met. Admittedly, it had been a while. Eight months? Not since Sam. Since before she’d found out the fucker was screwing her sister.
But the alcohol was helping. Liquid courage and all that. Normally, she wouldn’t be quite this forward. Hell, if Donovan actually knew that she’d only been with one man in her entire life, which was unfortunately Sam—and wasn’t that fucking sad—he’d probably hightail it out of the baby shower without looking back.
He wasn’t going to find out, though. Not from her anyway. And since all these people had already labeled her a cheating, conniving whore—that’s just what she’d heard from her own family—Kora didn’t really give a fuck.
I definitely liked Kora. I liked her take-charge attitude. And sure, she was doing some of this to get back at Sam, but I knew in the end, she would fall for Donovan. It was inevitable. Every woman deserved a man who would put her first. Always.
Setting her glass on an empty table, she made her way out of the banquet room, down the narrow hall that led to the restrooms. Once inside, she took a moment to scrutinize herself in the mirror.
What did women see when they looked in the mirror? Most of the women I knew liked to complain about every little detail, even if they looked perfect. But women were like that, right? Always zeroing in on the imperfections, even if they were so minimal only they saw them?
I put the pen to the paper once again.
Yep, she looked a little intoxicated. Her gray eyes were wide and glassy, her blonde hair a little on the stringy side, although she’d spent half an hour straightening it that morning. Her skin was a little pale, her bottom lip a little puffy, probably because she’d been biting it. She did that when she was nervous.
The door opened, and Kora sucked in a breath, expecting to come face-to-face with the sexy man who was supposed to rock her world. Unfortunately, Donovan wasn’t the one to step inside. No, this was … Trina.
Hmm. I definitely needed these two to have a confrontation. But I kept in mind that Kora’s sister was pregnant and that Kora was trying to be the bigger person here. She no longer wanted Sam; that was a given. But the fact that her sister had slept with him would still weigh heavily on her mind, right?
Trying not to look angry, Kora met her sister’s blue gaze.
“Oh, hey,” Trina said, acting as though she was surprised to see her.
“Hey,” Kora replied mumbled beneath her breath, turning her attention back to the mirror.
“I’m glad you could make it,” Trina told her.
“Mom told me I had to be here,” she said honestly. If she hadn’t, Kora knew for a fact that she wouldn’t have come. Trina glared at her and Kora turned to face her head on. “What?”
“You know, it wouldn’t kill you to be happy for me and Sam.”
“Happy?” Kora snorted. “You’re pregnant with my boyfriend’s baby.”
“Ex. He’s not yours anymore, Kora.” Trina’s voice grew shrill. “He’s mine.”
Damn. Even though I was writing this story, I wasn’t sure how the fuck Kora was supposed to be civil to this bitch. Seriously.
“Oh, how could I forget?” Kora was desperately trying to keep her voice down, but it wasn’t easy. This was the same conversation they’d had for months, ever since Trina and Sam had confronted her, letting her know that they would be spending the rest of their lives together.
Trina hadn’t looked at all ashamed of what she’d done. Not then and certainly not now.
“I’m happy for you,” Kora lied. “He’s all yours, and he’s exactly what you deserve.”
Trina’s mouth dropped open and Kora could see the wheels spinning. She was trying to come up with something to say, some way to put Kora in her place, but fortunately, the door opened again.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t Donovan this time, either. No, it was a woman. Smiling sweetly, Kora watched as the lady disappeared into one of the stalls. She turned back to the mirror and ignored her sister. A minute passed while the woman took care of business, then returned to wash her hands, all while Kora pretended to fuss with her hair.
Only when the woman left did Kora release the breath she’d been holding.
“I really wish you could just let it go, Kora,” Trina said when they were alone. “Sam and I are happy, and in a few weeks, we’re bringing a child into this world. Together.”
I knew it was time