Page 34 of Best Kept Vows (Savannah’s Best #6)

Lia cleared her throat. “ Technically , Dolly, Sebastian isn’t talking about money but rather who should pay for Birdie’s wedding. Darling, Birdie, congratulations. That is a beautiful ring.”

Birdie puffed up with pride. “It’s four carats and from Tiffany’s.”

Lia peered at the ring. “Are you sure?”

Craig cleared his throat. “Well, it’s three carats…give or take.”

Birdie looked wounded. “You said it was four . ”

Oh, for crying out loud, who the fuck cared ? I thought as I gripped Lia’s hand.

Pamela came in then with plates of food, and the conversation stalled.

“I met someone you know last week,” Lia said to me, as if we were alone at home.

All eyes were on her and me.

“Who?”

“Diego Perez.” She set her fork down. “He said you did work with him in Arizona.”

“Yes.” I wasn’t sure what she was doing, but I had a feeling it was trying to divert my attention from impending chaos. “He’s a good guy. Works for Larue Homes.”

“Anson Larue is a has been,” Bryce decided to add his two cents to a conversation that had nothing to do with him.

“His Sentinel Heights project is a huge success,” I countered.

“Well, he sold the family home.” Bryce shook his head in disgust. “Heard that he kicked his own mother and sister out of the estate.”

Well, buddy, that kind of thing is going to probably happen here as well.

Even though Bryce and Coco didn’t live with my parents, they lived in a property owned by the Boone family, one that was mortgaged to the hilt and would also need to be sold.

Dad had made a mess of the family finances in trying to save Boone Metals.

It was such a waste, and I was happy that I’d come to my senses, or rather Lia had brought me to my senses before I’d lost everything, including myself .

“The estate is going to be a Rhodes Hotel.” Lia set her plate away. She’d eaten about half of what was served. I didn’t blame her. My appetite was shot as well. “Savannah Lace has the project.”

“A bunch of women behaving like men!” Bryce commented. “I can’t believe you’re letting her work there, Sebastian.”

“Yes, Sebastian, what were you thinking?” Mama wanted to know.

I smiled at Lia and was happy to see no trace of insecurity in her eyes. It looked like I had managed to convince her that I was on her side as I should’ve always been.

“Lia is a fiercely independent woman.” I stroked her cheek with a finger, feeling my heart fill with love for her. “I don’t let her do anything. She does what she wants. It’s just one of the things I love about her.”

Silence fell at the table until Dad began to cough. After he drank some water, he looked at me. “Let’s…get…this done.”

Hendrix nodded at me, letting me know that Dad was getting too tired to stay here, probably both emotionally and physically.

I took a deep breath and held Lia’s hand on the table. I needed her support and her strength. I was fortunate she was giving it to me since I didn’t deserve one damn thing from her.

“Dad and I have decided to sell Boone Metals.”

The table went silent.

Dolly’s fork clattered against her plate. “Excuse me? ”

Coco blinked. “Wait—what?”

Bryce, predictably, smirked. “So, you’re finally admitting that you failed as CEO.” He looked at Dad with revulsion. “I told you to make me the CEO, and you wouldn’t listen. Look what happened.”

Dad waved a hand and muttered something that sounded a lot like fucking useless prick .

I kept my eyes on my mother. She was the one who was going to be impacted the most by this. Well, Bryce, too, since he wouldn’t have a job, but Coco would get her portion of her inheritance once the company sold, as would I.

Mama would have to accept her financial situation and make appropriate changes. “The company is bleeding money. It’s time to cut our losses.”

Mama’s lips pressed into a thin line. “You are not selling Boone Metals.”

“Not…your…company,” Dad croaked out.

“I’ll declare you incompetent. Won’t take much, Abraham,” Mama threatened.

Dad laughed; it sounded like a cackle, and then began to cough. Hendrix got up to help him.

“Nigel has a power of attorney for personal finances, Mama, so declaring Dad incompetent gets you nothing,” I informed her. “So, yes, we’re selling the company.”

She slammed her napkin on the table. “You’re a disgrace! That company is your legacy, Sebastian.”

“Mama, it’s dying. It’s been dying for a while. If Dad had sold it ten years ago, we’d have made good money. Now…we get what we get. The longer we wait and hold on to it, the less it’s going to be worth.”

Mama turned on Lia. “This is your influence.”

My wife squeezed my hand to let me know she was fine. “Dolly, he’s done running himself into the ground trying to save a sinking ship.”

Abraham exhaled a slow, tired breath. “Dolly…done deal.”

Dolly snapped her head toward him, shocked. “What?”

My father’s voice was weak, but he pushed through. “The company is…a weight. Drowned me…drown him.”

Mama threw him a venomous look. “If you’re so determined to be a coward, then Bryce should take over.”

I let out a humorless laugh. “Bryce has zero experience running a company.”

“I think you’re just scared he’ll succeed,” Coco snapped.

“Exactly,” Mama chimed in. “I have faith in him, never had it in you.”

Her words came from anger and bitterness, but that didn’t change how much they stung. She was my mother, and I’d spent my life trying to make her happy. That seemed to be just as much a fruitless exercise as the one of showing my father I was good enough for Boone Metals.

Lia visibly tensed beside me, her fingers curling into her napkin.

Bryce, smug as ever, leaned forward. “I accept.”

Abraham shook his head. “Bryce…is…a fool.”

“The board will back me.” Bryce was now excited. “And I’ll show you how things are done, Sebastian. ”

I looked at Dad. His eyes seemed dead, and he sighed. “Tell…her.”

I nodded. “Mama, the longer we keep it, the bigger the chance Boone Metal goes into bankruptcy, and we’ll get five cents on the dollar for it. Now?—”

“Bryce won’t let that happen,” Mama cut me off.

“Just because you couldn’t do it doesn’t mean Bryce can’t.” Coco, who had her head in the clouds, looked down her nose at me.

“Dad?” I asked because I didn’t give a shit one way or the other.

He shrugged with his good shoulder. “I’m…dying. Don’t…care.”

Hendrix then rolled my father away. He’d done his best, I realized, and now he was done with the family in the same way as I was. You could only help people who wanted help.

“Well, that gets me off the hook then,” I whispered to Lia.

She studied me carefully as if trying to discern if I was indeed as relaxed as I appeared to be or if I was hiding some pent-up desire to fuck my life over Boone Metals.

I pushed my chair back and rose. Lia did the same. I put my arm around her, and she nestled into me.

“Good luck, Bryce.” I couldn’t stop smiling. I had expected to feel relief but not this bone-deep sense of peace. “You’re on your own.”

Bryce faltered for a second, clearly expecting me to fight back. He hadn’t thought it would be this easy. The motherfucker would know soon enough why I was happy to leave this shitshow to someone else.

Somehow, this was even better than selling the company, which would have required me to bang my head against the wall for another six to twelve months. This way, I was… done .

I was done.

Done with this game.

Done with this family’s toxic obsession with keeping up appearances at all costs.

I turned to Lia. “You ready to go?”

She nodded, and without a single glance back, we walked out together.

In the car, Lia reached for my hand again. “You okay?” she asked softly.

I thought about it.

About letting go of a company that had defined my life, of walking out of that house and finally choosing myself.

I looked at my wife. The woman who had always been there, even when I didn’t deserve her.

“I’m good,” I said, and for the first time since I took over that damn company and fucked up my life, I meant it.