Page 239 of By His Vow

There have been many times in my life when I’ve been forced to pull on a mask and pretend that everything is okay. Hell, I used to wear it every time I was in my parents’ house, but it’s been a while since I’ve had to wear it for quite so long.

I’m sure most brides want to drag out every second of their wedding—even those who are lucky enough to be heading off somewhere exotic to celebrate with their new husbands. But all I want to do is go home, crawl into bed, and hide in the dark under the covers for the foreseeable future.

But I can’t.

I don’t get to go home, because it’s no longer where I live.

Home is now Kingston’s fancy penthouse.

Sure, he’s tried to make it nice, and a little less like a billionaire’s bachelor pad. But it’ll always be his home, not mine.

I’ll always be on edge, worried that I’m going to break something or move something I shouldn’t touch.

All I want to do is kick back and relax before the insanity of the week ahead of us begins.

While we know about my father’s wishes where the future of Warner Group is concerned, nothing has been announced yet.

Kingston and Miles decided—rightly or wrongly, I’m not sure—to wait until the wedding was done before they made a public statement about the merger.

I’ve tried to keep to myself at work and encouraged my team to focus on their jobs, but I’m not naive to think that the gossip isn’t rife.

The employees of Warner Group may not predict the merger, but Kingston, Kian, and Michael have spent a lot of time in meetings on the top floor of the building since Dad passed, so it’s obvious that something is happening.

I don’t know the details, and as much as I might want to hope there won’t be huge changes to Warner Group in the coming weeks, months, and years, I fear that might be wishful thinking.

Dad wouldn’t have handed the company over lightly.

I’m sure he put much more thought into that than he did handing me over.

I shake my head, forcing the thoughts out. No good comes from those kinds of thoughts.

There is something bigger at play here than him wanting to hand over his company to his oldest and closest friend. I’d put everything I have on it.

I’m still not interested enough to ask or dig, though.

It’s not my issue, or my problem to try and fix.

My time following my father’s orders now has a timestamp on it. Twelve months from today, I’ll be free, with the only thing I’ve ever wanted in my possession.

I don’t get a chance to talk to Lori or Miles before Kingston and I retreat to our suite to pack up our things. I decide that’s a good thing for now.

The less I’m forced to attempt to vocalize how I’m feeling, the better.

I pack up my things in a daze, and the journey back to Kingston’s apartment is a blur.

He attempts to make conversation with me, but most of his questions go unanswered.

We walk through the front door and find our wedding flowers, and more gifts and cards than I can even comprehend, waiting for us in the living area. Ignoring them, I scoop Griz up from the couch and carry her up to the bedroom with me.

Kingston watches me go without saying a word, although that doesn’t mean I can’t feel the weight of everything he wants to say hanging in the air around us.

The second I’ve closed the door behind me, I press the button to lower the blinds, plunging the room into darkness. I walk blindly toward the bed and climb on with Griz still in my arms.

“Have you been a good girl?” I ask as I lie down with her.

She’s the one part of this place that now feels like home, and I need that right now more than I ever have.

Griz purrs and nuzzles into my neck, letting me know that she missed me as much as I had her.