Page 52 of Rose

“Thank you, Allure.” His voice softened, grounding them in something deeper. “You don’t know how much this means to me.”

She looked up, her expression open. “You’re welcome. It’s your day, and we’re celebrating. Now move it, your breath is kicking.”

She slipped away with a laugh before he could reply.

“Yeah?” he called after her. “But you now have my dick on your breath.”

“And maybe my new favorite taste,” she called back, smug and satisfied.

He chuckled, shaking his head as he walked into the bathroom.

The steam from the night still clung to the mirror, but as it faded, he saw himself clearly—no longer that thirteen-year-old boy, but still carrying all of his scars like armor. That birthday had never left him. The blood. The silence. The weight of what he was forced to become.

No cake. No gifts. No song.

Just death in his veins, a blade in his hand, and pain in his chest .

Sarai had kept her promise with chocolate chip pancakes. Aunt Marley had baked him cookies. But it still wasn’t love. Not the kind that settled in your bones and told you you mattered.

But now...

Now there was Ahzii. Showing up. Waking him up with her mouth, her energy, her presence.

Celebrating him.

And maybe, just maybe, healing a boy inside the man who had never felt celebrated a day in his life.

Savior came downstairs in a white muscle tee and red Nike sweats, freshly showered and still drying his face with a towel when he paused at the bottom step.

Leon Thomas played through the speakers, his soulful voice floating through the air while Ahzii stood in the kitchen, singing off-key into a knife like it was a mic.

She danced barefoot, tossing fruit to Brasi, Bishop, and Ace between bites, fully immersed in her own little world.

Savior leaned against the wall, watching her with quiet admiration. She was slowly shedding the grief, the numbness, the hard shell that used to guard her like a second skin. She wasn’t all the way out yet, but he was getting glimpses of the woman he always believed was still in there.

“Boys, I hope y’all understand what I’m saying,” Ahzii said, tossing another strawberry to Bishop. “When Daddy comes down, I need y’all to run up and lick him all over. It’s his birthday, and he needs all the love. Mommy already did her job.”

She burst into laughter, thinking she was being ridiculous—until Brasi turned his head, spotted Savior, and bolted. Bishop and Ace followed fast behind him. The three dogs launched onto Savior, licking his face and neck like they were on a mission.

“Damn, y’all really understood her,” Savior laughed, rubbing their heads, trying to fend off the flood of slobber.

Ahzii was already recording from behind the counter. “Good boys!” she said, tossing them each a grape before walking around the island. “But don’t even think about kissing me until you scrub all that drool off.”

Savior’s eyes lingered on her. She wore a red Nike sports bra and matching tights that clung to every dip and curve. A red Nike cap covered her pixie, and even in chill mode, she was stunning.

He walked up behind her and smacked her ass hard, making her gasp and moan.

“Boy, stop!” she yelped, swatting his arm. “You always hit too damn hard.”

“I like seeing that shit jiggle,” he said, rubbing the spot with a grin.

“So we ‘Mommy and Daddy’ now?” he teased.

Ahzii paused, then narrowed her eyes. “What?”

“Don’t play dumb. I heard what you said to them.”

“I said it so they wouldn’t get confused,” she shot back, slipping out of his hold.

“Mhm... okay.” He chuckled, clearly not buying it.

“Grab your sons so we can go,” she said, putting on her running shoes heading toward the door.

Savior just laughed, clipping on the leashes. “Say less, Mama.”

The run was peaceful. The sun beamed down, but a light breeze softened the heat, summer was finally loosening its grip. Ahzii, Savior, and the dogs jogged along the park trail, earning compliments from passersby about their dogs… or how cute they looked as a family.

They were finishing their last lap when Ahzii slowed and turned to him. “I bet me and Ace beat you, Brasi, and Bishop in a race.”

Savior laughed. “Bet.”

But before he could even blink, she was gone.

“Cheater!” he yelled, sprinting after her.

Ahzii pushed her legs to move faster, Ace keeping stride effortlessly beside her. The wind pushed past her face as Brasi and Bishop’s barks rang behind, Savior’s heavy steps not far behind them.

Then… it all went quiet.

She rounded a bend near the trees, and stopped.

A man stood still by the edge of the trail, half-shadowed under a tree. Hoodie up. Face mostly hidden. But something about the stillness of him—the tilt of his head, the chill that skated down her spine, froze her.

She stared. He stared back. Her heart slammed in her chest.

Those eyes. She knew them. She had traced the color of them in the dark. Whispered her vows into them. Watched them dull in firelight when the smoke filled the room and took him from her.

William? No. It couldn’t be.

Her breath caught as the ground tilted beneath her. Her body turned too fast, chest tightening, and she stumbled. Her legs didn’t feel like hers. Her vision blurred.

Then warmth caught her, strong hands wrapped around her waist, steadying her.

“Yo, you good?” Savior’s voice broke through, his tone winded but laced with concern.

Ahzii nodded too quickly. “Yeah—I… just got lightheaded. Pushed too hard.”

She dared a glance back.

Nothing. No man. No hoodie. No eyes. No William.

Just wind and leaves and empty air.

Her throat tightened as she reached for Ace’s leash. Her fingers shook, but she hid it. Whatever it was—grief, memory, delusion—it was easier to act like it hadn’t happened.

Even if her pulse was still pounding for a ghost.

“Well, I won,” she said, forcing a grin as she turned to him.

Savior narrowed his eyes, still watching her too closely. “Yeah, you did. You sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine. I think the fruit wasn’t enough. Let’s go.”

She didn’t wait for a response, just clipped Ace’s leash and walked toward the truck.

And she didn’t look back again.

Back at the house, Ahzii moved through the kitchen, hips swaying as music played softly in the background.

She danced and stirred, needing something—anything—to pull her mind away from what happened at the park.

It hadn’t happened in a while, but it wasn’t her first time imagining William.

Grief had a way of crawling back when you least expected it.

Still, she pushed it down, burying the unease under focus. Focus on the now. On Savior .

Across the room, he fed the dogs, glancing up at the smell wafting through the kitchen. “It smells good in here. What you makin’ your man?” he teased.

She didn’t bother correcting him this time.

Just smiled. “Heard from a little birdie that chocolate chip pancakes were your favorite. So—pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausage, and good ole orange juice.” She pointed to the spread she was working on, flipping bacon with one hand while managing the pancakes with the other.

Savior leaned against the counter, watching her with something close to awe. No one had ever done this for him. Not even his own blood. “I appreciate this. I appreciate you, Allure,” he said, voice low, emotion thick in it.

She turned off the stove and faced him, her tone soft. “I know you never celebrated your birthday before… but I want this year to be different. You deserve to be celebrated.”

She kissed him, slow, warm, and full, and when he deepened it, she didn’t pull back. She let him feel everything she couldn’t say out loud.

“What you got planned for me, huh?” he asked once they broke apart, his hands still gripping her waist.

Instead of answering, she plated their food and climbed onto the counter, motioning him to stand between her legs. She fed him, piece by piece, in between her own bites, fully devoted to taking care of him today.

“First stop? Disney World. Ever been?” she asked, slipping him a forkful of eggs.

He shook his head. “Nah.”

“Me either,” she grinned. “So our first time gets to be together.”

That made him smile, big and genuine. “Then?”

“These pancakes fire,” he said through a mouthful. “You might’ve just beat Gold with this.”

She laughed. “Don’t gas me—Sarai gave me the recipe. I just followed instructions.”

“After Disney, then what?” he asked again, reaching for more bacon.

“Patience, Savior.” She winked. “You’ll see.”

He stared at her a second too long before murmuring, “I love seeing that smile.”

She dropped her gaze, cheeks heating. “I miss showing it,” she admitted.

And she meant it. In the past few weeks with him, she’d laughed more, smiled more, felt more than she had in years.

It was terrifying—falling for a man who wasn’t William—but the way Savior made her feel couldn’t be ignored.

Not anymore. Even if the words still sat heavy on her tongue, the truth was already blooming in her heart.

Savior’s phone rang, slicing through their comfortable silence. He glanced at the screen—Macho.

“Happy Birthday, clown. Be at the shop in a few. Yo lady booked you a haircut. She probably tired of seeing that crooked ass lineup just like I am,” Macho joked, making both of them laugh.

Savior cut his eyes at Ahzii, who just smiled, tossing a forkful of eggs in her mouth like she was innocent.

“Whatever, nigga. Appreciate it. I’ll be there,” Savior said before hanging up.

“Can’t have you looking ugly on your birthday,” Ahzii teased, walking to throw away their empty plates.

“So your man got a crooked lineup now?” he asked, raising a brow.

“You want to be my man so bad,” she laughed, “and yes, it’s looking a little…” Before she could finish, Savior scooped her up mid-sentence, lifting her up like she weighed nothing.

“I’m already your man. Just waiting on you to catch on,” he said, stealing a kiss.