Chapter 33
Chapter Thirty-Three
SEAN
Something wakes me, and I’m unsure what until Jasmine groans in her sleep. She's leaning into me, her arm over my stomach. I press a kiss to the top of her head and slide an arm underneath her before closing my eyes and hoping to fall back to sleep.
A shout rings through the house at the same time as a loud alarm clock ringtone sounds in the room.
“Fuck!” Maximus is out of bed as quick as me. Both of us scrambling to pull on our boxers.
“Who set the alarm?” Jasmine asks, looking around. Before we get a chance to answer, the door flies open and two people in uniform pile into the room. Jasmine screams, pulling the sheet up to cover her naked body as Maximus sees red.
“Get the fuck out!”
“We have a warrant!” one of the officers answers, crossing his arms over his chest with a smug grin on his fucking face.
“I don’t give a shit! My fiancée is naked, and I will not let you stand there while she gets dressed!” he yells, pointing towards the door. Jason charges into the room and stands beside me as I’m the closest. Together, we block their view of Jasmine, still sitting in bed. Maximus stays on the other side of the bed, ready to protect her if needed.
“Your warrant doesn’t allow you to be present in a room with people who are getting dressed. Now get out before I contact the police station myself.” Jason stares at the cockier of the two officers, who looks younger than me. For a moment, I don’t think either one of them is going to back down, but eventually, Jason wins as the officers turn to walk from the room.
“You have two minutes; I will be timing you,” the cocky bastard calls as he closes the door. Jason turns around and looks at Jasmine.
“Get dressed and come down to Christian’s office. Do not say a word to or in front of them. We will get this sorted.” He leans over and presses a kiss to the top of her head as she nods silently.
“What the fuck do they want?” Maximus growls as he pulls on his sweatpants and grabs a t-shirt.
“Our relationship has been reported,” Jason answers.
“What for? We aren’t doing anything wrong!” Jasmine protests.
“No, we’re not, and once they see that, they will have no choice but to leave with their tail between their legs,” I reassure her as I go to the drawer of clothes she has in here and grab some underwear, leggings and a vest top for her to put on. “Get dressed, Princess; I don’t trust them not to storm back in.”
Jasmine gets out of bed, and Maximus helps her get dressed as I pull on my sweatpants. Jason gives me a nod before walking out of the room, no doubt to buy us a little time to get Jasmine covered.
I turn around to check on her, but Maximus has her attention while pulling one of his hoodies over her head.
“Don’t worry, Shorty, we have planned for this.” He takes her face in his hands and presses a kiss to her lips. Jasmine nods as the door opens, and the officers walk back in.
“Time’s up,” he smirks, looking from me to Maximus and Jasmine. I don’t miss the way he checks Jasmine out. I’m sure he was hoping she wouldn’t be completely covered. I step back from the door and signal for Maximus to take Jasmine ahead of me. With his arm around her shoulder, holding her protectively, he leads her past the police and onto the landing. I step to follow them but stop when I’m in front of the cocky prick.
“Officer …?” I ask, wanting his name.
“Davies,” he answers with that smug smirk as he puffs his chest out. He’s skinny and probably never thrown a real punch in his life, but he loves to hide behind the badge. I keep my voice calm and collected as I address him.
“Officer Davies. I’m not sure how long you have been in the police or if your mother taught you any manners, but it's rude to check out another man's fiancée in front of him. Especially when you are trying to scare said fiancée in their own home. Just a word of the wise, do not look at our future wife like that again.”
“What are you actually going to do about it if I do?” he grins smugly. I make a mental note to check out his history once all of this is handled because I bet he has a long list of victims who are too scared to speak out.
“All I will do is make a call to the right people. How they decide to handle your blatant disrespect is up to them. But I’m sure I won't be the first to complain or the last.” I walk away from him and follow my brother and Jasmine.
“It’s not like she’s really your fiancée. Unless reports are right, and you are going to break the law by all marrying your little whore.”
Anger boils in my gut, and I take a step forward to have a word with this gobby piece of shit, but his colleague jumps in front of him, looking outraged.
“Wow, Guy, that was out of line!” the officer next to him protests before looking at me. “I am so sorry for what my colleague just said, sir. I assure you we do not all act this way.”
“Thank you, Officer…?”
“Jones, sir.” He steps forward and holds out his hand. “I can assure you that you will have no further issues with Officer Davies, and I will happily speak to anyone you decide to discuss this interaction with.” He looks genuinely appalled by Guy’s actions. I shake his hand and give him a nod of thanks.
“Sean, your brother wants you downstairs. I’ll deal with these two.” I turn to Terry’s voice and see how angry he is. I bet he crashed here last night, if he slept at all.
“Okay, but watch Officer Davies here; I don’t trust his intentions,” I tell him. Terry looks from me to the officers.
“Why do you think I’m here.” He points to his chest, and I realise he is wearing his own body cam, except his is better hidden. A small smile spreads across my face as Terry winks. He’s good, I’ll give him that. Leaving the landing, I head downstairs to find out what the hell is going on.
Maximus and Jasmine are standing outside the office, talking to Mrs Brown.
“Mr O’Reilly, I’m fetching some tea and coffee. Would you like anything?” she asks as I reach them. She also reverts back to calling us Mr O’Reilly when we have unfamiliar guests.
“Just a coffee, please, Mrs Brown.” She smiles and walks away from me as I take a step so I’m on one side of Jasmine and Maximus on the other.
“Remember, Shorty, we’ve done nothing wrong. Let Christian do the talking and only answer questions you are happy to. They cannot force you to talk.” Jasmine looks up at Maximus and nods before taking a deep breath. I lean in and press a kiss to the top of her head.
“We are right here, Princess. We aren’t going anywhere.” When Jasmine turns to me, I see just how amazing our woman is. I give her a wink, hoping to encourage her, as I open the door and step back to let them walk in holding hands.
Entering the office behind the others, I see Christian sitting behind his desk, with Jason beside him. Of course, he’s dressed in a suit, and his whole body screams dominance. He has never backed down to the police before, and I know he won't over this. He turns to Jasmine and gives her a smile before nodding at us. He holds out a hand, and Jasmine walks to his side before leaning in and kissing him. Christian goes to stand for her to sit in his chair, but she places a hand on his shoulders.
“I wish to stand but thank you.”
“Are you okay, Sweetheart? I hear the officers upstairs gave you a bit of a fright.” He places an arm around her waist, and she leans against the chair.
“They were rather rude.” She turns her attention to the sergeant in front of the desk and lifts one brow. “I didn’t appreciate the wake-up call or the fact they were reluctant to let me get dressed without an audience.”
“I’ve been made aware, and the officer will be dealt with. All I can do for now is apologise to you, Miss Connors.” Jasmine nods once as she continues looking ahead with her back poker straight and head held high. I don’t miss the way Christian looks up at her, and my own pride is reflected on his face.
“You might want to add a couple of other indiscretions when dealing with Officer Guy Davies’s attitude,” I add, walking over to the sofa where Maximus is and sitting beside him.
“What happened?” Christian asks, turning his attention to me.
“I had to have a word with him about how it is considered bad manners to check out another man's fiancée in front of him.” I sit back on the sofa and try to ignore how Maximus stiffens beside me. “He obviously disagreed as he proceeded to point out a few incorrect facts and then resorted to name-calling.” I ensure I have the sergeant's full attention when I add. “I will not tolerate anyone disrespecting Miss Connors or making her feel uncomfortable in her own home. I know his colleague Officer Jones will vouch for Davies’s behaviour as he encouraged me to complain.”
I watch the sergeant and notice his jaw ticking slightly, obviously unhappy with his officer's actions.
“I would like to know what he said.” Jasmine stares at me, and I can see she’s not happy. “I ignored the way he tried to throw his authority around, but I will not have him calling anyone in my household names.” She crosses her arms over her chest and turns her attention to the sergeant.
“I am happy to take a statement from Mr O’Reilly so you are not bothered by the off-”
“I think our fiancée has a right to know what was said,” Jason interrupts. “Plus, she is not the only one who wishes to hear this.” He turns his attention to me at the same time as Christian and Jasmine.
“He pointed out what we are all very much aware of, which is Miss Connors is legally not my fiancée. He enjoyed saying that it would be against the law for us all to marry her, which, again, we are all well aware of. He then proceeded to say, and I quote, ‘Unless reports are right and you are going to break the law by all marrying your little whore’.” All three of my brothers’ backs straighten further as they turn their attention to the sergeant, who has lost quite a bit of colour from his face.
“I want his badge,” Christian says from the desk as he removes his arm from around Jasmine and leans his elbows on the desk in front of him, interlocking his fingers. “I want your word, Sergeant Myles, that this Officer Davies will be dealt with and not given the chance to disrespect anyone else again.” The way he stares at the sergeant tells me all I need to know. He will ensure the arrogant prick is fired, and he can never work as an officer of the law again. Then, Christian will take his life, and no one will even notice he’s missing.
Sergeant Myles turns his attention away from us and to the officer standing in the room. Myles looks like he’s ready to blow his top. It seems like I was right, and Officer Davies has made a habit of trying to act bigger than he is.
“Go and tell him he’s to get his arse here now!” The officer nods at his sergeant and leaves the room.
“While we wait for your officers, would you like to finally explain to my brothers and Miss Connors what it was you so rudely dragged them out of bed for,” Christian says as he sits back in his chair, looking annoyed as Jasmine places a reassuring hand on his shoulder. It works as he reaches up to put a hand over hers.
“We had a report that there was a polygamous relationship which was about to change and break the law by becoming bigamous. There was also the belief that Miss Connors was being forced into this relationship against her will, as well as reports of incest.”
“Incest?” Maximus and Jasmine call out at the same time.
“I hope that you are referring to the fact that our fiancée was once our stepsister and not accusing my brothers and I of such acts,” Christian warns, leaning forward again.
“Of course, there was no mention of you and your brothers taking part in such relations.” Sergeant Myles pulls a handkerchief out of his pocket and wipes his brow. It takes everything in me not to smile at how nervous he is.
“That’s what I thought.” Christian opens a drawer in his desk and pulls out a folder before sliding it in front of the sergeant. “All documentation is in there, as well as a letter of consent to check these with the relevant authorities.” He sits back again and places a hand on Jasmine's, which is back on his shoulder, both looking calm and at ease.
“Inside, you will find a copy of our father's marriage certificate to Miss Connor's mother, Carol Connors. It is dated, and if you do the maths, you will see that Miss Connors was one month from her eighteenth birthday when we met at the wedding. The four of us are of no blood relation to her, which makes the claims of incest ridiculous.” We watch as Sergeant Myles flicks through the papers in the file.
“There is a copy of our notice of marriage. Only Miss Connors and myself are named on it, as we are the only ones getting legally married. My brothers and Miss Connors then have a blessing, where they exchange promises to each other rather than any formal ceremony, but it will not be legally binding, meaning they will be husband and wife by name, not by law.”
“We are all well aware that she is not our fiancée nor will she be our wife legally; that does not change our love for her,” Jason adds, stepping closer to Jasmine and placing a hand on the bottom of her back.
“There is no law to stop us from calling her our wife, same as there is nothing stopping her from referring to us as her husbands,” Maximus adds.
“And how do you feel about all of this, Miss Connors?” Sergeant Myles asks. Jasmine smiles at him as she shrugs.
“I don’t need a piece of paper to tell me they are mine, same as they don’t need one to claim me as theirs. Society may not classify our relationship as normal, but I don’t care. I will always love all four of the O’Reilly brothers equally, and although they may have once been my stepbrothers, I never saw them as such.
“The three years they were in my life before we started this relationship, they did nothing but protect me and show me how strong I am. I’m not ashamed of our relationship, nor feel it worthy of this invasion of our privacy. Whoever told all these lies should be charged with wasting valuable police time.” She leans on the table and stares Sergeant Myles in the eye.
“As for me being forced into this relationship, that is just laughable. If anything, I’ve forced them, as they had to accept I could never choose just one of them. The only reason I am legally marrying Christian is for my own protection, should anything happen to one of my husbands. I will legally be an O’Reilly and will be treated as such by being able to be their advocate when they cannot represent themselves.” She stands back up and leans into Jason rather than Christian. Jason places his arm around her waist and holds her close, proving she does not love one over the other.
“If you need me to give a formal statement and confirm all I have said, I will happily do so with our solicitor present.”
Sergeant Myles wipes at his face again, and we can see he knows there is nothing illegal about any of our relationships.
A knock comes from the door, and Christian shouts for them to enter. The officer sent to retrieve the others walks in ahead of Davies and Jones with Terry on their tail. Terry looks like he’s ready to commit murder, and I can only assume he has heard all that Davies said about Jasmine.
“Officer Davies, I believe you have something to say to the O’Reillys and Miss Connors,” the sergeant snaps. Davies looks around at us all and tries to fake sincerity as his eyes land on Jasmine.
“Sorry, I called you a whore.”
Maximus twitches next to me, and I quickly grab his arm and shake my head, reminding him he can't risk jumping the prick, yet.
“Apology not accepted.” All of our heads snap to Jasmine as Officer Davies looks shocked. “You came into my home, barged into my room whilst I was in bed and tried to intimidate me before calling me a whore.”
“Well, in my defence, Miss Connors, from what I could see on my search, every room is yours. I do believe I’ve never met a woman who sleeps in five different beds and isn’t paid.”
This time, it takes all my strength to keep Maximus under control as Officer Jones, Sergeant Myles, and my brothers yell out in protest.
“Sergeant Myles, if you do not deal with his lack of respect, I will take this as high as I need to,” Christian warns as his temper gets dangerously close to boiling point. Jasmine steps next to him and places a hand on his cheek, forcing him to look at her.
“He doesn’t matter. He is obviously a spoilt kid with a narcissistic personality disorder. His comments do not affect me. As I said a moment ago, I am proud of our family.”
Christian takes a deep breath before looking at the sergeant who is watching Jasmine.
“Miss Connors, I am extremely sorry for his lack of respect, and I can assure you he will be dealt with.” He turns his attention to the officer before adding, “Starting with his immediate suspension.” Officer Davies goes to argue, but the sergeant has had enough. “Officer Jones, escort him to the police car, please. I will be there shortly.”
“Yes, sarge,” Officer Jones replies before looking at Jasmine. “I am sorry for the way my colleague spoke to you. That kind of treatment was unnecessary and cruel.”
“Thank you,” Jasmine replies, giving him a small smile.
“It’s the least I can do,” he smiles before nodding in the direction of Jason and Christian, followed by the two of us on the sofa. Turning his attention to his soon-to-be former colleague, he nudges him towards the door, and I can hear them arguing as soon as they think they are out of earshot.
“Again, I am sorry for the inconvenience of our visit. I can assure you everything will be documented, so if anyone tries this again, all the paperwork is available.”
“You can keep those copies on file; I have the originals,” Christian says as he straightens his jacket and walks around to the front of his desk. “I understand why you had to visit; that was never the issue. You believed a young woman was being forced to be in a relationship with four men, which is something that should never be taken lightly. However, I want Officer Davies dealt with, and I will be sending my solicitor to ensure he is.”
“As you should. Its officers like that who give our forces a bad name.” Sergeant Myles holds out his hand, and Christian shakes it. Turning his attention to Jasmine, he gives her a warm smile.
“I wish you and your fiancés all the best on your special day, and I have a feeling you will all live a very happy life together.”
Jasmine steps forward with her hand out, which he takes with a fond smile.
“Thank you, that means a lot.” She looks around the room at the four of us with a big smile. “I know we will all have a life filled with happiness and love.”
The sergeant smiles at her fondly before saying one last goodbye and leaving the five of us alone together.
I swear we all count to ten before launching ourselves at Jasmine. Jason gets there first, picks her up and twirls her around in a circle as she squeals laughing.
“You were outstanding, Jazzy!” he lowers her enough to kiss her hard before placing her back on her feet.
“Outstanding doesn’t cover it! I don’t think I have ever been so proud of you, Princess,” I grin, pulling her into my arms so I can kiss her. I feel her being pulled away from me to see Maximus grab her face and smash his lips into hers.
“I know I said not to worry, but you controlled the whole room!” he laughs, picking her up and squeezing her tight before putting her back down. She turns in his arms, grinning as she faces Christian. I don’t think I have ever seen so much pride and love on his face as he has right now.
“I know you were meant to do all the talking, but I needed to have my say,” she says, smiling at him.
“You were amazing, Sweetheart. You were calm and in control of everything, and I, for one, am so proud of you.” Stepping forward, he places a hand on her cheek and kisses her. Jasmine throws her arms around his neck and kisses him back before pulling back, looking worried.
“What time is it?” she demands, grabbing his wrist to check the time. “Shit. Verity will be here in an hour.” Spinning around, she rushes out the door without even saying goodbye, only to return thirty seconds later to give each of us a kiss on the cheek before rushing back out of the room. The four of us laugh as we look around at each other.
“Well, that was a fun morning,” Mrs Brown laughs, walking into the office with a tray of coffee and mugs. I take them from her and place them on the desk to begin making up everyone’s drinks.
“You can say that again, but we always knew it would happen sooner or later,” Jason sighs, walking over to the sofa and taking a seat. Looking around at my brothers as I start handing out the coffees, I don’t miss the huge smiles on their faces. Our girl stood there this morning, held her head high and laid her claim on us. She didn’t seem embarrassed or scared. Instead, she was proud and showed us how far she has come.
“I said I would take young Jasmine's coffee to her,” Mrs Brown says as she picks up Jasmine's favourite mug and walks out.
“Can I just say our woman is fucking amazing! She was so brave and took no shit from any of them,” Maximus grins. “When she refused to accept that prick's apology, I nearly cheered.”
“I thought he was going to explode,” Jason laughs, taking his mug from me.
“I honestly thought she would accept his apology to avoid a scene, but she was so mad she didn’t care what happened,” Christian grins. “After everything last night and now this, I thought she would struggle, but she is getting stronger and stronger with each issue that gets thrown at us.”
“That’s because she is far stronger than she ever gave herself credit for,” I point out, sitting on the sofa by Jason.
“It just confirms she was made to be ours. She may not be an O’Reilly by name yet, but she proved, once again, that she is in spirit. I, for one, can't wait to marry her,” Jason adds before holding up his mug. “Cheers to the most amazing fiancée any four men could ever ask for.”
“Cheers!” we call together before taking a sip of our coffee and thinking about how lucky we are to have this amazing woman in our lives.