Page 40 of Four Fiances & I

Sitting up myself, I lean back against the cushioned headboard and hold out an arm so she can lean against me whilst sipping the water. Once she’s finished, I take it and place it on the cabinet beside me. I want to ask her what happened that caused her so much pain and if there’s something I can do to help her heal, but I don’t know how to ask without upsetting her. As usual, Maximus doesn’t think about such things.

“What happened, Shorty?” He takes her hand to kiss her knuckles.

“Maximus, give her time,” Sean sighs. Jasmine looks at him before looking to Maximus, then me.

“I need time to work through it all,” she whispers as she plays with the bear's ear, not looking up at us. “I asked Dr Gold not to send his usual report to Daddy.” When Jasmine looks up, she seems like a small, vulnerable child. Her eyes fill with tears, and she looks scared. “I know he's going to be cross, but I need to understand this myself before explaining it to the rest of you.” I offer what I hope is a reassuring smile before running a hand over her head.

“He won’t be cross; he will understand. Therapy is about you and not any of us. You do what you must to heal from whatever has come up.” Jasmine tries to look away, but I place a hooked finger under her chin and gently encourage her to look at me. “The only thing I want you to promise me is that you will always come to us if things become too much. If something ever makes you feel like you need extra support, or if you feel like you can’t cope, please know we will help you. Don’t ever do anything reckless because we love you more than life itself, and we would never cope without you.” Looking deep into her eyes, I know she is reading between the lines as she nods slowly.

“I promise.” I release her chin, and she leans into me. “Thank you, Daddy.”

Kissing the top of her head, I look to see my brothers looking at me, both looking devastated and as unsure of what to do, as I feel.

Sean's phone vibrates on the bed at the same time as Maximus’s and mine. I know it will be the security system letting us know someone has arrived.

“It’s him.” Maximus’s jaw clenches as he starts to fight the urge to go to Christian and have it out with him. I know I need to intervene quickly and ensure there’s no fighting while Jasmine is this vulnerable.

“I’ll go and speak to him and let him know you are okay and what you have asked,” I say softly into her hair. I hear the slightest thank you from her before I kiss the top of her head and nod at Sean for him to take my place. He nods and moves once I am out of his way.

“I’ll be back in a bit,” I smile at Jasmine, leaning against Sean now as Maximus holds her hand and plays with her hair. I glance at the other two and nod, hoping they will understand that I heard them, and I will not be going easy on Christian.

Walking from the room, I close the door to ensure they won’t be able to hear anything and head for the stairs. As I reach the top, I find Christian standing at the bottom of them, looking frantic.

“Where is she?” he demands as he moves up a few steps.

“Resting. We need to talk,” I reply coldly. Seeing him there looking worried gets my back up. It’s been a couple of hours since her session finished, and as far as I’m concerned, he hasn’t contacted any of us.

“We can talk when I’ve seen her for myself,” he starts, but I place a hand on his chest as I reach him.

“No. You will listen to what I have to say first.” I add firmly. Christian looks at me for a moment, and I can see he knows I’m pissed, but when he opens his mouth to argue with me, I shake my head. “Don’t. You are not getting near her until I have said what is needed, and I will not do this where she may hear us.” I stare at my brother, showing him I will not change my mind. I will not back down and mean what I said. He will not get near her until I have spoken to him.

He looks like he will argue for a moment, but when he sees I’m not backing down, he turns around and heads back down the stairs. I follow a few steps behind as he storms through the house and heads for his office. I know it's his way of trying to keep some power right now, but I don’t care. He may be my older brother, and he may have saved my life a number of times, but I have saved him as well, and he needs to remember he is my brother, not my boss.

As we enter his office, he walks over to the desk, pulling off his suit jacket and placing it on the back of the chair. He looks up at me, and my control snaps a little.

“Are you having an affair?”

Christian’s eyes bulge as he stares at me from his seat.

“What the fuck did you just ask me?”

“I asked if you are having an affair because it’s the only reasonable explanation as to why you are still being so secretive!”

“Of course, I’m not having a fucking affair! Are you insane?”

“Then where the fuck have you been?” I demand, marching over to his desk.

“Out.” That’s all he’s got to say whilst sitting back in his chair.

“Where?” I ask again.

“It doesn’t matter where I’ve been.” The proud, stubborn bastard is actually going to continue hiding shit from me.

“It matters when you ignore your responsibilities to your fiancée,” I point out. “Did you forget it was your turn to be here for her today?” The look on his face tells me he didn’t.

“Something came up, and I had to take care of it,” he answers.

“And you couldn’t pick up your phone to give us a heads up so we could move things around? Or is your phone broken again?” I point to the door as my anger starts getting the better of me. “She tried to call you herself, and as much as she tried to hide it, she was gutted when you didn’t answer!” I stand tall whilst crossing my arms over my chest.

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