Free Unbreak Me (Second Chances #1) by Heather D'Agostino Page A

unlock the door.

    Austin waited until she was inside before walking back to his truck. He couldn’t help but whistle as he climbed in to drive off. The night had gone better than he could have imagined.

    Melanie leaned against the closed door, unable to help the smile that slowly graced her face. She couldn’t remember when she’d had such a nice time. She turned off the porch light and made her way to her room. As she sat at her vanity, she brushed her fingers across her lips, blushing as a smile graced her face. As she began removing her pearls, she glanced at her hand. Her wedding rings sparkled in the dim light of the bedroom. She silently wondered if Austin had noticed that she still wore them, and if so, how had it made him feel? She had noticed that he didn’t wear a ring, and wondered how long it took him to remove his.

    She glanced over at the photo of her and Sean on their wedding day. It had stood on her dresser since it had been taken. She stood up and walked over to pick it up while pulling out the box of items she’d saved from her closet. She’d been hanging on to the memories for too long. She opened the box and lovingly placed the photo inside. I’ll never forget you Sean. I’ll always love you, but I need to move on. She placed the lid back on the box and pushed it back into the closet, then stood and walked back to the vanity.

    She opened her jewelry box and pulled out the drawer where she kept her valuable pieces, removing her engagement ring and wedding band in the process and placing them inside. A tear slowly made it’s way down her cheek. She swiped at it, and smiled. Today was the start of something new she thought. She made her way over to her bed and climbed in. After turning out the light, she slid down into the soft covers and drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

    Chapter 7

    Two days later…

    As Katie was walking up the sidewalk heading for the front door to St. Vincent’s, she heard a voice. She looked up from her book just in time to see Zach standing on the front steps.

    “You didn’t show yesterday,” he stated.

    “I never said I would, you just assumed,” she grumbled as she walked past him. “I told you I already studied with Hannah.”

    “Right, Hannah,” he flipped his hand in the air.

    She tried to push past him, but he was blocking her way. “Can you move please?”

    “No, not until you agree to go out with me,” he put his arm across the door blocking her further. “One date, that’s all I’m asking. You go on one date with me, and if you don’t have a good time I’ll leave you alone.”

    “What makes you think my mom will even let me go out with you? You‘re everything she tells me to stay away from,” she crinkled her brow.
    “ You know… older guy with a reputation and all,” she waved her hand up and down in front of him. “Besides, don’t you have someone in the junior class that you’d rather go out with? Why me, a lowly freshman?”

    “Moms love me. She’ll let you. You just need to ask,” he winked “And no, there’s no one in the junior class that’s noteworthy at the moment. You being a freshman has nothing to do with my desire to take you out. Age is only a number, right?”

    “You’re so corny,” she rolled her eyes. “Fine. One date, in a public place, you pay, and you meet my mom sometime before we go out.” She put her hand out. “Deal?”

    “Deal,” he shook her hand. “Friday night, I’ll pick you up at eight. Anthony’s having a party at his house; you’ll be around all your friends.”

    Katie pushed past him and marched to her locker to unpack her book bag. Hannah and Sam were talking nearby.

    “What crawled up your butt this morning?” Sam giggled.

    “Zach Lawson, need I say more?” Katie huffed.

    “What’d he want?” Hannah rolled her eyes.

    “Well, apparently he thinks that I should date him. He won’t leave me alone,” she whined.

    “You didn’t say yes, did you?” Hannah raised