Page 102 of Forsaken Oath

Across the table, Jagger leans forward, his easygoing grin firmly in place. “So, Eloise, Beau tells us you like to bake. You should stop by Sugar Plum Bakery. Cora’s got about a million recipes she’s always working on.”

Eloise glances at Cora, her expression lighting up. “Oh, is that your bakery?”

My sister’s cheeks redden, but her smile is bright and full. “Yep. I’m working on having it open full-time, but I mostly do custom orders. I’m almost always there.”

“I’ll have to stop by sometime. What have you made recently? Beau said you like to experiment with stuff.”

Cora laughs. “Yeah, sometimes it doesn’t work out, but I love trying new things. Last week I made these lavender honey macarons with a blackberry buttercream filling. They turned out pretty good.”

“They were delicious,” Jagger says, grinning at my sister like the sun rises and sets with her.

Fuck me, did he always look at her like that? I’m genuinely surprised I didn’t see it for what it was earlier. That man is so fucked-up for her, and willingly too.

“Oooh, that sounds amazing,” Eloise says, her eyes widening. “I haven’t really tried experimenting like that.”

Cora leans forward eagerly. “You should come back with me sometime.”

The conversation shifts to baking, and I sit back, watching as Eloise and Cora bond over baking. Their enthusiasm spills over as the rest of us eat.

“She fits right in,” Dad murmurs from his spot at the head of the table.

I glance at him, his gaze steady and knowing. “Yeah,” I say quietly. “She does.”

And that’s when it hits me.

I’m in love with her.

The realization feels like a punch to the chest, knocking the air out of me.

I love Eloise Hawthorne.

Not in the casual way I’ve thrown the word around in the past, but in the bone-deep, forever kind of way.

“Shit,” I mutter under my breath, dragging a hand down my face.

“What’s that?” Graham asks, his brows quirking.

“Nothing,” I say quickly, shaking my head.

But it’s not nothing. It’s fucking everything.

I glance at Eloise, her face animated as she talks to Cora, her hands moving to emphasize a point about layering textures.

Yeah. I fucking love her.

I’ve been waiting for her my whole damn life.

I lean over to Graham while everyone is engaged in conversation, keeping my voice low. “Hey, bro, I need a favor.”

Graham arches an eyebrow, curiosity flashing in his eyes. “What kind of favor?”

“Your favorite kind.”

“This wouldn’t have anything to do with you calling an attorney last week, would it?”

I shake my head, annoyance flaring to life. “Jesus, Graham. Get a fuckin’ hobby and stop hacking people.”

He lifts a shoulder and looks around, probably to make sure no one heard us. But everyone else is engaged in conversation or their food. Besides, no one is looking to make a lot of eye contact with my broody brother, he’s riding that thin line lately.

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