Page 113 of Three Stepbrothers Save Christmas

I shrug as I continue to watch Ethan and Verity sitting together.

“She can marry whichever one of us she wants. I don’t care if we put our names in a hat to decide as long as she’s a Donavon. I want to distance her from that bastard as quickly as possible.”

I stop talking as I see Ethan and Verity stand and head in our direction. Verity has her arms wrapped around her waist as Ethan keeps her tucked under his arm.

“You okay, Sweetheart?” I ask as they reach us. She looks ready to drop. She must be exhausted. It’s gone three in the morning, and I know she has been up nearly twenty-four hours.

“I want to speak to him before we leave.” She looks up at me and I know this is what she needs to do. She needs the closure.

“Come on, let’s see if they will let you speak to him.”

Verity

I stand outside the room with my three guys and Nicholson. The man I have known as my father is in there, still cuffed and bleeding. I look at the TV monitor to my right that shows inside the room.

Dad is sitting on the floor with his back against a wall.

“You know, you don’t have to do this. You could just walk away and forget all about him,” Nicholson says behind me. I shake my head and look at the guys.

“Can you wait by the door? I want to face him alone.”

They share a look before nodding.

“I will keep it open, but if we come in to get you, you leave, no questions asked,” Travis says as he watches me. I nod and look at the screen.

“I’m ready.”

Nicholson walks past me and opens the door.

“Stevenson, you have a visitor,” he says, stepping back so I can walk in. I look behind me to see the three Donavon brothers standing side by side, each watching over me. I take a deep breath and turn to look at my dad.

“What do you want? Come to gloat?” he snarls before hissing. His hands are now cuffed in front of him, allowing him to wipe some drawl and blood from his face.

“What’s there to gloat about? The fact that the man I have loved and whose approval I have ached for my whole life hates me? Because I certainly don’t feel like gloating about that.”

My dad rolls his eyes whilst groaning.

“Me, me, me. That’s all I’ve ever heard from you. You never shut up.”

I hear a commotion outside and know one or more of the guys have tried to come in here; my dad hears it, too.

“Is your Daddy out there? Doesn’t he like the way I speak to his, Sweetheart?”

“I don’t need him to tell you what I want to say before I leave,” I reply before taking a few steps closer to him, feeling stronger than I ever have as I look down at the man I thought was my father.

“I changed everything about me for you,” I point out as I look at him. “Everything I ever did was for your approval, yet I never got it. I begged you to love me, to want me, and to be the dad I thought you could be, but it was all a lie. You never loved me for me; you loved what you could get from me. You left me alone, scared and vulnerable all because of the money?” I step closer, stare at the man I have loved my whole life, and see nothing but resentment in his eyes. “I hate you.” I whisper it the first time, scared of his reaction, but then I realise I don’t care anymore.

“I hate you and never want to see or hear from you again. You have broken me for the last time. So, fuck you and fuck being the perfect little pumpkin you tried to make me. I hope you burn in hell, you piece of shit.”

I spin around and walk straight out of the door with my head held high. I won’t stop until I reach my Daddy, who welcomes me with open arms. One of the three men who have held me together through some of the most challenging times I have ever experienced and shown me that I do deserve to be loved because I am loved by them, each in their own way.

I look up at Travis as he cups my cheek and smiles down at me.

“I am so proud of you, Sweetheart. You are so brave,” he leans in and kisses my lips before standing straight. “Although we may need to reel in the cursing a little, I don’t think I like how it sounds coming out of that sweet mouth,” he adds with a wink as I find myself laughing for the first time in days and finally feeling like we might all be okay.

58

Verity

---