Page 30 of Three Stepbrothers Save Christmas

“Take me home.”

17

Verity

My heart is fluttering. I’m so happy.

Travis, watching the performance tonight means so much to me. I often pretend in my head someone’s secretly watching from the crowd. It’s a little thing that gets me through tough performances, especially now Jaz knows she has someone there every night. Everyone will talk about different friends and family coming to watch, but I never have anyone. I haven’t for a long time.

I was sure I’d heard him whistle when I took my bow during the curtain call. I immediately looked in the direction it came from and, for the briefest moment, thought I saw him in the shadows. It’s nearly impossible to see anyone in the audience when you are on the stage, but something told me I was looking straight at him. But I didn’t want to get my hopes up in case I was wrong. He is the first person to watch me in over a year, and it’s given me the boost I needed to take that step forward to get over the last twenty-four hours.

Travis can tell how happy I am as he keeps glancing over, smiling. He took my hand about ten minutes ago and hasn’t let go since. A part of me is paranoid; he’s just being like this because I slept with his brothers this afternoon. But then Travis has been there for me several times in the last six months. He’s called to check I’m okay. Or if I need anything. Sometimes, he messages to say he was thinking about me. I’ve found myself thinking about him more and more and even wondering if something was starting between us. But I never wanted to get my hopes up. At the end of the day, I’m ten years younger than him; would he really be interested in someone like me? Then there is the fact that I slept with his two brothers only this afternoon. I still can’t wrap my head around what happened.

I think I’ve been hanging around with Jasmine too much because I won’t lie and say I haven’t thought about being with all three of my stepbrothers, whether separately or together. It’s so appealing I don’t think I can say no if Travis does want to take me to bed. I know I probably should, as I have no idea what that was about with the guys earlier, and both said they wanted to do it again. But I don’t even know if Travis is aware of what happened. Should I mention it to be sure? I wouldn’t want something to happen between us and then for him to find out. Do I expect anything to come from it? No, not at all. I have every intention of just having some fun; that’s what I will tell myself anyway.

“So, other than what I saw, did everything go okay tonight? No issues out back?” Travis asks, dragging me back to reality.

“No, it was all good. The girls cornered me and asked if I was okay, but other than that, everything was the same as any other night.” I decided not to tell him about all the messages I had on my phone from Marshall asking where I was and why I wasn’t answering my phone. He also sent one after he left mine, which didn’t start off too pleasant, but I forced myself not to read it, and I’m glad I didn’t. I don’t think I saw the real him until today, and I have no idea how many times he has cheated on me in the past, and I let him because I was blind to it all. He was right about one thing: I throw myself into dancing. My dad has always said how proud he is of what I have achieved at the school, and he works so hard to ensure I get to stay there. So, I’ve never missed a lesson, practice or show for fear of disappointing him.

“I bet they had a few things to say about me after my outburst.” Travis glances over at me nervously. “I hope you know that’s not who I am. It was very out of character for me, and I will never treat you that way, ever.”

“Jaz was just looking out for me. She thought you were Marshall, so she didn’t want me to go with you. I guess that’s my fault for never introducing him to any of my friends.” I know he was worried about me, and Jasmine confirmed there is a lot of bad blood between him and Christian, but she wouldn’t tell me what she knows. I’m not even sure if she knows the whole story. I have considered asking him what happened, but it’s not my business, and unlike Jasmine and Christian, Travis has no reason to tell me the truth.

“I think they were shocked by how you and Christian were together. It’s not often they see people stand up to him and get away with it.”

“How much do you know about the O’Reilly’s?” he asks, glancing at me quickly. I shrug as I look out of my window at the night sky as it flies past us.

“Nothing, really. I know they are the type of men you need to stay on their good side. They used to scare me, especially Christian, as he always comes across as bossy and controlling when speaking to others. Danielle says there are a lot of people who fear the O’Reillys. But whenever he’s with Jaz, he’s a different person.” I turn to look at Travis and smile. “He loves her; they all do. There isn’t anything they aren’t willing to do for her.”

That’s what I want. Someone to love and look after me like the O’Reilly’s look after Jaz. She’s told me what happened when she was taken and how the guys got her back. She also admitted to more than she probably should have, like how she killed her mother. But she needed to talk to someone who wasn’t the guys, and I’m here for her no matter what. I may disagree with her killing Carol, but at the end of the day, she was protecting her man, and there is something special about that.

She has also told me how hot the sex is and how they dominate her, which I need! But when she admitted how she doesn’t need to worry about anything anymore. They take care of everything, from her needs to what she wants. I want that, too. Okay, I don’t think I could handle four daddies. I want someone who accepts who I am, takes care of me, and protects me when I need it. Someone who wouldn’t want me to be anything but my true self, not the father-pleasing, well-presented, pristine woman I pretend to be. Because that’s what it feels like sometimes, that I’m playing a role everyone expects to see. Sometimes I want just to be me. I want someone to let me curl up with them and mess around with them. I want to know that if I’m feeling vulnerable, they will hold me and show me everything will be fine.

“Christian was in the car when my father crashed.”

My attention snaps back to Travis, amazed. He never talks about his dad. I know his death hit the brothers hard as they chose him over their mother when they separated. But no one really mentions him.

“Which Is that why you hate him?”

Travis sighs, not taking his eyes from the road.

“I don’t hate him. Not really. I did for a long time, but not anymore.” Travis comes to a stop at a stop sign, and I squeeze his hand that is resting on my lap.

“I knew Christian was with Dad when he crashed, but when the ambulance service and police got there, he was alone in the car. Christian had run, leaving behind a large batch of drugs. The police believed that my father was a drug dealer and had just picked up his supply when he lost control of his car.” Travis glances at me as he starts driving again. “They weren’t his drugs, they weren’t even Christians, they had been to acquaintances, and they had confiscated them trying to help him. But someone told me Christian had been arguing with my dad who wanted to sell the drugs on at a profit. The last time anyone saw him alive, he was arguing with Christian. So, I believed people when they said Christian had caused the accident. I hated him for leaving Dad to die alone and for the initial crash.”

“Did you ever find out what caused the crash? Was it Christian?” I ask. Travis shakes his head.

“No, but I think I’ve known for a while that he wasn’t to blame. What Jason just told me confirms it. Christian ran so he wouldn’t be caught. Their father was a jackass, and Christian brought the others up from the age of fourteen when their mother died. That’s why they all look up to him so much.” Travis sighs and rubs his face as he turns onto the road that leads home.

“I know I need to speak to him, and I will for you.” Travis surprises me by lifting our hands and kissing my knuckles. “I don’t want ever to be a reason for you to feel you can’t spend time with your friend or her guys.”

“Yeah, it would make being Jasmine's bridesmaid difficult,” I chuckle as a smile appears in the corner of Travis’s mouth.

“Yeah, it probably would.”

He pulls off the road and onto the driveway, parking in the large garage. When the engine stops, Travis turns in his seat to look at me whilst resting an elbow on the steering wheel.

“I would never hurt you in any way; I hope you know that?”

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