Family Introductions Part I
A little over a week after his face off with Davis, Darius as he once knew him, Gulliver was sitting with his grandfather at a small breakfast table in his grandfather’s hotel suite.
“She is beautiful,” his grandfather was smiling at Kaylee who was bouncing on the sofa while Thisbe held her hands encouraging her to bounce higher
“She is.”
“Looks like Thisbe when she was little.”
“She does.”
“Is January still not receptive to your reconciliation?”
“No. She’s meeting Kaylee’s best friend’s father for lunch today. I offered to take Kaylee for the day.”
“You’ll lose her if you let her date other men.
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“Then I lose her.” Gulliver shifted uncomfortably. Despite wearing his favorite pair of jeans and worn T–shirt, he felt them being too tight on his skin.
“Raptis men don’t give up.”
“No, they don’t but I can’t give up what is not mine. She isn’t
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mine, Grandfather. She has made this clear and if I want any
kind of relationship then I need to make concessions and accept the relationship she offers.”
“You’re giving up.” His grandfather accused him quietly.
“You are not hearing my words, old man,” he shot back as he lifted the cup of coffee to his lips and took a long sip. “I love her. She does not love me. The best thing I can do for her is let her be happy. If over the course of her finding happiness, it is with me, then I will be thrilled, beyond thrilled. If it is with another man, then I will need to adjust.”
“It is not right. You can’t remain alone forever.”
“I will if she doesn’t want me. I fucked up back then.”
“Because I would not listen. I accept it was my fault for being too controlling and too trusting of my old friend to hear the words you were saying. It put you in a situation where you felt you needed to act in a manner which is not your usual pattern.”
“I did what I needed to do but I have regrets which are weighing heavy on me now.” He looked to his daughter who was squealing loudly, her head thrown back, her hair wild and out of ponytail, while she taught Thisbe the words to a song. “I should have married January for real. I should have told her the truth. I should have let her in. I thought it was my burden to carry alone. I let Glenn in and even that felt like I was being careless. I didn’t trust my wife to understand what needed to be done. I
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was scared I couldn’t keep her safe.”
“Duchess is not one to trifle with, to be fair,” his grandfather sighed loudly. “Her grandfather spoke proudly more than once that she was his best assassin. She’d stab her mother in the back if the old man had requested it of her. She is a perfect heiress to his family.”
They both looked to Kaylee and his grandfather cleared his throat.
“Don’t say it.” Gulliver felt his throat closing off.
“She is your only heir. Mitsos is your brother’s child, but she is yours. The days of not allowing women to take the reins are over. Your mother never was trained but Kaylee could be.”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Are you kidding me right now?” he looked at the man who had mentored him to someday become the Raptis vovoi and wanted to shoot him in the head. “I will not train her to be vovoi.”
“Why not? Are you thinking women can’t be as strong as men?”
“Do you know what my wife would do to me?” he stared incredulously at his father, “She hates me calling her my wife. Can you imagine if she found out we planned to make Kaylee my
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successor? No. I will not give January one more reason to hate my guts.”
“A son of yours would be no different. Do you intend to find someone else to give you a male heir if you’re so opposed to your daughter succeeding you?”
Absolutely not. If January never wants me back then there is no other woman having my child.”
“You’re going to live a celibate life?”
Gulliver swallowed and looked into his empty coffee cup wishing it were something stronger. “I’ve been celibate eight years. I can do eighty more.”
“It is foolish. You are putting your pride and your ego ahead of your needs and the needs of this family.”
“Then take it away,” he looked to his grandfather seriously. “You have threatened me so many times in my life with giving the family to someone else,” he waved to the signet ring on the other man’s hand, “pass it to Glenn or Thisbe if you aren’t opposed now to a woman running the show. You will not convince me to betray my wife again in any form.” He saw the comment hit his grandfather where it was meant to and knew the man would instantly redirect.
She is not your wife. She does not want you. She is currently out on a date with a doctor who can’t even assess patients
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because he is so introverted. I saw his file. If he becomes her stepfather, will you be content to know he’s the one tucking her in at night?”
“He’s a good father. I too read his file. She could do much worse.” He thought of Digger and a few of the other men in the town January lived in, he made a face. They were rough, uncultured, and uneducated for the most part. They could shoot weapons and they could be brash and bold, but they lacked finesse and they were too rough around the edges. “Ernst is smart. He loves his son deeply. He sacrificed everything for his child. I feel he would do the same for Kaylee if it came down to it.”
“You sound like it’s a done deal.”
“I am being realistic. I love my wife but all I have done to her has hurt her. I have broken her heart in ways we cannot begin to
understand. All I want for her now is to be happy.”
