At that point, she was squeezing him so tight, he had to adjust them so that he could breathe. A red heart was the last message in the sky before everything went still again.
Nahla focused on him again. “I already am yours, Cannon.”
He shook his head.
“I told you, I wanted to slow us down for a minute. Not what we feel for each other, because that’s solid. But the way westarted was wild. Everything moved fast, and we just kind of fell into a relationship.”
He kissed her. “I love where we’re at, but I don’t ever want you to feel like you were an accident, an afterthought, or just part of the chaos.
“We’re not together because you needed my protection. We’re together because I want you bad. Because you’re the peace I never knew I could have, and because I’m in love with you. I want to be intentional in how I show that.
“So, Nahla Avery . . .”
One of the servers brought another covered dish to the table. When she uncovered it, it was a fancy-looking dessert with the words“Will you be my woman?” written in chocolate on the plate.
She wiped the tears that fell and kissed her teeth.
“Duh,” she said before hugging him again as a violinist stepped onto the deck and began to play.
He tightened his arms around her and pressed his lips to her temple, relishing in the reality that this was his life now. Cannon Porter—the guarded, antisocial recluse—was a man in love. It was funny how life sometimes worked. Cannon had spent so many years building walls around his heart to feel safe, but Nahla built a home inside them. And he wouldn’t trade that for anything.
Six Months Later
on Veterans Day
Dream had gone all out.Ignitelooked nothing like a sports bar tonight. A large projector was placed at the front of the central area, spotlights swept across a red carpet, an extravagant balloon arch, a Hollywood-esque backdrop, and one wall was lined with framed cinematic posters. The posters were of Nahla’s film,Built to Protect—An Ode to our Unsung Heroes.
Nahla stood in the middle of it all, taking it in.
Eight months ago, she was a career-obsessed millennial, hiding in a safe house, because of a print article she had written, and now, her life had done a complete 180.
Just two nights ago, she and Cannon had attended theLangston Writing Awardceremony in New York City. This year, she had been the recipient of theLangston Prize for Investigative Journalismfor her Lyle article.
Tonight, she was celebrating the release of her first feature film. When she started writing Cannon’s story, she realized it would be so much more powerful as a visual. Nahla was eager to have his story heard and to expand her storytelling capabilities into film.
The most significant change in her life, though, was definitely Cannon. She never would have guessed that she would be this in love and sure about a man in less than a year of knowing him, but . . . she was. Cannon Porter was it for her, and as different as this relationship was from the plan she had for her life, she wouldn’t change it for a thing.
Dream rushed over to Nahla and squealed. “Girl, I’m so excited! Do you love the setup? Because I’m obsessed.”
Nahla laughed and nodded. “It’s amazing, Dream. I can’t believe you did all this for little old me.”
Dream waved Nahla off. “Girl, bye. You’ve beenkillin’it. I am beyond proud of all you’ve accomplished, and it’s only right that we celebrate you.”
Dream pulled Nahla in for a hug. As they pulled apart, Nahla noticed her brother, sister, and father enter the building. They spotted her immediately and approached her.
“Hey, sissy! I’m so excited for you,” her sister said, hugging Nahla first.
Her brother kissed her cheek and brought her into his side. “Proud of you, Sis.”
Last was her father. He usually didn’t show much affection but surprised her by enveloping her in his arms. “I’m proud of you, too, sweetheart. Your mother would be too.” He kissed thetop of her head before releasing her, and Nahla had to stifle tears.
After she and Cannon returned from Venice, her father reached out to her to have a talk. Of course, Cannon insisted on accompanying her, and when they got to his home, her siblings were there. She thought it would be an intervention about the dangers of her job, but the conversation really surprised her.
Her father was the first to speak. He told her that he had read her entire article and was deeply moved by it. He was shocked that so many Black families had been suffering in silence and said that he felt proud to say his daughter was the one responsible for righting all those wrongs.
They had an open and honest dialogue about how she felt like the black sheep of the family. Each of them acknowledged the distance, apologized, and vowed to do better. The four of them had been growing closer ever since.
“Thanks, guys. Thanks so much for coming.” She showed them to the food area, and they helped themselves when Cannon wrapped his arms around her from behind.
