Southern Bombshell (North Carolina Highlands 5)

I blink back tears. “Mom, that’s . . . really fucking smart. Sweet. But really smart too.”

Mom tucks my hair behind my ear. “Where do you think you got your brains from, huh?”

“Thank you,” I manage. “Thank all y’all. I feel like—God, part of me feels like I don’t deserve your kindness after how hard I was on all of you. I judged y’all harshly when I should’ve shown some grace. I’m sorry.”

Hank runs a hand across my shoulder blades. “You’re a pistol, Milly. We wouldn’t have it any other way.”

I’m crying big, fat tears now, laughing when Samuel sloshes more whiskey into my glass.

Two years ago, I thought the Kingsleys and the Beauregards could hardly coexist, much less come together.

But here we are, making plans to do just that.

Let’s hope our story ends on a happier note than Romeo and Juliet’s.

Chapter Thirty-Two

Nate

I leaf through the paperwork with damp hands for the fiftieth time since our lawyer sent it over this morning.

It’s watertight. There’s no workaround for Dad since his signature is on the shareholder’s agreement. He has to sign the marked pages and sell us his stake, whether he wants to or not.

I still feel like I’m about to lose my lunch all over our shiny new conference table.

Milly, Silas, and I talked through the night about our options for confronting Dad. All of them sucked, but we decided doing it here, in the relative safety of our new office, was the option that sucked the least.

Chris Noble has agreed to attend. So have Milly and Silas. I figure there’s power in numbers, and if nothing else, Dad won’t want to embarrass himself by making a scene in front of everyone.

I still haven’t figured out how I’m going to get rid of him for good. I hope the obscene amount of money I offer him seals the deal.

I have a bad feeling it won’t. Wilson was born on this land like his daddy before him, and he wants to be buried here too, though it’s not an honor he deserves.

Speaking of money—I have no idea where I’m going to come up with the cash. I’ll empty my savings account, obviously, and take a loan from Silas if I need to. Maybe take out a personal loan through our banker downtown. I’ll figure it out.

I have no choice. Keeping my new little family intact—Milly, Silas, me—is nonnegotiable.

“It’s not like you to be reckless,” Silas said earlier over coffee in his new corner office. “The numbers aren’t adding up. What if Dad agrees to take the deal today? You’re not going to be able to cut him a check. And you know if you show any sign of weakness, he’ll pounce.”

“I can’t cut him a check yet,” I replied. “We gotta try, Silas.”

I glance at the clock above the door. Five till one. Dad won’t show up on time, so I still have a solid twenty minutes or so until I rip his heart out.

Because this will destroy him.

Then again, maybe he destroyed himself by gambling away his money and his reputation.

Whatever the case, Wilson Kingsley is not my problem anymore.

Chris is the first to arrive, striding into the conference room in a Carolina blue blazer and brightly colored checkered shirt. He sees me and smiles, and the fist clenched around my heart eases its grip. Even though we’ve spoken since Reese and I called off the engagement, I still worried he might hate me. Or, at the very least, like me a hell of a lot less.

To be fair, I have no reason to think that. He’s always been generous in his dealings with us. More than that, he’s been a mentor to me, guiding me through the transition of taking Kingsley Distilling from a tiny, family-run operation to a corporation with stakeholders and a law firm on retainer.

I’m not giving up much by losing my dad. But I’d be losing an invaluable source of knowledge and kindness if Chris walked out of my life too.

He extends his hand, and I give it a solid shake.

“Thank you for coming,” I say. “I really appreciate your show of support, Chris.”

Meeting my gaze, he nods. “Reese has filled me in on the details. I’m sorry you have to do this, but I agree with my daughter. It’s definitely in the best interest of the company to remove Wilson.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t do it sooner. We really thought he was okay. Silas was doing so well . . .” I shake my head. “Guess I wanted Dad to be okay so bad I overlooked the red flags. I won’t make the same mistake again.”

Chris eyes me. “I know you won’t. You’ve got a good head on your shoulders, Nate. That’s why I invested in your company. You’ll make the right choices even when they’re the tough ones.”