I did the same thing to Mello’s hair as I did to Rocco’s, but Mello smiled. “Love you, Ma.”
“Love you too, baby.” I kissed his soft cheek, inhaling his smell and wishing he still had that newborn scent.
“Trace, be good today. No calls from the teacher this week, okay?”
Trace smiled as his face turned red. “I promise.”
The boy promised me the moon but rarely ever delivered. I basically was on a first-name basis with his teacher. She loved him to death and probably let him get away with more than she really should. Trace knew it too. But every once in a while, he pushed the envelope a little too hard, and she’d have to call me to reel him in.
The last time I had a meeting with her, I learned Trace was caught tapping a little girl’s ass as he’d said, “Good girl.”
I was mortified when I found out. I had to hear an entire spiel about hands and how that could be construed as a sexual act. They wanted him to attend a sexual harassment class, but I pitched a fit because he’s a fricking kid. He was too young to even realize what it meant, but I knew where he got it. The school overstepped its bounds, but obviously, I had failed as a parent. It didn’t help that he didn’t have any sisters to interact with so he was kind of clueless as to what was appropriate or not.
After that, I told James to keep his hands off my ass and watch it with the sexy talk in front of Trace. Obviously, I didn’t want a repeat performance because James would be fielding that meeting, not me.
“Let me grab my purse, and I’ll take you to school.”
James’s mother came walking out of the kitchen with her purse already over her shoulder. “I’ll take them, dear. Sit and have a cup of coffee. You need to learn to relax a little more.”
From her lips to God’s ears.
“Thank you, Mama.”
“Yay,” Rocco yelled and ran out the front door. “Shotgun.”
“Darn it,” Mello grumbled and followed him.
Trace looked at me and shrugged. “I like the back seat. I don’t understand the big deal.”
“That’s good, baby.” I blew him a kiss. “Be good.”
“You got it, doll.” He winked and ran out the front door.
I stood there shocked. All I’d wanted was one girl. But, no. God had to punish me for being such an asshole most of my life. Instead, he gave me three boys who would probably be the death of me someday. If not that, they’d at least make me gray before my time.
I didn’t even want to think about what was to come. Besides the girls, there were going to be parties, drinking, driving, and probably an arrest or two before they hit adulthood. I’d be lying if I said I was looking forward to any of it.
“We may be gone by the time you get home. We’re going back to Miami, but we’ll be back in about a month to check on the house.”
I hugged Mama Caldo tightly. “Thank you,” I told her before kissing her face. “I couldn’t have gotten through the week without you.”
“I loved spending time with you and the boys.”
I knew she was including James along with the grandkids, and it made me smile. “They loved it too.”
“Go have your coffee and give my son a kiss goodbye for me.”
I waved as she walked down the driveway toward the car with the boys already fighting inside. “I will.”
I closed the door, pressing my back against it. I took in the silence because I knew it was my last few moments of quiet before I headed to work and a very long day training a new girl in the way of Mike’s crazy.
James
Iwalkedinto the office just after eight and Angel had already set a cup of coffee in my office, but she was nowhere to be found. The hallways weren’t buzzing with activity, but I was too tired to even care.
I collapsed in my chair, turned on my computer, and sipped the still warm coffee as I waited for the old piece of shit to start. The door to the conference room down the hall from me opened and closed before Thomas appeared in my doorway.
“Feds are here.” He tipped his head. “They want to talk to both of us.”
