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As he sped down the drive in his Rover, he stared straight ahead, not looking back at the life and family he was leaving behind.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Onemonthlater.
The sun glowed through the windows in Nathalie’s office, the sky blue, the puffy clouds a pure white.
No.Not her office. Not anymore.
She signed her name, dated the papers in front of her, and stepped from behind her father’s executive desk for the last time. “That should take care of it.” She handed the papers to Don, the new president of Williams Advanced Avionics. “Dad’s company is in excellent hands.”
“I can’t believe you’re leaving us.” Ravi shook his head. “We’re only a month into the next phase of this software integration.”
“You’re doing a fantastic job managing the project.” Nathalie smiled at her senior software engineer, now Williams’s lead engineer. “I’m not completely gone. I’ll still be consulting as needed.”
“We’ll miss you.” Nick gave her an awkward pat on the back and cleared his throat.
Nathalie blinked back tears. The company and all its wonderful employees would survive and thrive without her. She had a life to live. One that had been too long delayed.
Don wrapped a fatherly arm around her and walked with her down the hall to the lobby. “Go. Have fun. And don’t forget to send pictures.” He handed her an envelope and lowered his voice. “Here’s the check you asked for.”
She slipped it into her purse. “Thank you for backing me on this.”
“It’s time we all start with a clean slate.” He kissed her cheek. “Good luck, Nathalie.”
Angie came out from behind the reception desk, dressed in a burnt-orange sweater and black slacks. She’d only recently returned to school and work after her ordeal, but it gratified Nathalie to see her bubbly demeanor slowly return.
“Wow, art school. That is so cool.” Angie peered at Nathalie through her lashes. “Are you going to be spending time with your hottie bodyguard?”
“That’s the plan.”
Ryder’s business obligations were taking longer than expected. His two weeks had turned into a month. She missed him, but his absence had given her time to put her new life plan in motion.
She only hoped he’d be as excited about it as she was.
As she made her way to her car, the weight of years of responsibility lifted. Free to pursue her own life. She fingered the white business envelope Don gave her. Once she delivered its contents, she’d truly be free.
Her phone conversation with Ryder a week after he returned to London still sat heavy on her heart. Despite what his father had done, she’d never wanted to be the reason Ryder turned his back on his family.
“I’m not part of their world any longer.” Ryder’s tone had been unyielding. “I haven’t been for years. My father’s actions simply confirmed what I already knew. It’s time they stop waiting for me to return to the fold.”
“Your father did a terrible thing out of a warped sense of love. So did I, and you forgave me. Please don’t shut your family out.”
“It’s too late.”
Her head shook in denial then, and now as she mentally replayed his words. “It’s never too late.”
His voice had softened. “No, I suppose it’s not.”
She’d known he meant it wasn’t too late for them. He didn’t seem willing to extend the same grace to his family, especially his father.
Maybe in time.
Right now, Nathalie had her own door to close with Philip Montague.
She glanced at the time on her car dashboard. Two o’clock. Four and a half hours until her flight. Her mom was meeting her at the house in twenty minutes. Nathalie turned out of the parking lot. In her rearview mirror, the blue and silver letters of Williams Advanced Avionics, mounted at the top of the building, grew smaller until they disappeared.
No regrets.