Johnny blinked several times, and the confusion must have shown on his face because the girls lowered their weapons. “So, if I did want to bring someone home, you’re saying you’d shoot them with water?”
Gabriella nodded, pumping the gun again.
Sighing, Taylor stepped out from behind him. “Listen, girls?—”
“You!” Clementine yelled, “Why didn’t you stop this? Why didn’t—” She fell silent as her eyes darted to Taylor’s neck. “No. No. No. No. No. Not you too! Gabby, get the jet wash, this is war.”
Just then, Maman came darting through the back door, a daisy crown woven through her thick braids and Marty at her heels clutching a sandwich bag full of conkers. “Girls! Put the guns down,” she said, snatching the bag of half-filled water balloons out of Gabriella’s hand. “And sit down. All of you. John-Paul and Taylor have something they want to tell you.”
“We already know,” Clementine said, dropping the pistol onto the counter and wiping her glasses with the hem of her shirt. “We figured it out. They’re leaving us. Starting their own pack.” Her lip curled up when she said ‘pack.’
“Fuck me,” Taylor muttered, clutching Johnny’s wrist as they all sat down.
Maman brought out a jug of lemonade whilst Papa slid a plate of flower shaped moon cakes into the middle of the table.Taylor grabbed one, shoving the whole thing into his mouth before taking another. Gabriella did the same, glaring daggers at Johnny as crumbs fell onto her Iron Maiden T-shirt.
Marty climbed onto Taylor’s lap, totally oblivious to the massive bite mark marring his neck. “William’s visiting his mum,” he said, grabbing Taylor’s arms and pulling them around him like a safety harness. “They’ve gone to Alton Towers. I asked if I could go but Kat said no.”
Taylor sniffed the top of Marty’s head. “Bummer,” he murmured into his hair.
Maman situated herself between the girls, Papa near the back door. They both smiled and nodded encouragingly, making it absolutely clear that this was something they were going to have to tackle on their own.
He and Taylor glanced at one another, having already agreed that Johnny would do the talking, so after taking a deep breath, he said, “Um… so… funny thing…” He coughed, throat suddenly dry. “You know that Taylor isn’t actually your biological brother.”
Gabriella rolled her eyes. “Obviously. We aren’t stupid.”
Marty gasped, looking up at Taylor with a hurt expression. “W-what? Y-you… What?”
Taylor kissed his cheek, cuddling him closer.
“Well, you know that we live together outside of the pack house,” Johnny continued, looking at Taylor with a pleading expression. “And that we’re… friends. As well as… brothers.”
Taylor shook his head, eyebrows scrunching in a look of intense disgust.
“N-no, I mean, we arenotbrothers. We don’t want to be brothers, and?—”
“No!” Marty wailed. “No! No! Taylor’s my brother! My big brother!”
Johnny held up a hand.Fuck,he was messing this up big time. “Yes, Marty. He’s your brother, but he isn’t mine.”
“I don’t understand,” Marty cried again, turning in Taylor’s lap and wrapping his arms around him like a baby gorilla. “Why don’t you want to be Tay’s brother? Please don’t send him away!”
Johnny leaned over to ruffle his hair. “He isn’t going anywhere. I know it’s confusing, but Taylor and I, we’re?—”
Johnny could feel his face turning numb, and he realised that on the drive over he must have been existing on pure adrenaline, because now he was staring down the loaded barrel of his two sisters he wasn’t sure he could get the words out.
“Uh—”
“We’re mates,” Taylor blurted out, staring so hard at the table it was like he was trying to burn a hole through it.
Then, silence.
And more… silence.
Johnny glanced at his dad, who, for all intents and purposes was nodding and smiling, but his eyes looked worried as they bounced between the kids.
Eventually, Clementine steepled both hands in front of her, leaning on the table as though she was an investor onDragons’ Den. “I see,” she said, looking between them. “And when did this happen?”
Taylor rubbed his neck. “I-it’s a long story. But you should know that nothing is going to change.”
