Page 21 of Follow Me to Your Heart
“Some shit came up. Y’all mind taking a ride with me?”
“Ooo!” Taylor exclaimed, leaning against my seat. “Is this about to be a dangerous ride?”
Cage and I shared a laugh. He glanced back at her and explained. “One thing I’ll never do is put y’all in harm’s way. If some shit was about to go down, I would leave y’all here. I gotta roll up on my boy right quick before we hit the road.”
Taylor sat back with a bitter smile. I giggled and shook my head. She wanted something to go down, but Cage wasn’t like that.
Several minutes later, we were pulling up at Red’s house. Cage called to let him know he was outside and excused himself. Taylor’s nosy self was all against the window, trying to see Red.
“Dang, girl. Back up,” I teased.
“I think I need to get out so Cage can introduce me to his friend. What’s his name?”
“Red.”
“Mmm. Well, Red looks like he’s my type.”
“He is, but he’s no good. He’s more about the streets than Cage is, and you know how that can be.”
“Yeah, no. He’s fine, but I don’t have time to be up all times of the night worried about his life or another bitch. I’ll simply admire from afar.”
“That’s the best thing to do.”
That was another reason I’d never be willing to admit my true feelings for Cage. His lifestyle was one I constantly worried about. While I knew he was careful and cautious, anything could happen. I’d be physically and emotionally sick if so. To have those strings attached would only make things worse. To have those strings attached would change everything for us, and I wasn’t quite sure my heart could handle it.
“Daddy!” I screamed, hopping out the vehicle before Cage could put it in park and running to my father. When I was in his arms, safe and secure, I shed a few tears. “I missed you so much.”
“I missed you too, pumpkin. I’m glad you’re home for the week.”
“Me too.” I stayed in his embrace until I heard Taylor and Cage get out the car. Daddy kissed my cheek and let me go with his arms on my shoulders as he looked me over.
“You look good, Korren.”
“I get it from you.”
I loved saying that, knowing I was all Alana. My father was the most handsome man in my eyes. Unlike Kasey and me,Daddy’s melanated skin was rich in color and so were his earthy colored eyes. His salt and pepper goatee stood out amongst his oval-shape face, matching the soft curls on his head. Whenever he smiled, I envied the dimples sinking in his cheeks like craters. He was handsome, and I often thought my mother was crazy for allowing him to get away.
“Daddy, this is my best friend, Taylor. Taylor, this is my father, Ali,” I introduced them, and Daddy embraced Taylor.
“It’s nice to meet you, Taylor. I’ve heard nothing but good things about you.”
“Likewise, Mr. Ali. Korren is crazy about you, so I feel like I know you personally already.”
Daddy chuckled. “That’s my pumpkin.”
Cage walked up with our bags. He and Daddy nodded at one another. Daddy took my suitcase from him and led us all inside my childhood home. In the divorce, my father was awarded the house, something I was beyond grateful for. The five-bedroom, four-bathroom house was everything to me. Daddy designed it himself when Alana was pregnant with Kasey.
“I see you went with the pastel green like I suggested,” I noted as we walked into the foyer and down the first hall on the right to my room. “It looks so good with the white.”
“It does. Even the painter said you did a good job picking it out.”
“I know a little something.”
We walked into my room, and nostalgia hit me hard. Even though I’d only been away for a few months, it felt like forever. I ran and jumped on my king-sized sleigh bed and expelled a pleased sigh. Daddy hadn’t touched a thing in my room. My walls were still a soft pink with pictures of me and all my friends decorating them. My fluffy white bedding was neatly put together. My walk-in closets were open, but I could see myclothes and shoes lined up the way I had them before. I missed it more than I realized.
Daddy excused himself, and seconds later, he returned with the cutest, light brown toy poodle. My eyes lit up as he placed her in my lap, and she cuddled up against me.
“I thought you could use some company, being away from home,” Daddy explained, smiling. “I have everything you’ll need for her, and she’s already had her first vet visit.”
