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Zuri had her back to me as she picked up a heavy bag. Her brown skin was more flawless than ever. In fact, it was glowing. She wore this sexy green dress, that looked business casual, but could barely hide her plump ass.
She looks so damn good.
Her dreadlocks were even longer than the graduation picture. They fell long past her shoulders and down her back.
And then there was her body.
Even curvier.
I grunted and stepped out further.
Carmen played with one of the ornaments on the tree, wearing green jeans and a green sweater with gold presents stitched on the sleeves. Candy cane barrettes held up two ponytails.
Zuri turned around and brought the bag in.
Instantly my eyes met Zuri’s.
She screamed and dropped the bag. “Ah!”
“Oh no.” I shook my head. “I don’t want to scare you—”
“What the fuck?!” Shock and disbelief washed over her face, and fast she raced over to the Christmas tree, reached into her purse, and yanked out a gun. With the other hand, Zuri wrenched Carmen behind her. “Help! Help! Someone broke in!”
She’s got a gun now?
“Hold on.” I held up my hands. “Zuri, It’s me. Dante. I’m sorry. I didn’t want to scare you.”
The gun remained pointed at me, and the safety was definitely off.
Jesus Christ. When did she start being okay with guns.
For the first time that day, I was scared I might actually get shot. “It’s me, Zuri. Dante.”
Those gorgeous eyes took me in—large, expressive, and deep brown.
She kept the gun on me. Disbelief laced her voice. “Dante?”
“Yes.”
Carmen peeked out from behind her legs and widened her eyes. “You’re huge.”
“I am.”
Zuri blinked. “What the hell are you doing here?! How did you even get in my apartment?”
I was trying to speak, but my gaze went back to Carmen. Up close, she looked so much like her mother, but there was some of me in her as well.
That’s my nose and my eyebrows. She even stands like me.
The vision tugged at my heart.
Carmen tapped her thigh. “Mommy?”
“It’s okay, baby.” Zuri’s bottom lip quivered. “It’s. . .okay. I think.”
I got control of myself. “It is. . .I swear I didn’t come to hurt you. I have no weapons. I just. . .wanted to see you and her.”
Carmen stared at me. “Mommy, who is that?”
I saw Zuri struggling to find the words, her eyes filled with tears, her body trembled. I took a step forward, wanting to comfort her, to make everything right again, but knowing that it wouldn’t be that easy.
She raised the gun to my head. “Stay right there.”
“Okay.” I kept my hands up. “I’m sorry.”
Carmen hugged Zuri’s leg. “M-mommy. . .”
Zuri lowered her voice. “It’s your. . .daddy, sweetheart.”
“Daddy?” Carmen’s eyes lit up with wonder and excitement. “From out of space!”
What?
Zuri frowned. “Yes, baby. Apparently, his space mission is over.”
Oh. I’m an astronaut.
Chapter 9
Emotional Distance
Zuri finally lowered the gun.
The distance between us felt more emotional than physical. Still, I took a tentative step forward, wanting nothing more than to bridge the gap and hold them both.
“Stay right there.” Zuri put the gun back on safety and kept it at her side. “I'm still trying to wrap my head around this surprise break-in.”
Gritting my teeth, I remained in my spot. “Okay. Again, I'm sorry about letting myself in.”
The moment was delicate, like a single blossom blooming after an endless winter.
Surely, the air sparkled with my anticipation.
Carmen clung to Zuri's leg. She was adorable, a living symbol of everything I had missed and everything I longed to be a part of.
“You're really. . .here.” Zuri put the gun back in her purse and set it down by the table. It was still close, telling me that her defenses had not fully crumbled, and the gun was not forgotten.
Earlier she had moved so fast, I was certain she could have it out again and aiming my way before I got to her.
I quirked my brows. “When did you get the gun?”
She sighed. “A month after you went to. . .space.”
Carmen beamed. “The moon, Mommy.”
“Yes.” Zuri cleared her throat. “A few months after you went to the moon. I thought it was a smart investment since. . .I kept happening to see some of your old friends linger around my block and old job.”
The line of my jaw twitched.
Of course, Francesca had set some capos around to watch Zuri.
I figured as much.
There were tons of Crimson Mob in prison, including some of Francesca's favorite cousins. I never spoke to them during the whole five years. They remained on their side, and I stayed on mine.
I assumed that if I touched them, she would go after Zuri.
I couldn't let that happen.
“Dante. . .” Zuri whispered, my name as if I were a ghost from her past. Unfortunately, in some ways, I was.
I swallowed the lump in my throat. “I've missed so much, and I'm here to. . .make it right, Zuri. If you'll let me.”
