Chapter 19
Bella
It’s been two weeks since all my brothers arrived here, at the Clubhouse with us. My brothers, Gio and the rest of the Club are still no closer to getting their hands on Anton. It’s been great having my brothers back, Gigi is so happy these days she barely leaves their sides. I can’t blame her because I’ve been the same way. Things have gone back to normal around the Clubhouse, somewhat. I still have my moments of not wanting to be touched, but they are far and few in-between with my family. My therapist, Joyce, comes here to the Clubhouse, once a week for my sessions, and I call her when I need her to help me work through my anxiety. Sam took me off my anti-anxiety meds, so my therapist and I are working on different strategies to aid me forward. Gio still goes to every session with me. I never have to ask him to go either, which is a relief in and of itself. I love that he just knows what I need from him and does it. He’s the best husband, lover and best friend I could have ever asked for in my life.
Val has been more accepting of Gio and my marriage, for the most part. It’s essentially like old times with the way they joke and rip on one another. I’m so happy my brothers are finally back and staying with us, but it’s going to be hard to have them leave us again. Especially for Gigi, she has been attached to them and is with them constantly. I don’t think she’s going to handle it well when the four of them leave us. I don’t know how well I’m going to react to it for that matter.
We don’t know how long they will be staying with us, so I’ve been enjoying the time we have together, because I know it will come to an end all too soon. I need to start to figure out with Joyce how to prepare Gigi and myself for another, step back in our lives.
They promised to visit us, especially when the babies are born if they are not here with us then.
I know once they get home, that the business will take over their lives. It’s going to kill a part of me not having them close. Except for these last few months, my brothers have been with us every day of our lives.
My brothers promise they would talk to us every day, it just won’t be the same. To me, it’s going to feel like losing them all over again. I’m sure Gigi will feel the same way.
Unless there is no business left to go home to, that is. I’ve heard the guys talking this week, they’re all worried he has ruined everything by joining forces with the Cartels.
They said once the Cartel is involved in the Family business, it’s hard to get them out. Especially, since Ricco isn’t stopping him from working with them. Ricco said if he did, it would bring attention to him, and he may figure out he knows more about the situation than he’s letting on.
In a way, I hope he has destroyed the business, and the guys can stay here with us for good. I’m sure they can fix it, though, but only time will tell, right!
Today, Gio and I are meeting with his friend Benny to see the final plans for our house. He and Gio have been working on them secretively for a couple of weeks. Gio wants to have everything done and move us in no later than the beginning of February. He wants us to be set up in our new home before the babies arrive. He also wants us to be able to spend our first Valentine’s Day together in our new home.
If we finalize things today, next week they will start to break ground. The area where the house will be built has already been cleared and is ready for them to start. I’m so thrilled about this new adventure in our lives and that my brothers are here to share it with us.
I find my sandals, to pair with my sundress, and I’m ready to head out to the kitchen. Everyone should be here already and sitting down to breakfast that Aunt Cindy prepared.
My hair is still wet from the shower Gio and I took together not too long ago. It will air dry soon, even up in the messy bun on my head.
When Gio finished dressing, I sent him out to greet our guest and give myself a few minutes alone to finish up.
God, thinking about our shower has me wanting him again. I do love shower sex with my man. Our shower is small here, and we both agreed our new shower will have a bigger one to accommodate both of us, along with a big Jacuzzi tub.
That’s about all he would discuss with me, he wanted the rest to be a surprise for today. I’ve been patiently waiting, or at least trying. My Gio has a talent for distracting me from thinking about anything but him, and with my hormones raging all the time, it’s not hard.
All he has to do is touch me, not even sexually these days, and I’m aroused. I forget everything. I’m not complaining, sex with my man is great, and it just seems to keep getting better and better every time.
I emerge from our room to a full house. They are all sitting at our large kitchen table, eating breakfast and engaging in conversation.
Gio holds out his hand for me to join him at the end of the table. I go straight to him, and he pulls me onto his lap. He starts feeding me eggs and bacon off his plate. Bacon has become my new favorite craving.
Val is on our left, my back is to him, and Ace is on our right. Our original 10-seater table just seems to be getting longer every time I enter this room. It warms my heart to have all our family in this small apartment with us.
Though, we are going to need a large dining room in our new home. I hope Gio anticipated this and made the proper adjustments to the house.
“What the fuck is that on your back, Princess?” Val growls, startling me. I have no clue what he’s going on about.
“What?” I ask, dumbfounded, wondering what he could possibly be asking me about. Maybe he doesn’t like my dress or something.
I continue eating, not bothering to be too concerned. I am starving this morning, and this has been a good morning for me, so far no nausea. Go me, these mornings are few and far in-between lately.
“That’s a tattoo, a big fucking tattoo on your back!” he growls loudly again.
Oh shit, I forgot to leave my hair down to cover it. For the last two weeks, I’ve been in one of Gio’s shirts and yoga shorts. My tummy is starting to pop out, like a basketball, and my tops are too tight and uncomfortable.
Today, I decided to wear one of my baby doll sundresses because we are meeting Gio’s friend and walking down to the lake. I wanted to look nice and presentable in my own wardrobe.
I turn on Gio’s lap to face my brother and stare him dead in the eyes.
“It’s my property patch because I’m Gio’s. What does it matter if I have a tattoo, it’s my body.” I answer and continue to eat, not too concerned with his opinion.
I’m feeling really good this morning and craving only this bacon. The only thing that would make it better would be chocolate. I’m going to enjoy it while it lasts because all good things come to an end.
“She has other ones too,” Gigi spits out giggling.
“She’s had them for a long time.” I swallow a piece of bacon that Gio just fed me and almost choke on it. He pats my back, and I drink some water to wash it down.
All four of my brother’s growl at the same time and glare at me with displeased faces.
God knows I love my sister, but right now, I want to kill her. She was supposed to keep her mouth shut, how could she do this to me.
The day she found out about them was my 23rd birthday. That was also the same day Gio found out about them and saw them for the first time.
“How the fuck is it possible you have other tattoos, and we never knew about them?” Romeo asks fuming, wondering how I hid them and kept them a secret all these years.
Well, I guess the cats out of the bag now, and I might as well spill.
I look at Gio, and he nods his head for me to tell them. I take a deep breath and give them the short story.
“I had Luigi take me on my 18th birthday. I have three others.” I shrug my shoulders and grab another piece of bacon to eat.
“Luigi is so getting his ass beat when we get home if he’s not already dead,” Bash says, and I laugh. I can’t help it; they are acting ridiculous about this. It’s no big deal.
Gio places his hand on my growing belly while my brothers gawk at me like I just committed the worst crime in the world.
This is Gio’s new and favorite thing to do, always having a hand on my belly. The way I’m sitting on one of his legs, with my legs in-between his, it’s easy for him to do. Today you can really see how much I have popped. I look like I’m carrying an actual basketball low, that’s how big my belly is now.
“Bella, honey, stand up for me.” Aunt Cindy says from the other end of the table, changing the subject. Why is she asking me to stand up?
“Why do you want me to stand, Aunt Cindy?” I ask becoming shy all of a sudden, and she gives me a look.
“Bella, how about we start with you not calling me that anymore, considering you’re married to my son and carrying my grandbabies. You need to call me mom now, honey,” she says, raising her hands for me to stand.
Gio helps me off his lap, and I flatten out my dress to show off my puffy belly. I place one hand above my bump, under my breast and the other under it. I step to the side so they can see. My belly isn’t that big, but you can definitely see it since it was flat before. I’m 10 weeks now, our babies are growing fast. I’ve also been covering up, wearing Gio’s big shirts, so only he and I have seen how big I have gotten.
I’m going to be as big as a house by six months at this rate. I think I’m fat now, but Gio tells me every day, many times a day, how beautiful I am and how I glow.
“I know I’ve gained weight, I’ll be the size of a house soon.” Gio places his big hand over my belly, covering it and with his left hand, and pulls me to sit back on his lap. I release my hands from my dress and wrap my arms around his neck.
“You are not going to be the size of a house. You look more gorgeous today than you did yesterday. The more you grow to accommodate my babies. The more your beauty will enhance just like it did since you were a young girl. You, mia bella Principessa, are the most stunning woman I have ever laid eyes on. Ti amo, mio angelo.” Gio kisses me on the lips, and I have tears falling from my eyes.
“You two make me sick with how much you love each other,” Val says, and we stop kissing.
“You’re not the only one,” Bash grunts from the other end of the table. Lorenzo, Romeo, Bash, Ryder, and Ces all chime in agreeing with him.
“Guys stop it’s cute. This is a once in a lifetime kind of love we are witnessing,” Jules says. We all laugh, and Val stays serious as he breaks through the laughter to continue.
“I think I knew it all these years, I just never wanted to see my baby sister with anyone. I wanted them both to be nuns.
“I get it now, I see it plain as day. I can see how happy she is with you in her life for the first time since you left us. She was miserable after that, I figured it was just a schoolgirl crush, and she would get over it. She never did, and I just ignored it.
“When you would call to check in... I could tell you were different... You sounded, sad. When you would ask about her, to check on her, I would hear the hope in your voice, but again I ignored it.
“I’m sorry I didn’t see it years ago and accepted it, so you both would have missed out on all this heartache. I’m so sorry, sissy.” Val pushes his plate away and punches the table.
He then gets up from his seat and begins to pace the living room running his hands through his hair, frustrated.
The same thing Gio does when he feels the same way. I never realized it before, but they are so much alike.
I hop off Gio’s lap, with his help again, and walk over to my big brother. I grab Val’s hand in mine, stopping him from moving and imploring him to look at me.
“Vallie, stop this now!” I demand, with tears streaming down my face. I call him by my special nickname I’ve called him since I was a little girl. He knows I only used that name when I need him to listen to me.
He does as I demand and glares down at me. Val is 6”4’ just like my Gio, as muscular as him and full of tattoos too. Usually, he has them concealed under his suit, not today, he’s in a short sleeve shirt and jeans allowing us to see the half of the full sleeves he has on his arms.
“I was 13 years old when he left, I was just a kid. Yeah, I knew I loved him, but I was too young to understand the kind of love he and I share. I was too young for all of this,” I say, waving my hand around the apartment and landing on Gio. I turn back to my brother.
“I know you wish you could change the past and what happened to me, I get it, me too, sometimes. I’ve accepted the good and the bad, though. You want to know why?”
“Why, Bells?” he coaxes, watching me carefully as is everyone else in the room and they all stay quiet.
“Because if those things didn’t happen, the way God intended them to be, I wouldn’t have Gio back. I wouldn’t be here now, and I wouldn’t have these two miracles growing inside me.” I take Val’s hand and place it on my growing babies inside my tummy.
“But most of all, I wouldn’t be as strong as I am today.” I take a deep breath and say something only Gio and Blaze know.
“I’m going to tell you something; all of you should know this actually.” I turn to look at my other brothers and my baby sister. Gigi is in Romeo’s arms on his lap now, crying. I hate to have to say this with her in the room.
“Daddy came to me in a dream, before you all got here, and he told me some things that I’m gonna tell all of you. It may not be right what happened to me, but it did happen, and I’m okay with it. I have to be, it’s how I’ve survived it all.
“Daddy and mom are proud of the way I’ve handled things, and so am I. I stepped up for Gigi and myself, not only because I had to, but because I wanted to.
“Daddy and mom love us all so much and just want us all to be happy and be there for Gigi.” I turn back to Val.
“I love you, Vallie, please don’t blame yourself, because it’s not your fault. It’s his, all his.” I hiccup out the last part through my tears, feeling sad and happy at the same time.
My brother takes me in his arms in a big bear hug. I hug him back, holding him tighter than usual, needing his warmth and comfort. He kisses the top of my head.
“Damn, I leave you for a couple of months and come back to an older, wiser baby sister. I love you, Bells.”
“I love you too, Vallie.”
I feel Gio’s hand on my back as I pull back from Val.
“Yeah, but she still got that sassy mouth of hers,” Bash comments from his seat.
“I told Beast, she needs a good spanking,” Ace chimes in, shrugging his shoulders and they all laugh.
“Are we good here, brother?” Gio asks, sticking out his hand for Val.
“Yeah, we’re good, brother. Funny, I always thought of you as a real brother, and now you really are. I couldn’t ask for a better man to love my baby sister and take care of both of them. You be good to her and Gigi, and we’ll stay square.” Val shakes his head with a big smile on his face.
Yeah, we are all good now, and we can move on from all this, even from my tattoos.
Just then there’s a knock at the door and Aunt Cindy, I mean mom, gets up to answer it.
“Hi, Cindy, is Beast around?” Gator asks from the door with another man around the same age as him, mid-thirties, who I presume is Benny.
“He’s here, come on in Gator, Benny,” mom says. They walk into the room, and Gio takes my hand, leading me over to them. I nod hi to Gator with a smile.
“Benny, hey, this is my wife, Bella, and these guys here are our family.” We all say hi to him, and the guys all properly introduce themselves to Benny.
“I have your house plans, are you ready for this, sweetie?” Benny asks me, and I can’t help the enthusiastic smile that spreads across my face. I can’t wait to see what he has to show me.
Gio warned me Benny is a jokester, but is serious when it comes to business. So I’m to take him with a grain of salt.
Mom and Jules’ finish clearing off the table and Benny unrolls the large paper, placing it on the table. He places the salt shaker in the top right corner, and the pepper shaker on the bottom left corner.
Gio sits in the chair and pulls me onto his lap as Benny explains the plans to me.
He shows me the first floor, then the second and all the rooms we’ll have. We’ll have a suite for mom and a bathroom for guests, living room, dining room, family room and gourmet style eat-in kitchen on the first floor. The dining room is enormous and flows into the living area. It’s big enough to hold at least 20 people, and if we need more room, the living room will accommodate another 30 at least. Gio is planning to make a couple of tables large enough to fit everyone. One will stay out year round, and the other will remain in storage for the holidays.
The second floor will have six bedrooms. Our master suite has a sitting area, a huge bathroom, and two walk-in closets.
Gio surprises both my sister and me with a smaller suite on the second floor for her. She is so excited that she’ll have her own space at the opposite end of the hall from our room.
Across the hall from our bedroom will be two more bedrooms with an adjoining bathroom in-between them, for our twins. Next to our bedroom is the same layout, with two bedrooms and a bathroom in-between for more kids we will have down the road.
We’ll have a three-car garage in the front, with a large screened in front porch. We will have a circular driveway and small garden in the front.
In the back of the house is another covered porch, the length of the house and a yard wide enough to add a pool, if I want.
An attached smaller house is on one side of the main house. The small house is Gio’s man cave for him and the guys when they don’t want to be around the chaos at the Clubhouse. It’s a massive room with a built-in bar with sink and a full bath. He’s going to have a significant size screen TV, they can watch sports, and we can watch movies on. There will also be a poker and a pool table in the room.
I’m so excited now that I have seen the plans, but I’m also a little concerned. How am I going to keep up with such a big house with two babies?
“Gio, I love this, but maybe we could build a smaller house. We really don’t need all this space. I could live in a home half this size and be happy because I’ll be with you.” I’m feeling a little overwhelmed here, maybe it’s the hormones, I don’t know.
The house isn’t that big, it’s half the size of my old house back in New York. I think Benny said that it is 5,000 square feet under air and total 6,000 or something like that.
Gio turns me on his lap, to face him, and cups his hands on the sides of my face. He gazes into my eyes for a minute, getting a feel of what I’m thinking.
“We need this big house for our growing family. It should probably be bigger, Princess.” He can see the fear and worry in my eyes that this is all making me anxious.
“You have nothing to worry about. We can have Maggie come to the house a couple of times a week to help you. I’ll pay her to clean and do anything you want her to do. I know it’s overwhelming, baby, but you deserve this and more, and you’re going to get whatever you want. Don’t worry about anything, that’s what I’m here for, got it!”
All the worry and fear wash away with his words. I have him to lean on. I’m not alone in all this.
“Ti amo, amore mio.” I kiss him with no shame of any of the prying eyes in the room.
He breaks the kiss, removes his hands from my face and leans his forehead against mine.
“Ti amo, mia bella Principessa.” I can’t take my eyes off his, I’m so happy.
“Let’s go take a walk down to the lake,” Gio says, placing me on my feet.
“Thank you, Benny, everything is perfect. Can you start next week?” Gio asks, taking my hand.
“We’ll be out there Monday. Gator already had Throttle do the background checks on my men, and cleared the ones that will be working here, so we’re good to go.”
Gio shakes his hand, and we thank him again before walking him out the door.
Then Gio excuses us from the gang so we can take a private walk down to the lake and by the area that will be our new home soon.
Privacy is just what we need to celebrate.
He grabs a blanket and a picnic basket, I hadn’t noticed sitting by the front door, and we head out.
Apparently, Jules and mom made a special lunch with bacon, for us to celebrate.
I finally get to sit and enjoy a romantic sunset with my husband.
We even indulge in a little lovemaking under the stars.