Page 115 of My Solemn Vow

I shake my head. “No, Leticia and I decided since my mom and dad aren’t alive anymore that she would come with me, and now we have you. So, the tradition has changed. We’re going to make it a ‘just the girls’ thing.”

“I’m really glad I get to come.” Kerrianne beams.

My heart stings, and I fight back tears, my emotions getting the better of me. Leticia finds my hand under the table and squeezes it. I hadn’t realized how much that seemingly small memory meant to me. I didn’t expect to miss them this much. I didn’t expect this to hit so hard. Maybe it wouldn’thave if it was just Leticia and me, but Kerrianne’s presence sharpens the ache of my grief, yet I wouldn’t want it any other way.

“We can pretend Declan is a girl. I’m sure he won’t mind,” Leticia chirps, and I flick my eyes to see him laughing at the bar.

50

ANTONELLA

THE UNEXPECTED

Snow is falling from the sky, and I look up, admiring it as it comes down among the buildings.

Kerrianne is all too excited to pick out gifts for Valor, Ian, and Betty. She’s stumped when it comes to Royal. The store we stop at doesn’t have anything Royal would seem to have a use for.

“Oh!” Kerrianne squeezes my hand. “Can we go to the hockey team’s store? He said that if he ever met number seven, he’d smash him. Could we see if they have a bobblehead?”

“Absolutely.” I elbow Leticia, who is not handling that nugget of information well.

She steps back behind us to get herself under control.

When we get down the street to the SUV, Declan isn’t the only one waiting for us. I’d recognize that profile anywhere. Valor’s angular features are softened only by how he’s smiling and chatting with Declan, standing across the sidewalk from him, leaning against the building.

“Well, this is a surprise.” I eye him, but nothing screams ‘I’ve got bad news,’ so I force myself to lowermy guard.

“It is.” Valor smiles at me. “Are you all done shopping?”

“We were going to the hockey team’s store to get something for Royal to smash.” Leticia pipes up.

Valor nods like it’s a perfectly normal statement. “I don’t want to interrupt too soon. I’ll go with Jack and meet you there.”

He seems like he’s firmly decided so I don’t argue with him, especially not when he wraps an arm around me and pulls me in for a kiss.

“I’ll see you in a bit,” I whisper against his lips.

The soft smile on his face is unexpected. He was nervous this morning about sending us off without tagging along, and I expected to find a vehicle tailing us, with him in it, all day. But that never happened.

At the hockey team’s store, they had three different sized statues and bobbleheads of number seven. Kerrianne picked the medium-sized one because it had the most bobble to the head. I don’t know how Royal will explain to her that he won’t smash it into pieces. But it’s also not my problem. Oh, to be a fly on the wall... Maybe I can make that happen.

Valor is outside with Declan again, and he’s quick to stoop down before his daughter to meet her at eye level. “Do you mind if I take Antonella out for a little while? I’ll send you home with Declan, and we’ll be back before bedtime?”

“Okay, but no looking at your present.” She narrows her eyes at him, giving him the signature Cavanagh glare.

“I promise.” Valor kisses her on the forehead and gives her a tight hug. To Leticia, he adds, “I’ve a car waiting to take you back to the Gold Coast. Trusted men, I promise.”

She laughs. “I think you’re afraid that Antonella will kill you in your sleep if you don’t get me home safely.”

“Why does it always seem to be in our sleep that one of us is getting murdered?” Valor murmurs and offers his hand out to Leticia.

“Oh no, I’m a hugger.” She wraps her arms around him and squeezes before releasing him. “I’ll catch you all later.”

In less than thirty seconds, I’m left holding hands with Valor along the Riverwalk.

“I know you normally did dinner with your dad, but I thought maybe as part of the new tradition we could go together instead.” The tears I stuffed down earlier come out this time, and he’s quick to wipe them away. “If I don’t meet the minimum age requirement, Dad said he’d come down and take you to dinner instead.”

I lean into his touch. The comfort and familiarity shouldn’t be so easy. He shouldn’t make me feel so safe.