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I think back to what the PR woman was suggesting and wonder what strategy they are going for now. With me not around, the ‘falling in love’ idea just wouldn’t work. Maybe they’re going to deny it. Maybe, they’ve found a way to suggest that the images were photoshopped, or that the girl in the images wasn’t me. That would still leave them in the lurch, though, and I don’t want to be the only one getting away from this scot free. These are my boys, I think. I need them to be okay.
The camera moves to Roderick. “Yes. The news has been filled with scandal,” he says. “They’ve taken some photos and invented a whole story around it.”
“Are you saying the coverage isn’t accurate?” the anchor says. “The photographic evidence is pretty damning.”
“I’m saying that the coverage isn’t an accurate reflection of the situation.”
I see my Mom put her hand on Roderick’s arm, showing her support for him as she did the day of our first family breakfast. Maybe she can feel how close he is to losing his shit. I’m surprised at how well he’s managing to hold it all together.
“And you’re all here to tell our viewers what was actually going on in those photos?” the anchor says, unable to conceal his amusement.
“Yes.” Roderick looks to his sons and the camera pans in closer.
Grant shuffles forward in his seat. His face is grave, his shoulders slumped forward and I want to reach out to him through the screen and lay my hand on his brow. The situation is obviously getting to him and he’s having to face the music while I hide out here in my towel like a coward. “Those images…” he shakes his head as though he’s disgusted. “They were taken in our home by someone we trusted, and sold for personal gain. They might look sordid to viewers but that isn’t an accurate reflection of what was happening.” He pauses and Aaron shifts in his seat.
“It must be hard for your viewers to believe,” Aaron says, “but that’s not what this is.”
The camera pans back to the anchor whose face is a picture. “Laura is your stepsister?” he says.
“We’re not married yet,” my mom says. “So Laura and the boys are not step-anything.”
“But you are intending to marry?”
My mom smiles. “We were but things are a little different now.”
“Different how?”
Ford leans forward. “Different because we’ve all fallen for Laura and want to marry her,” he says.
There’s a few seconds of absolute silence which you don’t often see on TV as the anchor and crew of the news program digest what has just been said. My heart leaps. They’ve fallen for me and want to marry me. All of them. Even Grant. Even Aaron.
“Marry?” the anchor eventually says with disbelief.
“I know it’s not legally possible,” Ford continues. “But we want to pledge ourselves to Laura for life. It might not be a normal thing in our society but we have found a girl who can make us all very happy and that’s what’s important to us. We’re all devastated that an employee who we trusted has chosen to profit by exposing a woman who deserves nothing but respect. We’re devastated to be judged so quickly. The media have portrayed this as something degrading but that’s not what this is about at all. This is about creating a family unit. This is about bringing our family closer.”
“There are how many of you?” the anchor asks, his eyebrows practically disappearing beneath his hairline.
“Ten,” Blake says. “There are ten of us.”
“And you all want to be with Laura?”
The boys all nod. “Yes,” Blake says. “Keeping our family unit closely bonded is important to us all. Family comes first, before anything.”
The anchor smirks. “So this is all about family values?”
Donnie leans forward. “When there are ten of you, the chances of you finding partners who are all going to get on well and want to stay as close as we do is very small. Marriage is difficult at the best of times, but throw in the dynamics of a large family and it can be a recipe for disaster.”
The anchor still looks completely skeptical but he’s loving the scandal. “Laura must have something pretty special about her.” The boys all nod.
“I think our viewers have seen evidence of that might be.” The anchor turns to the camera and gives a leering grin.
All the boys look as though they want to punch him. Casey and Cameron have balled their fists in their laps wrapped by their other hands as through they’re holding themselves back. Barratt is red in the face and Ford looks like he’s ready to explode.
But it’s Roderick that speaks and it’s with a level of calmness that I’m surprised to see.
“I know what it is that you’re trying to suggest and I have to say, Mr. Donovan, that I’m very disappointed. Are women to be defined by sex? Are we to suggest that a person’s value and worth is wholly determined by what they will or will not do in the bedroom? I think that is a very shallow and narrow way to look at half of our world. Shallow and unfair.”
The McGregor boys are all turned to their father and the camera catches their surprise.
“Laura is an extremely caring individual who has been a great support to her mother through some very difficult times. She is intelligent, often coming top of her class despite having some physical difficulties that have kept her away from lectures. She’s independent, not wanting to rely on handouts or favors. She’s strong minded and will stick up for what she believes is right. She has great friendships and is involved in her local community. She’s honest and trust worthy. But I guess, because you’ve seen some pictures of her engaging in loving physical activity with more than one of my sons, you will judge her to be nothing?”
There’s stunned silence.
And my heart feels like it might burst.
I never expected Roderick to defend me like this and to be able to articulate all the good about me so succinctly. . .well even my own father wouldn’t know or value most of what Roderick just said.
“My dad has put it perfectly,” Aaron says. “We would do anything to keep Laura safe. Our family and our business means everything to us and we are devastated that this exposure has caused damage to something our father has worked so hard for. Laura has left us because she doesn’t want to be the cause of any further damage but her not being part of our family is the worst damage that she could inflict.”
My hand goes to my heart where I’m racked with an ache that feels like it might crush me. They are all there fighting to save my reputation and all I did was walk away to try and save myself. I feel selfish and ashamed. I feel like I let them all down.
“We’re faced with impossible choices,” Elliot says. “Let Laura go and lose the one woman who can keep us all together. Leave our family business and walk away from everything our father has worked for in order to try and minimize the damage to our company’s reputation. And for what? Because we don’t love in the standard way. Because we know what is right for us and we have the courage to choose it?”
The anchor nods. “It seems like you have a whole lot to lose.”
“That’s an understatement,” Antony says. “We’ve all given up a lot already. Each of us has chosen to put aside our passions to further our joint interests. I wanted to design houses but I’m a commercial architect for my father. Donnie wants to paint but he’s the graphical designer for our business. We know what it takes to sacrifice, but this is too much. This isn’t for anyone’s benefit. All this is going to do is hurt all of us and so a bunch of strangers who know nothing about us or our lives can feel better about themselves and their moral high-horse.”
Aaron puts his hand on his brother’s arm. “We just want to be able to live our lives in private and for everyone to understand that all our choices are made with love.”
Love?
“You love her?” Mr. Donovan asks.
“Yes.” It’s a chorus of ten voices. The camera pans to my mother whose face is beaming with happiness.
“And you approve?” he asks my mom.
At that moment, my phone starts to ring. I glance at the screen and see KATELIN flashing.
My cousin.
I wave at Danna to pause the TV and answer.
“Are you serious?” Katelin screams. “When did this happen and why the fuck didn’t you call me?”
I burst out laughing. “We haven’t spoken in five years!” I say.
“Well, I’ve been busy!” she laughs.
“So I heard,” I say. “How are those men of yours?”
“Amazing,” she says. “Perfect, blissful, sexy as hell. . .I could go on but I’m more interested in how you seem to have trumped me.”
“Are you watching Dick Donovan’s show?”
“Err. . .yeah. My mom just called me to tell me to tune in and I just didn’t get what was going on and then I saw your mom.”
“It’s been an interesting week.”
“A WEEK!” she screeches again. “You got with ten guys in a week?”
“Well, I’ve only been with nine of them,” I laugh, blushing. Danna is shaking her head at our conversation but with the biggest, cheekiest grin on her face.
“Who’s the poor sod who didn’t get any love?” Katelin asks.
“Aaron.”
“Damn. He must be feeling like shit.”
“I don’t think so,” I say. “Things just got real fast.”
“Yeah. I didn’t think you had it in you cuz.”
“I didn’t know I had it in me.”
Danna scoots closer. “I didn’t know she had it in her either,” she yells into the phone.
“Is that Danna?” Katelin asks.
“Yeah. I’m hiding at her house while my private life is discussed on live TV.”
“Well, you did go and choose some of the highest profile bachelors in the state. What did you expect? No one is splashing my private life over the front pages.”
“Well, they might be when they find out that we’re related,” I say. “Actually, it’ll probably be good if you guys could keep a low profile for a while.”
Katelin just laughs. “You know I don’t give a fuck about that,” she says. “Let them come and try and make me feel shit about loving and being loved by the best three men there are. Let them try to tell me that our committed relationship is anything but perfect and I’ll tell them where to go.”
My cousin has always been really feisty and I can see how having that conviction can go a long way in a situation like this. I wish I was more like her. I wish I had that level of certainty about the choices that I need to make.
“How did you know?” I ask her. “How did you know that your three men were worth the risk?”
“The risk of what? Loving?”
“Getting your heart broken. Having the world think you’re a slut. Being judged for just living your life.”
“It doesn’t sound like those boys want to break your heart, honey. As for the world, people are going to think what they want. You can be living what the majority consider to be a normal life and people will still be judging you. You’ve just got to live your life in a way that makes you happy and doesn’t fuck anyone else up in the process. That’s all we can do.”
I take a deep breath and look at the McGregor’s all frozen on the screen. “But that’s exactly what I’ve done,” I say. “Look at them all sitting there, about to lose everything. What we’ve done has brought that family to its knees.”
“That isn’t what I see, Laura. What I see is a family who is standing up to the bigots who are fueling the scandal. I see a family united and supporting you.”
Danna nods. “I see that, too.”
“You do?”
“Yes,” they both answer in unison.
“I can’t really do this, can I?” I ask.
“Well, I’ve got to admit that I didn’t think you had it in you?” Katelin laughs. “Little Laura and ten huge men.”
“Don’t!” I say, cringing with embarrassment.
“You tell me they didn’t make you feel like you came so hard the world was going to end.”
My silence is a complete admission that she knows what she’s talking about.
“Exactly,” Katelin says. “And you want to give that up. You want to give those sexy, gorgeous, intelligent, caring men over so some other lucky woman can enjoy them. You crazy girl!”
The thought of another woman fitting into my place with the McGregor’s fills my gut with bitter, coiling jealousy but Katelin is right. If it’s not me, then at some point there will be someone else willing to take a place with my boys. There will be another woman who will have the courage to take these men into her arms and never let them go.
I couldn’t bear it.
I couldn’t stand by and let that happen.
I can’t.
“I want them,” I say softly.
“I know you do,” Katelin says. Danna smile broadly. “And they want you.”
“I need to tell them,” I say.
Danna laughs. “Better finish watching the show,” she says.
“You didn’t finish watching it yet?” Katelin squeals.
“No,” I say. “What happens?”
“Now that would be telling,” she laughs. “Just promise me you’ll call me at some point next week to fill me in on what happens next.”
“I will I say.”
We say our goodbyes quickly and Danna presses the button that puts the McGregor’s back on.
And we watch until I find out exactly why Katelin was squealing.
30
They’re coming here.
That’s what Katelin was screaming about. They told Dick Donovan on live TV that they’re not prepared to let me go and they don’t care about the consequences. They are going to follow their hearts and prove to me that this can work.
My heart is beating so fast and Danna is jumping on her bed like an excited toddler.
This is really happening.
I see it all clearly now. The love these boys feel for their father. The sacrifices they’ve made for him weren’t about them being forced to give up their dreams but them doing it willingly for a man who’s raised them to understand that family always needs love and sacrifice to work. I see that the love they feel for me is real, too. For them to put so much on the line to admit to the world that this is what they want and to hell with outside opinion has to be coming from somewhere genuine. I look at them on the screen and am overwhelmed. My ten gorgeous men are coming for me and I’m happier than I’ve ever been.
“So are you going to just sit there or are you going to get dressed so that you’re presentable when they arrive?” Danna laughs.
“Oh my god!” I whisper.
“I know, honey. It’s pretty overwhelming. Are you okay? Is this what you want?”
“Yes,” I say. “It is.”
“So, let’s get you ready,” she says.
As I start to find a suitable outfit for what feels like the most significant reunion I have ever had, I think through everything that has happened. Although I feel guilty for walking away when I did, it wasn’t about me having a tantrum. It was about me finding space to think and give me a chance to fully realize what it is that I want for my life. It’s also because I truly believed that these amazing boys needed to be free from their father’s clutches. They needed to take control of their own lives, not allow themselves to be bullied into something that isn’t right for them or just drifting along the tide because they can’t be bothered to choose another direction for themselves. But I see now that what I assumed wasn’t correct. Roderick isn’t the man I thought he was and his sons are not being coerced into this situation. That interview has just proven to me that they want this themselves and that their sacrifice isn’t force.
“You know I was convinced that you would have seen the error of your ways and run back to your castle at some point,” Danna laughs. “Or that maybe you migh
t have been kidnapped by your wicked stepfather and forced into servitude.”
“Sexual servitude,” I giggle. “He doesn’t really seem so wicked anymore, does he?”
She shakes her head. “As long as sexual servitude comes with cake and massages, you know I’d be more than happy with that deal,” she says.
“I think cake and massages are on offer. You know, maybe you need to audition for the role of wife,” I say.
“I’m not taking your sloppy seconds,” she says. “They wouldn’t want me, anyway.”
It’s the first time in a very long time that Danna has said something negative about herself and it’s taken me by surprise. “What do you mean?” I ask her.
“I’m not you, am I?” she says. “I’m not the kind of girl that guys want to settle down with.”
I look at her seriously. “Why the hell would you think that?”
“You know how I am. Too loud. Too bossy. Too sassy. It’s not a winning combination when it comes to guys.”
“Maybe not misogynistic douchebags,” I say, “but those aren’t the kind of guys you want in your life.”
“Even the not so misogynistic ones aren’t that keen,” she says. “I’m strictly in the funny-friend-zone.”
“Yes, you are,” I say. “In the best possible way. Don’t you even think this shit. You’re amazing and beautiful and funny as hell. If I was a guy I’d totally be into you.”
“No you wouldn’t,” she laughs. “You’d be into Tara Becket.”
It’s such a left-field comment I don’t even know how to reply. Tara Becket is the head of the cheerleading team. Her parents are loaded. I think her father might be high up in local government as well as owning half of the factories in the state.
“Why Tara Becket?” I ask.
“Why the McGregor brothers?”
I smart a little bit. Is she suggesting that I’m driven by the money and status? “You know their wealth doesn’t motivate me. If it did, why would I be here?”
“They’re the alphas,” she says, elaborating her point. “The ones people notice when they walk into a room. That’s what you like about them.”