Page 108 of Best Kept Vows

Some came out of obligation, some curiosity, and for some, this was a final act of affection and loyalty to a man who had once been a giant in Savannah’s business world.

I sat beside Sebastian in the front pew, his hand warm in mine. He hadn’t let go since we walked in. Ada sat on hisother side while Tristan had his arm around me. The four of us were holding each other through this farewell.

Dolly sat across the aisle, her spine ramrod straight, her expression carved from stone. She wasn’t crying, but I had noticed her body shook when the casket was carried in. Her gloved hands had fisted in her lap for a moment, and then she calmed, resuming her perfectly composed façade.

Coco, beside her, mirrored the same rigid restraint, her hands folded neatly in her lap. Bryce, however, looked more like he was here to shake hands and make connections than to bury his father-in-law. His gaze scanned the room, assessing, calculating.

Asshole!

The service was formal and grand, every detail carefully curated—just as Dolly wanted. The rector’s voice carried through the high-ceilinged space, delivering scripture.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

I felt Sebastian inhale beside me.

The choir’s voices rose in harmony, filling the church with the familiar strains of “Amazing Grace.”

I once was lost, but now am found.

Was blind, but now I see….

I glanced at Sebastian as the words echoed through the space.His jaw was tight, and his eyes were moist with emotion. He had changed in the past months, I thought. He wasn’t trying to be stoic like his mother or sister; no, he was letting himselffeel.

When the final prayer was spoken, and thecongregation rose, Sebastian sucked in a breath. I knew he wasn’t looking forward to what came next.The condolences. The whispered sympathies. The hushed gossip about what was happening with Boone Metals.

“Why don’t you guys head over to the house? Mama and I have got this,” Sebastian said to the kids, tilting his head toward the receiving line that was forming.

“You’re not doing this alone, Dad.” Tristan took his place next to his father.

So, the four of us shook hands and thanked those who came to bid Abraham farewell. In stark contrast, Dolly stood alone. Coco, Bryce, and Birdie had left after what I surmised was an argument they had with Dolly.

An hour and a half later, we headed to the wake and were reminded rather harshly of the famous Robert Frost quote: "In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on."

Unfortunately for the Boone family, life went on, which meant that beneath the fragile opulence of the family name, the rot continued to eat through the very foundation of their legacy.

As the wake stretched into the evening, the Boone family home felt like a mausoleum, suffocating in its grandeur: the chandeliers, the scent of expensive cologne, the cateredhors d’oeuvres, and thefakecondolences.

And no one was more fake than Abraham’s wife, daughter, and son-in-law, I thought sadly.

Sebastian and I stood in the far corner of the drawingroom by the tall French doors that opened onto the back lawn, our champagne flutes untouched.

“My father is gone. The company is…well, going. And I know I should feel sad—and I do—but the feeling that’s overwhelming me right now?” Sebastian’s voice was low. “It’s freedom.”

I looked up at him. The light caught the curve of his jaw, the gray at his temples. His eyes were softer now than they had been all day.

“That’s okay,” I said gently. “He’d be proud you chose happiness. He told you that.”

He lifted a shoulder and let it drop. “Doesn’t make it any less weird.”

“No. But it is honest.”

Ada and Tristan were with their friends, whom they’d grown up with in Savannah and who had come to lend their support.

The room buzzed with murmured condolences and sharp whispers from those who saw this gathering less as a farewell to Abraham Boone and more as an opportunity to assess the aftermath of his death.

“I heard Abraham kicked Sebastian out before he died.”

“Bryce is tanking the company.”