Page 115 of Oathbreaker

I roll my eyes at Ella, sticking my tongue out at her.

“Make a wish first,” I add, turning back to Hunter. The corner of his mouth kicks up.

“I already got my wish,” he murmurs.

“Oh, God,” Leo says, tilting his head back and staring at the ceiling. “Save me from ever falling in love.”

I glance over to Ella and frown when I see her face pale.

“Happy birthday, Dad,” August says from his spot across from Hunter. At his words, everyone freezes, and as a collective, we hold our breaths.

Hunter stills the most out of all of us, his eyes going wide for a beat before placing his hand on his chest.

He leans forward in his chair—leans closer to August.

August rocks from side to side, but the stim isn’t one he uses when he’s agitated. It’s what he does when he’s happy.

With a depth of emotion that feels corporeal, Hunter simply says, “Thank you.”

I sniff, biting my lip to prevent myself from crying.

“I’ve got one,” Hunter says. “A wish, that is.” He smiles, just the slight uptick of his lips, and closes his eyes for a moment. At a silent count of three, he leans forward to blow out the candles.

“What did you wish for?” I ask him.

“I won’t tell you because it won’t come true. And I really need this one to come true.” He kisses the back of my hand.

“All right, let’s cut this cake!” Veronica materializes with the knife, and Ella scoots the small plates further down the table.

And as Hunter cuts his homemade cake, I glance around the room.

Family. This is everything.

And I’ll be damned if I ever lose them.

Hunter and August stand shoulder to shoulder, gazes fixed on the sky.

We’re all out on the east lawn, a flat parcel of land extending before a dense patch of trees. The yard and the forest cover about fifteen acres, according to Hunter.

I’m surprised that August loved the cake. And by love, he said, “I enjoy the taste and texture of this cake.”

Which is phenomenal praise.

Ella, Leo, Veronica, Summer, Kitty, and I sit in Adirondack chairs as August teaches Hunter how to do flips with their new matching SAB Goblin helicopters.

I can tell that Hunter is struggling to keep up with August’s instructions, and Hunter has nearly crashed about three times in the last fifteen minutes.

Which is something August finds hilarious.

August mentioned wanting to get Hunter a birthday present, but when he suggested the RC copters, I figured he mainly wanted a gift for himself.

But seeing my two favorite guys standing together with the same look of concentration, it’s apparent that the real gift is this moment.

I look at Leo and Ella, who sit in close proximity but don’t acknowledge each other at all. They didn’t say a word to each other the entire time we were cutting the cake and singing Happy Birthday.

If they’re trying to keep their relationship under wraps, they’re doing an excellent job.

“Shit!” Hunter groans in frustration. Hunter’s helicopter is stuck in one of the trees at the front line of the forest.

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