Chapter 15
“You having trouble sleeping in your new house?” he asked, making me pop my head up to look at him. His waiting grin was to be expected.
“What?” I asked. I almost fell as I scrambled to get down.
“Stop that.”
Kannon scowled as he slapped me on my ass and plopped down on the bed. “Kannon, what did you mean by that?”
“I was asking if you like your house.”
“My what?”
“Your house, Carteay. Do you like it? It’s a little over budget, but it was in my budget. I’ve been waiting all my life to buy my wife her dream house.”
“This is ours?”
“If you’ll stay here with me.”
“You claimed you didn’t even believe in love, but now you’re buying houses and being all romantic. I changed you, Kannon.”
“For the good. I don’t mind changing for my wife.”
“You keep saying that and I’m going to think you want to get married.”
“You should. I want to marry you.”
“You want to marry me with all my baggage?”
“Of course. You think I was going all out like that for someone I didn’t see forever with?
I literally just cleared a shit ton of your baggage, Carteay.
I want to be your biggest problem for the rest of my natural life.
Marry me, baby,” Kannon said, lifting enough to pull a small envelope out of his back pocket.
“What’s this?” I simpered as I opened the envelope.
When I pulled the papers out, a ring fell out. “That’s the deed to our house. Now again, will you marry me?”
“Yes! Yes! Yes!” I shouted, hopping out of his lap and jumping up and down.
“Shh! Remember, your people are asleep. I need them to stay that way while I make love to my future wife.”
“I like the sound of that.” I cooed as I eased back into his lap. “Should I get the handcuffs?”
“Not this time, freaky. I got some frustration to work out.”
“Ooh, I like the sound of that even better.”
It had been weeks since Ceasar’s arrest, and it still felt surreal.
The sounds of birds chirping out on the lake filled my head as I rolled over, stirring from my sleep.
As I stretched, I found Kannon’s side of the bed empty again.
I found that the protector in him didn’t turn off just because danger was no longer present.
I wanted him to learn to relax more, but for now, I was just grateful for his mere presence.
I knew where to find him, so I headed downstairs and out to the back deck where Kannon was sipping tea with his phone to his ear.
He stood there shirtless, leaning against the deck with his back to me.
His broad shoulders relaxed as whoever he was talking to finished what they were saying.
He nodded as if they could hear him before finally speaking.
“Good, good.” When he ended the call, he turned to face me as if he already knew I was there. “Morning, baby.”
“Good morning. Was that Kross?” I quizzed.
He nodded as he slid his phone in the pocket of his pajama pants.
“Yeah. It’s done, baby. Your boy Ceasar is supposed to take a plea deal.
He copped to money laundering, tax fraud, and a whole bunch of other shit that I didn’t even know he was doing.
They found the dummy accounts he was using to hide the money and everything.
Just know he’s out of your life for good. ”
My body dropped against the doorframe as I nearly lost my footing. “So that’s really it?”
Kannon nodded as he took my hand and led me to one of the overside gliders on the porch. Once he was seated, he pulled me into his lap. After kissing the side of my head, he replied, “That’s really it, baby. What you gonna do now that you’re free?”
“Honestly, I don’t even know.”
Freedom didn’t even feel real at this point.
I was really free. The sleepless nights, fake smiles and relationships, and the constant fear that one wrong decision would end my career were all over.
No more Ceasar, no more contract, no more pretending.
I knew that I wouldn’t heal overnight, but I was confident that with Kannon by my side, I would survive.
For a long while, I stood there soaking in the moment as I stared out over the water.
“You good?” Kannon asked, pulling me out of my thoughts.
I didn’t try to fight my tears because I knew Kannon could handle them. I let them flow freely as I rested my head on his chest. “I don’t even know what that feels like anymore, but I know that I will be.”
“How about we figure it out together?”
“You saved me, Kannon,” I whispered.
“You saved yourself, Carrie Ann. I just showed up when you called like I told you I would.”
“Thank you,” I told him once again. I would never get tired of thanking Kannon for setting me free. No matter how he viewed the situation. I knew that he was my hero.
“The world is your oyster, Carrie.”
“That’s the scary part. What happens now?”
“Now you start over and do things your way. Now you don’t have to worry about Ceasar, the label, or the puppet strings.”
“And you?”
“I’ll be right here every step of the way for you and my son.”
I had to laugh. “You’re going to wear that my son shit out.”
“I told you, didn’t I?”
It had barely been a week since the ultrasound proved the paternity of my baby to be a healthy baby boy. The little bump was barely noticeable, but he was making his presence known a little more every day by letting me know what foods and smells he didn’t like.
“You did.” I agreed.
Kannon was the calm to the storm that had raged in my life for years.
He was my safe space and my peace. It felt good to be in control of my story, no matter how blank the pages might be right now.
I was free. If freedom came with the comfort of the arms of the man who proved he would walk through fire to set me free, then there was no limit to what the pages would hold in the future.