Page 23 of Rich Forever: Zo & Remy

I walked over to the counter, grabbed two strawberry crunch cookies, and walked outside to the backyard. I bit into it and shimmied as we sat and watched the kids play.

“So, what’s been going on? And where’s my Goddie?” I asked as I looked around for Jace, the newest addition to the family, like he would be outside hiding in the bushes. He was so tiny and handsome, and he never failed to give me baby fever whenever I saw or held him. For years, they joked that I was the most fertile and had the most kids, but now Kennedy has evened the score.

"He’s upstairs with his dad. Jax is putting him down for a nap," she said as I pouted. I had been looking forward to holding him until Kennedy threatened to make me take him home. As expected, conversation flowed quickly. We spent the next minutes cackling and discussing Mafia, business, and everythingin between. We connected in a strange way, but once we realized neither of us had bad intentions, our relationship grew organically. Over the years, we developed a solid friendship.

Jaxon finally emerged from the house and went straight over to my boys to talk to them. Then he came over to us, and I stood to hug him. He handed Kennedy his cup because he said the boys had challenged him to a race. We laughed while he got dusted not once, not twice, but three times, and he blamed it on the bourbon that he had been drinking.

Then he came and sat down on the bench next to Kennedy, wrapping her in his arms.

“Baby, you gone have to rub my legs tonight.” He said, winded as he kissed her forehead, and she shook her head at him.

“If you think that you can race kids at your age-” Interrupting Kennedy was the sound of Jace crying on the monitor. “Let me go get him.” She said as she got up and went into the house to deal with the baby, leaving us two there alone. I wanted to humor him with small talk, but we didn’t have a moment to spare. I needed to talk to him quickly.

“Jaxon, I need to talk to you about something,” I spat as I breathed a deep sigh and turned toward him.

“What’s up? You good?” He sat up and went on the defensive instantly. He could see the worry on my face.

“Yes and no,” I said as I fought in my head about how I was going to word this.

He put the cup that he had been babysitting down and gave me his undivided attention. So, instead of dragging it out any longer, I decided to just spit it out.

“Do you remember when I was telling you about the guy that I was engaged to the first time? From Louisiana? In the Weston Mafia?”

He didn’t respond; his eyes went to the sky like he was trying to search his memory for that information I had given him yearsago. “Yeah, yeah. The one that died?” He asked as it had finally come back to him.

“Yes, him. I got a letter the other day from an insurance company saying that I had an unclaimed death benefit from them.”

“Okay?” He asked, either confused or as if he wanted to guide me along to the point.

"Well, the letter was addressed to Remy Weston. I learned he forged a marriage document a month after we met. We were legally married for four months before he died."

The way he fell back in the chair is the same way I almost fell back from my computer. He didn’t say anything, just looked at me with a blank expression that I knew all too well.

“It gets worse.”

“Nah, Rem. It needs to get better.” He cut me off, eyes wide and brows raised.

"It doesn’t. The insurance company said a death was reported, but they couldn’t get an official death certificate. If I had one, I could provide it, and they’d pay out the benefits. I don’t need the money, but I wondered why they couldn’t get the certificate. So, I applied for it myself, and it’s not there. It’s never been filed."

“Rem.” He started before I stopped him.

“Jaxon, I know! If he’s never had a death certificate, then that means I am technically not his widow, which means I’ve been married to the fucking Weasel for almost a decade. Which means, I’m a bigamist!”

“What did Zo say?” He asked immediately, and my silence caused him to scoff and stand up to leave.

“Jax, please! Sit down. Please. I haven’t told him yet because I know him. I’d rather let the beast sleep until I can figure this out. That’s why I’m here.”

“Rem, Zo is my nigga. I can’t keep something like this from him. As a man, I wouldn’t want Kenn to keep shit like this fromme. This is bigger than you think; your safety could be at stake. We’re the Mafia, Shorty. Something like this takes it to another level and puts the whole organization at risk.” He huffed and sat back down.

“I respect that, Jaxon. But I don’t intend on keeping it from him forever. Only until I find the solution.” I pleaded.

He gave me a warning stare and didn’t respond, so now I had to pull out the big guns.

“Remember, you said you owe me for life? I was going to let that one slide, but you’re forcing my hand on cashing in nearly seven years later.” I chuckled in distress. I hated to pull the card, but I came here for advice and not for him to rat me out to my husband. I loved their loyalty to each other, but I needed to get this off my chest.

He rubbed his chin and then finally spoke again. “Look, it’s not as surface as you’re thinking it is. It’s not just about bigamy. It’s about the bylaws and blood oaths. Those oaths you take when you’re sworn in protect you from shit like this. Technically, you’re an heir to the Weston Mafia. And so are your kids. Kids that areZo’s bloodline,and they can mandate you to return if anyone finds out about this shit.” He shook his head like he didn’t even want to think about the fallout from that happening. Then he continued.

“Not only that, but Zo would also be breaking the oath that he was sworn to. According to the bylaws, this would be adultery. He would be instantly demoted and could be seen as disloyal. Because I do owe you one, I won’t say shit. But you’re putting me in a bad spot if all this comes to light. You already know I’m riding for you and Zo by any means. But my word isn’t the law. You have got one week to figure it out. Investigative work, ONLY. Call muhfuckas, email muhfuckas ONLY. Don’t put yourself in harm’s way. If you can’t figure out if the marriageis legal or not in a week, then I gotta tell him.” He said, leaving no room for me to think I could debate his decision.