Page 25 of Second Chance Husband

They kept changing their minds, falling in and out of love as if it were a trend.

And all I could think about was the fact that I had been the first to get married, the first to get a divorce, and part of me still loved the woman whose life I was no longer a part of.

Apparently, the apple didn’t fall far from the tree.

And didn’t that make for a lovely realization?

Chapter Seven

August

Honestly, I should have found a way to fake a cold. A broken leg. Maybe I could actually break my leg. Yes, all of that sounded a lot more reasonable than going on vacation with my two brothers and sister, two nieces, all the spouses, and my ex-wife.

Yes, I couldn’t forget the fact that I was about to go on vacation with my ex-wife.

There had to be some form of medal for acting like a dumbass.

I knew there was probably a way to get out of this. However, disappointing my nieces wasn’t going to be an option.

“Uncle August,” Keelie whispered, and I leaned forward, grateful that she could now enunciate August. I had been Uncle Agag for way too long. Hayleigh was right behind her with her words, and I was so damn grateful to be an uncle. “Can you sit by me?” she asked, her voice soft, her eyes wide.

I reached out and tugged on her tiny pigtail.

“I’m in the other car, with all of the things.”

Seriously, every single thing we could possibly need for the house. Since I was driving up alone, they had filled my car to the brim with every single food item, game, or anything else that we could possibly use. We had booked a few rooms in a resort up outside of Vail, and though we weren’t going to be skiing, we were going to be enjoying ourselves just as a family. But that meant entertaining each other, and two kids. “So you’re not going to be with me?” she asked, her little eyes filling with tears.

It was like a kick to the gut to see my little niece hurting. But I also knew she was probably playing me. Maybe not on purpose, but she and her cousin both knew that if they asked me for anything, I would move heaven and earth to give it to them. It was just going to be a little more difficult for the next couple of hours while we drove up the mountain.

“I am going to hang out with you for the entire next week. You’ve got me. But you’re going to be driving with your mom and dad up into the mountains.”

“And I’m okay at driving right, baby girl?” Luca asked as he came forward, resting his chin on my shoulder. I knew he was making odd faces for his daughter, and I did my best to look stern, as Keelie giggled.

“Excuse me, I was having a conversation with my niece. Get out of the way, Daddy.”

“I love you, Daddy. And Uncle August.”

And right then and there, my heart just burst.

These kids were seriously too cute for their own good. I might not ever get a chance to be a dad, but I was a damn good Uncle August.

“Hey, August, you have a minute?” Heath asked, and I leaned forward to kiss Keelie on the cheek, before leaving her alone with Luca. We were at Heath’s house, all of us packing up the cars for the fifteenth time. Devney and Paisley had the spreadsheet, and I was fine with them going through it all. Honestly, it just made sense for them to be the ones organizing this, because I was pretty sure if we were going into battle, I would want all three women, as well as my sister Greer, handling the organization behind it all.

“So Greer is already up at the resort with Noah and Ford,” he said, speaking of Greer’s husbands.

“I know. They got there last night to make sure it was all set up.”

“Well, they’re set up there, but it looks like parking’s going to be an issue.”

I frowned. “It’s a resort. How’s parking an issue?”

“Because it’s set up on the mountains, and the reservation apparently had smaller print when it comes to how many cars we’re allowed to bring as one reservation.”

I scowled. “Can’t we just pay for an extra car?” I asked.

Paisley cleared her throat as she came forward. “You would think so. But no. I have already laid into them because it clearly wasn’t on any of the forms we signed but is on their website ten pages deep. So they might’ve covered their ass there legally. If you want, I can raise a big stink again, but I don’t think we’re going to be allowed to have the extra car.”

I pinched the bridge of my nose. “So what does that mean exactly?” I growled.

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