Page 96 of Just Say Christmas
She’d been kneeling on the bed once again. Also naked once again. Rhys had smiled at her, then taken hold of one creamy Mikimoto pearl, hanging beneath a forget-me-not fashioned from four lozenge-shaped diamonds, suspended from a delicate stem made ofmorediamonds. He’d slowly pushed the stud into her earlobe, and she’d forgotten to breathe. He’d done the other one, then had taken her face in his two hands and kissed her. On her forehead. On one cheek, then the other. Her eyes had closed, because she’d had to feel this. The brush of his lips on one lid, then the other, and finally, the touch of his mouth on hers.
She opened her eyes and tried to smile, and was nearly knocked back by the intensity on his face.
“Casey said,” she told him, knowing she was breathless and totally unable to help it, “that you always give things, but nobody ever gives you things.” She took his hand, which was still on her cheek, turned her head, and kissed his palm. “And my gift to you doesn’t quite stack up to this.”
“That’s because you already gave me the best Christmas present a man could get,” he said. “Though I do want another one, as it happens.”
“Oh?” She smiled, slow and wicked, then shivered as his hand made its way over her shoulder, down her back, then traced a slow path up her spine. “You get another one.”
“That, too,” he said. “But I had something else in mind. Something extra-special.”
Twelve hours later, she kissed Luke hello, tried not to give away the secret that was probably radiating out of her, and said, “So. Paris today.”
“Paris today,” he said, then put his arm around Hayden like he couldn’t believe he got to do it. “But first this.”
“Uncle Hayden,” Isaiah said, “Mum and Uncle Rhys gave me a LEGO Mindstormsanda microscope for Christmas. A good one, not a toy. Do you want to see what your skin cells look like?”
“I find Idodesperately want that,” Hayden said. “Give us a sec here, mate, and then you can show me.”
The doorbell rang again, and at least two people stiffened a little. Zora and Hayden. Luke went into his “boulder” mode, and Rhys said, “Ah. That’ll be your parents, Zora. Come on, kids. Time for everybody to practice their ‘Merry Christmas.’”
The three of them headed down the stairs, Zora blew out a breath, and Hayden looked at her,almosthis usual mischief in his eyes, and said, “I can’t decide on my bet.”
“What bet?” she asked.
“Whether she says something first about the unsuitability of diamonds for daytime, or goes straight to Luke. Tell me we’re not having hamburgers, at least. I don’t think I can take this day on hamburgers.”
“We are having,” she said, “fresh-caught kahawai with baby spinach, Thai curry sauce, and lime, on a bed of forbidden rice. Thanks to Rhys.”
Hayden opened his eyes wide.“Veryelegant. Oh, wait. I’m not just hearing ‘salads arriving’ down there. I’m hearing excitement. Christmas is for children,” he told Luke. “I’m reminding myself of that.”
“You know,” Zora said, “if they say anything, that won’t be all right. Not with me, and not with Rhys. It’s not happening again in our house.”
“You could hold my hand,” Luke said.
“Yeh, right,” Hayden said.
“No,” Luke said. “I mean you could hold my hand.”
“Oh.” Hayden thought that one over a minute. “Maybe I could. Statement, eh.”
“Stand your ground,” Luke said.
Movement on the stairs, and their parents were there. Their mum looked . . . different. Dressed as beautifully as always, her hair as perfect as always, so that wasn’t it. Like she’d been crying, possibly, or maybe just like she’d been emotional. She came into the room fast and said, “Hayden. Darling. Merry Christmas.” She kissed his cheek, then turned to Luke, kept the smile on her face, and asked, “May I kiss you as well?”
His face worked, and he didn’t say anything for a minute. Finally, though, he said, “Yes.” And smiled. And when Tania kissed his cheek, patted the other one, and said, “Merry Christmas,” Zora thought he might have choked up. She knew she did.
Her dad was there too, then, giving her a kiss and Rhys a shake of the hand, then giving Hayden a brief cuddle and putting his hand out to Luke. Luke hesitated for a bare second, then shook it. Craig cleared his throat and said, “Merry Christmas. I think I may not have been . . . entirely hospitable the other night.”
“You think?” Hayden asked. A little flushed, and for once, not making a joke.
“Also,” Craig went on, the words clearly pulled out of him, “I may have sounded . . . disappointed. I’ve done some, ah, thinking. And I’m proud of you, of course, Hayden.”
He ran down, then glanced at Tania, who said, “I think what your dad’s trying to say, darling, is that we’rebothvery proud of you. In your work, and in who you’ve turned out to be. And that what we want most is for you to be happy.”
“Yes,” Craig said. “Of course.”
“Thanks, Mum. And Dad. Uh . . . Merry Christmas, I guess.” Hayden looked shaken. Zora knew she was. Rhys was beside her now, and so were the kids.
