Page 51 of Mafia Kings & Wedding Rings

He would always be my baby brother, but he was tall and the bass in his voice reminded me that he was no longer a kid.

I couldn’t shield him forever. Blaine stepped back, probably figuring it wasn’t his place to get involved any further.

I had my reasons for how I treated my mother, and she earned every one of them.

This bitch was pure evil and selfish as hell.

When it came to respect, she couldn’t ever get that from me.

I didn’t want to taint Sapphire’s views either, but there was no way I could allow her to take advantage of him.

“You need to chill,” my brother warned, hands up trying to get me to calm down.

“Ask her, Sap. Ask your mother why we didn’t get any insurance money off the policy for Daddy! She told us because he committed suicide, but there’s only a two-year suicide clause, isn’t that right, Rashida!”

“I—” she stammered, unsteadily bringing herself to her feet.

“You lied! About everything! That’s why you didn’t want me to go with you when they gave you the autopsy because you knew, you fucking knew!” I aimed an accusing finger at her.

“Ma, what she talking about?” Sapphire turned to her with his face bunched up.

I hated to be the one to hurt him like that, but he deserved to know. Our mother wasn’t shit, and the sooner he figured that out, the better.

“Tell him! Say it!” I belted, ready to draw blood if she didn’t confirm what I already knew. “Tell him that Daddy didn’t commit suicide. What was it… a suspicious death they called it, which has come under investigation.”

“What that mean?” Sapphire questioned, confusion all over his handsome baby face.

“It means he was murdered!” I screeched. “Ain’t that right, Rashida! What you really running from?”

“I don’t know what you think you’re saying, but you better check that shit before you cross a line you can’t go back from,” my mother warned. “Who the hell are you to judge me?” Something almost human flickered behind her gaze when she aimed her almond French tip at me.

“What’s the matter, Rashida? Am I hitting a little too close to home?” I sneered.

“You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about, and I don’t have to stand here listening to any of this. I came over here because I’m still your mother, and I care about what happens to you. Both of you.” She glanced at Sapphire. “But I won’t stand for the disrespect.”

“Then I suggest you leave. I ain’t got nothing else for you.” With my arms tucked across my chest, I sent daggers of hate her way.

Sighing, she shook her head and collected herself.

“I’ll give you some time to calm down. This isn’t over. If you know what’s best for one of us benefits us all. Correct me if I’m wrong, but Ivo is a married man, no?”

Keeping an ice grill on my face, I dropped my arms at my side.

“He’s also a friend. Someone I’ve known for a long time. It’s none of your business what we talked about.”

“You and Ivo Marek are far from fucking friends, Emerald. Let’s be honest about that while you in here calling me out on my shit,” Rashida sneered.

“You almost risked it all for that boy until your father threatened to cut you off. I guess you didn’t trust Ivo’s feelings for you as much as you thought.

Look at you.” She scoffed, shaking her head and raking those piercing, round eyes over me.

“You’re not that sixteen-year-old girl anymore, Emerald, yet you still haven’t grown up.

You had so much potential, and now you’re back here rotting like the rest of these mediocre bitches. ”

Smack! Out of pure instinct, my hand landed against her face. It even shocked me. What she said might have struck a nerve, but it was also because Rashida wasn’t shit to me. I stand on that. There wasn’t a motherly bone in her body, and I hated her.

“Get the hell out!” I pitched my head over my shoulder to the door. “The only reason you’re coming around now is because you know he’s got potential and you want to be here to cash in. You don’t give a fuck about him or his well-being.”

Stroking her cheek, she pressed her tongue against her inner jaw and glared at me.

“This isn’t over. Sapphire, don’t get comfortable on the couch.” She yanked her purse onto her shoulder and stomped toward the door.

When she was gone, I stood there with my arms tucked across my chest and my head bowed.

“Em…” My brother took a couple of steps toward me, his tone remorseful.

I knew he wasn’t trying to take her side over mine. She was his mother, and he wanted to see a different side to her. The problem was it just didn’t exist, and I hated to be the one to point that out to him. I knew that about Rashida a long time ago.

“Don’t. Not right now,” I told him, waving a hand to let him know I really wasn’t in the mood for this.

“I’mma go take a shower.” Sapphire went over to a small tote in the corner where he stored his clothes and grabbed some pajamas.

When he was gone, I threw my head back with both hands now on my hips.

“Is there something I can do?” Blaine’s voice stirred a different kind of emotion, and my shoulders finally relaxed.

“I’m surprised you’re still standing here and didn’t run out the first chance you got.” Pinching the bridge of my nose, I had to laugh to keep from crying.

“Shit, I’m used to drama. I got three sisters,” he confessed, making me laugh out loud.

“This was a bit much,” I conveyed.

“You want to talk about it?”

“Not really. Not right now.” I strolled past him to the kitchen, in need of something to drink.

I grabbed a bottled water from the fridge and twisted the cap off. Blaine paused at the L-shaped counter and faced me. There was something on his mind, and I had an inkling of what it was. Taking a gulp of water, I joined him on the other side.

“So, uh, what’s up with you and this Marek dude?” I knew that was coming.

Clearing my throat, I set the bottle on the counter and looked him in the eye.

“We went to high school together… me, him, and his wife, Jordan. I was friends with both of them.”

“Just friends?” Blaine questioned, hiking a brow.

“I never had a sexual relationship with him, but we were close,” I worded carefully. “Jordan and I were too, in a different way.”

“So where do you stand now?”

“Well, since you are a fixture in my life, I guess I should let you know what’s going on,” I simpered.

“A fixture huh? I don’t like that. Nigga sounds like a chandelier or some shit,” Blaine joked.

“You know what I mean. Sapphire looks up to you, and I’m very grateful for you taking him under your wing and guiding him.

He’s doing so good despite everything else wrong in our lives, but I am working on fixing that.

Which is where Ivo and Jordan come in. They want to have a baby and can’t, so I’m going to be their surrogate. ”

Blaine’s expression crumpled into bewilderment, and he straightened up.

“Like you having a baby for them?”

“Yes.” I nodded.

“That’s… crazy. Wow.”

“I know. I was going to tell you if we kept seeing each other. I told you I had shit going on. Having this baby for them gives me a financial cushion that my brother and I need.”

“Nah, I get it… I just ain’t never heard of anybody doing that personally,” Blaine voiced.

“You think it’s weird and wild, right?”

“I think you’re doing what you gotta do for you and your brother and giving a couple something they want more than anything. It’s kind of dope, and it shows the kind of woman you are.”

Hiding a smile and suddenly feeling flushed with his warm chestnut eyes raking over me, I nodded. In all the chaos currently surrounding me, it was the first time someone made me feel emotionally safe. Everything with Ivo was so complicated and intense. Blaine was a refreshing relief from that.

“Thank you.”

“And I’m good with taking this as slow as you need to, Emerald. I like getting to know you, and I want Sapphire to have a future in basketball or whatever else he chooses to do. He’s got talent, and he’s smart.”

“He really is,” I beamed proudly.

“So, don’t let what’s happening between us stress you out. It sounds like you got enough emotional shit going on, so I can be your shoulder or ear whenever you need it.”

“I can’t put that on you. Sapphire and I are about to move into a new place though, and things are looking up. Once I go through implantation and get pregnant, you might feel differently.”

“Let me let you know when that happens.” He reached out and tugged on one of my locs. “I’m gonna head out though. I’m getting some of the guys together for an early morning work-out session before school starts.”

“Okay, thank you… for everything.” Stepping forward, I stood on my toes to kiss his cheek, and he moved past me to the door.

I went to lock up after him and decided to find a snack in the kitchen until Sapphire got out of the bathroom.

In basketball shorts and a wife beater, he moved around the living room, gathering his sheets and pillows to make up the couch for his bed as I emerged from the kitchen with a slice of apple pie I’d brought home from work today.

He dropped down into the couch when he was done and sighed.

“What’s on your mind?” I asked, propping myself on the arm and studying him as he scrolled his phone briefly and lifted concerned eyes to mine. “You think Mama had something to do with what happened to Pops?”

“Sap, you shouldn’t have had to hear that.”

“I’m not some little kid, Em. You ain’t gotta shield me from that.”

“Okay,” I sighed, noticing that his voice was indeed changing and growing a little deeper.

It made me smile because he was starting to look more and more like our daddy the older he got. Rich brown skin, slanted, hazel eyes, and a crooked smile that could melt any girl’s heart.

“I don’t want to burden you. It’s why I’m doing everything I can to support you. You are right though, you’re not a kid. To me you’re always going to be the little boy whose diapers I changed though.”

“Em,” he groaned, annoyed as I cackled and scooped another piece of pie into my mouth.

“I couldn’t help it! There is something I need to talk to you about though.”

“Is it about you and Coach?” he asked, side-eyeing me.

Swallowing slowly, I shook my head.

“No. But I guess I should have talked to you about us possibly seeing each other. I’m sorry.”

“It’s cool. Coach is dope, and I can tell he likes you,” Sapphire noted.

“Yeah, he is, and I like him too. I don’t know where this is going though. We’re just friends right now.”

“Like you and Ivo?” Sapphire presented, throwing me off.

“I told you what I’m doing for him and Jordan.” I nervously stood, and he leaned forward.

“Yeah, but that don’t explain him coming around so much.”

“Well, tonight he had something for me. A new place for us to stay, and a car for me to drive parked in the garage.”

“For real?”

“Yup. He wants me to be comfortable while I’m carrying their child. I didn’t say no because I want you to have your own space. You deserve that, Sap. So we’re going to be moving ASAP. Make sure all your shit is packed.”

“Bet.” He rubbed his hands together and grinned.

“I’m tired as hell, and you need to get some rest. Blaine said he got y’all doing early practice in the morning.” I aimed my fork at him.

“Yup.” Sapphire yawned and stretched his long ass legs along the couch and rested his arms across his stomach. “’Night, Em.”

“Goodnight, big head. I love you.” With my pie in hand, I strolled behind the couch and down the hall to my bedroom.

I had a message from Ivo when I checked my phone, sending me the address to our new home, and I smiled while seating myself on the edge of the bed.

Today wasn’t perfect, but it was somewhat looking up.

There was still so much up in the air, but tonight I didn’t want to think about it.

My brother and I had a new place, I had a car so that I could start looking for a better job that went beyond needing the bus line, and I knew Ivo had me one way or another.

Blaine was a silver lining, and I honestly couldn’t say for sure if that was a good or bad thing.

I didn’t want him being collateral damage in my mess of a life, but he said he wanted to be there for me, so who was I to turn him away?