Page 38 of Three Stepbrothers Save Christmas

“What do you want me to do for her?”

I don’t miss the way he says for her; he isn’t doing it for me, and that’s fine. She is the reason I’m even speaking to him right now.

“I know Jason will have told you we spoke last night, and what about. Verity needs a daddy, and I’m worried I’ll fuck it up. Jason said you’re Jasmine’s protector, her provider, which is the role I think I am to Verity, too. But I don’t want to make things any worse than they already are.”

“What does your gut tell you to do?” Christian asks. I rub my face as I look to the door, knowing hers is on the other side of the hallway mine. I visualise her lying there on the bed, her back to me as she shuts down all emotions.

“I want to walk in there, pull her onto my lap and hold her, even if she fights me. All to prove to her I’m not going anywhere, no matter how hard she tries to push me away. I want to swear to her I will help her put herself back together and find out who she really is. No matter what, I’m here for the rest of my life.” I look at the chair and see a gift I picked up for her yesterday. “All while giving her a fucking ballerina doll I planned to give her for Christmas,” I almost laugh at the idea.

“Sounds to me like you are already her daddy.”

‘“I think you’re right.” I have always been protective of her, even before she was spiked. All I ever wanted was to keep her safe, even if that meant stepping back and hiding how I felt. She has always been my priority.

“At least we can agree on something. That is exactly what she needs. But you need to ask yourself, are you in it for the long run? Are you going to stick by her forever? What about your brothers? Are they in it for the long run? Or is it just appealing to them at the moment? Verity has been through enough and needs nothing major to change for a while.”

“I know; I will speak to them. But I’m in this forever. I’m done pretending I don’t care.”

“Then you know what you need to do, and it sounds like you didn’t need me at all.”

I guess he’s right; I didn’t.

“How do I contact the school to let them know she won’t be there tonight?"

“I’ll sort that for her. Jasmine will back up that she is ill and will call when she’s recovered. We will say she has a migraine for now.”

“Thank you, Christian.”

“I hope Verity starts to feel a little more like herself soon.”

“So do I,” I reply as I take a deep breath and end the call.

I look at the door for a moment before grabbing the rag doll and charging to her room.

When I walk in, I find Ethan still sitting on the bed, his hand on her hip as she looks at the wall. Ryan is sitting on a chair, leaning forward and just watching her. Both look so lost and obviously have no idea what to do. I look at Ethan and signal for him to move. He stands up and heads beside Ryan as I sit on the bed.

“Sweetheart, I need you to talk to me to tell me what’s going on in that head of yours,” I whisper as I place a hand on her hip. I look over her to see if she’s asleep. She isn’t. All she’s doing is staring at the wall, and I know if I don’t do what my gut tells me to do, she will never recover. I place the doll on the other side of her and, in one move, pull her onto my lap so she rests against my chest. As expected, she instantly tries to move away and fights against me, but I tighten my hold.

“You have been told you can’t cry, you can’t show emotion, and you can’t throw a tantrum. They were wrong,” I tell her as she fights to escape me.

“Let me go!” she begs as she tries to push me away.

“You can scream, cry, punch me and do whatever you need, but I’m not letting you go. Not now, not ever.”

“Let. Me. Go!” she shouts louder, but I tighten my hold.

“Travis, let her go!” I hear Ethan shout, followed by Ryan telling him to shut up.

“Trust him,” I hear him telling Ethan, who steps back a little.

“I’m never letting you go. You can scream, cry and shout, and it’ll never change what you mean to me.”

“Liar!” Verity yells, still fighting to get out of my arms. “You will leave. Everyone leaves.”

“Well, not me, not again. I’m here and if I leave, you are coming with me. Understand?” I declare over her, thrashing in my arms. She punches my chest, and for a moment, I see a flicker of shock on her face. “Throw the tantrum you want to throw. Scream, cry and punch me. I will take it all to prove to you I’m staying.” She starts lashing out, but this time screaming. But I take it all. It hurts like a bitch, but not once do I even consider letting her go. I will take it all for her. I will be her punch bag when she can’t punch who really deserves it. I will be her sounding board when she can’t shout at the person who’s upset her. I will be all that and more because she is everything to me.

“I hate you!”

Those three words would kill me if I thought for a moment she meant them, but I know she doesn’t.

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