She laughed. “Those men were not provoking you.”
“Baby, pushing up on my woman provoked me in the worst way. They’re lucky they're still breathing. A couple of them tried to test me, but they learned real quick that their lives were on the line.”
“How did you even find out some of their names? Were you following them too?”
“First of all, I know the names ofeverynigga you communicated with for the past year, not justsomeof them. How I obtained that information is none of your business.”
“I don’t think I want to know.”
“Good. That’s probably for the best.”
I kissed her neck and left the kitchen before she could interrogate me any further. She’d never know how I kept tabs on her during our hiatus. I prayed I wouldn’t need to do it again, but with Rose’s feisty attitude and no-nonsense personality, there was no telling what I’d end up doing.
Thirty minutes later, dinner was done, and I returned to the kitchen. Before we sat down, I wrapped her in my arms from behind. I buried my face in her neck, inhaled her scent, then left a trail of soft kisses over her shoulder.
“I love you,” I whispered.
“And I love you.”
I waited a long time to hear her say those three words, and I’d never tire of hearing them fall so effortlessly from her lips.
She’d already made our plates and placed them on the table with a glass of sweet tea. We took our seats, I blessed the food, and we began eating.
“You think you’ll be okay if I step out for a few hours?” I asked.
“Where are you going?”
“I gotta take care of some Mayhem business. I shouldn’t be long.”
Her eyes said she would rather not be alone, but her mouth said, “I’ll be fine.”
“You can go to the main house, or I’ll have your sisters come and keep you company.”
“I said I’ll be fine. How long will you be gone?”
“Two hours, max, and I’ll let you know if that changes.”
“Okay.”
We continued to eat, but I could tell she was in her head.
“Rose—”
“Just tell me when he’s dead, Russell. That’s all I need to know.”
I nodded. “Will do.”
We talked about random shit while we finished eating. The mood had gotten a little tense, but as we cleaned the kitchen, everything was back to normal.
When I left, Rose was in good spirits and swore she didn’t need anyone to keep her company. She promised to call one of her sisters or go to the main house if she felt anxious again.
I met Rocky in the driveway, and we stopped next to our bikes.
“How’s Rose?” he asked.
“Better. I think she’s still processing, so she may have more moments like she did today.”
“Rue just put Bliss to bed and plans to talk to her tonight about seeing the therapist she saw after her situation.”
