Chapter 16 Quade
Waking up next to her felt like peace. The kind of peace I didn’t even know I was missing, but now that I had it, I wasn’t in a rush to let it go.
The sunlight was already cutting through the blinds, reminding me that this moment was on borrowed time.
I stretched slowly, extending my arms over my head.
I let out a quiet groan. This was the first time in years I didn’t wake up tense.
Didn’t wake up wondering what was next for me.
None of it seemed to matter with her smooth skin next to me and vanilla scent creeping up my nose.
I turned toward her. She was still lying beside me, sleeping peacefully, without a care in the world.
I sat up carefully, trying not to disturb her.
I needed to figure out what time it was.
Like any other Monday, I had a full work itinerary.
I should have been moving with a little more fire, but I couldn’t.
I was stuck, just sitting there, taking her in.
The morning light peering through her curtains hit her brown skin just right.
Even her scars looked beautiful. I reached over, rubbing my finger across one gently.
I wasn’t expecting to see her body littered with dark-brown patches last night when I undressed her.
I didn’t even have to ask. I knew it was her lupus.
I’d done some research on the disease the moment I found out it was her diagnosis.
I knew that lupus could leave scars all over the body, but seeing the marks on her, seeing her battle with the illness in real time, that hit different.
“Shit,” I blurted, swiping a hand down my face.
I was due to be at work two whole hours ago.
I never slept this late. Noa must’ve sprinkled some damn sand in that good shit she’d put on me last night.
I shook my head and shot Jess a text. I didn’t want her worrying about me.
Her extra ass was probably contemplating calling the police.
Me:
I’m good. Be home in a bit.
Jess replied damn near instantly.
Jess:
Boy! You had me worried sick.
I sighed and tapped over to Ron’s thread. The last message sitting there made me smile.
Ron:
Guess your date was good. Don’t worry about coming to the office. I sent the crew out already. You can meet ’em there.
Oh, wait, you’re probably already there. Just so we’re clear, I ain’t paying you for them overnight. hours
I smirked and shook my head as I texted him back.
Me:
Overslept heading out now.
Ron:
Damn! That good, huh? Call your sister, she thinks you’re in a ditch.
Me:
Already on it.
I dropped the phone face down on the couch, ignoring Jess’s next message lighting up the screen. She’d be fine. Right now, I needed to move before work piled up on me. Almost as if right on time, the rumble of a truck pulling up out front caught my ear. I peeled back the blinds to peek outside.
“Of course, y’all niggas had to pull up before I left,” I whispered under my breath. Shaking my head, I put on my pants and shirt and walked back into Noa’s bedroom. There was no way I was about to dip on her before saying goodbye.
I made my way back down the hallway and into her bedroom. She was still curled up in the covers, sleeping peacefully. Walking over to her bed, I leaned down and brushed a kiss across her cheek, then her collarbone.
“Noa,” I whispered with a soft nudge and then waited for her to stir. I ain’t know what to expect. I didn’t know if she was going to wake up with a ton of regret. I wouldn’t blame her if she did, but I was hoping she was just as content about what had happened as I was.
“Mmm.” Her eyes fluttered open, and she smiled at me. “Good morning!”
“Good morning, sleepyhead.” I searched her eyes as I placed one more kiss on her cheek. “Just wanted to let you know I was about to head out.”
“You leavin’ already?”
“Yeah,” I said lowly. “I’m two hours late for work.”
“Aren’t you already at work?”
I chuckled, my fingers grazing the curve of her hip. It was taking everything in me not to climb back into bed with her and stay there forever.
“I am, but my Foams ain’t gon’ quit, do it?”
That made her laugh.
“What time is it anyway?” She stirred a bit.
“10:30.”
That made her eyes bulge.
“I never sleep that late—”
A knock at the door cut her off, and she blinked at me.
“It’s Rico and James,” I told her. “I saw the truck pull up.”
“OMG! I’m going to get you fired.”
“It’s probably against company policy to sleep with the clients, huh?”
“Exactly!” She gasped.
“Chill, the owner is my future brother-in-law, and he encourages this.”
“What?” She shook her head in disbelief. “You’ve been telling people about me?”
“Since day one.”
Her mouth dropped open, and another knock sounded on the door.
“You gotta go,” she said, and I dipped my head and pressed a kiss to her temple.
“You need anything before I take off? I can help you up—”
“No,” she said a little too quickly, then softened it. “I got it.”
I paused for a second, searching her face for anything more, but she just reached for the edge of the sheet and tucked it tighter around her like she was going back to bed the moment I walked out the door.
“I would walk you out, but I take a minute in the mornings to roll out of bed.”
“No trip. I got it. I’ll be back in a bit. Rico and James gonna get started in the front room. What time does Teagan come?”
“Mondays are her early class days, so she should be here soon.”
“Cool.” I leaned down and kissed her again.
She didn’t have any regret in her eyes, and that was all I needed.
I headed for the front door just as another knock sounded.
I grabbed my phone off the couch and threw the door open.
There was no need to check the peephole; I knew who it was.
As soon as the door flew open, Rico stepped back, grinning widely.
“Damn, you were eager to get to work this morning, huh?”
“Wait… I know that ain’t a button-down and a blazer.” James squinted at my outfit.
I didn’t respond, just moved to the side so they could walk in.
“Look at this nigga,” Rico said, elbowing James. “Coming out of the client’s house dressed all nice and shit. You hit, didn’t you?”
James laughed. “He definitely got that ‘got some pussy last night’ glow. Look at him.”
“I will fire both of y’all,” I warned with a slight smirk on my face. I wasn’t about to dignify their silly asses with a response.
“Don’t be mad at us, bro.”
I gave them a hard stare that only made them laugh harder. “Get to work,” I said, brushing past them toward my car. “Y’all got the list. Finish the trim and start patching the back wall.”
“Bet,” Rico said. “You coming back today, or you need to catch up on sleep?”
“I’ll be back.”
I paused, glancing toward the front of the house. “If she don’t come out of her room soon,… hit me. Matter of fact, just let me know when her sister comes.”
“Got you.” James nodded as I pulled my keys from my pocket and slipped into my car.
I pulled up behind my sister’s car and killed the engine.
Her silver SUV sat crooked in the driveway, like always.
I smirked. Jess never could park straight.
I grabbed my keys, exited the car, and headed up the walkway.
My mind was still on Noa. The way she had come undone for me last night was nothing short of fucking perfect.
The way our unofficial outing had turned into an official date that led to her in my lap was perfection, and there was no way I wasn’t going to lock her down.
I unlocked the front door and made my way inside. I didn’t even make it all the way in before Jess was poking her head around the hallway wall being nosy.
“Well, look who finally decided to come home,” she announced.
“Good morning to you, too.”
“Don’t ‘good morning’ me,” she shot back. “I was worried sick last night. Thought I was going to have to file a missing persons’ report.”
“You so dramatic.” I laughed under my breath, kicking my shoes off at the front door.
“I’m serious!” She stepped fully into the front room. “Ron told me you had a date last night. I didn’t know if she’d kidnapped you or had you set up.”
“Course he did.” I shook my head and kept walking past her, heading for the basement. She followed me, arms folded.
“So… who is she? Are you just not gonna tell me who she is?”
I sighed, pausing at the basement door. “Not really.”
“Wow!” She gasped. “That’s how you treat your big sister?”
“Yeah, ’cause I’m sure your man done already told you.”
“But I want to hear it from you.” She nudged me with her elbow. “Can you at least tell me if you like the girl?”
“Yeah, I like her,” I said calmly.
“Ooh!” She clapped her hands together like she’d just won a bet or something. “I can see it all over your face.”
“Man, whatever.”
“So what’s her name?”
“It’s Noa.”
“Noa,” she repeated. “That’s cute. She’s not one of them flashy hood rat girls you could never get enough of, is she?”
“Nah, Noa’s an artist.”
“Ooh, an artist,” she said, eyebrows rising. I didn’t say anything, just pulled open the door, trying to get out of the conversation.
“Ron told me she’s disabled. In a wheelchair.”
I nodded slowly. “Yeah. She got lupus.”
“Oh, wow! That’s a lot.” Her hand flew up to her mouth. “It’s really bad if she depends on a wheelchair.”
“Yeah.”
She stared at me for a moment, like she didn’t know what to say.
“Quade. Dating someone with a chronic illness is a daily job. Don’t be sniffing behind that girl if you’re not serious.”
“I know, Jess.” My voice dropped lower. “I thought about all of that before I touched her. I wouldn’t play with her like that.”
“Ooh… You really like this girl.”
“I already confirmed that.”
“Nah,” she said, shaking her head. “You like her. Like, you’re serious about her. Like the way you liked music before all the bullshit. The way you used to light up when you had a verse in your head. This is serious.”
“I guess it is.”
“You’ve always been the protector type. Just… protect her heart too. That poor girl has been through enough.”
“You done being Tamron Hall? I’m kind of on the clock.”
“Don’t run off before telling me when I get to meet her.”
“When I’m sure you’re not gonna run her away.”
“Please, if she likes your hard-headed ass, she already built Ford tough.”
We both laughed, and I turned toward the basement door.
“Don’t keep her to yourself too long,” she called over my shoulder. “Any girl that can get you in a button-down is alright with me.”
“Shut up,” I replied as I jogged down the stairs two at a time into my living space.
I had a nice setup down here. The basement was half-finished and carpeted.
Plus, I had my own bathroom. It wasn’t a lot, but it was mine.
I walked past my bedroom and straight to the bathroom, eager as hell to get back to work.
I stepped into the bathroom, peeled off last night’s clothes, and turned the water on.
Jess’s words were echoing in my head. Pursuing a woman like Noa was serious.
She didn’t have time for slow burns and games.
She needed a man who’d show up for her and give her the peace she deserved.
I wasn’t rich anymore, and I damn sure wasn’t perfect, but I’d spend the rest of my life being her soft space to land.