He’d thought about simply not showing up at all. Roberta would take the insult as a reason not to vote for him. But then he wouldn’t be in compliance with the agreement he’d made with Charles. He couldn’t put Sylvie at risk.

“Well, get in there, get it done, and then go find my sister because the longer you let this go, the more of a lecture on love and marriage you’re going to get, and honestly, the more of a shot there is that Sylvie shows up here, and that could be bad for me. I need at least three more days before I won’t wince every time my momma hugs me,” Dre admitted.

Andre had sat up with him all night, talking him through the problem, which Dre thought could be solved by him beating the crap out of Charles, sweeping his wife away for a long vacation, and telling his whole board to go to hell.

It sounded perfect, if only he could protect Sylvie that way.

“I’ll go home and talk to her.” Then he would go to New Orleans and try to decide what to do with the rest of his life. “I love her, but everything I could offer her before is about to be gone. All of it. I’ve got savings that I can use to move and set up another life, but I’m not even going to have a job.”

“Sylvie will not be the first strong, powerful woman to be saddled with a handsome, charming layabout,” Dre cracked. “Happens all the time. You have to keep up your looks, brother. That’s all you have now.”

Rene groaned, but he was smiling again. “You’re an asshole.”

“Yeah, but I’m also on your side.” His voice lost its amusement. “Think about what we talked about. I know family is a transactional thing for you, but that’s not the way Sylvie and I were raised, and though she took your name, you took my momma on when you married her. Do you want Marcelle Martine on your ass? Because she will be if you try to walk away.”

This was what Dre had argued all night long. Even as they were sitting on Sylvie’s couch, battling it out in a video game, eating pizza, and drinking Scotch, Dre had told him over and over again that he didn’t owe Sylvie cash and a perfect life.

What he owed his wife was his whole heart, and to be a good partner to her.

Was he being a good partner? All of his life he’d been taught to sacrifice for his family. Shouldn’t he do the same to protect the one woman he loved more than anyone in the world? Shouldn’t he give up his happiness to spare her pain?

“I’ll talk to her tonight.” It was all he could promise.