Bang Gang

“What about Nanna?” I said. “You’ll have to go and see if she’s awake. She might be flat out though, so don’t be too…”

Ruby was off like a cannon before I’d even finished, announcing it was Christmas morning with enough volume to wake the whole fucking street, not just Nanna.

“…loud,” I finished.

I listened to her yelling at Nanna to get her butt out of bed and I giggled, pulled a pillow over my face, but Darren was right there. He took it off me and kissed my neck until I squirmed.

He slipped his hands under the covers, over the little bump of my belly, and lower. I tingled all over, my breaths coming shorter. “Steady there,” I whispered. “I don’t think we’re going to get away with a lie in somehow...”

“Appears fucking not,” he growled. “That means an early night’s on the cards then, doesn’t it?”

I reached for him, pulled his mouth to mine. “I guess it does.”

I dragged myself out of Darren’s arms and out of bed. He tugged on a pair of jeans as I wrapped up in a dressing gown.

“Christmas morning,” he said. “This’ll be the best yet, Jo.”

I knew it. My smile told him so.

The kids were already poised for action. We’d barely taken a seat on the sofa as they started tearing into their presents. Nanna was on the edge of her chair, her eyes twinkling as she giggled along with the girls. I linked Darren’s fingers in mine and slipped them inside my dressing gown to rest on my swollen belly. The girls were too engrossed to notice.

Darren made all the right noises.

That’s sweet, that is, Mia. Well tidy, like.

Father Christmas has done you bloody proud, Rubes. That’s well cool.

Let’s have a look at that. Pretty damn awesome.

Might have to forgive him for drinking my beer at this rate.

It was all him. He’d gone crazy this year, no expense spared. I’d told him off, told him he’d turn them into spoiled little brats at this rate, but he’d had none of it.

I just wanna see their faces, Jo. I just wanna see them smile.

I watched him watching them, and I think he was even more excited than they were. I told him so.

Ruby tore open a Top Gear box set and I took that back.

Nanna started on the brandy at breakfast time with a little nod Darren.

It’s Christmastime, Nanna, get it down your neck.

He put the stupid Christmas songs album on in the kitchen and Ruby made us all wear ridiculous Santa hats. The pom-pom kept falling in my face as I prepared the veg with Darren, but the hell would she let me take it off.

“When are your parents getting here?” Darren asked.

“Midday, same as yours,” I said.

I was nervous. I felt the jitters. Good jitters.

“And we’re gonna tell them, right? Today? Everyone?”

I nodded. Smiled. “Today, yeah.”

“Righto,” he said, and he couldn’t stop grinning.

We fucked up dinner a little but Darren dished out enough Christmas wine that nobody really cared. Who even likes turkey anyway? The sprout bowl remained filled to the brim, and the pigs in blankets disappeared like liquid gold. Standard.

Except nothing was standard about today.

The whole thing felt magical. Amazing. Just… right.

Darren and his dad made toasts to our health, our good fucking fortune, and the wedding we were having in March.

It was all booked, everything. Everything signed, sealed and put on order. The local church, the vicar, the after party in a heated marquee at the back of the Drum – Darren’s idea, not mine.

I’d wanted to keep it small. Special, but reasonably priced, nothing too extravagant, not with the baby on the way. The pomp and circumstance didn’t matter anyway, so long as Darren and the girls were there.

That’s all that mattered.

I’d made the decision to use Pops’ money for it. Darren had protested, said no fucking way in typical Darren Trent style, but I’d argued it. Stood my ground.

The experience of a lifetime, I’d said. The experience of my lifetime. I can’t think of a better way to spend it. I want to spend it this way, Darren. It’s what Pops’ would have wanted.

It’s what I want.

The experience of my lifetime would definitely be walking up that aisle and seeing Darren Trent waiting for me, that was sure enough.

So that’s what we’d done, put the whole lot into the wedding – including the four hundred in cash stuffed in that bloody gangbang envelope. I’d giggled like a girl when Darren handed that back over.

He started fidgeting after pudding, kept flashing me glances amongst the conversation.

I met his eyes and nodded as my dad finished up the story about the couple who’d robbed the TV from their guesthouse.

My tummy fluttered as Darren cleared his throat and told everyone we had another Christmas present to spill the beans about. Something that wouldn’t be here until the summer but was definitely on order.