Page 49 of Mafia Kings & Wedding Rings 2: The Finale
“I don’t care! I don’t want them around that bitch any longer!” Nadia pointed her almond nail in my direction.
“I already told you, you don’t run shit around here, Nadia. You can stomp, yell, scream, and throw a fucking tantrum if you want. We have a court order in place, and we’ve managed to follow it to the letter until now.”
“Until she came into the picture!”
“Right. Like you ain’t the one been feeding Tavi that fantasy about us getting back together eventually. It’s why she’s been walking around here saying that shit and behaving the same damn way when shit don’t go her way.”
“Fuck you, Staten! I deserve to be here! I was the one with you and stayed down for you before you were shot. We created a family together?—”
“And you can’t keep using that as an excuse,” Staten cut her off. “The past is just that, and it needs to be left there. Not just for you and me, but for the kids too. Our daughter is hurt now because you had her believing some fairytale.”
Nadia blinked back tears and sniffled before angrily swiping a drop away from her cheek. I’ll give her credit for being persistent if nothing else. She had somehow convinced herself that she was going to find her way back into this man’s life without his consent. Staten wasn’t going for that though, and I loved that he was standing on all ten behind me.
“You want to talk about excuses? You’ve always been one for self-loathing and punishment. You mean to tell me that what happened to her mother isn’t the reason you’re so invested in this?” Nadia sneered.
Staten blinked rapidly before his jaw locked. He slowly inched into Nadia’s space, a feral glare bouncing behind his eyes that had her breath stalling. His fist nearly balled up on its own as he got in her face.
“The fuck you say?”
“What are you going to do? Hit me? Is that who you are now, Staten?”
“I suggest you get the kids and everything they need and get the fuck out of my house right now, Nadia.”
“Did I hit a nerve?”
Watching him snatch her by her throat showed a completely different side to Staten that I hadn’t been prepared to meet. Nadia trembled against his touch, but he backed her against the wall and pinned her there.
“This is the very last time that we’re going to have this conversation. Are we clear?”
Nodding slowly, she sighed in relief when he released her. She didn’t even bother to look in my direction as she scrambled up the stairs to gather Tavi and Saga. Staten pinched the bridge of his nose and let his shoulders drop as he took a deep breath. Coming up behind him, I placed a hand on his shoulder.
“Hey, you didn’t have to do that. I’m not worried about Nadia.”
“Nah, she don’t get to disrespect like that.” He shook his head and faced me. “She needs to know now about the boundaries. She’s my kids’ mother, so yeah, I respect her, but that’s as far as this goes. Let’s go see your pops though. I could use a distraction.”
“Same,” I agreed with a smile. “Thank you.” I stood on my toes and pressed my lips into his.
“For what?” he asked, arms around my waist.
“For standing up for me. I don’t have a lot of people in my life that do that.”
“I know you’re capable of doing it yourself, but you don’t have to worry about that as long as I’m around.”
“We ready to go?” Piaget and Rogue stopped at the landing of the steps and waited for me or Staten to respond.
“Yeah. Go start the car. I’ll be out in a minute. I want to make sure Nadia ain’t on no petty shit.”
“Good luck with that. Come on, you two.” I nudged the youngest of the crew to the door, and they bounced along with excitement.
Moments later, Staten emerged with Nadia, Saga, and Tavi. He made sure to lock up the house once everyone exited. Piaget and Rogue waved to their siblings, but their mother was still seething with anger. I got the feeling she wasn’t going to let this go. She just gave me super petty and spiteful vibes. I’d made my point though. If she knew nothing else, I was nobody’s punk bitch, and if she wanted to keep coming for me, then it was on sight every single time until she got the message.
“Hey, Daddy!” Carrying my pan of roasted chicken, I stepped into my father’s private room wearing a big grin.
I could have easily allowed Staten’s ex to put me in a bad place, but I was more concerned with making the most of my time with my father instead and not dwelling on that too much. Rogue and Piaget were right behind me, and Staten brought up the rear, carrying my pans filled with dinner.
“Brie, I thought you forgot about me.” Leaning forward, he set the remote to his TV on the table and observed me with everyone. “And you brought company.”
“He remembers you today!” Piaget squealed with a smile.
