8. Gia Rose
GIA ROSE
Usually by this time of morning, Nylah would’ve already asked me twenty questions, raided the refrigerator twice, and disappeared into her room only to come back five minutes later because she’d forgotten whatever she’d gone in there for.
This morning, the house was quiet.
There were no cartoons blasting from the living room, no random singing drifting downstairs, and no little feet racing through the hallway. The silence felt strange as hell.
I stood at the kitchen counter with a cup of coffee in my hand, staring out the window. The neighborhood was already coming to life. People were walking their dogs, cutting grass, and doing whatever the hell people did on a Saturday morning.
Meanwhile, I was standing here trying to figure out what to do with myself.
Nylah had spent the night with one of her friends. I trusted the family completely, but having her away from home still felt weird.
“You miss her already?”
The sound of Pryce’s voice pulled my attention toward the doorway, and a smile immediately tugged at my lips.
He stood there wearing a pair of basketball shorts and absolutely nothing else, and judging by the sleepy look on his face, he’d rolled straight out of bed.
“Maybe.”
Pryce laughed.
“Maybe my ass.”
I rolled my eyes.
“Mind your business.”
“That is my business.”
The grin on his face widened as he walked over to me. A second later, his arms slid around my waist from behind, and just like that, some of the tension I’d been carrying around eased.
“You been thinking again.” That wasn’t a question. The man knew me too damn well.
“I always think.”
“Not like this.”
I hated when he did that. Hated how easily he could see through me and call me on my bullshit.
My mind had been running nonstop ever since Maddox showed up. Ever since the truth came out. Ever since Nylah started asking questions I didn’t have answers for.
I released a heavy sigh.
“I just feel bad.”
Pryce stayed quiet for a moment before asking, “For who?”
The answer should’ve been simple, but it wasn’t.
“For everybody.” I turned around in his arms and looked up at him. “For Nylah.” That one came easy. “Shit, for Maddox.”
Even I was surprised hearing his name leave my mouth.
Pryce didn’t budge. He didn’t get jealous or defensive. None of that and just listened.
“For you…”
His eyes narrowed.
“For me?”
“Yeah.” I nodded. “None of this has been fair to you either.”
For a split second, something flashed across his face before disappearing just as quickly.
“Baby, stop.”
“I’m serious.”
“So am I.” His hands tightened around my waist. “Ain’t nothing about this situation got me feeling sorry for myself.”
I stared at him because seriously expected me to believe that, and he caught the look on my face immediately, and a low laugh slipped past his lips.
“Okay… Okay… You think I ain’t scared?”
There it was. The honesty I’d been waiting for—the part he’d been keeping to himself.
Pryce wasn’t the type to wear his feelings on his sleeve, so when he finally opened up, I knew better than to interrupt. I stayed quiet, giving him the space to say whatever had been weighing on him.
“You know what fucked me up the most?”
My stomach tightened.
“What?”
His eyes met mine again.
“The possibility that one day y’all wasn’t gon’ need me no more.” That confession hit harder than I expected.
For all the confidence Pryce carried, for all the swagger and shit talking, underneath it all was a man who loved hard.
He’d spent years building a life with me and loving Nylah as if she’d been his from the very beginning.
Somewhere along the way, he’d convinced himself that everything we’d built together could disappear overnight, and there wouldn’t be a damn thing he could do to stop it.
My chest tightened.
Hearing him say it out loud forced me to see this situation through his eyes for the first time. All the jokes, the attitude, and the little comments he’d made over the past few weeks suddenly made sense.
This was the real shit.
This was what he’d been carrying around by himself.
“Pryce…”
He shook his head before I could say another word.
“No. Let me finish.” His voice stayed calm as he held my gaze. “I know Nylah love me. I know you love me, too.”
His jaw tightened before he let out a slow breath.
“But that don’t stop a man from thinking.”
The honesty in his voice twisted something inside me because I knew exactly what he meant. A person could know they were loved and still be afraid. They could know they mattered and still wonder if one day that might change.
“I ain’t never been worried about another nigga taking my place with you.” That statement caught me off guard.
“Then what were you worried about?”
Pryce looked away for a moment before answering.
“That she finally got her father.” The words settled between us, carrying more weight than either of us could ignore. “I know what that means to a little girl. I know what it feels like to finally find somebody you’ve spent your whole life wondering about.”
My throat tightened.
A few seconds passed before he looked back at me.
“I’d be lying if I said that shit didn’t scare me.”
The vulnerability in his eyes damn near broke my heart. This had nothing to do with pride, ego, or him trying to compete with Maddox.
It was love.
The kind of love that made the thought of losing somebody damn near unbearable.
Without thinking, I reached up and cupped his face, and his hand immediately covered mine.
“Ain’t nobody replacing you.” The words came out stronger than I intended, but I needed him to hear them. More than that, I needed him to believe them. “You hear me?”
A small smile spread across Pryce’s face. It wasn’t a big one, but it was real.
“You don’t gotta convince me.”
“Yes, I do.” I closed the distance between us until there wasn’t any space left. “No matter what happens, you’ll always be important to her.”
His eyes softened.
“Gia—”
“No.” I gently cut him off. “You’re the one who taught her how to ride a bike. You’re the one who sat through every dance recital, and you’re the one who spent three damn hours helping her build that volcano for school.”
His face immediately twisted into a look of pure agony.
“That volcano almost ended our relationship,” he said.
The comment caught me off guard before a real laugh escaped my lips. It was the first genuine laugh I’d had in weeks.
“You hated that project.”
“I hated glitter,” I corrected him.
“That shit was everywhere.”
Another laugh escaped me, and for the first time all morning, the heaviness between us eased. It didn’t disappear completely, but it lifted just enough for both of us to breathe.
Enough to remember who we were before everything got complicated.
Pryce wrapped his arms around my waist again and pulled me closer. This time, I didn’t fight it or overthink it. I simply rested my forehead against his chest and listened to the steady beat of his heart.
For a little while, neither one of us said anything.
The silence felt comfortable and safe.
Pryce eventually tilted my chin up, studying my face for a second before a smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth.
“You know what?” He asked.
“What?”
“We got the whole damn day to ourselves.”
I let out a soft giggle.
“And?”
“And I’m tired of sitting in this house.” His smirk widened. “So get dressed.”
I narrowed my eyes.
“For what?”
“That…” he said with a grin, “…is a surprise.”
I rolled my eyes.
“I hate surprises.”
“That’s because you nosy.”
“I’m not nosy.”
Pryce stared at me, and I stared right back. A few seconds passed before he finally started laughing.
Honestly, I couldn’t help but laugh too.
For the first time in what felt like forever, my mind wasn’t consumed by lawyers, Maddox, or the mountain of secrets and guilt waiting for me the second reality came crashing back in.
I was standing in my kitchen laughing with the man I loved. God, I needed this.
Pryce reached for my hand and started pulling me toward the back.
“Come on.”
I immediately planted my feet.
“No.”
His eyebrows shot up as he repeated, “No?”
“No.”
He frowned.
“The fuck you mean, no?”
A grin spread across my face as I told him, “I ain’t going nowhere until you tell me where we going.”
Pryce let out an exaggerated groan.
“See… this why surprises don’t work with your ass.”
I folded my arms across my chest.
“Correct…”
For a few seconds, we stood here in a full-blown stare-down before he finally sighed.
“Dinner.”
I narrowed my eyes.
“Dinner where?”
“Somewhere with food.”
“Very helpful.”
“Somewhere with drinks too.”
I shook my head, fighting another smile. “Still not helpful.”
Pryce laughed again before throwing both hands in the air.
“Just go get dressed, Gia.” I hated when he used that tone.
It was the one that said he’d already made up his mind, and somehow it usually ended with him getting his way.
Mostly because I secretly liked it.
“Fine…”
“Damn right.”
I pointed a finger at him.
“Don’t get cocky.”
“Too late…”
By the time I made it upstairs, I realized I was smiling. I mean, actually smiling.
There was nothing forced about it. Nothing fake. It was the kind of smile that had been missing from my face for weeks.
I walked into my bedroom and headed straight for the closet, only to stop in front of the clothes hanging there.
Instantly, I regretted agreeing to leave the house.
Now I had to find something to wear, and if there was one thing I hated more than surprises, it was putting together an outfit.
My eyes moved from one hanger to the next, mentally eliminating outfits as I went.
A dress felt like too much. Jeans were a possibility. A jumpsuit might work.
Damn…
Why did getting dressed suddenly become so damn difficult whenever somebody was actually taking you somewhere?
A knock sounded against the bedroom door before it slowly opened.
Pryce leaned against the frame, took one look at my face, and started laughing.
“What?”
“You still ain’t picked nothing.”
I sucked my teeth and told him, “Get out.”
“No.”
“Why are you here?”
His eyes swept across the closet, then the bed before settling back on me.