Chapter 18
Emily turned her head to see Kennedy stood feet away, feeling eyes on her she looked around to see the group of men looking her way.
“Why are they staring at me?” She stood up and asked quietly.
“I don’t know,” Kennedy said rubbing her chin as if she had a beard. “Maybe it’s…” She trailed off and laughed at Emily’s impatient impression.
“Kennedy,” She said in a low warning tone.
“Yes, yes, sorry. It’s a secret, super surprise.”
“You’re mean.”
“No, I’m not. Come on, doll,” Kennedy said taking Emily’s hand in hers.
“Just going to speak to these,” Kennedy told the gang as Emily downed her drink.
Kennedy chuckled and took her own drink.
“Want another drink?”
She shook her head, “Can’t we just go home instead?”
“No,” Kennedy said walking her over to the table where the three men were sat watching her.
“But I don’t like people. Especially men. Why do you think I am doing animal care?”
Kennedy couldn’t help but stop and laugh at her short fiancée who was acting like a pouty child. “I promise, you’ll love it and if you don’t, I’ll give you all my dolls to sell.”
“Wow, you must be confident. They are like your babies.”
“I am and they are. But hopefully we’ll have new baby dolls soon,” Kennedy answered looking at Emily’s stomach.
“In that case, lead the way. But don’t leave me alone or else….”
“Don’t worry, doll. I’ll never leave you,” She whispered before changing her direction and walking to the bar.
“I thought we were…” Emily began saying confused.
“We will, but I think it will be best to…” Kennedy stopped speaking when Angelina came to speak to her at the bar.
“Any problem?” She asked concerned.
“No, I was just wondering if we could use the flat for an hour or so… Not for sex, I want to speak to the men alone,” She quickly added the last part knowingly.
“Alright. But if you have any problems…”
“I will and I promise to explain everything later.”
Angelina nodded and got another drink for Emily noticing she had finished hers.
Whilst the pair did that Kennedy walked over to the men and told them to follow her.
“We are going to speak upstairs. She’ll be more comfortable there,” She told them and they agreed without question.
By the time she got back to the bar, Angelina had already shown Emily up to the furnished flat and she was stood waiting in the living room.
The group of men consisted of two older men about forty, one with brown eyes and hair and the other with grey eyes and light coloured, greying hair.
There was also a man about the girls age. He looked a lot like the brown haired man.
Emily couldn’t help but find all men familiar, but she couldn’t think where from.
As soon as Kennedy and the men entered the room, they were all smiling at her.
Feeling uncomfortable Emily immediately went to Kennedy’s side and took her hand in hers.
Kennedy sent her a reassuring smile but was happy to have her so close.
The older of the two men, the one with greying hair took a couple of steps closer and it was only then Emily noticed the tears in his eyes.
“Rosie?” He asked.
Her eyes widen realizing who the man was.
“Fathead?” He laughed and his smiled widened.
Kennedy and the other two men watched amused as Emily let go her hand and jumped into the man’s arms.
Almost knocking him over, but somehow he stayed upright and held her in his arms with equal strength and love.
“I missed you so much,” Emily mumbled into the man’s shoulder.
“I missed you too. I didn’t mean to leave you. I was coming back, but your mum had gone… I couldn’t find you…” The man said in a quick reply.
“I know. Mum always said you left me, but admitted a few days ago the truth…”
The man pulled her back slightly to see her face. “I love you, Emily. I would never leave you.” He kissed her forehead.
“I spent every day since looking for you.”
“Really?” She whisper asked.
“Yes. I even went to Grimsby a few times before, but your gran always told me you weren’t there.”
“I think mum told her and grandpa lies too,” Emily said still hugging him.
“I think so too. I looked on social sites, I had ads up hoping you or someone who knew you would see it. That is how your friend, Kennedy found me.”
Emily looked back at her, “You found him for me?”
Kennedy nodded, “That’s who was texting me all today and yesterday. I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want to get your hopes up. I had to make sure it was the right person,” She explained. “I was going to tell you when we got back to Grimsby, but he is impatient and decided to come without telling me,” She stared at him accusingly.
“You can’t expect me to wait to see my baby,” He rocked Emily slightly.
“Come here, Kenny,” Emily held her arm out to join their hug.
Kennedy was immediately squeezed into the hug by Emily, “Thank you, thank you, thank you,” She repeatedly said.
“Yes,” The man began to say. “Thank you for giving me back my little girl.”
“No problem, Mr Roadz. I knew how much Emily wanted to find you,” Kennedy said trying to step back but Emily held her in place.
“Call me, Kevin,” He said smiling and pulling back, but kept Emily at his side and she continued hugging Kennedy, who was now at her side.
“You are one of my daughters close friends, that means we’ll be seeing a lot more of you.”
She just smiled and nodded.
Remembering his two companions he turned around and gave them both a smile.
“Rosie, I have a couple of people I want you to meet,” The two men walked over.
“I guess your mum told you I was involved with another man?” She nodded.
“Well,” He indicated to the forty-year-old looking man with brown hair. “This is Mark, my partner and this…” He moved his gaze to the younger brown haired man.
“This is Jack, Mark’s son… our son, your stepbrother.”
Emily’s smiled faulted at the mention of a brother, but she quickly hid it. Kennedy noticed it but said nothing.
“Hello,” She mumbled nervously.
“Hello Emily,” Both men said taking a step forwards and she took a step back making them stop.
“She’s a little shy, especially around men,” Kennedy told them holding her close to her side.
They seemed a bit worried but hid it.
“Take a seat, it will be much more comfortable,” Kennedy offered.
“Thank you,” Kevin said sitting beside his daughter and Kennedy sat on the other side of her.
“It was nice of the lady to let us up here,” Mark said watching Emily take her friends hand as soon as they were sat down.
“She is my sister, so it’s no problem. Plus no one uses this place. She lives next door with her husband and son. I think the only time they use this place is if one of their friends from out of town visit or for their son to play in. Most of our guests though stay at the Manor.”
“That’s convenient. I would love to own a pub,” Jack joked.
“Hang on… Did you say Manor?”
“Yes. My parents bought it from the original owners when we moved from Grimsby a couple of years ago.”
“That’s where you met Rosie… Emily?” Kevin asked.
“Yes, but only about two and a half months ago. I left college to come here, but returned at the beginning of this term and that is where I met dolly,” She smiled at the memory.
“Dolly?” He questioned with his own small smile.
“Don’t you think she is just the most pretty little thing? Just like a dolly.”
“Kenny,” Emily mumbled a complaint.
“But that ass of a brother of hers made her think otherwise.”
“You have an another brother?” Jack asked surprised.
“Yes, an older step brother. Mum remarried when I was ten,” Emily replied quietly.
“You don’t like them?” Her dad asked.
“George, my step-dad has mostly been alright until recently. But Steve…” She trailed off looking down.
All three men exchanged a worried look.
“What, Rosie?”
“Shall I tell him?” Kennedy whisper asked her and she mumbled yes.
“He best not of abuse her,” Kevin growled.
“Yes and no…” Kennedy answered before telling them what happened.
“Since they first met he was always kind, a bit protective but what brother isn’t? But when she later found out her had been watching her in the bath, get undressed and so on, since they first moved in together. When she was fourteen, her mum and George went out, leaving Steve to babysit her.” She paused and hugged Emily tighter.
“To cut it short, her neighbour’s heard her scream, called her mum to come back. When they did they found Emily naked and tied to a bed and Steve just about to rape her. Thankfully George wasn’t a complete ass back then and he dragged him off and beat him, whilst her mum untied her.”
Jack looked upset and angry, but the other two men looked ready to kill.
“What did the police say?”
“They weren’t called. Her mum told her a load of rubbish, Emily was a scared kid and didn’t want to be taken away from her only family so went along with it. Steve stopped being so kind and started acting more like a possessive boyfriend. After she had left school, she wasn’t allowed friends, to join social sites and only allow a mobile to call them and a laptop for college work. He seemed convinced that she was his and he would wear her down eventually. Then a couple of months ago,” She smiled again and brush a loose strand of hair out of Emily’s face.
“We met and clicked. We are in the same class and the professor made us partners. We became friends straight away. Steve was mad, but because it was college related he allowed it. Then a few days ago he found something out. Told their parents, they kicked off saying she wasn’t allowed to be friends with me anymore, Emily told them otherwise. But when her mum, Diana said she should have let Steve have his way back then and that she had to marry him, Emily told them to get piss off and now she lives with me.”
Kennedy could help but think if this were a cartoon moment Kevin would have stream coming out of his ears. He was so mad.
“Fucking bastards, I am going to kill them,” He growled frightening Emily, who quickly moved impossibly closer to Kennedy and hid her face in the crook of her neck.
“I am sorry, Rosie,” He quickly said realizing her was scaring her. He was still mad, but his daughter was his main concern right now.
“I’m sorry, please don’t be scared. I’d never hurt you. I just wish I had found you sooner. That she hadn’t moved. I was going to come back and me and Mark were going to raise you with Jack,” He sounded more upset than mad now.
“Dad and Pa, have always raised me to remember my sister. I know we haven’t met before but pa always told me of you when you were young. I have always thought of you as my sister… My real sister,” Jack told her with a small smile.
“Well, now we found you, I am not losing contact again.”
“Do you still live in Blackpool?” Emily asked sitting up slightly.
“Yes. Me, Mark and Jack share a house.”
“Me and Kennedy decided to finish this section of our course at college and then at Christmas we were going to transfer to a local college. Move into the Manor until we decided to stay there or not. But her mum wants us to live with her forever,” She chuckled at the memory.
“We’ll be less than an hour away, so you can visit all the time… all of you.”
Her dad smiled, “I love you, Rosie. You have no idea how happy I am to find you,” He said leaning towards her and hugging her.
“I am happy too,” She sighed contently.
“She really is. She was crying just earlier because she had no mum or dad, no family or friends other than me and mine,” Kennedy told them honestly.
“No more crying because I’m in your life forever now,” Kevin said kissing his daughters face and stroking her hair back.
“You really are beautiful, Rosie.”
“That is only because Kenny thinks I’m her doll and likes to dress me up.” Jack raised an eyebrow smiling in the girl’s direction. “You know she left my clothes behind, made me wear hers and then today bought me a whole new wardrobe, even though I told her not too?”
“That is because all her clothes were horrible, too big, baggy and because you deserve better than that,” Kennedy argued.
“I agree. You must be really close friends. I am glad my girl has a friend like you,” Kevin said smiling in Kennedy’s direction.
“I am lucky to have her. She is fantastic,” Emily added.
“All I want to know,” Jack said getting their attention.
“How she managed to get away with not bringing your clothes and you not realising?”
“My parents give me an allowance and also pay for my flat,” Kennedy began.
“Rich?”
“Yes and she likes to spend it on me even though I tell her not to.”
“Because they send me more than enough money and I like treating you,” Kennedy said poking Emily’s nose.
“Back to the question, Kenny’s sister-in-law just had a baby, that’s why we’re here. Kennedy got a call and early one morning whilst I was sleeping she packed a bag for us and popped me in the car. I didn’t know she hadn’t packed my stuff until later.”
“She took you to the car, in your nightwear?”
“No, like I said she liked to play dress up. She dressed me.” Jack seemed surprised.
“We share a one bed flat and a bed, it’s not like she hadn’t seen me naked.”
“I guess, I just didn’t realise girls did that.”
Turning her attention to Mark, she gave him a small smile, “Are you alright? Uncomfortable or anything? You are very quiet?” She asked making him smile himself.
“I am great. Very happy to have found you. We all care for you very much, despite not having met you…”
“But?” Emily asked sensing something wrong.
“Don’t you hate me?” She looked at him confused. “I am the man who stole your father from your mother. Made her take you away.”
“My mum is a cow and always has been,” She said making her dad chuckle. “I am happy my dad found someone he loves. Whether it be a man, woman or other, that doesn’t matter. All that matters is dad is happy and loves you. You love him, right?”
He smiled, “With all my heart.”
“Then I accept you. Only because my mum and her cuntbag husband and son are homophobic, doesn’t mean I am. I am just happy to have fathead back,” She told them honestly.
“I am so happy,” Mark came over and hugged her and Kevin.
“So if I married Mark, you wouldn’t be mad?” Emily and Kennedy exchanged knowing looks. “Not in the slightest, I think I would like that.”
“She is even more perfect than you told me.”
“Why didn’t you marry before? When it first became legal?”
“Because we both wanted your blessing and you there.”
Mark started getting teary eyed, “I think I love you, you are so perfect. Thank you,” He said weepy still hugging her. “I’ve always thought of you as a daughter, but not until today due I truly miss not raising you with your brother.” He turned to Jack, who was sat watching happy and amused.
“Come here and give your sister a hug.” Jack looked to Emily as if to ask is that alright?
“As long as you aren’t creepy like Steve then you can hug me as much as you want,” She told him.
“I… urr, even the thought. You are my sister. You are gorgeous and all, but since I was seven I was brought up being told of my little sister, Emily and that’s what you are. I couldn’t, wouldn’t touch you like that and if I ever meet that Steve I’ll break his neck,” He said honestly walking over and hugging her.
Mark and Kevin smiled, loving their complete family.
“I just broke up with my girlfriend though so if Kennedy…” He began to say, pulling back.
“No, I am not into men.”
Emily wrapped her arms around Kennedy, “She is mine. Go find another woman.”
With that Emily pressed her lips to Kennedy’s giving her a short but deep loving kiss.
