Making a Hard Right (Book 2, Turns in Love Series)
Kimberly Duncan wants a clean slate from a bad relationship and even worse choices as of late. Her lonely aunt who lives in California is more than excited to help Kim along the way. Before any real work begins, Kim’s aunt plans to travel to different places around the world with her.
Their plans are cut short when Kim finds out that she isn’t quite done with her recent past. She’s pregnant.
The father of her unborn child is back in Houston and in a relationship that she doesn’t want to come between. To avoid the judgment of her mother, she hides her pregnancy until her daughter is born.
Kim will visit Houston with her baby girl hoping she doesn’t run into the very person she was running from: her daughter’s father.
Doing the right thing will be too hard for Kim even with the pressure from the ones she loves. Secrets rarely stay secrets for long. When hers are out, whose life will it change forever?
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Sample
Kim
Since we had been back from South America, my stomach had turned on me. For the past week, I woke up sick. In Mexico, I was so nauseous it ruined the end of our trip. Well, for me, it did.
When I first arrived in Muir Beach, I was antsy. Back home, I had a perfectly good career that kept me busy, and now nothing. Moving here sounded marvelous in my mind. I planned to get over my relationship with Trent, my mom’s constant “I’m so disappointed in you” breakdowns, and that one night of liquored-up dumb shit with Brian.
My cousins visited their mom with their families on my second night. It was a full house. Cory and Marissa had four kids aged seven and below. Malik and Tara only had two. They were preparing for a move into a new home closer to my aunt and Cory. Having the kids all together with their grandmother gave the exhausted parents a limited time to relax. I sat out on the balcony with the four of them while Aunt Vivica attempted to tame her grandchildren.
I learned that Marissa stayed at home with their four, and Tara worked part-time at her boys’ daycare. Since she worked with kids, she needed this quiet time more than anyone. I got along great with children, but I had no desire to spend my entire days drowning in them. My nephews back home were angels for a few hours with me. But if I kept them all day, every day, I’d lose it.
My cousins lived decent lives with beautiful families. When they found out I had recently broken off my engagement, the wheels turned in their heads. Married couples always wanted everyone else to tie the knot. The question came up about my plans regarding marriage and kids. I told them I’d be ready when the right guy came along to change my mind about it all.
For now, being single and having no little humans depending on me was for the best. Trent put a sour taste in my mouth when it came to long-term relationships. I didn’t trust my judgment with men anymore.
With the first week of this new start under my belt, I needed to figure out how I’d use my time here. My aunt assured me I didn’t need all the answers right away, but something had to occupy my days. Since this was a break from everything, I had to learn how to chill out.
She made me pick a book from her mini library. I never knew she loved to read. She had some of everything. In between reading, I binged on new shows I couldn’t find time to invest in before. Most of my TV experiences were with 90’s sitcom reruns. They never got old, and I didn’t have to learn new people. Now, I was hooked on Law & Order: SVU, Grey’s Anatomy, and Power.
Aunt Vivica jogged in the mornings, and she usually ran on the beach. The first time it woke me up, I dreaded going out there. Running and I did not mesh well. My feet never quite landed on the ground securely. At least that’s what I thought when I tried in the past. My chest burned when I caught my breath. Maybe it was in my head, but I hated it either way.
This time proved me wrong. I had a purpose behind each step. We started off slow, and before I knew it; we raced against each other daily. Aunt Vivica beat me in the beginning due to my rustiness. I became the champion by the fourth time. I didn’t have a fitness motive but a figurative one. I ran from Trent. I ran from Brian and Denise. And I ran toward my future.
After another two weeks, my aunt was ready to go somewhere, anywhere. Aunt Vivica didn’t want to wait for me to settle in. She told me I had the rest of the year to do it. Instead, she scheduled almost a straight month of traveling. How could I say no to that? My empty passport needed stamps in this lifetime.
We began our journey to maximum relaxation. The first week, we visited Costa Rica and stayed at a resort off the beach called Occidental Papagayo. No kids allowed. Amen.
I never saw a place more beautiful. The bright blue ocean blew my mind. I’d been accustomed to brown water shores in the Gulf of Mexico all my life.
The beaches appeared endless. The freshwater breeze flowed through our room, peacefully waking us up each morning. True paradise.
She showed me a lifestyle I would work my ass off to get one day on my own. This trip gave me a type of motivation I never had before.
My aunt was an outdoors person, unlike me. I enjoyed the beach but not hiking, and long walks too close to nature. However, the trails and tours changed my heart. Some little creature had me jumping all over the place, but I loved it. Zip lining would also get a hell no any other time, but Aunt Vivica pushed me to let go and be free. I was glad I listened.
If anything changed me the most, it was the food. We ate the majority of our meals at the hotel, but a few times we ventured off and met the locals at nearby restaurants. Southern cuisine was the only thing I found pleasing to my palette. Until I had no other choice but to immerse myself in the different cultures and food. It opened my eyes to a whole new world.
Buenos Aires, Argentina, took the trip to another level. Alvear Palace Hotel provided a luxury I hadn’t dreamed of experiencing. The place was straight out of a movie. Hell, for a few moments, I thought I hit the lotto. The gold accented decor and marble everywhere in our suite made me feel unworthy. The elegant dining and even more beautiful city were the highlights of my existence.
Our vacation traveled downhill in Mexico. My stomach had a mind of its own. The first thing I blamed was the food. I ate some of everything. Even though I enjoyed each bite, one of them turned on me. I didn’t have the energy to do any of the activities I was eager to take part of. Aunt Viv kept me company, stating she didn’t want to leave me alone. So, we lounged around in proximity to a bathroom for the last week of our trip.
Once we got back to California, nothing cured this bug. Aunt Vivica prepared homemade soups, which tasted great but didn’t stay down. I kept myself hydrated and chilled on the balcony for fresh air as much as possible. By nighttime, the nausea died down and gave me hope that it had passed. The next morning, I was once again on my knees in front of the toilet.
Days passed with no urge to do anything outside the house. I feared public humiliation if I couldn’t get to a bathroom. So, we rented movies and ordered takeout. Marissa planned to come over with the kids, but I didn’t want to get them sick. She’d have to handle her herd alone for one more week.
After another day of lying around doing nothing, I improved a little. We thought the worst had gone, so we went bowling. I threw up there too. My aunt worried that it was something serious and wanted to take me to the hospital. With the help of the internet, I self-diagnosed my symptoms as dehydration.
When I was still sick after a week, my aunt asked if I could be pregnant. I laughed it off. Trent and I never had unprotected sex after my miscarriage. Having his baby would have been a nail in the coffin. I made sure not to get caught up in that type of situation. Then the night with Brian came to mind. I didn’t remember if we used a condom. There’s no way we didn’t. But does he even carry them?
The thought of him put me in the bathroom again. Life wouldn’t be so cruel. What we did was supposed to stay hidden. If I was pregnant, I’d have to move to South America and never return. No one would look for me there.
Aunt Vivica bought three different tests at the local drugstore. A half-hour later, all three confirmed the end of me. We sat in my room in silence. My aunt wiped away many tears from my face, but they wouldn’t stop falling.
The very reason for my relocation was to rid myself of the past, old and recent, and go a different route. This one was way off course. I didn’t know how I’d turn my life around with a baby that belonged to a married man.
If you enjoyed this chapter, you can read the first three chapters here.
To get the ebook or paperback, it’s available on Amazon.
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