Page 57 of The Casualty of Us (Philosophies of the Heart Duet #1)

Chapter Twenty-Nine

I’m standing in the kitchen around dinner time when Hayes finally emerges from the nap he ducked in to tell me he was going to take earlier.

An instant regret shooting through me that I didn’t take him up on his offer to join at how his clothes look a little sleep rumpled.

Unfortunately, I had other things to take care of that involved a book and a chef’s knife.

Two items I never thought I’d use together, but here we are.

He grins sleepily, stretching his hands above his head while closing the last few steps to where I’m standing in front of the island. “Freckles.”

“Dimples.” I run my eyes over his arms automatically, and the flutter in my stomach has me quickly jerking them back down to find a pretty grin. “Stop that.”

He hums a low note under his breath, stepping even closer and caging me in with his hands. “Nope.” His eyes narrow on mine, and I get a split second to see the frustration in them before he dips his mouth to my ear. “I hope you know how lucky you are right now.”

“Oh, really?” I tease, knowing I’m playing with fire here but unable to stop from pressing back against him. “Why’s that?”

“Because.” His voice drops low and he turns his head just enough to brush a soft kiss under my ear.

“I really would finally spank you if we weren’t here.

” My breath hitches at the threat, skin under his lips turning sensitive as he drags out the next kiss there.

“Don’t ever keep something like this from me again.

” I’m still holding my breath when he lifts his head, letting me see something deep there that scares the hell out of me while demanding. “Promise me, Ophelia.”

Shit.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck—

“Ophelia.”

I don’t know why it feels different with him.

Like there’s a weight to it that’s not there with Ollie, but…I’m suddenly struck by the day we had that fight in the library. The way he told me he wasn’t my brother, and he was right. Even the lies feel different with him now.

“O.” He drops his forehead to mine, and one of his hands goes to my hip. “You will never keep something like this from me again.” The hand on my hip drops down to give my ass a quick smack, shocking the literal hell out of me and making my lips pop open before he demands. “Say it. Now.”

And that’s when it hits me the why of it.

It’s because of the intimacy I share with him. It’s different. It means…not more, but there’s a presence there that’s shifted. That carries a different weight.

It’s the difference between someone born to you and someone that chooses you.

“Fine.” I scowl up at him. “I promise, but just so you know, I hate you now too.”

Because I know his history too, and if I ever break that promise…not only would it hurt him in the worst way, but he probably will spank me.

He means it. I can tell it’s not an empty threat.

And fuck if part of me isn’t a little curious about that too.

“Perfect.” His dimples flash before he brushes his lips against mine with a quick kiss, surprising me again with his audacity. “You know what they say—”

“Don’t you dare start—”

“There’s a thin line between—”

“I will never let you—”

“Pleasure and pain.” His eyes spark with mischief as he lifts his brows at me tauntingly. “What were you thinking about?”

I pull a face at him. “Cute.”

“I know.” He nips at my bottom lip before rising up to smirk. “Thanks for finally noticing, though.”

“Oh my god.” I snort a laugh, shaking my head with another giggle bubbling past my lips. “You literally have the rebound rate of a golden retriever.”

The kitchen door cracks then, and Hayes drops his hand from my hip, stepping back right before Ollie and Talan come inside. Ollie still looks a little tense but much happier than earlier, and Talan stares at me dramatically.

“ It does laugh.”

“Ha. Ha,” I snark back at him, tracking the way his gaze strays curiously to Hayes just like it kept doing our entire plane ride here before guilt has me asking in spite of myself. “How’s Jack?”

“Fine.” His eyes come back to mine. “Minor concussion and a few bruised ribs, but he’ll live.”

I frown, not really sure whether to pass on my regards to the guy I spent the entire summer battling against before my manners eventually win out. “Well, tell him I hope he, uh, heals quickly and all that.”

Talan’s face fills with an odd look while Ollie’s crooked grin starts to grow next to him for the first time all summer, prompting me to spit out at both of them. “What?”

“Nothing,” Ollie interjects quickly, throwing Talan a glare and making my brows fall. “Just wondering where the birthday cake—.”

My mother slides in behind them then, cutting him off at the sight of her overloaded with takeout bags, and Ollie immediately starts to take them from her, with Hayes jumping to follow his lead a second later.

“Okay.” She smiles happily as they both take the bags to the counter. “I have Italian for Oliver, Chinese for Ophelia, and—” An indulgent expression fills her face as it turns toward her latest target. “Sushi for Hayes.”

Hayes’s head snaps toward her with surprise filling his face. “You didn’t have to do that, I didn’t realize when you asked what my—”

“Well, I wasn’t going to very well show up with their favorites and not yours.” Something of Ollie’s dramatics and my scowl fills her face. “That would have been rude, darling, and I’m not rude to people I plan on liking.”

He stares at her with wide eyes for a moment before nodding. “Yes, ma’am.”

“Very good.” She turns her head toward Talan, and I try to hide my grin. “Now go get Mia before their father comes in with the cakes.”

Talan balks. “What?”

“Or do you plan on making me dislike you too?”

A giggle bubbles past my lips, and Talan’s eyes come back to mine, looking like he’s asking for my help, but I just shake my head. “It’s my birthday, asshole, you’re going to have some cake.”

He glares at me, turning around and heading back out of the kitchen while mumbling under his breath about unprofessionalism.

Because he’s one to talk there.

“Language,” my mother chastises automatically before ordering everyone. “Now let’s set everything up outside.”

We all jump at her order, helping her carry all the bags to where our veranda sits just behind the kitchen and setting them up on the glass table there.

The twinkle lights and greenery hang above it along with the summer warmth still in the air, making it feel cozy.

Full of life, I guess, which it is. As my father steps out with a cake in each hand, and Talan and Mia trickle out to join us a little hesitantly.

My mom ducks back in to grab some wine as everyone settles themselves around the table.

Ollie and Hayes planting themselves on either side of me so fast it has me rolling my eyes as Mia and Talan grab the seats across from us.

My dad rounds us out as he sets the cakes in the middle of the table and takes a seat at one end of it while my mother comes back out to sit at the other.

Everyone starts to chatter as bags are opened up and food is passed around, but I take a minute to just sit.

Looking around at them all as something peaceful washes through me that has me wishing I could freeze this moment forever.

The way almost all of my people are safely tucked away under one roof, happily sharing food and conversation with each other.

That sense of home and family that comes from the people we choose to surround ourselves with… it’s everything, really.

A shoulder bumps mine, and I look up to see Ollie staring at me questioningly.

“You good?”

“Yeah.” I give him a small grin. “Just thinking about how I wish I could freeze today.”

“Don’t worry,” he snorts softly, lifting his brows. “We’ll have a lifetime of them.”

“Right.” I bump his shoulder back, picking up my chopsticks and plopping a Szechuan dumpling in my mouth before glancing at Hayes.

Finding him staring at the sushi in front of him with a confused look on his face.

Huh.

I swallow the dumpling and elbow him. “What’s wrong?” He looks up in surprise. “Do you not like it?”

“No.” He shakes his head, darting his eyes back down before swallowing visibly. “It’s really nice.” His gaze comes back to mine with something in it that has my brows falling. “It’s all really nice, O.”

“But—”

“Can I ask you something?”

I huff an irritated breath and turn to Talan. “What?”

“You were muttering something earlier like a crazy person that I want to ask you about.”

“God, man,” Ollie scoffs next to me, shooting him a reproachful look. “You really need to work on the way you word things.”

Talan actually does look a little sorry at that, his face turning apologetic as he looks to my parents, then me again. “Sorry, but I think it’s important.”

“What?” I frown at him.

“When you came down from your room earlier, you were muttering something about messages and peonies and rage.”

Shit.

Everyone’s eyes turn to me, and I swallow, internally berating myself for not making sure one of them wasn’t around before returning the knife to the kitchen.

At least he didn’t catch sight of that…or at least isn’t mentioning it if he did.

My mother lifts her brows at me as Hayes’s hand lands on my leg with a squeeze, and I blow out a short breath, figuring it can’t really hurt, and if they aren’t smart enough to figure it out themselves, then someone should tell them.

“Not peonies,” I start, noticing the way Mia is staring at me closely now. “Petunias. He drew petunias on the note that he left on Jack’s car.”

Ollie’s hand grabs mine under the table on my other side, and I squeeze it, knowing it’s more for him than me right now.

“Why?” Talan’s face turns bemused. “Are they your favorite or something?”