Chapter 23: Big Brother

I hopped out of the taxi, Roman swung into the reserved parking space and ran out of the car after me. "Brooklyn wait."

I rounded on him, "What the fuck is wrong with you going off on Stone like that?"

"That motherfucker had no right, he had no right! It wasn't even like that, maybe it started that way but that's not how it is anymore." He reached for me, I slapped his hands away. "I was only looking out for you I swear."

"You played me Roman, if you love me so much, why weren't your balls big enough that you could tell me what Braxton was planning yourself?"

I stepped past him and walked into the building, the elevator took forever to come, Roman caught up to me again. "I'm sorry, how many times do you want me to say I'm sorry. I haven't taken money from Braxton for months."

I shook my head, that wasn't the point. "The point is Roman, you lied to me and when you got found out you acted like a caged animal." I showed him the bruise on my arm where he'd gripped me. "You came out there acting like a fool and I nearly got ran over, thank you for that."

The stainless steel doors slid open and we stepped onto the elevator. "I'm sorry! Damnit!'

"Look, I'm tired, I was up all night, I just want to go to sleep." The doors opened on our floor.

"Why are you so defensive of Stone anyway...it was Stone!"

"I'm not being defensive of Stone, he's gonna get his when I see him." We stepped into the apartment, the girls were there to greet us but the tension between Roman and me was so thick they shied away from us, but only far enough away that they could still hear what we were talking about.

Roman and I moved our argument to our bedroom. "You're right." He said after an hour of shouting back and forth. I was sitting on my bed with my face washed in tears, I didn't even know when I had started crying, I had never been an emotional person before. "I'm sorry, I love you."

I sniffed, knelt on the bed and opened my arms for him, "I love you too." Roman pulled me up against his chest, I always felt safe in his embrace so I clung to him for a long while, listening to his heartbeat.

We had just had our biggest argument and we survived, I really did love him, wholly and completely. He was my big brother, my protector, my best friend. I hoped we never had a fight like this again, it was scary and exhausting, the thought of losing him made me sick to my stomach. I had finally found someone I couldn't live without, someone who loved me unconditionally and just knowing that made me warm inside.

I had survived. I had gone off into the world on my own and I had survived. I survived New York City. I had become an independent woman, I had experienced friendship and love. I had survived sex too although I wasn't too eager to try that again anytime soon. Life had thrown me a few curve balls, but I had hit them out of the field and strode home. I wasn't stupid enough to think that life was done with me yet, but life and Ma could suck my balls because Brooklyn James is ready.