Page 36 of Set me Free

“I can cook bitch, shut up. My Nona is from New Orleans. Just because she’s a rich housewife doesn’t mean she don’t know how to throw down.”

“Okay Richie Rich, calm down. Show me the kitchen so I can make sure I have everything I need to make my dishes.”

We made our way out of the bedroom, bumping into Arielle on the way. We walked back down the winding staircase, through the formal living and dining rooms, all the way through to the kitchen.

“Jesus.” I heard Averi whisper causing a proud smirk to grace my face.

The kitchen in my grandparents’ estate was nothing short of a masterpiece—a space so grand it made most professional kitchens look basic.

It was the heart of the house, sprawling and open, designed for entertaining on a scale most people couldn’t even imagine. Massive double islands stretched across the center, their polished white marble countertops veined with gold and gray, gleaming under the glow of ornate glass pendant lights. The cabinetry was custom, rich espresso wood with gold-accented handles, stretching from floor to ceiling, hiding enough storage to feed an army. A separate, temperature-controlled walk-in pantry housed imported ingredients, stocked like a luxury grocery store. Two Sub-Zero refrigerators sat side by side, their sleek glass doors reflecting the recessed lighting overhead. In the middle of it all stood a commercial-grade Wolf range, large enough to handle an entire Thanksgiving feast, topped with a custom Jerusalem limestone hood that matched the rest of the estate.

The space flowed seamlessly into a casual breakfast nook, where plush upholstered seating wrapped around a handcrafted oak table, perfect for morning coffee or late-night talks. Beyond that, floor-to-ceiling French doors opened onto theback terrace, leading to the outdoor dining area and offering a panoramic view of the sprawling pastures beyond. Even with all its luxurious details, it wasn’t just a showpiece—it was lived in, warm, full of memories. Some of my best moments had happened in this kitchen, sneaking bites of fresh pastries from our chef, talking late into the night with my grandfather over mugs of tea, or sitting at the counter while my dad made me pancakes.

It was more than just a kitchen—it was home.

“Okay, I can work with this.” Egypt said looking around the space causing us to laugh. “What’s on the menu, please tell me mac and cheese is; I don’t know how y’all do y’all boujee Thanksgivings but mac and cheese, collard greens, yams, ham, turkey, potato salad, fried cabbage, dressing and cranberry sauce are some of the necessities for mine.”

“What do you take us for? We’re a black family, regardless of how much money we have; we ain’t too boujee to eat a good soulful Thanksgiving meal.” Arielle shook her head. “All of that is on our menu. Plus, I’m making banana pudding, a pound cake and a sweet potato pie. Serenity usually helps Nona with the turkey and dressing so she can do that, you can do the mac and cheese, and collards and Averi can do the yams and potato salad. We already sent Juliette shopping so everything we need is in here. I say we at least start prepping before the boys get here.”

“That’s cool with me.” Averi said going over to the sink to wash her hands. “What we eating for dinner tonight?”

“Pizza and wings.” Ari replied stepping up to wash her hands as well. “Juliette will get it ordered for us around 5 ish. Did Tootie tell y’all we’re having movie night in the theater room?”

“I told them.” I stepped up and washed my hands as well. “Let’s start prep.”

By 5 o’clock, the boys had arrived, and we had Juliette meet them in the foyer while we continued to prep for tomorrow’sdinner. There was no need in us greeting them, they needed to get settled in their rooms anyway and since they were coming after practice, I was sure they needed a shower as well.

Still, I was anxious, checking the location of the stairs several times waiting, to lay eyes on him.

Slow and easy.

That was the only way for me to describe what Creed and I were being. Ever since our conversation, we had spent time together, as friends, but damn, knowing he felt the same way about me as I feel about him; it was hard not to jump on him. I felt my eyes often roaming his body, lingering the most on his lips. Just one kiss, that was all I needed to hold myself over.

Yeah… it was hard.

“Alright, prep done… I’m going to find my man.” Ari announced walking out of the kitchen.

“We’re going to explore. Where should we start?” Averi asked.

“Um, maybe outside. The grounds are massive, but if you ask Juliette she can get you one of the golf carts. Y’all can go visit the stables.”

“Stables? Y’all got animals?”

“Horses.” I replied. “Come on…” I walked with them back towards the foyer. As we made our way there, my phone buzzed.

Creed: Where you at?

Me: Foyer

Just as I hit send and we made it to the foyer, Creed, Donovan and Trenton were walking down the stairs.

“Yo Serenity, this shit is wild.” Donovan said the moment he made it to the bottom of the steps. “Thank you for inviting us.”

“Of course.” I replied, as we all greeted each other. When Creed approached me, I felt like the world stopped.

“What’s up Beautiful?” he opened his arms and I walked into them, wrapping my arms around him.

“What y’all was about to get into?” Trent asked.

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