She looked back at her men and whispered, “I think it would be okay if you would wait over there, by the back door. You can still see them, and I’ll wave if they turn into assholes again.” They both grinned and kissed her, sending glittering looks of menace at Jesse and Barry before moving off about ten feet to give them a modicum of privacy.
Veronica raised her eyebrows as she crossed her arms over her chest, waiting for them to say what they wanted to say.
Of all the family, these two were the hardest to reconcile with, not because they were the meanest but because they could have had a relationship like she had with Cord and Jackson. The disparity was painful.
Jesse finally spoke up after glancing back at Hank and Travis, swallowing with a little difficulty as if the words he need to say stuck in his craw.
Good. It shouldn’t be easy for them.
“Ron–Veronica, we’re sorry. We were little shits to you. There was just something about you that was so…innocent and soft, and…shit…and that part of you was like a red cape my inner bully couldn’t resist. I don’t know if it was because I knew I lacked that quality in myself, or if it was because I wanted to attack your innocence and weakness but I couldn’t resist bullying you, like blood in the water to a shark. And you took it, and took it, and I think that made me…”
He looked down and his face went beet red. “The way you took it without fighting back made me hate you a little. And Phil and Gordon were no different. We should’ve kicked their asses for starting that rumor instead of laughing with them about it. We knew you weren’t a lesbian. And we remember that one guy, Travis.” He gestured with a thumb over his shoulder at Travis. “He was that game warden, wasn’t he? We saw how much you liked him and we couldn’t stand it. Man, we’re fucked up.” Jesse growled to his brother. “Say something, dickhead, this isn’t only on me.”
Veronica looked over at Barry and was a little surprised to find he was teary-eyed and red-faced, too. She beckoned them forward so no one could see them from the living room and slid the box of tissues across the kitchen island where they could reach it if they wanted them.
Barry said, “When you flipped out on Phil and Gordon, that day when that guy came over, they made it sound like you went nuts on them. But I knew them well enough that I should’ve known better. I guess I was just like what Jesse described. Hating you a little because you took what we dished out and never said anything. And then when you finally blew your top we treated you even worse. I’m gonna kick both of their asses for teasing you or every laying a hand on you. Did they ever—?”
Veronica looked him and Jesse in the eyes so he would know that she didn’t doubt the words she had to say. “No, thank God. Because I don’t think anyone would’ve believed me if they had.”
Barry’s eyes went wide, but as the truth sank in, he bit back a sob and his face crumpled. He didn’t even seem to worry if anyone knew about it. “I’m sorry, Veronica. So sorry.”
Jesse looked behind him to see Hank and Travis still watching them like hawks. “I’m sorry, Veronica. Please forgive me. Forgive us. We were so fucked up in our thinking.” He ran the edge of his hand under his eyes and smiled at her. “You look beautiful in your dress. I’m glad we came so we could see you.”
“Damn straight,” Barry added with a nod and a sniffle. He tried to genuinely smile, which made him almost handsome. He still had a ways to go before he measured up to Cord and Jackson in her eyes, he and Jesse both, but this was a start. Then he opened his mouth. “Maybe we’ll visit Lusty after all. I’ll bet they’ve got some pretty girls there that might help rehabilitate two assholes like us. Or maybe Divine—”
Jesse looked over his shoulder again and quickly said, “Or maybe we shouldn’t press our luck, bro.”
Barry drew a deep breath and looked at his brother and then at her. “Can you forgive us?”
Uncrossing her arms, Veronica said, “Let’s say I agree to start the process. But don’t think I’ll accept a limited change. This is a forever change. If I’m…if we’re going to go forward with any of you, like family, there are going to be real changes from all of you.” She shrugged. “I know this may seem harsh, but I already didn’t have any of you in my heart anyway, with the exception of Cord and Jackson, so it’s not a huge thing to me if you never make it there. I’ll give it a try, but go back to the way you treated me, including the insulting nicknames, even once, and I will not hesitate to cut you out of my life permanently. Life is too short for more of that bullshit.”