Page 28 of Quasim II: King Inferno

She looked at Aimee. “Is this what you felt like, Aim?”

Aimee nodded her head and wiped her tears. “I still feel like that… fighting to get the old me back, while accepting that she may be gone for good. Pri, it’s not a bad idea to go to therapy. I know Meer loves the hell out of you and you are in a good place now, but you’ve been through so much. Pops went with me to therapy to understand me more, and I swear I never cried so much. Both he and my father were there. I went from not having a dad, to having two that care about me.”

Alaia rested her head on Aimee’s shoulder. “He needed that just as much as you did, Aim.”

“As children, we bury what happened to us and keep pushing on, never dealing with it because we claim we don’t remember. Not knowing most of our decisions we make in our adulthood stems from that trauma we experienced as children.” I rubbed my aching breast as I watched them. “Don’t mind me… I’m gonna make an appointment because my breasts have been sore, and that was the first sign I got when I found out I had cancer.”

“Or you could be pregnant because my breasts were super sore and ached when I got pregnant with Promise.”

“I am not pregnant… I would know.”

“Would you?” Capri eyed me suspiciously.

I stopped rubbing my breast and looked at them. “We’re not about to make my boobs the topic of conversation.”

“Somebody having King Inferno’s baby,” Aimee teased, and I kicked her under the table. “Ouch, bitch.”

“Damn, so we all just be knocked up before getting the last name?” Capri snorted, as she sipped her coffee. “Oh God… this is awful.”

“Speak for yourself… I got the last name, and I wasn’t knocked up. Me being pregnant and Promise being born first doesn’t count… I had her after me and Capp were married.”

Aimee grabbed Alaia’s hand. “Baby, you just as delusional as your husband.”

We all started laughing because Alaia and Capp were one in the same. They both balanced each other because they were both nut cases. “I really don’t think I am, though.”

“Is your period late?”

“From the chemotherapy, my periods are irregular anyway.” I shrugged.

Aimee looked at her phone. “Hmm.”

“Why you all looking like that?” I looked at them as they looked away from me while snickering.

“Remember when you told that man you couldn’t wait to have his babies and marry him in Italy?” Capri asked.

“Yeah.”

“Well, you spoke it into existence, because you are pregnant, my girl. I’ll let you live in delusion a bit because I had to do the same until Meer pulled up on me with a damn test.”

“That man loves you so damn bad… actually, he probably trapped you.”

We all laughed. “I’ll be trapped by him anytime.”

“Look at the Delgatos sitting across from the Infernos.” We turned and Capp was standing there with Capone sitting in the booth behind him.

“Hey, baby.”

“Oh, hey baby… why the fuck you not answering your phone?”

Alaia looked for her phone in her purse and then put on a silly grin. “It was on silent… I always turn it off when I’m at the range.”

He leaned in the booth behind us and kissed his wife on the forehead. “Missed a target?”

“Never.” She kissed his nose.

“Missing Erin already,” Capri called her other brother out who was looking like a lost puppy. Erin had flown out with her cousin so she could get a mommy makeover.

“Still trying to figure out why the fuck she need a mommy makeover… she ain’t even been a mommy that damn long,” he vented.

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