Vow of Devotion (Vow Series Book 4)

by Emma Renshaw

  He hasn’t had my back for one second. He’s wanted something from me since we met—status, friends, money. That’s not having my back, that’s using me. I never saw it before, but I see it clearly now. I only thought he was a dorky kid wanting everything he thought he couldn’t have, wanting to be something he wasn’t.

  He hid this viper within for a long fucking time.

  Kevin kicks the dirt beneath his feet. “All of this is because of me. I do it all for him. I make it easy for him and he gives me nothing. He treats me like nothing. And now he’s stringing along some poor single mom. She doesn’t see that he’s using her. He’ll toss her aside as soon as he’s tired of her, just as he has every other woman. He even tossed me aside. His friend.”

  Ava shouldn’t even be a thought in his fucking mind. I take a step forward, but Roman pushes me back without even glancing up from the monitor.

  “This was going to be a win for everyone. I help you and then I help him. I’m going to get the charges dropped and put the heat somewhere else and he’ll finally see me.”

  “And if he finds out you were the one to plant it all and steal the gun from his own home?”

  “He won’t find out.”

  “And if he doesn’t give you the time of day?”

  “I’ll kill that fucking bitch who is taking all his attention.”

  Roman can’t hold me back any longer. I can’t listen to another word come out of his crazy mouth. He will never touch another thing that’s mine. Never. I sprint out of the woods, running straight for him. My shoulder drops and I tackle him to the ground.

  Pounding footsteps aren’t too far behind me.

  “Motherfucker,” Perez hisses. In the back of my mind, I hear the gun click, but I can only concentrate on Kevin’s blood coating my knuckles as I pound his face.

  “You’ll never touch what’s mine!” I beat my fists against him with each word.

  Kevin bucks, trying to roll me. “Kill him!” he shouts.

  A gunshot explodes through the night, the bullet whizzing past my ringing ear, but I don’t stop pummeling Kevin. Dust puffs up next to us when another bullet hits the ground.

  One more shot sounds before I’m being yanked from Kevin. My chest is heaving and blood is dripping from my knuckles. Kiernan has a screaming and writhing Perez on the ground. Perez’s hand is shot to shit, but Kiernan restrains him. Roman lets me go to restrain Kevin.

  Red and blue light up the pitch black sky. I look over my shoulder and watch the parade of police vehicles roll up to the scene. Maddox is out of his car first and running across the field toward me.

  “Kevin Thurber,” I announce as Maddox comes to a stop next to me. The ground pounds with the vibration of cops swarming the area and taking the restrained men from Roman and Kiernan.

  I step away, my gaze focused on the dark houses and empty plots.

  “I was your best friend,” Kevin yells. I turn toward his shouting voice. An officer is dragging him backward as Kevin fights against the hold. Tears and blood are mixing all over his face.

  “You aren’t shit,” I spit out each word. “Never have been.”

  “I did everything for you. I would’ve saved you. I would’ve saved you from all of this.”

  The officer tries to quiet him down and continues to drag him toward his car. “I wouldn’t have needed saving if it wasn’t for you. You did nothing but try to destroy me.”

  I’ll make sure you’re destroyed for this. I keep my vow silent, not willing for any cops in the area to hear my words for the threat they are. I’ll make it my mission to make sure Kevin rots for this. I’ll make him rot for trying to destroy my dream, making Ava and Lilly worry, and for daring to try to take something from me.

  Kevin is finally shoved in the car. His face is pressed against the glass. He’s still yelling and shouting, but he’s too far away to hear anything other than a murmur. I turn my back on him effectively cutting him out of my life.

  “We need a statement,” Maddox says placing a hand on my shoulder.

  Hours later, after statements and questions, we head to Roman’s SUV.

  “Tomorrow, y’all are coming over and rigging my house so it’s tighter than the White House. Fort Knox. The Pentagon. Whichever one has the best damn security, I want better. That damn weasel was in my goddamn house. Never again.”

  Chapter 34

  Ava

  Six Months Later

  Walking into our closet and seeing our clothes mixed together still brings a smile to my face every time I’m in here. Lilly and I moved into Hudson’s house the day after his name was officially cleared. Neither one of us wanted to wait any longer.

  Kevin is in jail where he belongs. I sat next to Hudson through the entire trial. I got sick when I learned Kevin had just stolen the gun when I ran into him outside of Hudson’s office. I was terrified to admit to Hudson I’d seen him in there and believed the lie about the paperwork.

  Hudson didn’t even bat an eye when I came clean. He didn’t blame me and I stopped blaming myself. In the end, that act led to the discovery of Kevin trying to dismantle Hudson’s life.

  A life he’ll never tarnish again.

  I take a pink dress from the hanger and walk out of the closet to lay it on the bed. We’re expected at Hudson’s parents house soon for a Wells family barbecue.

  “Are you almost ready?” Hudson asks from the doorway. He’s leaning against the jamb and rubbing his thumb along his bottom lip while staring at my breasts. I didn’t realize my robe had fallen open until now.

  “Yeah,” I say, shedding the robe completely. Hudson steps into the room and closes the door behind him. His hands coast up my thighs when he reaches me and he dips his head, sucking a taut nipple into his mouth. He pushes me back onto the bed.

  “I thought we were supposed to be leaving,” I say, my chest starting to heave.

  “I want a little something to tide me over for the day. You have to be fast though. Can you do that?” he asks, skimming his fingers along my slit and dropping to his knees in front of me, spreading my legs wide.

  Hudson’s hot breath sends shivers racing down my spine. I roll my hips to try to meet his hovering mouth.

  “Answer me, bluebonnet.”

  “Yes, I’ll be fast. Please.”

  Hudson moves my panties to the side and licks me from bottom to top, ending at my clit. His tongue pulses against my bud as one of his fingers delves inside. Hudson devours me, sucking, and licking, and tasting until the very last ounce of my orgasm is wrung from me.

  He crawls up my body and crushes his mouth to mine. “I’ll think about that all day long,” he whispers against my lips.

  A warm flush breaks over my skin. I have no doubt what will be going through his mind all day. It’ll be running through mine, too. Could we sneak away from his parents’ barbecue for a few minutes of alone time? I kiss Hudson, tangling my tongue with his one last time.

  Hudson rolls, pulling me with him, so my head is resting against his chest, his heartbeat in my ear. It’s a sound I fall asleep to every night. I kiss his chest over his heart before reluctantly sliding out of bed. I get one last eyeful of his tan, delicious body before disappearing into the bathroom to clean up and finish getting ready.

  “Where are we going?” I ask thirty minutes later when Hudson takes a left. Hudson’s parents’ house is the opposite way.

  “Just a quick stop.” Hudson’s smile grows when he looks at me, then Lilly in the rearview mirror. “Are you excited for today, blueberry?”

  “Nana said she’s making blueberry pie just for me,” she responds, giggling. Hudson’s parents have accepted Lilly as their own granddaughter. It’s something I’ve never been able to give her until now. Hudson’s been gifting us since we first met him.

  Lilly hasn’t had another breakdown and the presence of Hudson in her life has only made her happier.

  I reach over, putting my hand on Hudson’s neck and running my fingers through his hair. “Thank you.”

/>   “For what?” he asks.

  “Everything.”

  Hudson shakes his said. “You’re the one that’s given me everything.”

  “Do you need to pick something up?” I ask when Hudson turns into Bluebonnet Trails. Two streets’ worth are complete and many more lots have been started.

  Even after Hudson was cleared, the scene was still part of a larger investigation. But he and Callan and the crew worked long days and nights to get everything back on track again. All of his brothers chipped in, too. They’ve finally come around to my way of thinking—Hudson will never fail.

  Every time I see the progress of the neighborhood, I’m in awe of Hudson and what he’s creating. I’m excited to see the progress today, even if it’s a quick drive-by. I haven’t been here in a month, and in construction, things happen fast.

  “Bluebonnet, blueberry, close your eyes.”

  I turn in my seat and smile at Lilly.

  “Close your eyes, Mommy.” I close my eyes, then peek through one to make sure she does, too. Hers are shut tight. I turn back to the front and keep my eyes closed.

  “Don’t open them until I tell you to. I’ll help y’all out of the car.”

  Hudson gets Lilly first and then comes to my door. He helps me down and guides me a few feet away from the car.

  “Open,” he says.

  I gasp. The bluebonnets have bloomed. It’s a sea of blue overlooking the hills of Austin. I take Lilly’s hand and we walk into the field of flowers. I’ve never seen so many grouped together. There’s a paved trail winding through the field to a lookout point. There are bluebonnets in yards and in between the homes, too, but the field here next to the trail Hudson built is by far the densest area.

  Lilly lets go of my hand and takes off running. I turn toward Hudson, who strides toward me.

  “I’ve been waiting to see this sight since I met you. You standing here in my field of bluebonnets, with your amazing eyes the same color. It’s better than all my dreams.”

  “I love you,” I say against his lips.

  “I love you, too.” He turns his head and calls for Lilly to come back to us.

  I wrap an arm around her shoulder when she reaches us. “This is pretty cool, isn’t?”

  “I love the flowers,” she says.

  “Me, too.”

  Hudson clears his throat.

  “I love you both,” he says as he lowers himself to one knee. My heart trips over itself and Lilly squeals.

  “Ava, my pretty bluebonnet, I knew everything about you was different as soon I saw you. I’ve never known anyone like you. I want to live every moment with you and our girl at my side.”

  Hudson takes a deep breath and looks at Lilly, grabbing her hand. “Lilly, my little blueberry, I know I’m not your dad, but I love you like one. It would be an honor to be your father. You’re the coolest kid around and I’d love to be there for every part of your life. My girls, will y’all marry me? Ava, will you be my wife? Lilly, will you be my daughter?”

  Tears are flowing down my cheeks and I’m already nodding my head. Hudson takes two boxes out of his pocket. He manages to open both at the same time.

  The most beautiful sapphire ring sits inside one and a gorgeous, dainty necklace sits in the other. He takes the ring out of the box. “Make me the luckiest man in the world.”

  I crash into him, kissing him all over his face. “Definitely,” I murmur against his lips.

  Hudson kisses me while slipping the ring on my finger. He breaks our kiss, sliding the empty box back into his pocket while I stand again.

  “Will you let me be your father?”

  “Can I call you Daddy?”

  “Yes,” Hudson says, his voice breaking. He clears his throat and smiles.

  Lilly throws her arms around his neck and kisses his cheek. Hudson takes the necklace from the box and helps Lilly put it on. It matches my ring and eyes perfectly.

  Epilogue

  Hudson

  Lilly laughs every time the black shuttle van goes over a bump in the dirt road. Some of the bumps are so large, they send the three of us into the air, barely restrained by the seatbelts across our laps. My heart is knocking against my chest and my hands are curling into fists. I’ve been planning this trip for a year.

  Ava puts her arm around the back of the seat, rubbing her hand up and down my neck, massaging the knots forming. We’ve been traveling for twenty-four hours. An entire fucking day. I haven’t slept a wink.

  And we’re still not quite to the hotel yet.

  Lilly knows we’re in Africa, but she doesn’t know where we’re staying.

  Last week, I officially adopted Lilly. It was the first time being back in a courtroom after Kevin’s conviction. The circumstances of my family sitting behind me and my girls at my side was much better this time.

  This trip is for her to celebrate the fact that we’re a real fucking family. It’s also a second honeymoon for Ava and I, even though we just had our real honeymoon two months ago.

  “Daddy!” Lilly shrieks. My throat clogs. She’s been calling me Daddy for the past six months and I still can’t get used to the wave of exhilaration I feel when the word spills from her lips. Lilly has called me Daddy since the day I asked them to marry me overlooking Austin in a field of bluebonnets. The paperwork to finalize the adoption had to wait until after Ava married me.

  She’s pointing toward the front of the van, looking out of the windshield as we pull through a giant wrought-iron security gate. The hotel is enclosed behind a fourteen-foot brick wall on all sides.

  Lilly is vibrating, straining to see everything she can. I turn to my wife and relax when she smiles at me. “Best chance I ever took,” she whispers, rubbing her thumb along my unshaved jawbone.

  A brick manor house with ivy-covered walls rises in front of us. Windows are open and the bright African sun is casting a golden glow on everything around us. Tall grass whistles in the wind and dark dirt flies up around the tires of the van.

  Lilly is transfixed by the giraffes walking across the lawn and poking their heads through the windows.

  “We’re having breakfast with the giraffes tomorrow morning,” I say. Lilly’s face spins toward me, her chin quivering and body racked with so much excitement her eyes begin to water.

  “Welcome to Chateau Giraffe,” a tall man with a thick Nairobi accent says as he slides open the van door.

  “We’re eating with giraffes? Are we going to feed them?”

  “You bet, blueberry.”

  Lilly jumps out of the van. I follow her and extend my hand to Ava, helping her step off. Hotel employees open the back gathering all of our luggage and piling it on a cart to take to our room.

  I grab both my girls’ hands as we walk into the start of our African safari adventure. I’m normally a go with the flow type of guy, but I’ve planned every minute of this vacation. I want it to be the perfect family vacation.

  While I haven’t slept in twenty-four hours, Ava and Lilly crashed on the plane. I’m powering through the day and taking the girls on a real safari. Even Ava doesn’t know our plans for the day. It’s been hard keeping it from her, but it’s going to be worth it to see their faces.

  After we check in, we head to our suite. I slide the key through the detector and throw open the door, turning in time to watch Ava and Lilly’s mouth fall open in surprise.

  The living area of the suite is massive. A giraffe ambles past one of the tall windows making Lilly gasp and run to the window, smooshing her face against the glass. I walk up behind her, opening it. Another giraffe strolls past. I capture Lilly’s hand and stretch her arm. Her hand skims across the animal’s back. She spins wrapping her arms around my waist.

  “This is the best, Daddy.”

  Ava comes up beside me resting her head on my shoulder. “I love you,” she murmurs, pressing a kiss against my shoulder.

  I kiss the top of her head. “I love you, too, bluebonnet.”

  Lilly’s right. This is the best.<
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  THE END

  Vow of Sacrifice, Callan’s book, is the last book in the Vow Series!

  Click here to be alerted when it’s up for pre-order! Turn the page for a sneak peek at the prologue for Vow of Sacrifice!

  Prologue

  Iris

  Envious green.

  My fingers skim over the bright green silken material covering my body.

  In the mirror, my gaze shifts to the side. I don’t need to look myself in the eye. I already know what I’ll see there anyway: judgment and disdain. I carry them with me all day, staggering under the weight as I go about my life.

  A life I chose.

  I continue to stare into the mirror but avoid my face. There’s nothing wrong with it anyway. It’s free of the lies of my marriage. The green one. I want everyone to envy you.

  Envious green.

  I didn’t want to wear green. Black, that’s what I chose. It’s easier to hide and blend in in a black dress. In this bright green monstrosity, I stood out like a Christmas tree in July.

  I don’t know if anyone envied me tonight, but I sure envied them. I envied everyone not stuck under Pierce’s thumb. I yearned to be one of the valets, or the bartenders, or the caterers delivering food to the pompous rich people. I was, once. The grass is not greener on this side.

  It’s filled with poison.

  My gut churns with bile as my hands fist in the fabric. The dress gets tighter and tighter, constricting me, and my lungs catch fire.

  I release the clasp at the back of my neck and tug. The front of the dress falls forward, exposing my naked flesh in the mirror. Inch by inch the dress slides down my body.

  Inch by inch the green falls away, exposing more colors. Purple. Blue. Yellow.

  Every single one purposely hidden from view under my clothes. Pierce never forgets his reputation, even in his fits of blinding, all-consuming rage. Can’t have people talking.