Liesl felt Isaias arms wrapped around her tightly and she leaned into his chest.Today had been a hard one.Yet as she stood in the middle of the bathroom,the steam of her scalding shower hanging like mist around them,Isaias hugging her as if she were the most important person in the world,she felt her stress melting away.
“How can I make tonight up to you?”His words were soft in her hair.“I feel I screwed up on such a massive scale.I hate I disappointed you.”
“I wasn’t disappointed Isaias.”
“Not even a little?”
“Well,”she sniffed,“maybe a little.I was very much looking forward to painting you.I’ve been wanting to do so for a while,but we have lots of time to do such things.”
“Is it too late now?”
“It’s nearly ten at night,Isaias.What I intend to do with you is going to take hours,”she tried to give him a cheeky grin.
“I see,”he chuckled as he swung her up into his arms and carried her into the direction of the bed.“I think,we’ve both been burning the candles at both ends.When this craziness of the acquisition and the McGraths are out of our hair,you and I should do a holiday.”
“Really?Where were you thinking?”She rested up on her elbows as she watched him undress.It truly was one of her favorite parts of the day.
He tossed his phone and watch onto the nightstand carelessly,“wherever you want to go.I’m game.”He paused,“somewhere warm would be nice.October is halfway done,and November will be soon upon us.We can take a pre-Christmas break.”He cast her a sideways glance,“what does your family do at the holidays?Thanksgiving,Christmas,New Years?”
“Thanksgiving is usually a giant get together at my Gran’s.Fred told me my mom is pushing hard for Sandy and Merlin to be invited but Gran and Dad’s sisters are refusing.”
He frowned,“when did he tell you this?”
“Today,”she shrugged.She studied her nails.“I feel guilty.”
“What why?”His incredulous expression was amplified by his derisive snort,“the bitch had it coming.She cheated on her husband with your husband and got caught and got pregnant and then tortured you for months after.”
“I know but,”she swung her feet nervously and then tucked them under the blanket,“it’s my Gran and this is going to be a great grandchild for her.I know they’re all angry at Sandy and I agree she’s not all there but does this kid deserve to miss out on the love of my aunties and Gran because of what Sandy did?”
“Hey,”he reached out a long finger and tilted her chin.“Is this what’s been eating at you today?You said you were in your head,is it because of this?”
She nodded sadly.“I hate Merlin.I hate Sandy.I don’t know if I can ever forgive them but she’s six months pregnant.She’ll have a new baby in the new year while I don’t need to have anything to do with any of them,including this child,I don’t want to alienate him from his family.”
“What would you do?Would you go to Thanksgiving and sit through a dinner with Merlin and Sandy and pass the mashed potatoes like it’s not a big deal?”He crawled naked into the bed with her and tugged her close,brushing her hair off her cheeks.
She gave a hapless shrug,“I’ve moved on.I’m happy and there isn’t anything they can do now to hurt me.I mean,it’s not like they can bug my new apartment since I’ve stopped looking for one,”he tickled her ribs excitedly at her admission,“and I’m living my best life.I don’t hear from them at all.If I have to sit through the odd dinner and be civil,for the sake of my grandmother and aunties,I would do it.”
“Did Fred ask you to?”
“No.He’s pissed at Mom for even going there.He said Sandy can go to Merlin’s family for Thanksgiving but then Mom said something about them having to downsize into a condo and she asked if they could go to Gran’s as well.”
“Fuck no,”he shook his head vehemently at her.“You are not going anywhere near Trent McGrath.Nowhere.I’ll personally tie you to this bed and lock the house down.”
“No.I told you what we uncovered when we went through his computer.He had an entire file on you where he’d taken photos of you with his phone,some of them when you were sleeping in your home when you were married to Merlin.There were multiple photos of you in bikinis from when you went on vacation.IT said it was the most used file on his desktop.The most used.Do you know what he used it for?”He made a crude gesture with his hand,still pissed off at what he’d found.
“I admit it was disconcerting to find out he had a file of photos of me.”
“Disconcerting?It’s disgusting and nasty.He was supposed to be a father figure to you Liesl and he lusted after you and had wet dreams.”
She giggled at him,“down boy.”
“I hate him.He’s always been a shady prick but damn,he went too far,Liesl.”
“I know,”she stroked his cheek.“I don’t want to be around them either,but I feel I’m robbing a child of the most incredible family.”
“I don’t want you feeling guilty for setting strong boundaries against the people who set out to destroy you,babe.”He said quietly.“I know it hurts.I know it feels bad to your beautiful soul to know Sandy’s kid is going to grow up with them as parents but it’s not up to you to fix their shit.”
“I feel bad.”
“But it’s not your fault the child is missing out.It’s not.It’s theirs.Liesl,even if they had cheated and had a baby but then acted like normal apologetic human beings after,you might eventually be able to get past the fact they cheated,and he is having a family without you.They didn’t though.They put you through hell to the point you had to take a restraining order against your own sister who harassed you to the point of assault.Merlin broke into your home and climbed into your bed naked.They have tortured and tormented you.Sandy sent you message after message of how she and your husband were in love.Babe,I don’t want you to hold bitterness in your heart,but I don’t want you to have a misplaced sense of guilt because a collective group of people have realized how horrible two human beings are and have washed their hands of them.It’s not on you.It’s on them.”
“I guess so,”she whispered.
“I know so.”He kissed her nose.He curled his arm under her shoulder and pulled her tight to his chest.
“I still feel bad for the kid.My Gran is the best.”
“I love you babe.”He rested his cheek to her hair,“if you feel strongly you want to try a dinner there with Merlin and Sandy,without Trent,then I will come and hold your hand,but you don’t owe it to them.”
She nuzzled her chin against his chest sighing,“thank you for being my champion,Isaias.I do appreciate how honest you are with me and how supportive you are.”
“Always.”He lifted her chin to kiss her lips,“now,I believe I have some making up to do for missing our painting session.”
She wriggled under him as he rolled her onto her back and began a path of kisses down her chest heading straight between her thighs.All things considered,Liesl was convinced,even if she hadn’t been truly angry at him,he made up to her just perfectly.
