Page 26 of Capone (Sinful Warriors MC #6)

Chapter Nineteen

CAPONE

S omething poking my forehead woke me from my deep slumber. Cracking my eyes open, they locked with Gabi’s. She was kneeling beside me in my bed, watching me with bright eyes.

“Pony, get up. Mommy cook.” Taking her by surprise, I swooped her into my arms, cradling her. She shrieked when I began to tickle her stomach with no mercy. “P-po-pony, stoooop!” she shrieked through her giggles.

After a few more tickles, I relented, laughing right along with her. For over a week, this had been my life, and I couldn’t be happier.

I didn’t know what Giovanna’s mother had said to her on that patio, but I was forever grateful.

The next morning when I woke up, Giovanna was packing more of her and Gabi’s clothes.

She told me she was accepting the club offer to open a bakery.

I didn’t want to get too excited because Giovanna had been known to get inside her head and change her mind.

But when she contacted a realtor to sell her home, I wanted to jump for joy.

We ended up renting a portable storage so she could load up her and Gabi’s necessities.

The next day, we hooked the storage up to her car and began our long drive back to Florida.

Once we returned, I was bummed when she loaded most of her things in a storage unit she had rented.

I assumed she and Gabi were moving in, but she said she felt that was too much too soon.

She was actively looking for a house to rent.

Little did she know, I had no intention of letting her move out. We were basically living together now, and everything was going just fine. I didn’t see a point in changing that.

I brought Viper in to help assist me with keeping her too busy to fully commit to finding a place of her own.

Every day, he sent her a list of things that needed to be done for the bakery.

So, between that and staying in communication with the lawyer she hired for the custody battle, Giovanna barely had any free time on her hands.

“Okay, okay. I’ll stop. Did you brush your teeth yet, Lil Bit?” I asked her. Normally, as soon as Giovanna woke Gabi up, she would make a beeline for my room to wake me up.

Gabi shook her head no, confirming what I already knew. I got out of bed and nestled her in the crook of my arm. As I walked into my bathroom, I leaned down to grab the step stool I had for her in here. This was another morning ritual. We brushed our teeth together.

The first few times, Giovanna would try taking over, thinking I wasn’t in the mood to deal with Gabi’s bubbly personality so early.

I knew that stemmed from her past with Derek.

Slowly but surely, I was showing her I wasn’t him in any way.

I cherished every moment with both of them.

They both had my heart in an iron-clad grip.

After brushing our teeth, I grabbed a face rag and wiped Gabi’s face. Once I was satisfied, I did the same to myself before heading to the kitchen. The aroma floating through my home caused my stomach to growl. As I rounded the corner, I instantly got annoyed.

Much to my displeasure, Dice and Gunner were seated at the table with a cup of coffee, like they had every right to be here.

They too had become used to having the girls around, especially with the way Giovanna always cooked.

We still showed up to dinner at the clubhouse here and there, but for the most part, we ate at home.

“It's about time. Giovanna wouldn’t let us eat a thing until you got in here.” Dice huffed and rolled his eyes.

Giovanna walked over to the table and set down two platters that were loaded with waffles, bacon, eggs, and fruit. “My man. My house. My rules,” she said, her voice loaded with sass.

My heart sped up a beat. I didn’t even think she realized she claimed me and my home until it was out of her mouth. Her cheeks turned a fiery red before she dashed back into the kitchen.

“Well, I guess she told you.” Gunner snickered at the dumbfound look on Dice’s face.

“I guess so,” he mumbled as he started loading up his plate.

I placed Gabi in her booster seat next to me just as Giovanna came back from the kitchen with a plate assembled just for Gabi. Everything was already cut up in bite-sized pieces. As soon as Giovanna placed the plate in front of Gabi, she went for what she knew.

Before Giovanna could walk away, I snaked my arm around her waist and pulled her into me.

She hesitated before staring me in the eyes.

I could feel how tense she was, so I decided not to bring up her declaration.

Instead, I gave her a few pecks on the lips.

Whenever she was ready to accept what I already knew, I would be here waiting.

“Morning, Sugar.”

“Good morning,” she simpered as she melted against me.

“I told you, you don’t have to keep cooking for Dice and Gunner. They can carry their ass to the clubhouse if they’re hungry.”

“No, I can’t. The clubhouse is a bit of a war zone for me right now,” Dice said hastily. His eyes were wide as he looked between Giovanna and me, like he was silently begging us not to send him there.

I squinted at him. “What did you do?”

Dice looked away nervously and Gunner burst out in laughter. “Cara caught him eating her honeybuns.”

My eyes enlarged and my mouth dropped open. Everyone knew Cara did not play about her food. Especially while she was pregnant. It was a sure way to make her enact violence. “Do you have a death wish?” I asked incredulously.

“He must have, and Cara tried to grant it for him.” Gunner shook his head, popping a piece of bacon in his mouth.

“Oh my God, what did she do?” Giovanna questioned, taking a seat at the table.

Dice opened his mouth to answer but stopped when Gabi looked up from her plate. “Let’s just say Viper has now hidden all her weapons.”

I shook with laughter, imagining what she could have possibly done. But whatever she had done was clearly a warning. If Cara missed, it was on purpose.

As breakfast went on, Giovanna was tapping away on her tablet. Between contractors, assembling a menu, licenses, permits, and so on, the bakery was keeping her a busy woman.

Her phone chimed and she picked it up. Whatever she saw caused her to slap her forehead. “Crap. I totally forgot.”

“What is it?” I asked her.

“That was Crystal texting me. She told me yesterday she wouldn’t be able to watch Gabi today because she had a doctor’s appointment.”

Crystal had been keeping Gabi every day while Giovanna handled business with the bakery. Giovanna tried offering her money, but Crystal politely declined. Giovanna hadn’t been here very long, but she would soon understand that Crystal loved keeping all the kids.

“I can watch Lil Bit.”

Her brows scrunched up. “But don’t you have work too?”

“Yes, but today is a slow day. I technically only have to be there for a few hours and then I can leave. Then me and Lil Bit are free to wreak havoc.”

Giovanna smiled brightly before giggling. “Are you sure?”

“Positive.”

“Gabi,” Giovanna called, getting her attention. Gabi looked up from her plate, stuffing a piece of fruit in her mouth. “Do you want to spend the day with Pony?”

A deep scowl filled Gabi’s face. I chuckled, already knowing what ticked her off. She didn’t like anyone using her nickname for me. The other night, we were at the clubhouse for dinner and a few of the guys were teasing me and addressing me as Pony.

All this time, I thought Gabi couldn’t pronounce my name and settled for Pony. Imagine my surprise when she looked Axel dead in the eyes and firmly said “Ca-pone.”

That caused the clubhouse to roar with laughter as she stood her ground with Axel. He threw his hands up in mock surrender, giving her his apologies.

I wasn’t even mad she had played me all this time. Her nickname had grown on me, and I couldn’t imagine her calling me anything else.

“I mean, Capone.” Giovanna hurriedly corrected herself.

Dice and Gunner were laughing like hyenas at the other end of the table. Gabi’s face morphed into a smile as she happily nodded. “Yes! I go with Pony.”

“Welp. I guess that’s settled.”

To say Gabi was having the time of her life was an understatement. From the moment we stepped off the elevator everyone fawned all over her. Sage was smitten with her. She said that if she wasn’t so young and in her prime, Gabi would for sure be giving her baby fever.

We were currently in the gym while I held a few physical assessments for the day. Gabi held my clipboard in her hand, checking off the boxes as I instructed her. She really felt in charge. Whatever I told the guards to do, she would repeat it, causing most of them to laugh at her bossiness.

“Geez, you’re killing me, Gabi,” my guard, Trent, huffed as he flopped down on the mat. He had just completed the eighty sit-ups he was required to do in two minutes.

Gabi giggled at his antics. She handed me the clipboard and grabbed his water bottle from the sidelines. “Here you go,” she said sweetly.

Trent placed a hand over his heart. “Boss, you gotta bring her around more often. She’s the sweetest little thing.”

I chuckled as I checked the last box on his list. “I’ve been hearing that all day, but you won’t be seeing her for a while. I’ve got a contract for you.”

“Really?” He perked up as he jumped to his feet.

This was what the guards all looked forward to.

We all placed them on certain assignments based on their job history and training.

The job I was sending Trent on was perfect for him.

Our newest client, Shannon, had gained a stalker.

This person was relentless. They had broken into her home on three occasions while she was at work.

Somehow, they kept disarming her alarm and now she was completely shaken up.

Soon as I read her file, Trent came into mind. He went from cop to detective in a span of two years. Eventually, he moved over to SWAT. He was on the force for six years before applying here.