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Let’s Go Part I
January sat next to Gulliver who was driving the car taking them to the motel where Davis and his cronies were waiting for
them.
“You’re angry at me.”
“I’m not.”
“You are,” she let her hand settle on his thigh.
He moved his hand from the steering wheel to cover hers on his lap and shook his head, “I am not angry, January, I am concerned. I am terrified. I am walking into a situation I have no control over with no weapons and nothing but my fists to defend you.”
“You have something far superior to those in that room, Gulliver.”
“You?”
She chuckled at his word, and she leaned across the center console and kissed his cheek, “that is sweet, but I meant your brain. You are by far the most intelligent man I ever met. As hot as you are, the thing which drew me to you, all those years ago was how bloody smart you are. You’re so smart. If anyone can figure out how to get us out of this mess, it is you. I know you will figure it out.”
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“We are going into a situation where brain isn’t going to matter if they shoot us, hit us from behind, knock us out, tie us up and beat us into submission. You do realize that if they threaten to kill you, I have to believe they will, then I will give up anything for that not to happen. No matter what, January, I cannot let Duchess or Davis kill you. Whether it’s my life or yours, it’s mine every time. You need to come home to our daughter.”
“Gulliver, you’re freaking me out. You’re the most confident man I’ve ever met and yet you’re talking like you’re going to die.”
“You don’t understand, January. You are my fucking world. Everything I am, that I have become, from the moment I met you, was to be a good man for you. I made mistakes and I did some things backwards but every decision I made was so I could be a better man, one deserving of having you call me husband. I am now,” he cleared his throat as emotions got the better of him, “driving you, against everything in my DNA screaming at me not to, straight into the arms of my enemies and I’m doing it without backup, weaponry or anything concrete.”
“Do you know what I know?”
“Tell me.”
“I know that there is nobody in this world that I believe can bring me into the pits of hell and bring me back out alive, more than
you can. I know I am safe with you, Gulliver. Guns or no
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guns.
You will use your brain. You will find something in this motel which will get us out. You will find a way to work with me, work with Ernst, to stall and keep us alive until we confirm my parents are out and the rest of the team arrives.”
“You have an awful lot of confidence in me January.”
“Gulliver, if you were going into this with any other person, anyone else in the world, how would you be feeling?”
He was quiet as he pondered her question. He exhaled loudly and then rubbed his nose, “I would be going in there with all the confidence of a man with nothing to lose.”
“Pretend I’m someone else.”
“You are not someone else and I can’t pretend otherwise.”
“Gulliver, you’re going to get me killed.”
The accusation from January made his head snap to the right, his eyes glaring at her. “Excuse me?”
“Your emotional bullshit you have going on right now is going to get me killed. You can cry, scream, pout or whatever the fuck vovoi do when they are freaking out after we go home tonight. If you need to punch shit, then you can punch shit. If you need to scream into a pillow, then do it. If you need to fuck until the headboard breaks, then we can do that too. What you can’t do is fucking fall apart before we even get to where we’re going
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because you’re freaking out. Pull your shit together because I need the man I married to man the fuck up.” 1
“Is that so?”
“Yes.”
“The man you married huh?”
“Yeah.”
“It wasn’t legal, so,” he let his voice trail off and chuckled when she pinched the thigh under her palm.
“You’ll fix that, Gulliver, right?”
“You want me to marry you legally? I mean I already said the
vows I meant.”
“You,” she put her other hand on his shoulder as she stayed leaned into him, “are going to give me a big ass wedding. All of the town is going to be there. My daddy is going to give me away again. Kaylee can be a flower girl, and the boys can be ring bearers. Mitsos can carry my ring and Darwin can carry yours. My mother will sit in the front row and she will cry. Your parents will sit on the other side, and your mom will cry too. Your father will pretend he has no emotions, Grandfather will marry us.”
“He will, will he?”
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“Yup. You can apply to be a temporary officiant.” 1
“And you know this why?”
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“Because Lottie did it for her cousin.” She shrugged carelessly, “so Grandfather will marry us. We’ll say our vows then we will register our marriage. I will let you move into my new house with me after this.”
“You’ll only let me move in once we’re married?”
“Yup. No babies either. You can’t put a baby in me unless we’re legally wed.”
“It’s kind of like shutting the barn door after the horse has bolted, babe. We have a kid.”
“We’re not giving her a sibling until there is a ring on my finger and I get confirmation that it’s registered in the state.”
“Is that so?”
“It is. Therefore,” she scraped his jaw with her fingernails, “Gulliver, you had better make sure you get us both out of this shit alive or you’re going to die a single man.”
“Well now if ever there was incentive for me to be the cruel bastard I am known to be, it is for the opportunity to marry you legally and put a baby in your belly.”
