Page 57 of Cuffed By Your Love

In the background, I heard a little boy’s voice, sleepy but sweet. “Daddy, lemme say hi!” There was some shuffling, then EJ’s voice came through the line, small and warm. “Hey, Ms. Pretty.”

My heart melted on impact. “Hey, cutie! You supposed to be in bed.”

“I know.” He yawned. “But Daddy said I could tell you good night.”

“Then you better tell me right,” I teased, smiling despite the weight in my chest. “Good night, EJ.”

“Good night,” he mumbled, voice fading as Elias coaxed him back into his room for bed.

A door clicked shut, soft footsteps, then Elias was back, voice lower, meant only for me. “Alright, gorgeous. What’s wrong?”

I blinked. “Nothing?—”

“Jonay.” The way he said my name, steady but sharp, cut right through the wall I was trying to hold up. “I hear it in your voice. You holding on to something. Talk to me, baby.”

My throat tightened. He’d only said a handful of words, but already, my eyes burned. I tried to laugh it off, weak. “You really think you know me like that?”

“I don’t think,” he said, quiet but firm. “I know. You sound different. Heavy. And I don’t like it. Tell me what’s up with you before I lose my mind, mama.”

I swallowed, staring at the nightstand drawer where my phone had trapped Kam’s ugly voicemails like poison in a jar. My chest ached with the decision.

“Elias…” My voice cracked, and I pressed a hand to my forehead. “It’s Kam. He… he’s been calling, leaving messages. He doesn’t sound like himself. He says… he saw me tonight.”

Silence stretched, thick as thunder waiting to break. Then Elias’s voice, deep and even, came through. “Don’t erase ’em. I want to hear everything. Tomorrow. You understand me?”

My lip trembled, but I nodded even though he couldn’t see me. “Yeah.”

“Good.” His tone softened. “Now listen to me, Jonay. You’re safe. I don’t care what time it is. If he calls again, you hit me up. I’ll handle it. You want me and EJ to come get you? I should’ve brought you home with me anyway.”

The tears finally fell, hot against my cheeks. “No, it’s okay. I just… I just want him to leave me alone.”

Elias exhaled, like he was holding his temper on a leash. “He will. I’ll make damn sure of it. But for tonight? You breathe. Lay that pretty head down and rest. I got you, baby.”

And the way he said it, low, reverent, and no hesitation, made me believe him.

I sniffled and swiped at my cheeks, but my voice still cracked. “I hate this. I hate that he’s still takin’ up space in my peace. I should’ve blocked him and never thought twice.”

“You don’t owe him nothin’,” Elias said, steady as stone. “Not a reply, not a look, not a damn thought. What he’s doing? That’s desperation. Ain’t got nothing to do with you. That’s him drowning in his own shit. But you? You’re not his to reach for. You mine now.”

Something in me shivered at that word:mine.Not possessive in the way Kam used to be, but grounding, like he was putting a lock on the chaos around me.

“Elias,” I whispered, breath shaky.

“Yeah, baby?”

“I’m scared.”

There was a pause, his breath deep and slow, like he was pulling his temper back with both hands. “I know, and I hate that. But you don’t gotta be scared alone. You hear me? Every time you feel that weight, call me. I don’t care if it’s three AM. I’ll answer. I’ll pull up. Whatever you need, gorgeous.”

My throat tightened. “Why you so good to me?”

He let out a soft laugh, low and warm. “Good to you? Baby, this is the bare minimum. You don’t even know how much more I plan to give.”

I curled into my pillow, clutching it to my chest. His voice was in my ear, but it felt like his arms were already around me. “Say something else,” I whispered. “Something to make it quiet in my head.”

“Close your eyes.” His voice dropped, smooth and commanding, but gentle. “Picture my hand right there, on your lower back, my thumb drawing them little circles like I do. You feel that?”

I nodded against the pillow. “Yeah.”