The beat to a song I’d never heard before dropped, and then I heard Quade’s voice come through the speaker, along with YFN Money’s. I whipped my head toward Quade, and he was grinning.
“Oh my God, it’s the song you did with Money,” I said, already bouncing in my seat. I knew he’d recorded it, but I’d never heard the song.
“Yeah, baby. You fucking with it?”
“Duh!” I started dancing like I wasn’t in my chair. I didn’t care that people might be watching us below. I was in a good mood, vibing out to the man I loved, even if we hadn’t said it yet. His voice boomed over the speakers, and my heart swelled.
“I’m so proud of you,” I said, making my way over to him. He turned toward me, that slow, crooked grin spreading across his face.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.” I continued rolling toward him, tapping the button by the balcony door on my way. One tap, and the clear glass tinted black, shutting out the crowd and lights from below. I could still hear the song from the speakers.
“What you doin’?” Quade’s brows lifted. I didn’t respond, just kept moving until my chair bumped his legs, pressing him back against the rail.
“Celebrating my man.”
“Oh, yeah?” His voice dropped, and his eyes lowered to me.
“Yep!”
He laughed under his breath as I leaned in closer and wrestled with the buckle on his pants.
“Damn,” he muttered once I popped his beautiful dick out. “You serious?”
“I don’t play about celebrating my man.” I kissed the tip of his head before sliding my tongue down the full length of him.
“Fuck!” He cupped the back of my head, sliding his hand into my hair. “Put yo’ eyes on me, baby,” he commanded breathlessly, and I did what he asked as I took him fully inside my mouth.
“You like that?”
“Mmm hmmm… That mouth is dangerous.”
I continued to suck. I didn’t think I’d get to feel this alive ever again, not after the diagnosis, not after the way my life changed. But here I was, out of town, giving my rapper boyfriend head ina private club suite. This little life we were building together was more than sex. It was a milestone. We were both letting go of the fear long enough to be happy.
LA had been good to me. I only had one bad pain day, and even that was nothing compared to what I was used to. Quade made sure the entire trip that I didn’t overdo it. He insisted I sleep in every morning. He made sure I took my meds before I rolled out of bed. I’d never felt that cared for. He was so attentive to my needs. I was sad when the trip was over.
“Okay, Miss California. You’re home.” Teagan grinned as she pulled into my driveway. She’d picked me up from the airport in her SUV since Quade got called into a last-minute studio session, something about a surprise feature that just came together. I told him to go. I understood he couldn’t waste the momentum of the moment.
Teagan cut the ignition, and I took a deep breath. As much as I’d enjoyed LA, I was happy to be home. Teagan greeted me at the passenger side with my chair, and I quickly transferred into it. By the time we got up the walkway, I could already tell something had changed. The scent of paint hit me first.
“Oh my God,” I whispered when Teagan unlocked the door. The walls were softer now—fresh gray with white trim, gold handles glinting against the light. Even the baseboards looked brand new. “They widened the door.” My eyes darted down the hallway to my bedroom. They had widened all the doors.
“Yep,” Teagan said proudly. “Rico and James came by when you were gone, Quade’s orders. He said it was the perfecttime since you’d be out. They even added guard rails in the bathroom.”
I smiled as my eyes gazed at my home. “They’re really almost done.”
“Yep. Kitchen’s the last thing left. I told you this place was going to come together.”
My chest warmed with gratitude for my sister. If not for her, none of this would have been possible. It felt like my new beginning was finally taking shape. I made my way into my art room as Teagan wheeled my luggage inside. I smiled. My flowers were still alive and well, beautifully placed around the room.
“Your little garden is still alive, thanks to me.” Teagan followed my gaze and snorted. “You better tell your man to cut me a check for watering all this damn love.”
I laughed. “You act like it was hard.”
“It was,” she said. “I had to rotate the vases, talk nicely to the roses. I’m adding gardener to my résumé.”
I shook my head, grinning as she handed me a fresh bouquet of “Today’s flowers.”
