Page 155 of Rose
Last night, during their beach smoke session, Ahzii had finally found the courage to ask Savior to teach her how to use a gun. It wasn’t about being tough, it was about never feeling helpless again.
She remembered that night in the fire. The blood. The fear. The guilt. The way she froze. Part of her had always blamed herself for not knowing how to protect William. For not being able to protectherself.
She refused to feel that way ever again.
Kyre froze mid-chew. “Wait—you asked himwhat?”
Ahzii gave her a look, lips curled in a tired smirk. “Don’t start.”
“Girl!” Kyre laughed, still caught off guard. “You?Wanting to shoot a gun? That’s how Iknowyou serious.”
“I felt... defenseless in that house,” Ahzii said quietly, her voice barely above a whisper. “I couldn’t save William. I couldn’t save my baby girl. And I think—if I learn how to protect myself... maybe I’ll never have to feel that helpless again.”
Kyre nodded slowly, letting the weight of her words settle. “Zii...thatshit wasn’t your fault. Y’all wererobbed.You weresix months pregnant,and those men were armed. There wasnothingyou could’ve done.”
She paused, then added more gently, “But I do think it’s a good thing—to learn how to defend yourself. I went through gun training before I even became a lawyer. And with who Savior and the twins are?” She smirked. “Girl, youneedto know how to shoot if you’re gonna be a Carter.”
Ahzii laughed, rolling her eyes. “Haveheard…”
“He agreed with it,” Ahzii said, her voice quieter now. “After asking me a million questions... I think he knows something’s not right. I just haven’t had the strength to tell him. Not the full story. Not yet.”
Kyre leaned in a little. “But... will you ever tell him? About what happened?”
Ahzii hesitated.
“If you really love him,” Kyre continued softly, “you gotta let him into the parts you want to keep buried. The ones you’re scared to say out loud. He lovesyou, Ahzii. Every broken, scarred, and healing part of you.”
Ahzii swallowed hard, heart tugging at her chest.
“I know,” she whispered. “I do plan to tell him. Just... one step at a time.”
Kyre nodded in understanding. “One step at a time,” she repeated, squeezing Ahzii’s hand.
They spent the rest of their lunch laughing, catching up like old times—trading jokes over sticky barbecue fingers and wiping away tears of laughter between bites of mac and cheese and cornbread. For a moment, it was easy. Light.Normal.
Ahzii wasn’t fully healed. But she also wasn’t the woman buried beneath the ashes of a love she lost.
She was rebuilding. Piece by piece. And the people in her life—the ones still standing with her—were the reason she could.
???
Savior and Ahzii sat in silence, the engine ticking softly beneath them as they parked outside his parents’ house. The driveway and curb were lined with familiar cars—everyone was already inside. They were the last to arrive.
And Savior hadn’t moved.
When Saint invited him to dinner—andtold him to bring Ahzii—he’d been caught off guard. Shocked, even. Nervous wasn’t something he usually admitted to, but tonight? It crept in quietly and settled in his chest.
His parents didn’t do “welcome.” Not for him. Not really. His mother hosted these family dinners like clockwork, but he rarely showed up. What was the point? Nothing good ever came from stepping through that door.
Ahzii reached over, placing her hand gently on top of his. “Savior,” she said softly, “talk to me. We don’thaveto go in if you’re not comfortable.”
He turned his hand over, lacing their fingers before lifting hers to his lips. He kissed the back of it, eyes still staring out at the house.
“If they say or do some disrespectful shit—”
“Then we’re leaving,” she finished for him, firm and unfazed.
That made him smile. A real one.
