Page 35 of Pucking Tangled

THIRTY-FOUR

Casey

Casey had always been the one to suggest spontaneous things—late-night fast food runs in the snow, impromptu karaoke in the locker room, parties at their house.

But this was different.

Which was probably why the guys acted surprised when he proposed it.

It hadn’t been long at all since he ‘had his moment,’ as Owen put it. And since then, he spent too much time wondering if loving Mia out loud had broken the two things that mattered most to him.

Mia and Owen.

Deep down, he knew there was no reason for his fear or for feeling unsettled.

Things were…good.

Surprised or not, they all agreed to his suggestion to take the day and get the hell out of the house.

The five of them. Together.

So they packed up Waylon's truck because it had the most room, tossed towels, drinks, and an old Bluetooth speaker into the back and headed across state lines to Kilgore Falls.

Mia insisted on bringing Skeeter, who promptly drooled all over the front seat, but no one fought over who sat where.

No one talked about who had touched who last. They just went with the flow.

Since it was the middle of the week, it was pretty quiet, making it the perfect little escape. It was warm enough outside that the cool water felt refreshing as it shimmered beneath the sun.

Casey watched, soaking it all in as the breeze blew through Mia’s hair after she peeled off her hoodie. His hoodie, thank you very much.

Waylon was the first in the water, splashing and behaving like a little kid.

Luca followed, his entrance a lot more graceful.

Mia laughed at Skeeter as he followed the guys and barked at the water.

That dog was going to stink on the way home, and Casey would probably owe Waylon a good truck cleaning because of it.

Oh, well.

The ease he already felt was worth it.

“You coming or what?” Mia turned to him, holding out her hand.

Casey grinned. “I’ll race you,” he challenged, taking off at a full run.

She let out a laugh, and he could hear her chasing after him. When he hit the water she wasn’t far behind, jumping on his back and trying to push him under.

The day unfolded like something out of a dream.

They swam. Raced some more. Teased each other and played with Skeeter until he abandoned them for a nap under a shade tree.

Owen somehow balanced Mia on his shoulders while Luca tried to pull her off.

Waylon climbed a half-dead tree and jumped from the branch just to make her scream.

All the while, Casey couldn’t stop watching her—the way her eyes crinkled when she laughed, the smile that never left her face, how her body fit so easily among theirs.

She wasn’t trying to be anyone’s favorite.

And they weren’t fighting for her attention.

They just existed. Like it was always meant to be this way.

“I saw Mia packed sandwiches. I don’t know about you all, but I’m hungry,” Waylon said, making his way out of the water and back onto the shore to grab the cooler.

He set it on the blanket Owen had spread out on the sand earlier, and everyone joined him as if the mention of food was the only reminder they needed that they were all hungry.

They ate, sipped sodas and water, then Mia stretched out between them, basking in the warm sun.

Waylon was beside her. She rested her head on his chest while holding Luca’s hand.

Owen sat at her feet, absently rubbing her ankle.

Casey had one leg draped lazily over hers as he took in the scene.

After a while, he had begun to wonder if she’d fallen asleep, but then she cracked an eye open and murmured, “This is the happiest I’ve felt in a long time.”

They all agreed.

By the time the sun started to dip low in the sky, casting a golden glow across the falls, Luca and Owen were back in the water tossing a football while Waylon sat on the tailgate of his truck, taking a quick call from his parents.

Casey stood and offered Mia his hand. “Take a walk with me, please.”

They wandered along the shoreline, feet sinking into the cool, wet sand.

“I was afraid that loving you would tear us apart.” He blew out a nervous breath.

Mia stopped walking.

He turned and looked her in the eyes. “But I think you’re the glue meant to hold us all together.”

She stepped into him, wrapping her arms around his waist. He buried his face in her neck and breathed her in.

Salt.

Lake water.

Home.

They kissed. Slow. Sure. Familiar.

“None of this exists without you,” she whispered against his lips. “You may not have known it then, but you’re the one who opened the door by inviting me to move in.”

“Best decision I ever made.” He smirked.

“No matter what, Casey. I’ll always love you. I just happen to love those other three goofballs, too.”

Hearing her say those words, somehow sat his entire world back on its axis. He knew she loved him. She showed it in so many ways over the years. But hearing her say it out loud and knowing she meant that she was in love with him now, freed him in a way he always dreamed of.

“I…I love you, too.”

The minute the words left his mouth, he felt like he could breathe deeper for the first time in a long time.

When they returned to the group, no one asked where they’d been. No one jumped up to try to steal her away.

Instead, Owen, Luca, and Waylon all just smiled. For Casey, it felt like an acknowledgement of what they were each trying to build, in their own way.

“Ugh. You know what we forgot?” Mia pouted.

“What?” Luca asked.

“The ingredients for s'mores!”

Waylon scurried to his feet and put the cooler in the back of his truck. “I might have a hidden stash of marshmallows in the pantry. And I know a certain roommate has Hershey bars hidden in her room.” He looked at Mia and winked.

“You jerk. Were you snooping again?”

“Nope. Just returning those earbuds I borrowed,” he said with a raised brow.

Mia blushed and shook her head.

Normally, Casey would feel some sort of envy but this time he didn’t. Instead he added, “If you all hurry, I’ll run in the store and buy some graham crackers. We can roast marshmallows over the fire pit out back.”

The drive home was quiet in a peaceful kind of way.

It was the kind of peace that came after a long day in the sun, filled with laughter and the memories they made together.

This time, Mia sat in the back, between Luca and Owen. She fell asleep with her head on Luca’s shoulder, while Skeeter snored, draped across Casey’s lap on the front seat.

Owen dozed off too, his head against the back window as Waylon drove.

Every time Casey looked over his shoulder, a lazy smile played on his lips .

“You finally look content, man,” Waylon glanced sideways at him.

“Because I am,” he admitted softly.

“It looks good on you,” his friend acknowledged.

“She makes it easy, doesn’t she?”

Waylon snorted, “I don’t know that I’d say that.”

Casey laughed. “That wasn’t what I meant. Of course she made us all work for it. But she makes it easy to love her. To believe in all this.”

“Yeah. She does,” he agreed.

When they pulled up to the house, dusk had settled. The porch light was on. The crickets were loud. And none of them were quite ready for the night to end, including their sleeping beauty who finally woke as Waylon parked in the driveway.

Waylon unloaded the cooler. Owen took all the towels and wet clothes inside, quickly putting them in the washer before they got gross. Mia went to her room long enough to change and came back out barefoot, hair up, cheeks still pink from the sun and an entire pack of chocolate bars in her hand.

“Shit. We didn’t stop for graham crackers,” Owen cursed.

“ You didn’t,” Casey smirked and held up a bag from the grocery store. “We stopped while you were sleeping.”

His boyfriend wrapped his arms around him and kissed his cheek. “Aww. Thank you, baby.”

Casey and Luca lit the fire in the backyard, sitting close together. Cozier than they ever had before.

Waylon handed out sticks and marshmallows. They passed around graham crackers and chocolate, laughing over who burned their marshmallows the worst. Mia dropped one on the ground and Skeeter snatched it up before anyone could stop him.

Once they had their fill, Owen leaned back in his chair. Mia reached over and took his hand as Luca moved to sit behind her on the chaise lounge. He rubbed her shoulders, a look of contentment on his face, while Casey fed her the last marshmallow then kissed her forehead.

Waylon kicked his feet up and grinned.

“Thank you all for today. It was perfect.” Mia sighed happily. “I love you guys.”

Luca’s hands froze.

Owen’s gaze snapped to Casey, then Mia, and back to Casey again.

Waylon smirked like the cocky fucker he’d always been. “Not going to speak for everyone, but I fucking love you too, Blondie.”

Casey swore he could hear Luca swallow from across the fire pit before he said, “I…I love you, MiaMoo.”

“I love you too,” Owen chimed in.

Casey chuckled. “I think we all know I’m in love with you, too, Mia.”