Page 35 of Three Stepbrothers Save Christmas

Ryan

Shit.

I’m pacing outside her room and trying to decide if I should barge in and check on her or leave her in peace. I wish Travis were here; he would know what to do.

I pull my phone out of my pocket and ring him, but it goes straight to voicemail. When I try Ethans, it’s the same.

Fuck.

Mum knew what she was doing when she sent them there this morning. There’s never any signal in that bloody storage unit or the surrounding area. I check the time and realise they left three hours ago. Thankfully, they managed to sneak out at four, as none of us could sleep. We knew Mum and Henry were hiding something; I just never guessed it would be Henry abandoning his daughter again.

Poor Verity has been so happy to have her dad home. The change in her last night was unmissable; it’s just a shame Henry has no respect for his daughter or even truly cares about her. Well, if that’s the case, I have no issue with looking out for her from now on. I’m going to come clean to the guys and tell them I’m starting a relationship with her. If they want to share her, I’m happy to do that, but it’s us and no one else.

I’m not a fool; I know they care for her just as much as I do. Until yesterday with Ethan, I would have never even considered sharing her with anyone. But there was something about the way the three of us came together. It felt so natural and so right. I couldn’t help but wonder how it would be if Travis were to join in, too, not just as a four-way but in a relationship overall.

I stop in my tracks and hear a sound coming from her room. Is she crying in there?

Fuck this.

I charge in, not even bothering to knock.

“Little Kitten,” I call out, but all I can hear is the sound of the shower in the bathroom. I know I shouldn’t go in there, but when I hear her, and I’m unsure if she’s crying or not, I rush into the closed room.

At first, I can’t see through the thick steam. It’s fogging up the mirrors and filling the space. I turn to where I know the shower is, and that’s when I see her leaning against the wall, with her head resting on her knees.

Walking into the shower, I sit, pulling her into my arms. At first, she fights me but then just stays stiff.

“I’m here, Little Kitten. I’m right here. If you want to cry, you cry. I’m here for you when you are ready.”

Verity looks up at me with the saddest eyes I have ever seen.

“Why am I not enough for him?”

She goes back to looking down at the floor as if unable to let anyone see the pain she’s in. My jaw clenches with anger at the man who has the nerve to call himself her father. No man should ever make their child feel like this. They should bend over backwards to prove that they are worth everything in the world and that there is nothing they wouldn’t do for them. Not chastise them for showing any form of emotions. I heard what he said about no one wants to see her cry. Well, fuck him! I will watch her cry for as long as she needs if it means she can start to heal.

I don’t know how long I hold her or how long she leans against me silently, but as we sit in that shower, I know her heart is breaking silently. I hear my phone ringing from the bedroom, where I threw it to the side when I walked in. It will be my brothers, and they will be furious at me for not answering. But tough shit. Verity needs me more than anyone else right now.

She moves slightly in my arms, and I hear the sound of something hitting the shower floor. I look down, expecting to see a ring or bracelet that’s come loose. But instead, I see a blade from a razor. I jump back from her and grab her hands, frantically searching her wrists, but there is nothing on them.

“What were you going to do with that?” I ask as she stares at the blade on the floor and doesn’t say a word.

“I don’t care how bad things get; you never, ever do something like that. Do you hear me, Verity?” I demand, grabbing her face and making sure she can see how serious I am. “I know you are hurting, and it feels like nothing will ever get better, but it will. I’m going to make sure of it. Things are going to change around here. But you have to promise me you will never consider a way out again. Promise me, Verity.”

“I wasn’t going to kill myself,” she whispers as her whole body starts to shake, and I see her placing a hand on her thigh. I pull her hand away to see blood on it. I had been so worried about her and holding her I hadn’t even noticed she was bleeding. I grab a towel from the floor and place one arm under her legs and another around her back.

“Put your arms around my neck.”

She does as she’s told, and I lift her from the floor before placing her on the closed toilet. I place the towel on the side of her right thigh and see there is only a small amount of blood on it. When I look at the cut, it’s only tiny, but there are a couple of them. They look like scratches, but I have a feeling it’s not the first time she has done this. Now I’m paying attention; I can see lots of small scars all over her hip and thigh. They are easy to miss if you don’t know they are there. But once you see one, you see them all.

“How long have you been doing this?” I ask softly as I look into her sad eyes. She doesn’t say anything; instead, she looks away as her face loses all emotion. It’s like she has switched off, and nothing will get through to her. I stand back up and press a kiss to her head as I do. Wrapping the towel around her, I lift her back in my arms. Giving her short, quick instructions, planning on getting her into bed where I can keep an eye on her.

Back in her room, I help her into a clean pair of pyjamas and brush her long blonde hair before helping her into bed. She instantly rolls to the side, facing away from me. Running a hand over her head, I sit on the edge of the bed to watch over her and ensure she doesn’t do anything else to cause herself harm.

“Whenever you are ready to talk, I am here. I’m not going anywhere, I promise.”

Verity doesn’t show any sign of hearing me, but I keep one hand on her side as I unlock my phone with the other and message Ethan and Travis.

Ryan: You need to get back now. They left, and Verity’s had a breakdown. I found her self-harming. Hurry up, I’m not leaving her side; we are in her room.

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