Vow of Sacrifice Read online

  As I’m walking up my steps—later that afternoon, after the meeting—Brae is knocking on my door. I chuckle quietly. She’s come by every day since we had dinner at Carmen’s. I don’t mind. She’s fun company. It brings my total friend count to two. A woman in her late sixties and a teenager. Hopefully I can add Savannah to that list and bring it up three.

  “Brae,” I call. She spins, lighting up when sees me. That’s the thing about Brae, her smile can make you feel on top of the world.

  “You’re never going to guess what happened today.” Her hands clasp together and come up under her neck, and I swear she’s about to start twirling around in a circle.

  “What happened?”

  “Corbin asked me to go to the spring fling!” Her voice turns into a high-pitched screech, and she dances around as I unlock my front door. Brae enters first, expanding on how excited she is—in case I can’t tell.

  “That’s wonderful.” I know she has the biggest crush on him. I’m surprised he isn’t her boyfriend. From what she’s told me, they’re together almost all the time, and if his protectiveness of her, the one time I met him, is any indication, he’s crushing on her as well.

  “Oh my gosh.” Brae is standing in front of my wall. “They fixed it? Is this the painting?”

  “Yeah.” I drop my stuff inside the office and join her in front of Poppy’s painting. It’s my favorite of the bunch because of the inscription. Every time I see it, it calms any raging storm in my heart.

  To my wife, who is my life.

  How wonderful it would be to be in love like that. My history with Pierce is ugly and messy and scary and terrifying, but I don’t think all men will become him. I still have a glimmer of hope inside me that I’ll be able to experience something real one day.

  “It’s beautiful.”

  “Thank you. I think so, too.”

  “Do you miss them?” Brae asks, surprising me.

  “Every day.” I clear my throat, taking one last glance at the painting hanging on the wall and turn to Brae. “Anyway, tell me everything.”

  Brae launches into her story. Each class she received a few roses with a piece of a note and one chocolate. By the end of the day, she had a big bouquet with a completed note asking her to the spring fling. Corbin stood outside the door to her last class, waiting for her answer.

  Which was, of course, yes.

  “Will you go dress shopping with me? Callan would take me, but I don’t want to go with him.”

  Brae’s lip curls and I burst out laughing. I can’t blame her for not wanting to go with her brother. He’d sooner have her in a nun’s habit than a dress. It’d be fun to watch his face as his little sister came out from the dressing room in formal dresses, but I wouldn’t do that to Brae. “Of course.”

  Chapter 13

  Callan

  “I left money on the counter.” I stick my wallet back in my pocket, propping my fists on my hips. Brae is snuggled into the couch, content to sit at home on a Friday night watching movies. Her nose is almost against the screen of her phone, and she’s giggling and grinning.

  I don’t like it.

  She’s been practically dancing since she told me Corbin had asked her to the spring fling. Whatever the hell that is.

  “Order a pizza with it. Corbin can’t come over. No boys over here when you’re alone.”

  She rolls her eyes. “I know the rules.”

  “Are you sure you’re okay alone tonight?” She’s stayed alone before—does it often—but I don’t like doing it, and with this new development, I really hate it. When I was her age, there were a lot of times I was down the street waiting for a girl’s parents to leave so she could sneak me in and sneak me out before they came home. I drag my hand through my hair. I should’ve gone for a third story apartment. He wouldn’t be able to sneak out of that unless he broke his legs.

  “Yes.” She lays her head against the back of the couch. “I’m fine. Go. Have fun. I’m going to sleep early. Iris and I are going shopping, early in the morning, for my dress.”

  Christ. I haven’t been able to get my mind off of Iris and I was hoping to see her this week, but I haven’t seen her at all. Not even in passing.

  “Are you sure Iris is okay with this?” I’m happy Brae gets along with Iris, but I hope she doesn’t feel pressured to go shopping with a teenage girl just because she was asked.

  “Yes,” Brae groans. “I asked her.”

  “Okay. Have a good night. Money’s right here.” I point at it on the counter. “Love you.”

  “Love you too,” she calls as I walk out the door. I stop in front of Iris’s door and knock.

  I wait for a minute, but I don’t hear any movement inside. I knock again. My brows furrow. She barely leaves her apartment unless she’s going somewhere with Carmen. Her apartment is dark and silent, too.

  I’ll catch Iris in the morning, before they leave, to make sure she doesn’t mind taking a teenage girl to the mall. Knowing Brae, shopping for one dress could turn into an all-day thing.

  The Cellar is already packed by the time I get there. I spot James’s giant head above the crowd and edge my way toward him. I go around the table, dropping a kiss on every girl’s cheek, stopping at the last one. The one in the chair next to mine.

  “Iris?”

  She rotates in the chair, tilting her head back to look me in the eyes. “Callan?”

  My eyes sweep from her face to her hair and down her body but snag on her cleavage. A bright red dress is wrapped around her, dipping low in the front. My eyes finally leave her cleavage and follow a trail down her body to the hem of her short dress.

  Fuck.

  “Birdie.” My voice sounds like a croak. “You look beautiful.”

  I lean in and place a kiss on her cheek, just as I did for all the other women at the table. The women are staring at the two of us. My night is looking up. I’ve been waiting to see if Iris would come to me after I fixed her car. I wanted the ball to be in her court, so I don’t scare her off. I’ll move slow for her, but I’m done moving at the pace of molasses. Savannah leans forward.

  “You know Iris?” Her brow arches high over her eyes as they bounce back and forth between me and the girl next to me.

  My arm falls to the back of Iris’s chair. She sits forward in her seat, making her back impossibly straight. I drop my arm back to my lap. I’ll find the wall to break down though. One day I’ll be able to touch her and run my hands down her body without her shying away from me. “We’re neighbors. And, she almost killed Brae and hit my car.” I finish the last part of the explanation with humor in my voice.

  Iris’s hand slaps my thigh before returning them into her lap. She looks shocked that she just touched me and she retreats farther into herself.

  “That’s awesome,” Savannah says, knowing that I was joking about the rest of. “How’d she almost kill Brae?” Her eyes twinkle and Liam pulls her back to him, wrapping her in a hug. He mutters something in her ear, but she doesn’t reply and her eyes don’t stop hopping between me and Iris.

  “A misunderstanding with a mirror and then she hit my truck when a painting got in her way. It’s fine though. I’m hoping she’ll feel bad enough that she’ll spend time with me.”

  Iris lips twitch for a moment, but she stays quiet and Savannah and Harper practically vibrate in their seats. I know once Carmen hears about tonight from Hudson, Carmen will rope in Ava in her quest to get us together.

  “Iris and I are working together,” Savannah says. Iris seems to have clammed up again. She hasn’t relaxed in her chair again, even though I’ve removed my arm. Meeting Savannah will be good for Iris. The girls in this group tug you in, even if you’re unwilling to go.

  Owen, our usual waiter, comes by and takes my drink order. “Want something else?” I ask Iris, pointing to her half-empty glass.

  “I’m okay. Big plans tomorrow,” she says quietly.

  “What plans?” Valerie asks, never one to mind her own business. Each of the w
omen at the table lean forward and I can tell that they’re hoping Iris is about to say that the two of us are going to go out. We are, just not yet. I have to get Iris on board first. She grins at the women.

  “Corbin asked Brae to spring fling. We’re going dress shopping.”

  “That’s my boy,” James mutters, his mouth twitching. The girls break out in a chorus of awws. They’ve been here from the moment Corbin and Brae met. I seem to be the only one in the group that’s not entirely excited about the prospect of them together.

  “Sure you’re fine taking her?” I ask Iris as I lean a little closer to her.

  “Of course. I never went to any of my school dances. It’ll be fun.” Iris shrugs and turns in her chair just the barest amount, but it’s enough that her knee grazes across my thigh. I grin.

  “You didn’t go to any school dances?” Savannah asks, shocked.

  Iris shakes her head and her cheeks flame. Her jaw is clenching as if she’s revealed more than she wants to. “Nope.”

  “Why not?”

  Iris shrugs. I step in, changing the subject. “You work at Savannah’s company? I thought you worked from home.”

  “No.” Iris curls a piece of hair behind her ear. I watch the movement, unable to look at anyone else at the table. I can hear Roman, Kieran, and Hudson in a conversation on my other side, but I haven’t done anything except lift my chin in greeting when I arrived.

  “I design websites. Savannah and I are teamed up on a project right now. She invited me out tonight after we met earlier this week,” she says.

  “Glad you’re here, birdie.”

  “Me, too, foxy,” she says quietly, but not quietly enough.

  “What’d you just call him?” Hudson asks leaning around me to see Iris.

  Iris smiles, sits up straighter, and bites her lips. Her gaze lands on mine and there’s not even a hint of apology in them, only humor. “Brae’s going to be disappointed she’s not here,” she mutters to me before answering Hudson’s question louder. “Foxy.”

  “Are you foxy?” Hudson asks as he slaps his knee while cackling. “Think I’ll have to have that printed on your hardhat when I order new ones for the crew next week. It’s the perfect stripper name for you.”

  “Don’t you dare,” I growl.

  “Don’t worry your pretty little head about it, foxy,” Hudson says.

  I turn to Iris. “You just created a monster.”

  She shrugs her shoulders unrepentantly and finally her body is relaxed. The content smile on her face is worth the ribbing I’ll get from Hudson.

  I point across the table at Roman and Kiernan. “That’s Roman and Kiernan,” I say. Both their heads swivel toward us. “They’re the ones that looked into Arnie this week.”

  “You really had someone look into Arnie?” Iris asks.

  “Who’s Arnie?” Savannah asks.

  “Carmen is going on a date with a man named Arnie,” Iris replies. “Callan asked Roman and Kiernan to look into him before they go out.”

  Hudson is outraged that Carmen didn’t tell him about her date, but I ignore him and his questions to focus on Iris. “Think it was overkill to look into him?”

  Iris shakes her head. “No, you can never be too safe. I think it’s sweet the way you care for her.”

  “I protect everything that’s mine,” I respond and silently add on that she’ll be mine one day, too. “He checks out, by the way. Clean, other than he drives like Carmen and has racked up a few tickets.”

  “Though I think she only accepted because I agreed with her that I’ll go out with someone if she does, too.”

  Carmen is a mastermind. Iris will hold up her end of the bargain with me, I’ll just have to convince her of that.

  Chapter 14

  Iris

  “Mornin’, birdie,” Callan says when he opens the door. The arms of his worn black T-shirt wrap deliciously around his biceps. The bulging muscles look huge as he crosses his arms over his chest. His voice breaks me from my staring and I look up to meet his eyes that are even more distracting than the t-shirt molded to his chest.

  “No pacing today?” Callan’s full lips form a teasing smirk that immediately make the edges of my lips turn up. In the short time I’ve known Callan he’s gone from raging neighbor I wanted to stay as far away from as possible to someone that I want to more time with, someone that I want to get to know. I promised myself I would start living and stop hiding.

  “Not today,” I say.

  “Shame. It was cute.” His answer sends a shiver down my spine.

  I march past Callan into his apartment. He keeps his back to the door as I pass. My shoulder brushes against his chest. I pause, looking up at him. He raises one eyebrow. Red hot heat rises in my cheeks, and I rush the rest of the way inside.

  I’m not surprised to see Callan and Brae have the same floor plan I do. They haven’t done much with the space. There’s a large TV hanging over the mantle opposite a buttery-soft-looking brown leather sofa. A small round wooden kitchen table sits in the dining space. Brae’s backpack is on top with a couple of open notebooks next to it.

  “Thanks for taking her.” Callan’s gravelly voice is right next to my ear. He reaches past me, grabbing the wallet on the countertop.

  I can’t stop my body from shivering with the barely-there contact.

  That’s how starved for human intimacy I am. It’s not about sex. I spent the past two years in New York exploring the city by myself and only speaking with other people at work meetings or a quick apology for bumping into someone.

  “It’s my pleasure.” I mean it, too. I can’t wait to spend the day with Brae and watching her giddy with excitement. It’s impossible not to be around her and soak up the warmth she radiates.

  Callan nudges my shoulder, urging me to face him. I turn slowly, staring at his chest, and look up to meet his gaze. His eyes focus on me, the pupils edging out the unique turquoise color, which glimmers in the dim light of his kitchen. His eyes roam my face, settling on my lips. Under his scrutiny, my lips part and I wet my bottom lip.

  “Iris.”

  His voice zings through me, landing square on my chest, making my heart pump faster. The air around us crackles with electricity and my ears fill with static as time freezes and nothing exists outside the two of us and the fact that the centimeters between us are shrinking and getting smaller. Every nerve ending comes to life under his unwavering gaze and the most important thing in the world, what I want most, is for his lips to finish closing the distance and land on mine.

  Brae comes into the room, startling both of us and breaking the spell. My chest is rising and falling rapidly as if I’ve just run a marathon. Callan clears his throat and steps behind the counter shooting me a look that catches my breath.

  “Iris, you’re here!” I turn my attention to Brae.

  “Sure am. Are you excited? I thought I could treat you to brunch before we go. Have you eaten yet?”

  “With mimosas?” Brae’s makeup is a little heavier than usual, and her long ashy blond locks are expertly curled and bouncing.

  “Not for you,” I chuckle. “We’ll see about for me.”

  “Definitely not for you,” Callan grumbles and moves out from behind the counter, edging toward me.

  Callan’s solid form is close to my back. He’s not quite touching me, but it’s close enough I can feel the heat radiating off his body. I break out in goosebumps in anticipation of his hands landing somewhere on my skin, but shake that thought off. It’s not going to happen right now.

  “Why are you holding a bra?” Callan asks. I crane my neck to see him glaring daggers at the nude strapless bra in Brae’s hand and barely hold in the laughter that’s threatening to break free. If Callan had his choice, I think he would’ve frozen Brae in time so moments like this would never happen, but the way this man cares for his younger sister and has taken on the roll only makes him more attractive in my eyes. His brand of protection is something new and not something I’m used to. If
the full force was ever turned on me and I didn’t only witness it from the sidelines, I think it would make my head and heart explode.

  “Iris said it’s best to have a strapless bra in case a dress you try on needs it. She said she’s tried on so many formal dresses, she knows all the best places and the best tricks to look good.” It’s true, I did tell Brae that, but I usually stick my strapless bra in my purse. Callan steps around me and his gaze lands on me and pins me to the spot as his eyes narrow and turn assessing.

  “Thought you didn’t go to prom.” He watches my face like an interrogator trying to pry out information.

  “I didn’t.” My body tightens, and Callan’s body tightens in response. His arms cross over his chest and he takes in every reaction, even the ones I try to hide.

  “How do you know then?”

  “Different life.” The words come out a mumble underneath my breath. I clap my hands, taking a step away from him. “Ready?”

  “Yes.” Brae tucks the bra into the purse she picks up from the barstool. She definitely could’ve done that before earning us murderous looks from her brother.

  Callan opens his wallet and hands a couple of crisp one-hundred-dollar bills to Brae. “Have fun.”

  Brae reaches for the money, but he snatches it back. “Nothing too revealing. Nothing too low cut. Nothing too short.” His eyes bounce back and forth between us, making sure we both understand his instructions.

  “Sure,” I say. There is probably a world of difference between my standard for “too low cut” and his. Lucky for Brae, she’s going shopping with me and not with her older brother.

  Callan pulls out a few twenties from his wallet, and hands them to me. “This is for brunch.”

  “Brunch is on me.”

  “No. I’m treating.” He shoves the money onto my palm and uses his other hand to close my fingers around the bills.

  I’ll get this money back to him somehow.

  “Is this your first dance?” My fork and knife slice into the eggs Benedict sitting in front of me. My stomach rumbles in pleasure as I watch the egg yolk and hollandaise sauce mix together.