Filed to story: Submitting to My Bestie’s Daddy Read Online >>???
I nodded, then asked, “Have we successfully made back our losses from the last interception?” I was referring to one of our shipments being crossed by another family who was far less than friendly. Ours had the power in these parts, but we still didn’t avoid every single headache.
“We have,” Giovani said, now smiling somewhat. “I have made that happen. I am rather sure the people who gave us trouble learned a harsh lesson that day. Trust me, James. I enjoy reminding people of their place in this world if I have to.”
Giovani had many sides to him, and this one could be downright frightening to most people. To me, it was a boon. Reminded me of myself, really, which was good. My thoughts once again touched on whether he would accept being a Don.
He reveled in this business, after all, and could get the job done properly. I took a sip of my coffee in contemplation, eventually nodding. “As fascinating as forensic technology is,” I said, “it makes keeping bodies hidden an inconvenience.”
“True. At least we are no longer dealing with a civilian death toll. Keeping this stuff within the families has always been safer. Investigations and headlines would only get eyes on the family with the missing person in general,” Giovani said, taking another sip of his coffee.
“You’ve got that right,” I said, my thoughts turning to Tally, and my heart clenching. I didn’t want that to be the fate of Becca, or any of my other children. Giovani must have noticed that flash of sadness in my gaze because his smile turned sympathetic.
“Your family is safe, James. I will make sure of it. I promise. I admire you, you know,” my cousin said, dipping his head. “You’re made of tough stuff and have gone through a lot. You know how to solve issues when they come up. Far more competent than others in the family.”
“Like Ronaldo?” I said with a smirk, prompting him to chuckle and nod.
“Yes, exactly,” Giovani said. He thought for a moment, then asked, “Do you still plan on transitioning to a smaller compound and reducing your workload? As a reminder, I don’t mind picking it up.” A sinister smile crossed his face. “I enjoy this line of work, after all.”
I nodded in confirmation. While we’d gotten used to this larger compound, that incident with Allison taught me we were out in the open a bit too much. My security team was excellent, but even they couldn’t avoid what happened there.
“It would be safer for our growing family,” I said. “I spoke with Becca and she agreed. She was over the moon at the suggestion, as a matter of fact. Our nanny, Madeline, doesn’t mind the idea of moving either.”
“Good. Well, I have just the spot. It’s still in Florence, but ways away from your current compound. You won’t be wanting for space, either, though it will be smaller,” he said, making a few clicks on his laptop before sending me a few details.
I read them over and said absentmindedly, “Space has never been an issue for us. We’ve always had plenty of it and don’t need a mansion. As long as we have the important rooms settled, I am happy, and so is Becca.”
“A mansion does seem excessive,” Giovani agreed, waiting for me to look over the details and give my go-ahead. This place looked great, and it was near a small park Becca and I could take the kids to. Perfect, really. I smiled, then tilted my head.
“It looks excellent. We can start the transition process as soon as possible. Thankfully, it won’t take us long, probably a day,” I said, then snickered. “While there is a little playground nearby, a playscape for the kids would be nice for the days we don’t want to take them to it.”
“One playscape to be built or carted over ASAP for our family man. Got it,” Giovani said with a wink. “You sure it’s not for you? Swinging around can be a massive stress relief.” His tone was humorous of course, as he poked fun at me.
I couldn’t help but chuckle and shook my head. “No time for hanging around, sadly,” I replied, causing him to chuckle as well. He typed up a few things to finalize the details, then gave me a nod.
“We are situated. Smaller compound for your growing family–soon–it is. Now you’ll be less involved, just as you wanted,” Giovani said. “As I said, I got most of this covered. You focus on your kids and your wedding.”
“Thank you,” I said genuinely. Curiously, I asked, “You seem pretty lenient on me being a Don and asking this much of you. A lax in my responsibilities, when it comes down to it. Why is that?” I took a sip of my coffee, leaning forward to see what he had to say.
Giovani glanced up toward the ceiling thoughtfully, a small smile on his face. He said, “Hm. Well, I don’t mind helping out like this, James. But I also understand family. Family is very, very important to me, and I know it is for you, too. You’re doing what’s best for yours.”
“And you, for yours,” I said, realizing something. He was going above and beyond because he cared about me as well. Granted, that should have been obvious, but it was still something that struck me in a good way from time to time.
The difference in our ages had prevented us from being too close before, especially when I lived in the United States and he was here. We’d had some connection in the past, but not much. Now that we were living in the same city, he was eager to do more than just impress me because I was Don. Not that I worried otherwise. To members of the family with honor, Giovani had a good heart.
“Now you’re getting it, James,” he chuckled. “I hope you never doubted me. I’d have to prove you wrong, say, a hundred times, or so. That, and give you the receipts. I think my little dance with Ronaldo and the mob you had on your back was good for my reputation, though.”
“It was,” I replied, thinking back to that report. That had gone incredibly smoothly, masterminded by Giovani working with Neal. Thank goodness for his efforts there, it was one less thing to worry about on my end.
“Well, the paperwork is finished, and I have informed the rest of the family of these plans. There was some grumbling, but they’ll deal with it,” Giovani said with a wink. He downed the last bit of his coffee and stood up, giving me a nod. “Ready to get situated?”
I nodded, closing my laptop and getting up myself. Moving day, though thankfully all of our things would be squared away by our hired men. Giovani took care of that aspect as well, though I could have. I was busy with my own business, separate from the family.
Either that or spending time with Becca and the kids, something I enjoyed having time to do more and more lately. Becca kept gushing about the wedding, which warmed my heart. I found myself excited for it too, even if it was going to be a lot of work out of my wheelhouse.
Exiting the room, I wandered down the hall and to the nursery to inform Madeline we were ready and get the kids set up. As I entered the room, Alessandro looked up and made grabby hands toward me. “Dada! Dada!” he said, causing me to smile. “F*ck!” he added.
I just had to laugh, putting a hand on my forehead. While that word had been used against us in court, or, well–they tried to nail us with it–I still found myself amused. I walked over and swept the child up into my arms, giving him a big hug.
“Hello Alessandro,” I said softly, leaving a kiss on his forehead. He giggled, reaching up to poke at my nose.
“Hi!” he said, learning more and more words lately. I felt a fuzzy, happy feeling flow through me at the joy in my son’s voice. Then, I looked up to give a nod to Madeline, who wore a very warm smile, watching this interaction.
I put Alessandro down for a moment, as Dahlia had taken notice and was crawling over, wanting attention as well. She, too, I swept up into my arms, hugging her close and giving her a kiss on the forehead.
Then, I said to Madeline, “We’re ready to go. Rest assured, it will be a very low hassle.” Usually, moving was a pain, but we’d have it taken care of for us. There would be a jumble for a day as we moved to the smaller compound, but that was it.
“Oh! Do not worry, do what you have to do. I will help occupy the kids while things are situated,” she said. “Moving day! So exciting.”
I smiled, gave Dahlia one last hug, and exited the room. I sent a text to Becca, letting her know all was well, and that everyone was ready to start the transition to the smaller compound, which would be over in a flash.
As I walked toward the front door, I passed by Giovani. I opened my mouth to greet him again, but stopped upon seeing him on the phone. His brows were knit, and he sounded somewhat agitated.
Something was causing him distress, I knew, but he could handle it. I didn’t want to intervene and make him think I was hovering. Therefore, I carried on and began directing security for moving protocol.
Whatever it was, I knew he would take care of it. Even if, when he spoke, he had that cold, shark-like tone that meant he was very, very annoyed.
Becca.
The compound was abuzz with the upcoming wedding. I was glad the move from the larger to the smaller compound went so smoothly. The kids didn’t even notice the change; Alessandro and Dahlia were as happy as ever.
The only one who wasn’t too delighted for us was my father, but there wasn’t much I could do about it. James said he’d talk to him again, though I doubted it would make a big difference. Thankfully, my stepmother seemed to be fully on my side.
At that moment, I was sitting on our couch and trying to stop myself from the overwhelming excitement that overcame me. Today, I’d be bridal gown shopping with my stepmother and Sophia. Sophia was going to make an amazing maid of honor. She was so good when it came to fashion and decor.
Soon, security sent me a message saying the two women had arrived. When I went to the front lobby area, I was swept into the arms of my stepmother, who held me there tightly. “I’m so happy for you!” she exclaimed, her voice keeling with excitement.
“Thank you, Tara,” I said, using the nickname my dad had started calling her recently. Turns out, my stepmom really loves tiramisu and couldn’t get enough of it now that she lived in Italy. We called her Tara so much now, sometimes I couldn’t even remember her real name! I chuckled, blushing a bit and returning the hug. I closed my eyes, overwhelmed with so much happiness. Things were just right, and this wedding was going to be amazing. I knew it. Dress shopping today was going to be dazzling.
“Hey, Becca,” Sophia said, giving a wink. “How’s the baby?” she asked, causing me to chuckle. I still couldn’t believe she somehow knew to bring the pregnancy test that prompted me to go to the doctor and confirm the sickness was actually a new baby on the way.
“The doctor says the baby is doing wonderfully,” I said, causing her smile to widen. I clapped my hands in excitement, saying, “Let me go say goodbye to the children and check on Madeline. Then, we’re well on our way!”
The two women nodded, following me to no doubt say hello to the children and Madeline as well. I made my way to the new nursery that was set up. Plenty of room, still, for the kids and their mountains of toys! At the moment, Madeline was there taking care of them.
Speaking of which, she looked up and dipped her head in greeting when we three arrived. “Hey there, Becca!” she said. “The kids were just talking about you. Sort of. Lots of ‘mama’ involved in their babbling,” she chuckled. I beamed at her, then looked over to the children.
Dahlia was playing with a little pink horse, one of the ones James used to propose to me. I put a hand over my heart, still feeling so happy about that day, and how he did it. She looked up and gave me a wave, saying joyously, “Mama!” I walked over to her and took her into my arms.
Leaving a soft kiss on her forehead and grinning at her enthusiasm, I said, “Hi, there, baby girl, look at how much you’re growing! Mama can’t wait to play with you when she gets home later.” I poked her on the nose, causing her to giggle.
Soon, though, she squirmed, impatient to get back to playing. I chuckled and put her on the ground, turning to approach Alessandro. The little boy was playing with one of the other pink horses, but also making them fight a little car.
He kept bumping the toys into one another, his eyes gleaming with fascination. I wrapped my arms around him, causing him to squeal with annoyance. “F*ck!” he said, then laughed. I couldn’t help but start giggling at his reaction as well.
“Alessandro! Shh… not in front of everyone!” I gave Sophia and my stepmother a sheepish grin. They were trying to hide amused smiles, too. Eventually, Alessandro gave in, turning to give me a huge hug. I squeezed him a bit, then let him get back to playing.
