Page 108 of Theirs

“I love you, Luke,” I said before one more soft kiss and then I opened the door.

I entered the hospital not knowing where to go. It took a few people to help me, but I managed to find the right location on the fourth floor and was directed to a waiting room. I hoped Genevieve was there because if she wasn't, I didn’t know where I would look for her.

The waiting room was empty except for two people and my eyes landed on a red-head in the corner. She was looking down, her elbows resting on her knees. Her messy bun was falling apart and she was wearing leggings and a sweatshirt.

My heart ached for her as I made my way across the waiting room. She looked up at me just as I stood in front of her. Her eyes were red, face blotchy and her lip was so red from her chewing on it.

“Camy,” she cried out, throwing herself at me.

“Hi, Evie.” I embraced her.

She held on to me tightly as she sobbed. Her heartache made my eyes water. I didn’t like the circumstances that had brought me here but having her in my arms felt amazing. Yes, we had a rough time getting here, but I don’t think I would change anything. It was just growing pains we needed to go through because navigating this relationship with the three of us was going to be hard, but I was ready for it. I was all in for my husband and Genevieve, I just hoped Luke felt the same way too.

32

Luke

It was easy to find a parking spot. What wasn’t easy was life. I was so overwhelmed with emotions that right now it felt like it was never going to get better. I was in love with two infuriating women, and I felt guilty about it, worrying about it constantly that I was ruining what I had with Camila.

Genevieve was not on my bingo card. She was an unexpected play in the fourth quarter that I was not ready for. Except the more I thought about it, things with Genevieve felt inevitable. She had captured our attention, changed our lives and even if things didn’t work out, Camila and I had changed so much and for the better. Our communication had been so amazing… until now.

It felt silly to be mad. They wanted to protect me, but I had learned to hate secrets. It was one of the reasons I blurted out that I wanted to be dominated, and what happened when I was with Vincent. Never did I imagine my confession would have brought her into our lives. The woman who preached that communication was everything was keeping so many things from us, and I knew this had to be scary for her since she prided herself on being so independent.

My mind felt chaotic as I sat in the car watching flurries start to fall. Camila and I were not dressed for this weather. We left in such a hurry that we were in sweaters, and I had no idea what the weather was going to be like.

Camila: 4th floor in the waiting room to the right of the elevators.

I took a deep breath getting out of the truck, and opened the backseat hoping we had brought our jackets. Camila’s was under the luggage, but it seemed I had forgotten mine. Grabbing her jacket, I closed the door, locking up before I headed inside.

As much as I wanted to hide out and not think about anything, I was worried about Genevieve. Even though I was mad I still wanted to offer her comfort and be there for her. I wanted both of my stubborn, bigger-than-life, dominant women, and I hoped we weren’t too fractured to be complete again.

The hospital was relatively quiet as I walked in and headed straight for the elevators. The fourth floor was quiet as I took a right into the waiting room. My chest ached and I wondered what state I was going to find Genevieve in.

Walking into the room, the scene broke my heart. Camila and Genevieve were on the floor as Genevieve cried in Camila’s arms. My wife looked up at me with tears in her eyes and I rushed to them, kneeling down and pulling them towards me. Genevieve gasped when I settled them both as close to me as I could. They turned towards me as Genevieve grabbed onto my shirt, pushing her face against my chest.

Her cries were painful to hear, tearing at my heartstrings one by one. Camila ran her hands through her hair, occasionally wiping the tears off her face. Her cries became whimpers until all I heard was her steady breathing.

“She’s asleep,” Camila whispered.

“She’s probably emotionally exhausted,” I said, holding her closer. “I wonder how long she has been here.”

“Easton didn’t say, but he did say Cheryl had to go back into surgery,” Camila said, looking at Genevieve with a tenderness that made me breathe a little easier. “She said her flight was in the morning, so I’m assuming this probably happened before she went to the airport.”

“She should have called us,” I said, looking around for a more comfortable place to sit.

“She should have, but maybe she wasn’t expecting it to be this bad?” Camila looked up at me. “She’s been alone for so long, maybe she didn’t think she could come to us?”

“That sounds plausible,” I sighed. “Especially after she freaked out and did something impulsive.”

“I think we need to figure out if we are still in this.” Camila pulled back. “I’m sorry Luke, I thought I was doing the right thing. I shouldn’t have kept it from you, but I wanted to pause this burden just until… until things settled down with everything that had to happen with your parents.”

I took a deep breath wondering if I would do the same for her, and I knew immediately I would have.

“I know, Hermosa.” I pulled her close, feeling Genevieve move a little. “I might have reacted badly if I had heard.”

“I was mad for both of us, even though now, I’m starting to understand she has had very different views of what a relationship is.” Camila snuggled closer. “I couldn’t believe she was going to sleep with another man, it made me so mad even though we never really discussed anything. I think it hurts so much because I… I think I love her.”

“She didn’t do anything right?” I had to ask.

---