Page 17 of Capone (Sinful Warriors MC #6)

Chapter Fourteen

CAPONE

“ A lright, 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 before shimming out of my arms and running off down the hall to the game room.

I was left standing there frozen in place. Giovanna looked just as shocked as me. To have heard Gabi say so effortlessly that she loved me let me know that she had gotten just as attached as I was.

“Don’t look so shocked, you two.” Crystal giggled, standing from the couch. “Now, why don’t you go enjoy the rest of your night. Gabi’s in great hands.” She disappeared down the hall, leaving Giovanna and me staring at one another.

“So…” Giovanna said, breaking the tension in the room.

Grabbing her hand, I pulled her body against mine. “How about we get out of here and I take you on a date tonight?”

“Really?” she gasped as her eyes brightened.

“Yeah. It’s long overdue. I’m going to drop you off at your hotel and I’ll be back at eight to pick you up.”

“Okay, I’ll be ready.”

By the time I dropped Giovanna off at her hotel, I had four hours to plan something special for her.

I didn’t like the idea of taking her to a restaurant.

I wanted our time together to be intimate and alone.

That was when I came up with the perfect idea.

The only thing was I couldn’t pull this off alone, so I asked Dice, Gunner, and Sara for help.

I would probably get shit from Dice and Gunner for the rest of my life, but I didn’t care. I was sure Giovanna would love her bit of what I put together for her and that was well worth it to me.

Giovanna had me so far gone and didn’t even know it.

There was nothing I wouldn't do to convince her that she was meant to be mine.

I'd never claimed a woman before. I was in unfamiliar territory right now. Sometimes, I didn’t know how to act around her.

If I revealed just how far this need to claim her went, I was afraid I would scare her off.

Giovanna was one of those women who truly didn’t realize just how beautiful they were. She had the personality to match the looks. She was a dangerous combination. She really was a hidden gem.

That’s why I’d stop at nothing to prove to her I was the man for her.

“No peeking, Sugar.” I held on to Giovanna’s hand as I led her to the gazebo in my backyard. I blindfolded her as soon as we were inside of my truck. She had asked a thousand questions by the time we got here.

I went all out for this date. Dice and Gunner helped me hang fairy lights all around the gazebo. I also had a table in the center of it with a white cloth spread on top of it, sprinkled with roses and candles.

Sara came in and cooked us a three-course meal that I was sure was going to be better than any five-star restaurant. She offered to stay and serve the food to us so we could just focus on our date. I knew part of her was coming from a genuine kindhearted place, but the other was to be nosy.

I was sure all the Ol’ Ladies would know about our date by morning.

After I removed the blindfold, Giovanna gasped, placing a shaky hand over her mouth. “Luca, this beautiful.” Grabbing my hand, she rose on her toes and kissed the corner of my mouth.

I stood there smiling like a complete idiot, pleased that she was happy with my efforts. I led her to the table and pulled out a chair for her.

“I can’t believe you did all of this,” she said, looking around the gazebo.

“I know we’ve been getting to know one another, but I wanted you to understand how serious I am about us.”

“Believe me when I tell you. I hear you loud and clear. I don’t want to try and fight this thing between us. I feel something for you, and while I’m here, I want to explore that.”

“That’s all that I ask, Sugar.” I kissed the back of her hand just as the patio door slid open, and Sara walked out, holding two bottles of wine.

Sara was completely in character, dressed up in a white chef’s coat, with a towel hanging over her forearm.

“Good evening, I’ll be your server tonight. Tonight’s menu will start off with your appetizers which is bruschetta, stuffed mushrooms, and prosciutto wrapped asparagus. Can I start you off with white or red wine?”

Giovanna’s smile was so big I could see all thirty-two teeth in her mouth. “I’ll take the red,” she said.

“I’ll take the same,” I agreed.

Sara filled both our glasses and placed the bottle on the table. “I’ll be right back with those appetizers.”

After Sara walked away, Giovanna took a sip of her wine, watching me intently. “Where did you come from, Luca Ferrari?”

I chuckled, staring her right in the eyes. “Right out of your dreams, Sugar.”

A bubble of laughter ripped through her. “You have an answer for everything, don’t you?”

“When it comes to you? Yes.”

Giovanna gulped just as Sara came walking out, holding a serving tray. She set the appetizers down and asked us if there was anything else we might need before going back inside.

As we ate, we talked about our childhoods. I still hadn’t told her the full truth of who I was. A part of me felt it wasn’t worth mentioning. I had done a lot to distance myself from that life. As far as I was concerned, I had no attachments to my father’s organization.