by Lisa Edward
We were enjoying our beer and having a laugh as we always did when the four of us got together. I looked up and noticed Cole sitting at a table by himself in the corner. He was watching us closely, and raised his beer bottle to me when he saw me look in his direction. I gave him a polite nod, not wanting to encourage him, and definitely not wanting him to join us. I knew that both Riley and Kelli were not huge fans, but the main reason for not wanting him to join us was that the dream I’d had about him was still fresh in my mind.
Unfortunately, he took my acknowledging him as an invitation, and headed over.
“Oh crap,” I said under my breath, just loud enough for Riley to hear me.
He looked up and his face hardened.
“Just relax, babe, it’s fine,” I said, just as Cole arrived.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, trying to sound casual, but feeling my stomach do a somersault.
My face flushed as I relived the dream once again, and the feel of Cole’s hands on me.
He watched my reaction curiously with a slight twitch of his mouth, before answering. “Well, you’ve heard me sing a couple of times, so I thought I would come and watch you.”
He emphasised the words which made me blush even more, and he chuckled softly.
He looked around the table. “Kelli, good to see you again.”
Kelli mumbled a “hi” and half-heartedly introduced Cooper who, not knowing the history, greeted Cole warmly and shook his hand.
Then Cole turned his focus to Riley. Riley was glaring at him until I squeezed his knee, and then he looked at me out of the corner of his eye and held his hand out for Cole to shake. Cole took his hand, looking a little relieved, and then to my surprise, asked if he could join us and pulled up another chair next to mine.
Before anyone could say anything more, Cole leaned across me so he could see Riley, who was sitting on my other side.
He apologised for what had happened the last time they had met. “Obviously, Tara’s crazy about you. I’m sorry if I overstepped the boundaries when I was singing; I get carried away sometimes. I’m also sorry for interrupting you in the back room.” He said the last part with a smirk, and his eyes flicked up to mine for a split second before he quickly wiped the smirk off his face.
Riley just nodded. I don’t know if he believed the apology or not.
“It’s fine, don’t worry about it. Right, babe?” I turned to Riley, trying to cajole him along, and he finally agreed that everything was fine and relaxed a little.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t relax. The whole time Cole was apologising to Riley for overstepping the boundaries, he had his arm on the back of my chair and was lightly stroking the back of my neck.
I waited until Riley was distracted talking to Cooper, and then glared at Cole.
He chuckled lightly. “What? You don’t like it just like that?” he said seductively. “You’ll have to tell me what you do like.”
“I like Riley’s hands on me, not yours,” I seethed through clenched teeth, not wanting anyone at the table to hear.
The last thing I wanted was for Riley to know, and for him to try to put his foot down about me playing at Songbirds if it meant seeing Cole on a regular basis.
I played that night, constantly looking over at our table. Even though everything seemed to have been smoothed over between Riley and Cole, at least on the surface, I knew it wouldn’t take much, for Cole to say one thing to push Riley back over the edge. And this time I didn’t think he would be able to keep himself under control.
To finish my set I played ‘A Thousand Years’ which to me was Riley’s song. I always finished with it as my own private dedication to Riley.
“You were great, really awesome!” Cole said enthusiastically once I’d made my way back over to the table at the end of the night.
I thanked him politely, even though I was really thrilled that a fellow musician had enjoyed my playing, and then made myself comfortable on Riley’s knee.
“What did you think, babe?” I asked, kissing him on the cheek, and running my fingers through his hair.
“Brilliant, as always,” he replied, kissing me in return. “I especially loved the last song you played.” Riley knew it was his song, and got a kick out of me playing it for him.
Cooper was grinning at us. He always seemed to get some sense of enjoyment out of watching Riley and I together, and seeing how happy we were.
“Okay, Fox, so now we’ve established that you’re a freaking genius on the piano, are you going to have a drink with us?” I laughed and held out my hand to Cooper, who gave me a beer. I definitely needed it.
“Fox, huh?” Cole said, watching intently as I licked my lips before lifting the bottle to take a drink. “That’s fitting.”
It was Christmas Eve so I didn’t have to play at Songbirds. Instead, Jason had organised for us all to go to Carols by Candlelight. We didn’t have tickets for the seating area; instead we had general admission tickets where we could take picnic blankets, food and drinks, and sit out under the stars, listening to entertainers sing Christmas carols.
Jason was like a little kid he was so excited by the idea. Kelli and I were on board, it might be fun. Riley, Cooper, and Marcus thought it was totally lame, but reluctantly agreed to go as long as there was plenty of beer in the picnic baskets.
We arrived just as the sun was beginning to set and laid out the picnic blankets, then made ourselves comfortable. Riley and I sat snuggled together on one end while Kelli was leaning back into Cooper’s chest at the other. Jason and Marcus were in the middle with Marcus closest to me. We laid out the food and nibbled at a cheese platter and fresh fruit as the show started.
By halfway through the evening I think the guys were coming around. We all joined in with the carols we knew, and even lit candles in little cup holders and waved them in the air with the rest of the crowd.
There was a feeling of peace and good-will running through the whole audience which was uplifting. Throughout the night, Jason gave Kelli the occasional hug, and Marcus rested his hand on my ankle or squeezed my hand. I’m sure at one stage I even saw Cooper give Marcus a “guy hug” as he passed him a beer.
At the end of the night, we all had huge smiles on our faces as we packed up the picnic paraphernalia and walked back to the cars, then embraced each other warmly before heading home for the night.
It had made it feel like Christmas was really upon us, and I was looking forward to lunch at Songbirds the following day with my new family.
WAKING EARLY on Christmas morning, I quietly slid out of bed to get dressed in my Naughty Santa Christmas outfit, which I’d picked up the week before. It consisted of a red very mini skirt, a red bra and a Santa hat, all trimmed in white faux fur. Then I headed to the kitchen to make Riley breakfast in bed.
I was halfway through making Eggs Benedict when I heard Riley padding out to find me.
“Go back to bed,” I called. “You can’t have breakfast in bed if you’re not actually in bed.”
He chuckled, and turned around to go back into the bedroom. “Okay, I’m in bed,” he called out. “Kinda lonely in here, though.”
I put the plate of eggs, a glass of orange juice and a cup of coffee on a tray, then carried it in to him and placed it across his lap. He sat up, taking in my outfit with wide eyes, and a huge smile on his face.
“So before you eat I need to know, have you been naughty or nice?” I asked suggestively.
“Well I’m having some pretty naughty thoughts right now,” he replied cheekily, still looking at my attire as he lifted the tray off his lap and put it on the side table. “I think I would rather have you across my lap.” And he pulled back the covers.
I looked down with a smile. “Is that for me?” I asked, taking in his arousal.
He took hold of my hand, and laughing, pulled me onto his lap.
An hour later I was lying in Riley’s arms, trying to catch my breath again.
“I think your breakfast has gone cold,�
�� I joked. “Would you like me to heat it up for you?”
“Well, I have already eaten, but I could probably fit something else in,” he said, kissing my nose as he stroked my hair.
“You are naughty, aren’t you? You’re not supposed to eat dessert before the main meal. But it is Christmas, so we can make an exception.”
“Speaking of Christmas …” Riley said as he jumped up out of bed and went to rummage in his bag. “Merry Christmas, babe.”
He handed me a pale blue gift box tied with a white ribbon, but it wasn’t just any shade of blue. It was Tiffany & Co blue.
I pulled one end of the ribbon to untie it. I had never owned anything from Tiffany & Co, and my hands shook as I opened the lid.
“Oh Riley, it’s beautiful!” I exclaimed.
Inside was a silver charm bracelet with five charms. There was a treble clef to represent my love of music, a fox, which had become my nickname, thanks to Cooper, a four-leaf clover to signify Riley’s Irish heritage, a butterfly, which is how Riley had once described me, and a heart-shaped locket with a diamond in the centre.
It was absolutely exquisite, and it brought tears to my eyes at how thoughtful the gift was, with each charm having a significant meaning. I tried to put it on but my hands were still shaking, so Riley helped do up the clasp.
“Do you really like it?” he asked, looking at my face.
I shook my head. “I don’t like it; I love it.” I threw my arms around his neck. “And I love you. This is going to be the best Christmas ever.”
Keeping my arms around him, I held up my hand so I could see my wrist. This was the first Christmas where I had received a gift that was personal and thoughtful from someone who truly loved me.
“I have something for you too,” I remembered, and reached into the drawer of my side table.
I was nervous now about giving it to him, as it wasn’t as thoughtful or personal as the bracelet.
“This is for you. I hope you like it,” I said a little warily.
He smiled and ripped the paper off like a little kid, then hesitated for a second before opening the case. I had bought him an iPod Touch and loaded all the photos from Fiji onto it, as well as the music that he had saved in the Tara & Riley playlist on mine.
He looked at it for a few more seconds before lifting his head to look at me. “Can I Skype on it? Will I be able to see you when we talk?” I nodded, and his eyes welled up. “This is perfect. I love it, Tara, thank you so much.”
By the time Riley and I arrived at Songbirds for lunch there were already a few people there. We had intended to get there early to help Marcus set everything up, but had gotten side-tracked in the shower, and had to quickly throw on some clothes before racing out the door.
As it so happened, we were wearing each other’s favourite outfits; the red crossover top for me, that showed way too much cleavage, and the blue shirt for Riley, that matched his eyes.
Kelli and Cooper were chatting to Jason, and Kelli was showing him a ring—on her right hand, I noted to myself—while Marcus organised the crockery and glasses. So we weren’t too late after all. We had still beaten Jay, and Cassie and her flatmate Samantha, or Sami, as she preferred to be called.
Standing back for a moment, I took in my mismatched family and the feast that was laid out on the long table. It was the first Christmas I had been looking forward to in quite a few years. I loved these people who had adopted me into their lives, helping me through such a tough time and out the other side, into a much brighter and happier future. I now felt closer to my friends than my real family.
We had all volunteered to bring a plate each, and it looked like there was already enough food to feed an army. There were platters of ham, turkey, and prawns, and bowls of salads. I had made a Christmas pudding and custard that just needed to be heated again in Songbirds’ unused kitchen. We’d also brought some of the cherries and strawberries we had picked a few days ago, but not the chocolate sauce. We were keeping what was left for another purpose.
I quickly put the presents with the others under a haphazardly decorated, lopsided fir tree. Riley placed the pudding, custard and fruit on the table with the other dishes, then we joined the group and began greeting everyone with hugs and kisses and wishes of merry Christmas.
Next to arrive were Cassie and Sami, with a large platter of fresh fruit, and another of different cheeses. I introduced Sami to Riley and Cooper, who hadn’t met her before, and Cooper immediately started calling her Red because of her strawberry-blonde hair. Another nickname to add to the list, I thought, laughing.
I was mid-hug with Cassie when Jay arrived, followed by Cole.
Jay looked at me and shrugged apologetically, and I smiled and shrugged back before greeting him with a hug.
“As soon as I mentioned I was coming here for lunch, he decided to invite himself as well,” he said quietly in my ear.
I told Jay not to worry about it; we had more than enough food, and it was Christmas, so the time for tolerance.
I greeted Cole with a wave and a Merry Christmas before noticing his T-shirt. It was bright red, and read in big white letters Santa, I am really good … just ask your wife. He watched my face as I read it, and chuckled when I rolled my eyes at him. This was going to be an interesting day.
Sitting down with the girls, I excitedly showed them my bracelet, and Kelli showed us her new sapphire ring. The ring was beautiful, with an oval sapphire in the centre and two smaller oval diamonds, one on either side, but I had to laugh at Kelli’s lack of enthusiasm. She was so hoping for an engagement ring, and I could imagine when she saw the ring box this morning she would have thought her wish had finally come true. But not this time; maybe for her birthday, I said encouragingly.
We decided to hand out the presents before eating and everyone raced over to the tree to collect what they had brought for others. I let Riley give out the presents that were from us. This was the first year that I hadn’t spent Christmas lunch with my family in their stuffy house with my mother’s suffocating rules, and I took great delight in seeing everyone’s faces as they unwrapped their gifts.
Marcus absolutely loved his Jimi Hendrix memorabilia, and hung it on the wall straight away.
We gave Jason a set of Judy Garland DVDs. She was his favourite old-time actress, and I promised to watch them all with him. I even promised to learn the song and dance routines with him, which he thought was the best thing ever.
We gave Jay his tickets, and he immediately said I would have to go to see the orchestra with him, if that were all right with Riley.
Cassie and Sami were given some scented candles for their apartment, and lastly we gave Kelli and Cooper return tickets to Tasmania, so they could visit their families.
Cole was standing beside me with a wrapped present half hidden behind his back, watching the chaos with an easy grin on his face.
I turned to him. “I’m sorry, Cole, I didn’t know you were coming today, so I didn’t buy you anything.”
Like a lifetime supply of condoms. I had been in the unfortunate position to actually see firsthand that he did indeed use protection. I did genuinely feel terrible, though; he was the only one without a Christmas present.
“Don’t worry about it, Tara, I’m not really into the whole gift-giving thing.” Then, as if he could read my mind, he said, “Besides, a lifetime supply of condoms would cost you a fortune.”
Heat scorched my cheeks and he chuckled as I turned away, suddenly finding the lopsided Christmas tree fascinating.
Marcus came over with a gift and handed it to me a little nervously. “This is for you. Merry Christmas, Tara.”
I gave him a warm hug and kiss before opening it excitedly. He had bought me a beautiful pair of teardrop earrings that looked like diamonds, but must have been crystals or something similar.
“I noticed you have your ears pierced, but you don’t wear earrings. I thought they would look good when you have your hair up.” His cheeks flushed as he spoke which made m
e laugh, and I took them out of the box and put them in straight away.
“How do they look?” I asked him, tying my hair up off my face and neck in a messy ponytail.
He smiled his sweet, dimpled smile. “You look perfect.”
Wanting to see for myself, I raced down to the back room to have a look at the earrings in the little mirror on the wall. I was just admiring them—they really were quite delicate—when Cole walked in with his hands behind his back.
“Diamonds from the boss, hey? You must be employee of the decade!”
I looked at his reflection behind me sarcastically. “They’re not diamonds, but they are pretty, aren’t they?” I said, turning to him.
He was smiling down at me, his emerald-green eyes still taking in the earrings. He reached down and ever-so-gently touched one of them, brushing my neck with his fingers and sending shivers down my spine. “I’d get these appraised, if I were you; I think you’ll be surprised.”
I dismissed his comment with a wave of my hand. “Well, I think they’re beautiful whatever they are.” Not wanting to meet his gaze, I dropped my eyes to his torso. “I like your shirt, by the way, although you did say you only sleep with pretty girls. Isn’t Mrs Claus a bit old for you?”
He laughed. “Yeah, good point. Maybe it should say just ask your daughter.”
His smile faded as he looked down at my top, his emerald eyes flaring. “I like your top, too. What there is of it.”
Looking down, I went to quickly adjust the neckline but he stopped my hands, instead holding both of them in one of his and lightly stroking the backs of them with his thumb.
He was still standing there, looking down at me, my breath quickening from his closeness.
“I have something for you,” he said huskily, pulling a present out from behind his back and handing it to me.
I looked at him, surprised. “I thought you didn’t do the whole gift-giving thing?”
He just shrugged. “Usually I don’t, but you’re an exception. I thought you would like it, so …”
I couldn’t quite get my head around the present when I unwrapped it; it was a bound book of original hand-written musical scores by Victor Michaels, a world-renowned composer and pianist.
