‘You girls and your partners are welcome here anytime,’ Mack said, wrapping an arm around their mother and dropping a kiss on the top of her head. ‘Any friends or family of Laura’s are friends and family of mine. Nothing more important than family in my opinion.’
Laura beamed up at him. ‘I couldn’t agree more. I miss you girls so much, but I’ve found my happy place here with Mack.’
Harper and Willow exchanged a look, their eyes boggling.
‘Are Samuel and Martha there?’ Laura asked. ‘Let me and Mack say Hi.’
‘It’s Miriam, Mum,’ Willow snapped.
‘Hi, Laura,’ Samuel and Miriam said together as they leant in from where they were both perched on opposite ends of the outdoor couch.
‘Oh look at you all sitting there. What are you drinking?’
‘Baileys,’ Harper replied and took a much-needed sip. This was proving to be a very weird conversation.
‘Mack’s going to teach me how to make egg nog tomorrow night,’ Laura said. ‘What are you all doing for Christmas?’
They told them their plans and enquired after Laura and Mack’s. It sounded like they had a whole host of people coming round to the ranch on Christmas Day. Harper just hoped Mack wasn’t relying on their mother to cook the festive feast.
‘So have you anything exciting to tell me?’ Laura asked. ‘What’s happening in your worlds?’
‘Samuel and I are just busy with work as usual,’ Harper said.
‘Ah yes.’ Mack nodded. ‘Your mother told me how famous you are in Australia and we worked out how to listen to your show online. I really enjoyed your interview with the ghost hunter.’
Harper chuckled, surprised and bemused by his comment. ‘I wouldn’t say I’m famous, but I’m glad you like the show.’
They talked for another half an hour, Mack asking questions of all of them, seemingly genuinely interested in their lives. Finally Samuel sniffed and said, ‘Is something burning?’
‘Shit!’ Harper shot to a stand.
‘We’d better be going anyway,’ Laura said, ‘but it’s been lovely chatting. We must do it again soon. Have a lovely Christmas.’
As Willow shut the laptop, Harper raced into the kitchen and yanked open the oven, only to be greeted by belching smoke and a tray of blackened shapes.
Samuel came up beside her. ‘Since when do you bake?’ he asked, repeating Willow’s earlier sentiment.
She glared at him, unsure whether to laugh or cry. ‘I wanted to take something to your parents’ tomorrow.’
His lips twisted into the smile that had given her butterflies that first day outside the courthouse. ‘It’s okay,’ he said, pulling her close. ‘I didn’t marry you for your cooking skills and you know there’ll be way too much food anyway. Now come on outside again and have a drink.’
She nodded and together they opened packets of crackers and cut up gourmet cheeses to take out onto the deck.
‘Do we dare ask about the biscuits?’ Miriam asked with a playful smile when they emerged.
Samuel made a face and shook his head dramatically.
Harper poked her tongue out at him and then plonked herself back down on the couch. ‘So, Laura,’ she said looking to Willow. ‘What the heck is going on with her? I don’t think I’ve ever seen her smile as much as she did tonight.’
‘I know. Wonders never cease. I was certain she wouldn’t last two weeks on some ranch. I felt sure that once Mack saw her true colours he’d send her back to Australia, but I have to admit she almost seems like a different person. I almost like her when she’s over there.’
Harper laughed.
‘From what you’ve told me,’ Miriam said, leaning forward and popping some brie onto a cracker, ‘your mother is the type of woman who needs a man to make her happy. I know that’s no excuse for the way she neglected you two, but maybe she’s finally found another person to bring out the best in her.’
‘But what happens when he dumps her? Or worse, dies?’ Willow asked.
Harper shuddered and shook her head. ‘Let’s not go there tonight. Let’s just enjoy our own night together.’
And for the next few hours she managed to take her own advice, not once thinking about Jasper and Claire and whether or not they’d get their Christmas wish.
Chapter Sixteen
While Jasper slept soundly in the bed beside her, Claire crept across the room and into the ensuite. She closed the door behind her without making a noise and then clicked it locked, something she never ever did. But she was about to do something she’d promised her husband she wouldn’t, hence her stealth-like behaviour. She opened the bathroom cupboard and retrieved the paper bag she’d hidden there yesterday. It crackled slightly when she removed the little box within and she froze, listening for sounds from the bedroom.
All she heard was the comforting noise of Jasper snoring.
Having read and memorised the instructions for the pregnancy test kit before hiding it, she didn’t waste time going over them again. Her hand trembling a little, she took the stick out of the box and then lifted the lid off to reveal the strip of testing paper. Then she lowered her knickers, lifted her summer nightie, sat down on the toilet and peed as directed.
Once done, she recapped the stick and held her breath.
One blue line appeared immediately, telling her the test was functional, but she needed two.
The eleven days since the implantation of one of their fertilised embryos had been the longest eleven days of her life; she felt every little twinge in her breasts and her belly, praying they were pregnancy symptoms. She’d been a pain to live with—unable to focus or even talk about anything else except their possibility of parenthood—but she couldn’t help it. It was hard to get into the Christmas spirit when all she could think about was whether or not she was pregnant.
Testing at home was against the clinic recommendations—they preferred to do a blood test to find out whether pregnancy had been achieved—but as the clinic was closed today and tomorrow on the days she’d be ready to test, she’d decided to take things into her own hands. Jasper had warned her strongly against doing so—worried about how she’d feel if they got a negative result on Christmas Day. Logically she agreed with him, but the thought of not knowing till after Boxing Day …
Nope, that was way too long.
Yet, sitting on the edge of the toilet seat now, listening to the sounds of a crow welcoming the morning outside, time dragged. The days leading up to this moment felt like nothing compared to the two minutes of waiting she’d just done, and the hope she’d felt when she woke up began to fade. What had made her think that her stupid barren body would be able to handle an egg from someone else?
She blinked back tears as they formed in the corners of her eyes and was lifting her arm to hurl the blasted stick into the bin when she noticed that another line had appeared alongside the first thin blue one. Terrified she was hallucinating, she brought it closer to her face and her heart stopped beating as she registered what it meant.
There were definitely two lines. She was pregnant.
Oh my God!
Now the tears she’d been fighting seconds earlier broke free, pouring happiness down her cheeks. Clutching her good news in one hand, she yanked up her knickers with the other and slammed the lid down on the toilet seat, no longer caring about keeping quiet. If she were a more patient person, she might have taken a few moments to think of a wonderful and unique way to tell Jasper. But as patience had never been her virtue, Claire wiped her eyes on a towel then flung open the bathroom door and took a running leap onto the bed.
‘What the hell!’ Her husband woke with a start and looked up at her like she’d lost the plot.
‘Santa came,’ she exclaimed, holding up the positive pregnancy test right before his eyes. ‘Merry Christmas, Daddy.’
‘What?’ He blinked, rubbed the sleep from his eyes and stared at the stick as if it were a UFO. ‘Is that what I think it is?’
She nodded. ‘Look! Two beautiful bl
ue lines. We’re pregnant!’
Jasper opened his mouth as if to say something, then closed it again. This happened a few more times, making her giggle, before he finally said, ‘I thought you promised you wouldn’t take a home test?’
She rolled her eyes. ‘Forget that. We’re pregnant!’
He took the little stick from her and held it up between them. ‘Are you sure it’s not too early?’
‘These tests are as accurate as the doctor’s ones these days. And today is the day Dr Ballantine would have done the blood test, so if this says I’m pregnant, then I am!’ She couldn’t keep the excitement from her voice.
‘Well, then.’ Slowly, his lips twisted up into a grin and he pulled her into a hug. ‘I think this is the best Christmas present ever.’
‘I agree.’ She’d known he wouldn’t be able to hold onto his irritation that she’d snuck behind his back. It had definitely been worth the risk.
‘Oh, my God, Claire,’ Jasper exclaimed as if it was only just dawning on him. ‘I thought for sure it’d take a few times before we made a baby.’
They’d been told by the clinic that it could be a long road ahead, that it might take numerous attempts before they were successful. ‘Me too,’ she said, ‘but this was obviously meant to be.’ Rolling out of his embrace, she stretched over to the bedside table to collect her mobile.
‘What are you doing?’
‘We need to phone Harper. Let her know.’
‘At this time of the morning?’ Jasper exclaimed.
She gave him a look that told him it would be better to just go along with her craziness—she was pregnant and hormonal after all. ‘It’s after six. Besides, everyone gets up early on Christmas morning.’
Jasper chuckled. ‘I suppose she did tell us to call her the moment we found out.’
Claire put the phone on speaker and held it between them as it dialled.
It rang four times before Harper picked up. ‘Hello?’
‘Hi Harper, it’s Claire and Jasper.’ Caller ID would have told her this but she sounded sleepy so Claire announced it just to be sure.
‘Who is it?’ came a strange deep voice.
‘Go back to sleep,’ Harper said. ‘Hi guys. Merry Christmas.’
‘It is indeed a Merry Christmas,’ Jasper said, grinning at Claire.
‘Isn’t it just?’ Claire replied.
They waited a moment for Harper to catch on.
‘Oh my God,’ she said, sounding suddenly much more awake. ‘Are you trying to tell me something? Isn’t it too early to know?’
‘Claire has the patience of a small child. She took a home test just now.’
‘And I’m pregnant!’
‘Oh wow,’ Harper said. She sounded a little choked up and took a moment to add, ‘That’s wonderful. I’m so happy I don’t know what to say.’
They all half-laughed, half-cried for a few moments, then Claire said, ‘I wish you lived closer so I could come around and give you a great big hug.’
‘Me too,’ Jasper added. ‘We can’t thank you enough.’
‘It was my absolute pleasure. Maybe we could get together in the new year to celebrate.’
‘That’s a great idea,’ Claire said. ‘In fact, why don’t you and Samuel come up to the Hunter Valley one weekend and we can give you a romantic hot air balloon ride? Well, Jasper can. I’m grounded for the time being.’
They all laughed.
‘That would be wonderful,’ Harper said.
Jasper leant closer to the phone. ‘We’ll let you go now, but thanks again and have a wonderful Christmas.’
‘Yes, thank you,’ Claire added. She could say those words a million times and it would still never be enough.
‘Merry Christmas to you guys too,’ Harper said, then disconnected.
Jasper and Claire snuggled back into the cushions for another hour—talking, fantasising about the future with their baby and marvelling at the miracle that Harper had given them. By next Christmas their lives would have changed irrevocably and they couldn’t be more excited about the prospect. Although Claire wanted to fly up in a balloon and shout their news from the skies, Jasper convinced her otherwise.
‘I’m as excited as you are,’ he said, ‘but you know I’ve always been a little superstitious. I don’t want to take any risks by telling anyone until we’re past the three month mark.’
‘Not even Polly and Scotty?’ Although she understood his reasoning, Claire didn’t know if keeping this big a secret from her best friends was possible, especially when they knew about the egg donation.
Polly and Scotty were their only family that did. Everyone else knew about Claire’s infertility, so they never asked when they were going to have children like strangers did.
‘Can you at least wait until we’ve had the blood test confirmation?’
She sighed and smiled at him. ‘I suppose I can try and learn a little patience.’
Chapter Seventeen
FEBRUARY 2017
‘Rise and shine.’ Harper chuckled at the role reversal as she silenced the alarm on her mobile phone. Apart from during a brief dalliance with breakfast radio years ago, Samuel had always got up earlier than she did. But not today.
When there wasn’t so much as a blip in his deep sleep breathing, she switched on the bedside lamp and tried to shake him awake. ‘Come on, get up! We have places to go, people to see.’
He groaned predictably. ‘You’re fucking kidding me. It must still be the middle of the night.’
Last night over dinner at a gorgeous little Italian restaurant, she’d told him she had a surprise for him in the morning and that he’d have to get up early, but they’d indulged in a few drinks and retreated to their little boutique hotel room and he’d obviously forgotten her warning.
‘Not kidding at all.’ She climbed out of bed, tugging the covers right off along with her, revealing Samuel’s gorgeous naked body. Thanks to his daily early morning trips to the gym and his weekend bike rides, he was as toned and terrific as the day they’d met and he still sent her heart racing when she looked at him. But today there was no time for distractions. ‘I’ll have the first shower. Don’t go back to sleep.’
Two minutes later he joined her in the ensuite. As she scrubbed her body, she heard him brushing his teeth and a few seconds later he pulled back the glass shower door and stepped in beside her. She glanced down and saw that he’d well and truly woken up. He hit her with a look she knew all too well and then dipped his head and claimed her mouth with his. Her breasts pressed against his hard chest and when something else firm of his pressed against her belly, she had to summon all her self-control not to give in.
‘We don’t have time for that,’ she said, palming her hands against his chest before stepping past him and out of the shower.
‘What’s the point of getting up at this time of the day if I can’t get my rocks off?’
She laughed. ‘I promise you it’ll be worth it. Now hurry up. We have to be there by five.’
‘Where are we going? Can’t you give me a clue?’ he asked when they were in the car.
A few weeks ago she’d booked them a romantic getaway to the Hunter Valley and so last night when she’d mentioned the need to get up early, she’d felt certain he’d put two and two together. He knew her recipient couple lived in the Valley and that they were balloonists, so the fact he hadn’t guessed they were going ballooning irked her a little, but she swallowed her irritation and shook her head. This weekend was about having fun and spending rare time together and she didn’t want to spoil it with resentful thoughts. To be fair, she hadn’t spoken about Claire and Jasper since telling Samuel the procedure had been a success—it had been easier not to—and he did have a lot of other things occupying his brain space. Things at the firm seemed busier than ever and still no promotion to partner had been forthcoming.
‘Try to relax and enjoy not being in control for once in your life,’ she said, reaching out and squeezing his knee before putting
her hand back on the steering wheel.
‘It’s hard to relax when you’ve banned me from checking my email,’ he grumbled. He couldn’t believe it when they’d arrived at their hotel last night and she told him she’d specifically chosen a place that didn’t have wi-fi.
She laughed. ‘It’s not even daylight yet. I doubt you’ll have anything too urgent, but if it makes you feel better we can schedule some screen time after breakfast.’
He sighed and then chuckled. ‘When you put it that way … Ah, maybe it is a good idea to totally detach from our work lives for a few days.’ Then, as if to prove he meant it, he dug his mobile out of his pocket and switched it off.
‘Wow, I’m impressed. Grab mine out of my bag and do the same.’
He did as she asked and they both laughed as if they’d done something terribly naughty. It was a rare and freeing feeling to know they couldn’t be interrupted by anyone.
The GPS spoke, informing them they were almost at their destination, and a few moments later a balloon-shaped sign loomed up on one side of the road just before a gravel drive.
‘We’re here!’ she announced, excited at the prospect of doing something unusual and adventurous but also at seeing Claire and Jasper again.
Samuel glanced out the window and pointed to the sign. ‘Seriously? We’re going up in a balloon?’
He sounded sceptical, but Harper couldn’t quite tell whether it was the hot air ballooning or if he’d finally put two and two together and come up with Jasper and Claire.
She decided to plough on regardless. ‘Surprise! I packed caps and jackets for us; they’re in the back seat. Apparently it can get pretty cool up there,’ she said as she turned off the road and followed another car towards some lights and a corrugated iron building up ahead.
‘Are we meeting the couple you gave your eggs to?’ he asked.
So he did remember. ‘Yes, Claire and Jasper. They’ve offered to take us up in one of their balloons to say thanks. Haven’t you always wanted to go hot air ballooning?’
‘Can’t say I’ve ever given it much thought.’
The Greatest Gift Page 16
