Page 297 of By His Vow
There is nothing but the sound of the birds in the trees nearby.
It’s the perfect haven, but no matter how peaceful it is, the knot that’s been getting tighter and tighter inside me never relents.
I sip my tea, willing it to release, to give me some kind of relief for even just a few minutes, but it never does.
Instead, all I can think about is him.
Kingston Callahan.
My husband.
It’s been two weeks since I looked into his eyes and felt his touch, his warmth. While those two weeks feel like a lifetime ago, it also feels like only yesterday. I can still viscerally remember how my entire body lit up when his fingers grazed my skin.
No one else has ever left me with this kind of longing.
I’ve always been able to separate sex from feelings, and I truly thought I’d be able to do the same with him.
A man I thought I hated.
Really, it shouldn’t have been a challenge. But then, I didn’t expect to find that hidden side of him. The sweet, romantic side that made me swoon harder than I ever had before.
I shake my head, silently chastising myself for even thinking about him, about the effect he has on me. That isn’t what I’m meant to be using this time for.
I’m meant to be putting distance between us, planning my future.
But honestly, I have no idea what my life looks like after Kingston.
Right now, it feels bleak. Lifeless. Unfulfilling.
No man should have the power to rip all those things away from me. It’s not fair.
A single tear trickles from the corner of my eye and I swipe it away angrily.
I glance at my tablet that’s sitting on the cushion beside me. The urge to call Lori burns through me, but it’s too early. She won’t be up yet.
Miles will…
Before I know what I’m doing, I’ve logged into my video chat app and my finger is hovering over his contact.
Nerves assault me out of nowhere.
Will he even want to talk to me?
I was a coward, leaving my resignation on his desk and running.
A strong woman would have handed it over and then walked out with her head held high.
Before all of this, I have every confidence that I’d have done exactly that.
But I’m struggling to grasp the woman I was before all of this. The one who stuck her middle finger up and said “fuck the world”. I hate it. I hate being this fucking broken and vulnerable.
“Fuck it,” I mutter before tapping my finger against the screen.
Not a second later does the dial tone fill the air as I wait with my heart in my throat to discover if my big brother will answer or not.
I startle when the screen freezes, but then the most incredible thing happens.
Miles’s sleepy face fills the screen.