Page 118 of Protecting Addison
“Come on. My sister begged me. You guys know she’s a decade younger than me, was a surprise baby for my parents. We’re also really close. I’ve been looking out for her since I was a kid. And when she got engaged, I wasn’t exactly thrilled, since her fiancé is kind of a player. When he said he wanted to go to one of those expensive resorts for his bachelor party, she said she’d support it only if her big brother was invited.”
“So you’re the voice of reason, huh?” Safe said with a chuckle.
“Pretty much. The guy knows if he doesanythingout of line, I won’t hesitate to tell my sister. So he’ll be on his best behavior.”
“But Jamaica?” Kevlar repeated. “I’m surprised the commander approved your leave request.”
“Right now, the state department’s travel advisory is only at level two,” Flash argued.
“Yeah, but a month ago it was level three, ‘reconsider travel.’ Crime is still a big problem there. The police aren’t very effective in responding to incidents, and the homicide rate is one of the highest in the Western Hemisphere,” Kevlar retorted.
Flash sighed. “I know. I argued against Jamaica for the same reasons…with no luck. My only consolation is that, again, we’ll be in one of those fancy resorts with security.”
“You know as well as I do that’s no guarantee that nothing will happen,” Kevlar said.
“Yeah. I’ll be careful, all right? We’ll only be there for three days. If I didn’t go, and anything happened to my sister’s fiancé, I’d never forgive myself because it would break her heart. I’m going to make sure he gets home safe and sound, as much as I am to keep an eye on him.”
Kevlar grunted, but nodded.
“So…Blink…you’re going to convince Josie to have your babies…you gonna marry her?” Preacher asked with a grin.
“Yes.”
“Sometime this century?” he joked.
To everyone’s surprise, he looked over at Kevlar. “You think Remi will stand up with me? Be my best man, so to speak?”
Kevlar’s eyes widened. “Seriously?”
“Yeah. She’s the sister I never had, and after everything that happened with us…I’d be honored to have her at my side when I marry the most important person in my life.”
“Of course she will!” Kevlar blurted. “She’ll be honored. Will probably cry. What about your brother?”
“Oh, I want him there too. Can’t get married without my twin and the rest of the family. And probably his Night Stalker friends. Josie and I have already talked about it, we want a big party with all our friends and family.”
“Sounds perfect,” Kevlar said with a small smile.
“I want to know when our esteemed leader is going to make an honest woman out of Remi,” Flash asked.
“You know how offensive and out-of-date that saying is, right?” Kevlar asked with a roll of his eyes.
“Whatever, you know what I mean.”
“I do. And the answer is…soon,” he promised.
“Good. And what about you, Safe? You gonna marry Wren?” Flash asked.
“We aren’t in a rush,” he replied.
MacGyver frowned at his friend. “What are you waiting for?”
“I don’t know. I love her, she loves me, we don’t feel the need to be married. The thing between us is real, solid. A piece of paper isn’t going to change that.”
“Trust me, there are benefits to being married,” MacGyver said. “What if she gets sick? Or there are issues with a pregnancy? Or she’s in a car accident? We’re all one medical emergency away from going bankrupt. There are some protections she’ll have automatically if you guys are married.”
Safe thought about his friend’s words for a moment. “I’m not going to ask her to marry me simply as a ‘just in case’ kind of thing.”
“Then marry her because you love her. Because you can’t imagine spending the rest of your life without her. Because if something happens to you on a mission, she’ll have the support and backing of the Navy. Life insurance. Health insurance. She’s not going to think you’re marrying her simply because she’ll get money when you die. She loves you. It’s obvious to all of us.” MacGyver turned to Kevlar. “Same goes for you.”
