I winked. “My girl.”
My moms stepped up first and smiled at us. She took Yumi’s hands and air-kissed her cheeks. “Yumi, you look beautiful. After all these years, you still have my son wrapped around your fingers. It concerned me for a while, but he’s always known what he wanted and would stop at nothing to get it. I’ll be honored to call you my daughter-in-law.”
Yumi’s smile illuminated, and my dick twitched. This woman was one of the most beautiful beings in the world to me.
“Thank you, Mrs. Marilyn. I love you.”
“Mama is fine, and I love you more, baby.” My moms stepped to the side, and Mrs. Marie timidly walked up.
Before she could get a word out, Yumi cut in. “We’ll talk later, Mom. Thank you for coming.” Marie smiled lightly, then they both took their places at each of our sides.
“Are we ready to begin?” the officiate asked.
Yumi smiled widely. “Ready.”
“Been ready,” I countered, and the vows began. There was no explaining how or why this woman was assigned to me. When the world around me seemed pitch black, Yumi was the light that guided my way. I would move heaven and earth for her, take an express train to hell, or do a hundred years behind bars for her ass.
Not even a bad bitch like Normani could break the pitbull hold Yumi had on me, and no one ever would. She was my love, my peace, and my purpose.
And now our real journey to love could begin again.
Chapter
Twenty-Four
MINA
“You got your bag, baby boy?” I asked Hassan as he and EJ got ready to go to my parents’ home for the weekend.
“I got it, Mom,” he replied, giving me a gap-toothed smile.
I smiled back and kissed his cheek. “Good job, big man. Let me walk y’all to the door. Your grandpa is waiting on y’all.”
“When is Dad moving in with us?” EJ asked. I sighed. I didn’t want to lie to my son, but I couldn’t tell him that his father would never move in with us. It took me some time, but I had to walk away with the little dignity I had left.
“Soon, baby.”
“When is soon going to ever be soon?”
“EJ, not now, please. Let’s not keep your grandfather waiting, okay?”
“Fine.” He conceded and headed out the door. I hated that I had to lie to him, and I was going to tell him the truth soon, but right now, I had to let it sink in that the man I fell deeply in love with could no longer take residence in my life.
I stood at the door, watching them get inside my father’s car, waved goodbye to them, then watched them drive out of the gates. I needed this time to myself to get my shit together. A bitch was falling off on the mental health tip, and I had never been one to slip.
I prided myself on being strong and standing on business when it came to any part of my health, but much to my dismay, I allowed Emil Camari Aldana to emotionally do my ass in. Hell didn’t have no fury like a scorned bitch, so my hurt ass wanted to hurt Emil as much as he hurt me. And I used Normani to do it.
Yes, I was the one who put the idea in her head to send Emil and Mook’s ass to jail, but I put it in a way where it wouldn’t fall back on the family or me. Normani was so dick dizzy and naïve that she played right into my plan to get Emil out of my life for good.
His fucking Paisley St. Claireandgetting her pregnant was the last straw. I’d dedicated almost nine years to his ass, and all I wanted was my respect. That bitch wasn’t about to be walking around claiming she had Emil Aldana’s baby, so I slipped her maid a cool ten thousand to give her the abortion pills. I was the only bitch that was going to give birth to Emil’s legacies.
I knew the bastard wasn’t ready to get married; hell, I wasn’t either. But I stuck it out because the Aldanas were why we were so wealthy. Of course, we had money before we linked with them, but being added to their alliance ensured us generational wealth. Marrying into their family would guarantee that their legacy would be passed on for generations to come, so I didn’t mind marrying his fine, good-dick, cheating ass. So long as he kept the shit away from me and out of the public, I was fine with letting him do him.
He did good for the better part of our arrangement, but after giving birth to EJ, I realized I wanted this to work with us. Emilnever treated me badly; he just had a problem pointing his dick in every fine bitch’s direction.
When I saw those text messages, I lost it.
Insert dumb ass Normani.
