Page 8 of Christmas Games
‘Called?’
He pulled a face, and she laughed. ‘Oh, my god. Did Alasdair name him after you?’
Rory shook his head. ‘Think of the worst possible name he could have chosen.’
Zoe affected a look of concentration, but he knew she’d guessed the name by the sparkle in her eyes.
‘Arnold? After my dad?’
He shook his head again.
‘Stuart? After yours?’
‘No.’
‘Um, was the calf named after your step-fa—’
He growled in warning.
She shrieked with laughter. ‘I bet Alasdair thinks it’ll get him on the cover ofThe Timesor Brad’s Instagram feed. God,people are nuts. You know the last three boys born in Kinloch were all called Bradley?’
He nodded.
‘They should have been christened Rory,’ she continued. ‘That’s a far better name.’
She kissed him and all his cares melted away.
‘Your stubble feels funny.’
‘I can shave it off.’
‘December twenty-sixth. You can be like a sheep and have an annual shearing.’
Rory rolled his eyes as he grinned at her. Zoe was a lunatic, but she washislunatic.
Pulling away, she went to her desk. ‘Close your eyes. And hold out your hands.’
‘Have I forgotten my birthday again?’
‘Nope. Stay still.’
Something light was placed in his palm.
‘Okay, you can open them now.’
He did, looking first at Zoe’s face, then at the white stick in his hand.
‘I’m pregnant!’ she screamed. ‘We’re having a baby!’
3
Breathe in, two, three, four, and hold, two, three, four. Breathe out, two, three, four…
Rory’s jaw clenched tight as he did the breathing exercise Zoe’s best friend, Sam, shared with him, saying it calmed her down when she was stressed. Right now, with Zoe curled up on his lap on the phone to her mother, Rory needed all the help he could get to hide his emotions. He was absolutely terrified.
‘I don’t feel pregnant. Should I feel pregnant? What am I meant to be feeling? Oh my god, Mum, I’m pregnant!’
Zoe’s mother, Mary, was on speakerphone and her laugh was warm.
