Page 34 of Capone
Now that I had Gabi and Giovanna, the only thing I could think about was how I didn’t want this to end.
Chapter Fourteen
CAPONE
“Alright, fellas, let’s get down to business,” Viper said as he brought his gavel down to begin church. “I’ve been going over the numbers all the club businesses have been bringing in and I think it's time we open another one.”
Collectively, we all nodded in agreement. Even though I made a nice salary working with Cara and Sara, I would still be finically stable with the cut I got from all the businesses the club owns. The two restaurants we owned are a big portion of our cuts. They’d both been labeled a tourist hotspot and brought in a killing.
“Well, what do you have in mind, Viper?” Smoke asked.
Viper focused on me as he leaned forward. “I was thinking we could see how Giovanna would feel about opening a bakery with the club investing as a silent partner.”
My eyebrows shot to my hairline. “You serious, Prez?”
“Hell yeah. That woman has a gift. Those desserts she made last night for dinner were a hit. Hell, Cara hasn’t stopped eating those honeybuns she made her,” Viper replied.
“I second that motion. That red velvet cake I had last night was by far the best I ever had,” Tiny added while staring off into the distance like he was reminiscing.
“All in favor of this, say I,” Viper said, looking around the table.
Unanimously, the brothers voted to start the bakery with Giovanna. A part of me was jumping in sheer excitement just thinking about having Giovanna here permanently.
While we hadn’t discussed when she would return home, it had been in the back of mind since I brought Gabi back to her. Giovanna hadn’t mentioned leaving and I’d been too scared to bring it up. I was glad she’d been taking her time to stay here and get to know me but that wasn’t enough. As much as I wanted her to pack up her home and move here, I knew that was unrealistic. Moving across the country just because we were dating was a hell of a gamble when she had a three-year-old to look after.
“Okay, that’s settled. Capone, we’ll let you discuss it with Giovanna to see where her head is at. Make sure she knows there’s no pressure,” Viper informed me.
Silently, I nodded and church continued. I was so wrapped in my own thoughts I didn’t hear anything else until Viper slammed his gavel down, ending church.
I made my way over to Crystal’s home to pick up Giovanna and Gabi. They’d been there for hours. Crystal had arranged a playdate with Gabi, Angel, Mari, Noami, and Abigail.
Gabi was so excited, she barely said bye to me as she rushed inside Crystal’s house to play with her newfound friends. When I walked through the doors, all I could hear was Gabi’s shaky voice as she cried to Giovanna.
“I want to stay, Mommy.”
I rounded the corner to the living room, and I spotted Giovanna instantly. She looked uncertain as she tried to console Gabi.
“What’s up with the tears, Lil Bit?”
“Pony!” Gabi shrieked, running into my arms. I scooped her up and she lay her head on my shoulder like she does every time she was in my arms. “I want to stay,” she whined.
I wasn’t the least bit surprised Gabi didn’t want to leave. Crystal and Paul’s home was like a kid’s heaven on earth. Their game room was decked out with every game console you could imagine. The movie room had a concession stand and a popcorn machine. Then there was the backyard. It was filled with swing sets, slides, and a humongous jungle gym.
The kids often abandoned their parents to come over and spend the night. Paul and Crystal didn’t mind in the slightest. They enjoyed having their home filled with all their grandkids.
“It’s really no problem, Giovanna,” Crystal told her.
Giovanna nodded shakily and that was when I understood her hesitance. She had just gotten Gabi back and wasn’t quite ready to be apart from her even if it was just a sleepover.
“Please, Mommy. I be good,” Gabi begged, pulling at my heartstrings. Her lip formed into the cutest little pout as she stared at her mother with tear-filled, doe eyes.
Crystal gave Giovanna a reassuring smile. “I know this is hard, especially after what you’ve been through, but I promise to keep her safe. To settle your nerves as best I can, I’ll give you access to all the nanny cams I have around the house so you can check in on her at any time.”
That seemed to relax her as she handed her phone over to Crystal. After Crystal had downloaded the app to the nanny cams and signed in to her account, she handed the phone back to Giovanna.
Giovanna walked over to me and Gabi and planted a kiss to her forehead. “You listen to everything Ms. Crystal says, okay?”
Gabi bobbed her head frantically as a beaming smile stretched across her face. “I promise. Love you, Mommy. Love you, Pony.” She kissed her mother’s cheek and then mine beforeshimming out of my arms and running off down the hall to the game room.
