Page 32 of Follow Me to Your Heart
“Whatever it is, know I’m proud of you for doing it. Know I’m supporting you every step of the way. You’re smart, Cage. You’re capable of doing any and everything you put your mind to.”
“Thank you for believing in me, baby. All these years, you’ve been one of the only people to see potential in me outside of the streets. You don’t know how good that makes me feel.”
I melted into Cage’s embrace. Head resting on his shoulder, I draped my arms around his torso and inhaled his comforting scent. “I’ve seen it in you since we were kids. I know life didn’t play out as we expected, but it doesn’t mean things can’t change for the better.”
“Just like having you in my life as my girl. When we were kids, I envisioned how we would be when we got older.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yeah.” His chest bounced against mine as he laughed. “I knew we would be together.”
“I did too.”
Cage tapped the top of my ass, and I peered at him. His pink flesh swept across his lips before he stated, “Say what’s on your heart, KoKo.”
It was wild how well we knew one another. His hands slowly ran up and down my back. With my eyes closed, I pressed my forehead against his. We stood there in silence while I found the right words to say.
Barely above a whisper, I pleaded, “Don’t hurt me, Cage.”
“Why would I do that when I can’t imagine my life without you?”
“I can’t imagine life without you either. I never try to, but I can’t act like this isn’t scary for me.”
“Life is scary. We never know what’s going to happen, but one thing I remember my mama always telling me was we needed to walk through life by faith.”
“Not by sight,” I finished, smiling. “You’re right. Thanks for the reminder. Thank you for being you. Thank you for being for me.”
Cage’s hands bypassed my sweatpants, gripping my bare ass with one hand while sliding his other to my mound. I parted my legs to allow his fingers access inside my wetness.
“Let me show you how much we appreciate you, baby.”
It wasour last night in the mountains, and to be real, I didn’t want to go back home. Korren wasn’t lying when she said it would be peaceful. I enjoyed not hearing my phone ring about something I needed to handle. To be able to fully focus on us made me fall deeper in love with Korren.
I lay there rubbing her feet as she tried her hardest not to drift off to sleep. We were supposed to be watching a movie, but Korren could hardly keep her eyes open. I assumed it was from the alcohol and food. We’d eaten and drank good all weekend. It was finally catching up to her, and she needed the sleep to be good for her classes.
Carefully, I leaned over to grab the remote and turned the TV off. I chuckled at the way Korren’s eyes popped open. She sat up on her elbows with dented brows.
“Why did you turn the TV off, Cage?”
“Because you were falling asleep. Come on. Let’s go get in the bed.”
She swiftly shook her head, curls brushing her cheeks with each sway. “No, I’m good. It’s our last night. I don’t want to go to bed early.”
“It’s all good, baby. You need to rest for classes tomorrow.”
“I’m not going tomorrow. I haven’t missed a day yet, and I know I’ll need all day to recover. I got all my work done anyway, so I’ll be good.”
“Come here,” I urged, patting my chest.
Korren crawled over and lay on top of me. Her head rested on my chest. I massaged her scalp through her wild curls, getting a whiff of her fruity shampoo every few seconds. She slid her hands underneath my back. The peace I felt wasn’t comparable to anything.
“I want to spend the rest of my life like this, KoKo.”
She propped her chin on my chest and smiled. “Like what, Cage?”
“Worry free with you. Just being grateful for the love and peace you give me. I wasn’t sure if I could ever love you more than I already do, but this weekend made me realize I can.”
“It’s the same for me. Honestly, you’re the reason I decided to go to college in Harley Grove. I could’ve easily gone to Camden Cove and lived at home with Daddy, but I couldn’t fathom the thought of being away from you like that. Plus, it was time for me to spread my wings anyway. You helped with that.”
