Page 33 of Promised Vows

She caught her bottom lip between her teeth. “I made it.”

My eyebrows shot up. “You did? I had the ingredients for it?”

“Ares did some grocery shopping for me. I knew you’d be hungry when you woke up and I wanted something that wouldn’t be too heavy on your stomach.”

That small act touched me more than I could ever possibly express. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, and I smiled as the engagement ring caught my eye. Part of me wanted to question her about it, but as tired as I was, I didn’t want to say something stupid and risk her taking it off again.

Instead, I savored the meal Anna had prepared for me. It’d been a long time since anyone had taken care of me. Most of the time, I didn’t want to be, but I sure could get used to it—especially if it were Anna taking care of me. The thought of taking care of her appealed to me on a level I hadn’t even experienced with Lauran. Maybe age and experience had something to do with that.

Yet, doubts crept in. The last time someone had, she’d broken my heart. I’d been unworthy of Lauran and that was before I’d decided to fully embrace my family’s business. If I wasn’t worthy then, what made me worthy now, especially after everything I’d done?

Anna was so different than Lauran. First, Anna knew how to work a wardrobe. Her curves made her all the more appealing to me. Lauran didn’t like being held either. There was a chance that someone would think something improper was happening. I’d held Anna in her apartment, and I could vaguely remember holding her as I fell asleep that first night. It was intimate and innocent. Comfort. Belonging. The thought of coming home to her made the place feel less like a concrete box and more like a home.

After a few more bites, I leaned my head back as exhaustion began to coat my mind. “There’s only one other time someone has fed me soup.”

“Lauran?”

“Yeah. When I was sixteen, I had appendicitis. One minute we were at the movies, the next I was waking up in the hospital. It hit out of nowhere with a blinding pain I’d never experienced before. To this day, I don’t remember what happened after dropping to the floor in the theater.”

Anna’s mouth slowly fell open. “Oh, that must have been terrifying for her.”

“Yeah, I think it was because she would barely leave my side. Even after I got home from the hospital, she was there, taking care of me. I’d already fallen in love with her, and as I recovered, it only grew deeper.” I lowered my gaze to my lap. “That was about six months before she found out about my family.”

“Didn’t she know you were going to choose her?”

Shaking my head, I said, “I didn’t get the chance to tell her.”

“Why?”

“I’d asked her out with the intent of telling her everything. When I got to her house, she opened the door, and I knew the moment I saw her, something was wrong. Somehow, she’d learned who I was. What my family did. The guns, the clubs, the prostitution that my family was involved with. I didn’t even get the chance to tell her. She quietly told me it was over and shut the door in my face.”

“Oh, Ari. I’m sorry. I can’t say I’ve ever been in love like that. I can’t imagine how painful that was.”

“I was gutted. It wasn’t long after that I left for Brazil.”

“Did you go there to learn jujitsu?”

“No. I sort of stumbled into it.” I chuckled and instantly regretted it. “I quickly found myself in with the wrong crowd. We’d targeted an older man and planned to steal his wallet. The plan went wrong, and he caught me. Instead of turning me in, he started teaching me.”

“Just like that?” She smiled.

“He said that he saw something in me. Something good. I stayed with him, working for him, and training with him until he passed away. Then I returned to the States. He asked me to continue my training, and I did. I’m a level below Grandmaster.” I covered my mouth as I yawned. My belly wasn’t exactly full, but it was enough that it was lulling me into sleep.

As exhaustion began to take over, my mind drifted to the events that had led me here.

Back when Gianna died, I'd let Chief Edwards go because I'd believed his lies. He'd looked me in the eyes and told me that he'd been tricked into going to one of those parties, but he hadn't touched anyone. This time, I didn't let anyone get a pass. Did I get them all? Probably not, but I'd tried.

As a precaution against legal action, I’d met with a few friends I had in the police department. Once I’d shared what I knew, the evidence from Franklin Benoit’s office, they’d given me assurances that I’d have a clear path. Evidence, if there was any, would conveniently go missing. Sometimes, in cases like this, they were of the same opinion as me. Justice could be too blind and it needed a guide dog—a rapid one.

I'd started taking them out one or two at a time. After rolling through the city like the harbinger of death, word got out that I was coming after people. They baited me. Led me to a warehouse where an ambush was waiting, and before I knew it, I was surrounded.

Luckily for me, I had brothers who didn't hold my hardheadedness against me, and they'd ridden in to help. It was a good thing too. I could fight an army, but I'd been rampaging for two days, and I was outnumbered because they couldn't fight me like real men.

I blinked, forcing myself back to the present, realizing Anna was still speaking.

“Wow. I know enough about the sport to be impressed.” She grinned. “Thank you for sharing that with me,” she said as her fingers brushed against my temple.

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