Page 106 of Cuffed By Your Love
She turned slowly in my arms, her palms resting against my chest, her eyes holding that soft heat that always managed to strip me of armor I didn’t even know I was wearing. “Can you promise me something?”
“Anything, my love.” My words came easily because there wasn’t anything I wouldn’t do for her.
Her voice wavered, fragile as a prayer but strong enough to shake me. “Keep choosing me.”
Something in me cracked wide open. I kissed her so deeply. It wasn’t just a kiss; it was a testimony, a sermon, a love letter written in breath. My hand slid up her spine, holding her in place, steadying us both as if the whole balcony could fall away, but we’d still be anchored.
Pulling back just enough to speak, I whispered against her lips, “You are mine, Jonay. Forever. No question. I’m choosing you in every lifetime. Every storm. Every sunrise. Ain’t a world I’d ever step into without you.”
The night seemed to hush in reverence. Behind us, EJ’s laughter echoed from the living room, his tablet spitting out Spider-Man quotes like scripture to a four-year-old’s gospel. From the kitchen came the sizzle of steak buttering in the pan, the rich scent wrapping around us like a blessing. Luther Vandross crooned from the record player, velvet and timeless, his voice sliding smooth as honey through the walls.
Jonay’s thumb brushed along my jaw, her touch soft enough to undo me. “You’re my home,” she whispered, the words heavy and delicate all at once.
I pulled her closer until her heartbeat thumped against mine. “Then let’s build this house brick by brick, love as mortar,laughter as paint, trust as the foundation. And you’ll never have to doubt how much I adore you.”
Her lips curled into a smile, eyes glassy with emotion. “I love you.”
“I love you more,” I said, pressing a kiss to her forehead, then her nose, then the corner of her lips before capturing them again. When I pulled back, the old me, the man who’d been hardened by the streets, weighed down by loss, slipped through just enough to growl. “And I wish a nigga would try to come between that again.”
Her laugh burst out, rich and full, bouncing off the walls of the balcony like wind chimes caught in a warm breeze. I joined her, our laughter tangling until it was impossible to know whose joy belonged to whom.
We kissed again, slower this time, like the stars above had demanded we savor it. And when the music swelled, when Luther’s voice dipped low, I pulled her into my arms, and we danced barefoot right there on the balcony, her cheek against my chest, my hand guiding her, the candles flickering like witnesses.
Two hearts once shattered, stitched back together with grace, grit, and God.
Black love. Real love. Forever love.
Love in living color.
And for the first time in forever, it felt like the world finally got the picture.
If love had a sound,tonight it was laughter skipping across my living room like a vinyl that refused to scratch. The house smelled like lemon oil on wood, garlic simmering in butter, and somebody’s perfume I couldn’t name but always knew meant home. Boots stacked at the door, dominoe tables clapping like gavel strikes, trash talk flying in rhythms as old as us.
Out back, the air was thick with ribs grilling, charcoal smoke curling into the sky, and beer foam dripping down brown knuckles. Jason had Johnnie Taylor rolling from the speaker, and this time, it wasn’t just the aunties in spirit. Nah, the parents were front and center, moving like the music lived in their blood.
Mr. Jonathan had Mrs. Jeanette tucked against him, their two-step smoother than half the young couples out there. Hishand on her hip was steady, claiming, like decades of love and storms hadn’t cracked their rhythm. Mrs. Jeanette laughed loudly, the kind of laugh that made you believe in forever. Elyse, my mama, swayed nearby, clapping her hands on the beat, smiling softly, like she was catching joy off their moves.
Watching them, I felt it heavy—legacy. That was what it looked like. That was what it sounded like. The kind of bond that bent but didn’t break, that found a way to two-step through heartbreak and keep time anyway. My chest tightened.That’s what I want with Jonay. Not just tonight. Not just a phase. Forever.
My crew filled the yard like kings and queens of the block. Jonell and Jazz perched on the porch steps, Dre mid-chew with a drumstick dangling, Chambers leaning lazily in his chair, smirking like his whole body was a punchline. And Jason, loud as always, was preaching with a Solo cup in his hand like it was gospel.
But none of them were louder than Jonay. She was beside me, laughing at something Jazz said, her hand brushing my arm with every lean-in like she didn’t even know she was anchoring me. That velvet box in my pocket? It burned hotter than the grill. My thumb worried the edge like a man steadying himself before a cliff jump.
Jason clapped hard enough the dominoes rattled. “Ayo, Dre, lemme holler at you.”
Dre froze, hot sauce shining on his mouth. “What I do?”
“You think I don’t see you looking at my Ruby like she a half-priced appetizer at happy hour?” Jason squinted. “That’s my lil’ sister. You even breathe funny in her direction, I’m on your ass, my G.”
The yard fell out laughing, beer almost spilled. Jonell rolled her eyes, blushing. “Jason, you literally married our best friend. Please hush.”
Jason grinned. “Not too much on my fine ass wife. Dre better come correct or get corrected.”
Chambers cut his eyes at Jazz. “If Dre getting the talk, where’s mine?”
Jazz smirked, crossing her legs. “Boy, you don’t want my talk. You couldn’t handle it.”
Jason jumped back in. “Matter fact, let me save you some pain—Jazz gon’ fold you like a pretzel if you play with her. And not the way you want.”
