Breakaway

Breakaway

By Vera Roberts

For
BESM.

© 2015 Vera Roberts, All
Rights Reserved

Smashwords
Edition

This e-book is licensed for
your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be re-sold or
given away to other people. If you would like to share this book
with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each
recipient.

This book is a work of
fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are products
of the author’s imagination, or are used fictitiously. Any
resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales,
is entirely coincidental.

Dean Winchester is at the place he
really doesn’t want to be – stuck at the airport.

Coming back from a family emergency, he
would rather be relaxed at his home in Manhattan Beach, California,
and getting his head back into the hockey game. Instead, he’s stuck
at the worst airport in all of America – Chicago’s infamous O’Hare.
At least the company he’s keeping isn’t too bad to look at. He only
needs to convince her there can be something more if she wants it –
and if she doesn’t kill him first.

Sydney Walker hates weddings. And she
really hates weddings that she’s the bridesmaid in.

Returning from her third wedding in a
year where she has perfected the role of bridesmaid, Sydney only
wants to get back home in San Francisco. A snowed-in flight and
every hotel room booked to capacity, Sydney is forced to share a
room with a gorgeous man from Southern California. She’s not
necessarily worried about him making a move on her but rather, if
she could keep her hands to herself.

Breakaway is a sensual New Adult
romance series that deals with trust, long-distance relationships,
and finding yourself again. It is a New Adult trilogy.

“The truth is, everyone is
going to hurt you. You just got to find the ones worth suffering
for.”

―
Bob Marley

One

The output of support was
overwhelming.

Fans from all over the world, people
he didn’t even think would watch hockey, had been sending him
condolences left and right. Of course, there were a few unsavory
characters that were selfish in their well wishes – hoping his
grief wouldn’t impact his play on the ice too hard. Dean Winchester
shrugged it off. For every ten people, there was going to be at
least one asshole.

Nevertheless, he needed to brush aside
all anguish and hurt. He needed to be back in Los Angeles before
tomorrow night’s game. His coach suggested he take more off in
dealing with his grief but Dean wouldn’t hear of it. He needed to
be on the ice to be distracted.

He sat down on the porch outside,
sipping hot chocolate and checking his Twitter mentions when his
mother joined him. “I was looking for you. I was hoping you didn’t
take off before I had a chance to say goodbye.” Melissa Winchester
sat next to her youngest son. Slender with long blonde hair and
sharp hazel eyes, Melissa prided herself on being the biggest
cheerleader for her children. Both of her sons credited her
unwavering support as a big factor in their successes.

“Nah, I wouldn’t leave without saying
goodbye to my favorite girl.” Dean smiled. “I was just out here
reflecting on everything.”

Melissa smiled and took a sip of hot
chocolate. “Your dad was very proud of you, Dean. He watched all of
the games and bragged to everyone he knew that his son was the
NHL’s leading scorer,” Melissa smiled. “And when you won the
Stanley Cup last season, he really couldn’t shut up about
it!”

Dean grinned. If anyone
loved hockey, it was his father. He was the reason why Dean picked
up a hockey stick to begin with. Years of ice skating lessons
followed and a successful career in college where he scouted by
many different teams, he signed with the Los Angeles Kings and
transported himself to a land of debauchery, beaches, and women. He
offered to move his family to L.A. but his father wouldn’t hear of
it.
We’re based here and we’re staying
here
, he once proclaimed. It didn’t mean
they wouldn’t visit but if Dean wanted more than a weeklong stay
from his folks and brother, it meant him going to
Chicago.

The last time he was in Chicago, it
was during the summer after he won the Cup. He was allowed to bring
it with him and everyone took turns posing and taking pictures with
it. His father got a real kick out of it and used the cup as a
makeshift margarita bowl for a family celebration in Dean’s
honor.

Dean didn’t realize he would be back
so soon under more unfortunate circumstances. “He was always a huge
hockey fan.” He stated.

“He was your number fan!” Melissa
grinned. “I want you to remember that as you travel
back.”

“I’ll never forget it,” Dean shuddered
a little as a cold gush swept through the front porch. “The offer
to move to L.A. still stands, Mom.”

“My life is here in Lincoln Park.” She
proudly stated. “I’ve been here all my life and I don’t plan on
leaving quite yet. Besides you need to come back to when times get
hard again.”

Dean was about to ask her what she
meant but it occurred to him she was talking about the infamous
lockouts in 2004 and 2012. He went to Europe to play and keep up on
his skills, refusing to be a sitting doormat at his home in
Manhattan Beach. When the negotiations concluded, Dean returned
home and completed the season along with his fellow teammates. “I
wouldn’t say things were hard, per se.” Dean recalled, fondly
remember the time he spent entertaining groupies between games.
“But it wasn’t ideal, yes.”

“Still, you have a place to come home
if that happens again. Heaven forbid…” Melissa shook her
head.

“I’m pretty comfortable if you’re
inquiring about me financially,” Dean politely reminded his mother.
Despite signing a huge multimillion-dollar contract, his mother
somehow got in her head that he was still the struggling college
student who often went to bed hungry.

“I just want to make sure you’re
okay.” She smiled again. She glanced down at the fancy Cartier
watch Dean gifted to her last Christmas. “You need to head to the
airport, honey. You’re going to miss your flight.”

Dean stared out into the snow-covered
street. He wasn’t entirely sure he was going to go anywhere at that
point. “I’ll get ready. Are you sure you’ll be okay? I can always
cancel my flight and stay a few more days.”

“You staying here isn’t going to help
anyone and you’re going to be bored just watching over me.” Melissa
reached over and grabbed her son’s hand, squeezing it tight. “I’ll
be fine, Dean.”

Dean got up and pulled his mother into
a long and tight embrace. “If you want me to come home, just say
the word. If you want to move to L.A., just say the
word.”

“I’ll be fine here, don’t worry about
me. Worry about defending your title, okay?” Melissa encouraged her
son. “I’ll be rooting for you from here.”

Dean gathered up his luggage and
waited for the taxi to take him back to the airport. He kissed his
mother one last time and left. She said she was going to be okay
and he believed her. He just hoped she wouldn’t be so lonely during
the upcoming winter months.

His father was everything to her and
the family. His absence was going to be largely felt.

Two

Three weddings in one year.
I think that’s enough to last me a few lifetimes.

Sydney Walker finished packing her
suitcase and double-checked she had everything. The four-inch
stilettos that cramped her pinky toes? Check. The too-tight
bridesmaid dress that required her to wear one of those ‘sucker
inner’ panties? Check. The fake eyelashes along with the caked-on
makeup that accompanied the equally hideous hairpiece she needed to
wear that required she had a little extra ‘oomph’? Oh, hell, no.
She made sure those were in the trash bin. If she weren’t in her
hotel room, she would’ve burned that shit.

The things a girl would do for her
fellow sorority sisters.

She only graduated from college just a
couple of months ago and it seemed she was the very last one of the
bunch who was still single. It got to the point that her fellow
sorors felt so sorry for her, at the last wedding, the bride simply
handed the bouquet to Sydney.

Bitch
.

She wasn’t single because of choice,
but rather circumstance. She’s had many relationships, some of them
long-term. But when it was clear marriage and children were not in
the picture, she simply bounced. There was no point of wasting her
time if both parties didn’t share the end goal.

In her mind, she was probably too
young to get married. She just barely turned 24 a month ago and she
wanted just a bit more experience before she became someone’s wife
and mother. She wasn’t sure what experience she was looking for but
something more than what life currently gave her, which was little
to nothing.

Nevertheless, the many weddings turn
Sydney into a miniature expert in crisis management. Whenever a
maid of honor failed to do the very basic of duties, Sydney stepped
up to the plate. If something was missing, Sydney seemed to find
it. If the bride was getting cold feet, it was Sydney that
convinced her the man waiting for her at the altar was the very
best she was going to get.

She was a godsend in the land of Vera
Wang bridal gowns, monogrammed napkins, and Jordan
almonds.

Now reality was calling her back home. Her
managerial position at Macy’s in Union Square was flexible enough
for her to leave for a few days but a few days was all she was
going to get. The upcoming holiday season meant long hours and the
dreaded Black Friday, which meant she was going to be working
sometime on Thanksgiving Thursday. She would get a single plate of
food and finish it just in time to head to the store and began
stocking up.

The life of a
retailer.

She looked out the window one last
time and saw the snow was coming in a bit harder than it was
before. It was rare that she saw snow and enjoyed her time playing
in it and creating snow angels with the children of wedding party,
fantasizing about one day doing the same with her own kids. That
was a great fantasy but she needed to get back to the reality known
as her life. She needed to head to the airport now before she was
stuck.

Maybe on the flight back, she might
finally meet someone. A forever, soul-crushing love? Probably not
the sort. But maybe someone who could entertain her and keep her
from sinking down to a depression about her singledom. She was
returning home to an empty, overpriced apartment where she lived
next to newlyweds. She thanked the Good Lord for noise-canceling
headphones.

Being a bridesmaid was officially
getting old and tired but it was a step up from being lonely and
single. She had enough for it to last a few lifetimes.

Three

She should’ve been in shock and horror
but she wasn’t. There it was, it bright green lettering for all to
see – CANCELED.

Sydney spent the time wondering if
canceled was misspelled. She’d always spelled it with two L’s. It
looked so funny with just one. Hearing the moans and groans of
those around her, understandably upset about their canceled flights
and missed connections, made thankful for her quirky sense of
humor. It was the only thing that kept her sane during the middle
of a snowstorm.

A snowstorm in Chicago and she was
stuck at O’Hare out of all places. She couldn’t understand at the
time she traveled why it was rated one of the worst airports but
now she clearly understood. That meant she wasn’t going to be
leaving anytime soon, or even that day. Sydney once again praised
the Lord for giving her some common sense and she packed her new
Nikes. They were about to get a good workout.

Something told her that she
should’ve stayed an extra day in her hotel room and she wished she
did. When Sydney called the hotel to book a room, it was booked to
capacity. She just barely left and already, there weren’t any
rooms. In fact, there weren’t any rooms in
any hotel.

It meant she needed to find a
comfortable spot and get cozy at the airport. It was going to be a
long night.