Page 113 of Cannon

I rolled my eyes, but couldn’t help smiling. “Not Cannon. He’s done with Sylk Road too. Actually, he came into some money recently.”

“Oh?” Nori raised an eyebrow. “How convenient. So y’all both ready to walk away. What’s really going on with you two? And don’t give me that ‘just friends’ bullshit.”

Heat crept up my neck, and I took a long sip of my water to hide my smile. “It’s complicated.”

“Complicated my ass.” Nori leaned forward, eyes sparkling with curiosity. “Spill it.”

I bit my lip, knowing I couldn’t hide it anymore. Something about saying it out loud made it feel more real, more dangerous.

“He’s… different, Nori.” The words came out soft. “Not like these other niggas. He sees me… like, really sees me. Not just Queen the club owner or Queen the boss bitch. He sees the scared little girl underneath all that, and he don’t run from it. He tames the wildness in me. He gives me a space to be vulnerable and taken care of. I don’t have to be in control with him. I can fully lose control.”

“Mmm hmm.” Nori’s smile widened. “Go on.”

“At first I thought he was just another pretty face with muscles, you know? But then…” I shook my head, remembering how he’d held me the night my mama died, how he hadn’t tried to fix it or shut down my pain with empty words. “He listens. Actually listens. And he ain’t afraid of my attitude or my bad moods.”

“Sounds like somebody’s caught feelings,” Nori teased, but her eyes were soft with understanding.

“Girl, I’m drowning in them.” I laughed, the admission feeling like relief. “I tried to keep him at arm’s length, you know how I do. But he just… waited. Patient as hell, like he knew I’d come around eventually. Actually he bulldozed through my walls. In more ways than one.”

“Wait, how old is Cannon anyway? He looks younger than us.”

I rolled my eyes. “He’s thirty. And I’m forty.”

“So ten years,” Nori raised an eyebrow. “You got YN! Does that bother you? Being the older woman?”

“I think you gotta be in your twenties to be a YN. And at first, yeah,” I admitted. “I kept thinking he’d want some young thing without all my baggage. But Cannon says he’s lived enough life to know what he wants.” My voice softened. “And for some crazy reason, what he wants is me.”

“The age thing don’t bother him?”

“Not even a little. Says he likes a woman who knows her mind.” A smile tugged at my lips. “First time we were together, I tried to take control like I always do, and he just… wasn’t having it. Pinned my hands above my head and told me to let go, that he had me.”

Nori fanned herself dramatically. “And did you? Let go?”

“Eventually.” Heat crept up my neck at the memory. “Wasn’t easy. You know I don’t surrender control to nobody. But with him…” I shook my head, searching for words. “It feels safe somehow. Like I can finally breathe.”

“Damn, Queen. I ain’t never heard you talk about a man like this before. Not even Javi.”

“Especially not Javi,” I scoffed. “Cannon is everything Javi pretended to be.”

Before Nori could respond, our server approached with a tray loaded with food. The aroma of buttery crab cakes and rich lobster grits filled the air as she set down plate after plate between us.

“Damn, that looks good,” Nori said, eyeing the spread. The red velvet pancakes were stacked high, topped with cream cheese frosting that dripped down the sides. The oysters glistened on a bed of ice. “You really went all out on this apology brunch.”

I picked up my fork, pushing the food around my plate. My appetite had been touch and go these last few days, but seeing Nori’s face light up made it worth it.

“I really am sorry, Nori,” I said again, my voice low. “I should’ve trusted you. After everything we’ve been through…”

“Girl, stop.” Nori waved her hand dismissively as she dug into her crab cake. “You already apologized, and I already forgave you. We good.”

“No, we ain’t just ‘good.’ I need you to know how much you mean to me.” I reached across the table, grabbing her free hand. “You’ve been there through everything the good, the bad, the ugly. When everyone else walked away, you stayed.”

Nori’s eyes softened as she squeezed my hand. “That’s what real friends do.”

“It’s all good. And when you and that fine YN get married, I want to be the maid of honor.”

“Ha!” I’ll make sure of it.

We finished our meal laughing and reminiscing about the old days—before Sylk Road, before ZaZa, before all the complications life had thrown at us. It felt good to breathe again, like some invisible hand had finally loosened its grip around my throat.