He found himself a quiet place on the edge of the room, but from the moment they arrived Katrina was right in the centre of things, clearly a much-loved part of the family. But the more he watched, the more he realised how close everyone was. Katrina’s parents finished each other’s sentences. Madison’s parents kept catching each other’s eye and smiling. Theo’s family, being Greek, were noisily and openly affectionate with everyone, and Theo fussed over his pregnant fiancée.
Katrina’s mum was doing her best to make him feel welcome, talking to him about his job—though he noticed that she avoided the normal questions about missing his family at Christmas, so he had a feeling that Katrina had primed her parents not to ask.
Katrina.
Although he responded politely enough to her family, he couldn’t keep his eyes off her. She was reading a story to Theo’s niece and cuddling Theo’s nephew, sitting on the floor by the Christmas tree and looking as if she belonged.
Well, of course she belonged. This was her family.
She fitted into the extended family, too. She’d fit in anywhere. Even his mother, Rhys thought, would find it hard to resist her.
And then it hit him.
Between them, the three sets of parents had clocked up close to a century of happy marriage. They’d support their children, help them through any rough patches so their marriages would work, too.
And their love was unconditional.
So maybe, just maybe, he could afford to take the risk with Katrina. If Katrina was willing to take the risk with him.
He was still mulling it over when Theo’s niece came over to him. ‘You come and have a story too,’ she said in accented but perfect English, taking his hand.
How could he resist following her over to the Christmas tree?
Though Rhys was aware of a very weird feeling in the region of his heart when he sat down next to Katrina and little Arianna insisted that he cuddle her baby brother, Petros, while she and Katrina did a puppet show with her new toys.
Rhys was used to cuddling babies and children. He did it all the time at work, to soothe them when they were in pain or to explain what was going to happen next in their treatment. So holding a toddler shouldn’t make him feel so odd—a feeling he couldn’t pin down.
‘Sorry,’ Katrina mouthed.
‘It’s fine,’ he mouthed back, and settled back with the toddler, making appropriate noises of appreciation during the puppet show.
To his surprise, he found himself relaxing and enjoying the whole family thing. Pulling crackers and telling terrible jokes, laughing at the even more terrible ones Theo’s niece had clearly learned especially, and mucking in with everyone to set the table for tea and clear up afterwards and play charades.
And then finally it was time to leave.
Katrina’s mother hugged him goodbye, Katrina’s father shook his hand warmly, Theo clapped him on the shoulder, Theo’s family all hugged him—but Madison was the one who floored him. ‘Thank you for coming,’ she said, holding him close. And then she added in a voice so low it was clearly not meant to be heard by anyone else, ‘And especially for doing this for Kat. She’s special.’
Yeah. He knew that.
‘And I think you are too,’ Madison added, ‘if you’ll let yourself.’
He knew then without a doubt that Katrina had confided in her cousin—a confidence Madison had kept. Given how close they were, he had a feeling that Madison was very protective about her younger cousin. So the fact she thought he was good enough for Katrina…
He had a lump in his throat for a good five minutes after they left.
‘I’m sorry. Was it so awful?’ Katrina asked when they were on the tube.
‘No. Your family’s lovely.’
‘I’m glad you liked them.’ She bit her lip. ‘Just…you’ve been a bit quiet since we left.’
‘I was a bit overwhelmed,’ he admitted. ‘It’s not the kind of thing I’m used to.’ And right then he didn’t want to tell her what Madison had said. He was still trying to come to terms with it himself. The feeling that this woman was so right for him, that she was the one he wanted in his life.
But there were a few things he needed to sort out before he could ask her to share his life—to take the risk with him.
She curled her fingers round his. ‘Thanks, anyway.’
‘Any time.’
She smiled. ‘So does that mean I can ask you to come to Maddie’s wedding with me next May?’
Wedding.
He took a deep breath. ‘Sure.’
‘Good.’ She paused. ‘I told her about your cello. And we were kind of wondering…it’s going to be a civil wedding, not a church do, so she won’t have an organist to accompany her down the aisle. And…’