by Sarah Bailey
He stroked a hand across my stomach.
“Mmmhmm, I hope he or she looks just like his mother.”
And I hoped our baby looked just like him.
Chapter Twenty Two
Brent
Was I completely overwhelmed by the past twenty four hours of revelations? Hell to the fucking yes I was. First Jen admitting she loved me as long as I’d loved her, telling Dante, the shit with Sid, Cam and the kids and now? Now my beautiful firestorm was pregnant with my baby. Yes, I wanted a baby with her and I would take care of the both of them, but fuck, Jen was right. It was entirely too soon. She didn’t need me freaking out on her though. She needed me to be the strong one so she could fall apart over it.
I honestly didn’t blame her for not taking the news well. Seeing that fucking stick and realising what she was trying to tell me last night made me feel sick. Knocking Jen up was not part of the plan. She’d told me when she thought it had happened after I got off the phone to Cam. We’d have to get it confirmed by a doctor when we got back to London.
I had my phone to my ear now as in light of the insanity happening in our lives, I needed to do something. I’d run Jen a bath so she could relax a little with everything going on.
“Hey, how’s your sister?” Liora said. She sounded exhausted.
“Not good. The police haven’t located Sid and the girls yet, but we’re hoping they’ll have more information for us later.”
“Oh god, Brent, I’m so sorry.”
Honestly, I was fucking shit scared for my nieces, but there was nothing else I could do other than be there for Cam.
“They’ll find them. They have to… Listen, that’s not really why I’m calling.”
“Oh?”
“I need to speak to D, but he wasn’t answering his phone.”
“He’s changing Logan. Is there anything I can do?”
I tried not to grin at the image of Dante at a changing table but failed miserably.
“You got him doing the heavy lifting?”
“He has no choice in the matter.”
I laughed. Liora had certainly taken Dante to task on many occasions and this was no different.
“As amusing as this is, I actually need him to do something important for me.”
“And that is? Tell you what, I’ll put you on speaker.”
I heard shuffling for a moment and a murmur of voices.
“What do you want, Brent?” came Dante’s voice.
“Two things really.”
“And they are…? For fuck’s sake, I can’t get these stupid little snappy buttons to close. Who the hell invented these? They’re the most inconvenient bloody things.”
“Here, let me,” Liora said and I could’ve sworn she must’ve been rolling her eyes at him.
“I see you two are taking to parenting so well.”
“Fuck off, what do you want?” he practically growled into the phone.
“All right, D, chill out.”
“Be nice, his nieces are missing,” Liora scolded.
Next thing I heard was a loud wail and Liora shushing and cooing Logan.
“Just spit it out already, I haven’t got all day.”
I rolled my eyes. Dante was in a fucking mood and it probably wasn’t the right time, but I needed him to do this before Jen and I got back to London.
“I know I technically don’t need this, but I want to ask your permission to ask Jen to be my wife.”
“Why the fuck do you want my permission? Jen’s going to do whatever she wants regardless of my opinion.”
“It matters to me.”
And it did. Not that I even wanted it, but I had Zach’s approval. Dante meant more to me than that and he’d practically raised his siblings. He was more their father figure than Zach ever was. Sure, it was unorthodox to ask your girlfriend’s brother for permission to marry his sister, but I didn’t give a shit.
“You’re going to ask Jen to marry you?” Liora put in now Logan had quietened down.
“At some point soon, yes, which leads me onto the other reason I called.”
“You want me to get the ring sorted for you,” Dante said.
“Wait, when did you two go look at rings?”
“When D was choosing yours,” I replied.
I’d helped him find the right one for Liora even though neither of us were good at that stuff. Honestly, he probably should’ve taken Fi and Jen, but we’d managed. Besides, I’d also found the perfect ring imaginable for Jen. Not that I ever had hope of marrying her back then, but I’d pointed out to Dante if I was to ever ask a girl to marry me, it would be with that one. I think he knew I was talking about Jen when he decided I should buy it. So it’d been sitting in his desk ever since we’d picked up Liora’s ring just waiting for the right time.
“Fine, I’ll go today. I’m sure Liora can find one of her rings for me so I can ask them to resize it. It’s your funeral if she says no.”
“She won’t say no.”
I don’t know why I was so sure about it, but I was. This wasn’t just because she was having my baby. I didn’t want to wait any longer. Jen and I had spent too long apart because we were both too stubborn to admit our feelings to each other for different reasons. To most, this would probably be too soon. Far too soon but fuck it. Jen was the one. She’d always been the one.
“And you do have my permission, not that you fucking well need it. I welcome you taking her off my hands.”
My heart felt lighter already knowing he really was okay with all of this. And the fact he hadn’t told me to wait either. Dante knew how determined I got about things so it would probably be useless of him to try dissuading me from asking her.
“You’re such a nice brother.”
“Fuck off.”
“In all seriousness, thank you. It means a lot.”
“Sappy shit.”
“Whatever bitch, you’re on nappy duty so who has the better deal here?”
I heard him let out a huffed breath.
“No wonder my sister thinks you’re annoying as shit.”
I laughed, shaking my head. Jen did still think that to this day, but she also loved me so I didn’t really care about her saying it.
“Speaking of your sister, I need to go turf her out the bath so we can go around to Cam’s.”
“Are you sure about all of this?”
I wasn’t going to tell him I’d knocked his sister up quite yet, but I’d never been surer of anything in my life. Jen and I were meant to be and that was fucking that.
“Yes dickhead, I love Jen.”
“As I said, your fucking funeral. I’ll text you when I’ve sorted it.”
He hung up without letting me respond. Fucking typical. It wasn’t even his phone, it was Liora’s. Didn’t matter. I really did have to get my girlfriend out of the bath.
When I walked in, I found her with her head almost fully submerged and music tinkling out from her phone on the sink counter. I watched her for a minute. So beautiful. As she raised her head, she let out a sharp screech.
“What the fuck?” she practically shouted at me as she sat up. “You scared the shit out of me.”
I grinned and sat on the edge of the bath.
“Sorry.”
She crossed her arms over her chest and scowled.
“You’re not sorry. You were enjoying the view.”
Fuck she looked so cute when she was in a huff.
“Well, you are very… naked.”
“Careful or I’ll pull you in here and get all your clothes wet.”
I looked at the bath and shook my head.
“It’d be too small for the two of us. If you wanted that, we could sneak into Dante’s bathroom and use his.”
“He would murder us.”
I shrugged.
“Totally worth it.”
She was trying not to smile. I reached out and stroked her cheek.
“
Tell you what, I’ll find a hotel which has a huge bath and make sure I take you, hmm? Then we can have all sorts of dirty fun in it.”
She bit her lip, blue eyes darkening as her pupils dilated. Oh, Jen was definitely on board with that idea.
“Promise?”
“For you, I’d do anything.”
“Ugh, why are you so perfect?”
I laughed and rolled my eyes. Trust her to ruin the moment.
“Time to get out, we need to head over to Cam’s.”
“Bossy boots.”
“And here I thought I was perfect.”
She put her hand in the water. I jumped up and slunk away before she had a chance to splash me. I heard her little screech of indignation. As terrible as it was, I don’t think I could ever stop winding her up. Watching her get annoyed was like stoking the flames between us. And I never wanted that flame to die out.
***
Cam’s boyfriend, Manny, was there when we got to the house. He had Kayden and was playing with him in the corner whilst Cam paced the living room.
“All right, mate?” Manny said as Jen and I entered after Dad let us in.
“Yeah, I’m good. This is Jen, my girlfriend. Jen, this is Manny.”
“All right, love?”
Jen’s hand in mine tightened.
“Fine thanks,” she said as I led her over to the sofa and we both sat down.
“Any more news?” I asked Cam.
She stopped pacing and looked at me.
“No. When I get them back, I’m going to fucking court again. I won’t let him near the girls. Never. Those are my girls.”
Dad lowered himself into his armchair and turned the TV on. Silence descended over the room. Cam started to pace again. What could I even say to that? I hoped the judge would revoke his supervised visitation rights.
“Do you think they’ll find them soon?” Jen whispered to me.
“I hope so. He can’t hide forever.”
I wrapped an arm around her and kissed the top of her head. Her hand went to her stomach. Strange to think a tiny person was growing inside her. It’d be a cluster of cells right now, but eventually that little cluster would become our baby. Now I knew she was pregnant, the need to protect her and make this shit with Max go away became imperative. I wouldn’t let that fucker hurt Jen or my unborn child.
Not that I was looking forward to it, but the sooner I went and saw Zach next week, the better. We needed to know who’d blabbed to Max about the blood debt. And I needed to get leverage on the little piece of shit. Take him down so he wouldn’t reveal our secrets.
“Should I make tea or something?” Jen asked.
“You sure you won’t burn the water?”
“Fuck off.”
I grinned. Jen was notorious for her lack of skills in the kitchen. Not that I could say I was any better, but she once burnt an entire pan of eggs when she tried to make breakfast for her siblings. Dante had turfed her out of the kitchen and hired a chef so it wouldn’t happen again. I’d told him that wasn’t teaching them useful skills, but he’d ignored me.
“Anyone want tea?”
Cam and Manny said yes so I nodded at Jen. Dad unsurprisingly had a can of cider in his hand even though it was ten in the morning.
“You want me to help?”
She stood up and stroked my cheek.
“No, I’m sure I can find my way around the kitchen.”
I let her go and found Cam staring at me when Jen walked out of the room.
“What?”
“What’s the deal with you and her?”
“I told you, she’s my girlfriend.”
Cam crossed her arms over her chest.
“You also said you’re going to marry her one day.”
“I am… I just haven’t asked her yet.”
Her eyebrows shot up.
“What the fuck, Brent? Talk about moving fast.”
I didn’t really want to explain this to my sister with Manny and my dad in the room, but the way she was looking at me said she wouldn’t let go of the subject.
“You do realise Jen and I have known each other for over twelve years. Just because we weren’t together, doesn’t mean shit.”
“Defensive much? And it does mean shit. Relationships aren’t all fun and games. They take work. How do you even know she’s that serious about you? Huh? You sure she’s not just having her fun by fucking the help?”
“Is that what you think I am to the Bensons? The help?”
She shrugged and put her hand out.
“Pretty much.”
Cam had absolutely no fucking idea about my life. None at all. I stood up and walked over to her before staring down into her dull, lifeless eyes.
“You don’t know shit, Cam. You’re one of the most selfish people I’ve ever met. All you care about is what’s happening in your life and your fucking problems. Have you ever once stopped to ask about mine? No, because you don’t give a shit as long as I keep providing for you and Dad.”
She took a step back, her mouth falling open.
“If you bothered to ask me, then you’d know the Bensons are my fucking family. We’ve been together through thick and thin. I’d protect them with my life and you know why? They give a shit about me. And that girl in there? She’s the love of my life. So don’t you stand there and tell me she’s just fucking the help.”
All of my pent up resentment towards my sister overflowed. I couldn’t stop the words falling out of my mouth even if I wanted to. Yes, Cam was under a lot of stress because her girls were missing, but she did not get to stand there and talk shit about my girlfriend.
“She might not be perfect, but she’s perfect to me. Jen’s been through the worst shit imaginable and she’s a fucking fighter. She’s fiercely protective of those she loves. When she’s around, the world is full of colour. She’s the brightest thing in my life. She’s smart, successful, has the most beautiful soul and she loves me. She fucking loves me, Cam. You’re not in a position to judge anyone so take your fucking opinions of Jen and keep them to yourself. You don’t know her. You don’t know me either. So just shut up and stop being such a bitch to everyone around you because you hate your own fucking life.”
A long moment of silence ensued before I heard movement to my right. Looking over, I found Jen in the doorway with two mugs of tea in her hands and wide eyes. So she’d heard what I said. I didn’t give a shit. It was all true.
Walking in, she set the mugs on the table before walking over to me. She took my hand and turned me to face her, completely ignoring Cam and the wide eyes of Manny and my father. Reaching up, she cupped my face with both hands, pulling me closer to her.
“Thank you for defending me. No other man has ever made me feel so loved, cared for and wanted. I didn’t know it was possible to love anyone as much as I love you. I swear I fall deeper every day. And just so you know, you’re the love of my life too.”
Then she kissed me and everything melted away. I barely even registered the sound of Cam’s indignation. All I could feel was Jen. Her mouth against mine. Her body pressed to me as I wrapped my arms around her. When I pulled away, I rested my forehead against hers and stroked her cheek.
“My firestorm,” I whispered.
“You’re my knight in shining armour… and if you tell anyone I said that, I will hurt you.”
I bit my lip. Jen didn’t do sappy love shit except when she was with me. I loved that about her. I loved everything about this woman.
I let her go when the doorbell went. Continuing to ignore Cam, I wrapped an arm around Jen and led her out of the room. She gave me a squeeze before going back to the kitchen to get the other mugs whilst I answered the door to two uniformed police officers and a detective.
“Hello, is Miss Coleman here?” the detective said.
“Yes, I’ll just ge—”
“Uncle Brent,” came three high pitched screams before three girls ran past
the police officers’ legs and barrelled their way into me.
I knelt down and hugged the three of them, relief pouring out of me. They all started sobbing.
“Shh, shh, I’m here,” I murmured.
“We were so scared,” Crystal wailed. “Daddy was so mean to us.”
I stroked her hair whilst April and Jacqueline held onto me for dear life.
“Girls?” came Cam’s voice from behind me.
“Mummy!”
The girls promptly let go of me and squeezed by so they could get to their mother. I stood up and watched Cam hold them, tears pouring down her face. Turning back to the officers, I gave them a smile.
“Why don’t you come in?”
The next hour was spent with the officers, the detective and two ladies from social services going over all the details with Cam and me. Jen took care of the girls with Manny. They kept asking her a million questions about what she did, which was a little distracting.
Sid had been arrested for possession of illegal substances. They’d found him by triangulating his phone signal. He’d taken the girls to one of his druggie friends. The house had been full of used needles and drugs, thus endangering the girl’s safety. They’d all been checked over before they were brought here.
Things weren’t going to be easy for Cam now social services were involved, but that was her problem to deal with.
Jen and I stayed the second night in Essex because the girls didn’t want me to go anywhere. They were all clambering over me after the officers and social services left, seemingly okay after their experience with their father. They asked me if Jen was my girlfriend and if they could call her Aunty Jen. I think it made Jen happy when I said yes and the girls screeched with excitement much to Cam’s disapproval. I’m pretty sure she was pissed off her girls were more interested in spending time with me and Jen than fawning all over her after their disappearance. Couldn’t be helped.
By the time we go back to London, Jen was fidgety and unnerved. I kept asking what was wrong, but she told me she was fine. I rang Doctor Williams and arranged for him to come see her to confirm the pregnancy. And when we were upstairs with Dante, Liora and Logan, she kept looking at the baby with this strange expression on her face.
She was asleep before I had a chance to ask her about it when we went to bed. One way or another, I’d get it out of her. I knew deep down, she wanted this baby, but I think she was worried about how we’d cope. How we’d deal with all of this when our relationship was so new. All I could was reassure her every day.