Page 30 of Second Chance Husband

“I assume you’re talking about my divorce.”

The girls gave each other a look, and I set my drink down. “I meant with Jacob.” I pinched the bridge of my nose. “I’m not even thirty years old, and now I’ve been divorced twice. This isn’t exactly where I thought I’d be in my life. I suppose there is no going back to the decisions that I have foisted upon myself.”

“Yes. With Jacob.” I heard the emphasis on his name and chose to ignore it. “You’re away from it all now. Can we do anything for you?” Devney asked, so soft, so caring. She could also stand up for anybody in her life, and I was so grateful for her. Sometimes I felt like I took too much from my friends. I tried to give back, I tried to be a good friend, but I wasn’t sure it was enough sometimes.

The effort was on me I knew, but I was trying.

So trying.

“He cheated. He cheated on me, and I walked away. I didn’t scream or shout, I just picked up my bag and told him that my lawyer would be contacting his.” I downed the rest of my drink, then calmly poured another one since the bottle was right next to me. It was nice they made it so easy like that.

The girls gave me a worried look, and I shook my head.

“I’m not even sad about it.” I paused, trying to make sure that that was truly the case and sadly it was. “I’m not sad that I lost him. I realized that as I signed my name on all those papers dissolving our marriage, I didn’t love him. I thought I had. I thought I had feelings for him, and I was ready to look into the future and enjoy being someone’s wife, but I was wrong.” I gulped half of my wine back, then set glass down. “How crazy is that? I thought I could be married. And we all know that that’s not the case.”

“We don’t know anything of the sort. Jacob’s an asshole, and he’s lucky that he’s so far away or I would geld him.”

I looked over at Addison. “You wouldn’t geld him. He would sue. He has good lawyers. Not as talented as my lawyers, but good lawyers.”

“We could just use your good lawyers to get her out of that,” Devney said, but I heard the worry in her tone.

“We don’t need to geld him. He’s out of my life.” I winced. “Except for the fact I’m sure that his engagement to his mistress will be in the news soon, and then I’ll have to deal with that as well.”

“Oh, Paisley.”

I shook my head. “I’m fine. Really. And I know that every time I say I’m fine you imagine this black cat with wide eyes and hair all in a hundred different ways, but I swear I’m fine. I am just annoyed with myself for falling for it.”

“Well, I’m annoyed for you for not leaning on us or telling us you were getting a damn divorce,” Addison snapped.

I stiffened but knew that this was my issue. I was the one who had gotten myself into this situation and I would deal with the consequences.

“I was handling the press, paperwork, and situation.”

Devney bit her lip before she spoke. “Alone. You don’t have to be that way. We have each other. Yes, we work together, but we’re best friends. We should lean on one another in times of strife, happiness, joy, and so much more. You are there for us—no matter what else you have going on in your world. We’re here for you too, Paisley.”

“I could handle it on my own,” I lied, but I could feel the insecurity in my own voice.

“Just because you can doesn’t mean you should. I didn’t realize you were so unhappy. How selfish were we that we were in our own little lives we didn’t realize that you were unhappy.” Devney set down her drink and frowned, and I quickly stood up to go to her. When I knelt beside her, Addison came over and sat down and lounged next to Devney, but not to block me out, more so it was at the three of us. Like it should have been this whole time.

“I didn’t want to be a failure. I didn’t want to be the twice divorced woman in her late twenties, not even thirty or forty wondering why she can’t make it work. I just wanted to throw it under the rug and watch you guys thrive. There’s been so much going on in your lives and I’ve loved being a part of it. I just didn’t want you to have to deal with mine.”

“You’re allowed to be less than perfect. And if anything, it seems like he was the imperfect one,” Devney said.

“Far from perfect for either one of us.”

“We’re allowed to take the good and the bad. You’ve helped us through so much. Hell, you saved me after I thought everything was ruined with my last job.”

“Your last job didn’t appreciate you. I do.” I waved that off like it didn’t matter, but when she pinched my side, I frowned.

“Hey, what was that for?”

“Stop making your strides trivial. You saved me.”

“Me too. You helped me figure out exactly who I needed to be. And both of us can be moms and wives and women and business-oriented people. We’re able to do it all, and yet still have a vacation together because you found a way to make it happen. And I’m sorry that Jacob’s an asshole, but he was never good enough for you.”

“He wasn’t. I thought he was. I thought he was nice.”

“He was. At least he seemed it. And I’m sorry we didn’t see beneath that surface,” Addison said as she squeezed my hand.

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