Page 79 of By His Vow

I can’t help but wonder if her opinion of her mother right now is similar to mine.

I reach out, my fingers brushing against her warm, soft skin.

I expect her to pull away, to refuse the contact. But to my surprise, she doesn’t. Instead, she lets my fingers entwine with hers, even squeezing a little as if to silently thank me.

A weird warmth spreads through my chest at the thought of being important enough to support her right now.

It’s taken every ounce of my self-restraint not to spend the day obsessing about last night.

It was…everything.

Once she dropped her guard and stopped fighting me, our evening was…easy.

I’ve never felt so relaxed while spending time with a woman before.

She was interesting, funny, and smart. So fucking smart. Honestly, she blew me away.

Everything about our night, her, was perfect.

I shake my head, trying to banish the confusion the last few days with this woman has instilled in me.

I signed a business deal. A way to grow Callahan Enterprises.

I didn’t agree to anything else but loaning her my second name for twelve months and ensuring we both get what we want out of her father’s death.

So why is it that as Helena throws a single rose on her late husband’s grave, all I can think about is backing her daughter up against a tree and starting this marriage the right way?

My vision has long blurred as I focus on my imagination instead of reality, so when Tatum turns and presses her face into my chest, putting her back to the scene before us, I couldn’t be more surprised.

I move on autopilot, my arms lifting to wrap around her.

She doesn’t make a sound or do anything. She’s like an immoveable rock against me.

As much as I might like that she’s using me for support, I also hate how high she’s built her walls.

They feel impenetrable right now.

Movement to my left catches my eye, and when I look over, I find Lorelei studying us closely.

‘What?’ I mouth.

She’s made it more than clear that she doesn’t like me. I couldn’t care less about that. But it will certainly make my life easier over the next few months if I can get her on my side. Her and the fucking cat.

Every time they both look at me, I just know they’ve got their claws out, ready for a fight.

I’m still healing from my last rendezvous with the damn cat.

Lorelei shakes her head before shuffling closer, gripping Tatum’s shoulder, needing to be there for her as well.

We all stand there while the committal is brought to a close. People begin to shuffle away, but Tatum doesn’t move.

Neither does her mother, but I’m hardly surprised. I bet she’d sleep out here with him if she had a chance. At this point, I’m not sure if that’s romantic or just pathetic.

“Baby, we should go,” I say softly.

Lorelei’s eyes widen, but I don’t give her a second of my attention. She can think what she likes.

A second later, Miles turns around and his eyes immediately find mine before dropping to his sister in my arms, and then back up again.