When You Were Mine [Second Chances 2] (Siren Publishing Classic)

Second Chances 2

When You Were Mine

When Cora Blanchard said goodbye to Jamie Connolly seven years ago, she knew she'd have to see him again eventually. What she doesn't expect is for all of the old feelings she thought she had let go to come rushing back to the surface. It was as if nothing had changed. Fresh out of a highly publicized train wreck of a relationship, Cora is afraid to trust in those feelings or in herself. She tries to remain friends with him, but she's just fooling herself. There's no way she can be with him and not want more.

The moment that Jamie sees her, he realizes that seven years of silence and two thousand miles haven't changed his feelings. The only thing that has changed is Cora. He sees a sadness in her eyes that was never there before. Just as Jamie is starting to earn her love and her trust, someone threatens to tear them apart forever.

Genre:
Contemporary

Length:
55,810 words

Second Chances 2

Michelle Roth

EROTIC ROMANCE

Siren Publishing, Inc.

www.SirenPublishing.com

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IMPRINT: Erotic Romance

WHEN YOU WERE MINE

Copyright © 2015 by Michelle Roth

E-book ISBN:
978-1-63259-201-9

First E-book Publication: April 2015

Cover design by Harris Channing

All art and logo copyright © 2015 by Siren Publishing, Inc.

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Siren Publishing, Inc.

www.SirenPublishing.com

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When You Were Mine
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WHEN YOU WERE MINE

Second Chances 2

MICHELLE ROTH

Copyright © 2015

Cora Blanchard ran the tip of her finger along the edge of her mouth, wiping away the nearly invisible smudge from the lipstick she had just reapplied. It was completely vain, but despite the fact that she’d been a mess for the better part of six months, she didn’t want to look that way. Especially not today. It was her niece Sophie’s birthday. Everyone would be there.
Jamie
would be there.

She hadn’t seen him in the six years since they’d split up. It was bound to happen eventually though. His brother had ended up marrying her sister. A small part of her wanted to look freaking fabulous. It was petty, but still. She was entitled.

Cora felt another flutter of nerves as she repacked her lipstick into her purse. She grabbed the huge shopping bag from the seat next to her, and then forced herself to get out of the car. With a quick press of the button, her blue Audi TT was alarmed. She adjusted the box onto her hip and walked toward the side entrance, admiring the classic brick exterior of the building.

Her sister, Taryn, lived above the flower shop that her husband, Evan, owned with her family. The upper floor had been two separate apartments where they’d originally lived. When they’d gotten married, they remodeled it into one giant living space. It was huge, and it was gorgeous.

Stepping through the door they had conveniently left unlocked, she walked up the flight of stairs to the main entrance for the living space. It already sounded like bedlam inside so she didn’t even bother knocking. Nobody was likely to hear it over the noise anyway.

Cautiously, she stepped inside and was immediately greeted by the sound of yelling children in the playroom off to the side of the living room. The twins sat on the couch, both texting away on their cell phones. The adults were nowhere in sight.

She set the gift down and moved toward the playroom, intent on finding Sophie. As she walked through the door, the children were coloring at the table. Madison looked up from her sketch pad with a frown and said, “Hey Aunt Cora. I’ve been banished to the kids’ playroom.”

“It stinks being just old enough to be responsible. Doesn’t it?”

“Totally,” Maddy agreed.

“What are you drawing?” Cora asked, peering down at the sketch pad.

When Madison held up the sketch pad, Cora’s eyes widened. It was a horse running through a field. For a nine-year-old—heck, probably for anyone, it was a damn good likeness. A ton better than she’d have been able to accomplish. Finally, she said, “That’s amazing. You’ve got a real gift!”

Madison shrugged and said, “It’s no big deal.” Cora could see the smile tug at the corners of her mouth though as she returned her attention back to the sketch pad. She had just been dismissed, Cora realized, as she scanned the room.

Cora walked over to where Sophie sat babbling happily and playing with her dolls. When she leaned in and picked her up, Sophie squealed in delight. After she had pressed several smacking kisses to her cheeks, she set her down and greeted the rest of the children, who largely ignored her.

The kids coloring at the table had broken out into a heated battle over missing crayons. When Donnie’s youngest, Karla, started screaming that someone had stolen her turquoise, Cora edged toward the door.

Once she was back into the main entryway, she briefly considered making her escape but Taryn popped her head out of the dining area and said, “I knew I heard the door!”

Cora picked up the large shopping bag, then grinned and confessed, “I was about to make a break for it.”

“No escape,” Taryn said. “Let me take that. Unless it makes any kind of noise, in which case, you have to take it back.”

Cora said, “Just a teddy bear.”

Taryn gave a sigh of relief and said, “Thank god,” as she took the box and moved toward her bedroom with it.

“Did I mention it sings the song that never ends? It’s great!”

Cora watched, tongue in cheek, as Taryn froze and then turned slowly to face her

“Why are you trying to ruin my life, Cora? Why do you hate me?” Taryn whined.

“It doesn’t make any noise. Jesus. Melodramatic much?”

Taryn patted her belly and said, “I’m three months pregnant on two hours of sleep last night. You’re lucky I’m not sobbing right now.”

Cora smirked and asked, “Does he never let you rest?”

Taryn caught her meaning, then laughed and said, “Not usually but last night I couldn’t stop throwing up. Nothing puts a man off like vomit breath.”

“That’s just…gross, honey.”

“That’s what he said when I tried to kiss him,” Taryn snickered.

“Sick,” Cora said with a grimace as they moved toward her bedroom.

Taryn set the gift down on the bed with the others and inspected her outfit. After a moment, she said, “You look hot.”

“Thanks. I couldn’t handle another afternoon of pitying looks from your family. I figured I’d better at least make myself presentable. Ice-cream-and-barbecue-sauce-stained yoga pants with ‘Juicy’ written across the ass seemed inappropriate,” Cora said.

“Ouch,” Taryn winced. “Is it that bad?”

Cora shook her head and said, “No. The press has stopped camping out in front of my place. They’ve finally figured out there’s no story to be found.”

“Thank god. Fucking vultures.”

“I just wish Bryce had been a pig in a more private setting. Then I could have found out that I was getting cheated on in the same way that most other people do. Finding out in the gossip section of the L.A. Chronicle was brutal,” Cora said. “But, whatever. Fuck him. I look fabulous today.”

Taryn reached out and gave her a quick squeeze, then said, “Damn right. Come out here and sit with us. We’re putting together some of the side dishes.”

As they moved out of the bedroom, Taryn said, “Jamie’s upstairs, ya know.”

“Yeah,” Cora said, trying for a casual tone. “You mentioned he was back.”

“Are you…” Taryn trailed off.

“I’ll be fine,” Cora said, waving her concern off. “We didn’t part badly. When he moved, it just got too hard to try. We didn’t see each other for months at a clip. He was working insane hours and I was in grad school. There aren’t hard feelings. Not on my side, at least.”

“Mmkay. If you need to leave, honey, just let me know,” Taryn said.

Cora waved her off and said, “If I can survive the shit storm with Bryce, then I can see an ex that I parted with amicably in a group setting. Besides. It’s Sophie’s birthday. I couldn’t miss that.”