“Yeah, but?—”
“You agreed, right?”
“Yeah, but we?—”
“He shot your club up, and you scared to tell him the truth? I get why I was scared to tell your brother, but you have noworries, Zoy. He clearly wants to be a father, and you want to be a mother, no?”
“I don’t know. Knowing how fucked up my life truly is and how I came into this world, it might not be a good time to have a child.”
Stevie pushed her glasses up. “You are a Caselli, and your brothers and sister love you. None of what you learned changes a thing.”
“Would Menace have put up with half the shit he has if he had known sooner? I can’t help but to think about all of this.”
“Yes.” Stevie was almost offended that I asked the question. “Your brother loves you all very much. At times, I’m sad for him.”
“Why?”
“Because while you and Landon have a friendship, he doesn’t have that with you guys. He had to be your parent, not your friend. He’s had to make tough decisions, and he does place a lot of the blame on himself.”
I remembered how he mentioned he couldn’t get over me screaming I hated him and wished he would die. Back then, I meant every single word because I was hurt. So much was happening, and then he stepped in and ruined everything without an explanation. Leaving me in the dark like he had always done.
“Yeah.”
“Call Dr. Killian, Zoya… stop sitting back and trying to solve all your problems alone. Both you and Skyler need to start listening to me.”
“She’s still on this self-discovery quest?”
Skyler was on this new path of trying to find out who she was. I think she was finally realizing that she wasn’t just a mom, and that her actual mom was gone. She knew her mother passedaway, but she had been on auto pilot, survival mode, and now she didn’t have to be.
Corleon and Jeffie helped her with Estella, so she didn’t have to stress. Skyler was able to exist without worrying about being a mother and all the stress that came with it.
Stevie looked around and leaned forward, whispering. “She hasn’t been taking her medicine. She’s cool with the girl she met, who has told her about natural remedies. Last month, she went to some wellness retreat with her, and I think it’s a fucking cult.”
“Menace knows?”
“No. She made me swear to keep her business to just me… I want to tell Corleon, but she’s also my cousin, you know?”
Stevie was in a tough place because Skyler was her cousin. At one point, all they had were each other, and now that Stevie was a wife with a child and a husband that would solve every single problem she had, Skyler couldn’t relate.
Not because she couldn’t.
Corleon couldn’t legally marry both Jeffie and Skyler, but he would make the commitment and made sure they both didn’t want for anything.
“I can’t even talk shit because she’s scared. All of this is a lot on her, Stevie.” I said and she sighed.
“Me and Duke went over to visit her, and her house is a mess. Corleon said Estella barely stays over there… I don’t know, Zoy. I try to be there, but she pushes me away.”
“All you can do is continue to be there and pray for her, Stevie. As much as you love her, she’s a grown woman and will make her own decisions.”
Menace walked into their bedroom with Dennis strapped to his chest. He was still in his house clothes with his du-rag on and had one on Dennis as he stared at us, not saying a word. Stevie got off the floor, and went into the closet, coming out with a bathing suit in her hands.
“Boo, I don’t even feel good… think I might be dying or some shit,” he muttered.
Stevie dropped the bathing suits into the suitcase. “Mavie, you are perfectly fine. We just had our annual checkups. Mentally, who really knows if you’re fine. Physically, you are as healthy as a horse.”
“I’m crazy, Wonder?”
“Yes… think we all can agree. Mavie, I’m with you all the time… with Dennis all the time. I never get to have girl time… I love being in our bubble, but mama needs to breathe too.”
