Page 28 of Three Stepbrothers Save Christmas

“You were protecting what’s yours. That’s only natural. But for the record, once Christian calmed down, he understood. He admitted he would have done the same thing if the shoe was on the other foot, and he didn’t know what was happening on the other end.” Jason sits forward and leans his elbows on his knees like me.

“I’m going to be honest with you. Christian had nothing to do with your father’s death; it really was an accident. The only thing Christian is guilty of is running away from the scene, which he did for us. He knew if he got locked up, we would be left with Tommy, with no Christian to keep us out of trouble.”

I rub my face before pinching the bridge of my nose. I know deep down he is telling the truth. Christian may have killed many people in his time, but he always showed respect towards my father, and I could never understand why he had done it. It was easier to blame him rather than accept my father wasn’t as clean as he claimed.

I don’t say anything; I just nod while trying to push back that last seed of doubt.

“I think I’m finally accepting that,” I sigh. Jason squeezes my shoulder before sitting back again.

“As I’m being honest, there is one more thing I would like to add.”

I turn to look back at Jason with arched brows but stay silent as I already have an idea of what he’s about to say.

“Speak to Verity and be honest with her. I think you’ll be surprised by what she can handle and what she wants.”

I shake my head whilst looking around at the now almost empty room.

“If I do, her father might take her to the States and keep her there.”

“Would she go?”

I shrug, as I have no idea.

“I don’t know. She has mentioned it in the past. With how unhappy she seems to be, it’s a real possibility. Plus, my brothers may have started something with her, and I don’t know if I can handle sharing her, if that’s what you are implying,” I answer before sitting back so I can talk quietly. “They have acted on their feelings, and both seem happy to share her; Ethan even told me to be honest with her. But I don’t know.”

“Does it feel wrong?” Jason asks, and I shake my head.

“No. That’s what makes it weird. If I were to share her with anyone, it would feel natural to be with them. But I don’t know, the last thing I want is to make things complicated by being jealous of what they share,” I admit before looking at him again. “Does that even make sense?”

“More than you realise,” he laughs before looking around. “There’s been times when things haven’t been easy for us. After Jazzy was taken and treated the way she was, there were times she wouldn’t let anyone near her but Christian. Even now, she can wake up from a nightmare and leave our beds to find him. The first couple of times it happened, I felt like I wasn’t enough for her to feel safe and that he would always be the one she turned to for protection. I’m ashamed to admit it hurt my pride.”

“Did it get easier?” I ask as this is the exact thing that concerns me about sharing Verity. I don’t know how I would feel if she chose one of us over the others.

“Yes, because we sat down and talked it through like adults.” Jason turns in his seat to look at me. “Jazzy is a brat, but there are also elements of a little in there, too. Which is one of the reasons we took control as we did. We are her daddies, and it’s what she needs. But with each of us, she has a different type of relationship. Seans is the dominating one, Maximus is the fun one, I’m the reliable one who spoils her, and Christian is her main daddy. She sees him the way I suppose my brothers and I do—the protector.

“Christian has always taken it upon himself to be the one that provides the safety, escape route and protection. You yourself will remember how he tried to keep me and the twins out of the loop as much as possible. He’s like that with Jazzy, which is why she knows she can be as vulnerable as she wants, and he will hold her together. She can be her inner little and know her daddy will protect her.”

“So, she has a different relationship with each of you?”

Jason nods. “It’s taken a little time, but whenever she favours one of us over the others, we know they are providing what she needs. I wouldn’t be surprised if Verity is like that with you three. There are a lot of similarities between her and Jazzy. I think you’ll find out of the three of you; you will be her safety net.”

I listen to everything he’s saying and know there are signs that Verity comes to me when she feels vulnerable. Not just because she will message me or call me more. Last night, after she was sick, she leaned into me to hold her whilst she recovered. My brothers and I don’t have a great relationship with Verity, and in truth, we know very little about her. But that’s something we could change, and it wouldn’t be that hard to do. We need to prove to her that we are sticking around and will be there for her. That’s something I can certainly do anyway.

I look back to Jason and find him smirking at me.

“You are thinking about it a little more now, aren’t you?”

“I guess I am.”

Jason claps me on the back as he stands up and straightens his jacket.

“Well, if you do go for it, I wish you luck. All I can suggest is you talk and act like adults. Let Verity be who she really is with you; don’t try to force her to be anything else. From the times she has been around us, I could tell she couldn’t truly relax, like she was worried about being herself. I know that’s how Jazzy was when she moved in with us, and they are more similar than any of us realised.”

I stand and offer him my hand, which he takes.

“Thanks, Jas.”

Jason nods as I shove my hand in my trouser pockets. A laugh sounds across the foyer, and I turn to see Verity and Jasmine walking towards us. When Verity’s eyes land on me, a big smile spreads across her face, causing my heart to swell. But when she realises I’m standing next to Jason, her smile drops, and she looks worried.

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