Page 50 of Twisted Salvation
“Okay,” she says. “Night, stepparents.”
“Goodnight, Rose,” Dominic says, hugging her.
“Are you going to make me talk to you about this?” she asks.
“It doesn’t have to be me, but you need to at least talk to your therapist,” he says.
“If I have to, she has to,” Rose says.
“Oh, she will,” Matt says matter-of-factly.
“Okay. Go to sleep,” I say to Rose. “We can talk more on the plane tomorrow.”
“Okay,” she says with a smile before hugging everyone else. When they leave, all the energy seeps out of me.
“Let me help you take a bath, and you can sleep, okay?” Dominic asks.
“Can you take a bath with me?” I ask.
“Yeah,” he smiles.
Dominic leads me to the bathroom, and Matt comes with us to help me take the gown off. “How bad is it?” I ask.
“Uh… You’re cut in a few places, but it’s welted pretty badly,” Matt says.
“It felt worse,” I say, turning to wrap my arms around him as Dominic fills the huge tub. “Can you join us?”
“Yeah,” he says, kissing me. “I want to apologize. I know you wanted to be there when we…”
“Don’t,” I say. “You found comfort where you could. Don’t apologize for that.”
“Are you sure?” Dominic asks.
“Yes,” I say. “I very much want to see you two kiss at least. We can get to the dirty stuff when we get home.”
Dominic and Matt smile at each other before stepping closer. I am giddy when they hold each other’s faces and kiss. It starts gently but grows feverish. It’s amazing to see how easily they get lost in each other. I step back to not get in the way, but they both grab me at the same time and pull me into a hug, sandwiching me between them. I laugh and giggle when they both start kissing and nipping at my neck.
“Don’t you ever step back again,” Dominic says, lifting my chin. “You are the center of our world, Myra.”
“What about Natalie and Trish?” I ask.
“They are a part of it too, but we have all learned a lot going through this,” Dominic says. “Natalie and Trish have gotten incredibly close over the last two months. That’s not to say that Matt and Natalie aren’t close, but it will likely end up where she and Matt divorce so she and Trish can get married.”
“Wait,” I say. “You mean…”
Matt turns me to face him and cups my cheek. “I love Natalie so much, but we are all finding our place in this world. People grow. She and I have not changed how we feel, but our love for you and Trish has grown and taken over our priorities,” he explains. “All this means is that I will be in the room with the two of you. We will have room for them, but they will have their own space too. Nothing is wrong, and no one has hard feelings, okay?”
“So everything is okay?” I ask.
“Absolutely,” he smiles and kisses me softly.
“I know I’ve always made Dominic my priority, but I do love you so fucking much, Matt. Please don’t doubt that. I am still learning.”
“I am here for as long as you’ll have me, Myra,” he says softly. “Love is patient, even when the world is on fire, and we are desperate to put out the flames. We love you, Myra. Always.”
“I love you too,” I say, kissing him.
Dominic sits in the tub, and Matt joins him before I carefully step in. This is a jet tub, so it is deep and wide. Matt and Dominic face each other with their legs to their side of their bodies. I sit with my back against Dominic’s chest and my legs on top of Dominic's, but on each side of Matt. I close my eyes and relax as the warmth of the water and my men drag me further into my exhaustion.
