Page 36 of Christmas Games
‘I want an Xbox,’ he said loudly.
His mother stood behind her son, shaking her head at Brad.
‘A bike,’ she stage-whispered. ‘He wants a bike.’
‘Ho, ho, ho,’ overacted Brad. ‘I think what youreallywant is a bike.’
The little boy shook his head so hard Zoe was worried it might fly off.
‘No! I want an Xbox.’ There was a pause. ‘Please?’
Brad slapped his thigh. ‘Well, with manners like that, how can I refuse? One Xbox coming your way!’
The boy fist-pumped. ‘Yessssss!’
His mother looked miserable.
Zoe dashed forward. ‘You can’t promise that,’ she whispered in Brad’s ear. ‘She can’t afford it.’
‘Just take her details, babe. Father Bradmas has got this.’
It went downhill from there.
Within half an hour of Brad posting a photo of himself dressed as Santa, queues formed out of the castle for the chance to sit on his knee. And when word got out that he would provide whatever you asked for, the demands escalated.
‘Are yousureyou want a Tesla?’ Brad asked a little girl who really should have been asking for two front teeth.
‘Yeth,’ she replied. ‘A Tethla. And it hath to be…’ she broke off to glance at her father.
‘Deep blue metallic,’ he said out of the corner of his mouth.
‘Theep boo methallic,’ she repeated.
Ninety minutes in,Rory shut the main doors.
Ninety-one minutes in, fights broke out and people started smashing windows.
Shortly after, riot police arrived, along with two ambulances and the local press.
Barbara, toting a loaded shotgun, escorted Zoe out the back door and took her back to the cabin, then returned to the castle.
Zoe got into bed, cuddling Basil.
Merry Fucking Christmas.
December twenty-first. Thirty-six weeks+ six
It was official.Zoe was done with being pregnant and done with Christmas. She’d spent so long making the holiday magical for other people that there was no magic left for her. She was heavy and depressed, and nothing could lift her mood.
Rory was busy working outside, but she didn’t even have the energy to ask about his days. She just stayed at the cabin with Bandit and Basil, hiding from everyone and counting the hours until her parents arrived.
That morning she’d woken with a dodgy stomach, and by the time Rory arrived back, late afternoon, she was ready for bed.
‘Get dressed,’ he said. ‘We’re going into town.’
‘Don’t want to,’ she grumbled. ‘I’m fed up and my tummy’s upset. That steak we ate last night didn’t agree with me.’
He frowned. ‘I ate most of it and I’m okay. You think it’s anything to do with the baby?’
