Tattered ‎‧₊˚✧[Jameson Hawthorne]✧˚₊‧

Chapter 6

(Gabriella's POV)

As promised, Xander handed me a blueberry scone.

"Just the one," he told me while waggling his eyebrows. "Only because I forced you to come back." I smiled. I didn't care if he forced me to. As long as I got a coveted blueberry scone, I was happy. Nonetheless, I would still like to watch The Titanic with a tub of ice cream. Cookies and cream, to be exact.

"Forced who to come back?" Nash asked as he walked into the kitchen. His eyes landed on me, and he grinned. "Guess that answers my question."

"I would have been away longer, but Xander bribed me with a blueberry scone," I told the eldest Hawthorne brother. He frowned at Xan.

"You gave her one, and not your own brother? That's low," Nash said, his voice serious, but I could hear the hint of teasing. Xander gave him a cheeky grin.

"Don't be ridiculous, Nash, I've given you one before. Besides, you even told me you preferred the lemon ones... which I personally think should be illegal," he said, frowning at the end. I gave him a look.

"It should be illegal to like lemon flavored scones? Because I love the lemon ones," I told him. Xan gave me a hard look.

"That's ridiculous. And no, lemon flavored scones should be illegal, not the liking of them," he told me, still looking at me like I had sprouted an extra head. "Although, that's quite an offense." I laughed at the fake posh accent he quickly adopted.

A few seconds later, Avery and Jameson entered, with Grayson, Matt, and Libby on their tail.

"Hey, Gabiii," Avery said in a mischievous voice. I shrink a little. What's going on?

As if reading my mind, Grayson said, "We have a gift for you upstairs. In your room." I panicked slightly.

"In my room?" I exclaimed wildly. "Did you-" Matt stops me before I continue.

"We didn't go through anything, Gabs. We know how much you like your privacy," he told me reassuringly. I narrowed my eyes at him, not quite forgiving him for being rash. Matt seemed to notice.

"Look Gabs, I'm sorry I said that. I was trying to keep the surprise hidden, and I sorta panicked and it came out. Please forgive me," he told me. He reached out to hug me. I pulled him into my arms and hugged him, and I could feel every pair of eyes on my back.

Matthew is my brother. I've known him my whole life, so really they shouldn't be surprised that I'm comfortable with him.

"Wait," I said as we pulled away from our hug. "What surprise? And what gift?" Everyone gave me a giant grin.

"Come on," Matt said, gently grabbing my arm and tugging me along with him. "We'll show you." We trudged up the stairs, all the way to my wing, which Mr. Hawthorne built me last year, despite my saying he didn't have to, and I wasn't part of the family.

"Gabi," the old man said. "I have a birthday gift for you." I looked at him with surprise. "You really didn't need to, Mr. Hawthorne," I told him. I had everything I needed, and besides, I doubt he even knew what I wanted more than anything in this world.

The old man's eyes shined. "But I did it anyway," he said, an air of satisfaction around him. It made me feel safe, for some reason. "Follow me," he told me.

So I did. I followed him up many stairs, until finally, we stopped in front of a stone wall. My eyebrows knitted together in confusion.

"Mr. Hawthorne, this is a wall," I told him, stating the obvious. Apparently, to Tobias Hawthorne,  the first answer is never the right one.