my sister-in-law passed away merited me an early promotion. An extremely early promotion.

  A high pitch beep echoes through the small space I’m standing in followed by the metal doors effortlessly sliding open. My heels click across the remaining tiles of the elevator before they land on the soft carpet of the news floor.

  Rows and rows of cubicles fill the open office space, floor to ceiling windows surrounding us, giving us the perfect view of downtown Austin.

  I’ve barely made it halfway to my office when my assistant, Helen appears at my side. She’s sporting her brightest morning grin, the orange sun reflecting off her greying blonde hair. “Good morning, Ms. Beckett.”

  “Morning, Helen.” I give her a quick smile back and continue walking. I’ve been gradually coming into the office for the past few weeks and today starts the first week where I’ll be here every day. Helen is clearly thrilled with the idea of my full return, and I make sure to let her know I return the sentiment. “I’m glad to be back and you can call me, Vada. Remember?”

  “Right.” She gives me a warm grin and keeps up with me, her long pale hair floating across her back. “I hope you had a great weekend. I left some messages for you on your desk and Alex said he would stop by your office in the next hour to give you the rough draft for his article on his interview with the owner of the new classic movie theater that opened downtown.”

  “Sounds good. Thank you.” I step into my office and immediately sit down behind my desk to start up my computer.

  “Welcome back.” Helen leaves me with a gentle tap on the doorframe.

  The next hour passes in a blur. I haven’t bothered to look at the time until I find Alex standing in the door to my office.

  He’s a bit older than I am. Three lines crease the corners of his eyes as he strides into my office, dropping his drafted article on my desk. The white sleeves of his button-down shirt are rolled up, displaying his tanned arms. “Glad to see you back, Ms. Beckett. Article delivered on time, as promised.”

  I roll my eyes with a sly grin. “I wish you guys would stop calling me that around here. Makes me feel old.”

  “I’m sorry.” He chuckles. “I think we’re all so used to it. Usually, the person in your position was quite a bit older than you are.”

  “I know.” I smile. “If you remember though, we used to work together out there.” I point to the rows of cubicles outside my office. It’s true. Alex’s cubicle was located adjacent to mine. We used to talk all the time and discuss the articles we were working on, bouncing off our ideas to one another. Now he’s treating me as if he’s never known me as anyone other than his boss. It leaves me with an unsettling feeling in the pit of my stomach.

  Alex glances over his shoulder and buries his hands in the pockets of his black slacks. When he turns back to me, he scrunches his nose. “Yeah, it’s taken me a bit to get used to you being out with us common folk, but it hasn’t been too hard. You know, since you were cut down to part time anyway.”

  “Yeah,” I sigh, thinking back to my time away from this office. The sounds of the news floor continue to filter in through my door. It’s a stark difference to the sound of blaring country music and guest chatter. “I had a family emergency and needed to take some time away to help.”

  “I hope everything is okay and it all worked out then.” Alex gives me a reassuring smile but a piece of me saddens, remembering the reason why.

  “It did.” I release a heavy breath, holding back the feelings that the past year has brought. My sadness didn’t come from my brother, Dallas. Truth be told, he’s the happiest he’s ever been. His neighbor, who also happens to be my best friend, are now happily engaged. Their wedding is only a few short months away and I can’t wait to stand beside them both. Until then, I’ve been trying to piece together the uncertainty that has clouded my love life.

  Colton Adler.

  My brother’s best friend and business partner.

  The man I’ve foolishly fallen for. The same man who has consistently put me in second place.

  “Hey. What do you think?”

  I look up from my desk to find Alex still standing in front of it. I blink the tears that have lined across my lashes from zoning out. “Yeah,” I sniff and shake my head. “I’m sorry.” My shoulders fall as I stare up at Alex with a heavy breath. “What did you say?”

  “I was wondering if you wanted to go out with me and a few of the other reporters after work.” He hitches his thumb over his shoulder, toward the cubicles. “To celebrate.”

  His eyebrows arch across his forehead with a hopeful expression and his white teeth shine from behind his widespread grin.

  A night out to celebrate did sound nice but I can’t help feeling a bit of disappointment seep it’s way under my skin. I chance a quick glance over at my phone resting by my keyboard. I still haven’t heard from Colton since he left my apartment yesterday.

  He doesn’t owe me anything. That much I know.

  He isn’t my husband. He isn’t my fiancé. He’s far from being considered my boyfriend. It’s no secret I would rather celebrate tonight with Colton than with a few co-workers I hardly know, but that’s not where we are.

  I quickly unlock my phone to display the open thread of text messages between us.

  Read.

  The four-letter word sitting beneath my last text to him might as well be as bright as the neon sign having over his restaurant. His silence is a message sent loud and clear.

  “Unless you had other plans.” Alex adds to his offer. His hopeful expression replaced with one of doubt.

  I close out my phone and inhale a sharp breath. Even if Colton does reply to me later, I’m not going to hold out for him.

  I sit back in my chair and look up at Alex with the largest smile I can muster.

  “Nope, that sounds great.”

  Want to read Colton and Vada’s story?

  The Secrets to Heartbreak releases Spring 2021!

  CLICK HERE

  More to Come

  Thank you for reading Dallas and Sloan’s story! There’s more to come in The Heartbreak Series. If you enjoyed the book, I would absolutely love if you left a review. Reviews mean the world to us indie authors and it would mean so much to me.

  Thank you, again!

  XOXO

  Want to sign up for my newsletter and be notified of my upcoming releases?www.brittanytaylorbooks.com

  You can also join my reader group, Brittany’s Book Lovers

  Also by Brittany

  Without You Duet

  Without You

  Without Me

  The Back to Me Series

  Dissipate

  Mine

  Back to Me

  Standalone’s

  What are the Chances

  See Through

  Paper Hearts

  The Heartbreak Series

  The Rules of Heartbreak

  The Secrets to Heartbreak

  The Troubles with Heartbreak

  Acknowledgments

  If I were to thank everyone who had a hand in helping me create Dallas and Sloan’s story, I would never finish typing. For now, I’ll start with this.

  Writing The Rules of Heartbreak has been different than any other book that I’ve written. I started writing Dallas and Sloan’s story not long after I released my standalone Paper Hearts. The premise and start of the story for The Rules of Heartbreak came easy for me. Sloan with her silly rules and Dallas with his short, yet de
eply emotional set of two. The story flowed for a while, and I thought I was headed on a great track to publishing the story quickly. That is, until health issues had landed me in the hospital for two weeks, causing the book to come to a screeching halt. This stay in the hospital was scary and unpredictable, leaving my family and friends wondering what the future held for me. Thankfully, after a week on a ventilator followed by a week of physical therapy, I was healthy enough to go home. But even after being released from the hospital, it took countless weeks for me to recover and get to a mental and physical state strong enough to get back to writing Dallas and Sloan’s story. Thankfully, in time, I did. This story may have come a few months later than expected but at the same time, I believe it was meant to be. In a way, Dallas and Sloan saved me and reminded me of why I love writing books.

  With that, I would like to thank first and foremost, my husband. Words can’t even accurately express the love I have for you. I’m convinced we’ll be together forever, even after this life. Wherever that may be. From the beginning, you’ve been unwavering in your support of me and everything I want to accomplish. Thank you with putting up my incredibly tight schedule as I finished this book. All the late nights and days where I tried to fit in as many words as I could. As I’ve said before, in a room where the world is out of focus, you’re the only one I see. You’re my best friend, my biggest cheerleader, and my soulmate. I love you.

  To my two boys. You are the reason I push through all the self-doubt and endless nights. Thank you for being my light. Always.

  Dani, I don’t even know where to begin with you. You’re my sister and best friend. You lifted me up when I was at my weakest. You’re an amazing Aunt to the boys. The only issue now is that we need you closer. But we’ll save that discussion for another time. Thank you for being the first to read Dallas and Sloan’s story and thank you for encouraging me to get through it.