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They shuffle out of the room and I let out a sigh of relief.
* * *
“No. Absolutely not,” Julius deadpans, shaking his head unequivocally. “No way in hell is my woman going to expose herself to those cretins.”
“It’s the only way, and you know it, Julius,” I debate. “You’ll keep me safe. Just a quick in and out.”
Secretly, I have a reason, a mission for going to the pharmacy. One I can’t tell him about yet. I’ll just need to get Mera in on the reason why without it being discovered by others. She’ll have to sneak her way to the counter undetected, grab the test, and pay for it without being seen by anybody, including Luca. It’s doable. At least, I hope it is.
“I can’t, baby. I’m sorry. You may be right about this, but I won’t put you in danger. I just won’t,” he says, fighting the truth of the matter, unwilling to give in.
“Julius, you need to consider this. It may be the only option we have. We’ve given them the opportunity to lash out, but they’ve stayed away and haven’t given in to the temptation. Honestly, brother.” Luca sighs. “We’ve already put ourselves out there, made ourselves vulnerable. You can’t convince me that you believe that they aren’t already watching us, surveying our house, planning a way to get behind these walls to check and see if we have their sister locked away in our home. It’s better if we do this our way. We’ll have better control over it if we’ve pre-planned this and have precautions in place.”
“There has to be another way.” Julius sighs, combing his fingers through his hair. “I’m not comfortable dangling you in front of them.”
“Julius. We’re a team, right?”
“Yeah, temptress, we are. Where are you going with this?” His eyes breach his forehead, ready to come back with an argument that has me fumbling for a viable response. But I know how he operates. I’m ready to fight for us, for our future, even if that makes him uneasy. I want a future that’s not laced with dread, but full of fortitude and vitality.
“I trust you. Do you trust me?” I continue, imploring with my eyes for him to listen to my argument with open ears and mind.
“I trust you. That’s not the issue here, and you’re well aware of that fact,” he contends.
“Then trust yourself to keep me safe. We need this. I need this. Were you serious about marrying me, Julius?”
He rocks his head from side-to-side before answering me. “You know I am, gorgeous.”
“I don’t want to be your secret, Julius. I want to be on your arm. I want to show the world that I’m yours. That I belong to you and you belong to me. That’ll never happen if I’m trapped here until the score is settled.”
“You’re not a score!” he thunders. “You’re the damn prize, woman.”
“Then don’t make me be the dirty secret!” I yell. “Put yourself out on a limb here, Julius. Otherwise, we’ll always be stationary, walking on eggshells. We’ll never be truly happy. I can’t live like that again. I just can’t!”
“And that’s our cue to leave,” Luca states, standing up and pulling Mera with him. “Let us know what you decide, Jules. We’ll always have your back and I’d proudly take a bullet for your woman so that you get your happily ever after, brother.”
“What?” Mera gasps. “Don’t say that, Luca. Never, ever say that.”
They continue to bicker as they shut the door behind them. They're squabbling loud enough that we can hear them behind the walls.
“That’s going to be an explosive relationship when they finally give in to their desire and go for it.” Julius snickers. “Baby, come here.”
With a steadfast resolve, I sprint over to him and take a seat on his lap, precisely where he’s patting his hands.
“I love you, temptress. It scares the ever-loving fuck outta me that you’re so willing to put yourself in their sights.”
“I wouldn’t be facing them alone. You’d be with me. That’s why I’m so brave about doing this. The only reason really. Otherwise, I’d be a coward who continues to live in the depth of the shadows. Julius, I want to be in the sunlight. I want to feel the heat of it on my face. I need you to give me that. Please.”
“Let me think about it,” he replies, hugging me tighter to him.
“In other words, that’s a no,” I grumble, tucking my face into the crook of his neck.
“Was that a statement or a question,” he muses.
“Statement. With the tone you used, I know you’ve already made up your mind, Julius.”
He sighs before rumbling, “Won’t apologize for putting your welfare first, baby girl. You talked about trust earlier. Trust in me to take care of this for you. Okay?”
“Okay, Julius,” I say, nestling further into him. “I’m tired, and ready for this to be done and dusted, so we can move on with the rest of our lives.”
