My Vows Are Sealed by Carmen Richter

Brendan:
For my whole life, I’d only ever loved one girl: Darla Jones, the pastor’s daughter. And the day I found out she felt the same was the day my life as I knew it changed forever.
That was the day our lifelong friendship grew into something bigger, more intense, and more beautiful than either one of us could ever have imagined. Something we both knew was built to last a lifetime.
It was also the day I learned the heartbreaking truth. Her father called himself our spiritual leader, but behind closed doors, he was the devil incarnate. Darla was trapped in her own personal Hell on Earth, just waiting for the inevitable next time he would decide to hurt her.
I knew from that day on that I was put on this Earth for one purpose: to keep the girl I loved safe. But how was I supposed to do that when her father would have killed us both if he knew I loved her?

Darla:
Ever since I was a little girl, my father made sure I knew that what happened in our house stayed there. He drilled it into my head that I was never permitted to speak of the horrors he subjected me to.
So I didn’t speak of them. I just kept my head down, grinned, and bore it like the dutiful daughter I was supposed to be.
Until Brendan guessed the truth. Until he told me that I wasn’t alone anymore, and that he’d do anything to keep me safe.
But when my happiness and hope was all wrapped up in one person, it was easy to forget that the real world was still there outside the safe bubble we’d created for ourselves. And just when we thought the worst of our troubles were behind us, Brendan and I found ourselves faced with something both beautiful and terrifying. Something that would change our lives forever…if we survived the fallout.
Trigger Warning: This book contains graphic scenes depicting child abuse with heavy religious overtones, including one scene that borders on sexual abuse.