Page 24 of Forsaken Oath

“Yeah, and maybe if I didn’t catch you in your garage, taking care of your cars better than some people take care of their pets, I’d believe you. You fucking love driving, man.”

“Yeah, and once upon a time, you loved baseball, too. Shit happens and life moves on.”

He jams his finger toward me, his brows tugging low over his glare. “That’s different, and you know it.”

He’s not wrong, but I’m not backing down on this, so I just shrug. “Yeah, maybe, but I’ll be in the front row tonight. Watching. When’s the last time we had this many drivers trying to race at the Alley, huh? It’s fuckin’ wild.”

He hums under his breath as he grabs cutlery from the drawer. His gaze lingers on me. “You sure you don’t wanna jump in this year?”

I swallow over the tightness in my throat. “Nah, I’m good.”

I won the Gauntlet three years ago, and had Nana Jo not passed away, had we not had her reading of the will eighteen months ago, I would’ve been back in, mixing it up.

But I accepted her terms, so here the fuck I am. Sitting on the sidelines while everyone else does twenty laps around the Alley. Pretending I don’t feel like a washed-up asshole who can’t hack it anymore.

We’ve exhausted allthe usual catching-up conversation halfway through dinner. Ma detailed everyone on my youngest sister, Abby’s, adventures on the west coast. Dad boasted about Ma’s greenhouse sales she had in the last week. Graham and I kept our anecdotes on the past week as vague as usual, and Cora told a funny story about her cat.

“Cora, dear, have you given any thought to what you’ll do when you’re married?” Ma asks. Her tone is polite curiosity, but I know better. Underneath that serene smile is a shark, just waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

Ever since Coraline started dating a Reaper, Ma’s taken a special interest in their relationship. But Jagger’s a decent man. He treats my sister like a goddamn queen, and I have it on goodauthority that he’s exacted his own style of justice when it comes to her.

Cora chokes on her food. She holds a soft, gold napkin over her mouth as Jagger gently pats her back, rubbing small circles over it.

“Jesus, Mom,” she sputters.

“Well, if the idea of marriage is so shocking to you, then maybe you’re not ready for such a serious step, like moving in together,” Ma says. She keeps her eyebrows high as she takes a forkful of lasagna. “I’m just saying. If you give up your lease and things go south between you, then what are you going to do?”

Inside, I’m cringing so hard. I love my mother, but it’s painful to watch her makesuggestionsto Coraline. We’re a close family, and ribbing one another is basically a love language.

But a few months ago, Cora came over and asked for a favor. She got into a jam and needed some help, which I was all too happy to give. It was a turning point in our relationship. Ever since then, she’s been more open with me, and I realized how she really felt about all the commentary—especially about her baking.

It was never malicious on my end, but I still feel the sharp sting of guilt that I contributed to her hurt. I don’t know if I’ll ever forget the way she looked when she told me how hurtful these family dinners are for her.

I can’t believe Ma is doing it maliciously. Nah, she’s not that kind of person. I’m almost positive she thinks she’s giving her daughter motherly advice or some shit. But now that Cora’s opened my eyes to it, I can’t not see it.

There’s a beat of silence, one that seems to stretch for an eternity. I clear my throat and open my mouth, but before I can formulate any kind of response, Jagger beats me to it.

“Things aren’t ever gonna go south between us, Mrs. Carter,” Jagger says, holding Cora’s gaze, his hand on the back of herneck. “She’s the love of my life. And if she wants to leave our house, that’s fine. I’ll grab Pudding and follow her.”

Dad snorts into his water glass. “Good man,” he murmurs.

“Well, I can’t help it that I worry about my daughter,” Ma grumbles, busying herself with cutting a piece of lasagna.

Cora and Jagger’s heads are bent toward one another, foreheads nearly touching as they share a private moment. Jagger’s hand still rests on the nape of Cora’s neck, his thumb tracing soothing circles on her skin. A soft smile pulls at Cora’s lips as she gazes up at him, her blue eyes sparkling with undisguised affection.

In that instant, they look like they’re the only two people in the world, caught up in their own little bubble of intimacy. It reminds me of the one and only time I had something similar.

Maybe. It’s hard to say if the attraction I felt to Eloise was as real as Cora and Jagger, or if it was a byproduct of adrenaline and post-traumatic euphoria. Which I didn’t even know was a thing until I looked it up one sleepless night a few weeks ago.

“I still can’t believe our sister is gonna marry a fuckin’ Reaper,” Graham mutters next to me.

“Don’t be a hypocrite now, brother. It’s not your color.”

“Are you fuckin’ serious right now?” he hisses from underneath his breath.

I glare at him. “Are you? We’ve got more important things to worry about than our sister’s relationship. If he becomes a problem, she’ll let us know.” I glance across the table at the people in question. I shake my head a few times and look back at Graham. “But I don’t think that’s gonna happen.”

“When has she ever come to us aboutanything?” He’s quietly incredulous.

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