Total pages in book: 59
Estimated words: 56416 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 282(@200wpm)___ 226(@250wpm)___ 188(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 56416 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 282(@200wpm)___ 226(@250wpm)___ 188(@300wpm)
Hardly any time at all goes by, and Haven and Chrissy are walking out laughing together. “That was fast.”
“I told you it would only take five minutes.” She turns side to side. “Do I look okay? I brought three dresses, but Chrissy and I thought this one was the best for tonight.”
I take the bag off her shoulder and put it over mine, and then I take her hand, bringing it up to my lips. I want to kiss her, but right now, this is the best I can do. I’m not sure how she’d react if I do what I want to do and kiss her lips instead. The flash bulbs are going off all around us, but I tune them all out because I’m one hundred percent focused on Haven. “You look stunning.”
She blushes and leans in. “Uh, King, we’re putting on a show.”
“Does it bother you? Being seen with me?”
She laughs, slapping her hand against my chest and tries to play it off, but something in my face makes her somber. “No, of course not. I couldn’t be prouder than to be seen with you.”
I bring her against me and whisper into her ear, “I wish we were alone.”
Chrissy snickers and leans in. “Well, you’re not. Now let’s get out of here. You two have the rest of your lives to be all sappy with each other. I’m ready to mingle.”
17
HAVEN
I knew this was a bad idea.
I’ve been here for less than an hour, and it’s overwhelming the number of people that are here. The last thing I want to do is embarrass myself or King, but it may be unavoidable if this woman doesn’t back the fuck off.
I’m not sure how I ended up in this situation. One minute I was standing with King and Chrissy and the next, King got called away to meet with someone who wanted to speak with him, and then Chrissy went to the bar to get a drink. As soon as they left, these three women approached me, and they’re asking one question after another.
“I attended the women’s summit conference a few months ago. You were a speaker.”
I nod and smile, but the look on the woman’s face has me keeping my guard up. “Yeah, that was me.”
She crosses her arms over her chest. “You gave a speech on body positivity and self-confidence.”
I look around the room, hoping to spot King or Chrissy, but neither of them are in sight. I suck in a breath, wondering where this conversation is going. “That’s right, I did. Did you enjoy the conference?”
The woman tilts her head back and looks down her nose at me. “I just think it’s very irresponsible of you.”
“Excuse me?”
She waits for someone to walk by, smiles at them with an innocent look, and then sneers when she looks back at me. “I said I think it’s very irresponsible of you to talk about things such as health. I mean, all you’re doing is promoting an unhealthy lifestyle.”
I put my hand on my hip. “I’m sorry, I don’t think you’re talking about my segment because I talked about the importance of nutrition and how you can be beautiful regardless of your height, weight, hair color, skin color, and everything else that people judge us on.”
She gestures up and down my body. “But you’re fat.”
I gasp, and the other two women at least seemed to be embarrassed by their friend's outburst. I do my best not to react because I’m sure that’s what she wants. “Yes, I’m plus size.”
The woman opens her mouth, and at that moment, Chrissy comes up, threading her arm through mine. Normally, I’d react poorly to the attention, but right now, I’m appreciating the gesture. “Karen, hi, I see you’ve met my future sister-in-law.”
The woman looks at Chrissy. “Oh…” She looks me up and down. “And which brother is she marrying?”
“Well, Ridge, of course.”
The woman gasps, and Chrissy’s smile widens as she turns to me. “As a matter of fact, I’m sure King is looking for you now. Let’s go find him.”
We start to walk away, but I stop because I know I’ll be upset with myself if I don’t say something. I’ve always had to stand up for myself and I’m not going to stop now. “Karen, right? That’s your name?”
Still in shock, the woman nods. I’ve noticed that we have seemed to draw a crowd, and I hate it, but I can’t walk away without saying something. “Well, I may be bigger than average, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have worth. I don’t know who was mean to you or made you this way, but I hope you know that you can be better than this… you can do better. We should be taking care of each other… not tearing each other down.”
I wait for her to respond, but I get nothing. I guess there’s no changing people. “Have a good night,” I mutter before turning with my future sister-in-law. She is staring at me with her mouth wide open. “I can’t believe you just…”