Page 6 of Second Chance Husband

“Are you okay, miss? Let’s get you some water. August? Can you keep hold of her? I’ll go get her something to drink.”

“You’re really nice,” Paisley said, her voice only slightly high-pitched. She wasn’t even slurring. And if you didn’t know her, you wouldn’t realize that her words were coming out a little too quickly, a little too energetically.

Paisley Cassidy Renee was drunk off her ass.

I looked over her head, scanning the crowds to see if anyone was coming for her, but other than the few people who had given her a look of either concern or a roll of an eye that she had tripped and nearly fallen, nobody was even paying attention to our little tableau.

“Did you fucking come here alone?” I barked, and Paisley just lifted that chin of hers, a gesture I used to find sexy as hell, but now just saw the disdain and brokenness in it.

“I’m an adult, August.”

Dakota looked between us, confused. “You two know each other?”

“She’s a friend of my family’s,” I answered, not quite a lie.

Paisley just snorted, as Dakota smiled wanly. “I’m going to go get that water now.”

I held back my sigh, aggravated over circumstances I couldn’t change. “We have a couple bottles in the car. Let’s just get her home.”

Dakota stared at me for a moment, before nodding. “You’re right. That would probably be smarter. And honestly, the line is getting long. You have your purse?” she asked the woman in my arms. Dakota was so freaking nice—which helped in her job and why we’d gotten along so well, but I knew she’d have questions for me about this little encounter I didn’t want to answer.

Paisley nodded, before looking as if she regretted the action. “I do. Thank you. That is kind of you.”

My date smiled wanly. “No problem at all. Come on, let’s get you home.”

“No, I was just going to call a car. You guys can enjoy your date. I shouldn’t be out any longer.”

My arms tightened around Paisley, before forcing myself to relax marginally. She was still swaying, so I didn’t let her go completely, and thankfully Dakota didn’t look as if she minded.

Oh, this was a great date with my current girlfriend. One where I was literally holding my ex-wife up before she fell on her face because she’d had too much to drink.

Where the hell was her husband?

I gritted my teeth at that thought, hating the fact that she even had a husband. Though I didn’t know why it should bother me.

Paisley and I were exes for a reason. A reason I didn’t want to think about.

“I’m okay. I’m just going to call someone.”

“Let us help. We don’t mind.” Dakota smiled, before reaching to take Paisley’s hand. “Think you can walk?”

“Yes. Sorry. I was doing fine, until I sort of spun a little too quickly. The ceiling isn’t spinning anymore.”

I reluctantly let go of Paisley as she held my girlfriend’s hand, and the two of them walked toward the door.

“You’re really pretty though. And nice.”

Paisley was drunk. It wasn’t that she wasn’t complimentary. In fact, she was genuinely a nice person. She just wasn’t so gushing usually, so outspoken socially like this. I didn’t think I had ever seen Paisley this drunk, at least not since we had both been eighteen, and in college, drinking Smirnoff Ices behind the club.

That was a memory nobody needed to have on hand.

“You’re very pretty as well. And I think you’re nice too. Come on, August’s SUV is over here.”

“So you got rid of the truck?” Paisley asked, as Dakota gave me a look.

I sighed and followed the two women through the parking lot.

“A few months ago. It had over a hundred thousand miles on it and was getting too expensive to keep up. So this is my new pride and joy. An SUV. Look at me, an adult.”

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