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Dad frowned at Grayson. “Don’t take that tone with me, son. Truth be told, I only wanted the land to spite Ballantyne. He and I go back a ways and, you know, I never forget.”
What. The. Fuck? My brothers and I all exchanged glances, and I shifted in my seat as all the shit with this deal finally made sense.
“Go back how far?” Rhett asked.
“College.”
Okay, I knew my dad was a spiteful asshole, but he’d been holding a grudge for five decades?
“So, if you have any suggestions for what we can do with the land now that it’s ours, I’m open to hearing them. Perhaps Wolfe would like to oversee some sort of development there.”
“No!” Now it was my turn to have them all staring at me. There was absolutely no way I could set foot in Esperance ever again. All I had to do was sell the house by the river and that would be it for me and Esperance. And anyone that lived there.
Again, Grayson stepped in. “I might have a few ideas, if you’re interested.” It felt like he was covering for me, but altruism wasn’t exactly in his makeup.
“Certainly,” my father replied, leaning back in his chair and hooking his finger into the pocket of his waistcoat.
The meal finally ended, and we exchanged polite farewells. Dad and Rhett congratulated me again, their words ringing hollow in my ears.
“Congratulations, Wolfe,” Henry said with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “You’ve done the family proud.”
“Indeed, brother. Well done,” Rhett added, clapping me on the shoulder. Grayson shook my hand but said nothing. Their praise felt empty, devoid of any genuine emotion or understanding.
Finally, I could retreat to my room. Of course, it was almost bigger than Esme’s whole house too. It was weird how the wealth, the power, the family’s approval, none of it mattered anymore.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, I scrubbed my hands over my face. I needed to get a fucking handle on this...obsession, with Esme. Maybe it was just the blow to the ego. Yeah, that was most likely it. No one had ever said no to me like that before. That’s all it was.
Liar.In the silence of my room, all I felt was emptiness, a longing for something real and true. Something more than stupid business deals and pointless family dinners. Esme had ended things, and fair enough. The sight of Belle, crying and in pain, still gutted me. But now, with Esme gone, nothing would ever be the same for me again. What the fuck was I supposed to do with that?
CHAPTER32
Esme
The kids were safely settled in the living room, their eyes glued to the TV, the noise of their favorite cartoon serving as a comforting backdrop to the hollow quiet in the kitchen. This was day seven of Wolfe’s departure and I was... doing okay.
Ariel and I stood side by side at the counter, her tiny frame dwarfed by the large apron she had tied around her waist. She was meticulously chopping vegetables, her blonde hair falling across her eyes as she concentrated.
“Esme, can I ask you something?” Her voice was soft, filled with concern and something deeper that I couldn’t quite place.
I turned to look at her, catching the hesitation in her eyes before she looked away. “Sure. What about, sweetheart?” We hadn’t talked about Belle’s accident since the night it happened, and none of the kids asked me about why we hadn’t seen Wolfe since. Maybe now was the time to get it all out in the open.
Ariel’s hands stilled on the cutting board, the knife dropping with a soft clatter. “About breaking up with Wolfe. He was so…nice.”
I swallowed hard, the tight knot in my chest threatening to burst. My little sister, always perceptive, always thoughtful. “Well, we weren’t really together. But yeah, he is nice, Ariel. Very nice. But sometimes, nice isn’t enough.”
“But did he make you happy?” She met my eyes again, hers filled with confusion and concern.
I knew the concern was for me, so I reached out to her, my hand hovering over her shoulder before finally making contact. “Yeah, he did. But you know what’s more important than me being happy?”
She shook her head. “I don’t know, Esme. I just want you to be happy.”
“I want us to be safe, Ariel. I want you and Florian and Tiana and Belle to know that you’re my priority. That nothing and no one will ever come between us.” My voice broke on the last word, the pain of my decision washing over me again. Fuck, why was this so hard? It’s not like I was in love with him.
“You’re not like Mom, Esme. You wouldn’t leave us.” Her words were fierce, her chin jutting out defiantly.
Jesus fucking Christ, where had that come from? I swallowed past the lump in my throat and put my arm around her. “I sure hope I’m not.” I didn’t say out loud what I was thinking; that I’d actually come pretty damn close to being like our mom.
Ariel put her head on my shoulder and rested there for a moment. I kept completely still, because these moments with my sister were so few and far between. She slipped her arm around my waist. “I love you, Esme.”