The Magic of Christmas

‘Love?’ Driven by concern for his daughter, he found the words he’d been searching for. ‘Of course not. Lara is great. She’s a fun, lovely person.’

Chloe was still staring at him. ‘Dad?’ Her voice was hoarse. ‘You know you said that we should always be honest and say if something is worrying us?’

Christian tensed. It was obvious what was worrying her.

‘You don’t have anything to worry about, sweetheart. Your new nanny will be fine. Lara will soon be gone.’ Just saying the words made his insides feel hollow, and Chloe shook her head.

‘You don’t know what I want to say.’

Oh, yes, he did.

She intended to spell it out. She was going to beg him not to marry again and he was going to assure her that he wouldn’t.

‘All right, Chloe.’ His voice was gentle as he ruthlessly buried his own emotions. ‘Say what’s worrying you, angel, and we’ll deal with it, I promise.’

* * *

‘Wake up, wake up, he’s been!’

Lara opened her eyes to find Aggie bouncing on the bed, her blonde curls swinging around her smiling face.

‘Who’s been?’

‘Now you’re being silly.’ Aggie gurgled with laughter and tugged at the duvet. ‘You know who’s been. Come on. Get up.You need to come and see.’

Lara dutifully sat up and rubbed her eyes. Had she slept at all? It felt as though she’d spent the whole night staring at the ceiling, thinking about Christian, but at some point she must have fallen asleep.

Her head throbbed and her heart ached.

Spending Christmas with them was going to make it so much harder to leave when the time came.

‘Don’t be sad,’ Aggie said, dragging her by the hand. ‘I wrote to Father Christmas and told him that you were a good person and he’s left you loads of presents. And there’s something really special, but I’m not allowed to tell you what it is because Chloe says she’ll strangle me if I do.’

‘Oh? He’s left me presents?’ Lara yawned, careful not to reveal that she knew exactly what was waiting for them under the tree. She and Christian had spent an hour wrapping presents two nights previously.

Neither of them had spoken a word.

At one point their fingers had brushed and the chemistry had ignited between them but Lara had quickly retreated to her present-wrapping, knowing that they didn’t dare risk touching each other while the girls were in the house.

And, anyway, she didn’t think she was emotionally robust enough to make love with him again and then walk away.

Aggie peeped up at her. ‘It’s supposed to be a surprise but I could whisper about your present if you like and you can pretend you don’t know.’

Driven by an impulse that she couldn’t control, Lara knelt down and hugged her. ‘If it’s supposed to be a surprise then you’d better not tell me,’ she said huskily. ‘Hold onto your secret a bit longer.’

‘You’re squeezing me really tight!’ Aggie wriggled in her grasp and Lara blinked rapidly and released her.

‘Sorry!’

Aggie dragged her into the sitting room and Christian was already there, sprawled on the sofa in an ancient pair of jeans and a soft cotton T-shirt that draped itself lovingly over his broad shoulders. The dark stubble on his jaw suggested that he’d also been dragged unceremoniously out of bed. Chloe was next to him, laughing and giggling.

Like a different child, Lara thought as she smiled at them both and knelt down on the floor.

Christian seemed happy and relaxed. More relaxed than she could ever recall seeing him.

And she was pleased for him.

Today he was a father, enjoying Christmas with his girls.