Page 36 of Love Set Me Free

But she couldn’t. Kydrick needed to do some soul searching, and clearly, so did she. For now, their time was up, and they both knew it too. For a moment, she wondered if she would be able to continue being his friend, but then she remembered the love they made. She remembered how large her love was for him, and she knew she wouldn’t be able to contain it while in his presence.

Kydrick placed his forehead to hers, and they allowed themselves a moment to shed their final tears together before he tenderly kissed her on her lips.

“I love you, Paisley. Don’t forget that. I need you to live, baby. Please, make yourself happy and make yourself proud.” He stood up and pulled her with him, hugging her to his chest. “And you know if you need anything, you just have to call.”

She wanted to tell him the same went for him, but she didn’t. She couldn’t. She had to stop overextending herself to him until he could do the same for her. Instead, she murmured, “I know.”

He pulled away and looked down at her. Tears still danced in his eyes. “I left a check on the kitchen counter for you to cover everything you’ve done for me. It’s not nearly enough, but it’s my start.”

She opened her mouth to argue, but he dipped his head down and kissed her passionately.

“Just take the check, baby. Do something nice for yourself on me. I love you, and I’ll be back. Just give me some time.” He pecked her lips once again then her forehead before he separatedfrom her. She saw the emotion in his eyes and knew this was no easier for him than it was for her, but they were doing a great job of respecting each other’s boundaries at least.

She watched as he walked back to the stairs and grabbed his last box before walking out of the house. Slowly, she walked over to the door and watched him put the box into his Jeep before he got in. He waved sadly before starting the car and pulling out of the driveway.

Paisley stood there far too long, watching the empty street, before she slowly closed the door. Then and only then did she allow herself to come completely undone.

Irritation grew in Paisley as she listened to her siblings bicker in the front seats of the car. Tiana drove while Nasir fiddled with the music, causing them to argue because they didn’t want to listen to the same thing.

“Can y’all stop fussing?” Paisley snapped. “I don’t understand why I couldn’t drive myself anyway.”

Tiana glanced at her in the rearview mirror while Nasir turned his body to look at her. “Because where we’re going is a surprise.”

Paisley huffed. “I don’t get how we’re having a sibling day, but I’m the only one getting surprised by where we’re going.”

Nasir turned back in his seat, ignoring Paisley and talking directly to Tiana.

“She’s been grumpy ever since she’s been back from that solo vacation, ain’t she?”

“Mhm,” Tiana hummed. “Grumpy as hell. Maybe it’s the job search.”

“I mean, who would want to hire a big ol’ grumpy ass like that?”

“You guys know I can hear you, right?” Paisley asked, crossing her arms over her chest and pouting.

Once again, her siblings glanced back at her, continuing to talk about her as if she wasn’t there. She sat back in her seat and let them. They were right after all. She had been crabby since she got home from her vacation.

The shock she received when she saw the amount for the check Kydrick had given her was something to be studied. Twenty thousand dollars was wild. She knew he had a nice chunk of change from everything his parents left him, but she never expected him to give her twenty thousand of it.

It took her weeks to deposit the check, and she only did because she convinced herself that a month-long vacation was exactly what she needed. One month turned into three—three glorious months of traveling around the world. She went everywhere from Jamaica and Mexico to Egypt and Australia. The world was at her fingertips, and for the first time ever, she felt like she was actually living.

She enjoyed her time abroad so much and would do it over again in a heartbeat, but when she came back, reality slapped her in the face. Being back home made her realize that she still yearned for Kydrick. It was like she couldn’t shake him. She could travel and do all the things to distract herself, but at the end of the night when her head hit the pillow, Kydrick filled her thoughts.

Stubbornness wouldn’t allow her to call him, though. She couldn’t backtrack. She wanted to respect the time he needed to get himself together, and she knew if they started hanging out again, she would put too much pressure on him for them to be a couple. For once, she needed him to apply the pressure, so she stayed away. Though it was her choice, it put her in a habitualbad mood. Even though she had an attitude most of the time, she genuinely enjoyed learning new things she loved to do.

She picked up crocheting, and she even filled her time with diamond art. Small things like that she never had time for before, but she did now. She went on hikes and bike rides with her dad and brother and cooked meals with her mom and sister. She allowed herself to justbe.

Over the past month, she had been looking for a paralegal job to get her through school. She had a good chunk of money left from what Kydrick gave her after all the traveling, and she still had a decent savings. The nonprofit brought in a little bit of money. Though not much, when she realized she wanted to go back to school for what she was originally meant to do, she knew she needed to find some more stable income, especially since she wanted to keep the nonprofit afloat.

Her bachelor’s in jewelry design would take her four years, and she didn’t want to be left with a ton of student loans after, so she needed a job. The only experience she had was law, but she didn’t want to practice anymore. She also didn’t want to do anything that would take too much of her time or make her schedule unpredictable. The issue was she was overqualified for the jobs she wanted. Frustration filled her every day because of her predicament, but she knew God was only testing her patience at this phase of her life, and she would do her best to pass the test.

“We’re here,” Tiana announced after they’d been in the car for about twenty minutes.

Paisley noticed they were at Baywood Community College. Her brows pulled together as she unbuckled her seat belt.

“Why are we here?”

“Just gone on, big headed girl,” Nasir grumbled as he got out of the car. He made sure to open his sisters’ car doors before they all walked inside the college.

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