Page 24 of Mafia Kings & Wedding Rings 2: The Finale
“Yo, this shit is hard!” Sapphire exclaimed.
“Watch your mouth,” I mumbled, craning my neck and staring up at the structure.
“Girl, talk about moving up! Let’s go take a tour!” Lola shut her car off and we all piled out together.
Fishing around for the keys in my purse, when I finally got the door unlocked, Sapphire rushed off ahead of me. Clearly, he was excited. Everything smelled fresh and new. The eggshell white walls were covered in gold, white, and baby blue marble style art, matching the European, luxury, carved sofa and two matching armchairs. A solid wood, marbled top table brought the room together.
Examining the high ceilings, I listened to my brother’s footsteps echo and squeak across the shiny floors. The living room itself was large, and down the hall was two bedrooms and a private bath for each. Behind the living room was a glass-encased staircase leading to a second story, and just past that was the open kitchen and dining spaces, all viewable from the top of the staircase, overlooking the entire bottom floor.
“Chile, talk about being put up! This shit is nice, Em!”
“Look at that molding in the ceilings.” I was in awe.
It had been a long time since we’d lived like this. My phone went off in my purse, and I reached inside without even looking down to see who it was.
“Hello.”
“Hey girl!” Jordan’s voice immediately brought me back down to reality.
“Hey!” I broke away from Lola as she plopped down on the couch and leaned back with her arms stretched on either side.
Strolling up the stairs, I found myself wandering the halls until I came across a set of double doors. Pushing them open, I damn near passed out at the excessiveness taking up the room. I couldn’t stop the tears from nearly blinding me. First, the velvet, upholstered, wing-backed bed was shaped in a circle, with storage underneath and a king-sized mattress arranged in the middle. There was a matching table on each side, plus two dressers with mirrors arranged on opposite sides of the room with two separate five-drawer bureaus.
Drifting inside, my feet sank into the plush carpet with each step. Ivo had all kinds of designer gifts lining the bed and dressers, and on one of the bedside tables was an arrangement of pink and red roses with touches of baby’s breath. There was a card propped up against the vase that simply readWelcome Home.
“Earth to Emerald!” Jordan bellowed.
“Oh, sorry. What?”
“Girl, are you OK?”
“I’m fine. Just in the middle of something.” I approached the bed to examine one of the gift boxes, swiping my hand over the Givenchy label.
“Oh, well I didn’t want to bother you. I just wanted to know how you were feeling with the hormones and everything?” Jordan pressed.
“I’m hanging in there. It’s got my moods all over the place and Sapphire walking on eggshells around me, but nothing we can’t handle.”
“That’s good to hear. Are you free this week for lunch?”
“Um, I don’t know. I am actually job hunting, and I have to get Sapphire back and forth to school and practice. He’s got two games this week too. Maybe Sunday?”
“Oh, that’s perfect! I was wondering when we should get everyone together. Since this is all going to be a process, I reallywant you to get to know Rossi and the rest of the family. Some of them can be a bit much, but Ivo is very family oriented. I let him have it because I do adore Rossi. The rest of them I could take or leave,” she cackled.
Just the thought of having to sit around Mrs. Marek had my stomach doing the fool. There was no way I was going to be able to be in her presence and fake a damn thing. I doubt she could either. Rossi was very straightforward, and if she didn’t like or approve of you, it was pretty much written on her face. If I didn’t dislike her so much, I might respect her, but it was obvious she thought very little of me. Jordan sounded excited though, and I didn’t want to be the one to let her down.
“Um, OK. Sure,” I agreed reluctantly.
“Really? Okay! Bring Sapphire. I’ll let Rossi know this week so she can add two extra places at the table.”
“Great,” I drawled, not the least bit excited about this gathering.
“Thanks for dinner, Lo.” I belched and chewed the last of my General Tso’s chicken before grabbing a napkin and wiping my hands and mouth.
Me, her, and Sap sat around the island in the kitchen, eating and coming up with all kinds of decor and things we could use to bring a little more personality to the place. A new text alert drew my attention to my phone, and I saw that I had a notification from Ivo. Instantly, a smile graced my face, and I picked it up.
“Is that Coach?” Sap wondered, stuffing his face with more lo mein.
“No,” I answered, locking eyes briefly with Lola, who simpered.
