His jaw drops. “That’s it?”

“What else was there to say? Discuss the weather? Exchange recipes? Pledge my undying love?”

“You’re wrong,” Beau says quietly, as he stands and shoves his hands in his pockets, the same way I do, looking very much like our father. “You are a dick.”

“Never claimed otherwise,” I mutter as he walks away. I check my phone, for what I’m not sure. She may have landed by now. I tried to call Declan earlier to ask him how she was this morning, but he’s not answering my calls.

He’s probably either asleep or bouncing on one of his groupies.

I’d give just about anything to hear her voice right now, to smooth the rough edges left from holding that young widow through the night while she cried long, heartbroken sobs against my chest for a man who’s never coming home. From being awake for too fucking long.

From already missing her.

But she’s gone, and I have a business to run. So I schedule a mid-morning mandatory meeting with the men at the shipyard and hurry to shower and dress to make it there on time.

This is my life. This is what’s important. Kate was just a pleasant distraction. It’s time to get back to business.

***

“I don’t give a fuck. I want it done. Today. Understood?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Good.” I hang up and bring up an email, just as Savannah and Declan saunter into my office.

“I see you’re just your usual puppies and rainbows self,” Declan says dryly, as he lowers himself into a chair, a smirk on his face.

“What do you want?”

“We want to talk to you,” Savannah says. She folds her hands in her lap, sitting straight in the chair, head high, the way she always does. But her eyes are sad, and that kills me.

“How are you, bebe?” I ask her softly.

“Worried about you,” she replies.

“Alright.” I sit back in my chair and rub my fingers over my mouth. “What’s up?”

“We’ve come to point out that you’re back to your old asshole ways,” Declan says.

“How would you know?” I ask with a raised brow. “You haven’t spoken to me in two weeks.”

“And I’d rather not speak to you now either, but Van talked me into it.”

“Since you’re talking to me, would you like to explain why you’d rather not?”

“Because you’re a fucking dick, and you made Kate cry.”

“What?” I scowl at them both. “I haven’t spoken to Kate since she left two weeks ago.”

“Oh, we know,” Savannah replies. “And you’re back to your BK attitude.”

“BK?”

“Before Kate.”

“Is this an intervention?” I ask with a laugh, and immediately wish for a glass of bourbon.

“Yes, if you’d like to call it that,” Van replies. “It’s an asshole intervention.”

“Noted. You can see yourselves out.”

“You don’t even want to know if she’s okay?” Declan asks incredulously. “No, so, how’s Kate?”

“So, how’s Kate?”

His jaw and fists clench, but before he can say anything else, Savannah jumps in. “She’s…fine.”

What the fuck does that mean?

“Why did you let her leave?” Savannah asks.

“I have a better question,” Dec interrupts. “Why did you fuck Cindy while Kate was twenty feet away, worried about you, wondering when you were coming back?”

I blink at my siblings, not exactly computing what the fuck they’re saying.

“Excuse me?”

“Cindy? Gabby’s slutty friend? The woman that Kate and I saw leaving your townhouse as we took her luggage to the car. The leggy blonde with the big tits.”

“So charming,” Van murmurs, while she glares daggers at me.

“I didn’t fuck Cindy.” Just the thought has bile rising in the back of my throat.

“Bullshit. We saw her, Eli.”

“I don’t know what the fuck you think you saw, but I didn’t fuck her. I wasn’t home, Dec. I was at the shipyard. Jesus, I haven’t been home since I left Kate that night.”

“Wait.” Van thinks it over and then nods. “That’s right. He was at the shipyard. And what do you mean, you haven’t been home?”

What’s the point? Kate’s not there. She won’t be on her balcony with wine and pizza. Or next door listening to her music too loud. Or in my bed.

“I have work.”

“So, you’re living here? How?”

“I have clothes here. Showers. A couch. And I’m pushing thirty-one, so I can pretty much do whatever the fuck I want, little sister.”

“Are you eating?” Savannah asks, and I simply sigh.

“Hello, pot, I’m kettle. Have you seen you lately? Your clothes are hanging off of you.”

“We’re not talking about me,” she says defensively.

“You never answered why you let her leave,” Declan says quietly. “You didn’t ask her to stay.”

“Her job was finished.”

“You love her,” Savannah reminds me softly. “You told me you love her so much you can’t breathe.”

And I haven’t taken a deep breath in two weeks.

“You hurt her!” Declan exclaims.

“I don’t deserve her!” I shout back. “What am I going to offer her? You’ve said it yourself, I’m an asshole. I’m consumed with my job. This,” I gesture to my office, “is what I eat, sleep, breathe, fuck. I made a promise to Dad that I’d get my shit together and focus on this family and this company, and that’s what I’m doing! No woman wants to take second place to a job!”

“Eli, Dad wouldn’t want you to give up love for this company,” Savannah says. “You don’t have to put the company above anyone you love on your priority list.”

“Daddy never made us feel like we were second place. He sure as fuck never made Mama feel that way. They were a team, E,” Dec says quietly. “You have so much more to give than that.”

I stare at Dec for a moment. “What did you say?”

“You have so much more to give.”

“You need to take responsibility for your actions, son. Beau is going to need your help with the company. The family needs you. You have so much more to give this life than what you’ve been giving it. Riding along, screwing every pretty thing in a skirt, is not the way to live your life.