Page 108 of Mafia Kings & Wedding Rings
Immediately, my curiosity got the best of me.
“I’m Nadia, and I’m looking for my children,” she introduced herself.
Her admission slapped me in the face and left me without words. Crazy how Rossi and Sol were just talking about her, and now she was standing here on the doorstep, serving attitude. I skimmed her slim frame, noting that she wore nothing but designer and smelled like money. Obviously, she was doing alright in life, given her fresh set of acrylic nails and a lace-front wig perfectly melted against her scalp. Staten surely had a thing for beautiful women. Nadia’s presence had stirred every insecurity I had. Why is she here? And what does this mean? I couldn’t keep up with one thought before another entered.
“Okay.” I snapped out of the temporary daze and stepped aside. “Come in. I wasn’t aware that you were coming.”
She waltzed right in, lifting her eyes to the ceiling and examining the home.
“Didn’t know I needed an announcement to see my own children,” she muttered, setting her bag down near the door.
Yup, this is Tavi’s mother. Their mannerisms were the same. She might have looked like her father, but Nadia’s personality had seeped through. Standing about my height but probablythirty pounds lighter than me, I could see her appeal to men. Her ass wasn’t over the top, and she made up for it with big breasts that practically spilled out of the top of her blouse. When Staten came stampeding down the steps, he slowed his stride when he found his ex lingering in the foyer with me. Shock altered his expression, and his gaze volleyed between me and her. I was trying to read the reaction, but he seemed genuinely thrown by her being here. I noticed how she appraised him carefully but tried to act as if she wasn’t admiring him.
“What you doing here, Nadia?” he demanded, shoulders slumping.
“I decided I needed to come and see my kids, Staten. I still have that right.” She set her purse on a nearby table and rested her hands on her waist.
“You should have told me you were coming.” He stopped on the last step and rested his hand on the post of the railing.
“I thought Rossi would have. She’s the one that took care of the flight,” Nadia concluded, throwing her hands up in defeat.
“Of course, she did.” Staten shook his head. “Have a seat in the living room. Cambrie, can you go grab Tavi and Saga?”
“Yeah.” I nodded and started up the steps.
Tavi still had an attitude, but she and Saga followed me back to the main level. Nadia had picked up a photo of the kids that was framed on a table in the hall. The four of them were seated together on the front porch in their old house in Chicago. I’d found it in an album and thought it deserved a place in a frame. Observing the room, I noticed that Staten was no longer present, so I assumed he went to deal with his mother and her interference. Here I thought we were making a little progress, but clearly, Rossi had other plans.
“Mommy!” Tavi squealed the minute she laid eyes on her mother.
She sprinted past her brother to get to her mother, nearly knocking her over in the process. Nadia grinned and kissed the top of her head while holding her.
“Hey, beautiful. How are you?”
Saga was more chill, greeting her with a hug and allowing her to kiss his cheek before she toyed with some of his locs. His sister seemed more excited than he was about seeing her. I wondered about the dynamics of their relationship but didn’t want to seem like I was hovering. Nadia’s presence had damn sure shaken things up, and given the raised voices coming from the kitchen, I guessed Staten wasn’t pleased.
“You two are so big! Saga, your hair is long!” Nadia observed.
“What are you doing here?” Tavi nudged away but kept her arms wrapped around her when she peered up into her face.
“Visiting you, of course.” Nadia pinched her cheek.
“I’ll be in the kitchen if you need anything,” I told them, slowly pivoting away from their happy reunion.
“I’m sure we’re good.” The sweet tone she’d used with the children had faded and was a lot colder with me.
Going toe-to-toe with her wasn’t going to resolve a thing, so I slowly turned and padded down the hall to the kitchen. I figured she would want some alone time with her kids to grill them about me anyway. The woman gave seriously petty vibes, and her hate for me was on sight. I stopped in the kitchen doorway, not wanting to interrupt the conversation between Staten and his mother. I’d never heard him angry. Agitated maybe, annoyed, for sure, but this was a tone I wasn’t familiar with.
“The fuck, Rossi! I told you to stay out of this shit!” he hissed.
“I did. I booked the flight for her and instantly regretted it, but she’s here now. Let her see the children, and then she can leave,” I heard his mother respond.
“Why would you do this? I told you we’re done, and ain’t shit you or Nadia can do about that. Now she’s here thinking what… this is some reunion or some shit?”
“I did this for you, Staten.”
“For me?” he scoffed, tension-filled silence taking up the room. “How the fuck this for me when I made it pretty fucking clear that I didn’t want her here?”
Rossi sighed. “I know that you have feelings for Cambrie, I just don’t think it’s a good idea for you to get involved with her. Your father always thought you and Nadia just fit. He predicted you two would eventually come back to each other and figure out how to make things work. You have to admit, she was an asset to have around.”
