Ivy's Twisted Vine Redux by Latrivia Nelson (books to read for beginners .TXT) 📕

as far as forgiveness, maybe I should be asking you two for that.” He laughed thinking about Trina. “Of course, I forgive you.” He said it to Arin, but in his mind he wished to hear it from Brooks.

Arin was taken aback by his soft tone and sincere manner. His brown eyes looked through her causing an old stir in her stomach. She looked away as she pulled at her shawl. That was what she missed. The overpowering masculinity that he possessed. The power of his undeniable touch. She smiled at him as she recovered herself. “You have our forgiveness, Nico. You have it.”

“Well, that only took seven years,” Nicola said revealing his dimples.

“Awe, the old Agosto curse,” Arin blushed and put her index finger in his dimple.

Hugging her, Nico smiled back at his family that had stopped talking and watched them from the wall-to-wall windows. At last, their family was starting to complete itself. Santo raised his glass with tears in his eyes for his brother. Liz grabbed Adamo’s hand crying tears of joy. At last her boys had made a miens.

Chapter Twenty-Three:

What’s Mine is Mine

Chapter 23

WHAT’S MINE IS MINE

“Momma, what are you doing?” Emerald took Kakeline diaphragm out of Sadie’s hand and gave it back to his wife who stood petrified in her short Victoria Secret lace baby doll nightgown.

“I will not condone pre-marital sex in this house,” Sadie said in her deepest and loudest maternal voice.

“It’s not pre-marital if you’re married,” Kakeline said staring at Emerald. She could no longer keep their secret. His family was about to drive her mad. “Go ahead and tell her, because I’m sick of this shit!”

“Tell me what?” Sadie said whirling around at Emerald. “And do not curse at me under my own roof.” She cut her eyes at Kakeline.

“We’re married,” Emerald said as he took his eyes off of his mother to see Madison walk out of the guest bedroom. In his pajamas and robe, aggravated with the late night confusion Madison marched into the hallway.

“What is going on?” He asked still yawning.

“Moon Pie’s baby blocker fell out of her hand as she was walking to the bathroom. When I picked it up, I knew that I had had enough. At least until a second ago. Now, Emerald has concocted some silly story about them being married.”

“It’s not silly,” Madison said with a big grin on his face. He finally knew something before Sadie and intended to rub it in her face for as long as he could. “They are married. They’ve been married for nearly two months. They came here married. Kakeline’s not the kind of woman to travel across the country with some undependable stray.” Madison smiled proudly at the young woman now red with contempt. “It was supposed to be a surprise, but now you’ve gone and ruined it being nosy and mean.”

“I wouldn’t have been mean if you had told me.” She was more appalled at being the last to know than them being married, and Madison knew it.

“We were trying to wait until this whole thing with Ivy blew over.” Emerald rolled his eyes and folded his arms.

“We do move next week.” Kakeline added still bitter. “There was no need to explain.”

“What kind of backward logic made you keep it to yourself?”

“We wanted to wait until after Ivy’s wedding so that you would have the same type of excitement for us.” For a moment sibling jealousy was detected in Emerald’s tone.

“That is the most ridiculous thing…” Sadie was interrupted.

“Come back to bed, Sadie.” Madison pulled at her satin pink robe.

“After all these years, here we are still with the sibling rivalry? We’ll talk in the morning,” Sadie said admonishing Emerald. “I do apologize, Kakeline.” That was the hardest thing in the world for Sadie to do. Gulping down a large helping of pride, she excused herself from the bedroom and went down the hall with Madison grumbling under her voice.

As Kakeline heard Sadie’s bedroom door close down the hall, she closed the bedroom door and hit Emerald in the chest with her fist as hard as she could.

“Don’t you dare touch me!” Kakeline screamed at Emerald. Going to the drawer, she pulled out a pair of pajama pants and slipped them on quickly.

“What did I do?” Rubbing his chest, Emerald smiled. He was determined to have her naked on the bed by one o’clock. It was already twelve fifty.

“You have put me through hell. That is what you have done. My family wants to know when I’m coming home. They don’t know I’m married. This had been a piss poor honeymoon, and I have had enough!”

“Kay.” He walked up to her and kissed her on the forehead. “I’m sorry.”

“Bullshit,” she said wiping away his kiss. “Emerald, I’m leaving you. I made my mind up today. Tonight was just a goodbye…thing.”

“Leaving me?” He could tell by her tone that it was best that he take her seriously. “I don’t understand. When did you decide this, during one of your marathon naps?”

“I just explained. This is not good enough,” she said pointing at the bed. “I’m living like I don’t have a home to go to or money of my own. Well, I’m sick of it. And I’m sick of you. This was such a mistake. I mean, you don’t really love me do you? Well?” When she did not get a reply she continued. “Well, this trip out here has made me realize that I don’t love you.!”

“Oh.” Emerald could not respond. “I brought you here, because you wanted to come to the states.”

“Yeah, like L.A., Miami, New York. I didn’t want to come to Memphis, not really.”

“I told you we were coming to Memphis before we left Hawaii.” Emerald calmed his voice. “What else do you want from me, Kay?”

“Nothing, Emerald. I just want out. That will be enough.”

“Fine,” Emerald said dismissing the need for further pleas.

“You never answered.” Kakeline said with her hands on her hips.

“What?” Emerald said lost in her