“Hell yeah. You want pink? Purple? Gold? Whatever color you want, we rockin’ it.”
Her smile stretched wide. “We should do pink.”
I pointed at her. “Say less.”
For a minute we sat there talkin’ about outfits and shoes and how she wanted her nails painted. Then she yawned and leaned into my arm, soft like she been mine from birth.
I kissed her forehead. “A’ight, my Z. Time for bed. We gotta be outta here bright and early.”
She nodded slow, still sleepy, and lifted her hand so we could do our handshake. We tapped palms, slid across, locked thumbs, spun our wrists, and pulled each other in for a fist bump.
Every single time, she grinned like it was the coolest shit in the world.
I stood up, tucked her in, and turned off her light. “Goodnight, baby girl. I love you.”
“Goodnight, my P. I love you more.”
I closed her door and let the quiet settle in the hallway. Nights like this made me realize how much life had changed.
But sometimes bein’ a good man meant facin’ the parts of myself I ain’t always wanna deal with, and that mistake with Pluto kept runnin’ laps through my head every time I sat still. I hated that I hurt her. I hated that I crossed a boundary she trusted me with, and I hated that someone as perfect as her even had to teach me how to love her better.
I went to my gym and worked out until my body burned. I hit the weights harder than I should have and ran on the treadmill like I was tryna outrun my own frustration. Sweat dripped down my back and the music pounded through the speakers while I pushed myself past the point of comfort. It was the only time I felt like I could get out of my own head.
I thought about how long it had been since Pluto kissed me without hesitating. I thought about how she slept with her backto me now, not cold or angry, but just distant. I thought about how she still talked to me with respect and moved around me with her calm, soft energy, but she didn’t reach for me the way she used to, and I knew exactly why.
That was on me.
After I cooled off a lil’, I went into my room, showered and let the hot water run over my shoulders while I held my head down. I knew I couldn’t undo what happened, but I could grow from it. And I wanted to. I wanted to be better for her, for our kids, for our home. I ain’t perfect, but I wasn’t built to run from responsibility.
When I walked out the bathroom shirtless, Pluto was sitin’ in the bed with her legs crossed. She looked at me with this soft, tired expression like she had been thinkin’ too.
My chest warmed up instantly.
“Hey,” she said.
“Hey,” I replied, my voice goin’ low without me even tryin’.
We stared at each other for a second. Her eyes was big and gentle and full of shit we hadn’t said in weeks. I let the towel fall over my shoulder and stepped closer.
“I love you,” I told her.
She blinked slow, then nodded once. “I love you too.”
That meant more than she knew.
I ain’t push for nothin’ else. I ain’t ask for forgiveness or touch on the wound between us. Some shit needed time, and I was learnin’ how to let that time breathe.
I walked to the patio doors and stepped outside with the night air hittin’ my skin. Trill-Land was quiet. The moonlight hit the estate in a way that made everything feel calm and wide open, almost peaceful.
I leaned on the railin’ and exhaled long.
I was gon’ get this right.
I was gon’ earn her trust back.
And I was gon’ keep buildin’ this family until there wasn’t a single crack left in the foundation.
No matter how long it took, I was in it all the way ‘cause Pluto was my woman.
