𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊 𝐓𝐎 𝐁𝐋𝐀𝐂𝐊 ʲᵒʰⁿ ˢʰᵉˡᵇʸ

- 𝟎𝟎𝟖

𝐁𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐓𝐨 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤
-𝟎𝟎𝟖-
𝐒𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡, 𝟏𝟗𝟏𝟗

The dark haired girl made her way down the stairs and heard the chatter between Polly and Tommy. Pausing, Valerie stopped at the slightly open door to listen.

"Did you speak to her?" Tommy asked plainly. Polly walked around the room, her heels making noise as she did so. "She didn't speak back." Polly said sternly.

Tommy looked around for a moment, wanting to roll his eyes. "Well did you tell her?"

"I'll only tell her what I know to be true." She fired back.

"This is the last time i'm going to say this.. It wasn't me who shopped Freddie Thorne." He said with clear agitation in his voice. Polly turned around. "Tommy, i'd ask you to swear on the bible but you can't swear on that, can you? Nothing you hold is sacred." She then stormed out.

Valerie slowly pushed the door open and offered him a friendly smile. "She doesn't sound too happy," she observed. She walked to the cupboard and carefully took a plate from it to begin making breakfast.

"Well, nobody in this family seems to believe a word I say." He said angrily, pinching the bridge of his nose.

She listened and thought for a second. "I believe you." She said half-truthfully. Tommy almost gasped. "You do?" He asked. She nodded once. "You're a bad man but I don't believe you're that cruel." Valerie said.

"At least somebody believes me, eh?" Tommy let out a pathetic chuckle.

"If i'm going to marry you I should be able to trust you, no?" She asked whilst taking a bite of toast. Tommy looked to her and raised an eyebrow. His eyes discreetly traveled to her stomach but he couldn't see any sign of a baby bump underneath her clothes.

"Are you working today?" He took a breath whilst shrugging his jacket on. She shook her head. "Polly told me to have the day off," She explained.

"Did she now?" He asked with raised eyebrows.

Valerie nodded. "This wedding then.. do you have any sort of idea as to what is going to happen?"

"When I have the plans sorted, you'll be the first to know." He nodded to her, taking his hat off the table and pulling it onto his head.

"And when do we tell the rest of your family?"

"Tonight." He pointed at her. And then he slammed the door behind him.

Valerie sighed and continued eating. She wasn't sure if she wanted to know how John would react to the whole thing. His older brother was going to marry the girl he claimed to be in love with. The girl that was carrying his child — the child he didn't even know about.

-

There was major tension in the air as the Shelby family stood around the table that their father sat at. Their father that had abandoned them ten years prior. Polly stared at the man with cold eyes and John couldn't even look at him.

Valerie walked through, placing a glass of water in front of him like he had asked.

"Thank you, dear girl." He said plainly. He hadn't cared to ask who she was. For all he knew, Valerie was just another one of his children who he had been too drunk to look after.