“I’m gonna take Luna home. She wants to check on Yoni. I’ll just stick with her until we are ready to make our move,” Finn told Rose.
“You okay, Luna?” Minx looked past Rose at her friend.
“Yeah. I’m just tired, a little anxious. I need to see Yoni with my own two eyes,” she replied.
“Okay. Call me,” Minx said as Finn led her to the door.
She could tell that something was up with Luna, but right now she had other pressing things on her mind. It wasn’t the time for doubting a damn thing. She understood that Luna might be scared or in shock, but Minx’s mindset was making sure they stayed on point and didn’t fall apart in the midst of a crisis. Hell no it shouldn’t be normalized, but Minx didn’t know any other way of life. Her family usually always bounced back. Sometimes there were things that one could never recover from.
“What’s up with them?” Mille asked, picking up on the tension with Finn and Luna.
She’d been on the edge since the shooting.
“Nothing,” Minx said with a huff as her mother stirred.
“Max,” she muttered, breaking Minx’s heart.
She was at her mother’s side within seconds. With her hand covering hers, she tried to give her some kind of sense of comfort.
“Ma, it’s me,” Minx whispered timidly.
“Minx.” Mila’s beautiful eyes that matched hers fluttered open.
It was like looking into an old photograph of herself. Minx was undeniably beautiful, a glare of pain behind her eyes that gave Mila pause. The windows to her soul could reveal a lot to someone that took the time to know her. Draping herself over her mother, Minx embraced her. Mila winced. Her wounds were fresh, and she still had to take her time shifting in the bed or she would get hit with a sharp pain. Like she had many times in her childhood, Minx rested her head against her mother’s stomach and lay there. The rhythm of her body when she breathed was soothing. Mila caressed her back gently, and her eyes caught Rose’s.
“Where’s Max?” Mila asked, her voice hoarse and cracking as her brows knitted above her eyes.
Minx tugged away and peered up at her, confused. With a quivering bottom lip, she almost came undone. Was there something wrong? Did Mila not remember them?
“Mama, what are you talking about? Are you okay?” Minx questioned.
“I’m fine. Why you staring at me like I’m a mental patient or something?” Mila chastised, annoyed.
“Ma, Daddy is dead. We buried him over a month ago,” Minx broke the news.
Mila closed her eyes, and realized that they didn’t know. She was out of it. Hell, for all she knew, it could’ve been a damn dream, but she knew it wasn’t. He was real. His touch was real. His breath on her. His arms around her. She sucked in a deep breath that almost took her out before falling back into the pillows on the bed. She could tell by the glazed-over gaze that Rose wore that he was up on the news.
“You didn’t tell her?” Mila queried, and Minx shot a glance over her shoulder at Rose.
“What is she talking about?” she muttered between a tightly closed mouth.
“I told you I needed to tell you something.” Rose inched closer, and Minx was on her feet swiftly.
“Rose, what’s going on?” Her stomach fluttered anxiously.
“Finn just told me… Max is alive. He saw him with his own two fucking eyes,” Rose disclosed.
Minx didn’t move. Her entire body trembled where, and the waterworks filled her eyes.
“Don’t play with me, Rose.”
“I wouldn’t play about no shit like this, Minx. I said the same shit to Finn. This shit is legit,” Rose insisted.
Minx’s hand fell on her stomach, and she took a couple of stumbles back. The truth just about knocked her off her feet. She reached the chair that she sat in not long ago and slowly lowered herself into it. Developing a slight rock, she sat and brought her hands to her face before she fell over crying. Rose knelt at her side. He let her get it all out and then she met his concerned gaze with red rimmed eyes.
“He’s really alive?” she asked through tears.
“In the flesh.” Mila joined in.
