Page 8 of Love Set Me Free

“I swear it’s really the little things I missed the most. I could drink three of these a day—breakfast, lunch, and dinner.”

Paisley smiled. “I think we can make that happen. I get my caramel latte every morning, and you can get your horchata.”

“That’s a bet.” Kydrick nodded, feeling a little lighter now that he had his first taste of freedom in the form of the sweet, cinnamon drink.

Once again, Paisley found nerves bouncing around inside her as she walked up to the front door of her two story home with Kydrick following right behind her.

She found herself fretting over if she remembered to do everything inside to make it as clean and welcoming as possible. She never really had a houseguest that stayed with her before. Paisley was used to living alone. She’d dated through the years, of course, but none of those relationships were noteworthy. They never understood her fierce desire to help Kydrick out of his situation. It wasn’t uncommon for her to hear that she was obsessed with it, in fact, making it her entire life. She honestly didn’t even disagree with them, but she wouldn’t stop. At least, not until this very day. Maybe now that Kydrick was home, she would take the time to focus on her own nonexistent life.

After unlocking the door, she pushed it open and walked inside before standing to the side and allowing Kydrick to come in.

“Home sweet home,” she said nervously as she placed their drinks on the built in shelf next to the door.

She watched as Kydrick took her home in. Directly in front of them, there was a stairway leading to the second floor. If they walked just past the stairway, they would walk right into the kitchen and the dining room. To the left was the large living room and a bathroom connected to that. To their right was Paisley’s home office and library. Her home was big but also cozy. She took extra care to make sure she was as comfortable as possible in her sanctuary. When Kydrick’s eyes found hers, she saw a ghost of a smile playing on his lips.

“You’ve done well for yourself, P.”

Her shoulders relaxed, and she smiled while a blush tinted her bronzed skin.

“I’ve done alright.” She playfully shrugged and looked anywhere but at him.

“Come here.” His voice seemed to vibrate within her, causing her feet to move at his demand. When she stood in front of him, he pinched her chin and tilted her head up so she looked at him. “Why do you do that?”

“What?”

“Downplay yourself like you aren’t the shit.”

She chuckled, but his face remained stony, causing her to realize he was serious. Her smile disappeared from her face, and instead, she poked her lips out, running her tongue along the inside of her cheek as she wondered how to respond.

Finally, she shrugged and whispered, “I don’t know.”

“Been doing that since we were kids. I always hated that.”

She thought about it for a beat longer before sighing. “I guess I just don’t like making a fuss about myself. That’s never been my style.”

He peered down at her while nodding slowly. “You always been humble to a fault. We’ll work on it. Just know when I payyou a compliment, I don’t want you to downplay it. Take my words as I mean them. Can you do that for me?”

There wasn’t much Paisley couldn’t do for him, so her head nodding was easy for her as she silently made note of the promise she was making.

“Let me show you around.”

Paisley took his hand and led him through the house, showing him the spacious first floor of her home and dropping the food off in the kitchen before leading him upstairs. She showed him the bathroom that would be all his and then her room down the hall before stopping at a door and pushing it open slowly.

When they stepped inside the room, Paisley waited with bated breath for his reaction. The walls were ocean blue, Kydrick’s favorite color. The bed was king sized and warm and inviting with tan linens. The walk-in closet had brand new clothes and shoes just for him. Her heart beat with pride as she watched him look at the mounted TV and PS5 along with some games the man at the store suggested. She put a lot of thought into this room, and she hoped he liked it.

Slowly, he turned to look at her, and he shook his head with that ghost of a smile back on his full lips.

“This is too much.”

“No,” she said, stepping toward him and grabbing his large hand. “Just like you don’t want me to downplay myself, I don’t want you to downplay the things you deserve. This,” she waved a hand around the room, “is the least I can do, Kyd. I want you to be comfortable, and you know you can stay here for as long as you need. I’ve had this room ready for you for years.”

She suddenly felt shy admitting that to him. Anyone with eyes knew that Paisley and Kydrick loved each other, but sometimes it got a little sticky. The reality of their situation made it feel wrong for there to be anything romantic betweenthem. So many factors and years moved between them, and it often felt like a crater the size of the moon stood between them.

“Years?”

She nodded. “Aside from the clothes and the PlayStation… yeah. I always knew you’d come home, and after your father passed, I knew you’d need somewhere to stay until you got on your feet. It just felt like the right thing to do.”

Wordlessly, Kydrick bent to wrap her in a bear hug before kissing her temple.

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