Page 112 of Cuffed By Your Love
And just like that, the whole yard dissolved into laughter again. Even EJ threw his little hands up and yelled, “That’smy mama and daddy!” like we were the main event at WrestleMania.
I pressed my face against Elias’s shirt, voice muffled by tears and laughter. “They’re gon’ fuss when they get back.”
He kissed my temple like punctuation. “Worth it.”
Two YearsLater
Peace doesn’t move quietly, yet it hums. It purrs through my bones like a motor finally tuned right. It sounds like EJ’s laughter ricocheting down the hall and Jolani, our daughter, squealing every time somebody says her name like it’s confetti. It sits warm on my skin the way Elias’s hand always finds my waist in a crowded room and anchors me, like you’re safe here. You’re safe with me.
And today? Peace got a key card and a staff badge.
I stood inside the front doors and just breathed. The lobby caught sunlight and threw it back, honey-gold. Velvet seating in chocolate and butter yellow hugged the walls, and a marble reception desk gleamed under lantern-shaped pendants. Behindthe desk, my logo curved in brushed gold:Cuffed Glow & Order. Underneath, scripted like a wink:Where Peace Serves Time.
Mama wiped her eyes for the fifth time. Daddy’s jaw was tight in that way that meant pride was trying not to show out on his face. Elias’s mama, Miss Elyse, squeezed my hand and whispered, “Baby, youbuiltthis. Not just a business, but an altar to your healing.”
I swallow hard. Not the lump of old fear. This one was sweet and hot. I made it out. Past Kam’s shadow, beyond the hush in people’s voices when they thought I wasn’t listening, and past the shame that wasn’t mine to carry. I hoped he was at peace wherever he went. But my peace? Alive and here, my pregnant belly, standing in flats my swollen ankles can handle, arms full of the life I prayed for and finally let myself believe I deserved.
“Alright now!” Jason’s voice hit the air like a DJ drop. “Everybody clap for my baby sister and her glow empire before y’all have a thug getting all emotional and ugly crying in this mofo.”
Laughter rippled through the building at this clown. He had one arm slung around Leila’s shoulder, his other hand spread protectively across the small baby bump under her sunflower sundress.
“Don’t act brand new,” Leila said, smirking while she fanned herself with a menu card. “You alreadybeugly crying.”
“Ma’am,” he deadpanned, lowering his voice. “I will toss you over my shoulder like a duffel bag. You lucky I let you out of the house smelling like that, wit’ yo’ sexy ass.” He leaned in and inhaled the air dramatically. “Is thatBooked & Beautiful,or are you just naturally edible? Don’t answer that.”
I snorted. “If you don’t stop flirting with your wife in my lobby?—”
“Jealous? You better cuff your own glow and catch up,” he threw back, and the room hollered.
I waved for folks to follow me. “Come on, everyone. It’s tour time. Y’all about to see where the magic happens. Nelly, you’ll know it when you see it. Thanks for those, by the way.”
We passed the shelves glistening with my product line—matte black jars etched in gold:
Glow in Custody (Body Butter):For skin that refuses to do time in dullness.
Peace on Patrol (Bath Salts):Soak away the sirens. Patrol your calm.
Booked & Beautiful (Face Mask):Detained by luxury. Released in radiance.
Arrested by Aroma (Candles):Scents so fine, they’ll cuff your senses.
“Okay, labels!” Jonell cooed, her hand linked with Dre’s. Her diamond caught light like a petty flex. “Sis, this is sooo you. You are so welcome!”
Dre kissed her temple. “My wife designs joy for a living. It looks amazing, baby. I’m proud of you.”
Jason side-eyed him, smiling. “Dre, you keep that same energy at three a.m. diaper duty. Don’t let the Lord test your vows and you fold like a lawn chair.”
“Boy, please.” Jonell laughed, palms on her belly. “He’s been folding laundry and my cravings like origami.”
We slid intoThe Interrogation Chamberof espresso walls, amber jars flickering along glass shelves. Every candle label is a little joke with a little truth:
Miranda Rights (Eucalyptus Mint):You have the right to remain calm.
Case Closed (Coconut Sandalwood):File under: serenity.
Suppress the Evidence (Amber + Tonka):Hide the stress. Keep the glow.
The air was warm and low-lit, the light you confess in. Daddy inhaled and shook his head like he can’t believe a room can teach your shoulders to drop.
