Page 262 of By His Vow

“The fucking cat, K. Get it off the kitchen counter.”

“Christ, it’s no wonder she hates you, man,” he says before turning to Griz. “You’re okay up there watching, aren’t you, my little buddy.”

“Jesus fucking Christ,” Kingston mutters. “Am I even hearing this right now?”

I chuckle as I twist out of his arms and grab the plate Kian wants.

The second I pass it over, he begins loading it up before offering Griz a prawn cracker, which she eagerly takes out of his hand.

“Unbelievable,” Kingston hisses before joining us.

We eat in silence for a few minutes. Kian and I are much more enthusiastic than Kingston, who pokes everything with his fork suspiciously.

“Do you even know how clean the kitchen is of the place we ordered this from?” he asks.

“Dude, will you stop being such a fucking pussy and just eat? Tatum isn’t going to poison us all.”

He spears a piece of pork and begrudgingly pushes it past his lips. His eyes widen slightly as the sweetness of the sauce, is quickly followed by the heat of the chili exploding on his tongue. He refuses to comment on how good it is, though.

Rolling my eyes, I look at Kian, who’s watching his brother with the same amusement on his face.

“Why are you even here?” Kingston asks after swallowing.

“I came to extend an invitation to dinner with our mother tomorrow,” Kian explains.

Nothing but silence follows.

Their mom wasn’t at the wedding last weekend, although we have opened both a card and a gift from her and her husband.

I only have very fuzzy memories of Elizabeth from when I was a kid. She and Michael had a very ugly divorce while Kieran was still a baby, and despite the years that have passed, they still refuse to be in the same room as each other.

Kingston said he wasn’t bothered about her not being there. He also claims not to be bothered about his mother’s lack of presence in his life, but I’m not sure either is entirely true.

Kian and Kieran still have a relationship with her. But Kingston was that much older when their marriage fell apart, and he remembers it and the pain that came with it all too well.

“Was she incapable of calling me and asking herself?” he spits, his mood changing in a heartbeat at the mention of her.

“KC,” Kian warns. “She just wants to spend some time with you and Tate. Congratulate you properly.”

“It’s not necessary. If she wanted to celebrate, she could have attended last weekend with everyone else.”

An awkwardness falls over us, threatening to ruin my appetite.

“We should go,” I say, reaching over to rest my hand on Kingston’s thigh.

“Why should we make the effort when she can’t?” The words are so full of bitterness, it makes my heart hurt for what he’s been through, for how much pain she’s caused him over the years.

“Because you’re a bigger person than she is,” I explain, trying to get him on board.

“I thought you thought that I was a shitty person,” he argues.

“Sometimes. Is Kieran going?” I ask, in the hope that I can sweeten the deal.

“He’s been invited, but trying to get plans out of him is like trying to nail Jell-O to the wall.”

“Isn’t everything challenging enough right now?” Kingston asks.

“Look,” Kian reasons, “if you really don’t want to, I’ll tell her no. I won’t even lie and say that you’re busy. But she’s our mom.”