Chapter 23
The morning after the night before came far too soon for Kayla. She did not know if she had had a good day or a bad birthday, but she knew it was over and she was glad of it.
She did not think turning eighteen was going to change a whole lot for her. On the others side of it and knowing what it was she knew now, she understood more than enough to know it had very much changed her life.
It changed what would come next.
After the party she felt as if she had stayed up all night trying to find another path. She could not.
Seventeen long years had passed since any of them had been in the presence of their father. It was, she knew, high time to change it.
If her brother was right, then she stuck by what she had thought the night before. If there was a chance he did not consent to this – to them leaving America. Now she owed it to him to find out.
And either way she definitely owed it to herself to find out.
Thus, she went to find her brother.
She found him in the family room, looking blankly at the television, which he turned off when he saw the look on her face.
"Are you ok, Kay?" he asked immediately. The question was layered with more than what it said.
"I am. Can you talk?"
Seeing as the two of them were on their own Roman saw no reason not to.
"Of course – what can I do for you?"
She shrugged. "I guess – I guess what you can do for me is to book me a ticket back to America," she said as she sat by his side.
He could not keep the smile that spread on his face off of it. He had hoped and prayed for a long time now she was going to say those words to him. Thank god.
"Oh Kay…"
"I was up thinking all night – and, well now I know you think Pop did not know we were not going to be going home to him, I feel as if we have a duty too."
"We do – sis, this is the right thing for us to do. And I know this hasn't been an easy decision for you," he said, and she shrugged.
"I made it in one night – can't have been that hard," she thought and she felt a traitor to her current life.
She pushed down that feeling. She had to know. And if they were wrong, then there was going to be a way back. She hoped.
"It's the right one."
She nodded, hoping he was indeed correct about that.
X x x
Once again, the family found themselves at tea by the pool. That week had been bigger for some than others, for reasons known only to a select few. But even without that they had had Kayla's birthday so there was a fair amount of tiredness about the table.
Roman however, felt as if he was buzzing. They were going to go home and now he had both of his sisters on side he saw no further reason for them to delay. He had rung about flights that very afternoon, the date was set. Due to the fact he had had to wait so long, he had saved enough for the tickets. Money was not going to be as barrier to them getting back. Now all they had to do was to tell the others.
Little did he know he was not the only one planning a trip that day. As he had seen the family splintering in the future, at the party, Victor had decided it was time to re-bond with the boys in his life. He should have done it years ago for Roman's benefit and he wanted to do it for the younger pair before they got too old.
Justin was set on becoming an lawyer and for now it was something which Victor was happy to let the boy pursue. Of course, in time, there might be the need for him to give it up to support Bo in the family business but as of yet, they were not at that moment and it seemed to be keeping him out of trouble.
But also, busy.
He wasn't getting enough time with any of them anymore and that was something which Victor was going to change.
"As much as I love the ladies in my life," he begun, clearly aiming what he was saying at the women of them family.
"I am sure you do," said Caroline with a grin which said he knew which way his bread was buttered.
"I was thinking maybe we could take a boys fishing trip this summer."
He had come up with the idea due to the fact he had felt – well, as if he had had a difficult time connecting with more than just one of the children lately. It was time to reset the board.
His wife raised her eyebrows for it was the first thing she had heard about it. Still, it was a nice idea and she was not going to say no to a bit of time with her girls on her own.
Victor turned to the eldest son of the family.
"What say you Roman?"
He saw his chance and he knew it was time. He took a deep breath and spoke.
"Well as it happens, I do not know how much I am going to be around this summer – the girls don't either."
Kayla and Kimmie's eyes met. Hold you nerve, Kay, the elder sister seemed to say with her eyes. They had known that it was going to be the easiest thing in the world to tell their mother, Victor, Justin and Bo this. But it did not mean they were not doing the right thing. If there was one thing in the world, she believed it was that they were doing the right thing.
"What do you mean?"
"Me, Kim and Kayla are going to go on a little vacation of our own this year."
Victor did not look as if he was thrilled by that idea. Kim felt pride as she looked at her big brother, but Kayla was surprised to see she wished as if the ground would swallowed her up. She hoped one day she was going to be as brave as the two of them were.
"Strange as I do not remember either myself or your mother giving any of your permission for that." Victor stated simply.
Roman countered perfectly. "Now that we are all eighteen, we do not need your permission."
"Roman," Caroline said both surprised and slightly warningly. He was a man now, but she didn't want his cheek.
"I have been working for a while as have the girls. The three of us wanted to head in to Europe for a while," said Roman. He had not thought he was going to feel guilty for leaving his brothers out of this but as he looked across the table at them, he did. Bo had started looked annoyed and was now appearing slightly peeved.
Justin did not look as if he was too bothered either way, though he knew the whole room had done the math – he was old enough to go. After all, he was older Kayla. Roman had a feeling as long as he got to go and do his fishing trip then he was not going to be too bothered. He had looked engaged at his uncle's suggestion. Not only that but he had a feeling whatever the three of them were planning was not going to end well in the sight of his uncle Victor and that meant he did not really want to be in on this.
Justin had learnt over time that there were moments to be in on what the Brady's were planning and then there were times he wanted to steer clear. Just like his uncle he knew what way his bread was buttered.
Victor did not say a lot to that, for there was not a much which he could say, it was clear.
Roman's mind was made up. It would not change.
Maybe Victor had got a bit of a sense of that for he did not want to continue with the subject.
"We can talk about this later – not over the family tea," he said as he looked at Roman as if daring him to argue. He had to admit he was annoyed. He had thought they were going to enjoy their afternoon as a family but now that did not seem as if it was going to happen.
"Very well – but there is nothing to talk about." Roman shrugged. They were going.
He wasn't asking for blessings or permission. He was just letting them know.
His mother shut her eyes – just sometimes, he was a real Brady.
X x x
The cloud which had descended over tea that day had remained and not so long after, Caroline was compelled by loyalty to her children to go and talk to her man. She felt as if it was not often, she grew a backbone when it came to Victor, but that day Caroline knew she was going to have to.
She wished she had been taken into their confidence, but at times like these she knew that it was as a result of her own actions she was not, and she never argued with that.
She walked into the study with a sigh. She knew she had been but a Brady by marriage, but she could be as stubborn as the rest of them and she knew when it came down to it, this was something which she had to deal with for Roman. She was going to go to bat for him.
She had had a think since tea and whilst she had not wanted her son to be rude, she did not want her husband to be the one to dictate her children's life either. Not now. They were old enough to make their own decision.
She was not greeted by a 'hello' or any other curtesy. He barely looked up. He was annoyed. Very well.
But she was not going to be put off what she had to say to him.
"I do not want you to put off the kids from going to Europe." She said plainly. He looked at her in the eye.
"I can see you are going to take the softly, softly approach to this," he said in a somewhat mocking way. "Did they talk to you at all before they made their plans?"
But he knew from her face at tea they had not.
"No," she said to him and she had to admit she remained saddened they had not felt the need to share it with her before they had announced it. "But it is as Roman said - they are adults now and this is the way it is going to be." She had always known there was going to be a time when she knew less and less about their lives and plans. It didn't mean she liked it.
She didn't any more than he did, but she could accept it.
"We would never have treated our parents like this."
"I treated my far, far worse, with much greater maturity supposedly on my shoulders." She said and he looked piercingly at her.
It was a rare day she spoke like that and she knew he hated it when she did. It didn't make it any less the truth.
She dug deep.
"The children want to go on this trip, and they are going to go – and I am allowing this and you are not going to stop them. They are not children anymore."
She said and she turned.
"Caroline?"
"Victor?"
"Do you believe they are going to Europe?"
The question was laced with others.
"I believe they are taking a trip and they are old enough to decide the destination."
Her only hope was they'd return.
Please review!