Chapter 451 - Forgive me? (17)

12 May, Military base hospital, City K

Lexi sat watching Andrew, Sally, Chester, Phillip, and Dominic all leave. As Matthew quietly told her, with his help Dominic had gone to the senior officer's mess kitchen and had sweet-talked the chefs to provide them with a special meal to celebrate Mother's Day.

Dominic was in heaven. Matthew had helped him make the day as special as he could, and he was delighted that his Uncles and Aunt were with him to celebrate his Mother's day.

Lexi, watching her angel walk out the ward day, felt a tear going down her face, but before she could say anything, Matthew reached over and wiped the tears away.

As she turned to look at Matthew, she heard him say "Lexi we need to talk."

Knowing he was right, Lexi said "We do. I need to tell you…"

Matthew shook his head, and said "Lexi, no I need to have my say first. I screwed up badly and should never have treated you like that. You did not deserve my reaction."

Moving her hand slightly, Lexi placed her hand on Matthew's hand sitting beside her unbroken arm, gently squeezing it. As she did that, Matthew gently picked it up and lifted it to his lips before placing the gentlest of kisses on her palm before carefully returning it to the bed.

Lexi noticed Matthew shaking his head before he said "No, I do not deserve your sympathy. As Phillip told me Thursday night when he got me back to the family villa, I f*cked up big time. He was right. I did f*ck up."

Lexi said "No, you did not I kept a secret that I should never have kept."

"Lexi, we both know how your parents would have reacted at the time, if they knew the truth that I was Dominic's father. They hated the military because of the past. If they had known we were legally engaged, for the purposes of the military and you had my protection let alone that truth, they would have done whatever they could to have forced you to have an abortion and exiled you overseas for as long as they could."

Lexi observed Matthew looking at her intently and as she opened her mouth and quietly said "Matthew," he reached over and placed his fingers on her lips stopping her before she could say much.

After shaking his head Matthew said "No. Let me have my say and I will then leave you to think, because you deserve that…"

"No, we need this discussion for both of us to think about things. Did I not promise when I got back from this business trip we would talk? I am back, and I am going to fulfil that promise."

"You do not need to."

Exasperated Lexi responded "Who says this has to be a one-sided conversation, let alone a relationship. There are two of us in this relationship as much as in this conversation and if we go that way with the conversation what does it say about our relationship? It diminishes it. You can have your say, but you will stay and listen to me having my say."

Lexi noticed the moment that her anger got through to Matthew, who responded "Fine, but I need to have my say first."

Tilting her head slightly to the right Lexi responded calmly "Do you hear me arguing? I can see you need to speak, so the floor is yours, so to speak."

"As I said about your parents…"

"Those two, while you were away with Dominic, I had a conversation with my brothers. I now realise that my parents were always set in their views. I think after I had my say I believe Chester and Andrew agreed with me that our parents messed up our childhoods and early a.d.u.l.thood years because of those views. Chester in a marriage that was never for him away from the love of his life. Andrew for goodness knows how many years, and I suspect he and Sally will never confirm the number to us, hiding his relationship with the love of his life not wanting to be seen to complying with their wishes. And me, in a forced marriage that has messed with me so much."

"They were your parents."

"Matthew, it does not matter about them being our parents, they should have supported us rather than thinking a pregnant unwed teenage daughter or a gay son was shameful. In the end I think Chester and I developed the strength to deal with it because we needed each other. I needed Chester to mentally recover and Chester needed me to leave Dominic with him to give his life purpose. Let me put it this way, Dominic came to us and told us he wanted to convert to Islam, he wanted to immigrate to another country or something that challenged what we viewed as acceptable would we react to hide that? It might break our hearts, but I do not think we would do anything other than letting him become the person he is meant to be."

Silence filled the room, before Matthew said "You would be right. We both have broken from the mould that many in our parents' generation expect from us. Our friend all have done so as well. John joining the police, Phillip and Chester marrying, Andrew and Sally taking over family companies. Then we have Joan, Paul and Steven, all challenging what their families wanted for them. I would hope we be respectful of his choice."

"Then, leave my parents out of it. We cannot change what they did." Lexi paused for a couple of seconds before adding, "An in some respect I would not change it because I have my career and business but regardless of the good and the bad, it also brought you back into my life."

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