Chapter 139 What family feels like

Chapter 139 What family feels like
Casey’s POV

By the time we left the hockey rink, my legs were aching, my cheeks hurt from laughing, and I was pretty sure I had discovered several muscles I had never known existed. Nathan unlocked the car and looked over at me, his own smile still lingering as he opened the door.
“You’re smiling.”
“So are you.”
“I always smile.”
I gave him a look. “No, you don’t.”
He paused with his hand on the car door and turned toward me, genuinely curious. “How would you know?”
“Because I’ve been watching you.”
For a moment, he simply looked at me, and then his expression softened into something that made it obvious he was pleased by what I had said.
“You’re getting to know me.”
I smiled despite myself. “Unfortunately.”
He laughed as he opened his door wider. “Get in, sis.”
I rolled my eyes. “Stop calling me that.”
“You love it.”
I didn't answer because, annoyingly enough, he was right. I did love it, probably more than I was willing to admit to him.
We drove away from the rink with the windows slightly open, the cool afternoon air drifting through the car as the noise of the hockey complex slowly disappeared behind us. For several minutes, neither of us spoke, but the silence didn't feel uncomfortable. I'd noticed that about Nathan already. Silence with him didn't feel like rejection or something I needed to fill just to keep the conversation alive. It was simply silence, and somehow, being comfortable enough to share it with him made me feel closer to him.
Eventually, he glanced over at me. “You hungry?”
I laughed. “Your mother gave you instructions, didn't she?”
“Maybe.”
“She did.”
He grinned. “She was very specific.”
“Of course she was.”
“She said if I brought you home hungry, I’d regret it.”
I laughed again. “She’s serious about food.”
“Very.”
A few minutes later, he pulled into a shopping center, and I looked at him in confusion as he parked.
“What are we doing?”
“Getting lunch.”
“We just had breakfast.”
“That was hours ago.”
“It was two hours ago.”
“Exactly.”
I shook my head, laughing. “You really are your mother’s son.”
“Thank you.”
We walked into a small restaurant, and Nathan ordered without even looking at the menu. I stared at him as he finished speaking to the waiter.
“You come here often.”
“Maybe.”
“You have a favorite table too?”
“Of course.”
He led me toward the back of the restaurant and pointed to a table near the window. “This one.”
I sat down and looked at him with amusement. “How many times have you eaten here?”
He thought about it for a moment before answering, “Enough.”
“That’s not an answer.”
“It is if you don’t want to know how much money I’ve spent.”
I laughed as he sat across from me. There was something so easy about being around him, something that still surprised me considering that only yesterday I hadn't even known he existed.
Once we'd ordered, Nathan leaned back in his chair and studied me for a moment.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“You’re staring.”
“I know.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Why?”
He shrugged, but the smile that appeared on his face was quieter this time. “I still can’t believe you’re real.”
My smile faded slightly, because I understood exactly what he meant.
“I know what you mean.”
He looked down at the table, rubbing his hands together as though he was trying to figure out how to put something into words. “I used to think Mom and Dad had everything figured out.”
“They didn’t.”
“No.” He let out a slow breath. “I’ve been thinking about it since yesterday.”
“About what?”
“How different everything could’ve been.”
I knew what he meant before he even said it.
“If you had been here...” His voice trailed off, and he looked toward me.
“You don’t have to,” I said softly.
“I want to.”
He took a breath and gave me a small smile. “You would’ve been at my birthday parties.”
I smiled faintly. “I would’ve.”
“You would’ve helped Mom choose gifts.”
“Probably.”
“You would’ve annoyed me.”
“Definitely.”
He laughed. “You would’ve embarrassed me at school.”
“Absolutely.”
His smile grew, but then his expression slowly became serious again.
“And I would’ve known you.”
The words tightened something in my throat. “Yeah.”
“I hate that.”
I looked at him. “What?”
“That I didn’t.”
I reached across the table and placed my hand over his. “It’s not your fault.”
“I know.”
“But?”
He looked at me, his eyes filled with the same sadness I knew I was carrying inside me. “But I still hate it.”
I squeezed his fingers. “So do I.”
For a few seconds, neither of us said anything. He looked down at our hands before a small smile returned to his face.
“At least we can do something about the next twenty years.”
I laughed softly. “Twenty years?”
“Minimum.”
“You’ll be thirty-nine.”
“And you’ll be forty-two.”
I made a face. “That’s depressing.”
He laughed. “Fine. Fifty years.”
“Better.”
“Deal?”
I nodded. “Deal.”
Our food arrived a few minutes later, and Nathan immediately pushed one of his fries toward me.
“Try these.”
I picked it up and tasted it. “Good.”
“I know.”
I laughed. “You don’t need to look so proud.”
“I chose them.”
That only made me laugh harder.
We ate while talking about everything and nothing, the conversation moving so naturally that I barely noticed how much time was passing. Nathan told me about his university friends, the people he spent time with, and some of the ridiculous things they had gotten up to. I told him about Olivia and how she somehow had the ability to turn almost any ordinary conversation into an argument, and he laughed when I told him about Noah.
“That guy sounds hopeless.”
“He is.”
“And Olivia likes him?”
“Unfortunately.”
Nathan shook his head. “Love makes people stupid.”
I stared at him. “You’re nineteen.”
“So?”
“You don’t know anything about love.”
He smiled, looking completely unbothered by my judgment. “Maybe.”
Then he looked at me, and his expression softened.
“But I know Mom and Dad love you.”
My smile disappeared.
He said it so simply and with such confidence that there didn't seem to be any room for doubt in his mind. As though there had never been a question about whether Alexander and Victoria wanted me in their lives.
I swallowed, feeling emotion rise unexpectedly in my chest. “I think I’m beginning to believe that.”
He nodded once. “Good.”
After lunch, we walked around the shopping center, and Nathan insisted on buying me something.
“No.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because I want to.”
“You don’t need to.”
“I know.”
He stopped in front of a small display and picked up a bracelet before holding it out to me. “This.”
I stared at it and then looked back at him. “Nathan.”
“What?”
“You don’t have to buy me things.”
“I know.” He smiled. “I want to give you something.”
I looked down at the bracelet again. It was simple, nothing expensive or overly complicated, just a thin silver chain with a tiny star charm.
“It’s pretty.”
“Then it’s yours.”
I hesitated, but Nathan had already taken it to the counter. I watched him pay for it, and when he returned and placed it in my hand, I felt tears threatening again.
“Thank you.”
He shrugged as though it were nothing more than a small purchase. “It’s just a bracelet.”
I smiled at him. “It’s not.”
His expression softened.
“It’s the first thing my brother has ever given me.”
For a moment, he didn't say anything. Then he smiled.
“Then I’ll have to get better at this.”
I laughed through the emotion in my chest. “At what?”
“Being your brother.”
I looked at him, and a genuine smile spread across my face. “You seem to be doing fine.”
“Good.”
He glanced at the bracelet in my hand. “Put it on.”
I fastened it around my wrist, adjusting the clasp until the little star rested against my skin. Nathan looked at it and smiled.
“Looks good.”
I looked down at it, already knowing I was going to keep it. “I’ll keep it.”
“I hope so.”
“I will.”
We left the shopping center not long afterward and drove toward a nearby park. When Nathan turned into the parking area, I looked at him suspiciously.
“Another surprise?”
“Yeah.”
“You’re exhausting.”
“I know.”
He parked, and we walked toward the lake together. The afternoon sun reflected across the water, making the whole place feel peaceful after the noise and energy of the rink and the shopping center. Nathan eventually sat down on the grass, and I settled beside him.
For a while, we simply watched the water.
Then he spoke quietly. “Can I ask you something serious?”
I turned toward him. “Of course.”
“Do you want to know what happened?”
I knew immediately what he meant. “With Rita and Loki?”
He nodded. “I mean... everything.”
I took a slow breath, looking out across the lake as I tried to decide how honest I could be with myself about that question.
“I do.”
“But?”
“I don’t know if I’m ready.”
Nathan nodded, accepting my answer without trying to push me. “You don’t have to tell me.”
“Thank you.”
He kept his eyes on the lake when he continued. “I don’t want you to think you have to explain yourself to me.”
I looked at him. “Why?”
“Because you’re my sister.” He shrugged, as though the answer should have been obvious. “You don’t have to earn that.”
My eyes filled, and I quickly looked away, not wanting him to see how much those words affected me. Nathan noticed anyway, but he didn't comment or make me feel embarrassed about it. Instead, he gave me the space I needed and changed the subject.
“Do you want to know something embarrassing about Dad?”
I laughed softly and wiped at the corner of my eye. “Definitely.”
“He can’t dance.”
I turned toward him. “Seriously?”
“Terribly.”
“Victoria didn’t tell me that.”
“Because she has standards.”
I laughed, imagining Alexander trying to dance. “What does he do?”
“Something that technically resembles dancing.”
I laughed harder, and Nathan grinned.
“I’ll show you the videos someday.”
“Videos?”
“Many.”
“I need to see them.”
“Absolutely.”
We spent another hour there, talking and laughing as we slowly got to know each other in pieces, discovering little things about one another that we never would have known if our lives hadn't been separated for so long. Eventually, the sun began to disappear behind the trees, and Nathan finally stood.
“We should go.”
“Yeah.”
We walked back to the car together, and as we drove home, I found myself looking down at the bracelet around my wrist. The little star caught the fading light every time I moved my hand, and I smiled without even realizing I was doing it.
Nathan noticed.
“You like it?”
“I love it.”
“Good.”
I looked over at him. “I had a really good day.”
He smiled. “Me too.”
“Even though I almost died on the ice?”
“You didn’t.”
“I almost did.”
“You fell twice.”
“Exactly.”
He laughed, and I couldn't help laughing with him.
When we reached the Sterling house, Victoria was waiting outside. She watched us get out of the car, her expression immediately turning curious.
“How was it?”
Nathan closed the car door and looked at her. “She survived.”
I climbed out and shook my head. “Barely.”
Victoria laughed. “I told you not to hurt her.”
“I didn’t.”
“He made me play hockey.”
Victoria looked at Nathan with disbelief. “She can’t skate.”
“I know.”
“Then why?”
Nathan looked completely unapologetic. “Character development.”
I laughed, and Victoria shook her head before gesturing toward the house.
“Come inside.”
We walked toward the house together, and when we reached the door, Nathan opened it and stepped aside with an exaggerated little gesture.
“After you, sis.”
I smiled as I walked past him. “Thank you, little brother.”
He groaned immediately. “You’re never letting that go, are you?”
“Never.”
Victoria laughed behind us as I stepped inside.
And for the first time, I realized something had changed.
Yesterday, I had entered this house as a daughter meeting her parents. Today, I had returned as a sister coming home after spending the day with her brother, and somehow, that small difference felt enormous.
It wasn't the family I'd imagined growing up. It wasn't the childhood I should have had, and there was no way to change the years that had already been taken from us. But standing there with Nathan beside me and Victoria laughing behind us, I realized that maybe I didn't need to recreate the past to have a family now.
I had something real.
Something I could finally build.
Nathan nudged my shoulder. “Same time tomorrow?”
I looked at him, surprised by how quickly he was already planning our next day together. “You’re asking already?”
“Obviously.”
I smiled. “Maybe.”
He grinned. “I’ll take that as a yes.”
I shook my head, but I couldn't stop smiling.
For the first time in twenty-two years, I wasn't wondering what it would feel like to have a family.
I was beginning to find out.