Chapter 6 #5
We sat there for a long time, not saying much, the whole place cocooned in candlelight and the soft scrape of glass against glass somewhere far off.
Staff drifted with knowing smiles, the mural’s gold leaf catching tiny starbursts above us, the scent of our new bottles—Unapologetic and Ours—lifting subtly and sure from our skin.
By the time we stood to leave, the night had folded itself around us, no sharp corners, no jagged edges. Just warmth and promise.
Outside, he opened my door again, settled me in, and clicked my seat belt with a little tug that somehow said mine and safe at the same time.
“Pretty cargo,” he reminded softly.
“Protected at all times,” I finished, cheeks hurting from smiling.
Coco Jones eased back through the speakers. I sang without thinking, and he drove without rushing, like we had all the miles in the world to get this right.
At my door, he didn’t ask to come in. He didn’t push for more. He kissed my knuckles, then my forehead, and asked for another date like he already knew the answer.
“Yes,” I said, no hesitation left. “Lead.”
His grin could’ve lit the block. “Gladly.”
When I closed the door behind me, I leaned against it, palms pressed flat, heart tap dancing against bone. The room smelled faintly of lemon and jasmine and him. I padded to my dresser, set the matte-black bottle down, and ran my thumb over the golden word.
Unapologetic.
Outside, I heard his truck idle a second longer than necessary, as if he needed to make sure the house took me in safely. I smiled into the quiet and whispered to the empty room that suddenly didn’t feel so empty, “Thank you.”
Then I fell on the bed, still smiling, replaying every moment—the seat belt click, his careful hands, the spin of oils, his mouth on my wrist, the candlelight, and the promise in his voice.
It wasn’t fear, and it wasn’t doubt, only peace, rooted deep enough to take hold and grow.
The shea butter folded beneath my spatula like silk, thick and glossy as I whipped it in steady circles.
Vanilla and almond oil bloomed in the air, mixing with lavender until the whole room smelled like a hug you could wear.
This was my sanctuary. The music was low, jars lined up in rows, me in my apron with my curly locs pinned back by that butterfly clip I’d painted months ago.
The peace didn’t last long.
The door creaked, and Jason’s voice rang out like a siren.
“Yo, sis! This the lab? You got it smellin’ like Bath you smile more.
And me?” He kissed Leila’s temple, eyes softening.
“I get to worry a little less. ’Cause I already got my hands full keepin’ this one from blinding the world with all this fine she walking around with. ”
Leila swatted his chest, laughing as she melted against him. “Boy, hush.”
I looked at them. Jason was all hard edges, softening only for her, Leila, glowing like butter and honey under his love, and something in my chest eased. I wanted that. Hell, I was starting to believe maybe, with Elias, I had that.
Meanwhile, Jonell was still scrolling, dramatic as ever. “Ooooh, here we go—Not he callin’ you his pretty cargo! My brother-in-law smooth with it. I like that shit. Sis, you got you a sweet, smooth one… That’s a package deal!”
I covered my face with my hands. “Lord, just take me now.”
But deep down? I was smiling, smiling in a way I hadn’t in years.
“Give me my damn phone, Jonell!” I shouted, chasing her around the island like we were ten again. She dodged me with a grin, thumbs still scrolling through my messages like she was reading scriptures on the Bible app.
Leila was bent over cackling, while Jason leaned against the counter, cool as ever, arm looped around his wife’s waist. “Read the one about the cargo again, Ruby,” he drawled, lips twitching. “That shit was smooth… Ya commentary killin’ me.”
“You know what?” I put my hands on my hips, glaring. “Y’all got too much time on your hands.”
Before they could shoot back, the front door creaked open. Heavy boots on hardwood. A familiar presence rolled through the house like gravity had just shifted.
And then he appeared.
Detective Fine Shyt himself. Elias.
The room changed in an instant, like the air knew who it belonged to. His broad frame filled the doorway, his badge glinting against his plain tee, his gaze zeroing in on me with that slow-burn intensity that always melted me from the inside out.
And of course—of course—my siblings noticed.
“Well, damn,” Jonell whispered, fanning herself with my phone. “Speak of the devil, and he appears.”
Leila’s giggle turned into a full laugh. “Oh, bestest, you as red as a tomato, sis.”
I wanted to snap back, but my cheeks betrayed me, flaming hot.
Elias’s eyes narrowed, curious. “What’s so funny?” His voice was low, smooth, but it held that cop-tone—commanding without trying.
I formally introduced my family to Elias, and they took to him like they’d known him for years.
Jason smirked and slapped his shoulder as he passed him. “Nothing, bro. Just your girl here turning beet red ’cause we caught her slipping.”
Elias’s brows lifted. He looked at me, head tilted, like he was already piecing together the scene with his detective mind. Then, with no warning, he walked toward me, every step making my knees weaker.
As he passed by Jonell, he plucked the phone right out of her hand without looking at her. She gasped, offended. “Excuse you, new brother?”
“You don’t go through my lady’s phone,” Elias said, eyes never leaving mine. He slid it into my palm, his fingers brushing my skin on purpose. “That’s off-limits.”
And just like that, the whole room went silent.
My chest thudded. My throat felt tight. His gaze pinned me like I was the only one in the house, the only one in the whole damn world.
He leaned in, close enough for his breath to tickle my ear, and murmured, “You good, gorgeous?”
I swallowed hard and nodded, heat racing across my cheeks. “Y-yeah. I’m good.”
Behind us, Leila whispered to Jason, “See? Plug.”
Jason chuckled, pulling her into his side. “More like socket. Man got her lit up like Mama’s Christmas tree.”
Everybody laughed. Everybody but me. I was too busy trying not to combust under Elias’s stare.
He finally straightened, lips quirking in that slow, dangerous grin that always undid me. “Good. ’Cause I came to see you. Y’all can keep teasing, but I ain’t leavin’ without her.”
The way he said it? No hesitation, no apology, just fact. And my heart? My heart was already gone.