Page 48 of Peyton's Price

“Savannah. You’re atmyhotel—the Wentworth Star. Apparently, you arrived last night stinking drunk while ranting and raving.”

“Raving about what?”

“That you needed to see me, of course. I wasn’t even here, Liam. I was in Boston meeting with the wedding florists. I don’t know what possessed you to fly down when I wasminutesaway from you back there.”

“I needed to talk to you. But I don’t know why I came here. I don’t understand what happened.”

Caroline crossed her arms, standing over him like an avenging angel. “Oh, I know what happened. You’ve gone off the rails again. And I don’t even need an explanation why. I knew this was going to happen the moment you saw him again.”

“Him?”

“Matthias Raske,” she snapped. “You went to him for help, throwing the door wide open for him to waltz back into our lives, to ruin everything—again.”

Liam struggled to think with the cotton wool that had seemingly replaced his brain. “No. It’s not about Matthias. I mean, it is, but only because she left with him.”

Caroline blinked, giving herself a little shake. “So this is aboutPeyton?”

Liam didn’t say anything, letting the silence stretch as the copious amounts of alcohol in his gut roiled. He was in danger of being sick, but he had to keep it together. He owed Caroline that much.

She snorted softly, closing her eyes. “Good God, I’ve been worried about the wrong one. All this time, I thought if you saw Raske again, you’d relapse and call off the wedding. When, apparently, the one I should have been worried about was perfect Peyton. I can’t believe what a fool I was. I should have seen it before.”

“We’re both fools.”

How could he have thought marriage to Caroline would solve any of his problems? It had only created new, even worse ones. And he’d hurt one of his best friends in the process.

“I’m so sorry about this, Caroline. You have no idea how much. But we have to call the wedding off. I can’t go through with it.”

She sniffed. “Well, obviously,” she said tightly. Jerking away, she whirled, her icy shield up so high it chilled the air around them. But the evidence of the pain he’d inflicted was all over her face.

“If it makes you feel any better, this ends badly for me. I…I lost her to him. Matthias took Peyton away on theOrmen Lange. They’re gone, sailing off into the sunset together.”

Caroline’s laugh was brittle. “Yes, well, I suppose that’s the one bright spot in this entire fiasco. Karma works.”

She took a deep breath, picking her purse up from the coffee table in front of him. “I’ll have to sue you, of course. For breach of contract.”

He frowned. “For calling off the engagement?”

Liam knew some jilted fiancées went that route, but he’d never imagined Caroline would. She was too high class. “I didn’t think you’d want to call attention to the end of our relationship that way.”

She sighed, rolling her eyes. “No, youass. I’m going to sue you for calling off the merger. Not that I have a choice at this point.”

“Oh, Caroline.” He hadn’t even thought about that.

Gene, Caroline’s father, was getting on in years. He was eager to hand over the reins of his business. But the old fart was too much of a sexist to leave everything to Caroline outright.

Caroline had been pushing their union for the sole reason of her father finally being able to retire and give his overworked heart a rest. Plus, the ailing Wentworth chain needed a bailout. Folding them into the Caislean group would have solved a lot of her problems, but now that wasn’t going to happen.

He rubbed his face roughly with both hands. “Let me talk to Gene. The merger can still go on. I know you need this.”

Disbelief and resentment flashed across her face. “You know that can’t happen now. Daddy will never agree to it on those terms. And neither will I.”

“But—”

She held up a hand. “Stop. Just stop. I’ve wasted enough time here. I need to get back to Boston. I have a wedding to disassemble.”

I am a shitheel. “Please let me handle it.” His people could take care of those details. They did it all the time at the hotel.

“I think you’ve done enough.”

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