Page 14 of Mafia Kings & Wedding Rings

My father wasn’t perfect, and we butted heads on a lot, but he was still my daddy.

He’d spoiled me and instilled a few core values in me that I knew I would carry for life.

He was stern and mean, but I loved that he could check Rashida when it came down to it.

She was like a wrecking ball, always ready to demolish something or put you down, but Daddy didn’t allow her to talk to him crazy.

When his business tanked and he committed suicide, it was like everyone we knew or thought would be there for us just checked out. Even my own damn mama.

Shit was wild. Nobody cared to step in and show any kind of empathy or provide a place to stay or anything.

We were on our own. Rashida had to sell everything that we did have, and with the house under foreclosure, there was nowhere to go but cheap motels.

I’d saved what I could over the years, but it was nowhere near enough to provide for me and Sapphire.

My father had been accused of embezzlement, so naturally, they froze all our shit.

Had me feeling like I failed because I didn’t have a plan.

I was twenty-six years old, and at the time, the only thing I was interested in was shopping, partying with my girls, and traveling.

My journalism degree was collecting dust because it wasn’t something I felt passionate about in a long time.

Had me feeling like maybe I should have majored in something more practical in a field that was always demanding.

“I know. But I need this. It will help so much and give me and Sapphire the cushion we need. I’ve got my degree; I just have to figure out how I’m going to put it to use.”

“I’m sure it’ll come to you.”

“Thanks, Lola. You the only person I can talk to around here without feeling like I’m crazy. I feel like everyone is still watching my every move, wondering if I’mma snap and off myself like my daddy or something.”

“Girl, people need to be worried about the headcases in their own fucking families and leave you alone.”

“You calling me a headcase?” I joked.

“If the shoe fits… crazy.” Lola made a silly face, and we fell over laughing.

When I recovered, I checked the time on my watch and saw that it was time to clock out.

“I gotta go. I told Sap to clean up so the place wouldn’t look a complete mess when he came by.”

“Girl, you have to call me and tell me everything! I know you’re off tomorrow, but we can link and do lunch or something if you want,” Lola suggested, pushing herself off the counter.

Ducking off to the back, I put the combo in my locker and grabbed my things so I could go.

The nervous knots in my belly were practically ping ponging off one another.

By the time I stepped outside of the bar and grill, the warm sun against my skin rejuvenated me.

The bus arrived about three minutes later, while I sat on a bench texting Sapphire to let him know if someone came by, to just let them in, and I would be there soon.

Twenty minutes later, I was pulling the lever to get off at my stop and trotting down the block to our apartment building.

I did my best to keep us out of the hood, but with my budget, that wasn’t possible.

We were in the heart of it, but our building was cool for the most part.

It wasn’t the projects or nothing, but muhfuckas did like to hang out talking shit, drinking, and smoking weed in the front.

“Damn, that’s Sap sister right there,” I heard a young dude say when I approached the front door.

“She bad,” another one chimed in, puffing on a black and mild and exhaling. “What’s up, sexy?” The brown-skinned one with locs pulled back in a barrel style chucked his chin at me.

“Smoking is bad for you. Are you even old enough?”

“Shit, I’ll be however old you need me to be, baby.” A grin tucked the corners of his mouth, and he swiped his tongue across the bottom row of his diamond grill.

These young boys were bold as fuck! I don’t know what the hell they were breeding them with though.

Some of them were some fine lil’ shits. I just knew I wasn’t entertaining they asses.

I needed a grown ass man. Fucking with one of them would have me in jail for beating they little sprung ass girlfriend’s ass!

“You wouldn’t know what to do with me, sweetie.” I yanked the door to the building, and his little friends poked at him about my comment as I stepped inside.

Our apartment was on the third floor, so I marched right over to the elevator and pressed the up arrow.

I checked the time on my phone while waiting and saw that it was five minutes to four.

The elevator arrived just as I happened to look up, and my heart lunged into my throat when Ivo parked on the curb and jumped out like he ran the block.

He was still handsome as hell, custom tailored in the suit he’d worn earlier today.

I could tell his presence rattled some of them outside, but they all showed respect and spoke to him like he was their OG, which I guess technically he was.

Just as the elevator door was about to slide closed, he walked into the building, and our eyes connected instantly.

“This where you live?” he asked, taking in the plain lobby.

Behind me were rows of mailboxes and two chairs arranged around a small circle accent table. There was also a corkboard above the chairs with different flyers stuck to it for lost animals, apartments available, jobs, and even babysitters. You name it, and people put up a flyer for that shit.

“It’s not five star, but it’s home,” I said, shrugging and stepping onto the elevator.

He followed me on, and tension immediately thickened the air between us.

“So what did you want to talk about?”I asked, pressing the button for the third floor and sensing his eyes all over me.

“I didn’t know you was back. Why you ain’t reach out or say nothing?” Ivo wondered.

“And say what, Ivo? I’m not that eighteen-year-old girl who left. What was I supposed to say? You’re also very married to someone I used to consider a friend, and she doesn’t know anything about us.” I stepped onto my floor as soon as the door slid open.

Ivo wasn’t far behind me as we neared the door to 3C. I dug my keys out of my pocket and could hear the rap music blasting on the other side.

“Wasn’t much to tell though, right? I mean, we were just friends.”

Pausing, I cut my eyes at him something serious, and he cocked a brow sexily.

“You know damn well it was more than that. Or was that just my imagination?” Turning the key, I unlocked the door and pushed it open.

“You just gon’ make me stand out here in the hall like some fuck nigga?” he asked, waiting in the hall for me to invite him in.

Sighing, I shook my head, and the aroma of Pine Sol struck my nose.

The living room was spotless, with the pea green microfiber couch and loveseat arranged around the small oak and glass coffee table.

It was a cheap set I got from one of those rent-to-own places, but it was nice enough for me.

There wasn’t much on the walls, only because I didn’t plan on planting roots around here.

The only other furniture we had was a dining room table and my bed and a dresser in the bedroom.

Sapphire stored his shit in totes for the time being and the front hall closet.

Beside the door, I tossed my key on the accent table pushed against the wall. I usually just dropped stacks of mail there, like now. It had piled up over the last few days, and I hadn’t bothered to check any of it. Ivo closed the door and peered around curiously.

“Em, that you?” Sapphire emerged from the kitchen about eight steps to our right.

With his phone in his hand, he turned the music off to the Bluetooth speaker on the counter. In basketball shorts and a wife beater with his Nike slides, he paused and dried his hands on a dish towel.

“Yeah, and I brought dinner.” I held up the bag of food.

“Good looking. I’m starving and gotta get to practice.” His big brown eyes lit up, which left me grinning.

My baby brother was already over six feet tall, and I had to crane my neck to address him. With bright hazel eyes and sandy brown hair, he was adorable. Our faces had the same structure, slim with matching noses. There was no denying that we were related.

“Thank you for cleaning up.” I sighed and pulled my jacket off in the dining room area between the living room and kitchen. “This is Ivo.”

“Didn’t you used to hang out in high school?” Sapphire queried with a slight frown.

“You remember that?” I asked, shocked that he held that memory.

“Yeah, he always brought me something when he came to pick you up so I wouldn’t tell Pop.” Sapphire bobbed his head.

Chuckling, Ivo paused at the table and shook hands with him.

“You huge now, bro. What position you play?”

“Point guard,” Sapphire answered, pulling out the food containers from the bag.

I grabbed ribs, steak fries, and a salad big enough for both of us.

“That’s what’s up.”

“What you doing here though?” Sapphire asked, plucking a fry in his mouth.

“We just catching up. You better get moving so you’re not late for practice. I’ll see you around six thirty or seven?”

“Yeah.” Sapphire bobbed his head and chewed slowly.

“Go straight to practice, Sap. Don’t entertain them niggas out front, please,” I sighed.

“You worry too much, Em.” He grabbed a rib and a handful of fries but stopped long enough to kiss my forehead. “And I’ll call you when I get there,” he recited before I could, as he moved toward the couch to grab his backpack.

“Thank you.” I smiled watching him leave, but that immediately wilted when facing Ivo.

“Shit smells good. Where this from?” he questioned, lowering himself into one of the dining room chairs and poking his head around in the bag.

“Tap Inn. It’s where I work. What do you want, Ivo?”

Grabbing a rib, he brought it to his mouth and took a bite before bringing those dark roast orbs to mine.