House Rules by Lyssa Cole

Emma
Rules. Follow the House Rules, Emma.
Growing up, that’s all my mother would say.
In order to find love and happiness, follow the rules…
I believed those rules. I followed them, lived by them, loved by them.
But at the end of the day, I’m still not happy. Alone.
Always trying to help everyone else find their happiness as I fall further down into a deep, dark hole.
Until, the day Knox broke those rules and set me free.

Knox
Love is pure… love is happiness… love is life.
That’s what I was told.
But I’ve learned the hard way. Love will break your heart.
It’ll leave you cold and hurt. Scrambling and lost. Shattered.
I’ll never allow myself to fall again.
Until Emma.
Emma…in my life without warning.
Her entire being calls to me, filling me with hope.
I’m lost without her. My mind screams at me to run and never look back.
But I can’t. A relentless, unyielding force keeps me in place.
I spend my life helping others. Isn’t it time I help myself?