Page 195 of The Casualty of Us
No hesitation to my reply because those things will always be give-ins to me when it comes to her.
“Good.” He nods, eyes staying on mine for a beat more before looking down and picking up his pen again. “We have donuts being delivered in about thirty minutes if you want to stick around. Blythe doesn’t believe in cooking on holidays.”
“Sure,” I exhale slowly, leaning back for the first time since sitting down as things ease between us enough to have me absently observing. “She’s like you.” His gaze lifts back to mine curiously, and I clarify for him. “You know, everyone always talks about her mom, but—” It’s in the little things. “There’s something about how she handles people that’s similar to you.”
“She does.” A surprised laugh leaves him as he nods, the smile much more genuine this time. “She got all her mother’s smarts, but the stubbornness is definitely my brand, I believe.”
I nod at that, my mouth pulling up with an answering twitch before it hits me that my second present for the day might be a bad move.
It has me clearing my throat uncomfortably again. “Could I ask you a favor?”
“What’s that?” His eyes narrow with the question, and I start fast, not wanting to lose any progress we’ve made.
“I understand that you may not want me or my father paying you back because of—” I don’t fucking know, legalities, maybe. Right now I have bigger things to worry about. “Your own reasons, but it would mean a lot to me if you would allow me to replace the jewelry.”
I keep my eyes on his, not backing down because this hill is one I’m willing to fight over until he nods slowly. “That seems fair.” He barely gives me time for a breath of relief before shooting off next. “So what are your plans? After college?”
Fuck. “I’m not sure yet.”
“Well.” He shrugs, turning back around to grab the coffee again. “You still have time, but it’s good for you to start thinking about it.”
“Yeah.” I nod. “Yeah, you’re right.”
Because he is right. It’s been my own little worry in the back of my head as more and more people around me start to find their path. Football is Ollie’s love and dream, but for me…it’s always been fun, yeah, a good time and outlet, but I don’t want to slave away for another twenty years doing it either. I’d rather focus all that energy on much more pleasurable pursuits. The problem is the only thing I really love to do outside of making O smile is also the one that mixes me up the most. One that I don’t even know how to start feeling about except for when I’m locked in a room with her.
But I still repeat it again because it’s true. “You’re right.”
Not wanting to admit to him that some part of me has already been wondering how she would feel about it too.
I guess I’ll find out soon, though.
Chapter Forty-Six
HAYES - DECEMBER 2013
I watchO finish opening up Ollie’s present, pulling the top off and tossing her head back with a laugh that has my lips lifting automatically. Completely transfixed by the way she seems to be bubbling over with joy today and immediately loving Christmas even more because of it. She pulls a jeweled pink stun gun from the box that has the grin on my face growing wider and her mother chuckling from beside Ollie on the couch. Their father is in the chair next to him, and O is in the one on the other side of the couch, with me choosing to sit on the floor so that I can still be touching her in some fashion instead of taking one of the other chairs.
Most of the presents are already open at this point, and there’s a small stack beside me from Ollie and O’s parents despite my protestation. The guitar she gave me yesterday is still sitting upstairs, and the entire accessory pack that she had me open this morning is behind the chair. I push up off the floor and walk over to the tree, quickly snatching up the two green presents that are stacked together and bound by a white ribbon in one hand. My other hand goes for the white box with the red ribbon that has Cartier scrawled along it in gold that’s hidden behind the rest. I turn back to see O’s eyes moving between myhands before she zeros in on the white box quickly. Her gaze lifts to mine as I take that first step back toward her, and her voice comes out a little scolding. “What is that?”
I tilt my head at her, teasing while closing the distance, “Why? What do you think it is?”
The flash of panic on her face has my grin spreading wide, and a quiet laugh follows with my next breath. I come to a stop in front of her and place the green presents in her lap before setting the white one in the seat beside her so that the order is clear. She holds my gaze for another moment, narrowing her own playfully before dropping it to the first gifts and observing quietly. “I see we’re sticking to the two-gift trend.”
“I’ve decided on a three-gift tradition, actually, but one wasn’t ready yet.” I shrug when she glances back up at me through her lashes. “One for the mind, one for the heart, and one for the crown.”
Her eyes stay on mine, a little spark in the blue there coming before she breathes. “Which one do I have to wait on?”
“The heart.”
“Of course.” Her lips lift, eyes dropping back down as she finishes pulling the white ribbon loose. Carefully unwrapping the top present to reveal the first edition ofThe Handmaid’s Talethat I tracked down for her. A smile slowly lights up her face as she stares at it until it’s like she’s transcendent, knocking the fucking breath from me as she opens the front cover to blurt out, “You didn’t.” Her gaze immediately comes back to mine before stating it, like she’s checking to be sure. “This is signed.”
“Huh,” I tease, arching a brow and looking down at it. “Is it? I wonder how that happened.”
Her eyes drop back to the book, a happy noise leaving her before she picks it up gently and unwraps the second to find the same thing with a copy ofThe Testaments. The sound comesmore loudly this time right before she launches herself at me, arms going around my neck with a book in each of her hands.
I close mine around her with a quiet laugh, picking her up until her feet are dangling as she whispers, “This is the best gift I’ve ever gotten.”
“Yeah?”
