Page 26 of Four Fiances & I

“I think so.” He looks over my head to his older brother before pushing back his shoulders.

“You’ve got this. But if you need any advice, remember, I’ve got your back. I will help you every step of the way until you are ready to stand on your own two feet.” Christian has always been a fantastic brother to his younger siblings. He wants them all to succeed and will do anything to help them. Even if they don’t notice how much he does, I do.

“Thank you, Christian,” Sean whispers before looking towards the front of the house and taking a deep breath to settle his nerves.

I look around us and see two skips filled with stuff and a large van next to three cars.

“Looks like they are getting rid of anything that wasn’t Verity’s,” I point out as we walk towards the doors.

“Wouldn’t blame them. It must be tough having the constant reminder of the arsehole who ruined your life everywhere you look.” Looking at Sean, I wonder if that’s how he felt after everything Tommy put them through. I know they stayed in their childhood home for a while after Christian threw Tommy out because an argument between Tommy and Maximus became physical. They were always a nightmare when living together. This one was particularly nasty and the first in many things that made the guys realise they no longer needed Tommy as much as he needed them. They have been living in the house we call home for nearly three years, and I now know they bought it so we could all be together.

“Here goes nothing.” Sean's voice brings me back to the present as he knocks on the front door. It opens almost instantly, and a smiling Ryan greets us.

“Hey! Come on in, but watch your step; it’s a building site here,” he laughs as he steps out of the way. As soon as we walk through the door, I see Verity standing with Travis. She looks so much thinner than the last time I saw her, and she looks scared. Travis has his arm around her shoulder, protecting her as she clings to a ballerina doll.

I don’t stop to think; I rush out from between Christian and Sean, wanting to hold her. Before I reach her, she throws herself at me, and we meet in the middle in a fierce embrace. The two of us instantly start sobbing into each other's shoulders as we cling to each other.

Eventually, we let go, and I place my hands on the tops of her arms keeping her in front of me to ensure she's paying attention.

“From now on you don’t go anywhere without me. You were only gone for three weeks and look at all the trouble you created. I’m meant to be the bad influence, not you,” I laugh through my tears as a short hard burst of laughter escapes Verity before she wipes her face.

“Okay,” she smiles. I let go of her and wipe my eyes.

“Why don’t you two go and have a chat in the kitchen whilst we all talk in the lounge,” Travis says, stepping forward and offering us a small smile.

“I want to watch Bear sign the contract,” Verity answers, looking at Ryan as he steps up next to Travis.

“We will call you before he signs. I need to go over a few things with him first, which will take a little while,” Sean says as he steps beside me. Verity looks at me and grins before taking my hand and pulling me towards the kitchen.

“Come on, I just got a new coffee machine!” she grins.

“Now you are talking my kind of language!” I wink, not bothering to look over my shoulder as we hear the guys laughing behind us.

“Come back if you need us,” Travis calls. We both hold up a thumb in acknowledgement, making the guys laugh again.

I’ve only been to Verity’s house a handful of times, she didn’t like having people around when her dad, I mean Henry, was away. A couple of times we came to pick something up before a show, but never for longer than an hour. One room I know is the kitchen; it couldn’t be more different than the last time I was here.

One thing you expected when visiting Verity’s place was that it was spotless, with no sign of anyone living in it. There had been a breakfast bar in the middle of the room and a table and chairs. Both are now missing. The flooring has been ripped up, the cabinets destroyed, and the walls are being stripped of tiles. There is a much smaller version of the old table and chairs in place of the previous ones.

“Like what you’ve done with the place,” I tease as Verity points for me to sit in one of the four chairs.

“The whole house looks the same. We are stripping it right back to the foundations and doing what we want with the place,” she says putting her doll down on the one sideboard that’s left, next to a fancy-looking coffee machine.

“Good, if you need any help just shout.”

Verity turns to look at me with an arched brow.

“Aren't you scared you will break a nail?” she teases.

“I never said I would help; I’ll send the guys round. We can drink coffee and watch the men get all hot and sweaty,” I wink as she giggles. For a moment, she looks like the Verity who doesn’t have a care in the world.

“Now that’s something I could get behind, she replies.

I sit and watch as she loses herself in making the coffee. Now and again, she seems to zone out and stare into space. I want to pull her back but know to wait until we can talk properly. Sometimes, the moments we spend staring into space are the moments we need to come to terms with something that pains us.

A few minutes later, she walks over with our coffees and sits beside me. I don’t miss how she looks longingly at the doll she left on the side, chewing on her bottom lip, showing how much she wants it. I think about telling her to get it, but I stand and retrieve it for her instead. She looks up at me with tears in her eyes as she holds it to her chest.

“Thank you,” she whispers. “I was worried you would think I was being pathetic.”

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