Page 155 of Mafia and Gold Digger

I arch a brow. “I thought I was taking you all to school?”

“No, thanks,” Milena huffs, clearly unimpressed at the idea. “I already have a ride lined up.”

“I’m not riding in the same car as you if you’re wearing dumb braids,” Jaspar clips at Giulietta who hesitates only a second before dumping her bowl of cereal on his head.

“Who has dumb hair now?” she announces with glee.Jesus fucking Christ.

Milena pushes back from the table, and I swivel my gaze between her and her siblings, struggling to deal with all three of them at once. “Hold on, Milena! You’re actually going to class, right?”

Now, it’s my turn to be glared at. “Not you too, Saint. I thought you were cooler than this.”

“Yes or no, Milena. I’ll find out either way.”

She sighs. “God, you’re as bad as Em. Yes, I’m going to class.”

“All of them?”

“All of them.Can I go now?”

I nod and sit back in my chair with a sigh. How the hell did Emerald do this every day without wanting to at least shoot one of them?

“Mr. Saint?” Giulietta asks, tugging on my sleeve, as Jaspar wipes at his hair with a towel. I might have to shampoo it before we leave as there are bits of Lucky Charms stuck between the strands.

“Yeah?”

“Will you braid my hair?”

“Oh, um… I’ve never done it before.”

“Pleaaase?”

I try to say no, but there’s plenty of time before we have to leave, and I can’t help but buckle. This little girl—actually, make that the entire family—have me so wrapped around their fingers that it’d be comical if it didn’t make my chest ache at the same time. “Okay, but no promises about what it’ll look like. But let’s see what we can do.”

After consulting an online video and being none the wiser, I consult four more similar videos and end up even more confused. I brace myself to do this.I can do it. I’m able to meticulously plan and execute complex assassinations, so this braiding thing should be a walk in the park, right?

Sitting Giulietta on a kitchen stool, I get to work. Her hair is fine and silky, and whenever I cross sections over and go to grab the next section, what I’ve just done unravels. A scowl settles on my face. The video didn’t show this happening. These so-called social media influencers are fucking liars. You can’t learn to French braid hair in ‘six minutes and seven easy steps.’ There must be laws against false advertising like this—against people who spend all their lives lying.

Twenty minutes later, my fingers all have cramps, sweat is shining on my brow, and I feel like I’ve run a fucking marathon. But with a smile of satisfaction, I spin Giulietta around in the chair to take a look at herself in the mirror I’ve propped up on the kitchen island.

She looks at her reflection in the mirror, and her gaze widens. “You’ve made me look like ascarecrow!” she squeals. She’s obviously inherited Emerald’s tendency to be overdramatic…

“Oh, come on, it’s not that bad,” I try.

“Yeah, it is,” Jaspar scoffs as he folds his arms over his chest.Jeez, they’re a difficult crowd to please. “It looks like she’s been dragged through a hedge backward,” he announces with relish. “Told you, Giulietta, that you’d look dumb with braids, and this just proves it.”

“You’re not being very helpful here,” I grit out at him.

“Emerald told usto never lie,” he pipes up. And the way he says it makes me freeze. Christ, I hope she hasn’t been trying to convince them that I’m nothing but a liar.

“Look, I’ll search online and see if I can find some tips on how to improve it by tomorrow,” I promise, just wanting to see her smile. “You know, your hair doesn’t look too bad.” I give my best attempt at a reassuring tone.

“I don’t think this is how it’s supposed to look.” Her expression falls and her gaze shines. “I just want to look like all the other girls at school...”

My heart squeezes. “I’ll practice more today and tonight, so hopefully by tomorrow, I’ll be a bit better.” And as I say the words, I resolve to master these fucking French braids no matter how long it takes to learn it.

After washing Jaspar’s hair over the bathroom basin, when I finally get the kids to school, they’re late. And I know I’m failing miserably with them so far, but I’m going to turn this around. I’m determined to show Em that I can be the man she wants me to be and that I’m one hundred percent here for her, the kids, and the baby.

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