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“I know you hate me–”
“I don’t hate you, Dad,” I cut in. He smiles but it doesn’t reach his eyes.
“Fine, I know you don’t like me most of the time.” I can’t help the chuckle that escapes me, as the asshole grins and winks before continuing. “But, I want you to know that I am proud of you, Royal. I couldn’t have asked for a better fucking son. I know I said your mother is the reason for everything but the truth is, I never knew what love really was until the moment I held you in my arms. You changed the game for me, son.”
My eyes are wide and my mouth slightly ajar, I have never heard my father speak like this before. Fuck, I think this is the longest conversation we have had without fighting since I was like sixteen.
“I wanted to build a better world for you and your cousins. I did everything I could to make sure you would all be safe and no harm would ever come to any of you kids. I know you thirst for leadership and I understand that because I was the same, but until the day you become a father you will never understand what this feels like.”
“Whatwhatfeels like?” I whisper.
“Fear.” I frown and cock my head to the side. “As a parent, all you want is for your child to be safe. I hoped and fucking prayed to a God that abandoned me years ago that my son would be a geek and want to build planes or something but no, you had to go and be just like me.” We both chuckle at that. “You wanting to lead isn’t a bad thing, it’s just hard for me to hand this all over to you when the time is right. The moment you become Don, Royal, there will always be a target on your back and I don’t know how the fuck to live with that and find a way to be okay with it.”
Suddenly, all the years of him telling me no to taking over and not giving a reason why makes sense. It was never because he was selfish or wanted to live forever and remain Don, it was because he didn’t want to see someone come for me. Guilt gnaws away at my insides. I was a right cunt to my dad when all he was trying to do was protect me. I decide to listen to him for the first time in years and not fight him on this, he’s under enough pressure and doesn’t need me adding to it. I can’t promise I won’t still fuck with him and freeze his accounts or some shit like that, though.
“Havoc, Chaos, Sin and I will be on the first flight back to UNLV. I’ll make sure we all stick together and stay out of trouble until you deal with this situation.” Surprise has his eyes widening.
“Am I being Punk’d?” I frown.
“What’s Punk’d?” He rolls his eyes and shakes his head.
“You were still swimming in my left sack when that show was around.” My face contorts in disgust.
“That’s fucking disgusting, I’m going now,” I say as I stand to my feet with his laughter following me out the door. Just as I cross the threshold, he calls out to me. I pop my head back into his office and say,
“Yeah?”
“I love you, Royal, never doubt that.”
Nodding and feeling slightly weird about all this emotional shit I mutter, “I love you too, old man.” He curses me out as I stroll into the kitchen laughing, knowing that I got the last laugh.
Rook
Thank fuck Miami is done!
Being away from my girls for two weeks is pure fucking torture. I miss Clare so much and I hate that I missed Nytress and Unique’s national competition, but I got to see the videos that Clare sent me. I look down at the screensaver on my phone and smile, it’s a picture of me and my three girls last Thanksgiving. Just the sight of the three of them has my heart expanding in my chest. I never thought I would ever make it to the age I am now, being thirty-nine and married with two beautiful daughters isn’t something I ever saw in my future. Am I fucking glad life didn’t go as I had envisioned it? Fuck, yes, I am!
“Fuck!” Bishop snaps from his seat across from me and scrubs a hand down his face, he looks frustrated and tired. This deal in Miami was a huge one, with Tony passing last year he left everything to Royal. My nephew has no idea that he will become the sole heir to his grandfather’s fortune and all that entails when he turns twenty-one next year. Bishop and Kiara have chosen to keep that bit of information from their ambitious son, knowing he would drop out of college and move to Miami now. Bish and Royal clash a lot because he is so much like his father, headstrong and won’t listen to anything anyone has to say.
“What happened?” Gage asks from his seat across the aisle from us. Vin sits next to him with a puzzled look on his face. King shifts next to Bishop to try to peer over his shoulder and look at his laptop. Knight snorts next to me causing me to smile. Knight and I both know that King has been taking on more of a leadership role in New York since Bish’s time has been split between there and Miami.
“Fucking Royal!” Bish grits out through clenched teeth. It takes the five of us all of two seconds before we burst out laughing. Bishop shoots each of a glare, at the great joy it gives the five of us, knowing our nephew can ruffle his father’s feathers. “It’s not fucking funny!” he shouts.
“What’d he do?” Vin asks, even though he can't mask the humor in his voice.
“He fucking froze my accounts for the hotels in Miami and just donated a hundred fucking grand to some scholarship program!” We all lose it again. I’m laughing so hard, tears leak from the corner of my eyes. Bishop is muttering about us being dicks as he pulls his phone out and dials a number before bringing it to his ear—no doubt he’s calling Kiara. We all sit and listen shamelessly to his conversation. King being the lifesaver, snatches Bish’s phone and puts it on loudspeaker.
“Hey, babe,” Kiara answers. Bish keeps his glare on King as he answers his wife.
“Your son is out of fucking control!” he snaps. Kiara sighs before asking what he did this time. Bish relays what he just told us.
“Babe, he donated to charity, how can you be mad at that?” Bish grinds his teeth so hard I fear he’ll break them.
“He fucking froze my accounts, Kiara! The little shit spent too much fucking time with his stupid ass uncles and Koby.” Royal learned to hack from Knight, Vin and Koby, and Bishop hates it. “He needs to be taught a lesson––.” We all shake our heads and wave our hands trying to stop him but it’s too late. The five of us shake our heads and slump back in our seats,
“Dumbass,” Knight mutters.
“You want to teach my baby a lesson, huh?” Bishop’s face pales as he realizes what he just said. If anyone ever says a single thing about Royal, his mother is there throwing hands in defense of her son.
