Page 22 of His Playground
“Not anymore, you don’t. And yes, you need a detail. You’re not to go anywhere without them.” He uses thatdon’t try to argue with metone. Honestly, if I didn’t have a child sitting next to me right now, I’d tell him to fuck off. “Eat,” he says, dropping a plate of blueberry pancakes in front of me.
“I… am not hungry anymore.” I push the plate away. Maybe a hunger strike will… Actually I don’t think a hunger strike will affect anyone but me. I pull the plate back towards me, changing my mind. “Now I am.” I pick up my fork.
“They’re the best,” Jazzy mumbles, her cheeks puffing out with chewed-up pancake.
I look to Carlo, waiting for him to lecture her about talking with her mouth full. My father slapped me across my face once for doing the same thing. Not Carlo, though. He smiles and starts cleaning up the mess he made cooking.
“They are really good,” I agree.
“Do you want to know the secret? Carlo says it’s love. You have to cook them with love for people you love,” Jazzy informs me.
“Really?” I don’t have the heart to tell her that her father might love her, but I do not fall into that category.
“I’m coming with you when you go back to your father’s,” Carlo says.
“Why?” I ask him.
“Because I don’t trust him.” He picks up his phone before turning to Jazzy. “How would you like to go visit Uncle Louie?”
“Can I swim with Aunt Charlotte?” she says excitedly.
“We can ask her,” Carlo replies. “Go get your swimsuit ready and bring me your hairbrush. I’ll do something with that bird’s nest on top of your head.”
“Okay.” Jazzy jumps down off the stool and disappears around the corner.
“I can brush her hair if you want,” I offer.
“I can do my daughter’s hair,” he grunts.
“I didn’t say you couldn’t. Forget I mentioned it.” I take another bite of the pancakes, because they really are too good not to eat.
Chapter Nine
Iknow that Antonia doesn’t deserve me snapping at her. I get that she’s trying to help. I just have hangups about anyone thinking I can’t take care of Jazzy myself. I want to prove to any doubters that while I never thought I’d be a father, now that I am, I wouldn’t fucking change it for the world.
After dropping Jazzy off to Charlotte, I came back to my penthouse to take Antonia to Marciano’s house. Louie, Sammie,and I are all skeptical about him wanting to actually form an alliance with us. I went along with the marriage for personal reasons. Despite our history, I do actually love the woman and I wasn’t about to watch her marry anyone else.
“You really don’t have to come with me,” she says once we’re closed inside the car. I have security tailing us. I’m not taking risks with her life.
“I want to,” I tell her.
“What is the deal you have with my father?”
“It’s business.” I shrug. She knows better than to ask about business. I’m not going to tell her shit and neither is her father. It’s for her own safety. It’s better if she doesn’t know anything.
“Sure, business,” Antonia huffs.
“How’s school going?” I ask her.
“Really? You want to talk about school?” She turns her head and stares out the window.
“I’d much rather you just let me have it. Get it over with so we can move on,” I tell her.
“I bet you would. You think this is some kind of joke? The last time I saw you, you were naked in bed with someone who very much wasn’t me. You asked me to meet you and I found you with some bimbo. And now, I’m married to you without a choice, and you want to talk about school?”
“You have a choice, Antonia. We all have choices. You just made the smart one by going along with this marriage,” I remind her. “And yes, I want to know how school is going.”
“Fuck you,” she seethes.
