I'll Always Choose You #Watty's2023

40. Gio

December 18, 2022 (week 20 of pregnancy)

Two weeks after thanksgiving dinner, Nico decided to decorate the house for Christmas which was ten days away. Which meant that as soon as December started, Nico and I had gone out and bought a 20-foot Christmas tree that was currently standing in the middle of the entrance fully decorated with gold, white, red, and green Christmas ornaments. It had taken the guys and myself roughly 3 hours to finish setting it up and decorating it to my husband's liking.

We had also gone out to buy new table settings to set up the large dining table to fit the gang and their families in it. He stated he wanted to have a Christmas that no one will forget especially the boys. Tanner and Aros have been well-behaved. They didn't run around the house dest—I winced as I heard something fall and shatter down the hall. I stood up from my chair and walked out of the office and towards the front entrance to see Dawson standing over the broken ornament with wide eyes and blood dribbling down his hand making me furrow while Aros stood a few feet from him with wide eyes and mouth agape.

"What happened?" I asked rushing towards the bleeding boy who had tears running down his cheeks as he held his bleeding hand. I took the cloth I had in my coat pocket had wrapped the injured hand in it to stop the bleeding. "Again, what happened?"

"I accidentally dropped the ornament and cut my hand," Dawson replied and I looked at Aros who nodded.

"It's true daddy," he replied and I nodded, then led them to Kenzie's office so she could look at the kid's hand. I sent Declan a text to let him know what happened and where Dawson would before leading Aros up stairs but just as we stepped onto the first floor, Declan came into view and turned his eyes to Aros and glared at him making my seven year old hide behind me.

"I'd watch who you glare at, Declan." I stated and he clenched his jaw. He gave one final look at Aros before storming down the stairs towards the infirmary.

"Is he going to be okay, daddy?" Aros asked as he filled me to the kitchen where I proceeded to grab the cartoon of milk and a packet of hot cocoa before hearing the milk up and putting the contents of the packet into the milk and stirring it.

"He'll most likely get stitches if the cut is deep if not he'll only get it wrapped," I said as I grabbed a couple mugs along with child proof cups for both Aros and Tanner. "But don't worry, bud, Dawson will be okay."

"He really did break it by accident daddy," Aros said and I nodded, "will his daddy be mad?"

"I don't know bud," I replied which means that I'll need to see the CCTV footage of the entrance to see what really happened. "Come on, let's go give mama and Tanner a cup of hot chocolate."

****

"What are you doing?" Aros' voice in the video asked making the slightly older boy jump and accidentally drop the glass ornament. I watched as he leaned down to grab the pieces up and dropped them again as he cradled his injured hand. Aros stared at him with wide eyes and mouth agape as blood began to pour from Dawson's hand and fall to the floor. Both boys stared at each other and that's when I came into view.

"Your son is responsible—" Declan began to say but I cut him off and he shit his mouth.

"Aros had nothing to do with Dawson cutting his hand," I stated, "he did it on his own by disobeying my husband who had specifically told the children to not touch any of the ornaments on the tree."

"Yes, but he scared him which caused Dawson to cut his hand," he replied making me roll my eyes.

"It wouldn't have happened had your son obeyed my husband." I stated, "I don't know what's going on at home or with him, but this behavior needs to stop."

"With all due respect, Boss, I don't need you to tell me how to raise my kid."

I raised a brow as I looked down at the 8-year-old to him looking down at the ground, his injured hand was wrapped in a white bandage. "I'm not speaking to you as your leader, Declan, but as a father, Dawson needs discipline and needs to know wrong from right."

"Again, mind your own business," he replied before gripping onto Dawson's arm and dragging him away towards their home which was a mile away from the main house. I stared after them and shook my head.

"Want me to put a scout at their house to keep watch?" Cameron asked as he stood beside me and watched Declan as he dragged his son and I nodded. The way Dawson trembled under his father's gaze wasn't normal unless there was something going on behind closed doors. I only ever get involved with my gang's families when a child is in danger and I have no doubt that Dawson was in that position with his father.

"And speak with his wife and get her consent to put cameras in their home as well." I stated and he nodded before turning and stalking away to do as I ordered.

If Declan is hurting his family, then he will leave me no other choice then to punish him and kick him from the gang. I will not tolerate child abuse or any form of abuse in general in my gang. And his disrespect just now was also another reason why he will be punished. He knows his place yet he spoke back and that is not something I tolerate either.

With a final look out the window, I turned on my heals and headed to the elevator that would take me to the top floor which was mine and Nico's floor.

"DADDY!" The boys yelled the second I stepped into the hall and I smiled as they tackled my legs in a tight grip.

"Where's mama?" I asked ruffling their hair and Aros pointed towards our room and I nodded before ushering then towards the living room where they had been moments ago watching Paw Patrol.

"Hey," I greeted my husband who was sitting in the middle of our bed folding the laundry and he looked up with a smile. I leaned on the doorframe and just watched him as he folded a shirt that belonged to Tanner before putting it in a pile beside him before picking up another shirt.

"Are you going to stand there and watch me fold our sons' clothes or are you going to come help me?" He asked with a chuckle as he looked up at me again with a raised brow and I grinned before pushing off the doorframe and walked over to him.

"Have you eaten yet?" I questioned and he hummed nodding, "and the boys?"

"Yes," he replied as he grabbed a shirt and handed it over to me and I smiled before folding it the way he was doing it since the last time I had done it it was wrong according to him. "How's little Dawson?"

I sighed and began to tell him what I had seen earlier when Dawson and Declan ran into me after seeing Kenzie and how Declan had responded to my suggestion of disciplining his son. Nico nodded and frowned, "so you think Declan is abusing his son?" And I sighed running my fingers through my hair. I didn't want to make assumptions but it didn't escape me the way Declan had responded to my suggestion or how Dawson had tensed up u def his gaze.

"I don't know, love," I replied honestly and he bit his lip as he set the pants in his hands down before reaching over and griping my hand and giving it a soft squeeze.

"You said you and Cam sent a few scouts to keep watch, right?" He asked and I nodded, "then I'm sure whatever is happening at that house, those scouts will tell you and you'll know what just be done."

I sighed and nodded giving him a small smile that he returned, "you're right."

"Aren't I always?"