Page 57 of Shâhzâdeh

“It’s your job to ensure that they will.” My mother dropped the responsibility for Ori’s happily ever after in my lap when I hadn’t even secured my own.

I put my hand to my chest wondering how I was going to be responsible for two grown ass people getting along. “My job?”

She wagged her manicured finger toward the both of us with a determined look on her face. “You and your damn cousin. We are a family. Our generation faced too much difficulty and hardship. It was a time of expansion and we didn’t bond the way you all did. We made sure that all of you were good with one another. Even Jemma Marie before she went away. He gave you the gift of being able to choose who you love. You can’t turn your back on him now.”

“I have no desire to turn my back on him. I’m simply trying to understand just how much I can ask of him vhen it comes to his bride. You seem to forget zhat zhe man is as yielding as a steel vall vhen he doesn’t feel like being bothered.”

“The three of you are probably the worst to get married off. The lady you want thinks you’re insane, Ori doesn’t even want to get married, and Jemma is probably too feral to be tied down to anyone who is afraid of having to help her overcome the issues she surely has from being institutionalized. If only you hadn’t messed this up by being your daddy’s son.”

“I didn’t do anything.” How I messed up being born by the man she chose was beyond me.

“Then maybe that’s the problem. Are you sending her gifts? And not the usual stuff that y’all like to do.” She furrowed her brows at us like she did when we were younger and coming in sweaty from playing ball. She refused to speak to either of us until we washed theoutsideoff.

“Who is y’allTata? I’m just sitting here!” Midas was laughing at the strays he caught by just being present.

“Yes, but you’re a rich little asshole just like this one. I love you boys both and you’re good men, but you’re still men. Midas you’re lucky your wife even still bothered with you after the shit you pulled.”

“Forgive me for having the dark and the light trying to come after me and thinking she was too green to survive.”

Maman grinned because Nev was something of a hero in our family. Anyone who could make my infallible cousin weak in the knees had to be supernatural. “She showed your ass what thinking got you didn’t she? And I’m sorry, but Xerxes are you not even slightly insulted that your cousin didn’t think we’d be able to protect his wife? Like we don’t do for family?”

Midas leaned back and shook his head like he was bracing himself. “I know you’re about to get mad when that accent turns less French and moreNawlins.”

“Ack like yuh hurd me den.” My mother cocked her brow in defiance letting all that gentility drop out her voice forcing Midas and me to crack up.

“Let us go look up gifts for your girl beforetatastarts speaking in tongue. I do not feel like kicking my leg out like a frog for the next week because I’ve irritated her. Let all that finishing school go and was looking ready to come ‘cross that desk.” Midas was laughing but something he said had me curious.

My eyes narrowed at the specific way Midas said what he did and I turned my head to my mother. “Maman, tell me you didn’t.”

“Xerxes baby, you know I never lie. He’s lucky it was a frog and not a dog. I could’ve had him pissing on lamp posts and getting arrested. Even when I’m granting you favor, I gotta hear lip. I will not have it.” She smiled so sweetly at the both of us and I was with my cousin on getting out her way.

“I feel like I owe Ori a cask of liquor or some property for how he’s doing zhis for me.” I was anxious to talk to him, but I knew he was going to retreat into himself for a minute.

“It will be the best thing for him mark my words.” My mother had that tone in her voice that meant her infamous gut was kicking in. Everyone had that person in their family that was more in tune with the other side. It seemed in heavy concentration with people from New Orleans. Maman said it was because the people there never stopped believing in our spirituality so the power never faded.

“And on that note—” Midas and I both got up from where we’d been sitting before a word frommamangave us pause.

“Fils.”

We both stopped and turned back to her. “Yes,maman?”

“It is time.”

Her face was too calm when she said what she did and I wasn’t sure how to take it. Part of me wanted to be excited but I knew that we would need to get ahead of what was coming.

“Are you sure?” Because I didn’t want to get my hopes up only for her to soften again.

“Aren’t I always?” She smiled softly and I knew this was something she’d kept in her back pocket for a minute.

“You are. I will see to it now.”

“Make sure to up your security when you do it.”

She was worried and I thought it was sweet that she trusted me but still worried for me. “Yes,maman.”

“What was she talking about?” Midas waited until we were out of my mother’s office until he posed the question.

“It is time to reach out to my uncle. We are cutting the funding to zhe Mahdavi’s immediately.”

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