Page 20 of What Haunts the Heart
"Oakley?"
His broad grin made my heart skip a beat and just like that, my bad mood fizzled into nothingness. I waved at him, then gestured to the vacant booth he was standing beside. "I'll be right over," I called out, unable to wipe the smile off my face as I turned back to the task at hand.
The elderly gentleman who always ordered his coffee black with two sugars raised a wiry brow at me and chuckled softly. "Oh, I miss the good ol' days of young love.”
His watery blue eyes studied me for a moment before they trailed back over to Oakley. He held up a finger. "I'll tell you this once and only once, young man. You've only got so many years to love, so live 'em loud and proud, 'cause once they're gone..." He sighed wistfully and touched the wedding band on his finger. "You don't get those years back, no matter how much you wish for ‘em.”
I stared at him for a moment. Was that really what he saw when he looked at us? Two young men with hearts in their eyes for one another—but love? I didn't love Oakley…
Did I?
Realizing he'd put me on the spot, the man chortled again. He gently patted my arm. "You'll figure it out, kiddo. Now, how about those pumpkin crepes?"
“I—” I felt my cheeks grow hot, which was totally out of the norm for me. Eden Elric didn't blush and hecertainlydidn’t get tongue-tied. I straightened my posture with a firm nod. "I'll get right on that, sir.”
Of course, it was never that simple and by the time I got back to Oakley's table, I was out of breath. Taking a quick glance around for my boss, I plunked down on the bench seat opposite my studly Alpha wolf and grinned.
"Hey there, handsome. Can I take your order?" I drawled, bouncing my brows as I twirled the pen between my fingers. Oakley snorted and kicked my shin beneath the table. I kicked him back, hard enough that he grimaced, and I had to laugh at the look on his face.
I sized him up. "I thought you were going to spend the day with your fam-jam?" When he'd left my house this morning, he mentioned that Kinsley and Chester were going to have the kids decorate their pumpkins and that he couldn't miss it. Since I had to work anyway, I'd kissed him goodbye and told him to have fun. "I honestly didn't expect to see you again till after dinner." I smirked. "Not that I'm complaining."
He gave me a toothy grin. "Itwasfun…until Fallon accidentally cut open his hand carving a face into his Frankenstein pumpkin. He freaked out because he was bleeding, Chester started having a panic attack and then the girls both began screaming and it was..." He made a face. "Something. Lani and Claire stayed back to watch the girls while Chess and Kins took Fallon to the clinic. Poor kid's probably gonna need a few stitches.”
I gaped. "What the hell? I thought those pumpkin carving kits were supposed to be kid-friendly?"
“They are, but I guess Fallon decided his tool wasn't sharp enough, so he grabbed one of the kitchen knives when Kinsley wasn't looking.” He groaned under his breath and shook his head in disbelief. "I can't even imagine. I love my family, but sometimes I feel sorry for my brother. He's definitely got his hands full."
"Nah, don't feel bad," I told him. "I'm pretty sure Kinsley knows how babies are made. He knew what he was signing up for. Sometimes things happen and kids hurt themselves. It's part of life, you know? Besides, I have to admit, your brother is one hell of a father, and he makes Chester happy. Really happy."
"Yeah, I can see that. The way they look at each other..."
"It's sickening, isn't it?" I teased, but Oakley's expression softened.
"It's beautiful." He met my gaze and I saw something deeper lurking in the polished topaz of his eyes. Something that made my breath catch in my throat and butterflies spawn to life in my stomach.
“Do you…want that?” I asked. “What they have?”
Oakley looked down at his hands, his fingers laced together on top of table where they rested. “I do,” he murmured. “Maybe it’s selfish, but I grew up knowing that Kinsley was Alpha-Heir. He was set to take Father’s place in the pack and I would be free to do whatever—and love whomever—I wanted. Until suddenly, that responsibility was mine. If I marry Claire, neither of us will be happy. We might be able to make a stitched-together family and I know she’d be an amazing mother, but…”
“It’s not the same,” I finished for him.
“It’s not,” he agreed on a heavy sigh. “I want an Omega of my own, someone who fits me. Someone I can fall hopelessly in love with, maybe even have a pup or two of our own down the line.” As he spoke the words, it was as though he was looking through my flesh and bone to the very soul underneath.
My chest clenched. “Don’t you think you deserve that?”
He closed his eyes. “That would mean abdicating the throne. Father would be livid. You don’t understand the kind of person he is, what he’s capable of. He’d hunt us down and he wouldn’t hesitate to hurt the people I care about, and I can’t… I don’t want anyone else to get hurt.”
“You’re afraid of him,” I said softly.
Oakley nodded. "He isn't a nice person. He never has been. After Kinsley left, he turned all of that anger on me. He attacked me and when I tried to fight back, he damn near hospitalized me, Eden. If I hadn't been a shifter, I don't know if I would've survived. All because he was pissed off.”
I reached across the table and grabbed his hand. "Then isn’t the answer blatantly obvious? Don't go back," I insisted. "Stay here in Vale Valley. Look at your brother. He's happy, right? Don't you deserve that same happiness? To truly be free? The tales they tell about Vale Valley being a sanctuary aren't just folklore, you know. Unless you truly wish for your parents to find you, they won't be able to. You're safe here."
A small smile slipped over his lips. “That’s what I’ve been told.”
“It’s true. He wouldn’t even be able to locate Vale Valley. No matter how hard he tries, the town’s magic would keep you safe. You and Claire both. You’ve got options, Oak, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want you to stay.” I drew my bottom lip between my teeth. “Here. With me.”
He cocked his head to the side, watching me. “Yeah?”
