Page 31 of Three Stepbrothers Save Christmas

“I do,” I whisper, realising there is some truth in that. I do know he would never upset me on purpose.

I smile as I look deep into his eyes. For a second, I think he's about to lean in to kiss me, and I want him to. But the garage light flicks on, and I blink while looking at the door that leads into the entrance hall.

“Dad!” I scramble from the car and rush to my father.

“Hey, pumpkin,” he laughs as I throw myself into his arms. “Surprise.”

18

Travis

I walk up to Henry as he hugs his daughter.

“Travis.” He holds his hand out, and I shake it, trying to be polite.

“Henry,” I reply. Neither of us putting any feeling into it. Do I dislike the guy? Not really. There again, I don’t particularly like him either. The state I have seen his daughter in because of his absence does not help that fact. But I keep the peace to ensure she is safe and out of the world he has found himself a part of in the States.

“I can’t believe you’re back!” Verity clings to her father like she is scared to let him go. If I were her, I would be too because no one knows how long he will stay for this time.

“Well, I had to return at some point, Pumpkin.”

So, not actually because you have a daughter you needed to check on. I bite my tongue as I walk into the house to see my mum in the kitchen.

“Travis, you are here,” she walks towards me with her arms flung open, like I’m meant to rush to her. Those days have long gone.

“Mother,” I reply dryly as I hug her. I look at my two brothers, rolling their eyes at me.

“You finally decided to come back for a bit,” I point out as I step away from her and head towards the alcohol cabinet, suddenly feeling the need for a strong drink.

“Oh, you know how things are. But we are here now,” she announces, picking up her wine glass, which, of course, is almost empty. “Be a dear and give me a top-up, please?” I’m not sure she really needs another drink, but that’s Mother dearest. I swear she spends more time drunk than sober. I rarely see her without a drink of some sort in her hand.

I take a deep breath and go about filling up her glass.

“How was the performance?” Ethan asks as he picks up his whiskey glass. I should have known he would already have one. Ethan has always struggled when around Mum. The two of them have a tense relationship that has worsened with time.

“It was great; you should watch it before it ends,” I answer before turning to Mum.

“Will you and Henry be going to watch?” I ask, not missing my mother's slight look of disgust before that fake smile spreads across her face.

“Oh, I doubt we will have time for that. Verity will send a recording of it, I’m sure.”

“Send? Mother, how long are you staying for?” I ask, putting my glass down on the counter. “You are here for Christmas, aren’t you?” I demand.

“Don’t worry about that. We will discuss all our plans tomorrow. I want to get some rest tonight and see my boys. Is that too much to ask?” She flashes her signature smile, which is also a sign we won’t get any truth out of her tonight. It’s best to play along and try again tomorrow when she is a little more sober.

“No,” I reply through gritted teeth. “I guess it’s not.”

We all sit together in the lounge as Verity speaks to her father at a hundred miles an hour, telling him everything she’s been doing. Leaving out the cheating boyfriend, fucking two of her stepbrothers, and getting so drunk she passed out.

Henry sits and listens to his daughter, but I don’t miss the occasional look he shares with my mother. He isn’t listening to her and doesn’t care about what she is telling him. I must bite my tongue to stop myself from saying something to him because I don’t think Verity notices. If she does, she is hiding it well. There again, if she has shown anything the last couple of days, she is fantastic at hiding her true feelings. We rarely see how Henry and Verity are together as we don’t tend to be around when he’s home. If we are, he tends to golf or work from his office. He always seems to be looking for a reason to be anywhere but with his child.

When Verity excuses herself to the toilet, Henry sits back on the sofa and sighs.

“I almost forgot how much that girl can talk.”

“Maybe if you spoke to her more, she wouldn’t have so much to say on the rare occasion you are home,” Ethan mutters from his chair. Loud enough for all in the room to hear.

“You know I can’t help being away as much as I am. That doesn’t mean I don’t talk to my daughter,” Henry snaps on the defensive. Ethan is about to say more when I cough and stand up, distracting him. When he frowns at me, I give him a warning look as Verity skips back into the room.

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