Page 45 of Set me Free

"Serenity." His voice was firm, patient, but serious.

I crossed my arms, staring him down. "Why I gotta be the one to fix it? Why she can’t come to me?"

"Because you know she won’t," he said simply.

That made my stomach tighten. Because he was right. And that was exactly why I didn’t want to give in first.

"I ain’t saying she right," he continued, searching my face, his voice softer now. "I’m saying she your mama. You only get one. Y’all been like this for too long."

I exhaled sharply, turning away from him. "I just… I don’t wanna be the bigger person this time, Creed. I’m tired of being the one trying to make things right when she’s the one who keeps hurting me."

He was quiet for a second before stepping behind me, his hands gently resting on my waist. His lips got close to my ear, sending a chill down my spine. "I get that, but you gon’ regret it if you don’t at least try."

I swallowed, staring at our reflection in the mirror.

We looked… good together. Like we belonged in this space. Like we belonged to each other. But that didn’t change the fact that I wasn’t ready to let Sienna back in.

Not yet.

"We’ll see," I said, my voice softer than before.

Creed didn’t push. He just nodded, placing a kiss on my neck, then squeezing my waist before stepping back.

"Come on," he said. "Let’s get some food before you drop me back off in Jersey."

I let out a small laugh, rolling my eyes as I grabbed my coat.

"Fine. But I’m picking the spot."

"I figured." His smirk was back, and just like that, the tension faded. For now.

The Rainbow ballroomat Rockefeller Center was draped in luxury—gold chandeliers casting a soft glow over the black and gold décor, champagne flowing like water, the live jazz band playing smooth melodies in the background. It was elegant, extravagant, but that was to be expected. My parents didn’t do anything small. Especially not their wedding anniversary.

From the second I walked in, dressed in a gold sequined gown with the back exposed that hugged my curves just right, curls tumbling down my back, I felt eyes on me. But only one pair of eyes mattered.

Creed.

He had been on me all night—glued to my side like he belonged there, like he had no plans of leaving. And I wasn’t mad at it. Dressed in a black tailored suit with a gold silk tie to match my dress, he looked so good it was almost unfair.

"You staring, SB," he murmured against my ear, his deep voice sending chills down my spine as his fingers traced the small of my back.

I smirked, tilting my head up to meet his gaze. "You love the attention, don’t you?"

"Nah," he murmured, his eyes low, full of something unreadable. "Just love that it’s coming from you." I felt my breath hitch, my pulse quicken. This thing between us was electric.

Since Christmas, since he told me he had ended things with Gianna, we had been dancing around whatever this was—touching, kissing, spending every second together, but never fully crossing the line.

Not yet.

But the way he was looking at me now? I had a feeling that was about to change.

As the night went along, I was having a good time. Besides spending so much time on the dance floor with Arielle, Brodie,Creed, Sevyn and his date, drinks were flowing and as long as my parents, grandparents, aunt and uncle didn’t catch us, Arielle and I had a drink in our hands courtesy of our 21 year old boyfriends and Sevyn.

Once my dad was free of people surrounding him, I grabbed Creed’s hand pulling him along to get this done, rip off the band-aid.

"Daddy, I want you to meet someone."

I stood next to Creed, my hand lightly resting on his arm as we approached my father. Lenox Bradshaw, the man who helped build an empire; the man whose approval meant everything to me.

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