“You ever thought what would happen if me and Rose got together?” Minx asked, reminding Mila of when she was a little girl.
The time was limited for her after Mickey was killed. Minx seemed to mature from that day forward. She didn’t play with toys anymore and barely with other kids. School became her main focus, then Mille came along. Taking care of him was something Minx did without question. She never thought she’d have another sibling, so she cherished Mille from day one. Her parents were also young and still doing them so Minx was depended on often to care for her brother.
“Have you ever thought about it?” Mila prodded, giving her full attention.
“Ma, I wouldn’t be asking if I didn’t.” Minx shook her head.
“Well, then yes. I have always thought about it. You two have always had this connection that I never quite understood until you got older. Rose became your protector. He took Mickey’s spot when she left you. He is your best friend, and… I think that he would die for you. He loves you in a way not even I or your father do. It’s deep, baby.”
“Can’t be too deep if he can just push me away,” Minx muttered.
“Let me explain something to you. Men can be dumb. Like little school bus slow, chile. Your father was the worst. He talked shit and teased and taunted me for years. It took him seeing me with someone else to finally step to me. Pride in men can be a good and bad thing. Especially a stubborn ass black man.” Mila laughed as she thought about Max.
“Well, I don’t know about Gannon either. He’s good to me when he’s around. But even when I am with him, Rose is never far from my mind. The nigga should be paying me rent as much as he’s in my head.”
“Rose loves you, Minx. Give him time. But you do not have to put your life on hold for him. I love him too, but he’s a man at the end of the day. If he’s smart, like your father, he will get it right,” Mila assured her.
She passed her the joint, and Minx inhaled deep. After finishing the session with her mother, she went to check on Brenyn. Since she was sleeping soundly, Minx went to her own bedroom and climbed into her bed. Even though Rose had left the house, she still felt him. She flashed back to all the times he lay in bed with her over the years. The fact that they were the opposite sex wasn’t something either of them ever really focused on. Glancing at the empty pillow beside her, she would give anything to have him there now.
Rose sped through the streets to get to his gym. It was late, but he needed to do something to blow off all the frustration he had going on inside him. Minx had thrown him off his square, and she was the only one that had the power to do such a thing. His foot mashed the gas all the way to his destination. It was after midnight, but he wasn’t surprised to find Nadia’s car parked. The gym was twenty-four hours, and it brought in a pretty steady income.
Practicing boxers from all over came to spar and train inside. Nadia was good at bringing in new people too. She was fit and went to a lot of fights and such around town to keep up with who was who. She threw contests and everything. Rose was pretty lucky that she knew the business and was able to keep it running even when he wasn’t around. He shut off the car and hopped out with a duffel bag. Entering through the side door, he spotted afew guys sparring in the ring and Nadia on the sidelines with a clipboard watching them. Spotting Rose, she lit up.
“Hey, didn’t know you were coming in.” She traipsed right over, an immediate smile coming to her lips.
Reading the agitation on his face, she leaned toward him with her eyebrows dipped.
“Everything okay?” Nadia pressed.
“I’m good. I’m gonna go hit the bag over here. Don’t pay me no mind,” Rose declared, nodding behind him.
“A’ight.” Nadia watched him go, head down.
He was very unlike Rose right now, so she knew that something was up. She wasn’t going to prod. She’d let him work his shit out first and see if they could talk after. Rose slipped his boxing gloves on and went to town. For about forty-five minutes, he worked the punching bag until sweat dripped off him with every swing he took. It cloaked his forearm and soaked his hair as he took in a deep breath and snatched the gloves off to get a taste of water.
“So who pissed you off?” Nadia asked, coming up behind him.
In leggings, a tank top and Nike runners, she sported her hair swept up in a messy bun and hiked a brow in question.
“It’s nothing. Just needed to work some shit out,” Rose answered, tipping his bottle to his mouth.
He guzzled the water and took a few more deep breaths.
“Nothing usually means something. And something is typically Minx. So… you want to talk about the princess? Or you want to keep holding whatever it is inside?” Nadia questioned, grabbing the bag from behind and keeping it steady in front of her while peering back at Rose.
His eyes linked with hers for a brief second before he lowered them to the ground and tossed his gloves to the floor. The sweat dripping off of him only made him sexier, and Nadia’s womanlyparts all awakened, as usual. The nigga could be pouring water and be sexy as hell.
“I’m definitely not about to talk to you about her. So you can shut that shit down right now, ma. Quit making this shit into something it’s not. We fuck from time to time when I’m around, you run this place for me, and I’m appreciative, but I have nothing else for you. Find you somebody who’s going to be for you what you are for them. What you asking, I can’t give you. I can’t give anybody,” he huffed and finished his water.
“First of all, I’m not some needy ass little girl, Rose. I can get my own and keep my own. I don’t need you letting me down to do me. I thought one day you might look beyond everything else and see me for what I have always been for you… solid.” She remained deadpan, eyes locked on him. “Minx takes from you. Over and over again. She leaves you emotionally depleted?—”
“You don’t know shit about her… or me,” he corrected, backing away.
“I know that if you wanted to be with her, that’s where you would be,” she said dismissively. “It’s not that hard, Rose. Every time you have the choice… Minx is never it. That should tell you something.” Nadia nodded.
Her words infuriated Rose, mostly because she had a point. Now Rose was thinking of all the times he pushed away from Minx. How many times had he left her on stuck and taken off? He was always the one walking away from her. She had no idea how much of a sacrifice that was for him since he wanted nothing more than to indulge in her in every way. Nadia’s bird brain ass was actually making sense.
“You right.” He sniffed and used a towel from his bag to wipe the sweat off.
