Page 130 of Meraux Mafia: No Ordinary Love

“Stop worrying, Sky.” I couldn’t resist the urge to touch her. I had been respectful because of Camdyn, but she was no longer around. Lifting Skylar on my lap, she nervously looked over her shoulder to ensure Cam was out of sight.

“I can’t afford not to worry,” Sky mumbled, avoiding eye contact.

“Trust me,” which sounded demanding, but I was damn near begging, stroking the small of her back.

“That’s the problem, Mack. I do trust you, which scares me because I don’t trust anybody. Especially since this can’t happen.”

“Trust me, Sky, and I’ll work out the rest. I promise.”

That was all I needed. I cared about Skylar enough that I refused to let her down. I didn’t know how but I’d find a way as long as she believed in me.

I was officially back in the office, and leaving my girls was much harder than I thought. Home was my peace, but duty called. With my dad and uncles stepping down, it was time to step up—all of us.

“I’m going to the casino site to check on the progress,” Mack volunteered.

“We need to reopen business to Trent,” Tyson spoke up, but as far as I was concerned, that wasn’t up for discussion.

“No.”

“I checked in with Trent. He didn’t sell to the Mayans. He doesn’t know who did it, so why are we penalizing him and ourselves? We’ve lost a million and climbing since shutting them out,” Tyson reported as if the number he tossed out would move me.

“All money ain’t good money. As a man, principles are important, and so is loyalty.”

“If y’all start fighting, I’m not breaking shit up,” Mack warned, not even looking up from what he was doing.

Tyson reclined in his seat and sighed deeply, “Aite, Gi. You got more hostility than usual for me. Go ahead and get your shit off.”

“It ain’t nothing for me to get off. I’m good, and until Trent and TJ figure out their shit business is closed.” Strolling out of the conference room, I headed for my office because I had an important call lined up.

I was the same person I had always been. Tyson wasn’t stupid, but he wanted to play games instead of owning it. The only games I was interested in at my age were in the bedroom with my wife.

I retired to my office and shot Hailo a quick text to check on them before hopping on this conference call to mediate adults. The council was amid budget negotiations and was at a standstill on where to allocate the remaining five million dollars.

Since they couldn’t agree, I was brought in to hear both sides and make the best decision for DuPont Falls. I would’ve much rather the people we paid do their job instead of wasting two hours of my time playing mediator.

Hailo: Thank you for the flowers this morning.

Me: You’re welcome, Pretty Lady.

Hailo: Don’t work too hard saving the world.

Between conference calls and putting out fires, the day quickly got away from me, and I hadn’t even eaten lunch.

“How can I help you, Mr. Meraux?” My assistant, Daniel, asked, answering my call.

“Can you pick up lunch?”

“It just arrived,” he informed me, disconnecting the call.

The door opened, and Hailo walked in with my food instead of my assistant. “What are you doing here?” Not that I wasn’t happy to see her. The visit caught me by surprise, and I was curious about where the hell my daughter was.

“You’re so cute in your glasses,” She observed as she sat the food in front of me.

“Babies and dogs are cute. I’m a grown-ass man.”

“You look sexy in your glasses,” she rephrased her previous statement.

“Thank you,” I replied, leaning back in my seat and lacing my fingers together. Watching her lean against the corner of my desk caused my mind to delve into some odd places. Most of which consisted of me being between her legs in some fashion. The way Hailo smiled accentuated her cheekbones should’ve been a crime against humanity. She was too beautiful for her own good and mine too.

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