Page 64 of Cuffed By Your Love
She tilted her head, curiosity sparkling in her eyes. “And what’s that?”
“You.”
Her lips parted as if she wanted to challenge it, but her heartbeat was louder than her mouth that time.
“Yours, huh?”
I leaned in, pressing a kiss to her forehead like a promise inked in prayer.
“Already.”
And I meant that shit. With every cell, scar, and ounce of purpose stitched into my soul. I called Chambers to see if he could have someone from the station go pick up her car.
The sunlight crept through the blinds, slow and golden, spilling across Jonay’s back in warm, deliberate stripes like God Himself was tracing her spine with light. She stood at the stove barefoot in my hoodie, hood halfway off, sleeves swallowing her hands, wearing it like she owned not just the fabric, but the man it belonged to. Her bonnet was tilted just enough to be endearing, one loc slipping free, cheeks still flushed from sleep. She was humming something soft, sweet, low, and honeyed as she flipped the last pancake with the kind of grace that couldn’t be taught.
I didn’t just watch her.
I observed.
No… Iadmired, like she was art in motion and peace in real time.
“Smells like peace in here,” I muttered, rubbing my eyes and stretching as the scent of butter and vanilla hit me straight in the chest. “You cooked all that just off GP?”
She turned slightly, eyes glinting with thatdon’t-play-dumbenergy, and grinned. “You saved me and your son from a crash-out clown yesterday. TheleastI could do is bless you with pancakes, Detective Fine Shyt.”
I stepped behind her, arms sliding around her waist like muscle memory, and pressed a kiss to her temple. “Don’t spoil me, now. I’m the type to start expecting this every Saturday.”
She leaned into me, soft and sure, voice low and warm like syrup. “Then maybe I’ll give you a reason to.”
EJ came sliding into the kitchen in his fuzzy dinosaur slippers, voice high and excited. “Miss Pretty! I brushed my teeth! Can I have pancakes now?”
She squatted down to his level, kissing his cheek. “Of course, handsome. Go grab your plate.”
We ate like a real little family. Laughing. Teasing. Eating slowly. I poured syrup while EJ told me about some kid at day care named Malcolm who cried ’cause he lost his Spider-Man sock. Jonay rolled her eyes and said, “You’re raising the narrator of chaos, just so you know.”
After I cleaned up, I found her on the couch taking down the locs she had braided. They were now curly and framing her face, fresh and moisturized. I plopped down beside her and laced my fingers with hers.
“What’s your plans for today, Deputy Gorgeous?” I asked.
She let out a little sigh. “I’m gonna go check on my parents, see how my mama’s feeling. She’s been doing better, but still ain’t all the way there. Daddy’s trying to keep it together, but you know men like him—grieving in silence while they play strong.”
I nodded, squeezing her hand. “You got a good heart, baby. Don’t let nobody convince you otherwise.”
She smiled, but it was the weary kind, stretched thin with unspoken heaviness, the kind that held quiet storms behind the lips and looked like it took effort just to form.
“I just wanna make sure they good. All of this… Kam, yesterday… it reminded me how fast life can shift. I need to feel like I’m doing right by them, especially my mama. Jonell hasbeen calling like crazy since she left for her Court of Appeals training seminar. Jason and Leila have also been on edge.”
I pulled her into my chest, letting her breathe for a moment.
“You are doing right. And if you need help carrying any of that weight, you already know…”
“I know,” she whispered. “I ain’t gotta carry it alone.”
We sat there for a minute more, me holding her like I had the strength of ten men, her breath steadying like she could finally exhale.
And when she pulled back, eyes glinting with something soft and certain, she kissed me, not to say goodbye, but to say thank you.
By the time I pulled up to Jonay’s spot, the sun was laying low over Self Ridge, bleeding amber across the pavement like God had poured honey on the streets. It was that time of evening when everything looked soft, where even chaos had the decency to quiet down.
