Page 43 of Mafia Kings & Wedding Rings

Ivo

“ W hat is going on with you?” Jordan whispered, leaning in.

Seated side by side in the waiting room at the clinic waiting for Emerald and the doctor, I couldn’t help but twitch anxiously.

It was a little after eleven a.m., and I’d checked my watch like ten times.

I didn’t know why I even had to be here, but my wife insisted.

All this shit felt like some kind of internal punishment.

Thoughts of the idea of dragging my seed into this haunted me.

“Nothing. I have to get to work. I got shit to do.”

“This isn’t going to take long, Ivo. You have to be here for the legal paperwork too though.”

The office door opened and in walked Emerald, taking a nigga’s breath away.

In a pair of high-waisted, mandarin-colored pants with a V-neck, sleeveless top and ivory slides on her feet, she sailed inside like the sun had personally kissed her smooth caramel skin.

She’d pinned half of her long blonde locs into a bun at the top and let the rest flow down her back, swaying when she walked.

It hit me that she’d always been that girl.

Cool. Relaxed. She wore designer because she had the type of mother who thought labels and shit made you.

Emerald could pull off any look effortlessly though.

“Hey!” Jordan stood excitedly and went to hug her. “How are you doing?”

“I’m good. Kind of anxious,” she tittered, barely acknowledging me seated there.

“Girl, me too. Come have a seat.”

Emerald took the chair facing the door, which was closer to me.

She adjusted her crossbody bag into her lap and pulled her phone out.

I guess she got a message or something, which caused a faint smile to grace her lips.

Now I wanted to know who the fuck she was talking to, but I swiped at my own phone screen, trying not to pay her any mind.

“Okay, Miss Thing, who has you smiling like that?” Jordan teased.

“Nobody,” Em answered, shaking her head.

“Mmm hmm. Nobody wouldn’t be like six foot six with dreamy brown eyes and smooth mocha skin, would he?”

Suddenly, I wondered what Jordan knew that I didn’t. Keeping my head down, I pretended to be interested in some random email I’d gotten, but I was damn sure taking in every word of their conversation.

“We’ve been talking back and forth since church. It’s no big thing though. I don’t know where this is going, considering what I’m about to do for y’all.”

“So you haven’t told him about the surrogacy?” Jordan questioned.

“No. I just let Sapphire know what was going on. I don’t even know how you weave that into conversation with someone you’re just getting to know. Like I told you, he’s my brother’s coach, and I really don’t want to jeopardize that.”

“But he likes you, and you like him too. I saw that smile that day at the café. You deserve to be happy, Em. You’re making a huge sacrifice for us, but that doesn’t mean you put your life on hold too,” Jordan advised her.

“Why not?” I popped my head up from my phone, catching them both by surprise and sending their necks reeling.

“What do you mean why not? She’s going to be pregnant, not dead or handicapped.”

“Yeah, but that’s our baby she’ll be carrying. Shouldn’t we have a say in who she’s around?”

“Ivo, that’s not how this works. We can’t dictate her life.

” Jordan sat up beside me and shook her head.

“I swear, men are always trying to control some shit. She should date and have someone besides us to talk to and spend time with. If this guy can accept what she’s doing, then what’s the problem? ”

Emerald pushed her lips together and shot a glare in my direction, also waiting for an answer.

“I’m just saying. Shit already complicated. Why add more people to the situation? She can’t wait until she has the baby to date?”

I was on some bullshit, and both women shot daggers at me, for different reasons, no doubt.

“How am I the one in the wrong here for my concerns?” I asked, gripping my phone and aiming a finger at my chest.

“Because it’s selfish and inconsiderate,” Jordan declared.

“You can’t say that don’t make sense. She’s about to be walking around with my baby inside her fucking with another man? Don’t that seem kind of trifling?”

“Oh my God!” Jordan groaned. “That might make sense if Emerald was your wife. Ivo, stop talking. You sound like a fucking cave man!” Jordan held up a hand to tune me out, or so she thought.

Both of them had me fucked up.

“Emerald, do not listen to him. You are free to live your life however you want,” Jordan insisted.

I was glad when the doctor finally emerged and called Emerald into the exam room about fifteen minutes later.

She had to get bloodwork, an ultrasound, and be evaluated with a psychiatrist. They said it would take about an hour or so.

While she did that, Jordan and I were escorted to an office with our lawyer and a representative for the clinic that would present us with all the paperwork to go forward with things.

Emerald eventually joined us, and the doctor presented us with her physical results.

After a clean bill of health, she set an appointment to start her first round of hormones so she could get her body ready for implantation.

Jordan and I didn’t have to be present for that.

The team was just going to show her how to administer the drugs herself and give her a supply to take home.

Once we signed all the paperwork and got copies, the lawyers and doctors dismissed us.

I was more than ready to get the fuck out of here and smoke a blunt.

The only thing on my mind was Emerald and this nigga she thought she was about to be entertaining.

“I’m going to use the bathroom. Em, I want you and Sapphire over for dinner Thursday, around seven.” Jordan stood and flung her purse over her shoulder.

“I will talk to him about it and make sure he doesn’t have plans. I know that he has a game tonight.”

“Ivo, I can meet you in the car.” Jordan picked up the folder with the information in it and marched toward the door.

When she was gone there was no way to avoid the icy daggers Emerald shot my way. Picking up her purse and the same folder that Jordan had, she moved past me without a word.

“Emerald, I’m trying not to spaz the fuck out on you right now.”

Before bypassing me, she paused, her body mist smacking me in the face and making my dick stretch without my permission.

I’d waited years to smash, and now that I had, my body craved hers.

When Jordan and I fucked the other night, there was a complete disconnect.

In order to even get through it, I had to pretend that she was Emerald. None of this shit was right.

“You got a lot of fucking nerve, Ivo,” she quipped. “You lied to me, and you played me. I guess that’s what I get for trusting you. This ain’t nothing but some kind of twisted ass game to you, and I’m not playing it.”

“The fuck you talking about? This shit is far from a fucking game,” I sneered, brows pulling together in a grim frown. “I fucked up. I should have called you.”

“But you didn’t. You know why? Because you’re married.” She pointed out the obvious. “We don’t have anything. I’m carrying this baby for you, and that’s it. I don’t want to be close to you. I don’t want to spend time with you. I don’t even fucking like you.”

“Cap,” I called her out and stepped closer, watching her lose control of her breathing as I invaded her space.

Reaching out, I cuffed her neck in my hand and leaned toward her. Her glossed-over eyes searched mine, and goosebumps swept over her skin.

“No.” She yanked away from me. “You don’t get to touch me or talk to me like that. Save that for Jordan. You remember her, right? The one you took to our spot at the creek and proposed to.”

Immediately, my face cracked.

“Yeah, she told me all about it.” Jordan nodded and glared hatefully at me. “I know that I hurt you, but what you did is foul as fuck, Ivo! It makes everything we ever had tainted now. I just want to have this baby for you and move the fuck on with my life.”

“Em—” I reached for her arm, and she backed away with pain and regret behind her gaze.

“No! Leave me the fuck alone! I should take your mama up on her offer and wash my hands of this whole situation, but I already made a promise to Jordan.”

“My mama, the fuck you talking about?” I demanded, a dismayed frown passing over my face.

“She told me to name my price to back out of this whole thing.”

“Why the fuck would she do that?” I whispered, more to myself than to Emerald.

“Because I’m not the right woman for you. I’m not good enough for her precious fucking son! But Jordan is.”

“I’ll talk to her. She shouldn’t have done that.”

“Don’t bother,” Emerald scoffed, looking me up and down with contempt. “We’re not even friends anymore, but I’ll keep this charade up for Jordan’s sake. You can go to hell.” She stomped toward the door.

Pivoting on my heel, I watched Em grab the door handle.

“You can be mad, Emerald, but I’m not fucking around when it comes to this baby. I don’t want you around some nigga I don’t know.”

“Pssh, you don’t get to tell me what to do. Worry about your wife!” she spat, yanking the door open.

I hadn’t expected her to go off, or for her to find out about the details of my relationship with Jordan.

Emerald leaving left room for me to become a petty ass nigga.

I can admit that. My initial attraction to Jordan was the fact that no matter where Emerald was, she would know I was with who she considered her best friend.

As a form of payback, I used Jordan to heal, I just didn’t expect to really fall for her.

The feelings didn’t compare to what I shared with Emerald though, and they never would.

Knowing that she resented me suddenly had a nigga tight.