Page 68 of Protecting Little Phoebe

“We even hired a private investigator.” Eric scowled.

“Really? But I left a note.”

“You left a note saying that you needed time to think and that you’d be in touch!” Paul yelled. “It’s been weeks.”

“I’m going to warn you once, you will not yell at Phoebe,” Barren said in a low, dark voice. “You will not upset her. I know how much you’ve hurt her in the past and that ends now.”

“Or what?” Paul dared asked.

“I will ruin you all. And don’t think that because you have more money than I do that I can’t do it. Being her brothers won’t save you. In fact, that makes things worse. You all are supposed to protect and care for her. Yet, all you’ve done all her life is put her down.”

“We have not!” Tony said hotly. “We tried to protect her.”

“Protect her?” Barren repeated. “By telling her to tone herself down? To be someone else? You wanted her to change when she’s perfect the way she is.”

Wow. Just wow. Most of her brothers looked uncomfortable at his words.

“Phoebe has always been different,” Darin said.

“We just don’t want her to be hurt by what other people say or do,” Zane added.

Right. “Because I’m the one in the wrong? Not them?” she asked tightly.

Clay gave her a shocked look. “You’re not wrong, Phoebe. But it’s just… people can be mean, and we didn’t want you to get hurt.”

“It hurt more to have all of you constantly telling me that I’m wrong and that I had to change. That I’m too much. I know you all blame me for Mama’s death?—”

“What?”

“No, we don’t!”

“Who said that!”

They all joined in, their voices growing so loud that she was overwhelmed. Tears dripped down her face.

“Stop! All of you, shut up!” Barren lifted her out of the chair, then sat and settled her on his lap, holding her tight. “You’re all right, little girl. I have you. No one is going to hurt you. I’m here to take care of you.”

There was shocked silence.

“You don’t need to protect her from us,” Eric said tightly.

“Actually, I do,” Barren replied. “Because it’s our family who has the power to hurt us the most. All Phoebe ever wanted was your love and acceptance. Yet, you constantly put her down and made her feel less. Maybe you thought you were helping her, but did you ever think about how she felt? When I met her, she thought she had to behave a certain way so that people wouldn’t get sick of her. That she couldn’t be herself. But she doesn’t need to be anyone but Phoebe.”

What had she done to deserve him? She had no idea, but she was never letting him go.

“We’re sorry, Phoebe,” Joseph finally said. “We’ve been shit brothers.”

“Joseph!” Paul snapped.

“We have been,” Tony added, looking upset. “I know we thought we were helping but look at her. We were just harmingher, and she thinks we blame her for Mama dying? Phoebe, nothing could be further from the truth.”

“When Mama died, we were so sad, but also so happy to have you,” Eric told her.

“I heard you talking once about how you missed Mama and wished I hadn’t been born,” she said.

“Oh, Phoebe,” Eric said. She glanced up to see him staring down at her, stricken. “We might have said that in our grief, but we didn’t mean it and we didn’t mean for you to hear it. We love you.”

“Really?” She glanced around at them all as they nodded.

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