Page 127 of Set me Free

I glared. “Fuck y’all.”

They cracked up, and so did I, because they weren’t lying.

“Serenity,” Averi said, her tone turning serious.

I lifted a brow. “What?”

“You need to stop playing and get your man back.”

I sighed deeply. “Y’all, I already broke up one of his relationships,” I pointed out. “I’m not about to break up another. I was 18 then, I should have known better. Now, I absolutely know better so I’m trying to do better.”

Arielle waved me off. “Girl, fuck his relationship.”

Egypt nodded in agreement. “That’s your man.”

Averi agreed. “And y’all are still in love with each other. If you asked him today, he would drop Jailah so fast and be with you it’s not even funny. There is no competition.”

I let out another deep sigh, sipping my drink. Because they were right. They were so right. I was very much still in love with Creed. And I knew he was still in love with me too. But what was I supposed to do with that?

We let the conversation settle, allowing the night to shift back to easy laughs and carefree fun. By the time the check came, we weren’t ready to leave each other.

“To The Coven, still being the number one show on the CW,” Egypt toasted, raising her glass.

“To Arielle and Brodie, finally making things official,” Averi added.

I smirked. “To Vegas, being the chaotic mess I know it’s gonna be.”

“And,” Arielle said, giving me a pointed look, “to Serenity, finally getting her man back.”

I rolled my eyes but still clinked my glass with theirs. Even though I wasn’t sure how I felt about that last one.

Creed wasout of town for a four-day road trip, and honestly? I was glad to get a breather from him. After my conversation with the girls, I knew that I needed that space from him to reevaluate some things. I wanted him, but at what cost? I wasn’t trying to make a habit out of ruining his relationships, I even took responsibility for contributing to ruining our own.

While he was gone, I did whatever I could to make the kids not feel his presence gone. They, just like I had gotten used to having him here consistently. Not to mention Gio was already missing his dumbass mama like crazy. So, today I suggested we have a field day in the back yard.

Gio and Cree had been playing in the backyard, jumping on the trampoline Sevyn bought for her last Christmas. I was watching them from the patio, sipping on a smoothie, laughing at the way Gio kept trying to teach Cree how to do a ‘big boy’ jump.

Then it happened.

Cree’s little body slipped through the net opening, and before I could even react, she tumbled off the trampoline, landing hard on the grass. A sharp, high-pitched cry pierced the air. My heart stopped. I was already running before I even knew what happened.

The drive to the hospital was a blur. I barely remembered parking, barely remembered rushing inside, barely remembered holding my crying daughter as they checked her in.

Everything was a haze. Until I heard his voice.

“Serenity?”

I turned, and my heart damn near stopped. There, standing in a white coat, tablet in hand, was Iman… or should I say Dr.Iman Carter. My ex-boyfriend. The one that got away. The one I let go. And now, he was standing in front of me, staring at me like he had just seen a ghost.

I swallowed hard. Iman blinked, snapping out of his shock, then looked down at Cree.

“This is your daughter?” he asked softly.

I nodded, holding her closer. “Her name is Cree.”

His face softened. “She looks just like you.” I wanted to correct him, tell him she actually looked just like her daddy, but I just nodded. Then I remembered why we were here.

“She fell off the trampoline,” I rushed out. “She—she landed on her arm. I think it’s broken.”

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