Page 24 of Best Kept Vows (Savannah’s Best #6)

While we ate lunch, I told him about my new job and how much fun I was having.

“Good…for you,” he said as Hendrix held up a napkin to him. Abraham sighed and wiped his mouth, though his movements were slow and uncoordinated.

The stroke had robbed him of awareness on his left side.

I knew it was called spatial neglect, as my grandfather had had the same challenge.

He, like Abraham, hadn’t been able to feel when food or drool gathered on the left side of his face, nor could he fully register objects or people on that side without deliberately turning his head.

I reached forward instinctively, dabbing at a missed spot on his cheek. His gaze flickered to mine before he let out a rough sigh. “Damn…annoying.”

“Imagine how I feel,” I retorted with good humor.

The key to handling Abraham was to not pity him because that would just make him blow up and leave him unhappy. In a way, he preferred that Dolly and Coco didn’t come around much because he felt either disdain or pity, and then he was upset for days, according to Hendrix.

Abraham grunted, shifting slightly in his chair. His pride bristled against the indignities his body forced upon him. It was hard to go from being the patriarch who ran the household with an iron fist to being stuck in a wheelchair like this.

“Ada?”

“She’s good.” I rattled off about my daughter’s classes and then told him about Tristan’s job at the public defender’s office.

He suddenly looked forlorn.

“Abraham?”

“You know…your kids…what they do. I never asked…Sebastian or Coco.”

“We have different parenting styles,” I tried to console him.

There was no point telling a man who was going to die soon and had no way to go back and change the past that he’d fucked up his kids but good with his tough-love routine.

Sebastian and Coco may have been shaped by their father, but they were adults now, fully responsible for how they chose to act and who they wanted to become.

Abraham’s smile was crooked but sincere. When he spoke, his words were slightly slurred but clear enough. “Ada was…here. She said…you moved out.”

I took a deep breath, not surprised at all that Ada had told him. She didn’t believe in hiding things from him because he was ill. “Yes, I did.”

He nodded slowly. He held out his good hand, and I placed mine in it. “Sorry.”

“Me too, Abraham.”

“He works…much. I did, too.”

My throat tightened with emotion. “Yes.”

“You…are not Dolly.”

I gave out a short, dry laugh. “No kidding.”

Abraham joined in with a bark of laughter, and I saw Hendrix’s big smile as he cleaned up our lunch.

I knew I had to leave soon as Abraham would need a nap.

He got tired so quickly. One stroke and his whole life had changed heartbreakingly.

He not only lost control of his body, but his family abandoned him.

He squeezed my fingers gently. “My son is…stubborn. My fault. Sorry, I dumped…everything on him.”

I shook my head firmly. “Sebastian is an adult.”

He sighed deeply, leaning back slightly in his wheelchair. “You are…good for him.”

But is he good for me ?

I set Abraham’s hand on the arm of the chair.

“I…didn’t…treat…you…well.”

His words were coming out slower now. I looked at Hendrix, who stood at the doorway, and he shook his head, his way of telling me to go on, Abraham would be fine.

“Sorry,” Abraham mumbled.

I felt a surprising tenderness. Abraham had never expressed vulnerability before his stroke.

“Past is past.” I had let it go.

“So…tired, Lia.”

“I know,” I murmured.

Hendrix joined us, smiling warmly. “What are you two talking about?”

Abraham waved his right hand and then dropped it, his exhaustion now palpable. I rose and kissed his forehead gently. “I’ll be back soon. Behave yourself.”

His good eye twinkled a spark of mischief despite how tired he looked. “No…promises.”

I left Hendrix to take care of Abraham, feeling sad for him but also wondering if it wouldn’t be the worst thing for him to go and leave the pain behind. I was so deep in thought that when Dolly’s voice pierced through, it gave me an instant headache.

Crap!

“Lia, we miss you at Sunday dinner…in fact, we miss you and Sebastian.”

I gave Dolly a measured look. This woman had been a problem in our marriage from day one, but since I was taking a break from said marriage, she could go fuck herself .

“I don’t know why Sebastian chooses not to eat with you, but I stopped because I don’t like spending time with you or Coco.” I folded my arms and tilted my head, lazily waiting for her reaction.

She didn’t disappoint!

“How dare you speak to me like that?” she snapped. “Your husband’s already got one foot out the door. Everyone knows he’s seeing that woman from work. It’s only a matter of time before he leaves you.”

I grinned, meeting her cold stare with cool contempt. “Hard for him to leave me, Dolly, when I already left him .”

It was petty but I loved the way her mouth fell open at my declaration.

“What?”

“You have a nice rest of your day.” I began to walk but stopped when she screamed my name. I turned to face her. “You have something to say?”

“What do you mean you left him?” she yelled at me.

“I moved out. I left the house where your son lives. I…packed up my things and left in a car and now live elsewhere. You get the picture?” I’d had enough of this woman.

She was insipid and dreadful—and I felt fresh anger at Sebastian for forcing me to get along well with her.

He knew her, and he made her my problem instead of protecting and caring for me.

“I get the picture just fine. If you’ve left my son, what are you doing here visiting with my husband?”

I wasn’t surprised she knew. There wasn’t much that happened in this house that Dolly wasn’t privy to. “I’m keeping your husband company, Dolly, because he’s ill, and he’s dying—and his family seems to not give a damn about him.”

She crossed her arms, lips curled into a sneer. “I know what you’re up to—trying to butter him up now that your marriage is on the rocks. It won’t work. Sebastian has power of attorney. You’ll gain nothing.”

I burst out laughing, which gave me an unexpected surge of confidence. “Thank you for the warning, Dolly, though my lawyer believes I’ll be just fine if my marriage ends.”

I knew that would light a fire up her ass; silly little Lia getting a lawyer?

She raised an eyebrow, clearly startled. “Smart girl. But then, I always knew you were a gold digger.”

I felt a strange wave of clarity. Dolly’s attempts to intimidate no longer held any power over me. “What can I say, I’m good at what I do.”

Her eyes widened slightly, fury flashing briefly before she composed herself. “Get out of my house. You’re not welcome here any?—”

“This is Abraham’s house, and I am welcome here. Tell him and find out how he reacts to me not being allowed to see him whenever I want,” I said sweetly, adjusting my purse strap over my shoulder.

Dolly wouldn’t dare. Abraham might be paralyzed, but he still had the power to cut her allowance. He hadn’t relinquished all his control to Sebastian—his lawyer was trustee of his finances, hence Dolly’s.

Without another glance, I turned on my heel and walked away, leaving her standing speechless in the grand foyer. For the first time in over two decades, since I stepped into this house, I left feeling good.