Page 143 of My Solemn Vow

Unhelpfully, my wolf is nowhere to tell me her thoughts. She was so opinionated until I bit him, and now she’s gone. Maybe that’s a good thing.

I roll to face him, bringing my hands up like I’d normally sleep, close to pressing on his chest.

“I love you, Antonella. I will never hurt you again.” Valor places his hand on top of mine.

He squeezes my fingers, rubbing his thumb across my knuckles.

That last little resistance wrapped around my heart, which held onto the fear, anger, and resentment of what he’d done, evaporates. In its place, a new warmth fills me.

“You better not.” I wrap my hands into his, squeezing. I shuffle closer until our thighs meet, and I feel all of his body pressed against mine. “Because I love you too.”

60

VALOR

CHRISTMAS

If it weren’t for Kerrianne, I wouldn’t even suggest any Christmas activities. But when we woke up the next morning after ending Neil, Antonella went to work. She found a tree lot with twelve-foot trees. She personally called Royal and demanded he come over to help Kerrianne put the lights on and program them to dance around in special ways. But then, in a tender way, she let Kerrianne help with the assortment of Christmas cookies she baked.

I knew part of it was to distract herself from the change, from the truth, and from me.

My heart hurts for all of us. For Kerrianne, who doesn’t need to know the darkness we know, for Antonella for the betrayal of her trust and our relationship, and for my own sick grief that didn’t let me see the obvious right in front of me.

Two women in my life called for the truce for my daughter. While I wish Holly’s death wasn’t in vain, I at least feel a little lighter with the unexpected closure.

And as I finish packing up the rest of Antonella’s present, I know it’s the right choice. Paper is usually reserved for the first year of marriage, but Antonella and I have lived a year in thelast thirty days. It’s not the most luxurious paper in the world, but I’m hoping it’s the thought that counts.

“Daaaaad,” Kerrianne calls, “it’s present time.”

“I’m coming.” I tape the last corner down and carry Antonella’s gift, along with the rest of my stack, out of my office.

After Kerrianne helped Antonella wrap my gifts and I carted the little raptor off to bed, Antonella wrapped the majority of the gifts in the formal dining room last night while I ‘didn’t look,’ but I watched her intently in her element of paper and scissors and tape.

“The youngest goes first,” Kerrianne declares, holding a finger up in the air and pointing at herself.

We decided that the three of us would do gifts on Christmas morning at home before lunch and gifts at my parents’.

“Not this time, Kerrianne.” I hold up the stack of odd-shaped gifts in my arm. “I want Antonella to open these first.”

“Uhm. Where did those come from?” Antonella eyes me suspiciously.

“What, I don’t know how to shop?” I scoff and bring the packages to where she’s curled up on the couch. I set them on the coffee table in front of her.

“Is that what I think it is?” Kerrianne stage-whispers.

The conversation we had while I was tucking her in kept her up way later than it was supposed to one night this week, but it let Antonella and me have sleepy early morning sex that we both desperately needed.

When I nod, Kerrianne puts her hands over her mouth, exaggeratedly stopping herself from spoiling the surprise.

“Okay...” Antonella is hesitant as she picks up probably the worst wrapped present in the entire house.

I should have just stuck a bow on it.

I’m not even breathing as she rips open the paper and looks at the legal documents. I know what it says and the attorney fee I paid to rush the paperwork. I debated forging her signature,but I wanted her to have the choice. Even if I’m pretty sure she’ll sign.

“I need a pen.” Antonella has tears in her eyes. She looks up to me and repeats it. “You can’t take this back. I need a pen.”

Kerrianne darts off to the kitchen, and coming back, she says, “Does this mean I can call you Mom now?”