The Magic of Christmas

‘And I love you, too. And I would never, ever do anything that would hurt you.’

Lara rubbed the tears from her cheeks and stood up, feeling numb inside.

She knew that whatever she felt for Christian had to end, here and now. She’d glimpsed the depths of Chloe’s trauma and finally she understood his refusal to introduce more change into his daughters’ lives.

He was right.

It would be too much for them.

How could she expect the children to take on yet another change when their lives had already been so cruelly disrupted? How could she expect Chloe to share her father with another woman? The child needed the security of knowing that she had no competition for his affection.

And Lara had no intention of hurting his children.

‘I need to sort out some things in my room,’ she muttered, moving towards the door, intent on leaving them together.

‘Lara.’ Christian’s voice was soft. ‘Thank you.’

Chloe turned her head, her face blotched and her eyes swollen from crying. ‘Yes, thank you. If it hadn’t been for you, I never would have said anything.’

Lara managed a smile. ‘You would have got there in the end,’ she said quietly. ‘You’re a very close family. And close families always find a way.’

CHAPTER ELEVEN

‘HAVE you heard the latest?’ Jane waltzed into the staffroom. ‘Jack’s wife gave birth to a baby boy this morning. Mother and baby doing well.’

‘A baby boy?’ Rousing herself out of a state of misery, Lara managed a smile, knowing that she was referring to the psychic’s prediction. ‘She was having a girl.’

‘They got it wrong.’ Jane grinned. ‘Now I expect you’re spooked.’

‘Oh, of course.’ Lara rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to her coffee. ‘I’ll be delivering my own quads any moment now. Don’t be ridiculous, Jane, the psychic didn’t say anything about me meeting a man with traumatised children.’

‘I know, I know. It’s all nonsense. Oh, well, only two days until Christmas,’ Jane murmured as she rummaged in the fridge for some milk that hadn’t passed its sell-by date.

‘That’s right.’ Lara finished her coffee and stood up. ‘And only three weeks until I go to Australia.’

Jane turned and looked at her. ‘You’re going, then?’

‘Of course.’ Lara turned her back and quickly washed her mug. ‘Why wouldn’t I?’

‘I thought—I hoped… You don’t have to be a genius to sense that something’s happened between you and Christian.’

‘Oh. Is it that obvious?’

‘You haven’t managed to cure yourself, then?’

Lara stood for a moment, feeling numb. ‘No.’ She turned to Jane and flashed her a smile. ‘But don’t tell my mother.’

‘But if you love him—’

‘I don’t just love him.’ Lara abandoned her mug in the sink and wrapped her arms around herself to try and inject some warmth into her shivering body. She felt cold. So cold. ‘I also love his girls. And they’re the reason that nothing is going to happen between us. It can’t.’

‘But what if they—?’

‘They’ve had a very traumatic experience.’ Only willpower stopped her from sobbing as Chloe had. ‘I only recently realised just how traumatic. There’s no way I’m going to be responsible for rocking their little world a second time when they’ve only just found their feet. They deserve stability.’

There was a long silence and then she felt Jane’s hand on her shoulder. ‘In that case, I’m sorry. I’m really sorry it didn’t work out.’

Lara squeezed her eyes shut and tried to hold back the tears. ‘One of those things. Life showing its sense of humour. Right man. Wrong circumstances.’