Honey

12.) Let's Talk About It

After Honey was gone, Ross walked Lovey to her car. "I'ma see you later, baby."

"Alright. Tell Adina to watch her tone. I came too close to popping her in the mouth."

"Don't worry about it. I'ma see you in a hour or two."

"Okay, daddy."

He leaned down and kissed her and let her go. When he walked back in, Passion still had an attitude. He closed and locked the door before he sat down.

"This a issue between the three of us, and that's all who here. Adina, Ima only say this once, let Passion speak for herself. She a grown ass woman. Is that understood?"

Adina nodded. She didn't usually talk to her man how she did. But the emotions got the best of her. She had the only daughter that biologically was not Ross's. Sometimes, she wished Passion was his. But during the time that he was outside with Lovey, Adina looked at her spoiled ass child and shook her head. Ross was right. Anytime Adina heard Ross or Sly off her daughter's lips, she gave her a look. Told her to watch herself because this man was her daddy. But that "I gotta defend my baby, right or wrong" instinct had kicked in when she saw her baby looking how she did. It felt like Adina had to compete with Lovey to get her daughter some love.

"Passion, if you want to keep the Bentley, you gon have to pay the insurance. Where you getting that money from, baby girl? It ain't cheap to own a luxury car. A foreign luxury car at that."

Passion said nothing. She looked to her mother and Adina got up and sat beside Ross. She loved Passion as only a mother could. But what would her little girl do if she dropped dead?

"You know why my feelings is hurt, Passion? You accused me of loving you less. You call me by name like I'm just some li'l nigga on the block. But I never once heard you call Clarence by name. You called him daddy. All the time. I think that's fucked up considering that he has done nothing for you. Literally in your twenty-four years here, he has done nothing for you. But the man giving you the world on a platinum platter... That's the man you get to call by name when you mad, and I never said nothing to you about that. You called me whatever you would, and I still answer. You feel disadvantaged to Honey for what reason? Because let her call me Ross or Sly to my face. I'm gon forget she grown and beat the brakes off her."

Passion just sat there and let him talk. She was upset that her mother didn't seem to be in her corner. Like she felt less defensive with Lovey and Honey gone.

Ross wanted to explain things to Passion in such a way that the light clicked on for her, how truly good she had it.

"When a man is your dad, that's a twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year role. There's no breaks from that. It's not a part time job to love you, Passion. I do love you. From the time I open my eyes to the time I close them back. I'm still your daddy. I still love you. Just as much as I love your sisters. I am gon say Lovey been telling me she hear you talking about that man. Marci told me. Melissa told me. Everyone not telling the same lie. So I don't know what happened for sure, but I feel Honey told me more of the story than you did. And maybe you was real slick lying to ya moms, but I'm not her, Passion. You know that's your sister's dude, and if you had a crush on him, oh well, he picked her. That's your sister, and y'all not gon have the same man," he explained to her.

Passion really didn't appreciate Ross talking to her how he was and her mother not having her back.

Adina had never heard Passion speak on Trap, but she wasn't saying anything about it because they told her, too. Melissa went so far as to say that Adina needed to talk to her fast ass daughter about jumping on someone else's man. Not everyone was into poly. Especially not with their own sister.