All I Want Series Boxset, Books 1-3: All I Want for Christmas, All I Want for Valentine's, All I Want for Spring (22 page)

I hoped it went okay, although I knew Holly’s mum was always anxious on Christmas Eve in the lead-up to it. Holly had already told me that this year would be the last time they all put themselves through it. She’d wanted to stop it years ago, but her parents were adamant they wanted to do it for her. But now, aged 28, she’d had enough. Plus, her dad had a new partner and baby, so he had other commitments to attend to.

Holly much preferred to see her parents separately, where she claimed they were bearable, albeit in small doses.

As I was up, I decided to get going — there was nothing to stick around the flat for, and I had a suitcase and presents to pack. I turned on the radio and cranked up the volume — it was playing ‘Last Christmas’. I jumped in the shower, positivity crackling in my veins. This year, I’d followed George Michael’s advice to a tee and given my heart to someone special.

Perhaps I should search the entire back catalogue of Wham! for the answers to all of life’s pressing issues.

***

Traffic on Christmas Day was non-existent and my drive home was one of my favourite journeys of the year, singing along to Christmas tunes on the radio all the way. To zip down roads normally clogged with traffic was almost miraculous, and always made me feel like I was in a pop video. Today, the air was crisp with anticipation, the sun sitting low, the clouds lounging casually across the skyline. My drive took just over an hour, and I pulled up outside my mum’s front door on the outskirts of Oxford just before ten — she was going to faint when she saw me this early.

I checked my phone to see if Holly had replied to my good morning text and saw I had a message. I clicked on it, smiling. My smile quickly turned to a frown.

‘Happy Christmas — hope it’s a fab one! Love, Nicola. X’

I stared at the phone. This was clearly one of those ‘text everyone in my phone’ messages, the modern-day equivalent of the Christmas card letter. But couldn’t she have left me out of the loop? Surely she could have unchecked me and Melanie from her list? That thought made my heart stop thumping so hard in my chest. If this rattled me, imagine the impact on Melanie Taylor.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. That was all in the past, and Holly was now my future. Sweet, sexy, gorgeous Holly. An image of her taking me on the balcony popped into my brain and I shivered. Now I just had to get that out of my brain before I knocked on my mum’s front door. It used to be my parents’ front door, but now, it was just my mum’s. I wasn’t sure I’d ever get used to that.

I stepped out of my hired Renault and pulled my coat around me, checking the sky. It was freezing, cold enough to snow even. That would make it the most perfect Christmas ever.

The front door was open before I got there with Mum standing in her Christmas apron, fluffy slippers on, face already flushed from the cooking marathon.

“You’re early,” she said. “Happy Christmas, kiddo.”

I set down my case and gave her a hug.

“Happy Christmas to you, too.”

Mum peered over my shoulder. “No Holly?”

I shook my head. “Family duty.”

Mum picked up my suitcase and pulled me in, but I pulled back.

“Let me just get the presents.” I indicated over my shoulder and she nodded.

“I’ll put the kettle on,” she shouted.

Ten minutes later and I was sitting at the table in Mum’s bright kitchen, her well-tended garden shivering through the window in the winter air. Freshly baked mince pies were cooling on wire trays, veg was prepped and floating in water, and a Christmas ham was glazed and steaming on a wooden board.

I sipped my tea and took in the familiar scene from my childhood. Everything was just the same, apart from one crucial missing person.

“What time did you get up this morning? This makes me look lazy.”

Mum smiled. “You know me — I’m an early bird. Plus, nothing excites me like Christmas morning, so I like to enjoy as much of it as I can!” She gave me a squeeze and a kiss. “This was always your dad’s favourite morning too, you know.”

“Dad loved every morning in December.”

She smiled. “He did, didn’t he?” A pause. “God, I miss him.”

I squeezed her back. Dad’s absence at this time of year was like an open wound, one that would never heal. We just had to patch it up the best way we knew how and make this the best Christmas ever in his honour. We wouldn’t ever forget him, so it seemed appropriate to include him in whatever we did.

“I know. I miss him too.” My mouth twitched. “But that’s why I love Christmas so much, Dad’s love of it was infectious. Which is why I hate that Holly has to have a sad one, on her birthday too. I wish there was something I could do.”

Mum shot me a sympathetic glance. “Families have to do their own traditions. You can make new ones soon for yourself, you’ll see. And have I told you how happy I am you’re with Holly?”

I smiled up at her. “I might have got that impression when you screamed down the phone.”

“Well I am. She’s wonderful. She’s everything I could ever have hoped for my darling daughter.”

I grinned up at her. “For once in our lives when it comes to my love life, we’re in total agreement.”

Mum brushed her hand across my cheek. “And you’re looking good on it too — glowing. I remember glowing when I first met your father, everybody said so.” She gave me a wistful smile. “Glowing is good, kiddo, so cherish it. Hold on to the person who makes you glow. They’re few and far between.”

I caught my mum’s hand and kissed it. “I intend to hold on to her,” I replied.

If Holly and I could be anything like my mum and dad, that would make us an incredible love story.

I already knew we stood a fighting chance.

***

The first eggnogs had been demolished, the turkey was resting and dinner was a mere half hour from being served. Gran and Aunty Ellen were busy peering at their new fitness trackers attached to their wrists — Mum’s present to them both.

“So it monitors your steps, your calorie intake and your sleep?” Gran was tapping it, and every time it lit up, her face went into delighted mode.

“It does,” I told her.

“But how does it know what I’ve eaten?” Gran held up her wrist and peered all around her present. “Does it have a camera on it recording me?”

Mum laughed. “You have to log your food in your iPhone, Mum. I gave you my old one, so you’ve got one of those.”

“Right.” Gran put her mouth to her wrist. “Hello?” she said.

Mum sighed. “It can’t hear you.”

Gran winked. “I’m having you on,” she replied. “So it’s called a Fitvit?” She paused. “What does the ‘VIT’ stand for, I wonder?”

“Very important person, Jill. Are you stupid?” That was Aunt Ellen chiming in.

“VIT, not VIP. And who are you calling stupid?” Gran nudged Ellen with her elbow.

“It’s FitBIT, not VIT,” Mum said. “Fit
bit
.”

“Aaah!” both sisters chorused.

I burst out laughing. “You should take this on the road, you know. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again.”

Gran smiled at me. “We should. But I don’t want to show Ellen up as being the dull sister, and that’s just what would happen.” She sat back and grinned at her sister.

“Dull? Who’s the one sitting around perfecting her Bridge game, while I’m touring the world?” Ellen crossed her arms and harrumphed at Gran.

It was Christmas as usual, with the Robinson sisters fighting for omnipotence. Having no siblings, I had no idea if this is what I’d be like with a sister, but it’d always fascinated me that Gran still quarrelled with hers into her 70s.

The front doorbell interrupted the family moment.

“Will you get that?” Mum asked.

I pushed back my chair. “Who the hell’s coming round at 2pm on Christmas Day?”

Mum just smiled at me oddly.

I could still hear Gran and Ellen’s chatter as I pulled open the door.

And when I did, my mouth dropped open.

Standing on the other side was Holly and her mum, loaded down with bags and presents.

“Special delivery,” Holly said, smiling so much she looked like she might burst at any second. She’d styled her jet black hair slightly differently, and it fell delectably across her face.

My heart leapt into my mouth and a thousand stars exploded in front of my eyes. I blinked and hoped I wasn’t about to faint. Holly was drop dead gorgeous.

“Are you going to let us in then, or is there a special password?”

I stood back and Holly stepped into the house, giving me a brief kiss on the lips. The world swayed back and forth in my vision.

“And close your mouth, drooling is not a good Christmas look,” she said.

I pasted a smile on my face as Holly’s mum, Gina, walked in.

“Happy Christmas!” she trilled, a little too brightly.

“You too!” I gave her a kiss on the cheek and heard a wave of greetings as Holly and her mum walked through to the lounge.

I checked my hair in the hallway mirror, took a deep breath and followed them in.

***

“I can’t believe you’re here, but I’m so glad you are.” I wrapped my arms around Holly’s waist and pulled her down for a kiss. My head swam, but I was getting used to that. I’d dragged Holly into the kitchen to have a minute alone.

“I really missed you.”

“Me too,” she replied, pulling back. “But believe me, keeping this a secret has been hard work.”

I stood back and pouted. “How long have you been cooking this up?”

She smiled. “Only since your mum called me on Thursday.”

“You’ve known that long! But I’ve been badgering you to come here all week
.
Why didn’t you say anything?” I was taken aback, albeit secretly impressed she’d managed to hold it in that long.

“Because then it wouldn’t have been a surprise, would it?” Holly grinned at me. “Plus, I still had to go home for this morning. But this was the perfect solution, so well done to your mum.”

“She’s a sly one, I’ll give her that.”

Holly laughed. “She’s a good one,” she said, kissing me again. “Then I just had to work on my mum. But when I told her she didn’t have to cook and that she’d have her own room for the night, she was surprisingly okay with it. Especially when I reminded her she liked your mum. It was almost like what I wanted on my birthday counted for something. Wonders will never cease.”

I pursed my lips. “And how was she about us?”

Holly let out a bark of laughter. “Pretty much like everyone else — at last, etc.”

“Wow, we were really slow to catch on, weren’t we?”

Holly moved her head side to side. “Some were a little slower than others,” she said, her voice sing-song.

I poked her in the ribs. “Alright smart-arse.” Then I kissed her again, long and slow. When I pulled back, she had her lopsided grin pasted on her face.

“I don’t think I’ll ever tire of kissing your lips,” she said, before pausing. “And no, I can’t believe these things are coming out of my mouth either.”

I smiled. “Don’t worry, I was just thinking the same thing.” I paused. “Happy birthday, by the way.”

“Thanks, gorgeous,” Holly said, before kissing me again.

And then my mum walked in, clapping her hands to announce her arrival. “Okay lovebirds, enough of that!”

We untangled ourselves and turned to see Mum and Gina smiling at us, dressed in identical grey jumpers.

“Why are you dressed the same?” Holly asked, before covering her mouth. “Shit, those are our presents, aren’t they?”

“Not that they’re not lovely, but was it buy one, get one free by any chance?” Mum was smiling as she said it. “They’re ever so soft though, aren’t they Gina?”

Gina put her sleeve to her face. “Like a baby’s bum,” she confirmed.

I started to laugh, as did Holly.

“Okay, in our defence, these were bought weeks ago and I never expected you to be opening them together. They were bought before we were even together,” I said.

“We believe you, thousands wouldn’t,” Gina replied.

“They look great on you both, though,” Holly said, styling it out.

I nodded to back her up. “Really good.”

Mum gave Gina a nod. “Okay, we can take them off now. I think we’ve embarrassed our daughters enough.” They chuckled as they took the jumpers off and put them on the sideboard.

Mum clapped her hands again to grab our attention. “Right, this is now officially operation Christmas and I need turkey carvers, vegetable carriers, potato wenches and all sorts of other jobs that I can’t think of funny names for right at this moment. You in?”

I gave Mum a salute. “At your service, captain.”

***

Christmas dinner was delicious, with Mum working her magic as she always did. As for Gina, well she really came out of her shell after her third glass of wine, telling us this was the best Christmas she’d had in years, and Holly agreed. When Mum invited them again for the following year, I thought Gina might sob with happiness.

And now Mum, Gina, Gran and Ellen were in the lounge watching
Love Actually
, while Holly and I had just finished clearing up the kitchen. Now she was pulling me up the stairs, into my bedroom, the one where we’d shared so many times as teenagers.

Only now, things were slightly different.

Holly sat me on the bed and then presented me with my present — it was a beautiful watch from Michael Kors.

“I love it,” I told her, turning it over in my hand before putting it on my wrist. “Thank you.” I tilted my head upwards and she leaned down and kissed me. “Is this what you bought me that day in town?”

Holly’s cheeks coloured red. “I might have gone back and exchanged it for something a little more extravagant after what happened,” she said.

“That’s not in the rules,” I replied, smiling. “And there was me, thinking I’d fallen for someone who could be trusted.”

“You didn’t change yours?”

I shook my head. “No, but I did buy you a bigger birthday present instead.”

Holly rubbed her hands together and sat down beside me. “And have I told you, I can’t wait to make some new Christmas memories in this bed tonight,” she whispered in my ear.

I laughed as my ears turned red. “With both our mums in the house — ideal.”