As she got closer she could hear that Brad’s voice was filled with joy. “Great, thank you. That’s brilliant news. Thank you so much. I’ll be right there.” He ended the call just as Mallory walked into the living room. He swung around, and with a beaming smile and tears streaming down his face, he grasped her arms. “She’s awake, Mal. She’s awake.”
Relief rushed throughout her body and she pulled him into a hug. “See, I knew she’d be fine. Are you going through to see her?”
He grinned. “Yup. Wild horses couldn’t stop me.”
She clapped her hands together. “Fab! Give me five minutes and I’ll come with you.”
“Great. I’ll go get dressed.” He rushed out of the room and Mallory followed.
Ten minutes later and they were steadily driving along the icy Yorkshire roads in Brad’s new family car that he’d insisted on buying when Josie had announced that she was pregnant. Snow had begun to fall in earnest, making driving conditions difficult. The journey to the hospital took longer than expected, and Brad was chomping at the bit when they arrived. Mallory had to almost run to keep up with him as he dashed down the corridors towards his wife’s room.
Once they arrived at the nurses’ station, Mallory was quite out of breath. Brad smiled widely at the nurse on duty. “Hi, I had a call to say that Josie, my wife, is awake.”
“Yes, Mr Farnham. She’s quite tired, but she woke up and was asking for you. I understand your need to see her, but I must ask that you keep the visit short. She’s been through major surgery.”
“I know, I get that, but I do need to see her. I’ll not stay long.”
The nurse smiled and motioned for him to go into the side room which was situated just off the maternity ward. Mallory followed him in and stood back as he tiptoed toward the bed. Josie’s eyes were closed. He bent to kiss her head. “Hi, babe. I’m here,” he whispered as he stroked her hair.
Josie’s eyes fluttered open. “Brad… Brad, honey. I’m shattered. Have you seen him?” she asked weakly, her speech slightly slower than normal.
“Our little boy? I have, and he’s bloody gorgeous. I’m so proud of you.” His purposefully quiet voice broke as she reached up to wipe a tear away.
“Hey, hey. I’m fine… Sore but fine. I can’t wait to see him.” Her eyes opened and closed sleepily.
“You’ll fall for him immediately just like I did. But… the little guy needs a name, babe. We didn’t even finish deciding when he showed up early.”
“I know, poor little love. We’ll have to decide quick. Can’t introduce a nameless baby to your mum and dad, can we?”
Brad chuckled. “No, I don’t suppose we can. Oh, and Mal’s here.”
Josie turned her head and squinted in the limited light. “Mally? You came all this way?”
Mallory stepped forward. “Of course I did. I wanted to make sure you were okay and meet my new nephew.”
Josie held out her hand and Mallory grasped it. “Thank you for coming all this way. It’s so lovely to see you, bestie.”
Mallory leaned and hugged her friend carefully. “I’m so glad you’re okay, Jose. We’ve both been so worried.”
“Where’s Greg… and… the girls?” she slurred.
“Oh, they’re back home. He insisted he could cope and that I should come and be here for you.”
“Bless him. Remind me to give him a hug when I see him. It’s so good to know you guys are okay. Good grief, do I sound drunk or what?” She giggled. “Must be the morphine. I’ll be seeing giant talking pink rabbits next.” Her giggles subsided and were replaced by a puzzled expression. “I… I remember a dream I had.”
Brad stroked Josie’s hair. “You do? What was it about?”
Josie glanced up at him and then at Mallory. “Greg and Mally. Things were… You weren’t… There was this man who looked… Oh, forget it. It was just a dream.”
Mallory’s heart palpitated. “Why, what happened in your dream?”
Josie shook her head. “Nothing. No it’s fine. Just ignore me.”
Mallory had never been one to believe in the meaning of dreams, but now that it came to her best friend dreaming about her, she was intrigued. And a little scared. “No, go on, Jose. What was the dream about?”
Josie sighed and shook her head. “You and Greg were… you were broken up. You’d… you’d left him. It was awful.” A crease appeared in Josie’s brow, and the limited colour she had drained from her face.
Mallory’s eyes widened, but Brad shook his head and laughed nervously. “Well, we know that’s not going to happen. They’re solid. Aren’t you, Mal?”
“We… we are, but…” Mallory immediately regretted saying anything. Josie certainly didn’t need this right now.
Josie turned to face her, worry etched on her face. “What? You’re what? Is everything okay?”
Mallory nodded and shrugged. “We’re fine.”
“Mally. You’ll not leave me here stewing over it, so just tell me.”
“It’s fine, honestly. Anyway, I don’t want to talk about me. I’m here for you, remember?”
“Mallory McBradden, I swear if you don’t tell me, I’ll find someone to clonk you one, seeing as I don’t have the energy. Spit it out. Now. Or else.”
She didn’t deserve such a good friend. But it was clear Josie wasn’t going to drop the subject. She shook her head. “I’ve just been… a bit distant. I struggle with this time of year, that’s all. I’ve just been thinking about Sam. Wondering what life would be like if he still were here.”
Josie’s brow scrunched and Brad’s mouth fell open. “But why, honey? Why would you be thinking about all that? You adore Greg. And you have the girls. I don’t understand.”
“No, me neither. And I do love Greg. I adore him. We’re so happy. It’s not that I don’t want to be with him. I just keep daydreaming about Sam and how I lost him for some reason, and it’s getting to Greg. But… the truth is… the truth is, I’m scared I’m going to lose him like I lost Sam.” Mallory swallowed past the lump in her throat and inhaled a deep breath.
Brad squeezed her shoulder. “Oh, Mally. Why would you think that?”
“I don’t know. I nearly lost him once… in the boat accident. And… I feel like I’m pulling away from him to… I don’t know… protect myself.”
“That’s crazy, Mal. You two have been through so much. You’re meant to be together,” Brad insisted.
“I believe that we are. Don’t get me wrong. But… seeing you in here… worrying over Josie. And… with what happened to Sam… And my parents. I lose people. I’m so scared.” She felt the sting of tears behind her eyes and reached up to pinch the bridge of her nose. “Oh, God listen to me. This is your special time, and I’m ruining it. I’m so sorry. I’m just emotional and tired. Please ignore me.”
Josie squeezed her hand. “Hey, we’re here for you too. If you’re worried, you can talk to us. But… maybe you need to talk to Greg. Especially if you know he’s worrying about you.”
“Yes… yes, I know I do. And I will when I get home,” she assured her friends. “Look, I’m going to go back to your house. I need to be up early. I’m going to open the shop tomorrow for a while.”
“That’ll be good for you, I think. Things have been going so well. I’m so sorry for not being there.”
Mallory rolled her eyes. “Oh, yeah, Jose. ’Cause you’ve been so lazy, lying here in hospital giving birth and all that. May just have to fire you.” She winked at her friend.
Josie pulled her tongue out. “Sarcastic sod. Now get lost so I can snog my husband in peace.”
Mallory smiled. “Don’t worry, I’m off. Give that gorgeous son of yours a kiss for me tomorrow, and I’ll see you tomorrow night.”
Chapter Seven
Greg rocked back and forth in the pine chair with his baby daughter, Sylvie, in his arms. The restless infant had awoken with an ear-piercing cry at two in the morning. He had finally managed to rock her back to calmness by singing the Bing Crosby cl
assic “White Christmas” in as gentle a voice as his would allow, so as not to wake Mairi.
Yawning, he stood and walked quietly back to the girls’ room and placed Sylvie back in her cot. Mairi stirred and snuffled in her sleep—the poor little love was missing her mummy, and he’d had several temper tantrums to deal with in the past couple of days. She was normally such a happy toddler, but with Mallory away, Mairi was certainly finding her voice.
He kissed his finger and touched Sylvie’s head before turning and tiptoeing out of the room to return to his own. Glancing at the clock, he realised it was only three thirty, and he let out a long sigh. Although he was dog tired, he had the feeling that sleep would elude him for the rest of the night.
Other than a couple of texts, he’d heard nothing from Mallory. This only served to exacerbate his overactive imagination. Was she getting tired of him? Was he overreacting? Why hadn’t she called? All he wanted to do was to hear her voice; feel a sense of belonging with her once again. But instead here he was in the early hours of the morning, missing her like crazy.
He thought back to their romantic weekend away in the early autumn. Sylvie was three months old at the time, but a pregnant Josie had insisted that she and Brad come to stay and get some practise in before becoming parents for the first time. Greg had jumped at the chance to take his beautiful wife away for a few days to the Scottish Borders. They had stayed in a luxurious hotel on the outskirts of the pretty market town of Kelso.
“I had no idea that this place was so lovely,” Mallory said, looking out the window over the hills and tumbling fields behind the hotel.
“Aye, that’s Scotland for you. A surprise around every corner.” He nuzzled her neck and breathed in her scent. She smelled of roses. Appropriate for his English rose.
“I do love it here,” she said dreamily.
“Hmmm… and I do love you.”
She turned in his arms and smiled up at him, her bright blue eyes sparkling. “Even though I’m carrying baby weight?”
He pulled his brows in. “Why do you always ask things like that? You’ve given life to two little girls. Your body is the most amazing thing, Mally. You are amazing. I’m completely in awe of you. And I love every inch of your body. And before you ask, yes, I even love your stretch marks. Do you get it yet? I. Love. You. And I mean forever.”
Her eyes glistened with tears, and he sighed heavily. “Oh, great. And now I’ve made you cry. Can I ever say the right fucking thing?”
She shook her head. “You always say the right thing. I’m sorry, I’m still a bit hormonal, I think.”
He bent his head so that his eyes met hers directly. He gazed deep into her blue orbs. “Mally, you are the sexiest, kindest, most beautiful woman I’ve ever met. And the fact that you’ve given me two gorgeous daughters just makes me love you more. I’ve always loved you. I wish you believed me.”
She huffed out a breath, making her hair flip upwards. “I do believe you. I really do. Like I said, I’m just hormonal, that’s all. And being away from Sylvie is hard. I can’t seem to relax.”
He bent to kiss her neck, eliciting a moan. Running his hands down her back, he slid his palms over the curve of her bottom and squeezed. She gripped his shoulders and rolled her head back. Sliding his hands up again, he pulled her long-sleeved T-shirt upwards and removed it from her body, discarding it on the floor.
She immediately froze.
Dropping to his knees before her, he unbuttoned her jeans, opening them up to expose her belly. He gazed up into her uneasy eyes as he smoothed his hands up over her hips and gripped her waist. Her fists were clenched at her sides now, and he could see that she was panicked. Dropping his gaze back to her body, he began to trail kisses all over her abdomen, licking and kissing every inch, every stretch mark, and every magnificent imperfection that she had pointed out to him in the previous three months. Sliding his hands into her jeans, he pulled them down along with her panties and nuzzled her mound until her legs trembled…
Thinking about that time filled him with sadness. The way they had made love that night had been intense and emotional. Things had changed for the better after that, and her confidence had rocketed once again. He couldn’t keep his hands off her and she relished his attention. He had made every effort to let her know how desirable she was to him any time the opportunity arose, and even as she gradually lost most of her so-called baby weight, he still lavished attention on the silvery stretch marks left behind. Nothing would stop him from wanting her.
Nothing.
He just wished that he could honestly say he believed Mallory’s feelings for him were reciprocal. Over the past month she had become distant. She was staring off into space frequently and spending a lot of time standing on the bridge looking out over the Atlantic. He had tried to talk to her, but she shrugged his worry off and wouldn’t open up to him. He wished he could get inside her head. Losing her would break him. But he would never want her to stay with him out of some misplaced loyalty if she were unhappy.
This train of thought terrified him.
Sitting up, he grabbed his phone and hit #1 for her number. His finger hovered over the dial button, and he clenched his jaw. Calling her at this hour would scare her to death. She’d immediately jump to the conclusion that something was wrong, and then when she realised it wasn’t and he was just missing her, she’d probably be pissed off.
“Aww, fuck,” he growled and put the phone back down on the nightstand. He slammed his body back into the mattress and covered his eyes with both arms, trying his best to relax.
“Daddy! Daddy!” Mairi’s sweet little voice woke Greg from his brief sleep. His last glance at the clock had been at five thirty, and it was now only seven o’clock.
“I’m coming, sweetheart.” He rubbed his hands over his sore eyes and made his way into the girls’ bedroom. Mairi was sitting on her cot-bed, her dark curls wildly sticking out at all angles. A wide smile pulled at the corners of his mouth. My gorgeous wee girl. Glancing over to the cot, he could see Sylvie moving too.
No rest for the wicked, eh?
After washing, changing nappies, and dressing his girls, he took them to the kitchen and fed them. As he was finishing up the phone rang.
“Hello?”
“Hey, sweetie, it’s me.” Mallory’s voice was music to his ears and his heart leapt.
“Hey, gorgeous. Are you okay? How’s Josie?”
“I’m fine. Josie’s awake too. We were at the hospital in the early hours of this morning. I’m exhausted, but I’m going to open up the shop for a few hours today. I think it’ll do me good to be back there.” Oh. She wants to be back there. What do I say to that? “Greg… are you still there?”
Snapped from his worry, he answered, “Aye sorry, sorry. I’m here. Y-yes. That’ll be nice, eh?”
“I think so.”
“Right well, I’ve got some work to do today, so Chrissy is coming over at ten to watch the girls.”
“Oh, right. What are you off to do?”
“Ron’s got a leaky sink. I think a seal has gone, so I’ve said I’ll sort it for him.”
“Say hi from me to everyone.”
“Aye… I will. Mallory? The girls miss their Mummy.”
“Oh, Greg, don’t or I’ll cry.”
“Sorry… Mally?”
“Yes, honey?”
“I… I miss you like mad too.” A heavy silence fell over the line, and his heart sank. “Mally?”
“I miss you too.” She sounded so far away.
Chapter Eight
After hanging up the call to her husband, Mallory wiped the escaped tears from her eyes. She had awoken to a terrible homesick feeling after a measly three hours’ sleep; broken up, of course, by the visit to the hospital to see her best friend. After showering and gulping down a cup of coffee, she made her way to the station. Thankfully she didn’t have to wait long in the freezing temperatures to catch a train into the centre of Leeds where her gift boutique, Le Petit Cadeau, was situat
ed.
Being back in the city again was strange. It wasn’t a place she visited often despite having grown up in the area. Walking from the station to the Victoria Quarter brought a myriad memories flooding back. Once again the city centre was a sparkling winter wonderland decked in glitter and bright, festive colours. The fairy lights strewn across the precinct twinkled in the dim morning light as she walked amongst other traders on their way to work.
She wondered absentmindedly why people restricted “good will toward men” to once a year. The atmosphere around the festive season was filled with hope, happiness, and love. How wonderful life would be if this were the case for the other eleven months of the year. December was the month that she met her first real love, Sam and so it was always an emotional contradiction to Mallory.
Arriving at her shop, she rifled through her large handbag to find the keys. Once inside she clicked on the heaters and filled the little kettle at the back. She glanced around the boutique with a sad smile. The business had been set up using the money left to her by her Aunt Sylvia. It had been a dream come true to own her own business, and she had loved meeting new customers as they discovered her handmade artefacts. Being here now almost made her miss running the place full-time. But only almost. Her life was in Scotland now with her caring, thoughtful—and gorgeous—husband and her two beautiful babies.
Josie had brought in a Christmas CD, and with a smile Mallory hit play. The sound of Chris Rea singing “Driving Home for Christmas” floated around the room, bringing its festive memories of Christmases past. At nine o’clock she turned around her door sign to show that the shop was open, and within five minutes the place was filled with shoppers perusing for last minute gifts.
Christmas Presence Page 4
