by Amanda Rose
“Happy new year,” I whisper to them.
“That’s enough of the kisses. Come on,” my mum says, walking over and putting an arm around me as John meets my eyes. He smiles a little, but it’s clear he isn’t going to say anything to my mum which I’m thankful for.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Elise
“Elsie, you shouldn’t wear red, it’s far too sexy on you,” Ezra says as he walks down the corridor, stopping next to me as I look at the photo of all of them together that I’ve just seen. Their mum is with them in this, and their dad is holding an arm around her waist. I wanted to look at the photos once before I have to leave tomorrow. I can’t believe it’s tomorrow already, and every little part of me wants to stay here.
“I was just looking at your mother. She was very beautiful,” I comment. Beautiful is an understatement for the lovely woman in the photo with her long, brown hair and hazel eyes that remind me of her sons. Their mum looks the very opposite of my mum, they couldn’t be any more different.
“She was and kind, too.”
“It must have been difficult to lose her,” I reply, and he nods sliding his hand into mine and squeezes as he looks at the photo.
“What about your dad?” he asks me.
“They split when I was ten, and my dad still claims he loves my mum when he doesn’t. He just can’t get over that she left him, I guess,” I tell him. I still haven’t called my dad back after our last conversation, and I don’t think I will. I will just wait for him to call me again and hope he is interested a little in my life.
“I was angry when my dad came back saying he married a woman he met abroad.”
“I bet,” I reply.
“But then, he seems happy, for the first time in five years he was smiling and laughing when he got out of the taxi. I don’t know a thing about your mum, but if she makes him happy, well everyone should get a little bit of that,” he says, sliding his hands into his jeans pockets and shrugging.
“What do you think I should do on my last day?” I ask with a laugh when he raises his eyebrows. I want to be doing that too, but I can’t, not again. Every time I’m with them, I fall a little more, and I don’t want it to hurt any more than it’s going to already when I leave.
“I’ll get the guys, and you go put a coat and wellies on.”
“I don’t have any wellies.”
“Your boots will do,” he laughs and leaves me in the corridor. I walk down the stairs, spotting my mum’s wellies by the door and decide they are better than my boots. After I put them on, I put my coat on and wait for the guys to come downstairs. I watch them all walk down the stairs a few minutes later, looking ridiculously attractive in their coats and boots. Flynn walks over to me, kissing me on the cheek quickly as he places his scarf around my neck.
“It’s cold out,”
“We are going outside?” I say with fake horror, and they laugh as I pull on my gloves from my pockets.
“Come on hermit, we are going to make a snowman and have a snow ball fight. The normal things people do with snow.”
“Okay,” I laugh and follow them out. The snow stopped falling two days ago, but the roads haven’t been cleared. John said they are clearing them later tonight, so I shouldn’t miss my flight. Ezra and Flynn hold my hands as we walk around the house and towards the side where there is a field of untouched snow. We spend ages rolling snowballs big enough for the base of the snowman and then the top. Thank God, the guys are strong as they made it a lot easier. Max puts his hat on the snow man as I find some stones for the eyes and mouth. Flynn gets some twigs and makes the arms.
“It’s missing a carrot nose.”
“I’ll go and get one,” Max chuckles and runs back to the house. I lean down and roll a ball of snow up, lifting it and throwing it at Flynn. It hits the side of his face, and he laughs, rubbing the snow away and looks over at me.
“You’d best run,” he says, and I watch as Ezra picks up a snow ball and throws it at Flynn. Using the distraction he gave me, I run into the woods and hide behind a large tree. I roll myself another snow ball and keep an eye out in the direction they last were. I scream when a snow ball hits my side, and I look over to see Flynn laughing. I throw my snow ball at him, but he knocks it away with his hand and comes over to me, pressing my back into the tree as he looks down at me.
“Cheeky Elsie,” he says and then kisses me. I let him push me further into the tree as the kiss deepens.
“What the hell is going on here?” my mother’s voice shouts through the woods to my right, and I look over to see her walking towards us, with John at her side. Flynn moves away slightly as we turn to face them, but he slides his hand into mine linking our fingers, and I know he isn’t going to leave me alone to face this.
“Mum, it’s not–” I start to say and then stop when she glares at me.
“Are you two sleeping together?” she asks me bluntly as we stare at each other. She doesn’t look disgusted as I expected her to. No, she looks upset, and I’m not entirely sure why.
“Yes,” Flynn answers for me when I don’t respond.
“Lynn, perhaps we should step indoors and think about this before anything is said that might be regretted when we have calmed down,” John says gently, and she shakes his hand off her arm.
“It’s wrong. He’s your stepbrother,” she says to me.
“Who I’ve known for two weeks, so it’s not like we are really siblings. It’s not wrong, I–”
“You might as well be honest, Elsie. We have all been sleeping with you,” Ezra says coming out of the forest with Max at his side. They both give me comforting nods as they stop next to us.
“Three? You’ve been sleeping with three men who are your stepbrothers?” she asks, going a deathly white colour. I don’t want to lie to her, and I don’t see why I should have to. It’s too late to go back, and I don’t regret anything that happened between us all. I glance between all the guys, knowing that they likely don’t regret anything, and they are at my side, dealing with this with me and not running away.
“Yes,” I reply.
“I can’t believe you would do that,” she says, taking a step back in shock.
“Really, mum? Where did you think I learnt my loose morals from? Wait, don’t answer that. It’s nothing to do with you,” I snap.
“Perhaps you should go and pack, Elsie,” John suggests, and I ignore the pain I feel when he said that.
“No,” Flynn says firmly, moving to my other side and resting his hand on my back. I look at my mum as she bursts into tears and John pulls her into his arms, I know I should leave. I’m just causing trouble here.
“He is right. I don’t want to cause any more trouble, and I’m leaving tomorrow anyway.”
“Don’t run, Elsie,”
“What did you expect to happen? That we could live together? That you wouldn’t get bored with sharing me?” I ask, feeling frustrated. I know it isn’t anything to do with how I feel about them and more to do with the fact I kept hoping this was more.
“Are you just going to walk away?” Max asks me, as I step away from them all.
“What else can I do? If I stay, I’m going to get my heart broken and then what? This is just a Christmas break, and I will always remember you, but I can’t stay,” I say quietly.
“Elsie, I can drive you,” John says behind me, and I turn to see my mum walking towards the house, and John waiting nearby, watching us all.
“Thank you “I say walking over to him, feeling pain shoot through my heart as I walk away from them all and knowing I can’t come back to see them. I don’t look back once because I know I’ll just run into their arms.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Max
“Are we just going to let her leave?” I ask my brothers as we all watch her walk to the car from my bedroom window. She looks up for a second, and I almost think she might be able to see us, but she can’t. As I watch her get in the car and shut the door, every part of me wants to go after
her and stop her from leaving.
“What should we do?” Flynn asks me, groaning as he rubs his face and moving to sit in the chair in the room. Ezra smacks a hand against the wall by the window, leaning down and not saying a word.
“I love her,” I tell them. There’s silence in the room before I see both Ezra and Flynn nod. They love her, too.
“I’ve been with plenty of women, but I’ve never felt anything like what I feel for her. Let’s go after her,” Ezra says walking towards the door, and I grab his arm, stopping him.
“We need to prove we are serious about her before we do that,” I say, letting go.
“What do you have in mind?” Ezra asks.
“The apartment she’s going to be living in, I think we should buy the other two off dad.”
“Then move in?” Flynn asks, nodding.
“Yes, and then we can see if she wants to be with us. No one, including our dad, is going to be okay with this or get it.”
“I don’t care,” Flynn comments, glancing back at the window once more.
“Me neither, but if we are going to do this, share her, we need to be open with everyone in our family,” I say, and he nods.
“Can I come in?” Elsie’s mum, Lynn, asks as she opens the door and pops her head around.
“Sure,” I say, and she comes in, shutting the door behind her. I watch as she stands awkwardly for a long time. I glance at Ezra and Flynn, who shrug.
“I love my daughter, and I want to know if it’s just sex you are using her for.”
“We aren’t using her for anything,” Ezra snaps, and I walk over, placing a hand on his shoulder.
“We love her. I want to be honest with you and say that the moment I saw her, I felt something. I don’t know why she has to be our stepsister in this fucked-up world, but it’s not going to stop me from going after her. It’s not going to stop any of us.”
“You can’t have a relationship together, all four of you,” she shakes her head.
“Why not? It’s called Polyandry, and it’s practised a lot more than people talk about,” Flynn says, and she still shakes her head.
“At the end of the day, it’s up to Elsie, and I don’t mean to be rude when I say this, but you don’t have the best relationship with her,”
“No, I don’t. I’ve not been a great mum. I let my life distract me from my daughter until it was too late.”
“Then, perhaps a good way to move past that, is to accept her new life. I don’t know if she is going to say yes to us, but maybe you should call her and be honest. I have a feeling she wants her mum in her life,” I tell her, and she nods looking down at the ground.
“I need some time to come to terms with this, but I suspect you’re right,” she says and walks out, shutting the door behind her.
“So, time to plan and get our Elsie,” Flynn says, standing up with a grin. He walks to the laptop in the room and turns it on. We spend the next few hours sorting out our business and planning a big move to London. When we are done, we go downstairs and find our dad in the kitchen, holding a glass of whisky. I guess he must have taken Elsie to the airport okay, if he hasn’t said anything.
“So, when are you moving?” he asks.
“How did you guess?” I ask, getting some glasses out of the cupboard and pouring us all a drink.
“The way you look at Elsie, is the way I looked at your mum,” he tells us, and I nod, downing my drink.
“We want to buy the building in London off of you, we have enough money between us,”
“It’s yours, but I’m not taking your money. You can consider it an early inheritance,” he replies.
“Thanks, Dad,” Ezra pats him on the shoulder and finishes his drink.
“I’m going to miss having you boys around.”
“We will come back for Christmas and throughout the year, hopefully with Elsie at our side,” I say, and my dad pours another drink for us all.
“Your mum would have been proud of you all,” he says, his eyes watching me closely as I nod, and look down.
“Stay and have some drinks with your old dad, and then I’ll help you pack,” he tell us.
I drink my whiskey and hold out the glass, “Let’s drink,” I say, and he pours me another.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Elise
“Have a good year, and I hope you like the apartment. The directions and everything you need are in here,” John says as he gives me an envelope, and I nod, taking it and sliding it into my bag. John waited for me to pack my bags after I walked away from the guys. Luckily, the snow had been cleared. I didn’t see any of them before I left, even though I wanted to. My mum wouldn’t look at me as she sat on the sofa with her glass of wine and watched TV as I left. I don’t even want to think about her lack of caring that I was leaving. My heart already feels like it’s breaking with every step I take away from my guys. I love them, and I walked away.
“Are you sure you still want me to live there?” I ask John, trying to distract myself.
“Yes. One more thing, Elsie,” he asks me as I start to walk away, and I look back at him. “My sons, do you love them?”
“It’s only been two weeks,” I mumble, not even believing my own words when I know they are a lie.
“When I met Darcie, my sons’ mother, I knew I loved her from one glance. Then, we spent a week together every day, and I knew my thoughts about her weren’t wrong. Love happens when you least expect it and usually at the wrong time and place,” he says, my mind picturing the guys one-by-one. Max, who is cheeky but in a way that makes you want to laugh with him as he takes your heart. Then, there is Flynn who is flirty but has a passionate way about him that draws you in. And, finally Ezra, the dark prince who does little, but every little thing means more. Every touch, every kiss is burnt into my memory, and I hate that it’s only ever going to be that; a memory.
“Did you feel that way about my mum?” I ask him. He smiles as he puts his hands into his pockets.
“No, I met your mum and met someone just as broken up by her past as I am. Your mum has secrets and a past she wants to forget, but it haunts her no matter how much she runs. We have that in common. I do care about your mum and will look after her, but I loved Darcie. I know how my sons feel about you, and I hope they are smart enough to follow you.”
“It wouldn’t work, no matter what I feel,” I tell him, and he goes to respond when the overhead speaker calls for my plane’s passengers to check in for take-off.
“Go, and I will speak to your mum. She didn’t mean to be cold with you,” he tells me. I don’t reply to his statement as I have a feeling she won’t speak to me after this. I turn and pull out the present in my pocket.
“John, wait,” I call him, and he looks back,
“This is from me to my mum. Can you give it her?” I offer him the present, and he accepts it.
“What is it? If you don’t mind me asking?”
“Oh, a dreamcatcher I had made for her. She told me she had bad dreams once, and I saw this cool man who makes them outside some shops in London. I don’t have a lot of money, and I know she might hate it but yeah–” I stop talking when he shakes his head.
“She will love it, and I promise to give her it,” he tells me and I turn, walking away. I get on the plane, hoping to move on with my life but knowing I’m leaving something important behind, my heart.
“This place is amazing. Can I move in?” Dane asks me as he carries the last box of my things into my new apartment. It’s a second-floor, four-bedroom apartment that is modern and far more secure than my last place. I love the white sofas, the large, fake fireplace, and big TV above it in the lounge. The bedrooms have double beds and large wardrobes. The kitchen is all black cabinets and new appliances, and the bedrooms each have their own bathrooms. I didn’t expect it to be this nice, but I can see myself living my life here, it feels like home.
“And, where would your boyfriend live?” I ask and laugh. I lean against the counter and look around the
kitchen, my hand holding my necklace. It’s been two weeks since I got back to London, and I haven’t heard anything from the guys or my mum; both of which hurt my heart.
“What happened on Christmas break?” Dane asks.
“Nothing much other than a foursome with my hot stepbrothers, and I think I’m in love with them,” I blurt out, and Dane coughs on air as he stares at me.
“What?” he asks.
“I’m in love with my stepbrothers, and my mum isn’t speaking to me. I messed up,” I say, breaking down and holding my hands over my face as I cry. Dane comes over and hugs me, both of us silent for a while as I calm down.
“If any one of them is smart, they will be here before you know it. I want all the details soon, when you want to tell me,” he says, not judging me, and I’m thankful for that.
“Your mum will come around. I mean I’m sure she has done worse before,” he laughs, and I agree. I expected him to run out the door like most people would do, but, instead, he does what a real friend should do, he hugs me and offers advice. Dane looks down at me, seeing my hand holding the necklace.
“It’s pretty,” he says holding it, and I smile.
“My stepbrothers gave it to me,” I say, and he doesn’t need me to say anything else.
“I have to get to class, but I’ll come around later if you want?”
“Yeah, please. With wine,” I add, and he laughs, pulling me into a hug before leaving. I sit down on my sofa, just as my phone rings. I reach for it quickly, hoping it’s one of the guys, but it’s my mum, and I answer.
“Hey, Mum,” I say quietly,
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry for being a shit again. It’s like I can’t help but mess up with you,” she says, sobbing a little.
“I get it. It must have been a shock,” I reply, and I really do understand her reaction on some level.
“Thank you for my Christmas present. It’s in my window of my room, and I love it. I didn’t realise you listened when I told you about my dreams,” she says, her voice quiet with an almost nervous tone.