Page 54 of Stolen Moments with a Bad Boy

“Besides, we’re triplets. What do those kids expect to happen when you touch one of us? It's three of us. The odds are always against them,” Lorenzo added, making Alessia chuckle again.

“You both are grounded for two days since y’all think this is a game.”

“Aww, Mommy,” they whined in unison.

“I don’t wanna hear the whining. You’re not grounded for fighting but for yelling at your teacher. I told you guys this before. You all deal with the kids, and Daddy and me will handle the adults. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes, ma’am.” They pouted in unison.

“Where is Enzo by the way?” I inquired curiously.

“I’ll give you one guess,” Lorenzo commented.

“Go and wash your hands for dinner. That homework better be done, and your chores better be completed before bedtime,” I professed.

“We’re on it, Mommy,” Alessia responded.

They raced out of the kitchen. I placed cookie sheets in and out of the oven as I thought about my Enzo. He was sometimes teased by the kids in school because of his one blue and one hazel eye.

Lorenzo had my hazel brown eyes, and Alessia had Ro’s blue eyes. On the other hand, our little Enzo was what I liked to callour combination baby. He was the perfect blend of Janeiro and me. Both of our features were so pronounced in him.

As sweet and innocent as Enzo looked on the outside, he was far from it. Enzo was a quiet storm just like Janeiro. Sometimes, I barely got two words out of him. The most he ever talked to me was when he helped me prepare dinner and bake. My baby had a sweet tooth just like his mommy. Just like me, preparing food seemed to be an escape for him. He wasn’t troubled, but my sweet boy had a very short fuse.

Some kind of way, he harnessed all of Janeiro’s pinned up emotions from the past. The only person he engaged with the most was his daddy. Enzo and his siblings had a very tight bond, but Janeiro and Enzo had an unbreakable bond.

In his spare time, Enzo loved to paint. It was something he took joy in. It helped to be a great emotional relief for him.

Once the cookies were done and cooled, I placed them all in my big purple Tupperware bowl and put them in the fridge. I dried my hands and looked at my smart watch. Janeiro would be strolling in any minute. I had a few minutes to check on my Enzo. Maybe he’d confide in me before his daddy. I knocked on his door, and he told me to come in. It meant so much to me to show up for him because I would hate for him to hate me like my own brother once did.

Lorenzo may have been the spitting image of Janeiro, but Enzo was Ro through and through from his mannerisms to the way he walked, the sound of his little voice, and how he always kept a close eye on everyone. Most importantly, he was a neat freak.

Enzo knew where everything was in his room. Not an article of clothing was on the floor. Not one toy was out of his toy chest. His clothes were folded and placed neatly in each drawer.

When I entered his room, he was lying in his bed, facing the window with his back to me. I walked around his bed andremoved my shoes. Gently, I lay in his full-size bed and stared into his beautiful eyes.

“How are you, my sweet boy?” I rubbed the side of his face lovingly.

“I’m okay, Mommy.” Enzo stared at me. His eyes wandered all over my face.

“Regardless of what those kids say about you, you’re not a weirdo. They’re the weirdos.” I exhaled. “Let me tell you a story. You’re mature enough for this story, but keep it between us. I’ll tell your siblings at a later time.”

Enzo nodded in agreement.

“My mother died giving birth to me. It wasn’t my birth that killed her. She had an active tumor on her brain that no one knew about. Most of our relatives took her death well while others brewed a pot of vengeance. My older brother, Troy Jr., was the one brewing the pot.”

“Mommy, you have a brother?”

“Mommy had a brother, baby. He hated me my entire life. There wasn’t a good memory we shared together. From the moment of my birth, he hated me. As time went on, his greed and selfish ways fueled his hate for me more. One day, he took out a contract to kill me. The assassin he hired was your father.”

His eyes bulged out of his head. The surprised look turned into pure rage.

“Daddy tried to kill you?” he quizzed in an angry tone.

“No. Your father didn’t try to kill me. He took the time to get to know me. In the process of getting to know me, we fell in love. Your dad and I had a very unusual relationship because he had a very sad childhood.”

“Why, Mommy?”

“Let’s just say some bad people hurt him when he was a little older than you guys. They’re no longer here, though. You get my drift? My brother made a few attempts on my life. I was shottwice when I was pregnant with you guys. I had no clue at the time. When I was six months pregnant with you guys, he hired someone to kill me again. Daddy handled business again. After that day, I never saw my brother again.” I released a deep sigh.

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