By His Vow: Chapter 28

My email dings and I reopen the window to see what it is.

It’s pretty much how my day has gone. I try to focus on a task but quickly get distracted and flit to something else.

I’m not usually so eager to open my emails, but that ding holds the promise of another distraction.

“What the⁠—”

From: Warner Group HR

Subject: Annual leave request approval.

I click to open the email and scan through the details before picking up my phone.

It rings once before connecting.

“Good afternoon, Warner Group HR department. Gabby speaking. How may I help you?”

“Gabs, it’s Tate,” I say quickly. Gabby and I are pretty friendly. We’ve had more than a few nights out. Not so much recently as life has taken us in different directions, but I guess that’s how it goes when a single girl finds her man. “I just received an email telling me that my annual leave for tomorrow has been approved.”

There’s a beat of silence that’s suspicious as fuck.

“Y-yeah. It’s late notice, but the rest of your team are in tomorrow so I don’t see why there would be an issue.”

“I didn’t book it.”

“Oh…umm…”

As she hesitates, my cell buzzes with an incoming message.

Unknown: Good morning, Tatum Callahan. This is a reminder about your personal stylist appointment tomorrow at 10:00 AM. Your stylist will meet you at the address provided on your booking.

Anger begins to bubble up within me.

“Tate, are you still there?” Gabby asks.

“Uh, yeah,” I mutter.

“I’m sorry. I was just doing my job, you know?”

“Yeah,” I muse. I might not have heard her confession, but I know exactly who is behind this. I didn’t need the surname in the booking confirmation to verify it. “I get it. Could you do me a favor?” I ask, aware that I might be about to ask too much.

“Sure. What is it?”

“If he ever does anything like that again, call me before you do anything about it.”

Again, she hesitates. I get it. Kingston Callahan isn’t the kind of man you defy lightly. “Y-yeah, sure.”

“Thank you, I really appreciate it. I should let you go,” I say, preparing to hang up.

As I pull the handset from my ear, Gabby calls my name.

“Yeah?”

“Is everything okay? Kingston was…” Trust her to see beneath the surface. I guess that’s one of the reasons she’s so good at her job.

“Yeah, Gabs, everything is fine. I’ve got it under control.”

“Okay, good. If you need anything, you know where I am.”

“Thank you. Enjoy the rest of your day.”

“You too,” she says before the line cuts.

I’m about to find Kingston’s contact and rip him a new one down the line for trying to control my life yet again when another appointment confirmation comes through. This time for hair and makeup.

“Oh, for the love of God,” I mutter, finally locating him and pressing call.

It rings and rings, but he doesn’t answer.

“Fuck,” I bark, pushing from my chair and storming out of my office.

I’ve no idea where I’m going or what I’m doing, but I need to move. I can’t sit in there fuming at that infuriating man.

I knew I started a war by ordering that coffee machine yesterday, but fuck it. I’m more than ready to fight.

Kingston: Can’t talk. In a meeting with K and M.

I stare at his message and then look up at the ceiling.

Could he be…

Without thinking it through, I storm toward the elevators and step inside the second one stops.

Pressing my pass to the security panel, I press the button for the top floor. It’s about the only thing my surname grants me in this place. An all-access pass…not exactly the thing dreams are made of.

“Good afternoon, Tate. Is there anything I can help you with?” Judith asks the second I storm toward her.

“Are they here?” I demand.

She stares at me but doesn’t dispute my suspicion. I take that as the confirmation I need and march down toward my brother’s office.

Our father’s office is closer, but something tells me he won’t have relocated there yet. He’s going to want the home comforts of the office he’s made his over the past few years.

“Tate,” Judith calls.

“Don’t worry, I’ll keep you out of this,” I call back over my shoulder before coming to a stop outside Miles’s corner office.

The door is closed and the glass has been darkened, stopping me from seeing inside.

They’re in there, though. I can sense it.

I knock once, just as a courtesy, before swinging the door open and surging inside.

“Tate?” Miles says, jumping from his seat with concern on his face.

I never come up here, so I’m not surprised he assumes something is wrong.

But it’s not my brother I focus on. It’s the man sitting beside him.

“You,” I seethe, pointing right at him. “What the hell are you doing?”

“Right now, I’m in a finance meeting with the CEO and CFO of your company, Tatum. What are you doing?”

“Me?” I gasp, turning my finger on myself.

“Yes, you. You’re the one who stormed in here looking like you’re about to blow.”

“Maybe we should take a break,” Liam, our CFO suggests, looking totally out of place as I glare at Kingston.

“Not necessary,” the asshole says, finally pushing his chair back and standing. He stalks toward me with a blank expression playing on his face. “Tatum is overreacting,” he explains.

“Overreacting?” I shriek.

“Oh Jesus,” Kian mutters, looking between the two of us with a wince.

“Tatum, can you bottle this and deal with it later?” Miles suggests. “This is kind of important.”

“More important than your best friend trying to control my life?”

“I booked you a few appointments. Most women would love a spur-of-the-moment treat. I guess I should have known you wouldn’t be one of them.”

“What the hell is that meant to mean?” I seethe.

“You’re not fucking normal, Tate,” Kingston announces to the room.

“Me?” I ask, shocked to my core. “I’m the weird one? Says the man who doesn’t even own a coffee machine?”

“She’s got a point there, Bro,” Kian laughs, earning himself a seething look from his big brother.

“I’m with them. Coffee is life,” Miles agrees.

“Can we talk about this later?” Kingston asks, scrubbing his hand down his face. “Maybe after you’ve calmed down a little?”

“Calmed down?”

“Fucking hell, man. How have you managed to get so much action when you can’t even talk to a woman?” Kian teases.

“I’m going to hurt you,” Kingston warns.

“Oh, I’d like to see you try.”

“Go back to work, Tate,” Miles says, attempting to usher me out of his office.

Anger vibrates through me as I keep my eyes locked on Kingston’s.

“What? I was doing something nice for you. It’s not like you even deserve it.”

“The only person who is in the wrong here is you,” I spit.

“I’ll see you at home later, baby. I’ll see what I can do about expelling some of that pent-up anger you’re harboring.”

“You’ll be so lucky,” I shout as Miles finally gets me out of the room.

“Seriously, Tate,” he hisses. “What the fuck are you doing?”

“I’m not doing anything,” I fume. “If you want to accuse anyone of anything then you need to be looking at your best friend. He’s an asshole, Miles.”

“I’m fully aware of Kingston’s qualities.”

“Qualities.” I scoff.

“Listen,” he starts, holding my shoulders as if I’m a little kid again, “I don’t fucking like this either. The thought of the two of you…” He shudders. “But the alternative would mean I have to see you lose everything.” His eyes search mine, and I see pain and regret swirling around within his depths.

“You decide not to do this, I’ll back you all the way, but there is only so much I can do. All this bullshit is tied up with Dad’s will.”

“I know,” I mutter, my anger starting to ebb away.

“We’ve just got to make the best of it for now. It’s not forever.”

“Feels like it,” I muse.

“Just think of the outcome. That’ll be worth it, right?”

As he continues to study me, I can’t help but wonder if he’s silently begging me to say no and turn my back on all of it.

I can’t, though. Even if Aunt Lena’s cottage wasn’t at the end of this, I’m not the kind of woman who will back down from a challenge.

If I were, I certainly wouldn’t be standing here right now.

“Yeah.” I sigh, the rest of the anger seeping from my body, allowing exhaustion to take its place.

I didn’t get much sleep last night. I was too angry, too confused. Too…I don’t even know. Overwhelmed, maybe. And I missed my Griz.

“You should go home, Tate. You look like you could use a few hours to yourself.”

“I’ve got all of tomorrow, thanks to that jerk.”

“Well, maybe he was on to something. The last ten days have been stressful for all of us. There’s nothing wrong with admitting that and taking some time.”

I swallow, trying to force down the lump of emotion that’s crawled up my throat.

“Go home, Tate. Relax. We’ve got a big night tomorrow, and plus, you deserve it. Something tells me that the crazy has only just started.”

Nerves begin to flutter in my belly as I think about what tomorrow night might hold.

Callahan Enterprises are sure to steal all the awards on offer; it’s how these kinds of galas usually go for them. But I can’t help but think that Kingston has an even bigger show planned.

A plan involving me. A very public one to abide by my father’s wishes.

I sigh, unable to fight anymore.

“Yeah, okay,” I concede.

“Work will still be here next week,” he says with a sad smile.

“Everything is going to be okay here, right?” I ask. I don’t know the details about the reasons behind our father’s demands and sudden decision to merge with Callahan Enterprises, and to be quite honest, I don’t want to know. I just…I want Miles to have a future. One that he deserves. One that he’s worked his ass off for.

“Yeah, there’s nothing to worry about. KC and I have got this,” he says with a cocky wink.

“Hmm…that’s partly what I’m worried about.”

He shakes his head.

“You know, there’s a spare office up here now,” he says, shooting a look over my shoulder in the direction of Dad’s lair.

“Oh yeah, because that would go down so well.”

Miles shrugs. “It’s where you belong.”

“It absolutely is not, but I appreciate the sentiment all the same. You should get back in there.”

He nods once. “Call me later, yeah? I’m worried about you.”

“No need, big brother. I’m more than capable of handling shit myself.”

“I know. That’s why I worry.”

He kisses me on the cheek before turning back toward his office.

“Everything will work out, Tate,” he promises before slipping back into his room.

I sigh and my shoulders sag in defeat as I make my way back toward Judith.

“Oh my goodness,” she gushes the second she sees me.

She’s out from behind her desk before I can stop her and pulls me in for one of her signature hugs.

The second she squeezes me tight, I finally let go.

“It’s okay, sweetie. I’ve got you,” she soothes. “Everything is going to be okay.”