Promise Me You Won't Let Me Fall 2

Copyright © 2021 by Perri Forrest All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. Without limiting the right under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form by means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the copyright owner. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental. Cover Design Perri Forrest Photos (c) Deposit Photos Contents Dedication Introduction 1. Cadence Tucker 2. Leslie Jackson 3. Cadence 4. Joaquin Owens 5. Yazid Wright 6. Leslie 7. Yazid 8. Percy Barris 9. Cadence 10. Yazid 11. Cadence 12. Yazid 13. Cadence 14. Yazid 15. Leslie 16. Noelle Brinks 17. Cadence 18. Yazid 19. Cadence 20. Cadence 21. Yazid 22. Joaquin 23. Cadence 24. Percy 25. Cadence 26. Yazid 27. Cadence 28. Yazid 29. Yazid 30. Yazid 31. Cadence 32. Cadence 33. Cadence 34. Cadence 35. Cadence 36. Cadence 37. Dana Dixon 38. Cadence 39. Cadence 40. Cadence 41. Yazid 42. Cadence 43. Joaquin 44. Cadence 45. Yazid 46. Cadence 47. Cadence 48. Yazid & Cadence Epilogue Connect With Me Other Books By Perri Forrest Taninha … Baby Girl. It’ll be a year next month. A year. Still surreal. Still feels like yesterday. I miss you all day and every single day. This hasn’t gotten easier. I still wanna text, I still wanna call. I still want my sister here with me. All I can do, at this point, is keep doing what I need to do make you proud. And I will. I love you, forever… 2 days before Valentine’s Day Friday, February 12, 2021 “Baby, you for sure-for sure? Because I ain’t gon’ lie… I’d rather it be me to make the call.” I looked at Yazid, and smiled before rubbing the side of his beautiful golden face. “I know you would. But, no. It’s gonna be real quick. Because of the person that I am, I’m just letting him know that a test is being done. It’s courtesy.” “Courtesy that you don’t owe his punk-ass.” “I know. And not that it changes shit. He still ain’t coming anywhere near my son.” “Damn right he ain’t,” Yazid shot defensively. “Yeah. And whether Cam is his—” “Which we know he’s not,” Yazid stated confidently, as he leaned down to give me a peck on the lips. He pulled back, and those sexy green eyes bore into mine. “Me and Cam… connect. And he got my family’s eyes, baby. He got our complexion. That’s me all day.” He smiled, and I melted. “We already know what it is.” In my heart, I knew it to be the truth—Cameron was mine and Yazid’s. But I guess I just didn’t want to get my hopes up way high, only to be knocked back down. Looks could be deceiving. I’d seen enough of Maury’s ‘Paternity Test’ episodes to know that shit. So, I figured I’d play it cool. Nevertheless, in a few days, we’d know what Yazid seemed to already be owning … and what I wished for every day, since we realized it was a possibility. “I love you so much.” “I love you too, girl. Even though you took sex from a nigga, and then ditched on the bill. Left me feelin’ used.” He broke out laughing, like he had just told the world’s greatest joke. “Whatever. You didn’t even remember me! How the hell would you know that you felt used? Stop playin’ with me!” “Sheeid, that tight-ass rubber wrapped around my dick like a chokehold, let me know somethin’ happened! Let me know that I’d been taken advantage of, and then shook!” I rolled my eyes, before belting out a loud laugh. “Get gone from here,” I told him, between the laughter. “So, I’m lyin’?” he challenged. “Bye, Yazid. I’m not doin’ this with you.” He sucked his teeth, then bit down on his lip. “But the shit I wanna do wit’ you, though.” “Goodbye, sir!” “Okay,” he agreed. “I’m leavin’, but you and Cam be dressed by six because I’ll be back to take y’all out to dinner.” He rolled over on his side, then threw his legs off the bed. That toned, tatted, and golden back, that I loved caressing… stared at me. I wanted to reach out and touch it. But that would just derail the morning. So I summoned up some self-control. “Alright, sweet thang. Me and the kid dressed by six. Will do.” I blushed so hard watching his fine ass walk out of my bedroom. I wanted to delay the day, getting underway, so that I could lay back down with him. Whew! That strong back, neck, arms… “Damn, baby,” I sighed under my breath. That’s a grown-ass man. And, goddamn… he’s all mine. About twenty minutes later, Yazid left out. I spent another few minutes laying there grinning like a Cheshire cat, about the night we had. When I finally left euphoria, I threw the sheets off of me, swung my legs off the side, and stepped into my furry slippers. I did a light stretch, lifting up on my tiptoes and letting out a long, loud sigh. Okay, girl, get the phone and get this shit over with, I inwardly coached myself. Each number I pressed on the keypad, made me rethink my decision to call at all—literally, each one. But I kept on pressing until I had entered all ten digits. When the phone started to ring, I padded over to my bedroom balcony, where I drew the wooden shutters. I needed a view, and the trees and blue skies provided a nice one. By the third ring, I was ready to hang up and just say, ‘fuck it.’ But the person