We walked hand in hand to a massive mirror leaning against a wall in the living room. Thing was two stories high. It would get the job done. I placed Zuri in front of me, my arms wrapping around her.
Her back rested against my chest, the crown of her head beneath my chin. For a second, I stared at her—really stared at her—in the mirror.
Her skin, deep bronze kissed byBondjè. The soft curve of her cheeks. The subtle way her stance showed she was learning to take up space. Her hair—a crown of locked coils and confidence—tumbled around her face, wild and glorious. Not dolled up this morning. No makeup. Did she ever need any? Hell, nah.
But this? This was her truest self.
The reflection shifted focus. I saw deeper. What drew me in from day one. The strength sitting behind her eyes that nearly cut me when she told me to hold her son. The quiet resilience that used to tremble at any wrong look or noise but now stood tall. Thekindness that had survived betrayal. The laughter she still gave the world, even when it had taken too much of her.
I dipped my head, resting my chin on her shoulder. Our eyes met in the mirror—hers uncertain, mine steady. “You forgot my entire monologue, Zuri? I got all intellectual and wise. Came up to your level, but you forgot?”
She smiled softly, eyes still on the glass. “You never talked so much, Montana. I was … listening. With my heart.”
“Nah. You didn’t listen. Now, I’mamakeyou stop making yourself the butt end of a joke.” I grabbed her ass. “You got these cakes. How could I forget?” I smiled, though I didn’t feel it. “You tear yourself down for a comedy routine again, I’ma take off my belt.”
“Montana,” she gasped.
“You survived Edwin alone. You did that,chère. But you ain’t alone anymore.”
I looked at her. Really looked. She tried to dodge it like my eyes were too heavy, my truth too deep for her to handle. “Your past doesn’t make you weak. That makes you the type of momma like my momma—and nah, I don’t compare any ol’ girls to her.Bébé, you proved that fire don’t always burn. It forges. You? Impurities? I can’t see it. You tell me you got them. Do I believe? Hell, nah.”
Her mouth pulled at one side. Good. She didn’t have to hide behind jokes that cut her deeper than anyone else.
“You wonder what I see when I look at you,chère?”
“A mess …” She huffed, then rolled with it. “With good hair. See. I’ve been doing this for a lifetime. So work with me. Don’t spank me for it.”
I placed my lips at the crown of her extra-intelligent, 3X head. “I see a woman who should’ve broken ten different ways. Who carried the weight most dudes would’ve dropped years ago. I see the way you fight for yourbébé. The way you laugh, even if youcutyourself in the process.”
She squirmed in my arms, as if she hated being seen. I claimed her tighter, fingers sliding beneath the hem of her thong.
“You the strongest damn woman I ever met. You picked me,didn’t you? That’s the one good choice in this whole damn story.” I turned her around.
“Oh? You’re the best decision I made?”
“Me and Lil’ Man are neck and neck.”
“Who’s got the 3X head now? Take a look at that ego,Big Country.”
I nodded toward the reflection. “Look. Look how you stand now. Shoulders up. Chin high. That’s power, Zuri. Grace with calluses.”
She shook her head, but her lips seemed to tremble between disbelief and gratitude. “Despite yourself, Montana, you always know what to say.” She chuckled softly.
Yanking her forward, I caught her laughter, her next exhale, and her moan in my mouth. I bit her bottom lip, a smile breaking through the heat of the moment.
“Bébé,” I whispered against her mouth, “that’s how you catch a beautiful woman’s sigh.”
Her lashes fluttered, eyes like I’d stolen something sacred. “You’re ridiculous,” she breathed, but her fingers found my jaw, diving into my beard and holding on like she was mesmerized by tasting my mouth again. After she kissed me deeply, she moaned against my lips. “Almost forgot my last thought. You make me almost forget my mind, Montana, but yep. Still ridiculous.”
“Maybe,” I said, voice rough. “But you laughed about me bottling your hums. Now look at you, giving me another one.”
My phone vibrated somewhere, but we were too busy trading kisses to care. Until she glanced over her shoulder, toward the kitchen.
Zuri mumbled, “Okay, you know all about me. So, I’m gonna soak these cheeks in that gorgeous tub.”
“Be there in a minute to help you soak ‘em.” I grabbed my phone as she sauntered up the spiral staircase and answered. “Where y’at, Ten?”
“Alright,” Tennessee replied. “Just finished forcing Momma and Auntie Peaches to upgrade they alarm system.”
