In My Life I Love You More

Chapter Eighty Four

   Unedited.

   Gabriella wearily watched from her position of leaning against the window as Josephina argued with their brother.

It had been three weeks since their parents announced their temporary separation and things had been a little chaotic to say the least.

Josephina herself stood by her mother's decision to separate-but she fussed over her father (the Daddy's girl of the family as Gabriella has always had a closer connection with their mother) and thus the two sisters had put the responsibility of looking after him on their brother.

Something Colt didn't accept easily.

"Why am I responsible for him? Why can't you check in on him. You are his favorite after all!" The eldest sibling scowled, crossing his arms as he sat in the second den that served as Josephina's office at home.

Framed sketches of original designs for her label decorated the room along with a blown up photograph of her, John, Grayson and Emmy taken three years prior.

"Because asshole, I have a husband and children to worry about. I have my own responsibilities here. Gabriella has a wedding she's planning. You're the one whose going to be taking over the ranch and the company! Why are you being so selfish?!"

Colt stared at her before fury erupted in his dark eyes, "Selfish? What do you know what my life has been like?! See, you never saw Dad after Mom (his mother) died. I was twelve. Twelve and having to drag him into the house from the front stairs so he wouldn't freeze to death. I had to do the laundry, cook, clean and make sure he didn't choke on his own vomit when he'd pass out on the couch. He'd disappear, two, three days. Hole up in some bar. I was forced to be an adult and go to school. You see this," Colt unbuttoned his shirt, pulling down his wife-beater so she could see the familiar scar on his shoulder, right next to his neck, "that's from his belt. When he was clutching a bottle of Wild Turkey and I took it from him so it wouldn't spill. I slipped and it shattered. I had glass embedded in my hands and he was so drunk he didn't give a shit about me. Only that I wasted the bottle," Colt rolled up his sleeve, revealing another scar, this one similar in size to the first, "he gave me this one, because I reminded him too much of my mother.... I suffered through hell with him alone. You wouldn't know a thing about that." He spat, glaring down at his sibling, Josephina looking horrified with tears in her eyes while Gabriella shook her head.

"That-that's not true, Daddy would never hurt-" Gabriella's voice cracked over her tears, unable to believe or cope with the notion that her father could-

"For God's sake wake the fuck up! Everything isn't sunshine. Life can be a real bitch.....," his gaze softened-body slumping as he exhaled tiredly "I finally found something potential with Tula. She's a great girl and she and her daughter need me. I'm sorry Jo, I am but I just, I just can't take care of Dad again." Colt moved over to her, kissing her forehead followed by Gabriella's before he opened the office door, letting himself out.

The two sisters remained in silence for a few minutes, both processing the truth they'd been dealt. Or rather, one did.

"I don't want to believe it." Josephina said suddenly running a hand down her face, "this is a nightmare....." she pinched the bridge of her nose watching her sister move from her spot to stand next to her.

"When we were little- you were too young to remember but I saw glimpses of what Colt's talking about. Just little things..." Gabriella clarified when Josephina looked at her horrified.

   "Jesus...."

    "So what'll we do now?" Gabriella looked at the younger woman, twisting her engagement ring on her finger nervously.

  "I guess we just check in on Dad like we used to.... And Ma." Josephina shrugged, glancing at the baby monitor when the familiar sound of a baby's cry emitted from the small machine.

   "That's my cue, I gotta meet Adriana, she wants to go over stuff for the bachelorette party." Gabriella leaned down to kiss her sister, and gave her shoulder a squeeze.

   "Alright. Be careful on the road. Bunch of psycho fuckers come out this time of day," Josephina got to her feet, following her sister out of the office, "and make sure she makes it fun. You know I love John, I do but I need a little girl time. A break from "oh my darling, I seem to have gotten my pants caught on a nail on the stairs leading down to the beach, oh bugger. Could you be a love and fix them for me? There's a good girl." She did a decent impression of John's Liverpool accent.

   "Oh you know you love taking care of him." Gabriella teased but linked arms with her sister as they headed towards the stairs towards the master bedroom, where the babies would stay the first few months of their lives.  

   Later when they reached the first floor, John was lounging on the couch, looking content, one of the cats curled up on his lap.

   "Colt stormed out of her like a bull. What's up?" John's glasses were drooping down his nose, and he reached out to take Josephina's hand when she moved to pass him and gave her hand a squeeze.

     "A big mess. I'll tell you about it later." She smiled reassuringly when John looked doubtful.

   "Okay Lennons, I'm gone. I'll call you later Jo. Jacky," She waved to John who saluted her, (Gabriella was the only person on the entire planet Earth that John allowed to call him "Jacky").

   Josephina locked the door behind her and wandered back over to her husband, lifting his legs so she could settle beneath them and began massaging his legs.

    "I hope our kids have less drama than we've had our entire lives." Josephina sighed, turning her attention to the commercials flashing across the television screen.

    "Eh, little drama keeps the brain stimulated and the heart pumping." John pushed his glasses up.

  "Oh you have more fun ways of keeping the heart pumping," Josephina trailed her hand further up his legs, "and we got four babies out of it too." She purred, nudging the feline off of John's lap so she could tug teasingly at his underwear peaking over his shorts, letting the waistband snap against his skin.

     "You're just a little minx aren't you my darling?" John grinned, pulling his legs away so he could tug her onto his lap, growling playfully as he nibbled and kissed her neck, Josephina's shrieks of joy echoing throughout the house.