Page 89 of Mafia Kings & Wedding Rings 2: The Finale

Rogue, Piaget, Tavi, and Saga all trailed out one by one, indulging in the cold treat as well. The last to come waltzing out was Jury, and I couldn’t help but smile. With the birth of the twins, she’d turned into even more of a little woman, and nobody could tell me she wasn’t micromanaging everybody in that damn house.

“Please. Like you and your little shadow even noticed I was gone.” Six adjusted her glasses on her face and kept her face to the sky to soak in the hot sun.

“See, that’s what your mama sounds like when she being a hater,” Brick snickered, leaning toward Diamond’s little chubby face and poking at her rounded stomach.

The only time she wasn’t up under Brick was when Six was breastfeeding her.

“What do y’all even want?” Cambrie huffed.

“To give y’all yo’ kids back!” Ivo stepped up and handed one twin to Emerald while placing the other in my lap.

Jessie and Jolene both rested their heads against me and Emerald like they were ready to go to sleep. Inhaling that original baby scent left my hormones going crazy. Jolene buried her little face against my shoulder, and it didn’t take long before she was snoring against me.

“Damn, Cam. You got the magic touch.” Ivo stepped closer. “I can’t even get her down like that.”

“She’s pregnant,” Rossi interjected, her motorized chair pushing closer to the rest of us surrounding the pool.

“Lord, Staten, tell your mother to quit putting that on us,” I grumbled.

“Trust me, mother knows. I was right the first time, wasn’t I?” She placed a small hand against my thigh.

“You better listen to her, Cam,” Emerald piped up.

“Em, she didn’t even like you a year ago,” Cambrie countered.

“Let me be perfectly clear with both of you. I came up in a time where the men I loved were constantly being taken advantage of, and women were always their downfall. It left me cautious and always reminded me of the kind of woman I didn’t want to be. That is all I have ever wanted for my sons. Emerald, I was leery of you because it seemed like your father dictated everything in your life. I realize that was presumptuous of me, and if Ivo loved you that much, then maybe I should give you a chance. At the end of the day . . . all I have ever wanted is my son’s happiness. All of them.”

“You were still a bitch in the midst of that, Rossi,” I concluded, adjusting my dark shades against my face.

“I want you to keep this same attitude with your daughter when she comes out looking like me but acting like you,” she aimed an accusing finger at me.

“I need everybody over by the pool for a minute,” Ivo cupped his mouth and shouted.

“The hell this nigga on?” Brick strolled off behind his brother until we arrived at the pool area.

A glass platform had been structured, and Sol stood with her arms crossed in front of her legs.

“Ivo, what is this?” Emerald questioned when she waddled over.

“Come here, baby.” He held his hand so she would take it and slowly he pulled her to her feet in the two-piece bikini.

Even though it was obvious she was with child, Emerald was glowing, and it wasn’t foreign to find Ivo eyeing her when he thought nobody else was looking. I loved that for her because I couldn’t think of anyone else who deserved to be loved out loud like that.

“I proposed, but then you got pregnant . . . again. I know you said you didn’t want to do this while you were pregnant, but I couldn’t think of a better time for us to showcase our love to the rest of the world.” Ivo grabbed her hand and pulled her into him. “I love you, and before we bring this next baby into this world, I want you both to carry my last name.”

“Oh my God, you’re serious,” she gasped. “And Sol is officiating?”

“Damn right. I got ordained on the flight here,” Sol kidded.

“Look, we can have the wedding of your dreams when all this is over, but right now . . . a nigga ain’t trying to go another day without you being my wife in every way,” he pledged, leaving all the women in the vicinity with misting eyes.

Staten eased behind me, arms falling around my waist as he pulled me into him and applied a supple kiss to the nape of myneck. I didn’t doubt that one day we would have our baby. I just didn’t want to get my hopes up for it. We had our hands full with the rest of the kids, and the older they became, the busier their little lives got. When the time was right, we would have our little miracle, and I had no doubts about that. This man loved me like nobody ever had and we deserved to have proof of that in a little boy or girl.

The day we got married, my father was able to be there and root for us, and everything was perfect. A baby would only solidify what was already between us. Standing there watching Ivo and Emerald take their vows, surrounded by their kids and everyone who loved them, was something right out of a fairytale. None of us could have imagined we’d be here a year ago, and even though it might have started with the decree of one man, it had become so much bigger than that. In a world ruled by Mafia kings and potential wedding rings, I finally understood—love was never the promise, only the gamble.

The End