Page 69 of Mafia Kings & Wedding Rings 2: The Finale
“Something like that. Been trying to keep my thoughts off trap shit. Brick hooked me up with his playlist.”
“What he know about Ella Mai?” I jested.
Ivo started the car, and we pulled off the lot. The drive to the condo went by pretty fast. Jury talked most of the time, and by the time we were pulling up, she was yawning and fighting to stay awake. I knew once she had a bath and her pajamas, it would be over. I missed the nightly routines with her so much that I was looking forward to it. Ivo parked and shut the engine off. He turned in his seat and caught Jury dozing off with her head against the seat.
“She’s beautiful,” he complimented.
“Thank you. I’m thinking about keeping her,” I cackled. “She’s a little chatty though.”
“Like you ain’t,” he retorted, which left Sapphire snorting when he laughed.
“I mean, he got a point, sis.”
“Shut up and get out of the car,” I ordered with an eyeroll.
“I can get her and take her up if you want,” Ivo offered.
“Please do. She’s heavier than she looks.”
We reached the condo, and Sapphire said goodnight and went right to his bedroom while typing away on his phone. I kicked off my shoes, leaving them in the front entry by the door, and dropped my purse on the accent table before padding inside. Ivo moved right past me and carried Jury toward the stairs with me in tow. He pushed the door open to her room and walked her right over to her little canopy bed and laid her across the top.
“Thank you.” I stepped up, brushing against him ever so lightly so I could take her shoes off. “I guess she’s worn out from the day. I was going to give her a bath so we could stay up and watch a movie.”
“You got time for that now that she’s here, and it sounds like things are working out for you and her daddy.”
“Yeah. I was surprised by Juke tonight, but . . . he’s not a bad man. He panicked when I lost my shit, and he was protecting Jury. I get that. I hate that we had to go through all these legalchannels, but hopefully in a few months I can have her living here with me part time too.” I reached out to stroke some of her sandy brown hair from her face.
When I glanced his way, Ivo was raking his eyes all over me. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking, but it was the first time he’d looked at me like that in a while. Admiration. The last couple of times we’d seen each other, it was more like I was a distraction or something he was trying to get away from.
“What?” I pried.
“Nothing. You just look good in mommy mode. It’s different. You’re still you . . . just…”
“Her mommy.” I took one last glance at Jury as she turned on her side and snuggled up to her pillow.
I reached down to ease her out of her jean jacket and toss it on a nearby chair before pulling the covers over her little body. “It’s the best job I didn’t know I wanted. I love her more than anything else in this world.”
“I’m about to head out.” Ivo started toward the door.
“I guess I’ll see you tomorrow then.”
Pausing, he half turned and looked me up and down.
“Yeah. I got the message from Jordan. I’ll be there. What are you going to do about her?” He nodded to Jury.
“Oh, Sap’s going to watch her for a little bit. I’m trying to figure out the best way to explain this to her. I guess I’ll get it right when the time comes. I won’t be able to hide being pregnant from her.”
“You still got time to back out of this.”
“You said this wasn’t just about you and Jordan. You also need an heir. So I’m not just doing this for her. You made it clear where we stand, Ivo, and I’m not going to hold it against you. The bottom line is we all stand to gain something from this situation. So, no . . . I’m not backing out. See you tomorrow.”
Nodding, he backed out of the room, and I faced Jury to watch her sleep. It’d been a while since I could do that, and I was cherishing every single moment I had with her at this point. Things were looking up in several aspects of my life, and I didn’t want to continue to dwell on all the bad shit. My daughter deserved the best version of me at this point, and that’s exactly what she was going to get.
The next day . . .
I was a ball of bad nerves the next morning. Waking up in bed, I know I laid there with my eyes on the ceiling for a good ten minutes before moving. The intense rumbling in my stomach left me salivating as if I had to throw up. Lately, I’d been tired as hell and moody, but I just knew it was all these hormones I’d been taking in preparation for today. With Ivo being distant, and me keeping Jordan at arm’s length, everything felt so strained. A bitch was stressed. She’d been putting in an effort for us to spend time together, but I couldn’t get past what I now knew regarding our so-called friendship. Jordan wasn’t who I thought she was, and I honestly had no desire to be her friend anymore.
On the professional tip, I’d landed a job at Glitter Entertainment, a brand-new media company that just so happened to be local. They wanted me to be a part of their editing team for their local column. I’d lived in Oak Bluffs a good portion of my life, so I was still familiar with some of the ins and outs of the local entertainment industry. Oddly enough, their hottest topic was Brick and Six. When the CEO found outthat I was tight with Six and affiliated with the Marek family, she jumped at the chance to bring me on.
