More Than You Know - Part Seven

(Jenni's POV)

I pushed myself off the tree.

"Wait...what? I don't have a step brother. I don't have any brother. God, I don't even have parents! Now how about you tell me who you are and stop messing with my life?" I yelled at him, suddenly angry. Dave stepped forward and captured me in his arms. He could tell I was upset really, not mad. I buried my face in his shirt and sobbed. "Why? Why couldn't you just be a normal kidnapper? Why couldn't you just come and hit me and run off? Why do you have to mess with my life just because it's going perfect?" I cried, clutching at his clothes and sobbing heavily. I could hardly stand and I would have fallen had it not been for the comforting arms wrapped around my waist.

"Shh..." Dave whispered into my hair. "It's all right. I'll tell you everything." He released me and led me by the hand to a park bench. Once sat down comfortably, he began. "Well, you might have heard that a movie star, Tasmin Porshotti-" here I interrupted.

"Porshotti? But that's my second name. And that was given to me by my nurse when I was small...it was her second name, too." I said, gripping tight onto his hand. He looked down at my clasp and smiled and gorgeous smile.

"Your nurse's name was Linda Warren. She wasn't Italian. Porshotti is, in fact, your real name. And it's Tasmin's name too. She had you when she was really young. About fifteen, I think. You were accidental." My face crumpled. He held me to him. "She couldn't look after you. Lisa was her dead mother's best friend, so she left you on her doorstep. When Tasmin was about eighteen, she got recognized. Now she's a big star in Hollywood. Or she was. She got into the drugs scene. She...well, she passed away about two months ago. She had no family by then - they've all been drinkers and it caught up with them. But on her nineteenth birthday, she met my father and fell in love. They married, even though I was against it. I mean, my mother had me she was really young as well and I loved her loads. But the marriage was rocky anyway. So they separated and Tasmin became my step mother.

Despite what you might think, Jenni, she was a good mother. She loved me like I was her own, because that's how much she loved my father. She was a nice, kindhearted person and that mad everyone like her. But then, one day, when she was...high...she tried driving. She'd mixed them with drink and....well, you can probably figure out the rest. I've never seen my father so devastated when he heard the news. He couldn't bear to get rid of any of her stuff, so we were sorting through her stuff to put away. I came to an envelope.

It was plain white, with just the words Jenni Baby on it. I opened it, and found four photos. There was two of her with a really tiny baby, holding her close and smiling into the camera. Then there was one of you in a garden, a little toddler, playing with a fat blonde lady. On the back it said Linda and Jenni, and there was an address. That last one was one of you at about fourteen. It was candid - you didn't know it had been taken so it was pretty fuzzy. On the back of this photo, it said 'My little girl, all grown up.' That's, really, when I understood. I didn't show the photos to dad, not knowing whether she had kept this from him or not. If she had, it would ruin any last memories and thoughts he had of her, and I didn't want to do that.

So I took the photo with the address on it, packed the rest away carefully and set out to find you." He stopped and gently tilted my head toward his. "And I've found you." He whispered, enveloping me in a hug once more. Then he did something totally unexpected. He leaned forward and, quickly, pressed his lips to mine. My mind exploded into a thousand pieces. He was such a good kisser - melding his lips to mine in a firm but gentle embrace. Then he pulled away. "Sorry," he apologized a little breathlessly. "But I've wanted to do that since I first set eyes on you." He smiled a little at me and I smiled back.

Then I pulled away and stood up.

"I have work. Come with me." I said shortly, pulling him to his feet after me. He laughed and wrapped his arms around my waist.

"Is that all you're going to say?" he asked apprehensively.

"For now." I replied quietly. "I need time to think it over. And I need to loosen up a little. So come with me."

"You loosen up by working?!"

"Well, I'm a waitress slash bartender at the coolest place to hang out; Scarlet's. So, you in?" I explained, raising an eyebrow at him and grinning.

"I'm in." He replied. We retrieved my guitar and then Dave led the way out of the park. We were laughing all the way.