I giggled and pushed him away. “You’ll have me on the weekends.”
His expression turned serious as he scowled at me. “The weekends aren’t enough, Kandi.”
“Then I’m sure we can work out something more. I’ll be available to you, baby. But in the meantime, I have to figure out funding and how to connect with my client base. I’ve already put together a pitch and a marketing plan to share with some of my former employers.”
“Don’t worry about the funding. I’ve got you covered, and as for clients, I have some connections that I’ll send to you.”
“No, Kayn. I don’t want you to do that. This is my responsibility, and I can handle it.”
“I want to do this, baby. Let me support you.”
“Kayn, if I rely on you, then how will I know if I’m really capable of making this happen? Besides, I want to be financially secure and stable.”
He brushed his lips over mine and stared into my eyes. “And you can still be all of that with my support. Listen, I don’t know how you’re looking at this, but you’re mine. And as long as you’re my woman, I’ll always support you and make sure that you’re good. I will give you everything to make sure that you’re successful.”
“I don’t want you to feel like I’m using you.”
“Why would I ever feel that way, Kandi? You’re not using me. Consider me a private investor.”
I hesitated and thought about it for a moment.
“On one condition, Kayn.”
“What’s that?” he asked, tugging my T-shirt down and kissing my shoulder.
“You let me repay you when I’m financially able to.”
He pulled away and mugged me. “Hell no!”
“What? Why not?”
“Because, as a man, it’s my responsibility to take care of my woman and make sure that she wants for nothing. You’ve got your ways of taking care of me and making sure that I’m good, now let me do what I need to so that I can make sure that you’re good. This is the one thing that I’ve always wanted: someone to love and someone who would love me back. I wanted to be responsible for another soul and protect them. You give me that, Kandi. Everything that I’ve been running from and needing all at the same time, I found in you. Don’t fight me on this, baby. I promise you’ll lose every time.”
My heart melted as I looked into Kayn’s eyes. He had always been so independent and focused on protecting himself. For the first time in a long time, he was connected to someone else, and he wanted to be able to be there for me. And I wanted that for him too.
I sighed, hooked my hands behind his neck, and massaged the outer parts of his neck.
“Fine. You win, Mr. Kayn.”
His lips turned up into a gentle smile. Kayn winked at me and replied, “Nah, girl. We both win.”
Kayn pressed into my lips and slowly took his time kissing me thoroughly and conveying how much I meant to him.
30
KANDIKAYN / CANDYCANES
Kayn
ONE YEAR LATER – CHRISTMAS DAY
“For so long, I wandered from place to place, looking for the place that I belonged. All along, God was preparing me for the place that I would be able to call home. That’s here in your arms and your heart. Whereas I thought I was happy before, with you, I am fulfilled, and my life has a new purpose and meaning. I vow to be your greatest cheerleader and prioritize our family’s happiness and security above all else. I will be your biggest ally and encourage you in the wins and the losses.
“I will sit with you in the silence and be the biggest voice when you have none. My ways may not always be perfect, but my love for you will be. I promise to be your peace and make our home a haven. I will be your sanctuary, and I promise not to judge but to have patience with you when you’re going through the storms. Today, I give you my hand, my heart, and my life. You are my person, Emmanuel Kayn. I knew it from the momentthat I first laid eyes on you. You will always be my person, and I will always be yours, today, forever, and for always.”
She slid the ring onto my finger. I inhaled deeply but could not hold back the moisture that dampened my eyes when I saw the tears in hers. Only with this woman could I be this emotional, this naked, and this open. She made me feel safe to be me.
“Kandi, I was running from life and love until I met you. After meeting you, I realized that I was running from myself. There was a gaping wound inside of me that no one could heal or fill. I realized that it wasn’t because of what my parents had done to me, that I couldn’t be healed and whole. It was because that part of my heart had not found its complement yet, its perfect mate. You are the perfect complement to my heart and to my life. I am a richer, stronger, wiser, and completely whole man because of having you in my life.
