“I don’t want to pick a place,” I said, softly. “I want to pick… this.”
I gestured with one hand, motioning between us.
“It might be greedy,” I shrugged. “But I wantus.”
There were a few moments of shocked silence, but not many. Theo’s expression could barely contain his excitement. Ripley just grinned.
“Are you sure?” asked Colson.
“Well I’m not going back to what I was,” I said softly. “And I’m sure not doing this alone.”
“So…”
“Yes,” I said, more firmly. Then, more loudly: “Fuck yes, actually!”
Ripley picked me up so quickly I yelped. I don’t know how many times he spun me around, but when he set me back down I was dizzy and laughing.
But not half as dizzy as when they began kissing me, a moment later.
It happened one by one, as it often did. Three pairs of lips, crashing against mine. Strong hands, shifting from my thighs, to my hips, to the small of my back. They held my face, ever so gently, as slow fingers sifted through my hair. And they were so patient between turns, too. So patient that it stole mybreath away, as they kissed me, over and over, passing my mouth back and forth between them.
When they finally stopped I had to grab the railing again. My knees were weak.
“Maybe we should get out of New York City for a little while,” said Colson. “Take a little vacation.”
“A vacation from our vacations?” joked Ripley.
“Those weren’t vacations!” Theo countered. “We were on the run.”
“They sure felt like vacations,” I smiled, agreeing with Ripley. “During the times we weren’t in mortal danger, that is”
“But we were always in mortal danger,” said Colson.
“True,” I said, biting my lip. “Which is why I’m agreeing with you now. Let’s get away from here for a week or two. Not running, just… slowing down.”
“Slowing down,” Theo mused. “I like that.”
“But first and foremost,” I said turning to face Theo. “We see your father.”
He swallowed hard, then nodded, solemnly. “Yes.”
“Good.”
“He’s going to love you, you know,” Theo choked, his eyes glassy. “I promise you that.”
“Are you kidding?” I smiled, fighting back my own tears. “Who wouldn’t?”
I hugged him so hard I thought we both might break. But I knew we wouldn’t. Not now. Not ever.
“We’ll come back and face all this when the smoke’s cleared,” I finished, turning into the three of them. “When it’scalmed down, we’ll face it head on and sort it out.”
“Makes sense,” agreed Colson.
“And while we’re away,” Ripley stepped in. “We figure outthis.”
He motioned between us, just as I had. I smiled and nodded.
“And we do a lot more ofthat,” he grinned, pointing to the bedroom.
“Oh,lotsmore of that,” I agreed, happily. “So much, that you might even get sick of me.”
“More like so much, that we might cripple you,” offered Theo.
“Then cripple me,” I sighed, letting the butterflies in my stomach loose again. “Destroy me so fucking badly, that you have to carry me back here.”
I turned and placed both hands on the railing again. New York City was still surging beneath us, but it looked different now. I wasn’t running, or hiding, or avoiding my fate.
No. Right now I had fate by the balls. We all did.
And for once, I planned on twisting it to domybidding.
