“Good night,” I said, laughing, backing out the door before they started grilling us.
On the way home, the twins talked nonstop in the back seat.
“Ms. S looked so pretty,” Reece said.
“She’s always pretty,” Reagan replied. “But tonight, she looked loved.”
I swallowed as my hands tightened on the wheel. That was the plan.
Loved wasn’t a word to me. Loved was action. Loved was consistency. Loved was covering her without controlling her. Loved was making sure she could exhale.
Later, after they settled in, I sat on the edge of my bed and finally opened Terryn’s thread.
We needed to talk in person, somewhere public, where there could not be room for misinterpretation, just conversation.
I’m moving differently now.I hit send and put the phone face down. My mind was not with her. It was with a woman whose freckles still burned behind my eyes and whose laugh sat in my chest like something worth guarding.
This, . . . what I was feeling with Solè, was different. From the moment I laid eyes on her at The Pour House, I knew she was special. Now that I’d been in her presence, I knew for a fact that she was my forever. I was grateful the twins liked her, and she seemed to have a special teacher bond with each of them. It was one I knew would only become stronger as we got closer. That was just who she was: loving, nurturing, and anyone could drown in her essence of just being.
I lay back, staring at the ceiling. For the first time in a long time, my life did not feel like I was just surviving. It felt like I had just met the reason I’d been staying ready.
Me:
Good morning! I know you don’t need luck. You’re going to wow them for sure today in your interview. I can’t wait to see you afterwards.
After I droppedNan at The Pour House, I texted Roman to wish him luck with his interview. I wanted him to get it. He felt like a breath of fresh air: consistent without smothering, intentional, always showing up, even helping Nan around the house. What kept startling me was how he never treated my softness as weakness; he handled it like something to protect with clean hands.
And getting to know him meant letting someone see past my teacher voice and caretaker armor, . . . admitting I wanted love I didn’t have to earn by overextending myself.
He teased me about falling for a swim champ when I couldn’t even float, and he offered to teach me. I’d never been so nervous, not just of water, but of surrender, trusting my body to his guidance, letting myself be cared for, and realizing I might like it too much. I was used to being the caretaker . . . I didn’t really know how to receive.
I climbed into my car and turned on the ignition when a call radiated through my car’s speakers. My face immediately lit up when I saw it was Roman.
“Good morning, love! Thank you. I just wanted to hear your voice. You heading to work?”
“Yes. I just got in the car.”
“You have ya Bluetooth connected? I need you safe, baby.”
I smiled from ear to ear. “Yes, I have my Bluetooth connected, sir.”
There was something about the way he cared firmly, gently, matter-of-factly that made me feel held, even through a speaker. I didn’t have to beg him to consider me. He did it automatically, like breathing.
He groaned low, and I chuckled softly.
“You know I like that shit.”
My stomach flipped, and I gripped the wheel to stay grounded. The audacity of him to be sweetandbold, and the audacity of me to like it.
“You’re a mess. What are we doing after work today to celebrate your job as the new head swim coach?”
I said it like it was already done. I believed in him, in how he worked for what he wanted. Roman didn’t move like a man who hoped; he moved like a man who built. “Damn, you got a lotof faith in your man. I like that, baby. Long as I’m with you, we good.”
I giggled. He was funny, even when he was serious. Something in me softened anyway, even though I knew not to melt too fast. I’d trained myself to stay steady, but Roman made it feel safe to be a little undone.
“I speak life and prosperity over people I care about,” I said before I could shrink it. My daddy and NanNan always taught me words carry power—especially in love. The second it left my mouth, I felt exposed. Caring loudly was stepping into sunlight with no shade.
“I appreciate it. I care about your sweet ass too, Connie. I don’t want to distract you too much longer. Be careful driving, baby, please.”
