The Supreme Soldier in the City
Chapter 330 - 338: Get Married and Have Children

Chapter 330: Chapter 338: Get Married and Have Children

This time, James Brown and Gina Lopez handled their marriage registration with swift and decisive action. The next day, James returned to YODC City to take care of some related procedures, and then went back to ASCS City on the same day to collect their marriage certificate with Gina at the civil affairs office.

With the marriage certificate in hand, the couple showed not a hint of joy. They didn’t even feel much about the marriage certificate itself before they hurried back home to hand it over to Gina’s mother.

Mrs. Lopez flipped the marriage certificate over and over, then looked at them with uncertainty and said, "It’s not fake this time, is it?"

James Brown immediately replied, "Mom, it’s definitely not fake this time. This is a marriage certificate issued in ASCS City. Dad works at the Public Security Bureau; we couldn’t forge this even if we wanted to."

Mrs. Lopez nodded repeatedly, her face breaking into a happy smile, "Good, good, now that you are finally married, my worries are settled."

Gina’s eyes reddened slightly as she said, "Mom, as long as you’re happy, anything goes."

"Pfft..." Just then, Emily Lopez laughed inappropriately.

Gina looked at her sister with dissatisfaction and said, "What are you laughing at?"

Emily hurriedly replied, "Nothing, nothing, I’m not laughing at anything."

At this point, Jonathan Lopez said, "Alright, now that your mother’s worries are settled, you both have missed two days of work. Hurry back to work."

Gina’s mother also repeatedly said, "Yes, now that I’m fine, you don’t need to stay home with me. Hurry back to work."

Gina indeed felt conflicted at that moment. Logically speaking, as her mother was seriously ill, she should have been at her side constantly, but over the past couple of days, her phone had been at the brink of exploding with calls. Although Sunny Nguyen was holding the fort at the company, there were still a plethora of matters that required her attention as the CEO.

Heartlessly, Emily said, "Come on, it’s not like mom is going to pass away in a day or two. Let’s come back to visit in a few days."

Jonathan Lopez also hastily gestured, "You two head back. I’m still here at home, and work is important."

After repeated persuasion from Mr. and Mrs. Lopez, Gina finally agreed to return to the company temporarily, while Emily stayed at home.

As soon as James Brown and Gina left, Jonathan Lopez’s face turned stern, "Is this really okay? We’re forcing James to marry our Gina. What will James think afterwards?"

Mrs. Lopez swiftly sat up, pulling the blanket aside, and said, "What’s wrong with that? Our Gina is no ordinary girl, she’s a CEO and beautiful too. She’s definitely a match for James. Once the deed is done, they’ll get used to married life and naturally won’t have second thoughts."

"But this is deceiving people; it just doesn’t sit right with me," Jonathan Lopez muttered, lighting a cigarette in frustration.

Emily giggled and said, "It’s fine. My sister and brother-in-law don’t dislike each other. They just couldn’t get over that hurdle on their own. We helped them over it, and now everything’s fine. In ten days or so, we’ll tell them it was a misdiagnosis, and by then they’ll already be husband and wife. They can’t get divorced, can they?"

Mrs. Lopez nodded repeatedly, "Yes, and by then Gina might be pregnant, making it even less possible for them to divorce. Then I’ll have a grandchild to hold."

Jonathan Lopez was at a loss with these two women. Although he was the head of the family, he often had to yield to the majority. Of course, there was also the fact that he quite admired James Brown; otherwise, he wouldn’t have agreed to such a plan.

James Brown was driving, with Gina sitting in the passenger seat, a lack of any smile on her face. Her mother’s illness weighed on her like a heavy mountain; she couldn’t care about anything else.

James didn’t know what to say to Gina either. Her mother’s illness was also a source of distress for him. This future mother-in-law had always been kind to him, never treating him as an outsider, allowing him to experience a long-missed sense of family. So, when faced with Mrs. Lopez’s hopeful gaze, he found himself without the courage to refuse and ultimately agreed to marry Gina.

Additionally, there are still quite a few headaches for him to deal with when he returns to ASCS City—Emma Campbell, Melody Yoody, and also Helen Wilson. If they knew he married Gina Lopez, they would all have different reactions, especially Melody Yoody, whose reaction might be the greatest and the most difficult for James Brown to confront.

"Why did my mom have to get such a disease?" Gina Lopez heaved a long sigh. She had come to accept this reality over the past few days, but the pain in her heart was simply unbearable.

James Brown also sighed and said, "There’s nothing we can do about it. We don’t want mom to have this disease either, but since it’s happened, what we need to consider now is how to make her feel better and how to help her through her last days."

"I know that’s what I should do, but my mom has been so hardworking and kind all her life, never arguing with anyone. How could such a good person get such a disease? Sigh, it’s all my fault. I didn’t take care of her health. If we had found out earlier, she might have been treatable. Now there’s no chance for treatment at all. It’s all my fault. I am a daughter who has not been filial."

Seeing Gina putting the blame of her mother’s illness on herself, James Brown tried to console her: "Getting sick is something no one can predict. Auntie has always been in good health; who would have expected there to be an illness?"

"Then I should have been better to her. I never listened to her. She wanted me to get married early, but I didn’t. If I had married earlier, I might already have had children. Now, even if I wanted one right away, I don’t know if... if my mom will be able to see the child after it’s born."

"That... she should be able to, right?" Mentioning this, James Brown felt somewhat uncomfortable. Though they had received their marriage certificate, he still did not feel like a husband, and suddenly discussing having children felt even less prepared. Besides, as Gina had said, her mother was now in the late stages of lung cancer, and childbirth, at the very least, takes about ten months. It was uncertain whether she could hold on for ten months, and it was very possible she might not live to see that day.

All of a sudden, Gina grabbed James Brown’s arm anxiously and said, "No, it won’t do, James, we have to go home and have a child today. Even if my mom can’t see the day I have the child, she still needs to know I’m pregnant. Maybe having a child to worry about will strengthen her will to live. I’ve read a lot of information these past few days; a person’s will to live can greatly determine if a patient can survive longer."

James Brown was extremely embarrassed and coughed awkwardly, saying, "But having a child isn’t something that... you can just have if you want, we need to prepare."

"What preparation? Don’t we just need to go to bed to have a child?"

"Well... there are many things we need to consider. For example, I’m smoking right now, which isn’t good for the child’s health. I have to quit smoking first. Also, our physical condition has to be the best; it affects whether the child can be healthy. We can’t just think about having a child for mom’s sake; we have to be responsible for our child, right?"

Gina was stunned for a moment and then said decisively, "Then you should quit smoking right away."

"I can quit, but smokers have accumulated a lot of toxins in their bodies, and it takes time to get them out. So, this isn’t something we can rush."

"Then when can we do it? I’m afraid my mom won’t be able to wait that long."

"Well... in that case, I think we might as well pretend that you’re pregnant and give her the comfort first."

"Pretend..."

James Brown nodded repeatedly, "Right, that’s simple. Get a fake hospital certificate; that shouldn’t be hard, right? Then pretend to have some pregnancy symptoms and stuff something in your stomach after a couple of months. Wouldn’t that work?"

Gina frowned slightly and then shook her head firmly, "No, I can’t lie to my mom again. She’s already like this; if I deceive her again, it would be too unfair to her, making her unable to rest in peace."

But James Brown frowned secretly. His registration of marriage with Gina was forced upon him, not his intention at all. If he really had a child with Gina now, he would have to become a true husband to her, spending his life with her. The thought alone made James Brown’s scalp tingle. Logically, a beautiful woman like Gina would be more than qualified to be his wife, but for some reason, James didn’t feel that way about her. The thought of living his life with Gina even made him a little scared.

James Brown couldn’t explain why he felt this way. Was there something wrong with Gina? Probably not. Gina was beautiful and had a good temperament, she was presentable anywhere and was a company president with undeniable abilities. Apart from not cooking and having a bit of a temper, she had no real shortcomings.

But James Brown just didn’t feel that spark with Gina. With Emma, he always felt the urge to hold her in his arms and protect her; with Melody, there was a wild passion and an unforgettable first love; even with Helen’s awkwardness, James found enjoyment; and with Sarah Utah, the girl’s gentleness could unknowingly draw a person in. James only kept his distance because he didn’t want to hurt her. Then there was Sunny Nguyen, with whom he felt so at ease, and at the very least, there was Grace Lopez, the naughty and somewhat clingy little sister-in-law, who also made James’s heart race more than once.

Out of everyone, save for Emma, Melody, Helen, and Sunny, James had been most intimate with Gina. Apart from that final step, it seemed they could do everything else, having touched places that should and shouldn’t be touched, already beyond the relationship of mere friends. Maybe any of these people, if they forced James to marry them, he wouldn’t be so troubled. However, it was getting married to Gina now that made him extremely uncomfortable, let alone having a child with her anytime soon—something even more unsettling.