The cereal and milk slosh against the side enough to knock some out and onto the floor.A sharp inhale comes from Birdie, and before I can even understand what’s happening, she’s out of bed and standing in front of Lovelyn, facing off with me.
“It was only an accident.I’ll get it cleaned up straight away,” she rushes out.
Motherfucker.
I’m going to take so much fucking delight in pulling Frankie’s guts out and playing in them.
“Birdie,” I call softly as I carefully move to where they are standing, ensuring she’s able to see every move I make.“It’s okay, little mama.Just a simple accident.Nothing to fuss over.”
Her body shakes as she keeps her eyes on me.
“I’m not him, Birdie.You’re all safe here.Come on, little mama.Rest easy,” I croon.
“You’re not him,” she whispers.
“No, baby, I’m not.”
I’m close enough to her now to reach out and grasp her hand in mine.“You feel that?”I ask, kissing her wrist before placing her palm flat against the middle of my chest, where my heart races.“Didn’t start beating ‘til you came home, little mama.”
“You’re not him,” Birdie whispers again.
Legend steps up beside us.“He’s not him.”
“Come here, little Love.Show your mom that you’re okay.”
Lovelyn scoots out from behind Birdie and comes to stand next to me so she can see her.“I’m okay, Mommy.”
“You’re okay.He’s not him,” she whispers as her eyes bounce between us.
When the realization hits that she just had an episode in front of the twins, sorrow bleeds into her eyes as they fill with tears.They slide down her cheeks in one of the most devastating displays I’ve ever seen from my woman.
Birdie turns her shattered eyes to me.“I’m so broken, Apollonos.”
I was wrong.Thatis the most devastating display.
My forehead drops to hers as I close my eyes.“That’s okay, baby.We’re all a bit broken in one way or the other.I’ll put you back together again.”
Bowls clatter against wood, and then the twins wrap their arms around us.“We’ll all put you back together again, Mama,” Legend says fiercely.
There’s a whole lot of shit that lies between Birdie and me.Things we got to work through.Things I need to make right, to make up for.
The way I see it, we got all the time in the world because this ...
I’ll never give this up again.
Hell no.My family will have to be pried from my cold, dead hands.And even then, I’m not letting them go.
Chapter Thirteen
Myfingerscurlaroundthe lip of the sink as I stare at my reflection in the mirror.The bruises have slowly faded over the last few days.My eyes are still a vicious shade of black and purple, but the swelling has gone down enough that my vision is clearer.Burst blood vessels have left behind pockets of bright red on the whites of my eyes.The cut on my lip has scabbed over, but the puffiness has gone down, making it easier to talk.
I look exactly like what I am ...
A domestic violence survivor.
The eyes of the woman in the mirror hold a wealth of pain and sadness.They reflect the weight of the betrayal I’ve faced over the last seven years.Shattered fragments of the woman I used to be before agony became a companion, before love turned to ash and affection turned to malicious hate.
I search my reflection, trying to find just a hint of the woman I used to be.I can’t remember the last time I saw her.Probably before Pope broke my heart.Being with Frankie brought out a different version of myself.Someone not as lively, not as fiery.Pope didn’t just break my heart—his betrayal muted a pivotal part of my personality.
