Page 152 of Set me Free

He hesitated before exhaling, choosing his words carefully. "That you’re a young, successful actress who just impulsively tied herself to a man with baggage. A man whose name has been in the press for everything from trade drama to ex-girlfriend drama, to the latest headlines about his ex being locked up for drug trafficking. That’s the narrative. And, if we’re being honest? Some of your fanbase isn’t thrilled. Twitter is already eating this up."

I pulled my phone from my bag, scrolling for a moment before landing on a trending topic:

#SerenityBetterThanThis

I clicked on it, seeing a bunch of tweets:

"Not my girl Serenity throwing away her career for an athlete… she was supposed to be DIFFERENT!"

"Why does she have to be another NBA wife? She’s a whole actress. Hell, she’s a Bradshaw. WHY?"

I rolled my eyes and set my phone down, unimpressed.

"Y’all finished?" I asked, looking around the room. They all fell silent. I leaned forward, resting my elbows on the table. My tone was calm, but my message was clear. "Creed Langston is my husband. And nothing about that is changing. I don’t care what Twitter thinks. I don’t care what the press says. And I damn sure don’t care if y’all are worried about how this looks on your little brand projections. I am not some media puppet."

Deena opened her mouth, but I held up a hand.

"I love y’all, I respect y’all but let me be very clear—Creed is off limits. That man has had my back through everything. He’s the father of my child. And if I was gonna be tied to any man publicly, I’m glad it’s him. He is not some mistake I need to clean up. So, if any of you feel like this is a PR disaster, you can take your concerns straight to HR and get me a resignation letter. Because what you won’t do is sit in this room and act like I made a bad decision."

There was a brief silence, then Anthony sighed and leaned back in his chair, rubbing his temples. "So, you’re not budging on this?"

"Not an inch."

Deanna pursed her lips. "Fine. We’ll prepare a statement on your terms. Something short, something simple, something that makes it clear you don’t give a damn about public opinion."

I smiled. "Now we’re talking."

Anthony chuckled, shaking his head. "You’re your mother’s child."

I stood up, sliding my Chanel sunglasses onto my face. "I take that as a compliment." I turned on my heels and headed for the exit. "Let me know what y’all decide," I called over my shoulder. "Just in case I need to find a new team."

And with that, I walked out of the room, feeling every bit of Sienna Bradshaw’s daughter.

After tuckingthe kids in for the night, I finally had a moment to myself. The shower felt heavenly, the warm water washing away the exhaustion of the long day. Now that the news about our marriage was out in the open, a part of me felt relieved—like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders.

I stepped out of the bathroom in my silk robe, towel-drying my hair when my eyes landed on Creed sitting on the edge of our bed. Still wrapped in his towel.

I arched a brow, confused. I assumed he’d be dressed for bed by now, but instead, he was sitting there, his expression oddly serious. “What’s wrong?” I asked, stepping closer.

He lifted his head, his gaze softening when he saw me. “Come sit with me for a second.”

My brows knitted in curiosity, but I did as he asked, padding across the room and taking a seat beside him. That’s when I noticed the black velvet box in his hands. My breath hitched, my heart skipping a beat as he slowly flipped open the lid, revealing a stunning diamond ring inside.

The center stone was a massive 10-carat oval-cut diamond, set in a platinum band encrusted with smaller diamonds that wrapped around in an elegant pave setting. The way it sparkled under the soft glow of our bedside lamp was mesmerizing, the clarity and brilliance of the diamond absolutely flawless.

I inhaled sharply, my fingers trembling slightly as I reached out to touch it. “Shit…” My voice was barely a whisper.

“I got it the day after we got back from Vegas,” he admitted, his voice steady but there was a nervousness in his eyes. “Had my jeweler work on it immediately. Just got it back yesterday.” I blinked up at him, emotion swelling in my chest. “You told me you didn’t need one,” he continued, his thumb brushing the inside of the box. “But you deserve this, Serenity. You deserve everything.”

Tears pricked the back of my eyes as I reached out, touching the ring gently. “Creed, it’s beautiful…”

He exhaled deeply, shifting slightly so that we were fully facing each other. Then to my complete surprise, he reached into the nightstand drawer and pulled out a folded piece of paper.

“I didn’t say anything when we got married,” he said, his voice now lower, softer. “Didn’t get to say my vows. But I wrote them our first night back… I’ve been carrying them with me ever since.” A sharp sting of emotion hit me in the chest. I opened my mouth to say something, but he didn’t let me stop him. He unfolded the paper and began to read. “Serenity, from the moment you walked into my life, you changed everything. I loved you before I even knew what love really meant. Before I knew what it was supposed to feel like. You frustrate me like nobody else. You challenge me. You call me on my bullshit. You make me a better man. But more than anything—you are my peace, my home, my heart. I’ve spent too many years fighting what I always knew deep down—we were meant to be. No matter how much time passed, no matter what happened between us, I never stopped loving you. Not for one second. I promise to honor you. To protect you. To be the man you deserve, the father our children deserve. I will never take you for granted again. I will never let anything, or anyone come between us. I love you, Serenity. I love you more than I ever thought I was capable ofloving anything in this world. And I vow, for the rest of my life, to show you that—every single day.”

By the time he finished, I had silent tears rolling down my cheeks. I covered my mouth, overwhelmed with so much love, emotion, and joy I could hardly breathe. “Creed…” I whispered, my voice breaking. He swallowed thickly, then took my left hand in his, sliding the ring onto my finger, the cool platinum molding perfectly to my skin. It was perfect, it was us.

Creed held my hand between both of his, his voice thick with emotion. “I promise to do right by you, Serenity,” he said. “No matter what. Forever.”

---