Dante's Angel (15 page)

Kali looked
over at them and smiled in relief. “Hey, guys!”

“Hi,” Zoe said
as she surveyed the fierce frown on Hammer’s face with caution. “Umm…if you’re
in the middle of something, we can come back—”

“No!” Kali
shouted, then she huffed out a breath. “Sorry. I’ve been looking forward to
hanging out with you today. I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever. Don’t
mind Mr. Grumpy over there,” she ordered, tilting her head toward her fiancé. “He’s
just in a bad mood.”

“Because you
won’t fucking sit down and do that,” Hammer bitched. “It isn’t good to be on
your feet all day. You need to rest.”

Dante and Zoe
exchanged a look. She’d told him about Kali’s pregnancy, but she’d sworn him to
secrecy until the couple told everyone the news themselves.

Kali threw her
flour-covered hands into the air. “You are driving me crazy! I’m pregnant, not
incapacitated! You act like I’m missing a limb or something.”

“I love you,
damn it. It’s my job to make sure you aren’t overdoing it! I’m…concerned.”

Zoe rolled her
eyes as Dante nudged her. Men could be simple creatures sometimes.

“Concerned my
butt, you’re nagging. Standing is not overdoing anything,” Kali argued. She
shot a look over at Zoe. “I started getting morning sickness, and now Jared
thinks I should quit working until I have the baby.”

Zoe choked
back a laugh. “You do realize that’s months away?”

“Exactly.”

Hammer
transferred his glare over to Zoe, but Dante shifted in front of her in a
casual move, blocking her from view as he shot his friend a warning glance.
Pulling Zoe with him, Dante walked over to Kali and leaned down to kiss her
cheek. “Congrats, little momma.”

Kali beamed up
at him. “Thank you. Now, why don’t you boys go do something productive with
your day, and leave me and Zoe alone.”

“I should stay
and take care of you. My kid is making you sick, little fairy,” Hammer said
even as he stood up and offered Zoe his stool. “What if something happens after
I leave?”

“I’m fine now,
baby,” Kali said softly. “I promise, if I get tired, I’ll sit down.”

Hammer frowned
at her until Dante slapped him on the shoulder, distracting him. “Damn man,
you’re gonna be a daddy. That’s awesome news.”

“I know. It’s
fucking amazing.” Hammer’s face lit up with pure joy.

“You need to
start watching your language,” Kali scolded, but there was a twinkle in her
eyes when she said it. “I will not have our child running around throwing out the
F-bomb.”

“Shit—I mean,
sorry, baby.” Hammer’s massive shoulders hunched.

Kali smiled at
him as she moved to the sink to wash her hands. She started filling a white box
that had the bakery logo on it with cookies straight from a tray. “These are
for you, Dante.”

“Aww.”

“Don’t eat all
of them yourself. You’ll get sick. Share it with your staff.”

“Aww,” he said
again, in a less happy tone.

She laughed,
then her green eyes took on a speculative gleam as Dante kissed Zoe.

“I’m gonna go
now. Text me and let me know where you are later.” After receiving Zoe’s nod, Dante
turned to Hammer, who was now standing behind his petite fiancée, rubbing her
shoulders. “Hey, man. Zoe is going over to Fight Hard to work out after they
get done shopping. Can you have one of your guys walk her home after?”

Zoe scowled
and reached out to pinch Dante. “What the hell? I don’t need a bodyguard.”

“A little
protective, aren’t you, Fox?” Hammer asked with an amused grin.

Dante glared
at him. “I hope you have a daughter, then let’s see who’s protective.”

Hammer’s face
went pale. “Jesus, bro. That was fucking mean.”

Kali elbowed
him before spinning around to give him hell. “Hey! Are you saying you don’t
want a daughter? That you wouldn’t love her as much as you would a son?”

 
“No! Yes! I mean, of course I would love our
daughter, sweetheart. I’ll love all our children with everything in me. But…but…dating
and boys…” Hammer groaned. “I’m gonna end up killing someone. I just know it.”

Kali wrapped
her arms around his waist. “You’ll be just fine, big guy.”

Zoe ignored
the couple embracing and turned to Dante. “I don’t need an escort home,” she
whispered, her annoyance clear. “You are totally overreacting.”

“Deal with
it,” he snapped. “I’m…concerned.”

Her eyes
narrowed at his use of the phrase Hammer had a few minutes ago. “That’s really
guy code for ‘do what I ask, or I’ll lose my shit’ isn’t it?”

“No, it means
I love you, and quit being a pain in the ass and listen to me.”

Before she
could argue with him again, he tilted her head up and slammed his mouth down on
hers in a hard, hot kiss. When he pulled back, Hammer and Kali were both
grinning at them.

Kali fluttered
her lashes and sighed while she leaned into her fiancé. “Aww.”

“I’m leaving,”
Dante said with a chuckle, then he leaned down and kissed Zoe once more, on the
forehead this time. “We might need to get busy making a little friend for Kali
and Hammer’s kid. We wouldn’t want them to grow up without someone to hang out
with.”

He couldn’t
help but laugh at her shocked expression as he made a quick exit, carrying the
box out of the bakery. Hammer caught up with him a few seconds later.

“Hey, Fox. Hold
up. Shit, man. Were you serious in there?”

Dante grinned.
“Yeah, but I’m gonna have to convince her to marry me first.”

Hammer’s eyes
went wide. “That’s fast work.”

With a snort,
Dante shook his head. “No matter what anyone thinks, we’ve been dating for
nearly six damn months already.” When his friend kept looking at him like he’d
lost his mind, he scowled. “How long did it take you to know Kali was the one
for you after you met her?”

 
“About five minutes.” Hammer sighed. “I get
it. Trust me, I do. And now that we’re having a baby, I have everything I’ve
ever wanted. I’m happy for you, but I have to ask—” he took a quick glance
around, “—is Zoe in trouble?” His expression darkened. “Is someone bothering
her? You seem more…protective than usual.”

Dante opened
his mouth, then closed it again. Over the last week, he’d been thinking about
everything Zoe had been through, and it pissed him off to just sit around while
there was still a threat hanging over her head. He needed to take action, but
not before he talked it over with Zoe.

He respected
her too much to do that.

“I might need
to talk to you about that soon,” Dante said cautiously.

Hammer nodded.
“Whenever you need. And I’ll make sure Zoe gets home safe later.”

Dante thanked
him before heading down the street toward The Fox Hole. He wasn’t surprised to
find the doors already unlocked after he saw his father’s bike parked out
front.
 
He pulled the front door open and
walked over to sit on the stool next to his father.

GT was already
at work behind the bar, despite the fact she didn’t have to be there for
another twenty minutes or so. Dante could hear the clanking of pots and pans
coming from the back, signaling that the kitchen staff was already hard at work
preparing for the upcoming lunch crowd. The couple who ran the kitchens were
exceptional chefs who made food that packed the house for both lunch and
dinner. Rick and Silvia Aldo might not have had any official training, but they
had fun tweaking the general bar menu, turning the ordinary into something
memorable.

“You’re late,”
Malcolm muttered as he sipped his cup of coffee.

In response,
Dante set the bakery box down on the counter and shoved it toward him. Malcolm
Fox usually didn’t come to the bar before the sun set, except for when he was
brooding about something. “What are you doing here so early?”

Malcolm’s
frown eased at the sight of the box. He opened the top and inhaled deeply
before picking up one of the cookies. “Ah, they’re still warm.” He bit into the
cookie and sighed reverently. “Damn, that’s good. I got a call from your
sister. Danica isn’t going to be able to make it back for the anniversary
party.”

“I told you
she wouldn’t. She’s performing at that big concert in Paris with Gemma this weekend,”
Dante reminded him.

“I know. I
just want my baby here,” Malcolm grumbled.

“We’ll both
miss her, but we’ll still have a damn good time at the party. You deserve to
celebrate. You built something to be proud of, pops.”

Malcolm
smiled. “I did, didn’t I? But now, it’s yours, son.”

Dante paused
for a long minute before saying, “Why don’t you bring someone with you? Ask
Ellie Tate to come with you to the party.”

Malcolm
choked, spitting his coffee out on the bar top. Dante slapped him on his back
until the older man pushed at him. “Jesus, Dante. What are you trying to do,
kill me?”

“No, I’m trying
to get your ass in gear.” Dante looked over to where GT was cutting up limes at
the end of the bar. Lowering is voice, he said, “You’ve been sweet on GT’s
mother for longer than I’ve been after Zoe. Don’t you think it’s time you did
something about it?”

“You sassing
me, boy?”

“No, sir. But
I am telling you to make a move.”

“It’s not that
simple,” Malcolm huffed out.

“Why?”

“Because she’s
too damn good for me.”

Dante
chuckled. “Seems that the Fox men like women who are out of our league.”

Malcolm
snorted. “I guess we do. Still, I can’t just ask Ellie out.”

“Actually, you
can,” GT called out. “Sorry, sir. You guys weren’t exactly quiet.”
 

Everyone who
worked in the bar—and most of Dante’s friends—called Malcolm “Sir” as a sign of
respect. It was something that had started when he opened The Fox Hole.

GT walked over
to join them, wiping her hands on a rag. “My mom has been waiting for you to
ask her out for years.”

Malcolm
goggled at her. “What?”

GT laughed.
Over the years, Ellie Tate had given up so much to help GT raise her daughter,
and she deserved to find a little happiness. She’d had a crush on Malcolm Fox
for as long as she could remember, and GT was damn glad to hear that Malcolm
felt the same way about her. He was a good man, and her mother deserved someone
who would treat her right.

With that in
mind, GT gave a little push. “She’s a catch. You don’t want to miss your
chance, do you?”

“Oh…well…”
Malcolm sputtered for a moment before saying, “I have been meaning to get a
haircut before the party this weekend.”

GT smiled. “She’s
working in the salon today. I think she gets off at three. I’m sure if you
stopped by and ask her to dinner or something it would make her day.”

“Where’s Sarah
today?” Dante asked, speaking of GT’s daughter. Dante couldn’t help but be
amused by the flush that covered his father’s cheeks, but he wanted to take the
pressure off his old man since Malcolm was looking pretty dazed at the moment.

“Sarah’s at a
friend’s house at a birthday party. I’m picking her up after work.”

“About that,”
Dante began, coming to a quick decision. “GT, how would you like to be the day
manager here at the bar?”

GT froze in
place. “But…I thought Zoe—”

“She agrees
with me that you would be the perfect person for the job.” Seeing the stunned
pleasure on her face, Dante mentally kicked himself for waiting so long to
promote her. It would be good for GT to work days and have most of her nights
free to spend with her daughter, not to mention, he was sure the extra income
would be helpful.

“I would love
to take the position.”

“Good. We’ll
set the details up later today.”

“Thank you. I—”
GT cleared her throat. “Excuse me for a minute.”

Dante and
Malcolm watched as she hurried away toward the bathroom. When she was gone, Malcolm
nodded. “That was a good move, but I thought Zoe was acting manager now?”

“I hope to
hell she’ll still help with the accounting crap, but she was the one who suggested
GT. I should have done it sooner.” Dante felt good about the decision. And knowing
Zoe didn’t need the money, he was glad the promotion would benefit GT and her
family.

“Speaking of,
where’s our girl?”

“
My
girl,” Dante stressed. “Zoe is over
at the bakery with Kali.”

Malcolm
slapped his hand against the bar top and grinned. “Did you hear about their good
news yet? Grandbabies,” he said with a wistful tone. “You need to give me some
of those soon.”

“I’ll start on
that as soon as I convince Zoe to marry me.”

“What’s taking
you so long?”

Dante laughed.
Where Hammer had thought he’d been rushing into things, his father thought he
was wasting time. Go figure. He sobered as he thought about the obstacles in
his way of solidifying his future with Zoe. Telling his friends about her
situation without her permission was one thing, but his father was a whole
different story.