Page 139 of Three Stepbrothers Save Christmas

“Where is Dave now?” I ask. Auntie Trish takes the picture from me and smiles at it.

“He is the one who was travelling. He never got over Miriam and even tried to visit her when he heard she was pregnant and again when she was dying.”

Auntie Trish looks at the picture and lets out a sigh.

“When your mum was dying, your father hired the best nurses for her. We thought it was because he loved her so much, but it was also about control. He wanted to be sure no one visited her when he wasn’t there. So that she wouldn’t find out the truth.” She places the picture on the bed beside her and starts flicking through the papers as if looking for something.

“You were probably too young to remember. But, when your mum was on bed care, there were nurses with her whenever you or I were in the room with her. She wasn’t allowed visitors without someone being there to ensure she didn’t let anything slip, like the fact he wasn’t your dad or that we were extremely rich. That was a big thing for Henry when he realised she wasn’t going to survive. He didn’t want you knowing about the money as he was worried you would think it hadn’t been enough to safe her, or some bullshit like that.”

“It was so he could hide from her the money and keep it for himself. The bastard had hidden it all away, and she has less than a quarter of what she should have.” Travis says behind me as my auntie shakes her head.

“I dread to think what my finances look like; he has had full power for years.”

“Don’t worry about that, we will sort it. I’m an accountant and know every trick in the book,” he winks at her, causing her to blush. I can see her looking him up and down, checking him out.

“You are obviously okay with multiple partners. Fancy another woman on your arm?” she smiles at him.

“Hey, get your own Daddy! This one’s all mine!” I protest leaning into Travis as he laughs out loud whilst wrapping an arm around my shoulders.

“Sorry, but I’m a one-woman man,” he smirks at my auntie. “She’s allowed me and my brothers, and that’s it. We just have her, and that’s the way it’s going to stay.” He leans down and presses a kiss to my lips, causing me to blush just like my auntie.

“Can’t blame a girl for trying,” my auntie grins before pulling out an envelope which is bulging.

“Anyway, as I was saying, we weren’t allowed to be alone together, so we came up with our own way of communicating. We wrote letters to each other. Your mum would read them when everyone was in bed and reply to them. We had both noticed things we needed to share, and this was the safest way to do it.”

She holds out the letters, and I take them.

“They are in order; read them that way so they make sense. But the main thing that’s mentioned is that Henry was blocking Miriam from people. They would come to the house, and she would hear them talking from outside. They wanted to see her and you, but Henry’s staff would refuse them access. Dave was one of the people she heard outside. He was demanding to see her, but the nurse kept telling him he wasn’t allowed, that she was too ill, and any upset caused her pain. It was when she asked me to find out why the guys had really left. She wanted to hear the truth from them and didn’t trust anyone else to do it.

“Dave came to the funeral; he stood at the back of the church and watched in silence. I tried to catch him before he left, but he was gone as quickly as he arrived. Henry was furious that he had been there. He told me that if he ever saw him again, he would kill him. But I never managed to get contact with him direct. One of his friends told me he travelled, and that was all I could get out of them.”

“If he loved her so much, why did he leave?” Travis asks.

“Henry, of course,” she answers.

“But Mum's letter said he came into the picture a month after everyone left,” I point out. Trisha nods and lifts up the journal.

“But he had been watching her for longer.”

“Henry was stalking her?” Travis asks.

“Yep. He was obsessed with her and wanted her for himself. He had no intentions of sharing her with the other guys so one by one he made them leave her. He used his connections to scare them away. None of them would have left willingly. They really did love your mum.” She places the book on my lap and taps it.

“He watched them for months and picked them off one by one. Dave was the last one to break, he refused to leave and Henry got physical with him. Some guys dragged him from the house and kidnapped him. They threatened the one thing he would do anything to save your mum. They told him they would make sure she suffered if she ever saw him again. He didn’t want to risk it and when he went to the police they didn’t do anything. So he left and tried to do the right thing. But he never recovered from it. He comes back now and again to check on you.”

I look down at the picture and know why he looks familiar.

“I’ve met him,” I whisper, looking into his eyes as I lift the picture from the bed and look at it closer. “He has been at the theatre a few times. He said his wife loved to dance, and he still watches performances as they remind him of her. He’s known for going to a handful of performances each time, and everyone knows him, but not his name.” I look at the picture and smile. “All the times I performed pretending someone was in the audience watching me, cheering me on, and he might have been there.”

“He is the one who is most likely your dad. You have his eyes and smile. You might look just like your mum, but there have been times you have reminded me of him. Your mum believed you were his too but never wanted to say in case she was wrong.”

There is so much to take in, so much to read through and examine to try and decide how to process it all and how much I really want to know. I can feel myself getting overwhelmed by it all.

“Sweetheart, you know I won’t stop you from doing anything, but I think you need to take a break for now.” Travis places his hand on my shoulder and gives it a small squeeze. When I look up at him, I can see the concern in his eyes. I can’t bring myself to answer, so I nod and look at all the stuff now spread out between my auntie and me.

“Your Daddy is right. I know you haven’t even told me half the stuff that’s been going on with you, and there is a lot to process here alone.” She starts gathering things and places them all back into the safe. “Everything in here is yours. Take your time and go through it all a bit at a time.” She looks up to Travis and gives him her serious look.

“It may be best if you read the prick’s journal first. There are a few bits in there that are a little graphic and I would rather you told her the basics than her reading it first-hand.”

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