Page 14 of A Virgo’s Muse (BLP Signs of Love #12)

The minute Desire let me back in her space, I knew I wasn’t fucking around no more.

I had wasted enough time trying to protect her from the parts of me she already felt in her spirit.

All that fronting and half-truths, trying to wait for the right time…

That shit nearly cost me the best thing that ever happened to me.

I told myself if she ever gave me another chance, I was going to show her I was serious, standing on business in every way that mattered.

No more guessing. No more running. No more space between us.

And that started with the two people who molded her into the woman I damn near worshiped—her mother and her father.

It was quiet when I walked into the nursing home, the kind of stillness that forces you to breathe softer out of respect. I already knew which room to go to. I had visited before, but this time was different. This time, I had something to say.

When I stepped inside, Mr. Howard was sitting right beside his wife, her delicate hand resting in his as he hummed something low and familiar. A gospel melody maybe, something worn and soft from years of being sung with love.

He looked up as I walked in and gave me a small nod. “Onyx,” he said calmly, like he’d been expecting me. “You came.”

“Always,” I said, shutting the door behind me. “How’s she doing today?”

“She’s peaceful,” he said, eyes still on his wife. “That’s all I ever want for her these days.”

I stayed quiet for a moment, just watching the way he cared for her.

It did something to me. That kind of love…

that kind of loyalty… that was what I wanted with Desire.

I could already feel it in me. That same level of devotion but younger, still learning how to express itself without breaking something.

“Does Desire know that you are here?” he added, glancing my way.

I shook my head.

“Even when she can’t speak, she feels things. And she’s always liked you since the first time you stepped in this room,” he stated, referring to Mrs. Howard.

That hit something in my chest. I stepped further into the room and took the seat next to him, hands clasped in front of me.

“I didn’t come here just to check in,” I said. “I came to talk to you… about your daughter.”

He slowly shifted in his chair, giving me his full attention.

“I know it ain’t been years. It really has only been a month and some change,” I started. “But when you know, you know. Mr. Howard… I know she’s mine.”

He didn’t interrupt. He stared at me intensely, giving me his undivided attention.

I kept going. “I’ve loved a lot of things in my life—money, control, power.

But I ain’t ever loved a person like I love Desire.

And it ain’t just ’cause she's beautiful, though that’s obvious.

It’s how her presence shuts out all the noise in my head.

It’s how she sees me past the name, past the streets, past my silence.

It’s how she loves even when she’s broken. ”

His face softened, but he stayed quiet, letting me unravel it all.

“I was gon’ tell her everything… before shit hit the fan,” I admitted. “I messed up. I put her in danger by not saying enough fast enough. But I swear to God, I will never let anything come close to hurting her again. Ever.”

The silence stretched, heavy and full of weight. Then Mr. Howard leaned forward slightly, clasping his hands between his knees.

“You remind me of myself when I met her mother,” he said quietly. “Rough around the edges. I didn’t have much, but I had fire in my chest for her. Swore I’d give her the world if she let me.”

He looked at his wife, the corners of his mouth pulling up into a faint smile. “And when she said yes… everything changed. Loving her made me better… kept me good.”

I nodded slowly, emotion burning behind my eyes.

“That’s what Desire does to me. She keeps me good… keeps me human.”

His voice cracked when he responded. “She deserves to be protected… not just with a gun, but with your truth, with your time, with your growth, and with your actions.”

“I got all of that for her,” I said, my voice thick. “And more.”

Mr. Howard looked at me, really looked. His eyes were watery. “Do you know how many nights I prayed that some man would show up and see my daughter the way she deserved to be seen? Not just pretty or strong but worthy, soft, and held?”

My chest got tight.

“I see her like that,” I told him. “Every damn day.”

A tear slipped down his cheek. “Then what’re you waiting on, son?”

That’s when I leaned forward, pressing my hand against my chest to hold the weight of what I was about to ask.

“I want to marry her,” I said, raw and unshaken.

“With your blessing, I want to wake up next to her for the rest of my life, build with her, protect her, love her in every language I can think of. I came here today not just as the man who loves your daughter… but as the man who’s gon’ cherish her… forever.”

A tear slipped from my own eye, but I didn’t look away. Mr. Howard stood up slowly and came to stand right in front of me.

“I believe you,” he said hoarsely.

He pulled me into a hug, and not one of those stiff, “let’s get it over with” kind of hugs. This was a father-to-son embrace, one that carried years of hope and release.

“She gon’ be mad you didn’t ask me sooner.” He chuckled through his tears. “But she’s gon’ say yes. You hear me?”

I nodded, swallowing hard. “I hope she do.”

“She will,” he said with certainty. “But don’t just give her a ring. Give her peace. Give her the kind of love that makes all the pain worth it.”

“I will,” I said. My voice was barely above a whisper. “On everything I love.”

We both wiped our faces like it didn’t just happen, but we knew. That moment was real… raw… permanent.

I turned back to look at her mother before I left. “Thank you,” I whispered.

And when I walked out that room? I walked out ready to become somebody’s husband. No more almosts. No more half-stepping. It was time.

If you told me a couple of months ago that I would be ring shopping for my future fiancée with her best friend, I would’ve laughed and asked what drugs you were on. But now? Now, she was squinting through diamond cases like she was the one proposing.

“That one’s not it,” she muttered, tapping the glass at a cushion cut. “Looks like something you pick up at the mall kiosk. Desire would roll her eyes so hard she’d see her past life.”

I snorted. “Damn.”

“She’s a Virgo, remember? You gotta be intentional. She don’t like nothing half-done. If you gon’ go big, make it thoughtful, not loud.”

I pointed to one with a soft oval cut, nestled into a hidden halo with a thin, elegant band. It looked like it came with quiet power.

“This one?”

Sade leaned in, studied it, then smiled. “That’s her. It says ‘I see you, I know you, and I took my time choosing you.’”

I nodded once. “Say less. I’ll take it.”

While the sales associate handled the paperwork, Sade leaned against the glass with a sly smile on her face. I could feel her eyes on me like she was reading my soul again.

“I ain’t forget,” I told her after a moment. “That night you set up the studio… the paint, the vibe, the music… all of that. That shit shifted something in me.”

She smiled, softer this time. “She needed it. So did you.”

“I don’t take that lightly. That moment? That was the first time I didn’t feel like a villain in a long ass time. I just felt… seen.”

Sade didn’t say anything at first. She just looked at me, her face unreadable. Then her voice dropped.

“You should’ve just told her, Onyx.”

I looked down, jaw tight. “I know.”

“She found out the worst way—through me. And I was caught in the middle of something I didn’t even know I was in the middle of. One day, I was helping to set up a dream date for my girl. Then the next, I’m laid out half-naked with bruises on my ribs.”

That shit cut deep hearing her say it out loud. I clenched my jaw tighter then exhaled slowly.

“I’m sorry,” I said quietly but with everything I had. “I never wanted that for you, Sade. I kept all that street shit tucked away on purpose. I wasn’t doing it to be shady, but I wanted to keep people like you out of the fire… away from it.”

Her eyes glistened a little, but she held strong. “I get that now. I do. But when it exploded, it still got on all of us.”

“I’ll live with that regret forever, but I need you to know I see you. I’m grateful for you. I would’ve never had the chance to show Desire who I really am if you hadn’t helped soften the space for her to even look at me again.”

Sade blinked fast and chuckled, trying to brush it off. “Damn, you getting sappy on me?”

I cracked a grin. “Little bit.” Then I glanced at her seriously again. “I do like seeing you around Ghost, though.”

That smile was real this time. “Yeah… He’s been good for me. No pressure. No pretending. Just… peace.”

“He got you blushing,” I teased. “That man’s a menace, but you bring out his soft side.”

“Well, he brings out my loud side, so we’re even.”

We both laughed. For a second, the world outside the jewelry store didn’t exist. It was just two people with scars finding light in each other.

The associate returned with the ring box and receipt. I handed over my card without hesitation, heart beating a little different now.

As we stepped outside, I looked up at the sky like it was holding something sacred.

“Two months ago, I saw her for the first time at Angel’s Secret,” I said. “She had that black silk dress that had that slit showing off her smooth leg and that leave me alone face on. I damn near forgot how to speak.”

“And now you’re about to marry her.” Sade smiled. “That’s wild.”

I held the ring box in my palm and said, “I’m gonna do this right. I already got the perfect day planned.”

Sade bumped her shoulder into mine. “Good. ’Cause Virgo hearts don’t open often. When they do? You protect that shit with everything.”

I nodded slowly. “Trust me. I plan to.”