All Chapters of RECKLESS DESIRES: THE ODEN LEGACY : Chapter 31 - Chapter 37

Amiriam failed to appear. Not the day after Mr. Oden's unexpected visit, nor the following day. She'd given up hope when she crawled into her frayed pajamas on Sunday night with the intention of surviving another lonely night of ice cream and Netflix. She'd told her family that she wasn't feeling well. Generally, they met Sunday evenings for dinner and cards, but she was not in the mood tonight. She'd rather spend her night wallowing in self-pity.She was such a sad case.Grabbing a spoon and a pint of mint chocolate chip ice cream, she watched as the front door creaked to a persistent knock. Her heart fluttered in her chest before she convinced herself it was just the FedEx man. Because, you know, he usually came on Sunday nights. She rolled her eyes and tiptoed to the door, not allowing herself to get her hopes up. Peering through the peephole, the spoon dropped from her fingers and clattered on the floor."Amiriam?"Luke's deep voice boomed through the thick door as she leaned agai

Amiriam "Yup. I'm getting divorced.""But, you love him.""Yup.""And he proposed."There's this huge, silly grin that spreads across Amiriam's face, and she looks down at her hand resting on the kitchen counter. "Yup.""And you said, 'Yes.'""Sure did.""And you're moving out?" Christiana questions.Amiriam nods, tearing her eyes off her left hand that's sporting the ring of her dreams and back at her sister. "Right again, my friend."Are you moving back to live in his parents' home?""Nope. We're actually going to go apartment hunting for the meantime. I think it'll be our home base, and then the rest of the time, we'll be traveling the world and helping those who are less fortunate than us."Gah! It sounds so wonderful when she says it like that!“You’re serious,” Christiana replies, inspecting Amiriam like she’s been captured by a body snatcher, and she’s not her real sister anymore.“Yup. Dead serious.”“And you’re okay with this?”Laughing, Amiriam walks around the counter and

Throwback, Late AfternoonThe sky glowed in rose and lavender as the chauffeur’s sleek black sedan wound up Oden Manor’s curved drive. Amiriam inhaled the mingled scents of freshly trimmed hedges and brine-laced sea air drifting in from the shore. Her heart fluttered with anticipation—tonight’s dinner would be her first formal event since the gala, and she longed to prove she truly belonged here.The driver—face shadowed beneath his cap—stepped down and offered his gloved hand. Amiriam clicked her heels on the cobblestones and accepted it, her emerald-chiffon gown stirring in the breeze. Delicate ruffles mirrored the manicured greens beyond the gates; pearls graced her collarbone, and her hair was swept into a soft chignon. She felt both vulnerable and radiant.A footman pushed open the iron gates, their ornate scrollwork framing the scene like a painting. Beyond them, the pale stone manor rose, turrets entwined in ivy, lanterns flaring along the drive in warm pools of light. Amiriam

Jackson sprang to his feet, chair grating on marble as though protesting his abrupt surplus of vigor. "Impossible! " His voice clanged through the dining room like a cracked bell, reverberating off carved paneling and crystal chandeliers. Forks trembled in the hands of guests; a silver tureen tipped over, its scented steam curling into the air. Jackson walked the length of the long table, the hem of his tuxedo rubbing against fine china. His face was a turmoil of outrage and disbelief.He gave a curt nod to no one in particular, then spun on his heel and pushed through the French doors, which shuddered on their hinges behind him with a force that spilled wine from broken pieces on the floor. For a moment, that was the only sound. Then James—a boy of six with wide, frightened eyes—scurried beneath the tablecloth, pressing himself flat against the polished stone. His breath came in short, shallow gasps, and beads of sweat marked his hairline despite the cool wind from the open doors.He