Space Needed Part II
“That’s true. We also didn’t raise you to give up.”
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“I’m not giving up.” She frowned at her mother’s words.
“No?”
“Are you suggesting I’m supposed to just give into him and get back with him?”
“Nope. I’m suggesting though you’re throwing up all kinds of barriers and fears as reasons to hate him when your heart wants to love him again. If for no other reason than to peacefully coparent your daughter, you need to let go of the hate.”
“That’s going to be hard to do.”
“You’re a determined woman. You can do it. I’m not saying take him back. I’m with you that I don’t trust him, ́and I’m very concerned about some of the things Davis
has told us. It might be true. It might be exaggerated but he’s a mafia man, January and it does make me nervous.”
1.2:45
Mom!” Kaylee’s voice bellowed up the stairs and the two
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women grimaced at one another.
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“Let’s table this.” January waved at her mother. “I’ll try to temper my rage with him in her presence and coparent like you suggest but I don’t know if I can let go of the hate which is eight years in the making.”
“I understand.” Her mother held her arms out and January stepped into her hug.
Kaylee’s stomping feet up the stairs made them both sigh with frustration.
“She has no patience at all.”
“Mom!” she slid into the room on her sock feet with her eyes wide. “My Dad asked if we could go out for dinner. All of us. He said it was his treat. Can we go to Burlington?”
“It’s a school night, Kaylee.” The idea of driving an hour -in either direction just to dine with Gulliver and his crew
made her stomach heave dangerously.
“Mom!” she whined loudly. “I never met my dad before. Please? I promise to go straight to bed when we get home.
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I’ll do my homework in the car. Please? Please?”
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Her mother whispered in her ear, “better to go out than to have him here too late and expecting to stay.”
The thought made her cringe and she sighed loudly.
“Fine, but we’ll need to leave now.” She looked at her mother, “you’ll come right? I can’t do this alone, Mom.”
“Of course,” her mother squeezed her.
“Why can’t you do it alone, Mom?”
“Because you are a lot of energy Kaylee and I’m tired after a long day of work. I may need your grandparents to drive because I don’t know if I can keep up with you. Papa can drive us back home and we can both sleep in the car.”
Kaylee gave a big shrug as if she knew her mother wasn’t wrong, “what are you doing with my books?”
“I thought maybe Gulliver might like to see your baby pictures.”
There are some of me in the bathtub Mom! Height’sée
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my butt.”
“Yeah, dads see butts, Kaylee.”
Kaylee made wide eyes and pulled her head back. “I’m seven now. Nobody gets to see my butt.”
“Well, I’ll cover your baby butt, so he doesn’t see it.”
“Whew,” she wiped her forehead dramatically. She turned and ran back down the stairs screaming excitedly, “hey, Dad! Mom said we can go to Burlington for dinner like I wanted. She said Papa has to drive our car though because she’s really tired.”
January and her mother descended the stairs to find. Gulliver holding Kaylee up on his hip and her arms looped around his neck, laughing uproariously at something he’d whispered in her ear.
Kaylee noticed her and pointed, “Mom has my baby book to show you but don’t look at the pictures of my butt.”
“There are pictures of your butt?” he made wide eyes at her as if shocked.
4/8
12:45
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“In the bath when I was a baby. It’s so embarrassing.” Kaylee drawled throwing herself backwards, completely trusting that Gulliver would hold her up.
“I’ll let you take them with you, and you can make copies or whatever.”
“I’ll take them,” Thisbe whispered as she approached January.
“Great. There’s a restaurant we go to for birthdays and stuff right on the edge of Burlington.” January spoke up and looked at her father who nodded. “Dad can call ahead
and get us tables reserved. How many?”
“Just the six of us, I imagine,” Gulliver looked at Thisbe who nodded.
“Your men?”
“Will not be eating with us. They are going to be doing their jobs, which is to keep us safe.”
“They can’t eat and do their jobs?”
They have snacks and they are working, January. When 6
Space Needed Part II
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it’s time for their dinner break, they will switch out with their coverage. They have a security protocol which is taken very seriously.”
“But –”
“January, I promise you I do not abuse or overwork my staff. Just as you get to take breaks, they do as well, but they are working.”
“Okay,” she shrugged at him.
“That being said, I know you’re not comfortable driving with me in my car. I know your father is going to drive you, your mom and Kaylee. I would like for one of my guards to go with you in your vehicle.”
“No!”
“It’s fine,” Terrance spoke up. “We’re happy to have the support.” He tossed his phone to January, and she read -the text message from Davis which said he was on his way from New York to see them but was driving.
“Davis?” Gulliver asked curiously. “I bet he is not happy Walth
you for letting me take out all the surveillance 12:46
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equipment.”
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“He specifically says to stay home and not to trust anyone.” January tossed the phone back to her father.
“I wouldn’t put it past him to have a team nearby ready to take you, January. Please don’t fight the security team with you and Kaylee. Please?”
“Fine,” she nodded, feeling overwhelmed. The unbidden. urge to move closer to him for safety made her angry with herself and instead she backed up and reached for her bag. “Let’s get going then because it’s a school night and I don’t want to deal with the cranky monster named Kaylee tomorrow morning when she needs to go to school.”
“I can’t imagine Kaylee gets cranky.” He tossed her in the air and Kaylee squealed with delight.
“Mom says I’m like her in the morning and it’s why we fight all the time.”
“Your mom was always cranky in the morning, but I knew how to make her cheer up.”
He sent a wicked look her way and she flushed and 12:46
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cleared her throat.
“How?”
“A hot cup of tea. I always brought her tea before she even got out of bed.”
His glance at her was telling her it was not tea he was thinking of, and she turned her back and walked out of the house without a backwards glance. She needed fresh air, space and distance from the emotions she was feeling.
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