Dangerous Love: You Are My One and Only Bride novel Chapter 1594

Mark wanted nothing more than a partner to drink his woes away. Even when he was drunk, he was tightlipped and aired nothing about his real birth circumstances.

If he could not even bring himself to tell Jackson, his best friend, then how could he ever tell Arianne?

Jackson had to lumber a very wasted, clambering Mark out of the bar while the nipping gale slapped his entire body. “The hell, Mark Tremont? Anyone seeing your sorry a** right now would suspect you’re at the verge of divorce, man!” he grumbled. “Who would drink like a man possessed if there’s nothing eating them inside? Or did you just lure me outta my house just to make me as miserable as you? I mean, it’s the best goddamned explanation I have now, man, since you ain’t saying anything other than forcing me to get as wasted as you are.”

No sooner had he finished his commentary than he espied Arianne standing next to Mark’s car. By the looks of it, she must have been waiting for a while, too. Her hair was a disheveled mess from being blown by the wind.

Arianne approached them and helped Mark up. “Did he tell you anything, Jackson?”

“Nada. Not a word,” the man admitted. “He made me sit there and watch him get seriously sh*tfaced. Seriously, what the hell happened between the two of you? He hasn’t invited me to drink in the middle of the night for ages. And while we’re on topic, how did you know we were here? He didn’t call you throughout the session.”

Arianne waved her phone. “Tiffie called. She said she overheard your conversation with Mark and guessed you guys were going for a drink again. She wanted me to catch you in the act.”

Jackson suddenly felt chills climbing his spine. He thought the woman was already too deeply asleep to be alert. “Look, ma’am, we were just drinking, man. We didn’t do anything else! Mark was obviously feeling down in the dumps, which you can tell, natch. Me? I’m only his chaperone; it ain’t got nothing to do with me. So… could you kindly put a good word for me to Tiffie so she doesn’t, ya know, chew my ears off? I don’t think I can survive otherwise…”

Arianne smiled. “It’s fine. Tiffie knows you’re clean—she wouldn’t have let you out otherwise. Sorry for the troubles, Jackson. Would you like me to ask for a valet? You can’t drive in this state either.”

He waved dismissively. “Naaaah. I’ll be fine. I can handle myself. You and Mark gotta get home as soon as you can, though. It’s freezing out here. You shouldn’t stay outside for too long.”

By the time he finished washing up, Arianne was still asleep. Mark wondered if he had exhausted Arianne completely last night.

He watched her curled into a fetal position with her cheeks slightly pink. She was adorable.

He drank in the details of her long, thick eyelashes fluttering every now and then. She was just beyond adorable.

Had she never grown up under his care, would Arianne have retained a sense of childlike wonder and a rosy-colored outlook in life? The Tremonts owed her so much. Mark thought he could never clear that debt even if he exhausted all that he had to their limits.

She might have sensed someone watching her, because Arianne groggily opened her eyes. Seeing Mark sitting by the bedside, she turned to face him and slurred, “Up already? Good, take a shower. You reek of booze…”