Page 51 of Twisted Salvation
“She’s about to fall asleep,” Matt laughs.
“Girl, we’ve been sitting here for three minutes,” Dominic laughs and kisses my shoulder.
“I love this,” I say with a soft smile and my eyes closed.
“Yeah?” Dominic asks.
“Mhmm,” I remark. “This might be hell, but the flames can’t hurt me anymore… This is my twisted salvation.”
Epilogue
Eight Months Later
Since the moment wegot home from Washington, life has been incredible. I took some time to reflect on everything and learn how to heal. We spent a lot of time at the club, as it was the only place I could open up and let those demons out of my thoughts. The more of the darkness I let out, the lighter the world became. The memories became easier to carry and easier to set down.
About two months after finding my freedom, I had my birth control removed, and I sat down with Rose and had a conversation about having a baby one day. I was afraid she would be upset at me, but she was thrilled. She told me that she was excited to be a sister and for me to finally get the experiences that she missed out on with her. She’s fifteen now and close to graduating high school. She has been with us more and more lately. Megan and Paul think that she wants to move in with us, but she’s afraid of upsetting them. They are letting her lead the situation, as am I. We live next door to each other and share a backyard, so it’s not like she’s going far. Megan and Paul have a key to our house, and we have the same for theirs.
Rose got word today that she was accepted into MIT, so it only adds to the good news. She is the only one who knows I’m pregnant. She begged me to get her so she could come with me to the ultrasound. We both cried when we heard a strong and healthy heartbeat, but were surprised to find out I was way further along than I thought.
When the tech asked me when my last period was, I was confused. She wouldn’t tell me, and we started to panic that maybe I wasn’t pregnant, but boy, I was wrong. The doctor came in and watched as she redid the scan. Rose all but yelled at them until she finally spoke up.
Eighteen weeks. That’s how far along they told me I was. Not only that, but I found out the sex of the baby, too. Now, we are standing in the living room while Dominic, Matt, Natalie, Trish, Paul, and Megan look at us.
“What’s going on?” Dominic asks when I hand him and Matt a box. Inside is a simple onesie that says, “I can’t wait to meet you,” and a copy of the scan showing the sex of the baby on it.
I step back, and Rose is nearly jumping with joy beside me. “I’m afraid,” Matt laughs.
“Wait,” Megan gasps.
“Shh,” Rose says. “Open it, guys.”
Dominic narrows his eyes in confusion for a moment before they both pull the lid off. “Holy shit,” Matt gasps as he jumps up to grab me. “Really?”
“Yeah,” I say as tears roll down my cheeks. I can’t stop smiling.
“Oh my God,” Dominic says, staring at the scan. He pulls himself out of his shock and stands to hug me. “We are having a little girl?”
“Yeah,” I sniff as I pull back to wipe my face. “I didn’t even realize I needed to test. I thought I was just irregular from coming off the birth control. She said I’ll probably start to show soon, and it’s not unusual to not show for a while.”
“Tell them,” Rose says, grinning.
“She suggested a name, and it’s… pretty close to hers,” I say.
“Let’s hear it,” Matt says.
“Jennifer Rose,” I say. “Me, Mom, and Rose all have one name in common. I wanted to do that again, but I wanted something for Mom. Rose suggested switching her name and using it.”
“I love it,” Dominic says, kissing me.
“Yes. It’s perfect for our twisty little dynamic,” Matt says, kissing me next. Natalie and Trish come over and hug me tightly before hugging the guys. I go to Megan and Paul next, and they’re both teary-eyed.
“I do wish your mother were here to see this,” Megan says. “She loved you so much.”
“I like to think she is here; she just shows up in different ways,” I say. “She shows through Rose, through me, and through you. Ithink she would be happy with who my children have as grandparents.”
“Oh, now I’m crying,” Paul says tearfully as he hugs me. “We love you, Myra. You are an amazing woman and mother. She would be so proud of you.”
“I just hope I am half the mother that she was,” I say.
