Page 89 of Payback
“Interviews?” Indie chimes in from her spot on the ground where she’s playing with the twins. She holds her black glasses away from their prying hands. “Interviews for what?”
I exhale heavily, not expecting to tell them all at once like this. “For a job.”
“You’re looking for a job in Chicago?” Camden asks, his voice tight with shock. “What, like, for good?”
A knot forms in my throat. “I just think it’s better for me not to be around all of you guys. You don’t need my reputation dragging you down.”
“Oh, sod off with that nonsense!” Tanner bellows, draping his arm around Belle. “If we gave a toss about our reputations, we wouldn’t have let Gareth pop Roan in the bloody jaw.”
“Wait…What?” I ask, my brows furrowing in confusion.
Booker pipes up next. “Gareth socked Roan right in the jaw on Saturday night, outside of Roan’s house. It was a proper swing, too. DeWalt went down on the ground and everything.”
“Why did you punch Roan?” I ask, my mouth hanging open.
Gareth looks at me like I have two heads. “Because of the video he made of course.”
“He didn’t make the video!” I exclaim, my voice reaching a high pitch that probably only dogs could hear. “I did!”
Everyone’s jaws drop as they watch me.
I want to punch myself because, not only did I invade Roan’s privacy, but he got his ass kicked because of me. I scrub my hands over my face, horrified that they got it all backwards. “Didn’t you guys see the video? It’s obvious it was me.”
“No!” all the boys snap in unison, their faces twisting up in disgust.
I let out a dramatic groan. “I made the video after my horrible breakup, when Roan was nice enough to take me to Aunt Fiona’s wedding. I thought it would be a good payback for my ex…Make him jealous or something stupid. I never planned on moving back to London, so I didn’t think it would ever get back to Roan. Clearly I was wrong because my stepsister got a hold of it and posted it to spite me.”
“What video?” Sophia asks, her eyes bright and innocently quizzical.
“Nothing!” Sloan exclaims, standing up with Milo in her arms. “Let’s go see what Uncle Camden and Aunt Indie have for snacks in the kitchen.” Rocky cheers and bolts ahead of her toward the kitchen with the twins hot on her heels.
Sloan gives me a sympathetic smile and walks away just as Camden interjects. “If DeWalt didn’t know anything about the video, why didn’t he say so?”
My mind swims with confusion. “He didn’t tell you guys that I recorded it without his consent?”
“No,” Tanner barks, standing up and stroking his beard. “He just stood there while we gave him a proper dressing-down.”
“Why would he let you guys blame him?” Poppy asks, frowning at Booker.
There’s a moment of silence until Vi states, “Dad said that Roan didn’t sign the statement either.” She turns her worried eyes to me and adds, “I spoke to Dad a little bit ago. He’s been really tight-lipped about the whole thing, but he said Roan refused to sign some statement that would make this all go away.”
“Oh my God,” I say, my entire body trembling from this new realisation. “That statement says it was all my doing. That I recorded the video without his consent and released it without his authorisation. He has to sign that statement. It puts all the blame on me and will save his career. If he doesn’t agree to it, he could lose everything. What is he doing? Why is he not telling everyone it was me?”
The room goes quiet again before Gareth’s deep voice states, “Because he loves you.”
My head swerves to my cousin, his dark eyes staring at me with a resigned look about them, like he’s been wrong about Roan all along.
“He did love me. Past tense,” I correct because I still can’t shake the disturbing way Roan looked at me at Tower Park.
Gareth exhales heavily and stands up to walk over to me. He puts his hands on my shoulders. “Allie-Cat, no man gives up what he’s giving up unless he’s head over heels in love.”
My eyes fill with tears. Tears that I haven’t felt since I dragged myself off the Tower Park pitch and cried myself to sleep in Vi’s car. I’ve been numb the past week. Numb when I signed the statement. Numb when I packed my bags and prepared myself to move. Numb to the idea of moving away from my cousins whom I’ve grown to love more than I ever imagined. The idea that Roan might still love me is a hope I won’t allow myself to have.
Gareth’s face softens as he takes in my tears. He pulls me to his chest and rubs the back of my head. “It’s going to be okay, Allie-Cat,” he says, his chest rumbling against my cheek.
I shake my head, pulling out of his arms, knowing I don’t deserve the comfort. “You all have been so good to me since I moved here. Including me in your family, making me feel like a friend. And Vi, you were so kind to set me up with Roan, and I…I just…I ruined everything. I brought this horrible scandal to your family, and I’m seriously sick about this—” My voice cuts off as I begin to sob.
Vi walks over to me and puts an arm around my shoulders, stroking my back in a motherly way that makes the tears in my eyes fall even faster. “You don’t need to explain anything to us, Allie. We’re your family, too. We’ve got your back no matter how stupid you are.”
