Page 47 of Mafia Kings & Wedding Rings

“I will keep that in mind. I’m going to get dressed, make sure you all finish your breakfast.” Cambrie cleared her throat, and I listened as her footsteps drew closer to me.

When she stepped into the hall, she was surprised to find me standing there.

“There’s a plate for you in the microwave,” she said, brushing past me.

Saga and Rogue were so quiet at the table I didn’t even know they were here. Both seemed satisfied with the waffles, eggs, and bacon they were devouring when I strolled in. I went right for the coffee pot, grabbing a mug out of the cupboard above the machine.

“Tavi, I heard what you said to her. I don’t want to hear you talking like that to Cambrie again. Do you understand?”

“It was the truth.” My daughter shrugged.

“No, it wasn’t,” I corrected her, slamming the pot down after filling my mug. “I don’t care what you believe or what you want to happen, it’s disrespectful to talk to her like that.”

“But—”

“But nothing. You heard me.” I turned to her, gripping my mug in my hand.

“We don’t even need a nanny! When we were in Chicago, me and Saga knew how to take care of us! I don’t want her here!” she screamed, leaping from her chair.

“We were doing what we had to do in Chicago. Things are different here, so that means how we move is different. You might not understand that yet because you’re still a child, but it was never you or Saga’s responsibility to do what you were doing.

I’m your father, and it’s up to me to make better decisions for you. ”

“I want Mommy here!” Tavi whined, storming out of the room.

Glancing Saga’s way, he just shrugged and went back to scooping food into his mouth.

She’d talked about being a family with all of us before, but it wasn’t something I could entertain.

Nadia and I weren’t the same people we were ten-plus years ago.

She didn’t even like Piaget and Rogue and barely acknowledged them as my kids.

I couldn’t be with a woman on that type of time.

Tavi was a child and couldn’t understand it though.

All she knew was that she wanted her parents to be together.

I heated up my plate and joined the boys at the table.

Rogue happily swung his legs and stuffed his face with the last of his waffle.

He had a fork and butter knife, yet he still chose to use his hands.

“Morning, Daddy!” he greeted me with his mouth full.

“Chew your food, Rogue.”

“Where were you last night?” Saga wondered.

“I was working,” I answered, bringing a forkful of waffle to my mouth.

“Ma was trying to call you. She said you weren’t picking up.”

“Because I was working,” I repeated. “What she want?”

“She said she needed to talk to you about some things and wants you to call her right away,” my son said with a half shrug.

“I’ll check in. Make sure you two get dressed so we can head out when the stores open and get this shopping out of the way. I have a meeting tonight, and I want you all in bed at a reasonable time for school.”

“I hate that we have to wear a uniform,” Saga grumbled with a furrowed brow.

“You’ll be fine. We can still get clothes and shoes for you for weekends and stuff like that.”

“Whatever.” He snatched his plate as he got up and walked it over to the sink.

Cambrie’s breakfast was on point, and I sat wolfing it down while Rogue remained seated, asking for some of my bacon.

Piaget went back to her room to get dressed, and when I finished eating, I carried my plate to the sink.

I loaded everything in the dishwasher, not wanting to leave a mess for Cambrie to clean up before I went to get ready for my day.

After a hot shower, I brushed and flossed then stepped into my walk-in closet to find something to wear.

I decided on a two-piece, olive-green Nike jumpsuit with a pair of matching Jordan Retro 4s.

While I was placing my Marek medallion chain on, my flip cell phone vibrated against the dresser top as I studied my reflection.

Sighing at the sight of Nadia’s name once again, I decided to pick up and get this conversation out of the way.

“What’s up?” I greeted her, reaching for my beard comb after running some oil through it.

“Nice of you to call me back, Staten,” she huffed.

“I’ve been busy, Nadia. What’s going on?”

“For one, I want to talk about the fact that I had to hear from my kids that you moved them from Chicago back to Oak Bluffs. It would have been nice to have a discussion about that decision.”

“I’m their father,” I pointed out.

“And I’m their mother.”

“Aight. You got it.” I wasn’t about to sit here arguing with her about this shit. “In all fairness, I just made the decision, and I was going to let you know once I got them settled. I’m taking over as the head of Marek Industries.”

“I never thought you’d go back home.”

“Yeah, I know.” I picked up my iPhone off the dresser and tucked it in my pocket. “Shit changed, and this is where I need to be.”

“What about this nanny you hired?” Nadia insinuated.

“What about her?”

“Tavi says she doesn’t like her,” Nadia quipped. “You just hired some strange woman to take care of our kids?”

“Nadia, stay out of my business. This is my household. There’s nothing wrong with Cambrie.

Tavi is just a smart ass that thinks she runs shit around here.

She’s a child. Her and Saga are used to holding things down when I’m not around, but I want that to change.

I want them to be kids, go to school, and not have to worry about having dinner cooked or doing laundry.

I leaned on them a lot in Chicago, and they don’t have to do that here. ”

“I could always come back?—”

“No.” I immediately shut her down, which gained a moment of silence from her end.

“I’m not trying to give them the impression that we’re getting back together.”

“What if we did?” she suggested softly.

“The hell you even talking about? Why would we do that?”

“Because I know you. I know how that business works. You’re going to need someone that can understand that part of your life. We were good when we were on the same page, Staten. Don’t you miss that?”

“Honestly? Nah. When you walked out on me, you took all the good shit between us, Nadia. Now you’re just the mother to my children. I respect you as that, but that’s all it is.”

“Staten—”

“I have to go.” Ending the call, I shook my head and tucked the phone into my drawer, deciding to leave that part of my life right where it was.

Saga and Tavi had phones now for school and iPads, so if she wanted to talk to them, she had full access.

I didn’t want to keep going back and forth with her or Cyra, and those were the only two that ever called that number.

By the time I got downstairs, Rogue and Piaget were chasing each other in the living room, and Tavi sat on the couch with her arms crossed over her chest, wearing a pout.

With one leg draped over the other, she followed Rogue and Piaget with her eyes, but it was obvious she was in a mood.

I decided to go check on Cambrie in the meantime and see if she was ready to go.

She’d left her door cracked, and her voice carrying into the hall made me pause.

“I’m fine, Plum.”

“No, you are not. I know what you sound like when you’re fine, Brie. What’s wrong?” a woman asked through speaker on her phone. “Is it Uncle Los?”

“No. He’s fine. I talked to him on the phone this morning, and he is still lucid, complaining about the food they have him eating.”

“So then what is the problem?”

“I fucked up, Plum,” she whispered. “I did something I can’t take back, and now I just want to crawl in a hole and disappear.”

“Girl, your dramatic ass needs to chill. I’m sure it’s not that damn bad,” her friend chimed in.

I had to chuckle because she sounded like she was keeping it real with her.

“Unless… did you get busy with your boss?”

“Ughhh, Plum. I’m not having this conversation.”

“The hell you aren’t, Cambrie Marie Rhodes! I’m supposed to be the loose one of this two peas in a pod shit, not you. You’re the good girl. You’ve had like two relationships your whole fucking life! You slept with Staten!” Plum hissed.

“I gotta go.”

“Bitchhhhh, you better call me later with allll the details!” she squealed before Cambrie hung up.

I tapped on her door to let her know I was there, and she nearly jumped out of her skin.

Standing near her bed in a yellow, two-piece, ribbed fit summer set, my gaze swept over every womanly curve.

The high-waisted flared pants hugged her ass and waist just right, and the little matching baby tee clung to her breasts.

A small locket hung around her neck, and she completed the look with a pair of white and yellow platform sneakers.

“I was just grabbing my purse.” She slid her phone into the side pocket of the crossbody Coach bag.

Stepping into the room, I closed her door and pressed my back against it, which made her pause in stride.

“I’m sorry.” Those weren’t words I was familiar with, just like whatever this was between us was something I wasn’t used to.

Her opinion of me mattered for some reason.

“It wasn’t just your fault.” She sighed. “It takes two, right?”

“I don’t want you to leave.”

“I can’t afford to leave,” she quipped. “So, don’t worry about it. I’m a big girl as well as a professional. The kids will be starting school; you’ll be at work. I think we should focus on that.”

There was a bit of chill in her tone when she spoke to me now, and I ain’t like that shit.

I also knew I couldn’t fight it. I was her employer, and those lines didn’t need to be blurred by whatever was between us.

Nodding, I turned the knob to the door and turned to leave.

Saga stood in the hall, staring up at me with an odd expression as Cambrie emerged behind me.

“Everybody is ready,” he announced, eyes toggling from Cambrie to me.