Page 13

We stayed out in the sun for a little while longer before Maasai eventually came over to kidnap Avery, and we cracked jokes that went over the twins’ heads.

Maagic was the next to leave with some flimsy ass excuse about getting a massage, leaving me with the twins and Cruz, who were now looking for sea shells along the beach.

Without anyone there as a buffer, the scene seemed too…

familial, and I felt the need to take the kids inside or at the least away from Cruz.

I gathered our things and tried to hype myself up to hear them whining about having to leave when they were having so much fun.

I hated to do it, but I figured Cruz was probably tired of them anyway by now and just didn’t know how to get out of the situation he’d found himself in, so I’d help him out.

“Look, Mama! Cruz helped me find a pink one!”

I damn near jumped out of my skin as Kari appeared at my side to show off a tiny pink sea shell that rested in the palm of her sand-covered hand. “That’s soooo pretty,” I gushed, recovering quickly. “Let’s put it in here so you don’t lose it on the way back to the room.”

Despite the soft blow, I saw the instant she realized I was trying to leave, and her smile fell.

“We gotta leave?” She was already on the verge of crying, and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes as Kani and Cruz made their way over.

I’d tried to prepare myself for the fight I knew was coming, but her tears already had me ready to cave.

“Yes Kari, baby, we have to go get ready for later and?—”

“We leavin’?” Kani shrieked, shoulders drooping as he came to a stop next to his sister.

I cursed under my breath, suddenly irritated with having to explain, but only because Cruz was standing there staring at me with judgmental eyes.

It was like he knew what I was doing and why, but then again, that could’ve been my guilty conscience.

Letting out a sigh, I nodded, forcing myself to look away from him and down to Kani.

“Yes, we’re leaving. We have to go eat, get cleaned up, and rest for tonight.

Remember we’re going bowling?” I made sure to throw that in there with an encouraging smile as a way to make leaving sound more appealing, but that shit did little to help.

While Kari had no issue with crying and whining to get her point across, Kani felt like he was too tough to cry, so he resorted to angrily sending his foot through the sand.

“I don’t even like bowling!” He balled his little face up and folded his arms roughly.

“Aye! I know you ain’t yelling at your OG like that?

” Cruz spoke before I could, drawing Kani’s angry gaze to him, but he kept his lips shut in a tight line, surprising the hell out of me.

Apparently, in just a couple of hours, Cruz had gained enough respect that my baby didn’t immediately turn his rage on him.

When Kani’s shoulders sagged and his eyes lowered to the ground, I was even more stunned.

“But I don’t like bowling though,” he finally grumbled, his voice now contrite and sounding much more like the little boy I’d raised. My motherly instincts had me ready to give him a hug despite his bad attitude just a few seconds prior, but I decided to let the scene play out.

Shrugging coolly, Cruz handed him the bucket they’d been collecting shells in. “That’s probably ’cause you ain’t nice with it like me. ’Bout couldn’t even get a strike without one of those slide-looking things they use for babies?—”

“I’m not a baby! I don’t even use that anymore!” Kani shouted, cutting him off, but Cruz only threw his hands up with a snort.

“It’s cool if you still need help, I ain’t judging.”

Kani’s scowl returned, falling right into the trap Cruz was setting for him. “I don’t need help! I can beat you all by myself.”

“Guess we’ll never know since you don’t like it anyway.” Cruz shrugged again.

“I bet I can!”

The exaggerated look of doubt on Cruz’s face only incensed my baby more, and even Kari’s tears had dried up to see where this was going. “I bet $100 you can’t.”

“Ooh, I want $100!” Kari jumped in, completely over her tantrum with the prospect of getting money on the table.

“I mean, I’m sure I could beat both of y’all with one arm tied behind my back, especially since y’all ain’t tryna get no rest in?—”

“Ha! I’m gonna take a nap just to beat you!”

“I’m gone eat and take a nap!”

The twins shouted, trying to outdo each other, and I bit back a smirk. Normally, I wouldn’t have approved of my six-year-olds gambling, but if a fake two-hundred-dollar bet got their asses back to the villa willingly, then oh well, because I damn sure wasn’t coming off that money for real anyway.

Cruz squinted doubtfully. “I don’t think that’s gone help y’all, but whatever. When I win though, I want my money in all twenties, and I don’t wanna hear y’all crying to your mama either.”

“You gone be the one crying! Come on, Kari!” Kani stuck his tongue out before grabbing his sister’s hand and dragging her toward the villa, leaving me and Cruz in an uncomfortable silence.

Things were obviously still weird with us, but I couldn’t pretend like I didn’t appreciate the way he was handling my kids.

I watched them for a few seconds before turning back to Cruz to find his eyes already on me…

well, on my body anyway. I couldn’t deny it felt good to know he was still attracted to me, considering the cold shoulder I’d been getting from him.

“Thanks for that, sometimes they’re a handful.

” I gave a small smile, hoping to disarm him, but his expression remained stoic.

“It wasn’t shit,” he muttered, already walking off, and instantly, the smile slipped from my face.

I wasn’t sure what I’d been expecting from him, but it damn sure wasn’t that, not after the way he’d been vibing with my kids.

Apparently, that energy wasn’t extended to me.

The way he was holding this grudge over me declining a date with him was crazy as hell.

It had been months and he was still giving me his ass to kiss, and at this point, I was over it.

Rolling my eyes, I shook off my irritation and headed to my villa behind my kids. Fuck Cruz !