Page 11 of Everlasting Vows

“I consider anyone younger than me a young man or young woman. I’ll see you at eleven.” After a moment, I pull the phone from my ear and study the blank screen—he disconnected the damn call before I could confirm. He doesn’t mess around.

I quickly check my schedule for this morning and discover I can make it work, provided none of my team needs me.

I poke my head into Gabe’s office on the way to the kitchen. “Coffee?”

“Sure, thanks.”

I head into the kitchen and make our drinks, and when I get back to my office, Gabe’s waiting for me. “I put the answering machine on, but Gwen should be in shortly.”

“Thanks,” I mutter as I take my seat.

He studies me carefully, getting more comfortable in his chair. “What’s this about?”

I glance out of my window, gathering my thoughts and working out how much to share. He’s my second-in-command, so I should be one hundred percent transparent with him. I sigh, then drink my coffee. “I need to make some major structural changes around here.” I shove down my pride for the second time in less than fifteen minutes. “And I need your help to do it.”

Fuck, it’s hard to admit I can’t do everything myself.

He leans forward in his chair, eyebrows dipping low over his intelligent brown eyes. “Are you okay?”

I dip my chin, rubbing my sternum with the heel of my hand. “Physically … yes.” Emotionally and mentally, I’m not so sure.

His eyes narrow. “Okay. What’s going on?”

Swallowing another mouthful of coffee, I lean back in my seat. “This has to stay between us for now. It’s personal.” I wait for him to confirm that he understands. “Abbi asked me for a divorce yesterday.”

“Ah, fuck, man!” He jumps to his feet and paces, running his hand through his hair and messing up his dark curls. “Does she want to take the business from you? Bitch! Women are all the same,” he spits angrily.

I know his ex did a number on him while he was serving overseas, but I won’t stand for him calling my wife a bitch. Every muscle in my body tenses ready for a fight at the unnecessary venom he directed at Abbi. I push to my feet, shoving my chair back. “Don’t fucking talk about Abbi like that. Do you understand me?” I grit out sharply. “I won’t tolerate anyone disrespecting my wife. Ever. Do you understand?” I jab my finger angrily into my desk.

He pauses, turning to look at me with disbelief. When he realizes how serious I am, he holds his hands up. “Got it.” His body deflates. “Sorry. I didn’t mean anything by it. I’m angry on your behalf and got carried away.”

And that’s exactly why Gabe is my second-in-command. I know he always has my back, but he doesn’t need to in this instance because I’m the one in the wrong. I understand that his ex dragged him through the wringer, and he holds her responsible for the end of their marriage, and that he’s still working through his anger and pain toward his situation, but our situations are completely different. I hold my hand out toward his chair. “Let’s move on.”

He nods, taking his seat, and I pull my chair closer to take mine. “So, why the changes, then?”

“The breakdown of my marriage is entirely my fault, and I take full responsibility. My priorities have been focused in the wrong area, and I need to change that.” I trace the rim of my coffee cup for something to do with my hands.

“You’ve been building a successful business, Nix. One that supports our team and your family pretty well,” he states bluntly.

“I get that, but at the expense of my marriage.” I shake my head in the negative as I tap my fingers on my cup. “Which is completely unacceptable.” In no imagining of my life did I picture living it without Abbi by my side.

Gabe’s posture softens. “How can I help?”

I press my lips into a tight line. “Abbi’s graciously agreed to give me a second chance, and I can’t afford to fuck this up. I need to eliminate nights and weekends out in the field. I need to reduce the amount of handholding I do and create a culture of autonomy within the team. We need to find another senior member to take some of the load from both of us and help to manage the scheduling, so I don’t have to tear my hair out every Monday. In short, I’d like to take a step back, work less, and devote more time to my family.” He jots down notes and nods along. “Think it’s possible?” Please fucking say yes.

His eyes rise to meet mine, and he blows out an exaggerated breath. “These aren’t simple changes, Nix.”

I nod slowly, leaning back in my chair with my ankle crossed over my knee. “I know.”

“And what about the expansion? You wanted to add more staff so we can take on bigger jobs,” he reminds me, as if I could forget my goals. “Bring in more money.”

“I still want to grow the business. It may just need to grow more slowly than I originally planned. I want us to be the first company businesses think of when they have security needs. That hasn’t changed.” I spot Gwen through the mirrored glass as she walks in and glance at the time. She’s late. Again.

I watch him scan his notes. “I think we can do this for you, but it’s going to take time and patience. You can’t expect the guys to change the way they work and think overnight. There will be hurdles and setbacks. You need to understand that.” He leans forward. “Abbi needs to understand that.”

“I do, and she will.” I hope. I lean forward, pressing my elbows to my desk. “But I need this. If it comes down to it, I’ll walk away from the business I built in favor of Abbi and the kids. No question.”

His eyebrows shoot up, and he twists his pen around his fingers. I think he finally understands how serious I am. “Then, I guess we’d better make it happen.”