Author's Note: Thanks to every one who is reading and especially to every one who is voting and commenting. Keep the votes and comments coming. Just one random question: can anyone think of a new name for this book. I don't like the title, but I suck at coming up with new ones.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Oh, Julie,” Jimmy whispered to me. I was sitting at the edge of our bed and he was kneeling in front of me. I had just confessed everything that Emme had told me. I watched his jaw harden as he clenched his teeth together. I didn’t even want to think about the punishment that was waiting for Emme.

He brought his warm hands up to my neck and ran his fingers up into my hair. I looked into his soft, brown, eyes and he was shaking his head. I reached up and wrapped my fingers around his wrists.

“You don’t believe that, do you?” he asked me.

“No,” I gasped. “Jimmy, of course I don’t. I love you so much. I don’t want to leave this house.”

“Are you sure? Maybe Emme put some ideas in your head.”

“No, I promise she didn’t. You’re my family. I never want to leave you.”

“Okay,” Jimmy said as he got up off of his knees. He pulled his hands off of me. “I better go take a quick shower before they start wondering where we are. You should probably clean up a bit.”

I nodded my head and I watched his as he walked into the bathroom. I know Emme is going to be punished, but I hope I’m not punished either. I was the one that made her shut up. I didn’t want to listen to her.

The sound of the shower began to fill the room. I grabbed a brush off of the dresser and began to run it through the tangles in my hair. I wish I could change out of this ugly dress, but it’s Jimmy’s favourite and he didn’t leave out anything else for me. I tied half of my hair back so that it didn’t feel so hot and heavy.

Jimmy was soon out of the shower. He walked back into the room with only a pair of jeans. He was running a towel through his wet hair. I watched his as he dug to the bottom of one of the drawers and pull out a red dress shirt. He dropped the towel onto the ground and put his arms through the sleeves.

He didn’t say a word to me and I was starting to get scared that he was angry at me. I walked up to him and I began to do up his shirt. He watched me intensely as I did up every button until I got to his neck. I looked up at him and he was smiling. I got up onto my toes and gave him a quick kiss.

“You’re a good girl for not listening to Emme,” he told me. I couldn’t stop my lips from curling into a smile. “When Tommy’s girl comes she’s going to say a lot of bad things about this family. I’m glad to know that you won’t believe her.”

“I love you,” I told him before stealing another kiss.

“I love you too. Now we should probably get downstairs.”

I nodded my head and he laced his fingers through mine. We walked down the stairs and nobody was in the kitchen yet. Jimmy helped me finish dinner until Taylor came downstairs. I looked over my shoulder to see he had a white button shirt on and was running his fingers through his short hair. My heart started pounding as soon as Jimmy started talking to him. I was sure he was going to tell Taylor about Emme.

They were talking, but I couldn’t make out what they were saying. Taylor walked over to the bottom of the stairs.

“Emme, hurry up!” he shouted upstairs.

I felt my stomach twist in a knot. Jimmy must have told him and now he was going to punish her. Emme ran down the stairs. Her short curly hair was pinned back and she had a blue and white striped dress on. When she got to the bottom of the steps Taylor opened up his arms and he hugged her. Emme let out a faint laugh and I knew he wasn’t going to punish her. Jimmy mustn’t have said anything.

He kissed her on the cheek before she came over to the counter and helped me set the table. I tried not to look at her because every time I did she would stare at my stomach and shake my head. I always wanted another girl in the house, but this wasn’t what I wanted.

Charles came down the stairs next. He had a blue shirt on and he combed his thin, greying hair back. He smiled at the boys and then sat down and the head of the table. Tommy was the last to come down. We were all already sitting at the table and the food was ready to be served.

He had on a black pair of jeans and a black shirt. He had already started to roll the sleeves up his arms. He had his usual smirk on his lips when he saw all of us.

“Always have to be the last to arrive, Thomas?” Charles asked him as he pulled out his chair and sat down.

“Took me a bit longer to get ready then the rest of you,” Tommy said. He was already reaching out for the mashed potatoes and piling them onto his plate.

“You look like you’re going to a funeral,” Jimmy said.

We all started to laugh, but Tommy just gave Jimmy a death stare. It wasn’t nearly as intimidating when it is not aimed at you.

Food began to be passed around. The boys shared stories and we all laughed. Dinner was quickly over and we all stayed around the table talking for hours. Emme and I cleaned off the table without saying a word to each other.

The night went well and Jimmy never said anything about Emme’s behaviour. I hoped he would never say anything and Emme wouldn’t get punished. She was saying bad things about the family, but I didn’t want her getting hurt because of me.

We all said goodnight and went up to our rooms. Jimmy told me to take a shower. I washed up as quickly as I could in the cold water. I tied my hair up into a bun and wrapped the towel around me and my large belly. Jimmy wasn’t in the room when I left the bathroom.

I opened up one of the drawers and pulled out an old night gown. I think it was Jimmy’s mother’s, but I didn’t care. It was the only thing that fit me. I struggled to get Jimmy’s shirt over my belly sometimes. I couldn’t wait until I was back to my skinny size. It was probably just a matter of days.

My back and feet were sore, so I crawled into bed and I waited for Jimmy. He came into the room a couple minutes later. I curled up on my side as I watched him strip down and slide into the bed next to me. He kissed my cheek before curling his arm underneath my stomach and pulling me close to him.

I shut my eyes and I almost fell asleep before I heard screams. My eyes flew open and I went to sit up. Jimmy tightened his arm around me so that I couldn’t get anywhere. It sounded like the screams of the girls that they have dragged down into the basement. I kept trying to sit up, but Jimmy’s arm was too tight around me.

“Julie, lie back down,” he ordered me. “I told Taylor. They’re leaving early in the morning before we get up.”

I was happy I was never going to see Emme again. I didn’t want to see why she was screaming so badly. I knew it was only going to get worse for her if she didn’t change her attitude.