Page 16 of Best Kept Vows

But then things at the company were not going well, and I began clashing with my father. It came to a head, and I demanded he step down, and I take over. Dad told me he wouldn’t give me the company, not for another twenty years or so, when he was good and ready to retire.

I walked away. I wasn’t going to wait that long.

Lia had supported me. She’d said, "We’ll be fine.” She’d been all set to apply for jobs and work to pay the bills.

Fuck! She never told me to make it work with my father or that she was stressed about money. No, she was ready to roll up her sleeves and do what was needed.

But we had savings—and an old trust fund from my grandfather. We weren’t going to struggle. We bought our home outright, and I launched my business, which—fortunately—took off quickly. But success came with a price. I had to travel often, spending long stretches inside client offices, helping them untangle and rebuild their systems and processes from the inside out.

Lia didn’t complain. All she asked was that I not miss anything meaningful to the kids. I kept that promise—damn it, but I did—even after I took over Boone Metals,I did.

No, the only promises you broke were the ones you didn’t even bother to make, and those were to your wife.

I looked around my favorite city in the world and felt that its charm was muted today. The sun-soaked Spanish moss hung limply from the oaks lining the squares, their shadows heavy like my conscience.

“Sebastian,amigo!”

I rose when I saw Diego Perez. We got to know one another several years ago when I consulted for his company in Arizona. Since we both came from Savannah, we’d bonded. I knew he’d moved back and worked for Larue Homes in Sentinel, Georgia.

“What are you doing here?” We did the manly hug and handshake.

He sat across from me at the table. “I live here.”

“I thought you were in Sentinel.”

He huffed a laugh. “I am. But we have a small satellite office with a half a dozen people here in the Savannah Lace building.”

“Oh.”

“You know Anson married Nova King, she’s the office manager at Savannah Lace—so he wanted to work out of here. But we go to Sentinel a few times a week, so it all works out,” he explained.

Anson Larue was the CEO of Larue Homes and had a reputation as a sharp and ruthless businessman. I was bemused to hear about Savannah Lace for the second time in a short time.

“How about you? Are you married and?—”

“Not yet, but I am working on it,” Diego cut me off cheerfully.

I gave him a thoughtful once-over. “Someone has managed to steal Diego Perez’s heart?”

“Heart and soul,amigo.” He dramatically put a hand to his heart. “I’m dating Nina Davenport.”

And now I was hearingthatnameagain.

Nina wasn’t exactly Savannah’s typical Southern Belle. She was older, accomplished, divorced, and outspoken—exactly the kind of woman my mother would have whispered disapprovingly about at brunch.

I raised an eyebrow in surprise. “Nina is…don’t get me wrong, but she’s older than you.”

Diego shrugged carelessly. “Sure is. Wiser and smarter, too.”

I drank some of my coffee. “My wife is interviewing with her…for some…thing.” Fuck, I didn’t even know what job it was. I hadn’t asked.

“That’s cool. Nina runs an awesome company.”

“All women there, I hear.”

Diego arched an eyebrow. “Careful, Sebastian, your old white man is showing,” he teased.

I smirked, shaking my head. “Not at all. I hear Nina is very accomplished.”

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