Page 37 of Love Set Me Free

There were a lot of people scattered about as they walked through the halls and came upon the auditorium. Paisley saw a sign that readgraduation, but someone’s head blocked the rest of it, so she couldn’t get the full scope of what was going on.

“Seriously, guys, what are we here for?—”

“There you guys are. I almost had to fight a lady for trying to sit here with her ugly ass family,” their mama fussed, causing Paisley’s eyes to grow wide.

Alyssa and Leon sat in a row close to the aisle, and next to them were three empty seats.

“What—”

“Girl, come on and sit down. It’s about to start,” Tiana urged, tugging on Paisley’s arm.

They sat down, and Paisley looked around, trying to see if she could gather a clue about why she was there, but a deep voice in the microphone on the stage pulled her attention.

“Good afternoon, everyone. Thank you for joining us for this intimate graduation ceremony. Our class is a bit small this time around, but those normally make for the best EMTs.”

The crowd cheered, and Paisley’s brows rose.

“EMT—”

“Shhh!” Nasir shushed her, elbowing her in the arm while Tiana tapped her on the thigh to also tell her to hush.

How she got stuck in between them was beyond her, but she didn’t even waste energy being irritated by that. The realization that they were there for an EMT graduation caused her heart rate to speed up. She only knew one person who wanted to be an EMT at one point, and her eyes wandered all over the auditorium in anticipation.

“We won’t keep you all long. I just want to acknowledge how proud I am of this term’s recruits. They are bright and put in a lot of work. I would like to first honor the top student in this term’s class, Kydrick Sutherland.”

Paisley’s heart stilled and tears flooded her eyes as she watched Kydrick walk onto the stage. Without even realizing it, Paisley sat at the edge of her seat, yearning to be as close to him as possible as she watched him stand beside his instructor. As if his energy could sense her, he immediately locked eyes with her. She swore she saw him wink, and she blushed.

Damn, I missed him. And she was proud of him. She had no idea he had even been in school. A tear fell from her eye as she watched him with pride. Whatever resentment she felt toward him melted away because this moment made it all worth it. This moment finally allowed that final, pesky piece of the puzzle to click into play. This right here was why they needed time apart. Begrudgingly, but with a grin, she admitted to herself that Kydrick had been right all along. She couldn’t be more amazed by him than she was at that moment.

“Some of you may recognize him, and while I won’t get into his story because it isn’t mine to tell, what I can get into is his character. I feel a great sense of honor letting this man out into the work field because I know he will be a great asset and he will save many,manylives. I feel good knowing that the city will have someone as caring and intelligent as Kydrick as a first responder.”

Cheers erupted around them, and Paisley found herself standing and cheering with everyone else as Kydrick nodded coolly with a slight smile on his face. Their eyes connected again, and the next half an hour was a blur because she wasn’t sure she and Kydrick had stopped looking at each other from that point on.

Something lingered within his gaze that caused her to shudder more than once. He looked primal. He looked different, somehow. He lookedready. Ready for everything he’d promised her six months ago.

Heat spread through her body as she wondered if this could be it, but she forced herself not to get her hopes up. She couldn’t allow herself to be disappointed by Kydrick yet again. Plus, she figured when he had left her house all those months ago that he would take much more time before he came back to her. She stayed awake most nights wondering what that would look like or if they would have grown too far apart by then.

When the ceremony ended, Paisley was the first to stand to her feet. Anxiety overtook her, and she wasn’t sure if she wanted to run to find Kydrick or if she wanted to bolt from the community college altogether. She was still very unclear on if her family brought her here or if Kydrick had specifically invited her here. She didn’t want to fall back into old habits with him if he still wasn’t ready for it. Stress gnawed at her as she chewed on her bottom lip. It was her mother’s touch that pulled her out of her thoughts.

“Chile, you worry too much.”

Paisley’s brows pulled in. “For good reason.”

“And what reason is that?”

“Mama, there’s a lot you don’t know about Kydrick and me?—”

“Girl, hush.” Alyssa swatted Paisley on the arm as people moved all around them out of the auditorium. “You really think I don’t know what’s going on between you two?”

“How could you?—”

Nasir nudged Paisley, cutting her off. “We all know. Now, can you move so we can go congratulate the graduate?”

Paisley’s eyes bulged. She purposefully didn’t talk to anyone about what transpired between her and Kydrick. Subconsciously, she knew it was because she wanted to protect Kydrick. As much as her family loved him, they loved Paisley more, and if they knew she was hurting behind him, she worriedthey might turn their backs on him. Kydrick needed them just as much as she did, and she would never jeopardize that.

Paisley silenced her questions since her brother kept nudging her along. She followed her parents out of the auditorium where everyone gathered waiting for the graduates.

As soon as they were in their own little corner, Paisley whirled around on her family and asked, “How do you guys know about me and Kydrick?”

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