Page 80 of Before I Say I Don't
When I lifted the Louboutins from their box, the red soles caught the light, and every head at the table tilted.
“These red bottoms… they’re not just shoes; they’re strategy. They’re for your walk into whatever’s next… and it better be a damn upgrade, sis.”
I grinned. “Sis, you really didn’t have to?—”
“Yes, I did,” Danica cut off with a playful wink. “Consider it my investment in your exit strategy.”
Diane’s smile dimmed just slightly. “Well, I thought my gift was pretty thoughtful.”
“It was,” I said appreciatively, turning to her and laying a hand over my heart. “Truly.” I let the sincerity land, then placed my hand on the coffee machine. “I need this just as much as the shoes.”
Diane’s shoulders loosened; the insecure little shadow left her eyes.
Across the table, Danica’s lips curved with the smallest hint of victory, but she kept it gracious, tapping her glass with a nail.
The bridal shower continued with games. Serena and Lena kept hyping me up while Kendallkept her usual energy—teasing, lively, tossing playful shade at whoever won each game.
“That trivia game was rigged,” she said, side-eyeing Serena, who’d won the biggest prize.
Zaria was watching everything with that half-smile that could go either way, like she was piecing together a puzzle only she could see. Jayla didn’t really talk much—just ate, played with her phone, and gave halfhearted responses during the games.
Through it all, my facade never cracked. I laughed in the right places, posed for pictures, thanked everyone for coming… but in the back of my mind, I was already planning exactly how I was going to blow all of this to pieces when the time was right.
Zariasat with her legs crossed, with a pair of designer sunglasses resting on her head, sipping her drink like she was at a gallery opening rather than my shower.
“I can’t believe he’s really getting married,” she said casually, setting her glass down.
I turned to her, eyebrows arched. “Why such a surprise?”
“You would’ve had to know Angeloyearsago to understand why.”
I leaned back. “How long have you and Angelo been friends?” I quizzed.
Zaria hesitated, her fingers tapping the stem of her glass. “A while.”
“How long is ‘a while’?”
“Um… a few years.”
I tilted my head. “How’d you two even meet?” I further investigated, not letting up too easily.
She shifted nervously in her seat, gaze slipping toward her lap. “Through a mutual friend.”
“Interesting,” I murmured, letting the pause stretch just long enough for discomfort to ripple across her face. Then I offered a small, knowing smile and deliberately turned my attention away, dismissing her with silence more powerful than anything I could’ve said.
Serena stood, tapping her glass with a fork until the chatter dimmed. Her eyes shone, wide with nerves and sincerity, but her smile was bright as she lifted her flute.
“I have an announcement to make,” she started, her voice quivering just enough to be endearing. “First off, I just want to say thank you, Kamira, for letting me be a part of your bridal party. You didn’t have to pick me, but you did, and that means the world to me. I look up to you more than I even know how to say. You’ve carried yourself with strength and grace through things that would’ve broken other people, and I pray I can be half the woman you are when it’s my turn.”
“Serena…” I whispered, touched by her kind words.
But Serena wasn’t done. She dropped her hand to her hip and let out a laugh, eyes twinkling like she was about to stir the pot.
“But I’ve always wondered… and maybe a few of these ladies here are curious as well…” She paused dramatically, glancing around the table until every eye was on me. “How the hell did you become a millionaire and so damn successful at your age?!”
“You’re a mess,” I teased, shaking my head.
Serena wagged her finger. “And a closed mouth doesn’t get fed! So put us on game, sis! Drop the blueprint, the cheat codes, the cliff notes…. something! I’m trying to retire early too!”
