The Ultimate Betrayal

They were all in the sitting-room, trying to erect the huge Christmas tree that had just been delivered, when the door opened and Daniel walked in. A rueful smile softened his harsh features as he took in the sight of all four of them struggling between the prickly branches of a disobliging tree.

‘I see I’m still needed for a few small duties around here, then,’ he mocked, bringing four heads whipping around in surprise.

The children deserted Rachel to fall on Daniel instead, and he, with a cry of mock terror, fell down on the carpet as two wiry bodies landed on top of him laughing and whooping, while the third member of their little trio had to crawl his way over to his father as fast as his hands and knees could take him.

Rachel watched, her hands pricked full of pine needles but unaware of the stings, smiling stupidly at the miniwar taking place on her sitting-room floor.

And it was there, on a sudden surge of the sweetest insight she had ever experienced, that she saw the blistering truth as to why her life was so worth keeping as it was.

Family. Family love. A simple yet complicated interconnecting weave of love, from one to the other to the other, that bound them all together so tightly that even when one link broke and tried to tear them all apart it couldn’t. Because the others held on so fast.

Made it worthwhile to hold on fast.

And Daniel like this was the old Daniel. Not the one so rushed off his feet that he was too tired to take time out to wrestle on the floor with his children: to enjoy them—simply enjoy as they tickled him and made him shriek for mercy.

Michael sat on his middle, patting hard on the steel wall of a chest with both hands. ‘I give in—I give in!’ Daniel cried as Sammy straddled his shoulders to hold him down so that Kate could tickle him ruthlessly, the sly pair knowing Daniel couldn’t do a thing to save himself while Michael sat squarely on his middle. ‘Help me, Rachel!’ he pleaded. ‘I need help!’

She let go of the tree, watching it warily for a moment to be sure it wouldn’t fall down on top of them all before she went to pluck up Michael, tucking him under her arm so that she could tease Kate with a bit of her own medicine, leaving Daniel free to deal with Sam. In one swift economical movement he was on his feet with his eldest son wrapped in a bear-hug of a grip while he rained noisy wet kisses all over his disgusted face.

‘Yuk!’ Sammy protested, wriggling like an eel and loving every minute of it. There were not many ways to give six-year-old boys the kisses and cuddles they needed but were not allowed to admit to. But Daniel was using the best way right now, by making a game of it. And by the time he set Sam down on the floor the little boy was flushed with happiness and pretending utter disgust. Then he was laughing shrilly as Daniel went after a squealing Kate. She was easy to catch; it was very hard to feign reluctance when all you really wanted to do was to be wrapped in those big strong arms and hugged and kissed.

Michael watched, his little face alive with the fun of it all. And Rachel hugged him to her, gaining comfort from his warm little body, when really what she wanted to do was beg for her turn as, once upon a time, she would have done—quite brazenly.

That Daniel was thinking along similar lines was clear when he set Kate down on her feet, then fixed his uncertain gaze on Rachel. Feeling suddenly shy and self-conscious, she handed him Michael, lowering her fineveined lids over her eyes as he took the hint and rolled back down on to the floor to tease his younger son into infectious baby giggles.

The Christmas tree chose that moment to begin creaking warningly. Rachel reached it in time, but not before she became lost in pine branches. Another hand, longer and stronger than hers, appeared just above her own, Daniel’s lightning-quick reactions allowing him to leap off the floor and snake out a hand to take the weight of the tree from her, easily pushing it upright again. Rachel then found herself being disentangled by firm but gentle hands.

‘You’ve scratched your cheek,’ Daniel observed huskily, and lowered his mouth to place his lips on the tiny mark by the corner of her mouth. His tongue flicked out to soothe the tender spot, and she quivered.

‘Hello,’ he murmured softly, grey eyes gently noting the blushing shyness in her expression.

‘Hello,’ she answered huskily, having difficulty meeting his gaze. Then his mouth was lowering again, demanding a slower, deeper, much more intimate kiss. He felt warm and vital, the hard-packed leanness of his muscled body so achingly familiar to her own. And she closed her eyes, giving herself up to the sheer uncomplicated beauty of the embrace.

The doorbell chimed, breaking them reluctantly apart as the twins shot off with a yelp to let Daniel’s mother in, since she was expected at that moment.

‘Y-Your mother is taking them to the Christingle service,’ Rachel breathlessly explained.

‘She is?’ he answered absently, his eyes smoky as they roamed her blushing face. ‘Good,’ he murmured, and kissed her again, softly, tenderly, lingeringly, his warm mouth clinging to hers even when his mother walked into the room and halted abruptly when she realised what she was walking in on.

Rachel didn’t even hear her. A love she had thought she had lost for good was welling up inside her, fanning a beautiful sensual warmth into every part of her tingling frame, and with a sigh that was like the soft whisper of a breeze against his mouth she slid her hands up his arms and curled her fingers into the silken darkness of his hair.

They were both out of breath when they eventually broke apart. Daniel turned to smile at his mother, but his vision was not quite focused, and Jenny Masterson’s smile was unsteady as she gazed at them both with undiluted hope written in her anxious eyes.

It was only after Rachel had helped bundle the children into their warm anoraks, while Daniel secured the tree, that she remembered the re-organisation that had gone on upstairs while he had been away, and she bit down on her bottom lip, wondering how she was going to tell him and weakly putting the moment off until she had no choice.

They waved the children and his mother off together, Daniel’s arm a possessive clamp around Rachel’s waist as Jenny trotted off with Michael wrapped up warm in his push-chair and the twins skipping along besi

de her, chatting away nineteen to the dozen.

Daniel closed the door. The silence inside the house seemed strange after the noise of a minute ago.

‘Come with me while I change?’ he invited, tentatively offering her his hand.

She took it meekly, letting him pull her up the stairs behind him to their bedroom where Daniel gave a contented sigh and moved away from her to begin tugging at his tie.

Rachel watched him from the door, her hands twisting together in front of her. ‘Er…’ she began.

He didn’t seem to hear, his steps taking him right into the bathroom. Then…