Page 13 of Desperate Vows

At least under the watchful eyes of our guests, I’d be safe.

Lucas sat to my left, adjacent to my father, who sat at the head of the table. The room was buzzing with animated conversations.

“Are you okay?” Lucas whispered.

“I’m fine.” I pinned my shoulders back. “It’s been a lovely evening. I’m so glad you could join us.”

I could feel his eyes on me, but I refused to look at him.

“Do you always rock the librarian vibe?”

The question caught me off guard, and I laughed. “What?” I asked.

There was humor in those dark eyes, and it transformed his face into something even more beautiful than before if that was possible. Memories of the kisses we shared returned, and my cheeks heated.

“So put together. It’s like you’re a walking organization system.”

“I’ve had a lot of comments thrown my way, but in all my twenty years, that’s the first time I’ve heard that. I don’t even know what that means.”

His head tilted as he looked at me. “You’re always so put together, like nothing rattles you.”

He had no idea. No one at this table did. I took a moment and scanned the room, noting the people in attendance. People who were by all accounts the same pillar of the community my father pretended to be.

I brought my attention back to Lucas. “I never had a choice to be anything less.” The subject had the potential to draw my father’s unwanted attention, so I steered it in a different direction. “You look very handsome tonight.”

Lucas stared at me for a moment. “And you look beautiful.”

I held in a snort. One because it was unladylike and two because I’d die of embarrassment. Beautiful? Me? “Thank you for the compliment.”

For the rest of the evening, our conversation stayed light and flirtatious. Lucas was easy to talk to, and that feeling of safety I had earlier slowly began to return. I got the weirdest feeling that something had shifted, but I couldn’t figure out why for the life of me.

It wasn’t until I got in the car to return home at the end of the night that I realized my father was in high spirits. He’d let me stew a moment and then smiled. “Well, I’m not sure how you pulled it off, but just before Lucas left, he said he’d agree to marry you.”

He’d told my father without telling me. That only meant one thing. Whatever glimmer of goodness I’d seen in Lucas was a mirage. He was no different from my father.

I responded in the only way my father would find acceptable. “Oh, that’s wonderful.”

He glared at me. “Yes, it is. I’ll leave it to you to see to the arrangements. This time, two weeks from now, we’ll be holding a wedding at St. Andrews. It’s big enough to accommodate the guests you’ll need to invite. Make sure it’s to my standards, Claire. Do you understand?”

Nodding, I replied, “Yes, Daddy.”

The wicked curl of his lips made my stomach sink.

Lucas was marrying me and aligning with my father. I’d leave one horrible man for another. I was beginning to wonder if my trust fund was worth the torture the next three weeks would bring me. Planning a wedding, getting married, and being married to Lucas. The only thing that stopped that thought was my mom. She would want me to fight. To live. To be free.

I couldn’t, and I wouldn’t just lie down and die. I didn’t know how I’d get myself out of this situation, but I would.

Chapter Six

LUCAS

“I’ve got her,” I said to my sister. Claire stepped out of the car and waited long enough for the driver to be out of sight before she began walking away from the school.

Thea’s tracked Claire from the Benoit estate to Northwestern University. I was a little shocked because it was a Saturday. College was never on my radar. I had a plan and a purpose from the moment I was born—taking over the family business when it was time. I just didn’t expect that to happen at thirty.

“Want me to stay?”

“Nah, I got it.” I ended the call, told the driver to stop, and got out of the car.

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