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Authors: Darrin Lowery

BOOK: Second Time Around
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Tears streamed from his eyes. He held her as if he could never let go. He held her like he would never see her again.
She hugged him back tightly.
Tears were streaming from her eyes as well.
Only . . . she let go.
“I'm sorry” was the only thing he heard her say.
“It's not over,” he responded. “It's not over.”
“I'm getting married in seven days,” he heard her say.
“You're supposed to marry me. I love you. I love you. I love you.”
Over and over he said I love you.
Even when the cuffs were placed on his wrists.
Even as she walked away.
Even when Vaughn took her hand and led her back into the plane.
Even when the plane began to taxi away.
Even when he was placed in the back of the squad car.
Korie watched from the plane window as they took her first love away. She cried although Vaughn was sitting right across from her.
“Are you okay?” Vaughn asked.
“I'm okay,” she said.
“This is the right thing. I love you.”
“I know,” Korie said.
“I know this was hard for you. But if you give me a chance, I will never hurt you, and I'll never let you down. From this point on, no secrets. We can't start a marriage with secrets.”
“I agree. I confessed everything to you about Darren after you proposed to me. Do you have anything that you want to confess besides what happened in Germany?”
“No. That was it. That was the last time. I'm done. I'm ready to spend the rest of my life with you. That was our agreement.”
“And if you break that agreement?”
“That's where the prenup comes in.”
“I thought you didn't want a prenup.”
“I didn't. But it seems like the smartest way to keep everyone honest.”
“And I can hold you to the terms?”
“Of course, I'm a man of my word. If I cheat, you get fifty million dollars. If you cheat, you get nothing. If in five years you decide that you no longer want to be with me, then our divorce settlement will be ten million dollars, not a penny more. It's a win-win situation. All I'm asking for is the same chance that you gave him. I still have a hard time believing that shortly after accepting my proposal, you rejected it.”
“It was all a lot to take in. I admit that I have fallen in love with you, but I never stopped loving him. I'm conflicted.”
“I understand. For a long time I was conflicted too, especially regarding getting married after the death of my wife.”
“And now?”
“And now, like I said, I'm no longer conflicted. I'm committed.”
“Everything is happening so fast. Everything seems so . . . chaotic.”
“I know, I know. But we have a nine-hour flight ahead of us and the rest of our lives to make sense of it all.”
Korie and Vaughn sat in silence for awhile as the company jet headed toward Hawaii. As the squad car took Darren away, he watched the plane just as it began to take off.
Chapter Forty-two
Hours later Darren made bail. When he got home Karen was there in front waiting for him. He looked at her as he had never seen her before. He looked at her as his girlfriend.
She had no idea what happened earlier that day. But clearly she could see that her man was hurting about something. She never questioned him about it. She simply took his hand, guided him inside, and gave him a massage to try and rub the pain away. When that didn't work they made love and she tried to sex his pain away. She was a good woman. She was a good woman who Gucci made the mistake of letting go. It was a mistake that he too had made and was still hurting from.
Darren thought that he would give Karen 100 percent of him. He decided to be her man and perhaps one day her husband. In the meanwhile he also decided that he would be a father figure to Jacob. It was wrong. It was especially wrong considering he knew the pain and anguish that Gucci was going through after losing her. Gucci deserved her. Darren didn't. He had never been fair to her. To tell the truth, he used her. He needed to send her back to Gucci. He needed to tell her that she really needed to be with her baby's father. He wanted to tell her these things, but he couldn't bring himself to be alone.
Hours after he and Karen fell asleep, his doorbell rang. He sprang from bed in hopes that perhaps it was Korie. Even now, he still thought of her. His body was with Karen, but his heart still belonged to Korie Dillon. He walked quickly to the door and on the other side was Stephanie.
“We need to talk,” she said.
“About what?” he asked.
“About us.” Stephanie walked in. She looked as if she had been crying all night.
“Who's at the door?” Karen asked as she surfaced from the bedroom in just Darren's pajama top.
Chapter Forty-three
Korie and Vaughn arrived nine hours later in Hawaii. It was still afternoon there with the time change. They were both exhausted as they stepped off the plane. Brandon and Jayna were at the airport waiting for them and Korie told Vaughn that she would meet him in the hotel room. She and Jayna went to the lobby and Korie filled Jayna in on everything that happened.
“So, Darren caused a scene like that at the airport?” Jayna asked.
“He did. He still loves me, and I think I still love him.”
“Then why are you here?”
Korie was thrown off by Jayna's response, considering how much she despised Darren.
“I'm here because I owe Vaughn a chance. And, he made me an offer I couldn't refuse.”
Korie outlined the agreement that she and Vaughn came to.
“So this is about money?” Jayna was really confused.
“No, it's not about money. It's about risk. I was thinking about everything that you said. I was thinking about what would happen if I did roll the dice again on love. I was also thinking about what would happen if Darren and I weren't meant to be together and what would happen if he did in fact leave me again. I don't think that he would, but I didn't expect him to leave the first time. If I gave him a chance and things didn't work out, I would kick myself in the behind for all that I would have lost. I love Vaughn. I don't know when it happened, but I love him. I know this sounds weird coming from me, but I think—hell, I know—that I love both men. Darren had his chance. It's time that I let the next man have a shot at loving me. I'm finally at a place in my life where I feel that I deserve the best that life has to offer. Vaughn is offering the very best and I need to see where this journey ends. He and I may only be married for five years, or it may be forever. In either case, for the first time in a long time, I won't be on the losing end of love.”
“That makes sense. Korie, I'm happy for you.”
The two women hugged.
“So where is this church where you want to have this double wedding?”
“It's not too far from here. Do you want to see it?”
“Sure.”
Rather than go to her room, Korie and Jayna took a taxi to the church. Korie called Vaughn and told him that they were going to see the church and Vaughn and Brandon stated they would meet them there later. Clearly, Vaughn and Brandon had catching up to do as well. When Korie got out of the car she covered her mouth in fear as she walked into the foyer. Tears welled up in her eyes as she had a moment of déjà vu.
Jayna saw the fear in Korie's eyes and became concerned.
“Korie, what's wrong?”
“This church . . . this is the church in my dream.”
“What dream?”
Korie sat in the nearest bench and told Jayna about the dream she had weeks before Darren came back into her life. Mysteriously, she knew every inch of the church and could tell Jayna what was behind every door before they opened them.
Jayna was spooked as well.
“Korie, I'm sure it's just a coincidence.” Jayna tried to sound confident, but she wasn't.
“It's no coincidence, Jay. I think Darren's coming. He's coming to stop this wedding.”
“Korie it was just a dream.”
“We'll see.”
Urban Books, LLC
78 East Industry Court
Deer Park, NY 11729
 
 
Second Time Around Copyright © 2011 Darrin Lowery
 
 
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without prior consent of the Publisher, except brief quotes used in reviews.
ISBN: 978-1-5998-3187-9
 
 
 
 
 
 
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