Second Time Around

by Darrin Lowery

  “Fiancée? Vaughn, man, she’s not going to marry you.”

  “Yeah, well, she already said that she would. In fact, I plan on marrying her shortly after the wheels on the plane touch down.”

  “I don’t believe you.”

  “Believe it.”

  “She’s going to marry me.”

  “Maybe you should be sitting around waiting for FedEx. Your ring should have come back to you by now.”

  “It did. That changes nothing.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong. It changes everything.”

  Darren’s heart was racing and he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He couldn’t believe that Korie told Vaughn everything. Just then, as he was heading back south on the expressway he heard another man in the background on the phone.

  “Wheels up in twenty minutes, Mr. Harris.”

  Wheels up? They’re at the airport.

  Darren sped to O’Hare Airport. He opened up the engine on his 100,000 dollar car and raced to the largest airport in Chicago.

  “Vaughn, please, let me talk to her! You all are making a mistake.”

  “You’re the one making the mistake. I can’t believe you! I can’t believe how you betrayed my trust. I can’t believe how much business I threw your way! Nigga, I made you!”

  “You helped me, but you never made me. I would have been a success one way or the other. Vaughn, I know that you love her and man, I can respect that, but she’s not meant for you. In my heart I know.”

  Vaughn hung up. With the disconnection he was slowly beginning to lose hope.

  It was as if Vaughn disconnecting him was his way of disconnecting her from him as well.

  Darren weaved in and out of traffic. He raced to the airport and risked getting arrested by driving onto a private, restricted road. He had his car going smoothly at 100 MPH. He headed to the airplane hangar with Vaughn’s company logo on the side. He got to the airport in thirteen minutes.

  Thank God for his luxury sports car, although in truth it was Vaughn’s money that paid for it. He pulled into the hangar and his car came to a screeching halt as it blocked the private jet that was just about to start taxiing out to the runway. The plane put its brakes on, almost hitting Darren’s car, which was still running. Darren stood there defiantly. He wanted his woman back. He made up his mind that he would get his woman back. He didn’t mind a storybook ending. He didn’t mind admitting that he fucked up. He just wanted the plane to stop and for her to open the airplane door and come back to him. All would be forgiven. He didn’t care that she accepted another man’s proposal. He didn’t care that she gave him his ring back. All he wanted was for her to come back to him.

  Minutes later, the door to the plane opened. Rather than Korie stepping out, Vaughn stepped out at the top of the plane stairs and looked at Darren, furious. He had a look of fire in his eyes. The old lion was ready to once again bare his teeth. The airplane cued down its engine. It was clear that one way or the other, they would be delayed.

  “You have some fucking nerve coming here,” Vaughn said.

  “Yeah, well, like I was trying to say, I’m sorry. I love her. Vaughn, I can’t let you take her.”

  “Can’t let me? Nigga, no one tells me what to do! Ever! No one stops me, ever! Now I admire your taste. Hell, I even admire the fact that you have the balls to come here, but I’m only going to tell you this once. Take your low-budget bargain-basement ass back to the hood or the middle-income suburb that you came from! Get the fuck off of my property!”

  Just then, a gentle, manicured hand patted Vaughn’s shoulder from behind. It was a hand that was delicate and strong all at once. It was a hand that was reassuring.

  Korie surfaced. She whispered in his ear. Darren couldn’t hear her from the distance between them. His heart skipped a beat as he saw her. Once again his spirit was filled with hope. She spoke to Vaughn, making an attempt to calm him down. Darren couldn’t hear what she was saying, but clearly she was calming down Vaughn, who looked as if any minute now he would have a heart attack. That’s how angry he looked. It did take balls to come here. It did take heart to tell another man that you desired and came for his woman, but Darren was not backing away. He would have to be killed or taken away in cuffs if they wanted him to go. Korie knew Darren. She had to know that he had no plans on letting her walk out of his life again.

  He believed that she must have finally realized her mistake and was coming to her senses. He opened the passenger door to his car so she could get in. He then leaned on the front of his car with a look of confidence, arrogance. He waited for Korie to return to him. He was sorry for the ordeal that he was putting Vaughn through. He liked the older man. He admired him. But on this matter there could be no compromise. Darren came back for his lady.

  Vaughn listened to Korie. She was able to calm him down and although he occasionally looked in Darren’s direction, he listened to her. They hugged and somehow she convinced him to go inside the plane. Before going, he pointed at his watch as he went inside. He tapped it three times before going in. He was insistent. Darren still couldn’t hear what was being said, but it was clear that Vaughn was telling her that they had a schedule to keep.

  Darren thought, she’s not going with you. Just get your ass on the plane and leave. He said a slight prayer to God. Thank you for sending her back to me.

  Korie went to Darren.

  Vaughn went inside the plane.

  Korie had on a form-fitting satin dress that hugged her body and accentuated her ass. Her high heels matched her dress and she wore sheer black stockings. In her ears were two diamonds and on her hand was the ring that Vaughn gave her. It was a ring that put the rock Darren gave her to shame. Her makeup was flawless. Her hair was down and she looked so good that she could take a man’s breath away. As she walked in his direction he thought about how lucky he was to have her back in his life. He thought about how breathtaking she looked. He gave her a look that said he would never let her go again. It was a look that said he fucked up, but for the rest of their lives he would try and make it right again.

  He expected Korie to jump right in and for them to drive together in any direction. He stood by the passenger door, confidently, arrogantly. That is, until he saw the look in her eyes. It was a look that shook him to his core. It was a look that said I can’t go with you.

  He had a look of confusion.

  The engines of the plane started up again.

  The sounds of police sirens were in the backfield.

  Korie walked over to him.

  She hugged him.

  She slowly kissed him on the cheek.

  He took in her Issey Miyake perfume.

  She took in his Chrome cologne.

  He hugged her tightly, in a manner that said he would never let her go; like a child being pulled from his parent or like siblings being separated in foster care. He held onto her and hugged her for dear life, for love.

  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

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  Second Time Around Copyright © 2011 Darrin Lowery

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  ISBN: 978-1-5998-3187-9

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