Chapter13
Cavil
Isat at the table in the back corner ofThe Book Nook, the scent of old pages and fresh coffee curling through the air. Around me, the usual chaos hummed—my makeshift family scattered across mismatched chairs, cups half-full, laughter brewing between bites of donuts and sips of hot drinks. Christian leaned back in his chair, tossing a powdered donut into the air like it was part of some half-baked circus act. He caught it with a grin, smug but stoic as always.
“Gotta keep my skills sharp,” he said, eyes glinting with mischief.
“Yeah, because that’s what the world needs—more ofyourskills,” Luke muttered, rolling his eyes. “Next thing we know, you’ll be applying forThe Great British Bake Off.”
Javier snorted into his coffee. “With your luck, you’d burn water. I don't know what Claire sees in you."
“Only if I’m not under the watchful eye of Chef Luke over here.” Christian shot Luke a dramatic salute, earning another round of chuckles.
Luke shrugged, a crooked grin playing at his mouth. “Can’t help it if I’ve got the touch.” He leaned in, elbows on the table. “But seriously—anyone got plans for Christmas? My sister’s flying in next week.”
“Lucky you,” Noah murmured, his voice quiet but not absent of emotion. He was always the quiet one, but I heard the weight beneath his words. “Family gatherings always looked fun from the outside.”
Christian gave him a sidelong look. “You know Claire’s cooking enough food for twenty. You’ve got a seat at the table, no questions asked.”
Noah shook his head slowly, eyes drifting toward the window. “Appreciate it. But I’ve got things to take care of.”
The tone shifted. Not jarring—but enough. I felt it in the air, subtle like the first cold snap before a storm. We all did, even if no one said anything. Luke gave it a beat before jumping back in, voice lighter.
“What about here?” he asked. “This place could use a little extra holiday magic.”
“Or a little less cynicism,” Christian added with a smirk.
I leaned back in my chair and let the conversation settle around me like the warm light spilling from the shop’s windows. There was something grounding in their banter, in the way they teased and talked over one another like brothers without blood. I glanced at Noah, catching the faintest curve at the corner of his mouth—like he was trying not to smile. That was enough.
“Besides,” I said, cutting in, “who wouldn’t want Claire’s gingerbread cookies?”
Christian perked up. “Thelegendarycookies.”
Luke snorted. “If by legendary, you mean structurally sound enough to survive a demolition.”
Javier shook his head. “Pretty sure I broke a molar on one last year.”
The laughter that followed rolled through the room, genuine and easy. The kind of laughter that came from shared history—our strange little group tied together by routine, circumstance, and maybe something like loyalty. It was the kind of moment I didn’t take for granted.
But even as I smiled, I felt that familiar pull in my chest.
Callie.
Leo.
The memory of their voices echoing through the snow earlier gnawed at the edge of my thoughts. I could still see the fire in her eyes when she’d stood her ground—still hear the venom in Leo’s voice as he tried to tear her down. Something about it didn’t sit right. It felt unfinished. Like a fuse had been lit and no one was watching the flame.
I fiddled with a paper napkin between my fingers, the laughter around me fading slightly beneath the noise in my own head. Something was shifting. I could feel it. I just didn’t know yet whether we were headed for healing—or another kind of breaking.
“So?” Javier leaned back, arms crossed, his gaze locked on me like a sniper zeroing in. “You gonna tell us what happened to your face?”
I grunted. “It’s the only one I’ve got.”
The guys exchanged looks, then erupted into laughter. Christian rolled his eyes, but the smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth gave him away. “Only you could take a hit from your own brother and still look like you walked off a movie poster.”
“Or like a guy who still hasn’t figured out fists don’t fix everything,” Luke added, waggling his eyebrows with that too-familiar spark of trouble.
“Leo must’ve said something stupid,” he continued, leaning forward now like this was some mystery they were all about to solve together.
