“What’s going on?” Minx asked, lingering in the doorway with a frown.
“Oh, um… I need you to take your brother with you to Rose’s place. Just for a few days until things cool off around here.” Mila was eager as she stuffed some of his video games into the bag and zipped it.
With her hands on her hips, she took in her daughter and then her son. The last couple of weeks were rough, and she wasn’t sure how much more she could take. Minx looked into her mother’s eyes, and felt the shift between them almost immediately. She no longer held her in this perfect, flawless light. Most people looked up to celebrities and shit like that, but Minx admired her mother the most. She was the epitome of strength, and that used to be what she saw when she looked at her. However, that image was different.
“Okay, we can have a sleepover.” Minx perked up with enthusiasm, but the way Mille eyed her faltered the grin she had plastered across her face. She was faking, and he knew it. She and her baby brother were very in tune.
“I have to get back to school,” Mille chimed in.
“And we will get you there. It’s the weekend. You can start Monday.” Minx walked over to the bed and snatched up his bag. “Come on. I need a distraction anyway.” She and Mila soaked in the other. “Are you sure you’re going to be okay here? You can’t survive off frozen pizza and Uber Eats, Ma.”
Mila smirked, and her eyes dropped to her feet. When she brought them back up, there were tears and shame clouding her face. Minx softened, and stood in front of her mother.
“Take care of yourself,” she insisted, gently touching her arm. “Come on, Mil.” She urged her brother to his feet, and they marched to the door together.
“Minx—” her mother called out to her.
“Yeah?” She paused, spinning so that they were facing one another.
“I love you.” Mila’s voice cracked as the tears broke through.
She quickly pushed them back and sucked in a deep breath.
“I love you too, Ma. To the moon and back,” Minx recited like she had a few times before in her childhood.
Mila knew in that one moment that she and Minx would heal. It would take some time, but they were all each other had now other than Mille.
“You know I got him.” She nodded to her mute brother while ushering him out of his room and into the hallway. The dynamics of their relationship were surely altered, but it wasn’t unrepairable.
Minx guided Mille out of the house and down the steps. Pretty soon, they were taking off to Rose’s place. Mille looked around at first, standing in the front entry with Rose and Minx. He saw Rose slide up behind his sister in a way that a man did when he was with a woman. He’d seen his father do it on many occasions with his mother. Frowning, Mille’s stare bounced from Minx to Rose and back again.
“So y’all like… together now?” he asked, and Minx actually blushed.
“Stay out my business, kid.” She laughed and shook her head. “Are you hungry?”
“Nah. Where am I sleeping? I just want to lay down,” Mille told her.
“Up the stairs, first door on the left.” Rose nodded toward the staircase behind him.
“Thanks.” He carried his bag up the steps, and Minx watched after him as Rose held her from behind.
“He’s going to be okay. Just give him some time,” he said in her ear.
“What happened tonight, Rose? And don’t tell me nothing. Between you and my mama, I know something is up.” She swung around so that they were face-to-face.
He grabbed her face with both hands and brought her in for a kiss. Moving a hand on her lower back, drawing her into his strong body, he slipped his tongue into her mouth. Minx melted in his embrace. He kissed her like he needed her, like a lung to breathe, and she reveled in it. Too long they hadn’t been like this, so she was taking every ounce of affection that he dished out.
“This ain’t for you to worry about. The less you know, the better. Just keep your eyes and ears to everything around you, at all times,” Rose reminded her.
“Did you see Nadia today?” Minx rested her hands on his shoulders and stared into his hooded eyes.
“Yeah, I saw her.” Rose ran his hand down his face and backed up.
Minx wasn’t oblivious to how he tensed up at the mention of her name, and that made her nervous. Everything about Rose’s relationship with the bitch twisted her up inside, and made her insecure. There was something about her that always pulled him back to her. Little did Minx know, the exact reservations she had about Nadia, the girl had about her.
“And how did that go?” She prodded, face scrunching up as she watched him run his hand over the waves on top of his head.
He only did that when he had something else on his mind. He was preoccupied, and Minx was curious.
