Chapter Twenty #2
“I love your patterns,” His voice softened as he went on, “I love your laugh. I love your mouth, even when it’s threatening to send me to meet my ancestors.
I love the way you feed people without making them feel small.
I love how you survived and still decided to become shelter.
I love that you are lavender—beautiful and soothing.
I love that you’re soft and sharp and if you’ll have me, impossibly mine.
I’m already yours and have been, but I want to ask in front of the people who loved you before I earned the privilege.
Will you be mine officially, Lane Sanders? ”
Lane’s breath trembled as she looked down at their joined hands because in this moment only the two of them existed, though she could still hear Cadence and Nova’s emotional asses sniveling. But all of it blurred around Lennox.
Lennox had become her man, her Robot, her menace, but most importantly her safe space.
Lane had spent years belonging to nobody because belonging had always sounded too close to being trapped, but Lennox didn’t ask her to disappear into his life; he only wanted space to stand in hers.
He asked in the haven she built with his heart open and his hands gentle.
“Yes!” Lane shouted confidently, because saying yes didn’t feel like surrender but taking her power back to have a love all her own.
“Yes?” Lennox repeated, exhaling like he had been holding his breath for months.
“Yes, Robot,” She laughed through tears, “I’m yours, officially.”
“Oh my God,” Nova sobbed.
Tariq shouted, “About time!”
“My babies are kicking like crazy; they approve,” Cadence giggled as she hugged Lane.
“Congratulations, bro,” KC grinned and dapped up Lennox before pulling him into a brotherly hug.
Lennox pulled Lane into him, one arm wrapping around her waist as his mouth found hers in a soul-stirring kiss. When he pulled back, he rested his forehead against hers. “My woman,” he whispered.
Lane’s smile trembled. “Unfortunately, I’m kidding,” she laughed.
His laugh shook against her, then he stepped back, still holding her hand. “I have something else,” he said as she watched KC move to pick up a sleek leather folder from the table behind him, handing it to Lennox. Lane stared at the folder like it might bite when Lennox placed it in her hands.
“What is this?” she asked.
“Open it,” he told her.
Lane looked at Nova, who was crying harder now, before muttering, “Oh, that’s comforting.”
Nova fanned her face while fussing, “Just open it.”
Lane opened the folder to see the first page was a legal document. She read the top line repeatedly to herself before throwing her hand over to stop the scream fighting to escape her. Lennox stood beside her quietly like this wasn’t a big deal.
“No,” she whispered, audibly shaken.
“What did you do?” Lane asked, looking up at Lennox.
“Making sure The Full Plate Project is housed in a building you own,” he answered cavalierly.
The room tilted as Lane held the deed transfer and ownership in her hands.
She now owned the building she fed the community out of.
There was no more term leasing and dealing with rising rent costs.
The Full Plate Project was no longer vulnerable to the Curtis Bells of the world.
Lane’s knees nearly gave out, but Lennox was there to catch her.
“Breathe, Lavender,” Lennox told her.
“I can’t, you just handed me a building,” she replied.
Lennox smiled softly, with tears at the brim of his eyes, as he told Lane there was more. She whipped her head around and scoffed in disbelief because what more could Lennox do? Taking the folder, he gently turned to the next section.
“The surrounding parcels have been purchased by a community investment trust, with the five of us as silent investors,” he said, pointing to himself, Khalil, Cadence, Nova, and Tariq.
Lane looked around the room at her friends—scratch that, her family as they beamed with pride. Cadence smiled through tears, holding her ever-growing belly as she screamed surprise, making everyone laugh.
“You’re never going to lose this place,” KC reassured her.
“We about to wash every window in this joint,” Tariq joked, handing Nova and Cadence the tissues.
“The land is yours to build on. I know the market expansion was already in motion, but make it bigger—maybe an actual grocery store. Add the day care you talked about for parents who need to work, attend interviews, go to appointments, or volunteer without worrying about where their babies are. There’s enough land to build the emergency housing units, start the community garden, and anything else you think will best serve the community.
You own the land to make it happen,” he let Lane know.
Lane’s tears came so fast she could barely see him as he turned to the next page. “There’s a development fund already seeded, meaning there’s no debt. You can get straight to the work and don’t have to deal with all the politics when the donors aren’t your friends,” he finally finished.
She shook her head as she sobbed. Nothing was pretty or graceful about the tears Lane shed.
This was the crying that came when a dream stopped being something she had to beg others to pour into and became something other people helped hold up with ease.
Lane tried to cover her face, but her emotions continued to pour out.
Lennox pulled her into his arms, and she went without hesitation.
Lane didn’t have any jokes or armor masked as witty banter.
She wrapped herself around her man and cried into his chest while his arms held her steady and her best friends celebrated with her.
“You did this?” she whispered.
“We did this,” Lennox said before continuing, “I handled the building, but we all agreed to purchase the land and create the expansion fund.”
“All of you?”Lane asked, lifting her head as she looked at her friends with a wet face.
Cadence nodded. “Every day you make sure hunger is one less thing people in Stonebridge have to worry about, we’re just making sure nobody can take this from you,” she assured Lane.
KC’s voice was warm. “You’re our family, Lane. Family always puts their money where their mouth is,” he added.
“And before you say something mean to avoid feeling loved, just know you can let your guard down with us,” Tariq joined in as he wiped his eyes dramatically with a tissue.
When her tears had finally stopped, Lane reached for Lennox again, letting both hands grab his face as she kissed him everywhere she could reach—his lips, cheek, jaw, nose, neck; it didn’t matter.
“Baby,” Lennox laughed softly, holding her waist.
“No,” Kiss. “You don’t get,” Kiss. “To love me,” Kiss. “Like this,” Kiss. “And not expect me to,” Kiss. “Love on you,” Kiss. “Like this,” Kiss.
His eyes closed for a second, like every scattered kiss was undoing him. Lane pulled back just enough to look at him, hands still on his face. She stood there wondering if it was possible to fall deeper for him.
“You bought my dream a home,” she whispered.
“No,” he said, “You built the dream; we’re just making sure it has room to grow.”
Before Lane knew what was happening, everyone gathered around her and wrapped her up in a group hug.
Lane laughed through the tears, allowing the warmth of love and support to surround her.
She had walked into The Full Plate Project expecting disaster.
Instead, she found a future where her man asked for her heart without trying to own it.
Her friends had invested in her mission without trying to control it, and the building housing the project built on her pain, purpose, hunger, and hope now belonged to the community she loved.
“You’re still on my shit list for scaring me with that text,” she reminded him, making him laugh before adding, “and the daycare better have nap mats that don’t feel like prison mattresses.”
“Preschool prison is insane,” Tariq cackled.
Lane laughed as fresh tears slipped down her face and Lennox wiped them away with his thumbs. “Happy?” he asked softly.
Lane looked around the room once more, then at the man who had finally learned that loving her meant asking, not taking and standing beside her versus trying to steer and building with her instead of over her.
Nothing felt better than being inside the dream she had built and the future her man had just made big enough for every possibility.
“I’m better than happy,” she said, “I’m home.”
Lennox took Lane home because the celebration wasn’t over; there were some things joy needed privacy to become.
Lane barely remembered the ride back to his place, only that his hand stayed on her thigh, moving slowly.
The way he kept glancing at her like she might disappear if he looked away too long made her thighs clench.
By the time they made it inside, words and patience had become useless.
Lane reached for him first, needing him immediately.
Lennox met her with a hunger that didn’t feel like taking, but like a path to reverie.
Like two people who had been running toward each other through every bad decision, old wound, and petty get back finally arriving at the same door—healthy and happy.
They loved each other all over his house.
On the wall near the entry because Lane had kissed him so X-rated that Lennox had lost what little sense he had left in the bedroom where he laid her down like something precious and made her feel chosen from crown to heel.
In the shower, steam curling around them while water slipped over their skin and laughter broke through the heat when Lane threatened him for getting her hair wet after making her knees weak.