Page 95 of Rose
Before Olivia could respond, Savior’s voice rang through the music.
“Olivia! You want pancakes, too?!”
“No, I’m good, Sav!” she yelled back, forcing a smile before turning back to Ahzii.
“All I’m saying,” Olivia said more softly now, “is this doesn’t feel like a man trying tosavesomeone. This feels like a man trying tolovesomeone the only way he knows how. He loved his parents like this. His siblings. Me. By protecting. By doing. Bybeing. That’s how he shows love. But with you?” She motioned toward him. “You light him up. He smiles.Actuallysmiles. His heart beats louder when you’re near. He’s not trying to save you… he’s just trying toloveyou. And he knows you’re not ready. Not yet.”
Ahzii’s stomach twisted. “Then I need to leave him. That’s dangerous. I refuse to lead him on like that.”
Olivia reached across and gently touched her arm. “Baby… that’s the worst thing you could do.”
Ahzii’s brows furrowed. “What? Why?”
“He blew up a man’s car because you went on a date,” Olivia reminded her, voice low and serious. “Just imagine what he’d do if youreallyleft him. For good.”
“Wait—youknewwhat he did?” Ahzii asked, staring at Olivia, stunned. “Aren’t you law enforcement? Shouldn’t you be trying to arrest him or something?”
Olivia burst out laughing, not even trying to hide her amusement. “Iamlaw enforcement,” she said, flashing her badge briefly. “But I’m a Carter first. Not by blood, but by bond. That family took me in when I had nothing—no parents, no place, just a mouth full of rage and fists that couldn’t stay still. This badge?” She tapped it once. “It’s toprotectthem. Not prosecute.”
Ahzii blinked, taken aback by how easily she said it.
“And besides,” Olivia added with a shrug, “I knew he was going to do it before he did. He doesn’t keep much from me. I’ve just learned to stay out of the way when it’s personal.” Her eyes sparkled with a twisted sort of affection. “For your safety and the sanity of the city, I’d advise you to stop talking to that man—oranyman—unless you want to be responsible for a drop in the population and a mountain of paperwork on my desk.”
She laughed again, light but deadly serious underneath.
Ahzii went quiet, her mind suddenly racing. Shehadn’theard from Kiyan since the explosion. Savior said he gave him a replacement car and a warning, but still...
“He’s not forcing you to feel anything,” Olivia continued. “He’s not trying to trap you or make you accept something you’re not ready for. But he’s not going anywhere either. That man is the definition ofresilient. And patient as hell when it comes to you.”
She squeezed Ahzii’s hand with a knowing smile. “So welcome to the family, Mrs. Carter. You already his wife. On your timing, of course.”
Ahzii blinked slowly, her mouth parting. “Oh,Lord…” she groaned, slumping in the stool.
Olivia laughed loud, shaking her head. “Girl, buckle up.”
Savior walked over with two heavy plates stacked high with pancakes, eggs, sausage, bacon, and honey biscuits. The smell had Ahzii’s stomach growling loud enough for Olivia to hear.
He set the plates down and followed with two bowls of fruit. “Y’all done talking about me yet?”
“Boy, whatever. Thank you,” Ahzii muttered, grabbing a strawberry and popping it into her mouth.
“Thank you, bestie!” Olivia grinned, already digging into her fruit bowl.
“I don’t know what she said,” Savior said, taking a bite of his pancakes, “but I hope you listened. Every word. Because nine times outta ten, she right.”
“Oh, so the crazy, mental patient, big-headed lunatic she said you are is actually accurate?” Ahzii teased, a smug look on her face.
Olivia laughed, catching the sarcasm.
“Yup,” Savior said without blinking. “She forgot to say ‘handsome,’ but everything else tracks.”
They shared a laugh, a moment of ease and warmth wrapping around the table like sunlight. The energy between the three of them felt effortless, but Ahzii couldn’t ignore the undercurrent of something deeper, something quietly shifting inside her.
As breakfast wound down, and the clock ticked closer to Sarai’s appointment at the shop, Olivia and Savior fell into their own business talk. Ahzii stood to leave, giving Olivia a warm goodbye before Savior escorted her to the garage.
Her steps froze the moment the doors lifted.
Rows of cars, sleek, gleaming, ridiculous in their luxury, lined the space like a private showroom. Her eyes nearly popped at the sight.
