Private Affair (The Private Series) (14 page)

“Why?” Ben grunts.

Jack is standing with a look of distraught and confusion, “Will someone please fill me in here? Ben, why wouldn’t you ask your mate here to come to your fiancés birthday party? Aren’t they friends now as well?”

“Yes, they are, but Dad…” His face is going red, this is not a good sign. I know about what had happened with Caroline and Dan, but I thought that was just a misunderstanding and that the guys were getting through it, I suppose I was just wrong.

“Then tell me what is going on…now.” Jack demands.

Caroline walks over to her father and places her arm on his. “Dad, there is something I want to talk to you about … with Benji too.” She looks over at me, “Tess I am so sorry to do this here, but I figured it would be one of the only times to get everyone together on mutual territory to explain.”

I can only nod my head, I am all too curious and concerned.

“Dad, Benji … I have been talking to Dan for some time now. For a couple of years. Only as friends here and there. He was there for me as a little girl, with being at the house a lot hanging out with Ben and all. But, I am shy of being sixteen in two weeks… I am not a little girl anymore and my … our feelings for one another have started to grow…”

“Fucking asshole! If you touched my sister I will hang you here and now and cut your mother fucking dick off!” Ben screams at him and starts to reach for his neck and Caroline screams at him to stop and just listen.

“Daniel?” Jacks voice is stern.

“Mr. Mitchell, please understand, first I haven’t done anything with or to your daughter. We have only been one anothers confidants for a couple of years, merely chit chat and talking about one another days. I have been conflicted for, I don’t even know how long about it. I know it’s wrong I do. That’s what makes this so hard. I respect you and your daughter sir, but my feelings for her have grown. We have never acted on anything. I swear.” Dan is nearly on his knees begging for Jack and Ben to understand.

“I was so messed up after Jackie. I was on Facebook and Caroline had sent me a friend request and she asked how I was doing and where I have been. I got in the habit of messaging her and eventually texting her. We are friends. But…I just don’t know what to do. I know I can’t do anything about how I feel. I want to take it slow. This isn’t something I want to rush. I don’t want to ruin a friendship either.”

Caroline walks over to Dan and weaves her arm into Dan’s and his eyes widen and look at Ben, probably afraid of losing his dick now.

“Caroline, get away from him.” Ben demands her.

“Benji, try to understand…”

“Understand what exactly? Not too long ago you nearly killed yourself, you were hurting yourself for God know how long! Was any of it because of him?” He points to Dan.

Caroline looks down to her feet.

“That’s what I fucking thought!”

“No! It’s not that! Benji, I was…” She is struggling with finally letting it all out. She’s a million and then some time more brave than I am, to tell a room of people what makes your world so dark, so cold to harm yourself. “I was being teased at school, bad. I did things I wasn’t proud of… I tried to get Dan’s attentions after seeing women post photos of themselves with Dan on his Facebook page … those women were sexy and mature… I wanted to be seen that way in his eyes too. I feel for him, I don’t know if its love, but it’s strong, that I know. So I would post … pictures for him on his wall. Nothing nude, but…” She nervously looks to her father, who has his arms crossed over his chest and face just as red as Ben’s. “The kids at school could see what I was posting and started calling me a whore and other bad names. I tried to ignore it, but they could see that Dan was older and they started spreading rumors that I was sleeping with the teachers for grades. Even photo-shopping my face onto porn stars bodies and sending them around.”

Caroline is starting to tense up and tear up, I rush over to her and hug her. I understand. I really do. She is still gripping onto Dan’s arm, “Dan was there for me, he saw it all…” She stops. A flood of tears just let go. He steps in front of her and holds the sides of her face between his strong hands.

“You are better than that, you know it. I have told you a million times. If I could make it all go away I would, you know that. I feel like I am the one to blame for everything. If I would have known that you were hurting yourself, especially for so long I would have spoken up honestly. Your family loves you and doesn’t want to see you in pain.”

Caroline looks so little next to him, which only makes the situation that much worse. She is only a teenager and he is in his mid-twenties. I can see the, and I don’t want to say it or think it, but I see the love they each have for one another in their eyes. I truly believe that if Dan had known what was really going on, he would have said something to Ben or Jack.

“This…” Dan starts, he holds her wounded arm in his hands, cradling it, nurturing it. “Is scary. When I heard that you nearly… died, I lost it. I shut off for days. I didn’t work, I didn’t answer my calls. I ceased to exist, until I finally got word of how you were doing.” He looks to Ben, “I tried to keep my distance to respect your wishes, but…”

“You knew that something was going on Benjamin?” Jack snips at Ben.

“I knew of one incident, but I was assured it was a misunderstanding. I had no idea about any of this.” Ben explains.

Jack walks to Dan,
oh crap
. “I see. So, what are your intentions now?” He isn’t even talking to me and I want to tell him my intentions with Ben…holy shit he is scary.

“I would like to continue being there for Caroline Sir. I know she is much too young, right now for a relationship with me. And I don’t think after what she has been through she should see anyone romantically right now.”

He is very logical on the matter.

Jack taking in a calming breath and I see his clenched fists relax, how long have they been like that? “Your bloody right about that young man. My daughter is in no condition to date.”

“I don’t think you should be contacting her any longer.” Ben snaps from across the area.

Jack holds up a hand to his son, “Stop. You are not her father. I know I haven’t been the greatest father in a while, I feel awful and sick that I didn’t see any of the signs sooner.”

“Dad, I didn’t exactly confide in you or anyone for that matter,” Caroline tells her father. “It’s no one’s fault but my own. I was just in a dark place… But I need you to understand that when I was happy, it was because of Dan and he was across the country.” I can see the pain that she has been carrying for so long. I can see the struggle and intense need to make Jack and Ben understand what she is feeling. Sure it’s a little late, but its better it comes out now.

“You!” Ben shoots at Dan, “All this time, all the times we talked while you were across the country, all the times I told you everything about my end, you didn’t think to let me know that you were talking to my baby sister? Or the fact that you might think she was hurting or was in some sort of trouble? I could have stopped the bullying!” He is straining the urge to not pummel Dan right now. “If you had just spoken up…”

“I know. I didn’t think about it that way before, I honestly thought that she was still seeing a therapist and her family about what was going on with her classmates. I would have brought it up, you have to believe that man. I would never want to see Caroline physically, mentally or emotionally hurt. At the same time I was struggling with my own emotions about it all.” Dan looks to Caroline, “I am so sorry Caroline. I just didn’t know.”

“I know,” She answers. Caroline takes Dan’s hand and I can just feel Ben’s blood pressure spike and Jacks for that matter. Neither move though, perhaps they are waiting to see what happens.

Dan hesitantly leans in closer to her, “You’re my best friends little sister. You are supposed to be off limits, forbidden…wrong.”

“We can keep doing what we have been, talking. We can keep taking it slow, keep being friends. When I am eighteen…”

Ben starts clapping, “Oh, how fucking beautiful! My best mate and my underage baby sister, talking about waiting until she is legal to really date an older guy… Am I the only one who really sees how fucked up this is?”

“Ben,” I snip, “With me now.” I demand and start to pull him out of the room. I yank him into the ladies room. “You need to control this now.”

“Control what exactly?”

“She has been through enough already and apparently she was confiding in someone for a while, granted it wasn’t the full truth about the extreme of the situation, but she was opening up to someone. Are you just lit, because it wasn’t you? Do you feel guilty about not being there or not seeing the signs?”

Ben looks at me and scratches his chin vigorously, “Yeah, is that what you want to hear?”

“Yes.”

“They haven’t done anything wrong. They are friends, sure they have a little more feeling behind it, but I honestly don’t think that they will act on it. Dan sees how precious she is and will protect her. You just have to let it ride out.” I wrap my arms around his waist and hold him. His hands do the same and he rests his chin on the top of my head.

“Thank you. Thank you for knowing what I need to hear and bring me back to reality.” He lets out a rugged breath.

“I love you. Now let’s go back out there and take the tension down a tad. It’s my birthday and I want to spend it with everyone that’s here. Got it?”

“Got it, birthday girl.”

Ben and I have been playing with dates and details for the wedding. We talked with Jack and Gwen, who suggested we get married back in London, Ben’s first home. Supposedly they have a lot of family there and would love to help in any way they can.

“Your Uncle Daniel and Aunt Genevieve have the estate just outside of the city and they have offered their home for the wedding and reception.” Jack explains the idea and the very kind gesture, over coffee at our place.

Ben is holding my hand as we sit next to each other on the leather sofa, which reminds me that I want to start adding my own little personal touches to the place… “That is very kind of them,” Ben looks to me, “What do you think?”

I look from Ben to Jack and Gwen, who are patiently waiting on what I have to say. Gwen has the biggest, most excited looks on her face. “I wouldn’t want to put anyone out though…”

“They are family and they have offered. Ben spent many days there and played with his cousins. It’s a happy place, one filled with beloved memories, ones we had when his mother was still alive.” Jacks voice cracks as he speaks about his departed wife. Gwen kisses his cheek, I am so happy to see how great she is with him when it comes to his first big love and the mother of his children.

“It’s true,” Ben laughs, “I had a lot of fun growing up there and the land is a fair size and we would have plenty of room. Not that we want a big wedding or anything, just something Private. A private affair.”

“Now how can I argue with that?” I laugh.

Jack claps his hands once together loudly, “Brilliant! Now a date.”

Ben and I look at one another and smile. We both want to be married as soon as possible. We fell hard, fast. I have heard so many stories of people rushing into marriage and it’s over before it starts, but what people don’t talk about as often as they should, the ones who get married after seeing one another for a few short weeks and they, they are the ones who are married for fifty, sixty years. I know that Ben and I are one of those fifty, sixty years.

“We would like to do it soon,” Ben announces.

“How soon are we talking?” Gwen asks, probably eager to help start planning.

“Spring if possible?” I ask. Ben smiles and nods in agreement. We hadn’t really talked about dates specifically, but we knew we wanted it soon.

“It’s not too warm there that time of year dear, if it’s cold then we can do indoors and if we are lucky we can have it outside…” Jack informs me.

“Or heated tents!” Gwen suggests with much enthusiasm, I can see her gears turning now.

“I’m not looking to be a blushing June bride by any means. I am not so traditional, so why should our wedding be?”