Page 17 of Three Stepbrothers Save Christmas

I know he’s right; it’s the last thing she needs. Am I willing to put my feelings towards Christian to one side for that poor girl upstairs? For the time being, yes. Verity needs someone to look after her. I think it’s been a long since anyone paid enough attention to her to do it. Henry has always worked in the States but says this is his primary home. Before his wife died, he would only be over there one week out of four. That all changed when Verity’s mum passed away; he started working over there more and more, and now, he’s been there for months at a time. But even I noticed that his time at home is getting shorter and the time between visits longer.

I can’t believe I never thought to check on how she was really doing before now. I mainly contact her via text messages and phone calls. It’s obviously been easy for her to hide what she’s been feeling and going through.

“Leave it with me. I won’t do anything to cause her more stress than she’s already under.”

The others nod, but I don’t miss the look between them.

We all turn to look at the entrance to the kitchen as we hear footsteps on the stairs. I return to the coffee machine and start making up two coffees, which I’m just handing to the others when Verity walks into the kitchen.

“Good morning, Baby Girl. How’s the head doing?” Ethan asks cheerfully. Verity looks at him and groans.

“I’m never drinking again,” she sighs, coming to a stop beside him.

“Ahh, the famous four words!” he chuckles as he puts an arm around her shoulders. For a moment, she stiffens before relaxing into him. When she looks up at me, I can see her eyes are bloodshot, and she looks exhausted.

I point towards the small table that’s in here.

“Go and sit down; I’ll get you a coffee. What time is your performance tonight?” I ask, surprised when she does as she’s told without arguing.

“I need to be there for five. Any chance one of you can give me a lift, please? My car’s, well, you know,” she nervously looks down at her hands.

“I’ll take you tonight, but I want you to try and get some rest this afternoon before we go. You had a long night and didn’t sleep soundly,” I tell her while making her coffee the way she likes.

“I don’t sleep in the day,” she answers. I turn and look at her, frowning, but it's Ryan who asks the question first.

“What? Not even if you haven’t slept in the night?”

Verity shakes her head as she looks around at us all.

“If you lose an hour to sleep, you spend the rest of the day chasing it.”

“Who told you that bullshit?” Ethan exclaims. Verity shrugs, and I have a feeling there are lots of little phases like that she was taught growing up, which she still lives by. I know she had a strict Nanny when she was homeschooled. It wouldn’t surprise me if that’s why she also gets up at six every morning.

“Well, today, you can curl up and have an hour on the sofa or in bed. No arguments,” I tell her as I place a coffee before her. She doesn’t argue out loud, just nods. But I have a feeling she isn’t going to do as she’s told, but I can at least try.

“I need to pop out for a bit to sort some shit out. You going to be okay with dumb and dumber here?” I ask, nodding towards my brothers, who instantly start protesting loudly. I’d hoped it would get at least a smile out of her, but Verity just nods and sips her drink.

“I manage on my own every other day.”

I walk up to her and place a kiss on the top of her head. It’s not something I usually do, but right now, she looks like she needs as much affection as possible. Plus, I need to remind myself she is actually okay.

“If you need anything picked up, message or call me.”

Verity looks up and nods before going back to her coffee.

“Thank you for looking after me last night. I’m sorry I was so stupid,” she whispers before looking back at me. I can see how humiliated she is, and it breaks my heart. I reach out and run a hand over her head.

“We all do it at some point. You have nothing to be sorry for. Like I said, be careful in the future.”

“I will,” she replies, giving me a small smile. I lean in and kiss her head again, breathing in her sweet scent at the same time.

As I turn away from Verity, I look to my brothers and mouth, “Watch her.” They both nod subtly before going about making their breakfasts.

Grabbing my keys from the counter I rush to the car and quickly head towards the main road.

When I received the call yesterday from Ryan to say that he was worried about Verity and Ethan having caught her boyfriend with another woman, I jumped in the car without a second thought. I don’t have any clothes with me, my laptop to keep on top of work, or even a toothbrush. All I could think about was getting here and ensuring she was okay. I’m so glad I did, as I had only been at the house ten minutes when the O’Reilly’s girl had called by looking for Verity because they had seen she was upset and couldn’t find her. I’d been in my room when they arrived, and they left instantly, which is why she had no idea who I was. Ryan had rushed up to my room to tell me that something might have happened to Verity, and I’d jumped in the car and started driving around to find her. I never expected to find her in the state I did.

Verity is one of the most innocent, quiet and level-headed women I’ve ever known. But after seeing her last night, I think the whole innocent little girl act is something she can’t stop playing. Is she being someone she thinks everyone wants her to be? Because if she is, it would explain so much.

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