10,000 Hours With A Rich Menace (Caselli Family Book 1)

Marriage.

I sat in the living room with my legs crossed in my suit enjoying my own cup of scotch. Lupita had poured some into my favorite insulated cup before I left the house. Dressed in a black Armani suit, with my pins on my lapel.

In addition to the CH pin, I had my jeweler make me one that said Wonder. When I smiled at the pin, I scared the shit out of him because I was never chummy when I went to get jewelry. This pin was special because it was my baby. I would wear it every time I clipped that CH pin on.

Today I was getting married and usually I would be in here pacing and looking around to find shit to count. I was calm knowing that I had met my forever when it came to Stevie. She was beautiful, smart, and she was unique.

As someone who looked forward to having the same day every day, I never got the same woman every day. Some mornings she was loud and full of energy, and then some mornings her ass had an attitude.

It was usually because she was hungry, or she wanted some dick. I had her throwing fits when she didn’t get any. Just sitting here thinking about seeing her in a few had me excited. I took a sip of my scotch and listened to the door open.

My men all got the shit together and got me a wedding gift. One that they knew I would love, and I was grateful for them. After having to pay for two funerals for two people that were important to Case House, I needed something that would make me smile, aside from marrying the love of my life.

“I made it. Thank you for allowing me to stay at your property. I am tired of running… Raye claim that he’s going to fix this, and I don’t think he will,” I heard that familiar traitor voice coming from the foyer. “Alright, girl, talk to you after I take a bath…. Uh huh, love you.”

I sipped my scotch, used to the burning sensation that went down your throat when you sipped it through a straw – straight.

She was so into texting whoever that she walked right past the darkened living room that I was sitting in. Duke was with my baby today, so I had Beans with me. Beans was hidden to the side waiting for me to give the word.

I abandoned the doorway and went up the steps to see what the fuck was going on. Soon as I rounded the corner and saw Don standing over Jasper as he was fake acting like he didn’t know how to log into a computer his sick ass had logged into plenty of times.

“Put that password in before I fucking lose my shit… don’t have much patience these days. Not when sick bitches like you rape my girls.”

The woman in the corner, Tasha, was standing there unsure of what to do or say. She was irrelevant in this moment. Easily disposable if she tried to jump big and be the hero in this room tonight. Once he was in, Don shoved him and went to work getting all the files and everything that he needed.

“I have a crooked agent on my team… I can give you all his information. I have so much information on him that it would bury him, even that Governor.” He tried to butter me up with information I already knew.

Fuquan was a mutual that I did business with from time to time, and I didn’t need information on him when I knew shit about both him and the Governor. Me and the Governor had mutual respect, and even though I never needed to call in a favor, I knew the option to do so was there.

“Yeah?”

He grew excited thinking this was going to get him out the trouble that he was currently in. There wasn’t shit he could do or give me that would have me excuse him raping one of my girls. Then he had the nerve to rape her and record it like the shit was something to be proud of.

“Got the file,” Don said, as I watched him do his techy shit, and remove the files from the computer.

He went in and wiped everything that this bitch had on his computer, making sure it couldn’t be restored. I wasn’t stupid enough to bring a government issued laptop with me. As long as those files were destroyed, shit was sweet.

“If you think you’re going to get away with this, you are wrong.” I watched in the mirror near the side of his desk and saw as he inched closer to that damn metal bat.

I ducked soon as he swung it. Spinning around, I leaped from where I stood, and snatched the bat, tossed it onto the floor, snatching his head, and snapping his neck while shoving my knee into his chest, cracking it.

When I tossed him, he fell back onto shorty while I continued to beat the shit out of him with my bare hands. Grabbing the stapler from the desk, I put staples in his face and shoved the entire shit down his throat as he laid on her lifeless and she was shaking.

I continued to stomp his ass down into the floor, while she was too scared to move. When we made eye contact, I winked at her and then headed out the room with Don behind me.

“Yo Mens, think she running a bath.”

Beans got my attention as I was thinking about the night I had to pull up on my hardheaded ass sister at her friend’s house. I never cared to get involved in what the Delgatos and Infernos had going on. I had my life and lane, and they had theirs, and when ours crossed it was mutual respect, and if they ever needed it, I would always extend a hand, like I had in Monaco.

They never needed the favor because they handled shit on their own, like I handled things on my own. I remember seeing the horror in shorty’s eyes as she watched me do Jasper in. I heard district attorney Fern handled her though.

Capone had a plan like I had for my siblings by making his sister go to college and then law school. It was funny that both of our sisters were best friends and crossed paths. Two Black women who were a force to be reckoned with.

I finished my scotch and handed my cup to Beans, as I slowly made my way down the hall. Before I made it down the hall, I back peddled and looked at the crooked picture on the wall. My black gloves fixed it, and then I continued down the hall.

The sound of water running could be heard as I came down the hallway. Not going to front, whatever she was using in her bubble bath smelled divine. I made a mental note to see what she was using. Cracking my knuckles, I looked into the bathroom as she lowered herself into the tub slowly.

She was tired.

That old nigga was supposed to retire her into the soft girl era, and he had her running worse than a YN would. He was supposed to be the retirement plan and now she was about to die. There was no other way around this, she had to die.

Had Jeffie allowed me to kill her when I wanted to, I wouldn’t even have to be here on my wedding day having to end this big-headed bitch. My beef was personal with her because every time her name was mentioned I thought back to how she offered my baby up.

No remorse in her eyes as she screamed out that Stevie was a virgin, and she would marry me. I mean, I could thank her because now I was about to marry my baby. Although she offered it up, I had taken it the right way.

Actually, I was pissed that she took me as a nigga who would take what wasn’t mine. Yeah, she had to die because she called me a rapist and I was just now noticing it. I shook off my suit jacket and removed my shirt while handing it over to Beans.

In my tank top, I looked over at him before I walked into the bathroom with my hands clasped. Priscilla nearly died when she saw me coming into the bathroom and those same tears came sliding down her face while she shook in fear.

She was scared, and she had every right to be scared of what I was going to do to her. “Hey Prissy… missed me?”

“I swear I had nothing to do with that girl getting killed or your armed guard. Raye told me he was going to get us out of there, and he did that… I didn’t mean for them to die.”

“Why did he kill Teyana? Sweet angel was innocent… best pussy of Case House. I almost had them put that on her coffin.”

She stared at me like I was crazy for not knowing. “Teyana was the one who set everything up. She told Raye how easy it was to book things on the side, and she was doing it for a while.”

“Oh really?”

She got more comfortable thinking she was going to talk her way out of losing her life. “Yes… that was how I met Raye in the first place. We hung out and she put me onto rich guys that she had slept with. Then she introduced me to Raye, who worked for Case House in Vegas. All I knew is they were meeting clients off to the side… I didn’t know nothing else.”

“But was spending my money.”

“I will pay it off at that farm. It’s so beautiful there, I enjoyed working with the animals.” I could tell she was telling the truth.

“How is Gutta Baby and Kick That Trick?”

“Who?”

“My fucking horses… how are they?”

“Great… I was in charge of KTT, I didn’t know that was what her name stood for.”

I smiled. “Yeah, she be out there tearing them up during races… bitch makes me millions per year on races. She won the Kentucky Derby last year.”

My hands were in everything, and nobody knew it. I had people in place who acted like the owners and made sure she was taken care of. Nobody knew the Caselli’s had horses that were worth millions.

I was waiting on Skyler to tell me that my god daughter wanted a horse ‘cause I was gonna buy her one, then have it race so she could be sitting on her own millions before she was ten. Her mama was playing slow for now. Not even knowing Corleon owned a few horses his damn self.

“O…Oh wow,” she stammered.

“So, Teyana is the reason for all of this?”

She nodded her head quickly. “Yes… Raye called her to help with some money and she was supposed to meet with him. Then I heard she was dead.”

I leaned on the sink. “And you want me to believe that you had nothing to do with this and didn’t see shit.”

“All I heard was what happened… I didn’t see anything. I heard a gun go off, and then the line went dead,” she continued to tell all that she heard.

I looked at the doorway. “Yo, make sure they dump that bitch body out my casket. I want my casket in my garage when I get home.”

Beans went to make the call. How dare she rob me, die, and make me pay for her funeral? Her mother better gather her body up and use a blanket in that fucking grave. I would take the grave, but apparently her family had a plot for her already.

“What is going to happen to me?”

“Where is the old man?”

“I swear I don’t know. He’s supposed to call me and meet up with me. Honestly, I think he ran off without me… he’s a good liar. You know one of those that will sell you a dream and have you fully believing it. That is him.”

“Sucks for you. Want to know one thing you never asked about?”

“Wha…what?”

“Your fucking friend, Bozo. Not once did you care about her wellbeing. I could have killed her and had her stinking and you didn’t give a fuck.”

“Oh God, is she alright?”

“More than alright… actually, I don’t even share my business for real, but I’m getting married today.”

“To who?” she asked like she was surprised that someone was going to marry me.

I flinched at her, causing water to overflow out the tub. “Bitch, who else? The fuck you asking like I ain’t a catch.”

“To Stevie?”

“Yeah, that’s my baby. What my sister say… my little yeah yeah.”

“You’re using it wrong… you marrying her, right?”

“Uh huh.”

“Then she ain’t your little yeah yeah… she’s your woman. Yeah yeah is usually your little yeah… someone on the side, not really marriage material.” She broke down the dumb ass slang that I heard Zoya use when talking to Kora.

“She gonna be my wife after today so none of that even matters.” I looked at my watch. “I don’t have much time, so I need to wrap this up.”

“Please, God, no… I don’t want to die.”

Beans walked into the bathroom with an air fryer from the kitchen, and Priscilla nearly died when she laid eyes on what was going to happen to her. I was dressed for success, and I couldn’t waste time dunking her head in that water and risk getting wet with her booty juice water. Who knew the last time she took a fucking bath?

She screamed out while I turned it on and got it nice and hot. It wasn’t shit in there, it was just going while Beans walked over and dunked her head into the water, while he waited for me to give him the word.

“Think she got good lungs?”

“I don’t know… she look like a smoker.”

“Yeah, those lips black so she has smoked some weed in her time. This little cheap shit is heating up pretty nice. Go ahead and let her loose.”

Priscilla came up with her arms swinging while trying to catch her breath. When she locked eyes with me, I waved as I used my finger and shoved it into the tub, sending electric currents and her body shaking like a cold stripper in the North Pole.

Her eyes rolled to the back of her head as she continued to cook in that tub, while me and Beans watched her. I watched her and smiled at her life leaving her body and I was responsible. This bitch didn’t give a fuck about my baby, and she didn’t need her around.

Girl was more concerned about herself, even after I mentioned Wonder. I could see in her face that she didn’t give a fuck what happened to anyone as long as she was the one not dying. I couldn’t stand selfish people, and I really couldn’t stand someone who treated my Wonder bad. Especially when my baby was a good person. Wonder would give her shirt off her back for the people she cared about.

People like her deserved the world and at times they were always given the short end of the stick. I could relate to Wonder because I never had friends growing up until Corleon came into my life. Even though I never had friends, I never wanted those bitches. Wonder was different because she wanted friends, and because she didn’t have many, she often jumped at being more of a friend to those shitty ones that came around.

“Yo Mens, you need to go ahead and get married… congratulations. Shit is beautiful what you and Stevie have.”

I looked at shorty still jerking around in that tub. “Make sure that bitch is dead, and if she even feel like she got some breath, snuff that shit out of her.”

“Of course.”

I walked out the bathroom and then doubled back. “You spoke to Don?”

“We went to get drinks last night… answer his call.”

He realized his ass overstepped. “Don’t make me have to kill another friend of his… he ain’t gonna recover.”

Beans chuckled because his ass wasn’t all the way there either. “I can see when I’m overstepping. Talk to him though, you did what needed to be done… don’t matter if he understands or not. He’s alive to understand the shit and wouldn’t have been if you didn’t step in.”

I looked at him and then headed back to the front room. Before putting my stuff on, I snagged shorty’s phone from the counter. Quickly putting my shit back on, the door opened, and I stepped out to go and get married to the love of my life.

When it came to Wonder, I would kill whoever hurt her, and didn’t mean her well. I wasn’t ever letting up when it came to Mrs. Caselli.

Recommendation: Listen to “For You” by Kenny Lattimore

With traffic, it took me forty minutes to make it to city hall. Apparently, you were able to rent city hall, and that’s exactly what Jeffie did. She made sure we had a photographer and everything that we needed. That blank space over the mantel was going to have the picture of us, and I wasn’t playing around.

My driver looked in the mirror. “Ten minutes eta.”

I nodded as I looked down at my hands, not having the urge to rub them together. You would think I would be rubbing these shits on the back of my driver’s bald head. Instead, I was excited to see Wonder.

Ten minutes seemed too long because I wanted to see her right now. Her little nervous half smile she did when she saw me. I made her nervous, and sometimes she avoided eye contact with me. I was someone who hated eye contact, but with her I had to see her eyes. Nothing went right unless I looked into her eyes.

Damn, she was so perfect.

I had a hard time wrapping my head around her being mine. She was going to be my wife, and the shit that tripped me out was that she actually wanted to be my wife. Wonder wanted to marry me, and she loved me.

I wasn’t the most easy-going man in the world, and I lost my shit often. At times, I could be too much for a basic woman. Wonder recognized that I was too much, and she still wanted me. Where she could have went on with her life, she remained because she saw a future with me.

The future made me excited because I couldn’t wait to experience life through her eyes. I’ve been to most countries and had always been bored with them. In Paris, I never went anywhere when I had business there. I usually stayed in the hotel room and waited to handle business before I was out again. A nigga found himself actually excited to explore because she was excited to do it. I wanted to hold her phone while she did her fake vlogs because those meant something to her. Years from now, I wanted to look at home videos knowing we had lived a life together.

A tear slid from behind my dark shades as we pulled up to the back of city hall. When the truck stopped, I screwed my face up when I saw Landon there. As far as I knew it would only be me and Wonder, along with Skyler, Jeffie and Corleon.

He stood there dressed in a suit with his CH pin, his hands in his pockets. My driver hopped out and opened the door, and I looked at him. “The fuck you doing here?”

“My big brother getting married, didn’t think I would fucking come?”

“Nah.”

“Then that’s where you fucked up. Don’t care how we feeling about each other, I’m there.” He held his hand out, and I grabbed it, and he pulled me into a hug. “Relax, nigga… it’s a hug.”

I allowed my body to relax as I hugged my baby brother. “Thank you.”

“You ain’t even gotta say it… let’s get you married.”

He fell back and allowed me to walk in first. Before I could continue further, I felt a hand and turned to see Kora. She had a mask on and quickly removed it. Her eyes were already misty as she held my hand.

“Mom’s birthday. That’s why you wanted today.” She hugged me and kissed me on the cheek. “You deserve this, Maverick. No one deserves this more than you, and I am so proud of you,” she whispered before she slipped off.

Corleon walked toward me and held his hand out, pulling me into a hug. “Why the fuck everybody wanna hug me?”

He held the back of my head as he spoke in my ear. “This is your chance, Mens. To have happiness and the life you thought you would never have. Stevie is one in a million and I know she makes you happy. I watch you with her and you are different, the man that you want to be. Continue to hold onto that and love her. Protect her with everything you have and choose her. Know that she is more than what’s going on up there. Love you, Mens.” After his speech, this nigga kissed me on the head.

“Don’t do that again, Bruster.”

He laughed. “Yeah, can’t make no promises. Jeffie and your sisters went a little off script.”

I walked from the back into the main area of city hall with the tall, vaulted ceilings and gold trimmings. Instead of going to the office we were supposed to get married in, they had an altar with chairs on both sides.

There was an Indian man sitting with a woman, then I saw Ghost and Free. Behind them there was Rahmeek and Giovanna. Karter nodded to me as he held Star’s hand. Kora sat in the back and nodded her head as she remained far from us.

I looked at the grand staircase and saw a woman coming down. When she saw me, she stopped mid step, then continued down toward me. “You must be Menace… I’m Cindy. Stevie is like my shop daughter. She worked in my shop, and I love her very much. That woman deserves the world, and I pray that you give that to her.”

I ain’t really even know this woman so all she got was a nod from me. “I got her.”

She smiled, and she went to take her place. Zoya came down the steps with Skyler and came over to me. “No matter what, I love you and would not miss seeing you have happiness.”

She reached up and kissed me on the cheek and I looked at her. “All I want for you.”

“Let’s worry about you today… okay?”

“Okay.”

Skyler smiled. “She’s beautiful, Mens.”

I could tell she had been crying. “I’m already knowing.”

“Yeah.” She smiled and took a seat.

Corleon and Don came and stood beside me next to the pastor. I kept my hands in my pockets because I had the urge to rub my hands because I was anxious waiting to see her come down those steps.

I didn’t even need to see her to know that she was beautiful. Stevie was beautiful and fresh on the wake up. Every moment of her day she was beautiful, and I found myself lost in her.

“Hold the pole, baby,” Skyler called as Estella came down the steps tossing flowers. She had candy in her flower basket, too, because she picked that up and then dumped all the flowers in one spot.

Frustrated with herself she started crying and Skyler went to get her, but Corleon stopped her. He went up the steps and picked Estella up, who held onto him while he kissed her cheek and told her that she was alright.

Corleon wanted to be a father more than anything, and I knew he would be great at the shit. The man had the patience of a saint and was built for that. How he soothed Estella without needing her mother told me that Skyler, Estella, and Jeffie were in good hands.

Jeffie came down the steps and Corleon waited at the bottom with Estella, reaching his hand out. She took his hand, and he walked her over toward Skyler. Estella reached for her mother. I took a deep breath.

“You good… breathe,” I turned when I saw Duke. “Boss, she looks like an angel.”

‘For You’ by Kenny Lattimore softly played as I looked up and saw her at the top of the steps. My heart jumped out of my chest as I watched her. She was dressed in an ivory one shoulder dressed that hugged every curve she had, even those I ain’t never seen.

The dressed hugged her body perfectly, with a little bit of material that trailed behind her. Her hair was straight and pulled into a messy bun with a few tresses hanging. I didn’t hear shit Kenny Lattimore was singing about because all I saw was her.

She waved at me with a nervous smile. “Mens, the fuck you doing?” Corleon whispered as I left the altar and went up the steps to get my baby.

“Hi Mitchell,” she whispered.

“Hi Wanda,” I whispered back, as I held my hand out, and her perfect hand slid right into mine, as she took one step at a time. “You look beautiful, Baby.”

She smiled. “You look handsome, Mavie. I love you in a suit.”

“I love you butt ass naked in my bed.”

She snorted. “Nasty.”

I kissed her cheek. “One… two…. three…”

Wonder blushed as we made our way down the steps. “You’re not going to count all of my freckles.”

“Watch me make they ass wait while I do it.”

She squeezed my hand. “Mavie, my heel got stuck in my dress that’s why I was up there so long,” Wonder snorted loudly, sending an echo through the hall.

I couldn’t help but to laugh, as I bent down and unraveled her dress from her heel. “There you go.”

Kora dabbed her eyes as we made it down the last step and walked to the altar. “Who gives this woman away?”

The woman that spoke to me, the Indian man, and Skyler stood up. “We do,” they all said, and Stevie looked at each of them, blowing a kiss.

As we stood up there, staring into each other’s eyes, nothing mattered in this moment. Not the fact that Priscilla was a crispy mermaid, or the fact that her father was somewhere out here. None of that mattered because I was marrying my baby.

Ghost and Rah both gave me a nod, and winked as I turned my attention back to Wonder. The pastor went on saying all that he had to say to bless this union. “What color panties you got on?” I mouthed to Wonder.

“Stop.” She squeezed my hand while trying to hold her laugh in.

I never broke eye contact with her. She looked away from me a few times, but my eyes remained on her. How the fuck did I get so lucky with her? When did God wake up and decide to make my baby an accomplice to robbery? How did he know I would fall in love with her. My whole life was in this woman’s hands.

Anything she wanted I would give her because she deserved it. “Mavie,” she softly said, and I looked at the pastor and everyone looking at me.

If she asked me to choke this nigga, I would.

“What happened?”

“Do you have vows?”

I didn’t write down vows because I needed to say how I felt about her in real time. No pen or paper could hold down how I was feeling about the woman in front of me. “Yeah.”

“What?” Zoya’s loud ass mouth said.

I looked at her and she whispered sorry while leaning back in her chair. “Tell her how you feel, Mens,” Corleon whispered.

Public speaking wasn’t my thing, and I wasn’t for the shit most of the time. Standing in front of a bunch of people and confessing my feelings was torture for me. The difference was I needed to do it for Stevie.

I had to tell her and the world how I felt, because then if somebody tried to jump stupid I could kill them without an explanation. They knew how I felt about her and still wanted to be stupid.

“I’m not a man of a million words, but for you Wonder, I got two million. I love you so much that at night I think of how I’m gonna beat the shit out of the landscaper for the one time he winked at you three weeks ago. He had blue on that day, and you were wea⁠—”

“Mens, nigga… focus?” Corleon whispered while trying to have a smile on his face.

The pastor was mortified, and I was sure he was going to toss Holy water on me next. “Yeah. I lay away at night thinking of ways to keep you happy. I never not want to see that smile on your face. You are the sweet and good that I need in my life. We balance each other out, Wanda.”

“Who the fuck is Wanda?” I heard Don whisper to Corleon.

I kissed her hands. “You told me that it had been a while since you felt warm and safe. Last time you felt like that was with your mother. As your husband, I promise to always make you feel warm and safe. I am your safe place, your home, and protector. For a while it has always been Menace, but I realized since you came into my life, there is no me without you. You are the missing puzzle. I love you, Stevie.”

She stared up at me with tears in her eyes. “Love has always been something that I wanted, but I was afraid. Afraid to open myself to a man, give him a piece of me that I was always certain he would break. How could something I wanted scare me so much? I had never been in love before… not with a man. My love had always been my mama. I never knew how it would happen for me. Then I met you, Mavie. I knew for sure I could never love a man like you, and I was so wrong. The more I was around you, I had this little feeling… like a sting in my chest and it only activated when you were around. I’m not perfect and you accept me for who I am, and you have never tried to change me, no matter how much I drive you up the wall. As your wife, I want to stand by your side and allow you to lead. I just ask that you allow one thing from me.”

I kissed her hands again. “What’s that, Wonder?”

“Allow me to show you how good it can get. How great we can be, and how happy you can be. I promise to never put sauce on your chicken or squeeze the toothpaste hard. I promise to never go to bed angry and allow you to sleep on me, no matter if you drool on me. I promise to give you my whole heart because I know you would never break it. I promise to love you as you, Mavie. Never change you because what fun would that be? I want the challenge, and baby you are that. I love you, Mitchell.”

“I love you, Wanda.”

For someone that was supposed to be keeping a low profile, Kora’s loud ass nose blowing had us all looking back at her. She held her hand up and looked away because she was sobbing so hard.

Kora more than anybody knew how much I never thought this would happen for me. It wasn’t because I couldn’t get women. It was hard opening up and allowing someone in. As much as I wanted to fight letting Wonder in, she wormed her way into my heart.

“I now pronounce you Mr. and Mrs. Caselli… you may kiss your bride.”

I held her face and kissed her lips a bunch of times before slipping my tongue into her mouth. She pulled away and licked my nose, and then quickly used her sleeve. “Don’t you flip out in here, Maverick.”

I kissed her lips. “Don’t do no shit like that again, Wonder. Why the fuck would you lick my face.”

She laughed and kissed my lips. “I am your wife.”

“You are my wife, Mrs. Caselli.” I picked her up and carried her down the aisle and was heading back to the truck when Corleon ran behind me.

“Nigga, where the hell you going?”

“We done, right?”

“Yeah, but damn you gonna stick around for pictures.”

“Mantel, baby,” she reminded me, and I put her down onto the floor, and held her hand. “I’m going to have the makeup artist touch up my makeup.”

I kissed her lips and bit my bottom lip as I watched that ass switch away. “You don’t know what those jeans do to me, make me wanna get down on one knee,” I sang out the words to that infamous Ginuwine song that was now dubbed Wonder’s song every time I saw her ass.

“I don’t even wanna know.”

“If I tell you then we can’t be friends no more, Bruster.” I winked.

He squeezed my shoulder. “I already got into their systems and wiped all the cameras of us ever being here. Geeky got the cameras on all surrounding blocks of Kora, too. Oh…good looks on grabbing that phone. Enjoy your night with your new wife, and then business right after. Congratulations, Mens… fucking happy for you.”

“Appreciate it.”

I watched as he walked over to Jeffie holding Estella, and pulled Skyler with him as they took pictures with Wonder.

We took so many pictures that my damn head was spinning when we were done. All I focused on was my new bride and how she was over there serving Top Model. She tossed that thick thigh up in one picture and was living for being in front of the camera.

We took one at the very top of the steps and I dipped her as I kissed her neck, and she laughed. The picture was fucking perfect. Duke went to walk the photographer out to grab all his memory cards.

There wasn’t any pictures of Menace Caselli out there, and it damn sure wasn’t about to start. “The Caselli’s,” Rah clapped his hands. “Mens, I’m proud of you.” Rah came over and dapped me.

“Hi!” Wonder greeted.

“Wonder, this is Rahmeek Vanducci. If anything should ever happen to me, this man and those two over there would make sure that you are always straight.”

He nodded his head and hugged her. “Indeed. The families,” he held his champagne flute up, and Ghost and Karter followed.

“Nice to meet you.” Wonder held onto me, and I kissed her head, which had Rah freaked out. He was trying to figure out how to act because this was so outside of who I was.

We mingled for a bit before I was ready to get out of here. Wonder walked across the room and hugged the Indian man as he spoke to her. I could see from his expression that this was family. He was proud of her, and he loved her.

She walked over toward me while holding his hand. “Alex, this is my husband. Mena⁠—”

“Maverick Caselli,” I corrected her.

My baby already knew not to give out the name to anyone, but this was as close as a father that I would meet of hers. He was her family, and I was a man that showed respect, so he got the honor of knowing my name.

“Maverick, it is nice to meet you. I would have loved to meet you sooner, but someone keeps secrets.”

Wonder snickered. “It was on a need-to-know basis.”

“Stevie, your mother would be so proud of you. I felt her spirit with us today, and I know she is happy for you.” He turned his attention to me. “Take care of her. She is a light and so special to me and my family.”

Wonder rested her head on his arm. “Love you, Alex.”

“Love you so much more, Stevie. I want to see you more, too, yeah.”

She smiled. “I promise.”

He hugged her, shook my hand, and then headed back over with who I assumed was his wife. I watched as Skyler smiled at him as she made her way over toward us. She stopped mid walk, and did this little gangsta walk while smiling before Stevie joined her and they jumped up and down.

“You are married, Stevie!” She jumped up and down, then turned to look at me. “To Menace.”

“Hi, fuck you, too, Skyler.”

She laughed. “I am happy for you both and can’t wait to witness this union between you two. I’m sad you’ll be moving out the apartment… into that big fortress. Guess you gonna have to have Thanksgiving with a mini serial killer, Mens.”

My jaw clenched. “You need to get her to stop doing that shit. It’s all cool until she standing over you with a knife because you told her no more cartoons. You saw that fit she threw on the stairs.”

“Menace, my baby ain’t no damn serial killer,” Skyler snorted.

Corleon came over with Jeffie. He was holding Estella, who was resting her head on his shoulder. “Her nap time is approaching and she starting to get whiny. She wanted candy and then started crying when I opened it.”

“She wanted me, and then cried for him,” Jeffie added.

Skyler hugged her cousin. “I love you so much, Stevie. I am so happy for you and know that Menace is going to take care of you. You deserve that, you know that, right?”

Stevie nodded her head fighting the urge to not cry. “I know that… do you know that?”

“Today isn’t about me. There will come a time when it is, but not today, Stevie… it’s about you today and you deserve all the attention to be on you because you are so damn amazing.” She looked over at me with watery eyes. “Appreciate how amazing she is, and don’t try to change her. So many have tried to change her. I’m sure many have tried to change you too. You both found love within each other for a reason.” Corleon kissed her forehead and pulled her into him.

“Menace, everything is a go. I love you both, and I’m so happy for you.” Jeffie smiled, as she looked at both of us.

“Thank you for all of this Jeffie… I was expecting to go into an office and get married quickly. This was everything I didn’t know that I needed.”

She hugged Wonder and smiled. “Everything you both deserved. The focus was on you two, no big overdrawn wedding that would send this one into a spiral.”

“Yeah, ight.”

Jeffie laughed and rested her head on my arm. “Love you, Mens. Everything is handled, and you are good to head on out.”

“What are you up to?” Wonder looked at me.

“Taking you on a quick trip before I have to come back and head back out for business.” I had business to handle, so we couldn’t go far. I wanted to take her somewhere and show her somewhere that meant a lot to me.

“Now?”

“Uh huh. I wanna fuck you in the air, Wonder.”

She kissed my neck. “Mile high club… bucket list item… check.”

I paused. “With fucking who?”

“Um, whoever had a jet. It just happened to be you… yay, let’s be happy baby.” She clapped her hands.

When she stopped in the middle of her clapping, she touched my Wonder pin. “I keep you next to my heart at all times.”

“Mavie,” she kissed my lips. “I’m so glad it was you with the jet that I get to sleep with. It would suck if it was someone else,” she snorted.

“Yeah, ight.” I kissed her head as Duke held the door open and I put her in the truck before climbing behind her.