Taking a deep breath, I walk into the room and say, “Ais, I have something for you to look at, baby girl.”
Aisling turns my way while Jas doesn’t even blink.
Fuck.
“What, Daddy?” she asks as she turns in her seat, and I smile as I kneel before my little girl and show her the box full of treasures.
“In this box are the prized possessions of your great-grandmother, Granny. Would you like to see?” I say softly, my eyes twitching towards my girl, who finally looks my way, and I try not to smile as I allow Aisling to have a look inside the box, her instant attention going to the ballerina figurine.
She gasps in delight, then ever so gently picks up the trinket, which sits on a round stage.
“Granny said this was your mama’s,” I whisper, and Aisling's eyes light up as she looks at her mother, whose attention is now on the ballerina, her eyes tearing.
“Can I have it, Mama?” Aisling asks, and Jas blinks before finally, fucking finally, murmuring, “Of course, bumblebee,” and I swear I nearly fall on my ass hearing her voice again.
“Thank you, Mama,” Aisling whispers as she gently traces the ballerina's face.
I smile and say, “Why don’t you go show grandpa, baby girl,” and she nods as she gently stands, then kisses her mama’s cheek before skipping out of the room, and I swallow hard as I look at my girl, whose eyes are on the box.
Not once since she’s been back has she spoken about her grandmother because of guilt, and I really fucking hope I haven’tmade things worse, but fuck, I need her back, I need my girl back.
“Granny,” she chokes as she gently picks up the scarf Granny knitted for her, and damn, my heart breaks seeing her tears.
“Jassy?” I hear by the door, but I don’t look away from Jasmine, and she slowly fucking finally comes back to me.
“I-I, I’m a murderer,” she chokes as she puts the scarf to her face, and my heart shatters.
“You saved your daughter, Jassy,” Brady whispers as he kneels before her, and I feel a figure behind me, and I know it’s her father.
Aisling going into the common room was their signal to come in and help me because sometimes, you need outside help to bring someone back.
Brady cups his sister's cheek, and her tears fall as they lock eyes, and he whispers, “She was ready to kill Aisling, Jas. Dad found the plans in her home drawer. She wanted what was Granny’s and thought she could get it with Aisling out of the way despite the fact you donated the whole fortune. She knew Dad was leaving her, and she acted. You did what you had to in order to save your daughter.”
“But she’s our mama,” she chokes, and I flinch at the pain radiating from her as Terry kneels beside his son, getting her attention.
“She wasn’t a mama to you, sweetheart, and I was blinded by the horror she turned into,” he says softly as Brady moves back a little and Terry takes his daughter into his arms, and her sobs that she held in within her stupor state pour out of her as she wraps her arms around her father’s neck, her body shaking.
I fist my hands to stop myself from taking her, and fuck me, it takes everything not to grab hold of her, even though everything inside me is telling me to grab hold of my girl and never let her fucking go.
She needs this.
“I-I keep seeing the blood, so much blood. What did I do?” she sobs, and I flinch as Brady looks away, unable to see his sister falling apart, “I-I left, I-I should-shouldn’t have come back. I hurt everyone a-around me, I left G-Granny, I-I hurt L-Logan, I-I, oh god, I killed my own mother.”
Fuck.
“I ruin everything,” she cries, and I can’t take it anymore.
I stand and take Jas from her father, whose tears stain his cheeks as he looks away and forcing her to stand, I cup her cheeks.
“You didn’t ruin anything,” I say vehemently, “She was going to kill Aisling, Jas, our little girl, she wanted her gone to punish you, to try and control you, to get money that wasn’t hers to have,” I place my forehead against hers, “Lean on me, buttercup, don’t shut me out.”
She shakes her head as she grips my cut, and her breathing becomes choppy before a scream full of pain erupts from her mouth, and her legs give out.
“Jas!” Brady says loudly, full of fear, and I quickly catch her as she cries her pain and guilt out, my jaw ticking as my eyes tear, and I follow her to the ground, holding her tightly to me as her screams echo around us.
“I-I can’t breathe,” she cries as she trembles against me, her sobs getting louder, and I squeeze her tighter to me.
“Fuck, she’s not going to be able to live with this,” Terry chokes, and I hold Jas even more tightly to me, refusing to let her go while she cries her heart out.
