Black: Part 4 (Black Series) by Kelly Harper

wouldn’t be so convincing if I hadn’t given you a reason to doubt me in the first place.”
    I shake my head.
    “I don’t doubt you. Not anymore. And not ever again. I love you, and that’s really all that matters.”
    Calvin kisses me on the head again and I find a way to nuzzle myself even deeper into his arms. I just want to lay here forever with him. I don’t ever want to have to leave. There’s so much peace here. Everything is so simple. Everything just works… When I let it.
    “Let’s get out of here,” Calvin says, breaking the silence.
    I bite my lip, nervous.
    “Do you need to get back to the club?” I ask, trying to hide the disappointment I feel about him needing to go back to work. But it is a Friday night, and I kind of dragged him away from his responsibilities. I’m just lucky he was able to spend as much time with me as he has.
    “No, that’s not what I mean. Let’s really get out of here. Let’s go some place far away. Some place where we can start making new memories and start filling up that blank board.”
    Calvin’s tone is flat and honest. There’s not even the slightest hint of a joke in what he said.
    “You’re serious, aren’t you?”
    He nods.
    “I’ve never been more serious. I can’t think of anything I’d rather do.”
    “But what about the club? What about your work? You told me it would fall apart without you…”
    He shrugs.
    “Then let it fall apart. I’m starting to realize that there are more important things in life than work.” He gives me an intense look, then a smile spreads across his face. “Besides, I’ve been told I’m a bit of a control freak. Maybe the place would be better off without me.”
    I roll my eyes but can’t stop the smile he puts on my face. Hearing those words come from him is almost surprising. He’s only saying them for my benefit. I know as well as he does that no one can live up to the standard that Calvin sets for himself. And that makes what he said all the more meaningful.
    “You really would walk away from all of it, wouldn’t you?” I ask.
    He considers the question for all of a half second before his head tilts in a simple nod.
    “Sofie, I’ve been a complete mess ever since you came back into my life. Whether you meant to or not, you forced me to consider things I’ve never wanted to think about before. And, thanks to you, I’ve been able to learn a great many things.”
    “Like what?”
    Calvin pauses a moment before responding. My heart quickens in anticipation of what he’s about to say.
    “I learned that I’ve built an empire around myself so that I wouldn’t have to confront the things I never wanted to face. Everything I’ve done since I drove you away has been to protect myself from realizing that I would never again find real happiness. But now that you’re back in my life, more and more the things I built to protect myself feel like a prison. It feels like the whole city is weighing me down, and I want nothing more than to be free of it. I don’t want to mix you in with all of the mistakes I’ve made over the years. I want build our life—together—instead of trying to figure out how to work with what we’ve got.” His lips purse into a thin smile before he presses them against my forehead. “But, ultimately, what I realized is that my place is by your side—whether it be in New York City or anywhere else. I’ll be happy as long as you’re with me.”
    By the time he finishes, my heart is pounding furiously in my chest. I’m dizzy from all of the thoughts and emotions running through my head. But even still, a single response manages to find its way to my lips.
    “How soon can we leave?”

Chapter 18

    Sofie

    “You’re really doing this, aren’t you?”
    Aimee leans against the corner of my cubicle. There’s an amused smile on her face while she watches me pack my personal belongings into a single brown box.
    I give her an excited smile.
    “I don’t know what came over me.