Best She Ever Had (9781617733963) (29 page)

She winced. “I figured you'd say that. Look, either way, Korey, I wanted to apologize to you. I know you will probably never forgive me—”

“Because I won't,” he answered bluntly.

“Look, you don't have to like me, but we have a daughter together. We're . . . we're co-parents now, and it would be . . . it would be good if we were on speaking terms, at least, for Clarissa's sake.”

Who was this woman standing in front of him, making valid, mature arguments? Who was this woman who was apologizing and taking responsibility for her actions like a grown-up? Was it a trick, more subterfuge on Cynthia's part?

“Can we at least be on speaking terms?” she asked.

He nodded. “I guess I can do that.” A polite hello every now and then wouldn't kill him. He glanced at his car in the distance. “Is that it? Is that why you followed me out here, to ask if we could be on speaking terms?”

“No.” She hesitated again. “I also wanted to ask for your forgiveness, but I figured it was pointless to ask.”

He gave a cynical smile. “It is.”

“Korey, everything that I said in there, I meant. And I wasn't just talking about Steph; I was talking about me too. I
have
changed. I have!”

“Cindy . . .”

“I've changed for the better—”

“Cindy . . .”

“—and I owe that to you! I don't—”

“Stop!” he said, grabbing her shoulders. He shook her, making her blink in surprise. “Stop! I don't want to hear this!”

“But I don't know what else to do! I can't make—”

“Let it go! You can let it go and move on! That's what you can do. That's what
I'm
going to do.”

She stared at him blankly.

“It's over. Okay? This has dragged on for almost twenty damn years, and I'm not doing it anymore.”

“But what about what happened between us? Everything that we've been through? What about—”

“What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, right?” he answered weakly. “Let it stay there.”

“What?”
Her eyes filled with tears. “There's no way I could . . . There is no damn way it's that simple, Korey!”

“It can be if we let it be.” He dropped his hands from her shoulders and took a painful swallow, dislodging the lump that had formed in his throat. Despite his best efforts, his emotions were overwhelming him. He had tried to put up a wall, but he wasn't succeeding.

“We're Clarissa's parents. We're on speaking terms—but that's it,” he said. “That's all we are. All right?”

She looked shell-shocked, and frankly, he was a little startled himself by the words that were coming out of his mouth. Cynthia would always be more than a fellow “co-parent” to him. He knew that in his heart. But he couldn't cave on this one. She had put him through too much.

She took a deep breath. “All right,” she whispered.

But she didn't seem all right. She looked so hurt and downtrodden that it crushed him.

“At least we're better off now than the last time we did this,” he ventured, trying to make them both feel better. “At least there's that.”

She gave a sad smile. “You mean you aren't driving off angry, leaving me on the side of the road?”

“Hold up! I didn't leave you on the side of the road. I left you at your driveway.”

She shrugged. “It was all the same to me.”

“The details are important, though.”

“They are . . . like the fact that I never appreciated you and realized what we had,” she said forlornly.

Korey pursed his lips. He wasn't getting sucked into that whirlpool of emotion again. He'd never get out of it. He started to turn to walk back toward his car but paused. “Look, I've gotta go. Maybe I'll see you next week.”

She frowned. “Next week?”

“Yeah, I'm supposed to meet Clarissa for lunch.”

“
Lunch?
Oh, I-I can make something for you guys,” Cynthia volunteered eagerly, wiping her eyes with the back of her hands. “Sandwiches or . . . or something nicer than that. Just let me know when you want to stop by. Just . . . just let me know. I'll . . . I'll . . .” Her words tapered off.

“I will.” He waved. “See you around. Give your sister my congratulations.”

“See . . . see you around,” she whispered.

It took a great deal of effort, but he turned and walked away, putting one foot in front of the other, forcing himself not to look back.

“W
hat are you doing in there?” Lauren asked as she frantically knocked on the bathroom door.

Dawn rushed into the bridal suite, lifting the hem of her pale-gray silk bridesmaid gown. “She's
still
in bathroom? The ceremony was supposed to start thirty minutes ago!”

Lauren rolled her eyes. “I know that! I can read the clock on the wall. I've been trying to get her out of the bathroom forever!”

“Is she sick . . . I mean, nauseous or something?”

“I don't know! I have no idea what's wrong! She isn't answering me!”

“Damn it, we don't have time for this!” Dawn lamented. She tossed her bouquet of peonies and lilies of the valley onto the nearby king-size bed and stomped in her high heels over the plush carpet to the bathroom door. She stood beside her little sister and also started knocking. They banged their fists simultaneously, making it impossible to ignore them.

“I know you hear us!” Dawn shouted. “Answer the damn door!”

“What?”
a voice inside the bathroom finally snapped.

“It's Dawn! Open up!”

“Give me a few minutes! I'm . . . I'm getting myself together.”

“Honey, we don't have a few minutes,” Lauren said. “You're already late. We have to put on your dress and get you downstairs
now!
Everyone's waiting!”

“Mama's starting to get antsy, and you know how she gets!” Dawn said.

Both sisters pressed their ears against the door, waiting for a reply, but heard nothing.

“Are you coming out?” Dawn asked.

They waited again. Still nothing. Dawn and Lauren turned to each other and slumped against the door in defeat.

The vows hadn't even been exchanged yet, and it looked like today's spring nuptials were off to an inauspicious start. The outdoor wedding had to be moved inside because of rain, though the forecast had predicted perfect blue skies. The buttercream icing on the tiered wedding cake was melting faster than the makeup on half of the attendees' faces in the humidity and heat. And the minister was now squawking that he had another wedding later that afternoon and he would have to leave if the ceremony didn't start in the next hour.

Considering how long the bride had waited to finally get her man, none of the sisters could understand her sudden cold feet.

“Cindy,
please
come out!” Lauren pleaded.

“What the hell is going on?” Stephanie yelled as she strode into the room, dragging the flower girl, Zoe, behind her. Flower petals trailed behind them down the hall and onto the bridal suite carpet. A wreath of rosebuds fell into the toddler's eyes. “The string quartet has played the same four songs five times now. There's only but so much stalling we can do down there!”

“Cindy won't come out of the bathroom,” Dawn explained, pointing to the door.

“What?” Stephanie crossed her arms over her chest. “Enough of this! I'm going to take care of her.”

Lauren and Dawn's eyes widened.

“Come over here and stand next to your auntie, sweetheart,” Lauren said, taking Zoe's little hand and steering her to her side as Stephanie stalked across the room.

“Better cover those little ears,” Dawn warned out of the side of her mouth.

“Cynthia Nicole Gibbons, if you don't get your yellow ass out of that bathroom right now,” Stephanie said through clenched teeth, “put on the gown you've got hanging up out here, and come downstairs, I'm going to tell Korey not to bother with your loopy ass anymore! He should just save himself the time and frustration. You obviously don't want to marry him!”

The three sisters breathed in audibly when they finally heard the door unlock. It swung open, revealing Cynthia, who stood in the doorway in her underwear and champagne-colored satin heels.

“You better not say a damn thing to him or it's me and you, Steph!” she threatened, pointing her finger into Stephanie's face.

“What difference does it make? If you're so eager to marry him, then why the hell are you barricaded in the damn bathroom?” Stephanie shouted, shoving Cynthia's hand away.

Cynthia winced. “Because . . . because what if . . . what if Korey doesn't want to marry me?”

“What?”
the sisters all cried in unison.

Stephanie groaned. “Seriously, we don't have time for this, Cindy!”

“What do you mean what if he doesn't want to marry you?” Dawn asked in exasperation. “The man has been downstairs for the past half an hour staring at his watch, wondering why you're taking so long!”

“But what if he doesn't want to
stay
married?” Cynthia walked across the room and sat down on the bed. She dropped her head into her hands. “What if he walks away again? I've messed up with him so many times. And you all know I'm not perfect!”

“That's for sure,” Stephanie muttered.

“What if I do it again? God, what if he leaves me again?” She closed her eyes and threw back her head. “I don't think I can take it a third time!”

Cynthia's sisters sat on the bed beside her. Stephanie tugged Zoe onto her lap while Dawn rubbed Cynthia's back soothingly.

It had taken almost a year to earn back Korey's love and even longer to earn his trust, but Cynthia had managed to do it. They had started off slow with their “strictly co-parenting” routine. Korey and Jared had come to Cynthia and Clarissa's house once every couple of weeks for dinner, and the four sat through what were initially strained conversations over meat loaf and mashed potatoes that eventually became fun nights filled with food and joking. One evening Clarissa and Jared accidentally forgot to mention that they couldn't make it to dinner (though Cynthia still wondered whether it was really an accident and if the kids were trying to set them up). Korey and Cynthia ended up eating alone. They had such a good time that night that they started to enjoy more and more dinners alone when neither of them had a date and the kids were busy. Then they started to take a few evening walks, much like they had when they were teenagers. During those strolls, Korey got to know the new and improved Cynthia Gibbons, and the coldness that had set into his heart gradually thawed. After a dinner and late-night movie on the couch last August, one thing led to another and Korey and Cynthia ended up spending the night together. A few months later, Korey popped the question—to Cynthia's great shock. Now it looked like that shock had morphed into paranoia that he was going to change his mind and dump her.

“Look, Cindy,” Lauren began, “there are no guarantees in any of this, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't take a chance, honey. You've wanted this man for . . . for basically . . .
forever,
right? Together you've been through three marriages and twenty years between you to get to this point. You keep being drawn back to one another.
Why?
Because you love each other! So—”

“So just put on the damn dress, grab your bouquet, and let's do this! Come on!” Stephanie said, scooting Zoe off her lap and rising to her feet. “We're late!”

Cynthia ignored her sister and continued to shake her head. “When he left me the first time, I became a cold, heartless bitch. When he left me the second time, I was devastated and didn't know how I would make it through it. What if—”

“Then don't mess up,” Dawn said firmly. “Finally be the girl you always wanted to be. Be the woman
he's
always wanted you to be! Leave that cold, heartless bitch behind for good.”

But it had been her armor for so long: Cynthia Gibbons—the Ice Queen, the cold-blooded seductress who stole your heart and emptied your wallet. Could she really leave that persona behind forever?

Cynthia gazed at her engagement ring. Korey hadn't given it to her on bended knee in front of a saxophone player like Bill had twenty years ago. Nor had he proudly slid the velvet box across the table at a high-end restaurant like her second husband, Richard. No, that wasn't Korey's style. Instead, Korey had done it in the car after pulling into the makeshift parking lot near a creek, near the old-timer's favorite fishing spot in Chesterton, where they had gone so many times when they were younger. When he killed the engine and turned to her, she wondered why he had driven her to the empty lot.

“Why are we here?” she had asked, scrunching up her face in confusion as she peered out the windshield. “I thought we were going to—”

“I brought you here to give you this,” he had said, cutting her off, holding out the ring to her. A lump had instantly formed in her throat. “I wanted to do this right here twenty years ago but . . . well, I didn't get to. I had planned it in my mind. Practiced what I was going to say.” He had grinned. “Of course, I can't remember any of the words now, but . . . better late than never, right?”

Her eyes had welled up with so many tears that everything went blurry.

“Cynthia Gibbons, will you fuss, fight, make love, and laugh through the next fifty years with me?”

She had been so overwhelmed with emotion that instead of immediately saying yes, she had sat in the passenger seat blubbering instead. All she could do was emphatically nod as he put the ring on her finger.

Ice queens definitely don't weep like that,
she now told herself.

Who was she kidding? She wasn't the same old girl anymore and never would be. She had Korey to thank (or blame) for that. And it was true. She wouldn't mind spending the next fifty years fussing, fighting, making love, and laughing with him. Hell, she'd like to spend a lot more!

“Okay,” Cynthia finally muttered, opening her eyes.

“Okay, what?” Lauren asked.

Cynthia rose to her feet. “Okay, help me get into my wedding gown.”

When her sisters started to clap their hands with joy and even started dancing, Cynthia rolled her eyes.

“Save the damn cheers for some other time. We're late,” she said, making them burst into laughter.

She was new and improved—but that didn't mean she had to stop being bitchy entirely.

 

Thirty minutes later, Cynthia officially and
finally
became Mrs. Korey Walker. When the bride and groom kissed, Lauren, Dawn, and Stephanie breathed a sigh of relief.

“Girl, I didn't know if she was going to make it,” Dawn whispered into Lauren's ear as the string quartet began “Pomp and Circumstance” while the happy couple walked back down the aisle.

Lauren nodded in agreement. “Me neither!”

By the time Cynthia and Korey made it to the reception, Cynthia's little bridal suite meltdown was all but forgotten. She and the groom gazed into each other's eyes during their first dance and couldn't keep their hands off each other for the rest of the night.

“All right now,” Stephanie said as she tapped Cynthia on the shoulder. “Come up for air, you two!”

The bride pulled her mouth away from the groom long enough for him to be dragged off by one of the groomsmen and a few of the mechanics from his garage.

“You better watch it or you'll be next in line for a baby,” Stephanie said as she gently patted baby Danica's back. The infant was slumbering on her shoulder while her older sister Zoe was being twirled on the dance floor by her father, Keith.

Cynthia emphatically shook her head. “Oh, no! This shop is closed! My daughter turned twenty last month, and I'm about to turn forty years old in a few weeks! There's no way in hell I'm getting pregnant again.”

Stephanie turned to Lauren.

“Uh-uh! Don't look at me!” Lauren exclaimed. “I'm not even thinking about having another baby anytime soon. Things are starting to pick up at the restaurant. Little Cris takes up enough of whatever energy I have left.” She then turned to Dawn. “So I guess the only one left is you.”

Cynthia snorted. “Dawn isn't going to have any baby! Right, girl? You're not crazy. Your shop is closed too.”

Dawn hesitated. “I don't . . . I don't think it's crazy, per se. I have room for a couple of last-minute sales before my ‘shop' goes out of business.”

“Last-minute sales?”
Cynthia frowned. “What does that mean?”

Lauren smiled. “It means Xavier finally won you over to the idea of having a baby?”

“I guess you could say that.”

“Wait!” Stephanie squinted at her. “You aren't pregnant now, are you?”

Dawn lowered her champagne glass from her lips. “What makes you think that?”

Stephanie grabbed Dawn's glass and sniffed. “Because you're drinking ginger ale,
not
champagne! You big faker! I
knew
it!”

“Maybe I wanted ginger ale!” Dawn argued.

“Oh, please, girl! I don't think I've ever seen you at a party without a glass of chardonnay in your hand,” Cynthia said.

Dawn winced. “You guys are making me sound like an alcoholic.”

“Not an alcoholic—just a really bad liar,” Lauren said. She then squinted at her sister, examining her more closely. “
Are
you pregnant, Dawn?”

“The rate of miscarriage for women my age is a lot higher,” she began, staring into her drink, evading their gazes. “My doc advises his higher-risk patients to hold off telling people at least until the second trimester but . . .” She suddenly looked up and grinned. “Yes, I'm pregnant!”

Lauren, Cynthia, and Stephanie all started screaming and jumping up and down, drawing a few stares.

“Please! Please keep it quiet for now,” Dawn begged. “It's hard enough making Xavier keep his mouth shut. He'd tell the world if he found out I told you guys.”