Page 87 of Mafia Kings & Wedding Rings 2: The Finale
Easing her out of my lap and into one of the chairs, I got down on one knee in front of her with the box on full display. This time, those standing around took notice. There were gasps, deep sighs, and a lot of fucking swooning when the nurses caught wind of what was happening. Some of the patients even poked their heads outside of their rooms to witness it.
“Cambrie Marie Rhodes, will you marry me?”
“You had that thing with you all night!” She slapped my shoulder with tears flooding her eager brown eyes.
“Timing is everything, mama. You gon’ answer my question or what?”
“I have never met a man like you. I didn’t even know one existed, let alone one made just for me. But you are, Staten. I don’t take what we have for granted because I’ve lost too much in this life already. You and those kids are my heart and soul. I can barely remember life before you came into it, and yes . . . I want to spend the rest of it with you. All of you.” She cupped my cheek and arched forward. Our kiss was a slight brush at first before our tongues entered the equation and her arms fell around me. Taking a breath, I slipped the ring out of the box and onto her finger before standing and sweeping her into a circle. Our lips found each other again, and I palmed one of her ass cheeks while feeding her my tongue.
“Well.” Nadia cleared her voice. “I guess congratulations are in order.”
Easing Cam down to the ground, I didn’t hide my smile for Nadia. She had me fucked up if she thought I was going to let her opinions and feelings dictate my life because we shared children.
“I was up with Tavi. She woke up briefly when I got there, but went back to sleep, and Marcella said that you were probably down here with Ivo. I thought I would come check on everyone. Not what I expected.”
“You might not have expected it, but you damn sure better respect it, Nadia. For the sake of Saga and Tavi, I don’t want anything to be ugly between us. You are their mother, but I will also be a part of their lives.” Cambrie hugged up to me and rested her head against my chest.
“That’s fair. I heard from the doctor that you would be assisting with her physical therapy when she’s ready.” Nadia adjusted her purse on her shoulder.
“I offered. I’m still licensed, and I have helped kids bounce back in worse conditions. She’s going to be fine. She’ll probably hate me a little more, but . . . as long as she’s able to be fully mobile again, that’s all that matters.”
“I told Marcella she could go home after I came and talked to you. I’m going to sit with Tavi the rest of the night if that’s OK. Maybe you two might want to go have a mini celebration or something.” A tight smile formed on her lips.
Cambrie craned her neck and peered into my face.
“I think we’re good. For now. I know he doesn’t want to leave the hospital with Tavi and Ivo laid up in here.”
“Okay. I’ll let Marcella know she’s been relieved, and I’ll be upstairs.” Nadia spun on her heel to go, and I was surprised by her maturity in the situation, even though I was pretty sure she was still seething. I held Cambrie close, and she extended her arm to scope the rock on her finger.
“Damn, that thang is thanging!”
“Damn right! Only the best for mine.” I stole a kiss. “Come on, let me see if Brick will let me get his keys for a minute.”
We stepped into Ivo’s room, and they were on some cupcake shit. Bro was laid up in the bed, hooked up to all kinds of shit with oxygen in his nose, but Emerald lay there with her head on his shoulder, half asleep. In the corner, Brick had his feet kicked up on a table, tapping on his phone, and Six was curled up right under him, snoring against his chest.
“The fuck y’all still doing here? Tavi good?” Ivo muted the TV, and Emerald sleepily popped her head off his shoulder.
“Yeah, and her mama is with her too. Brick, let me see your car keys.”
“You trying to hot box it?” Bro asked, going through his pockets.
“Nah. I got something else in mind,” I said, licking my lips and catching his fob when he tossed it at me.
“Cambrie, what the hell is that obstructing my view on your finger?” Emerald acknowledged.
“Oh, it’s sealed with more than a sip, baby!” My girl flashed her rock, and Six immediately squealed and jumped from her seat.
“We should go outside and hotbox it!” Six clapped her hands together.
“The only hotbox that nigga trying to get in is between Cam’s legs, Six. Chill.” Brick pulled her down into his lap.
“Congratulations, sis. Welcome to the family.” Ivo smiled at Cambrie through his pain.
Although we were each in the midst of our women, something heavy lingered between the three of us. Cambrie was the first to read the room.
“Okay, so let’s all be transparent here!” she hissed. “There’s always going to be some kind of implication that this family is more than what we are. My take is, don’t feed the media.” She shot a sideways glance at Brick and Six. “It’s all good to allude to some shit, but don’t give anyone access to your life. Nine times out of ten, they don’t care and are probably just putting a microscope against your shit to keep tabs on your downfall. None of our lives are going to be easy, but above everything else, we have to figure out how to protect each other.”
“She is absolutely right.” I hadn’t expected my mother’s voice to ring from the entryway, but there she was. “Sol is with the kids, and Marcella is on her way home. They are already asleep. I came back to check on my son, and of course, you are all in here.”
