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Chapter fifty-two
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2025-05-18 04:56:47
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RECKLESS DESIRES: THE ODEN LEGACY Chapter One Hundred And Fifty
“Luke,” Amiriam called from the kitchen, “if you’re hiding my tea, this is not funny.”“It’s not your tea I’m hiding,” came his voice from outside.She frowned, drying her hands on a dish towel. The house behind her hummed with muted domestic chaos: Rita singing to herself as she scribbled in a notebook, Christiana muttering to herself over laundry, James chattering to Mrs. Oden about the possibility of dragons. Normal. A word she never thought she'd hear herself say again.Amiriam stepped out onto the porch.Luke was resting against the railing, tall, bruised, shoulders broad and staunch as a fortress that had weathered one too many storms. The gold light of evening gilded him, and in his hand he was holding an envelope—thin, white, unsealed."Is that—" she started.He shook his head slightly. "Not a poem. Not a proposal." His voice was steady, but beneath it something trembled. "Just… something I had to say."Her heart slowed. She moved closer, almost tentatively, as though if she c
RECKLESS DESIRES: THE ODEN LEGACY Chapter One Forty-nine
"Reading it to me?" James asked, eyeing the large hardback Amiriam was holding.She smiled faintly and ran her hand over the embossed title. "Not tonight, James. Grown-ups' book.""But you wrote it," he grinned, leaning on her arm. "So I should read it first.""It means you'll be the first to get a signed copy when you're older.".He was ready to protest, but Luke appeared in the doorway holding two mugs of tea. “Bedtime, little guy. You’ve already out-read everyone tonight.”“Even Jackson?” James laughed.“Especially Jackson,” Luke said, passing a mug to Amiriam.The Oden household had been peculiarly quiet for days. Since James's birthday and everything that happened, they were walking on eggshells around one another, as if the air itself would shatter if a deep breath was taken. During the quiet, Amiriam lost herself in Threadlight's last rewrites. She wrote in borrowed moments—early morning hours when the house slept, and late night hours when Luke pretended to be studying at his
RECKLESS DESIRES: THE ODEN LEGACY Chapter One Forty-eight
"Make a wish, James."The candles on the cake flickered in the darkened dining room. They all leaned in—Luke with his face broken out in a grin, Amiriam with her hands gripping James's shoulders, Rita and Christiana seated to either side of them, observing. Jackson remained at the head, Mrs. Oden by him, her hand resting lightly upon his arm.James closed his eyes, furrowing his brow in thought before he blew out the candles. He opened them once again and declared resolutely, "I wish for all those I care about to stay."The room remained silent for only slightly longer than a normal birthday pause. It was a child's wish, but it landed with a weight in both of them.Luke ruffled his hair. "That's a good one, pal."James grinned, oblivious to the ripple his words caused.The party was small—just family, Zack, and Victor dropping by briefly. The table was cluttered with brightly wrapped presents, paper plates, and the scent of frosting.“Open mine first,” Rita urged, sliding a medium-siz
RECKLESS DESIRES: THE ODEN LEGACY Chapter One Forty-seven
“I’m pregnant.”Rita’s voice cracked, the words slipping out like something she’d been holding in for far too long. She sat at the edge of Amiriam’s bed, shoulders hunched, hands clutched tightly in her lap.For a moment, Amiriam didn’t move. Then she reached over, prying Rita’s fingers apart gently to hold them. “Hey,” she said softly, “breathe.”Rita’s eyes were wide, damp with the threat of tears. “I can’t. I—Amiriam, I’m terrified.”“You’re allowed to be,” Amiriam said. “But you’re not alone.”Rita shook her head. “It’s not just the pregnancy. It’s… everything. The noise. The family. The way nothing ever really stops around here.”Amiriam gave her hand a squeeze, leaned closer, and whispered, “This child will never know silence.”The words hung between them—equal parts promise and warning.Downstairs, Luke was fighting with a very awake James, who had decided that bedtime was "too early for a superhero." The living room floor was cluttered with action figures, some of which were m
RECKLESS DESIRES: THE ODEN LEGACY Chapter One Forty-six
"Ethan Scott has been arrested."Victor's words dropped into the quiet of the Oden kitchen like a heavy stone.Luke had been filling his coffee but stopped half way. "Arrested for what?""Illegal recordings," Victor said, leaning against the counter as if the news had physically exhausted him. "Several counts. Conversations, private meetings, even—" He glanced at Amiriam, hesitating. "Even in places people had a right to privacy."Amiriam's brow furrowed. "You mean he was spying on homes?"Victor nodded gravely. "And not a single or two. We're talking years of stuff. Enough to make prosecutors salivate."James padded into the kitchen, still clad in dinosaur pajamas, oblivious to the adult tension. "What's going on?""Nothing you need to worry about, buddy," Luke said quickly, shoving him a plate of toast."But you guys all look like someone died," James replied around a mouthful."Not today," Rita's voice called from the doorway, her voice more subdued than the mood. "Eat your breakfa
RECKLESS DESIRES: THE ODEN LEGACY Chapter One Forty-five
"Guess what!" James burst in the living room door, buzzing with excitement.Luke looked up from the stack of mail he was sorting. "What's up, kid?""Richard doesn't have cancer anymore!" James exclaimed, bouncing up and down on his toes. "Dr. Martin said it's in—uh—re-mish… remiss… something!""Remission," Amiriam completed from the kitchen doorway, smiling at his enthusiasm."Yeah! That! And so…" James drew a theatrical breath. "We're having him at a party. And I already know the name."Luke raised an eyebrow. "Oh? What is it?""You Didn't Die!" James shouted, spreading his arms wide like a conjurer producing his pièce de résistance.Luke blinked, and then started laughing. "That's. direct.""It's perfect," James told him. "Richard will love it."Richard arrived later that afternoon, a bit pale yet standing upright for the first time in months. His eyes wrinkled as the instant James came running up to him, thrusting a cardboard square into his hand."It's your birthday invitation!" J
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