Page 74 of Best Kept Vows

“I get it. But the thing is, it looks like you’re not together, and I just wanted to assure you that I’m waiting in the wings.”

“I’m not assured,” I muttered.

“Which is why I’m giving you the warning,” he said playfully. The asshole had one fucked up sense of humor.

“And we’retogether, just living apart for a short while.”

“I think the technical term isseparation…usually comes before—” His phone dinged, and he picked it up. “Well, time for me to leave. Javier, put it on my tab, will you? Also, Sebastian’s drink here.”

“Will do,” Javier replied.

“You don’t have to pay for my?—"

“I own half this place,” Lev explained cheerfully.

I huffed out a sharp breath. I was both amused and insulted. “I want to tell you to stay away from my wife, but I have a feeling you don’t give a shit what I say.”

Lev considered me for a moment before nodding. “True, but you should say it anyway ‘cause Lia deserves a man who fights for her.”

I didn’t miss the not-so-subtle dig.

“But then again, Lev, I’m glad she’s found a friend in you.” I picked up my glass of bourbon, which was nearly gone, and raised it. “I trust Lia implicitly. So, I don’t really care if you stay away from her or not, ‘cause I knowher.”

Lev smiled.

“Oh, but you call her Audrey or any other fucking name but her name again, and you and I will have words,” I threatened with a broad smile.

“Promises, promises,” he responded cheerfully and on that note, Lev left the bar.

“One more?” Javier asked, looking at my glass.

I grinned. “You know what, since Lev is paying the tab, I’ll take the Blanton’s Single Barrelanda smash burger.”

Javier nodded with appreciation. “I like it! That sumbitch needs to be brought down a peg or two on a regular basis.”

“He your employer?”

“Fuck no!” Javier seemed repelled by the idea. “He’s my partner. I do all the work, and he takes half the money. But then he bought this place for me to run…so, it comes out in the wash.”

Lev seemed to have friends he took care of, it appeared, and I was glad that he was taking care of Lia, so much so that he’d had what most would consider an extremely awkward conversation with me.

The kid was right about several things, especially that long-term marriages can lose their fire because people are busy worrying about paying bills and who will pick up which child from their evening activities. The enemy of any long-term relationship was complacency—and both Lia and I were guilty of it.

She had done more of the heavy lifting in our marriage than I had—what with dealing with my parents and sister, and raising our children. Now, it was my turn. I wasn’t going to let her down.

CHAPTER 25

Ophelia

Our first couple of counseling sessions rattled me.

I spilled my heart out, and then wondered if I’d ruined any chance of Sebastian and me getting back together. I understood the need to be honest in a marriage, but there was such a thing as too much honesty, wasn’t there?

I cringed as I remembered the things I’d said, how bluntly I’d told Sebastian I felt like I was last on his list of priorities. But what impacted me the most was how sad he looked, how devastated he was when he realized that I’d been hiding my pain.

My marriage was a mess, and mynewprofessional life wasn’t faring much better. I was approaching the start of my third month of internship with Luna, and I was struggling with the workload, not because I minded working hard, thatwasn’t the problem, it was having to learn everything before I could do the work.

I was sure that it took me two to three times longer to get things done than other people because I’d never had a job before—everything was new, and everything had a learning curve.