Page 280 of By His Vow

“Yes. She’s taken him.”

“Her,” he corrects.

“Whose fucking side are you on here? It’s a fucking cat; who cares if it’s a boy or a girl?”

“Tatum’s,” he answers, making my brows pinch in confusion.

“What?” I bark.

“You asked me whose side I’m on. I’m on Tatum’s, always.”

I scoff. “So much for fucking bro code.”

“She’s my little sister, man. She always comes first.”

She fucking does for me, too. It’s a fucking miracle, but I manage to swallow that thought before it bubbles out of me.

“So, where’s she gone? Home?” Miles asks.

“This is her fucking home,” I cry.

He glances at me but refrains from saying a word as he pulls his cell from his pocket and hits call on her name again.

I’m not sure why he bothers; she hasn’t answered a single call since he discovered her resignation sitting on his desk.

I move through the home I’ve lived in for years, but suddenly, it feels wrong.

How can one person have such an impact on another’s life in such a short time, let alone make them feel different about the place they come to hide from the world?

My eyes land on the soft pink blanket and the scatter cushions on my couch. My chest tightens to the point it’s hard to breathe.

She’s changed her mind.

After everything we’ve been through together recently.

My stomach knots as a mixture of concern, shock, and anger battles within me.

“Bro, you coming?” Miles asks.

The side of my face burns as he stares at me while I pointlessly look at the couch.

But as much as I want to respond, I can’t. I can’t find any words.

He moves back into the room as images of the two of us curled up right there play out in my mind.

“KC?”

“S-sorry, I-I’m coming.” I turn to face him but find him even closer than I had expected.

“You like her, don’t you?”

“W-what?” I ask, my head spinning.

His eyes hold mine as he rolls his lips between his teeth. He’s battling with what he wants to say, but as much as I want to demand he spits it out, I’m also terrified of having to answer him honestly.

“Tatum. You like her.”

“I mean, yeah. She’s cool. Less annoying now she’s grown up,” I hedge.