Page 68 of By His Vow

“Spend the day with your friend, Tatum. Relax. The next few weeks and months are going to be hard. Take the time while you can.”

“Why are you being so nice?”

It’s the last thing I’d expect if my hazy memories of the night before are correct.

“Just enjoy yourself, yeah?”

I’m about to respond, but the line cuts dead.

“Please don’t tell me that you’re going to refuse all this?”

“Lori,” I warn, already picturing myself walking out of the room and then the hotel with my middle finger held up to the security camera so he can see it.

“What? He’s playing games.”

“So? We’ve got a spa all to ourselves. A salon. Take what you can get while it’s on offer. Make him hurt for playing games later.”

“To ourselves?” I ask, ignoring most of what she said.

“That’s what he said to me.”

“He can’t shut the entire spa on a Saturday so we can have it to ourselves. That’s insane.”

“He’s Kingston Callahan; he can do anything his heart desires. And right now, he wants to make you happy, so take it.”

There’s another knock on the door, but I’m too lost in all this to move, so Lori is the one who answers it.

“Thank you,” she says softly before returning with a massive black box with a silk gold ribbon tied around it.

I glare at it, wishing I could see what’s inside before pulling the lid off.

She sets it down on the bed and places her hands on her hips.

“Go on then. I’m dying here.”

“What did he say to you this morning?” I ask, studying her closely.

“Nothing. Why?”

“You’re very Team Kingston right now,” I accuse.

Her chin drops. “What? That’s insane. I’m Team Tatum, always. I just…I agree that you could use a day of relaxation. You’ve got the funeral next week. Now this gala. Him. It’s just what you need.”

Unable to argue with her reasoning, I reach for the box and pull the ribbon loose.

Inside, everything is covered in gold tissue paper.

I pull out the parcel and inside, I find a tiny gold swimsuit.

“Wow,” Lori breathes as I hold it up against my body.

“He has seen me before, right? I have boobs. Like…real boobs.”

She laughs.

“And…” I turn the bottoms around. “Where is the back of these?”

“I guess this explains why he shut the spa,” Lori muses. “What else is in there?”