Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
JASMINE
As we stop outside Verity's home, I wipe away the tears which have fallen whilst listening to all she’s endured. I’ve hated Henry for a long time; he was never there for her when she needed him. After we discovered he tried to force her to marry someone she didn’t want, I hated him even more. But even then, I thought there must be a small part of him who loved her; I mean, what’s not to love about that girl?
But hearing how he treated her and stole from her not only money but her auntie and her actual father. The man was sick, and I’m glad he’s dead.
Christian gives my hand a small squeeze before climbing out of the car as I check my makeup in the camera function on my phone. Luckily, I’m not wearing much, so the damage is an easy fix. The last thing I want is to let Verity see how much I’ve been crying.
“Ready, Sweetheart?”
I look to my right at the open passenger door as Christian's hand appears. Taking a deep breath and swallowing my anxiety, I take his hand and let him help me from the car. He leans in and kisses my temple as his arm settles around my waist.
“I know this will be hard, but Verity needs her friend.”
Tilting my head up so I can look at him and offer a small smile.
“I know, she was amazing after I was kidnapped. There’s no way I could ever let her down.”
Christian kisses my lips this time and smiles at me sweetly.
“I know you couldn’t.”
Walking around the car, we come to a stop next to Sean. I squeeze his hand before lifting onto my toes and kissing his cheek.
“You ready to sign your first fighter?” I ask, smiling excitedly at him. My heart is full of pride. This man is taking the next step to fulfilling his dreams, and I’m honoured to stand beside him as he achieves them.
“I think so.” He looks over my head to his older brother before pushing back his shoulders.
“You’ve got this. But if you need any advice, remember, I’ve got your back. I will help you every step of the way until you are ready to stand on your own two feet.” Christian has always been a fantastic brother to his younger siblings. He wants them all to succeed and will do anything to help them. Even if they don’t notice how much he does, I do.
“Thank you, Christian,” Sean whispers before looking towards the front of the house and taking a deep breath to settle his nerves.
I look around us and see two skips filled with stuff and a large van next to three cars.
“Looks like they are getting rid of anything that wasn’t Verity’s,” I point out as we walk towards the doors.
“Wouldn’t blame them. It must be tough having the constant reminder of the arsehole who ruined your life everywhere you look.” Looking at Sean, I wonder if that’s how he felt after everything Tommy put them through. I know they stayed in their childhood home for a while after Christian threw Tommy out because an argument between Tommy and Maximus became physical. They were always a nightmare when living together. This one was particularly nasty and the first in many things that made the guys realise they no longer needed Tommy as much as he needed them. They have been living in the house we call home for nearly three years, and I now know they bought it so we could all be together.
“Here goes nothing.” Sean's voice brings me back to the present as he knocks on the front door. It opens almost instantly, and a smiling Ryan greets us.
“Hey! Come on in, but watch your step; it’s a building site here,” he laughs as he steps out of the way. As soon as we walk through the door, I see Verity standing with Travis. She looks so much thinner than the last time I saw her, and she looks scared. Travis has his arm around her shoulder, protecting her as she clings to a ballerina doll.
I don’t stop to think; I rush out from between Christian and Sean, wanting to hold her. Before I reach her, she throws herself at me, and we meet in the middle in a fierce embrace. The two of us instantly start sobbing into each other's shoulders as we cling to each other.
Eventually, we let go, and I place my hands on the tops of her arms keeping her in front of me to ensure she's paying attention.
“From now on you don’t go anywhere without me. You were only gone for three weeks and look at all the trouble you created. I’m meant to be the bad influence, not you,” I laugh through my tears as a short hard burst of laughter escapes Verity before she wipes her face.
“Okay,” she smiles. I let go of her and wipe my eyes.
“Why don’t you two go and have a chat in the kitchen whilst we all talk in the lounge,” Travis says, stepping forward and offering us a small smile.
“I want to watch Bear sign the contract,” Verity answers, looking at Ryan as he steps up next to Travis.
“We will call you before he signs. I need to go over a few things with him first, which will take a little while,” Sean says as he steps beside me. Verity looks at me and grins before taking my hand and pulling me towards the kitchen.
“Come on, I just got a new coffee machine!” she grins.
“Now you are talking my kind of language!” I wink, not bothering to look over my shoulder as we hear the guys laughing behind us.
“Come back if you need us,” Travis calls. We both hold up a thumb in acknowledgement, making the guys laugh again.
I’ve only been to Verity’s house a handful of times, she didn’t like having people around when her dad, I mean Henry, was away. A couple of times we came to pick something up before a show, but never for longer than an hour. One room I know is the kitchen; it couldn’t be more different than the last time I was here.
One thing you expected when visiting Verity’s place was that it was spotless, with no sign of anyone living in it. There had been a breakfast bar in the middle of the room and a table and chairs. Both are now missing. The flooring has been ripped up, the cabinets destroyed, and the walls are being stripped of tiles. There is a much smaller version of the old table and chairs in place of the previous ones.
“Like what you’ve done with the place,” I tease as Verity points for me to sit in one of the four chairs.
“The whole house looks the same. We are stripping it right back to the foundations and doing what we want with the place,” she says putting her doll down on the one sideboard that’s left, next to a fancy-looking coffee machine.
“Good, if you need any help just shout.”
Verity turns to look at me with an arched brow.
“Aren't you scared you will break a nail?” she teases.
“I never said I would help; I’ll send the guys round. We can drink coffee and watch the men get all hot and sweaty,” I wink as she giggles. For a moment, she looks like the Verity who doesn’t have a care in the world.
“Now that’s something I could get behind, she replies.
I sit and watch as she loses herself in making the coffee. Now and again, she seems to zone out and stare into space. I want to pull her back but know to wait until we can talk properly. Sometimes, the moments we spend staring into space are the moments we need to come to terms with something that pains us.
A few minutes later, she walks over with our coffees and sits beside me. I don’t miss how she looks longingly at the doll she left on the side, chewing on her bottom lip, showing how much she wants it. I think about telling her to get it, but I stand and retrieve it for her instead. She looks up at me with tears in her eyes as she holds it to her chest.
“Thank you,” she whispers. “I was worried you would think I was being pathetic.”
I sit back in my chair and lift the mug to my lips to take a sip.
“I have a light brown bear, which I hug when I’m feeling down or overwhelmed. Jason picked it up for me one day when we were in Majorca after the whole kidnapping drama. I don’t think he realised how much I would come to depend on that small bear. But sometimes it’s the only thing that helps.” I offer her what I hope is a reassuring smile. “So I understand why you would want to keep it close at the moment.”
Verity buries her face into the top of the doll for a moment with her eyes closed. I know she is trying to hold it together, and I don’t want her to think she has to do that with me.
“Do you want to talk about it?” I ask not wanting to push her too quickly. Christian told me what he knows but we both think there will be a lot we don’t know.
Verity looks up from the doll, towards the entrance of the kitchen.
“Let’s talk outside,” she says quietly before standing with her cup in hand. she nods towards a door at the back of the kitchen, and I quickly follow her out through a laundry room and into the large spacious garden I have never seen before. I turn to close the door behind us but see Verity shake her head out of the corner of my eye.
“Leave it open. That way, the guys will know where we are.”
I nod and follow her further into the garden. A little part of me worries that Christian will wonder where we've gotten to, but it's not like we are going far.
Walking around the side of the house, we come to a stop at a two-seater love chair that hangs overlooking a large field where horses are grazing, wrapped tight in their winter coats.
Verity sits in the chair, and I sit beside her. We sit in silence for a moment, watching the horses and drinking our coffees.
“This was my mum's favourite spot. This swing is the only thing of hers left.” I turn my head and see her staring ahead. “How much did Travis tell Christian?”
“That Henry isn’t your father, and how he had been stealing your money for years.” Verity nods in confirmation, not looking away from the horses. “He also told me about your auntie and how Henry had her sectioned or something.”
“We delivered the paperwork for her real diagnosis yesterday. We are expecting a call later today to tell us what the next steps will be to get her out.”
“Can’t you just walk out with her?”
Verity shakes her head and lets out a deep sigh as her arm around her doll tightens.
“She has been on medication for years; they are worried that stopping it too quickly will cause real issues for her. Plus, she has nowhere to go, he sold everything of hers.” She finishes her drink before placing it on a table beside her. “I hate him. There are moments when the hatred I feel towards that man is so overpowering that I throw up. It takes over my whole body, and all I can do is scream and cry.” Her jaw clenches as she starts blinking faster. “But then there are moments I would give anything to see him again and for him to say that he loved me really and I was still his pumpkin.” Verity finally looks at me and my heart breaks as her lip trembles and tears roll down her face. “How can I love him and hate him at the same time? Why can’t I just hate him and lose this pain that’s tearing me apart? I want to heal, to move on, but …” A sob bursts from her chest and that little control she’s been holding on to breaks.
I pull her into my arms and hold my best friend as she falls apart in my arms. I close my eyes and listen to her pain and wish I could take it away from her. I would give anything for her not to hurt like this. If anyone understands the pain she’s feeling, it's me.
“I know it hurts,” I whisper into her hair as I run a hand over it. “I know that whenever you feel like you are taking a step in the right direction, you are pulled ten steps back. But I promise one day, it will start to feel a little better, and it won't be the first thing you feel when you wake up or when you are alone. Slowly, you will realise you are able to think of him without the confusion and pain. He will be a memory that haunts you now and again, but he no longer has the power over you he once did.”
“I hope so,” Verity sniffs in my arms. I hold her for a while until, eventually, her tears dry up, and she pulls away from me, wiping at her face.
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologise to me for crying. You have held me enough times over the last six months.” I take her hand, which isn’t holding her doll. “I am always here for you, you know that, right? I know I've been preoccupied with the wedding and the guys. But that will never mean you can't come to me, about anything.”
“I know. You will always be the most important person to me, Jaz.”
“So I should be,” I tease with a playful smile. Verity smiles at me for a moment before looking back at the horses that seem to have come closer. I can just imagine them sensing her pain and wanting to check on her. Verity has always seemed the type to attract forest animals and have them help her with the chores.
“Did Travis tell Christian much about my mum?”
I turn my attention back to my friend and am surprised when she smiles at me.
“Only that she was super rich, and you had no idea.” A grin spreads across my face as I nudge her playfully with my elbow. “Don’t start thinking you are above us now you’re, what? A millionaire?”
“Multi-millionaire, to be precise.”
I whistle, impressed.
“Bet that feels weird to say?”
“It really does. A few weeks ago, I was worried about whether I could afford to find a place after graduating. Now I own this huge house and have a bottomless bank account; it's crazy!”
“Yeah, I was like that when I first moved in with the guys. I remember Danielle making fun of me because my shoes were dead and crying all the way home. When Sean took me out and bought me six pairs, I felt like a charity case. But slowly, I've learnt that they mean it when they say what is theirs is mine. Plus, my bank account is looking better than ever as my performance pay doesn’t get touched.”
“I don’t want people to know I’m rich,” Verity sighs, looking back to the horses. “I don’t want to be treated any differently than I was before.”
“Then don’t tell anyone. No one needs to know what goes on outside of the school unless you want them to.”
Verity nods in agreement, and we are quiet for a moment before she speaks again.
“So Travis never told Christian about who my real father may be?” I shake my head and am surprised when a smile appears on her face.
“Do you know who it is?” I ask, shocked. Verity giggles and shakes her head.
“Not exactly; we know it's one of two guys.” Watching the way her smile widens; I feel my jaw drop.
“No?”
“Yep, my mum lived in this house with two guys. They were in all in a relationship with each other.”
“Your mum was like us?” I ask, sitting forward suddenly, making the seat underneath us rock, causing us both to start laughing as we panic; we are about to fall off.
“Yeah,” Verity answers, still giggling. “My auntie has been telling me more about them. We’ve actually met one of them. He's the one Mum and Auntie always believed was my father.”
“Who, damn it!” I demand, desperate to know.
“Remember the guy Dave who comes to a few shows a year and has even talked to us a few times.”
“Of course, he is a sweetheart, always talking about how much his wife loved to dance.”
“Well, it looks like he was talking about my mum.”
“So you think he knows?” I demand. Verity shrugs and looks back towards the horses.
“Auntie Trish thinks that he suspects, which is why he watches a couple of shows whenever he is in the country.” Verity looks down at her doll and starts playing with its hair. “She says that he never got over losing my mum. That he fought for her, but my… Henry was a bastard and made sure my mum had no idea he was still around.”
“Christian said something about Henry stalking her.”
Verity nods.
“Yeah, he scared the other two guys off. One of the guys has married and has kids but knows there is a chance I’m his and would be happy to find out if I choose to. Then there's Dave, who has always checked in on me, even from afar, and apparently, I look a little like him.”
“Do you want to find out which one it is?” I ask carefully. Verity nods her head but lets out a deep sigh.
“I do, but not yet. Travis thinks I need to come to terms with a few things before I learn more life-changing information. I agree with him and am scheduled to start therapy on the fourth. I want to ensure I’m in the right frame of mind before coming face to face with the father that was kept from me.”
“What if he hears about Henry and comes looking for you?” I ask, worried the decision may be taken away from her. But Verity shakes her head.
“He won’t. We aren’t going to tell anyone Henry’s dead. We will act like he has returned to the States and slowly stop mentioning him. If people ask, we will just say there was a family falling out, so Linda and him are no longer talking to any of us. I will admit he’s not my real father and leave it at that.” A sad smile appears on her lips. “Let's face it, no one will question it as he was never here anyway.”
“And what's happening with Linda?” I ask. “Have the guys heard from her?”
“Not since Boxing Day. She turned up at Travis’s and called me every name under the sun, blaming me for everything that had happened. We didn’t know Henry was dead at that point, so as far as we are aware, she still thinks he's alive. Hopefully, she will go back to the States and live off all the money they have over there. Travis left a message telling her we don’t want anything and she can keep it all. But if she ever contacts any of us again, we will take it all back, leaving her with absolutely nothing.”
“Go Daddy Travis!” I laugh as Verity smiles, nodding.
“He is rather epic. They have all been amazing, and I know I wouldn’t be here without them.”
“Don’t say that; you are one of the strongest women I know; you would have survived, even without them.”
Verity chews on her lip for a second before whispering.
“Jaz, I haven’t been strong. I’ve caved to pressure so many times over the years I … I ended up doing things I’m not proud of.”
I want to ask her to explain, but the second she looks up at me with her eyes once again filled with tears, I know she has done enough talking for one day.
“Whatever you have done, I know you would have thought you had no other option. You don’t need to tell me. I can see in your eyes that you are worried about me knowing. So tell me when or if you are ever ready. I am always here for you. Bratties before Daddies,” I grin proudly.
“That’s not a saying,” she giggles. It’s good to see her smiling, showing that the old Verity is still in there. She just needs a little help right now.
“Since when have we stuck to the rules?” I laugh. “That’s the fun of being a brat; rules don’t apply to us unless we want them to.”
“I’ve missed you,” she giggles, pulling me in for a hug.
“I’ve missed you more,” I tease back.
“I’m wondering how you have missed that it’s freezing out here, and neither of you have a coat on?”
We both slowly look to where Travis and Christian are standing together, staring at us. Christian's arms are folded over his chest, and Travis has his in the pockets of his jeans.
“It’s not that cold,” I point out, earning me an arched brow from Christian.
“Plus, we were drinking coffee, so we didn’t notice,” Verity adds beside me.
“Get in the house, both of you, before you catch a cold,” Travis demands, pointing back towards the house.
Verity and I stand up and slowly walk over to them with our heads down, knowing better than to ignore them. But as we pass, Verity looks at me and whispers.
“I think I preferred it when our daddies didn’t get along.”
“Right! They would have spent more time shouting at each other than us,” I point out.
“Sweetheart, we can hear you.”
I look to Verity and smirk.
“Was that my daddy or yours?” We both look over our shoulders as we hold hands while walking toward the house. The guys are behind us, watching every move we make.
“I don’t know. Them both calling us sweetheart is a little confusing,” she points out.
“I would suggest I start calling you brat, but I think you would both answer to that as well,” I hear Travis announce behind us. Verity and I share a look before bursting out laughing as two deep growls sound behind us, making us squeal, running the rest of the way to the house and rushing for the lounge into the safety of our other men's arms.
I look over at Verity as she laughs in Ethan's arms. She whispers in his ear, and he laughs as Travis and Christian walk into the room.
“Causing trouble, Princess?” Sean laughs into my hair.
“I never cause trouble! It was Verity's fault! She dragged me out in the cold!” I protest.
“Hey! It’s not like you argued. What happened to ‘Bratties before Daddies’?” Verity argues.
“Shush!” I snap with my eyes wide as I stare at her. “Are you trying to get us a spanking?”
“No! But I’m not getting one because you can’t stop being a brat!”
“Takes one to know one, sister!” I stick my tongue out at her, and she does it back in return.
“Girls! Have you quite finished, or do we need to separate you?”
We both look to Ryan, who is looking between us.
“You can’t do that!” Verity demands stepping away from Ethan. I step next to her and link my arm through hers.
“Yeah! We can't be separated; she's my sister from another mister!”
“Do we really know that though? I mean, we don’t know who my father actually is.”
The room falls deadly silent; you can hear a pin drop as we all stare at Verity open-mouthed. She looks deadly serious for a second before a smile appears on her face, and she winks at me. I burst out laughing, pulling her into my arms.
“That’s my girl! Welcome to the toxic parent group; we are all brats here!” I cheer as I hold my best friend at arm's length and let her see how fucking proud I am of her.
Things become serious after that, and we watch together as Ryan signs the contract and becomes Sean's first fighter as a manager. Verity and I stand proudly, watching our guys as they both shake and start new chapters in their lives.
After a short while, Christian, Sean, and I are ready to leave, and we say goodbye to everyone, promising to help as they redesign the house. As Sean chats with Verity and Ryan, Travis pulls me to one side and engulfs me in a huge hug.
“Thank you,” he whispers in my ear.
“What for?” I frown up at him.
“For being the best friend my girl could ask for. I don’t know what you talked about out there, but you made her laugh and smile, and that’s all I want for her right now.”
“You don’t need to thank me for that. She is my best friend, and there is nothing I wouldn’t do for her. Including murder,” I add a little warning in with the last word. “I will kill you if you break her heart. Don’t think I won't because I have four daddies to help me hide your body, ensuring you will never be found.”
Travis stares momentarily before looking over me to where I know Christian is standing.
“She’s perfect for you guys. She may even be scarier than you, O’Reilly.”
Christian stands behind me so I can lean against him as he wraps his arms around my waist, holding me close.
“She sure is, and we couldn’t be prouder.” He leans to the side to kiss my cheek. “Come on, Baby girl, let’s get home where Maximus and Jason are waiting for us.”
I step out of his arms and head straight for Verity. Holding her tight, I whisper.
“Remember, you can message or call at any time. I’m always here for you.”
“Bratties before Daddies?” she smirks, holding up her little finger.
“Bratties before Daddies,” I smile back, wrapping my pinky around hers, knowing that it’s a pinky promise I never plan on breaking.