Page 41 of By His Vow

They may as well replace their front doors with revolving ones just to make life easier.

I shudder at the thought.

I’m so lost in my thoughts that I startle when Lewis finally joins me.

“Ready to hit the road, Miss Warner?” he asks, watching me in the rearview mirror with mischief twinkling in his eyes.

It becomes immediately clear that he’s nothing like Leo, my father’s driver.

“Please, call me Tate. And just so we know, this is a very rare show of obedience where Kingston’s orders are concerned.”

His eyes crinkle as he smirks.

“Noted. Thanks for the heads up. To your mother’s, yes?”

“Please. I won’t stay long,” I explain.

“Stay as long as you wish, Miss—” I narrow my eyes. “Miss Tate,” he corrects.

“Trust me, however long I stay will be too long right now.”

“Please give her my commiserations,” he says kindly.

“I will, thank you.”

“I know it’s cliche, but time really is a healer. Things will get better.”

I sigh, gazing out at the city as is passes by.

“Yeah,” I muse. “In about a year’s time, everything will be a lot better.”

11

TATUM

“Hey, Griz,” I say, scooping up my ginger kitty the second I step into my apartment just over an hour later.

She purrs sweetly as I scratch behind her ears before I march straight into the kitchen to find her favorite treats. She needs all the treats after the way she clawed at Kingston this morning.

She certainly is my girl, that’s for sure.

“Tatuuum,” Lori calls from her bedroom.

“Yeah, hang on,” I shout before grabbing a bag of Doritos and shaking a few into Griz’s bowl, or, to use her full name, Mrs. Grizabella Von Meowington. Yes, I was very, very drunk when I named her. But to be fair, it totally suits her. She’s such a princess. She’d have turned her nose up at anything more…common.

With an extra scratch behind her ear, I tell her what a good girl she is before going in search of my bestie.

I thought I needed this night out before I left the office, but after my last interaction with Kingston and then an hour of watching my mother drown in her own misery, I really fucking need this night out.

Last night, I allowed myself to wallow after yesterday’s discoveries. Tonight is about making the most of what I have, even if it’s imminently about to change.

My days of living as a single girl with Lori are soon to be over, so I need to make the most of it while I can.

I’ve no doubt that someone took a photograph of Kingston kissing me outside the offices earlier. News of us getting close is probably already spreading around the toxic world of social media as we speak.

I come to a stop in Lori’s doorway, unsurprised to find her hanging half upside down as she diffuses her hair.

“Hey,” I shout, aware that she can’t see or hear me.

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