Page 38 of Love Set Me Free

Tiana scoffed and waved her hand in the air dismissively. “Even if Kydrick didn’t sit us down and talk to us about it, we would have known because of your stank attitude and the way you guys were never together anymore.”

Paisley stood there completely stunned. Here she was trying to be discreet, and her family apparently knew everything.

“He sat down and talked to you?”

Nassir nodded. “Months ago. He’s a real man, P. He knows how much we mean to you, and he knows how much he means to us. He wasn’t about to make no kind of move that affected you without telling us himself.”

Leon, her father, grabbed Paisley’s shoulders and squeezed. “Your brother is right.”

“Wha—why didn’t you guys say anything?”

“We figured you would come to us when you were ready,” Alyssa commented. “Instead, you took an extended vacation and came back in a terrible mood. We were all so relieved when Kydrick called and invited us to his graduation. I hope you two will talk things out now so I can get my daughter back.”

“He specifically invited me?” Paisley asked for clarification, her head spinning in so many directions.

“Duh,” Tiana responded, rolling her eyes and picking at her nails as if she was bored.

Paisley had so much more that she wanted to ask. She’d spent months actively trying not to think about Kydrick, andnow, all she wanted to do was ask about him, but now, she could talktohim. Her breath caught when she caught sight of him making his way through the crowd. He was clearly the oldest out of the graduates, but he was also the finest. Damn, was that man fine. He wore a black button down with black slacks. His hair was freshly cut, his locs freshly twisted, and there were diamond studs in his ears that caused the seat of Paisley’s panties to wet. There was something about a man tastefully wearing jewelry that was so fine to her.

His cologne hit her, and she almost melted into a puddle of tears and excitement. Her emotions were all over the place. She wanted to jump into his arms as pride swelled inside of her. She wanted to run from him because he had the power to break her. He had already come so close. She wanted to kiss him because she missed him so much. She wanted to slap him out of frustration for their situation.

Luckily for her, she didn’t need to stress over which action she would go with because Kydrick walked directly up to her and pulled her into his arms. They stayed locked in their embrace for several seconds. Paisley felt him breathing in the scent of her hair, and she allowed herself to memorize the rhythm of his heartbeat. When they pulled away, she looked up at him in uncertainty. He offered her a genuine smile before pinching her chin.

“You remember what I said?”

“About what?” she asked breathlessly.

“I told you when I came back to you, I would be all in, all pressure, remember?”

She tried swallowing around the lump in her throat as she nodded slowly.

“Kydrick, baby,” Alyssa said, tapping him on the shoulder and saving Paisley from having to respond verbally. Kydrick let Paisley go to hug her mother.

“Can we just get a few photos with you? Then we can leave you and my daughter to it.”

“I’m sorry, Ma. Thank you so much for coming,” he muttered into her ear but loud enough for Paisley to hear. “Of course, you can get some photos.”

“I’m so proud of you, son. I know your parents are too,” Leon said, clapping Kydrick on the back while Tiana got busy taking candid photos.

At the mention of his parents, Kydrick’s chin dropped to his chest. Paisley took a step forward and placed her hand on his back. Smoothly, he pulled her into his side, and Tiana lit up.

“Right there. The four of you say cheese.”

Paisley, her parents, and Kydrick took several photos together before just Kydrick and Paisley took some. Paisley’s head swirled, and everything moved in a blur as she smiled for photos while trying to take everything in.

After everyone was sufficiently photographed, Paisley aimlessly followed her family out of the school hand in hand with Kydrick.

Her family said their goodbyes in a blur. Paisley hugged her mom last, and Alyssa whispered in her ear.

“He put in the work to get himself together. Now, it’s time for you to stop overthinking, and let that man love you.”

Before she could react, Alyssa kissed her daughter’s cheek and walked away, leaving Paisley and Kydrick alone. She’d never really felt nervous around him before, but at that moment, nerves danced inside her like they were in a battle.

“Come on,” Kydrick said, pulling her through the throng of people filing out of the school. A few people stopped him and congratulated him, causing that pride she’d felt from earlier to intensify, but eventually, they made it to the parking lot.

It didn’t take her long to spot his Jeep, and when they got to the passenger side door, Kydrick opened it for her and helpedher slide in. When she was secure, he leaned into the car and kissed her, taking her by surprise. She tensed at first, but she quickly relaxed into the kiss, feeling tears puddle in her eyes.

When he pulled away, he placed his hand on her cheek, and she leaned into him as a couple of tears fell. She closed her eyes and allowed herself to feel her emotions.

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