A Year of Finding Happiness

by Lisa Hobman

  Even mundane tasks like supermarket shopping were fun. I made her laugh hysterically by singing along to the music purposefully out of tune.

  ‘Ever thought of being a singer?’ she asked me as we stood in the canned-goods aisle.

  ‘Why? Do you think I should?’ I had just finished a terrible rendition of ‘Pour Some Sugar on Me’. I actually should have been suitably impressed that the store was playing decent music instead of ruining it with my caterwauling, but it made my girl laugh so what the heck?

  ‘Well, you do have the voice of an angel,’ she teased.

  Slipping my arms around her waist, I kissed her right by the baked beans – and no, that’s not a euphemism. Everything we did together was new and exciting. I wanted to experience everything with her.

  I began to get funny looks as I walked through the village, whistling to myself and smiling. I guess people thought Grumpy Greg had been abducted by aliens or something. But I really had changed. I had to admit to myself that I was happier right then than I’d ever been. I think I found myself when I found Mallory. Or when she found me. Or when Mairi and Sam brought us together.

  My favourite times were when we stood on the bridge over the Atlantic, looking out at the ocean and holding hands or kissing. It was becoming our special place and I loved that.

  Chapter Fifty

  By December my healing process was almost complete, and I was getting about much easier. My fractured ribs had meant my relationship with Mallory had to be taken slow. We had agreed to wait before taking things further, and, my God, it was slowly killing me to lie beside her and be unable to make love to her. It was all I wanted, to connect with her completely, but I kept reminding myself that when it did happen, it would be worth the wait. It was like a daily mantra. Who am I kidding? It was a fucking hourly mantra.

  I was still plagued with a few other aches and pains, but nothing that a strapping six-foot-two bloke like me couldn’t handle. Christmas was on the horizon and I was excited to be sharing it with Mallory. My last Christmas hadn’t been that great, so this one was under pressure to be perfect.

  The first weekend in December was tree-buying time. I had always thought I was a big kid when it came to Christmas, but it turned out Mallory was just as bad – if not worse! She hummed and hawed about which tree to get and we stood there in the tree sales yard for ages.

  ‘That one looks a bit spindly, don’t you think?’ she asked as I hugged my arms around my body to keep warm.

  ‘Just pick one so we can bloody go home, woman,’ I said, nudging her with my shoulder.

  She turned to me, slipped her arms around my neck, and pouted. ‘It’s got to be just right though, Greg. This is for us.’

  And there went my heart, melted into a puddle of mush on the floor beneath her furry boots. I leaned in and kissed her tenderly with a smile. ‘Whatever you choose it will be just right. Because it’s for us.’

  Eventually we went back to the first tree we’d looked at – but I now understand this to be a typical female trait. We loaded it into the Landy and climbed in. I glanced over and she looked a little sad.

  Reaching over, I stroked her cheek. ‘Hey, what’s wrong, gorgeous?’

  ‘Oh… nothing. I was just wondering…’

  After a pause I became inquisitive. ‘Wondering what?’

  ‘Nothing, it’s silly. You’ll think I’m daft.’

  I chuckled. ‘I already think you’re daft. You’re my girl, remember?’

  She smiled and rolled her eyes. ‘I was just wondering… if there is a heaven… and Mairi and Sam are up there, do you think…? Do you think they’re friends?’

  She broke my heart with the way she thought. God, she was so cute sometimes.

  Tilting her chin round so she faced me, I placed a kiss on her nose. ‘I know they are.’ A peaceful smile played on her lips. I’d apparently satisfied her with my answer, and so we set off for home.

  Getting the tree into Mallory’s cottage was interesting. You don’t realise the quirkiness of cottages until you have to manoeuvre something like a hunk of trunk with spiky branches through two doors. Mallory was as much use as a bloody chocolate fire grate. As I struggled with the bloody thing, she giggled uncontrollably, which, of course, in turn, had me laughing too. Two laughing adults plus one large, spiky pine tree equalled a bad combination.

  Once the tree was situated in the living room, I poured us a wee dram of sherry and we started going through our decorations. I have to admit at this point to having very little taste when it comes to such things. My ornaments were… how do I put it? Well, tacky and brightly coloured, whereas hers were classical and showed an understated elegance that my childish ones could never aspire to in a million years.

  Whilst I hung fat-bellied, red-nosed Santa Clauses and goggle-eyed snowmen at the front, she surreptitiously removed them and placed them towards the back, replacing them with her own handmade, wooden Christmas trees and gold-sprayed pine cones. I watched her doing this for a while, trying not to give the game away, but eventually I wrestled her to the ground.

  Tickling her ribs, I sat astride her torso. ‘Admit it, Westerman, admit that you’re ashamed of my plastic snowmen.’

  Giggling and struggling, she shouted, ‘Never! I don’t know what you mean.’

  ‘You’re taking them off and moving them, you cheeky wee mare.’

  ‘Not a clue what you mean,’ she squealed. ‘Stop it or I’ll pee!’ We rolled around laughing hysterically and eventually, even if a little begrudgingly, my plastic snowmen and Santa ornaments took pride of place amongst her grown-up ones. Greg one… Mallory nil.

  As we sat there admiring our stunning, if a little bizarrely decorated tree – it really was having an identity crisis – we chatted about Hogmanay, and Brad and Josie’s visit. It would be good to see them, but that wasn’t what I was looking forward to the most.

  Turning to Mallory, I stroked my hand down her cheek. ‘Do you know what I’m looking forward to?’ I moved in closer and could feel her warm breath on my face.

  ‘What?’ she whispered, no doubt reading my mind.

  ‘I’m looking forward to unwrapping you on Christmas morning and kissing you all over.’

  She gasped and her pupils dilated. Leaning in, she took my mouth, slipping her tongue inside and breathing in deeply through her nose. When she pulled away, I locked my eyes on hers through a heady fog of lust.

  Swallowing, she smoothed her hand down my chest. ‘Why wait until Christmas morning?’

  Oh. Fucking. Yes. I needed no further encouragement as I smiled, stood, and took her hand. This was it. It was finally happening. I fought back the doubts trying to seep into my mind about whether I would satisfy her and focused on the fact that this was us and we were meant to be.

  I led the way upstairs and once inside the bedroom I pulled her against me, slipping my hands down to her rounded bottom. ‘I’ve waited for this moment since the day I met you.’ My voice was almost unrecognisable as lust and emotion had taken me over. I could hardly speak but I wanted to convey my feelings this time using my own words instead of those belonging to another. ‘I want to savour this. I want to savour you, Mallory. I love you with all my heart, but I want you with every inch of my being.’

  I’d never spoken a truer word. I was hers. All of me. I trailed my hand up her body and into her hair. Lowering my mouth so that it almost touched hers, I relished the feeling of her warm breath increasing in speed on my lips as I gazed at her, knowing my longing was clearly evident. I closed my eyes as she slid her hands up over my chest; the feel of her fingers caressing me this way sent pleasure shooting to my very core. I clenched my jaw, determined to keep my cool and fighting the urge to throw her back onto the bed and climb on top of her.

  No, I would take this slowly.

  As her hands found my hair, I touched my lips to hers, gently at first but I was grasping onto to my self-control by a hair’s breadth. The kiss deepened and the taste of her overtook my senses. I heard a gro
an escape from my throat and felt slightly embarrassed, but she didn’t pull away. Her breathing quickened as she grasped at my hair and I at hers.

  She tugged at the hem of my T-shirt, dragging it from my body in one swift motion as I stooped to make the process easier. Once my chest was fully exposed to her hungry eyes, she leaned in and kissed my tattoo, grazing my nipple with her tongue. I inhaled sharply and my head rolled back as I relished the feel of her lips on my skin.

  I pulled her sweater from her body. My eyes were drawn to her full breasts in their blue lace bra, and I swallowed hard. Tracing my fingers along her collarbone, I kept my eyes on hers, watching her every reaction to my touch. Her hands found my waistband, and before I knew it, I was stepping out of my jeans and kicking them to one side. Then it was her turn. Unclasping the button of her jeans, I slipped my hands inside and squeezed her bottom before sliding the denim down her legs.

  We finally stood before each other in just our underwear. The butterflies took flight in my stomach. This was really happening. A wide smile took over my face and I shook my head.

  ‘Why are you smiling?’ she asked in a quiet, nervous voice.

  ‘I’m just looking at you and thinking that I must be the luckiest man on the planet right now.’ She peered up at me in disbelief, a frown creasing her brow. Taking her face in my hands, I smoothed my thumbs over her lips. ‘You truly are beautiful, Mallory. So very sexy. And you just don’t seem to realise that. Your curves, your skin… I mean you’re just… so beautiful. I can’t put into words how much I want you.’

  ‘You did a pretty good job with words right there. But if you can’t… can’t find words… just show me?’

  There was nothing I wanted more. I kissed her again as I unfastened the blue lace bra from around her ribs. Dropping it to the floor, I caressed her breasts first with my hands and then with my mouth. Her nipples tightened and she sighed, allowing her eyes to fall closed. She had the most beautiful breasts I had ever seen, and the taste of her skin was like some intoxicating elixir. I couldn’t get enough of her and felt sure that I never would.

  Dropping to my knees before her, I gazed up into her half-closed eyes and slipped the blue lace panties down her smooth thighs. Kissing her soft belly and hips, I circled the skin there gently with my thumbs. I loved the noises she made; they told me she was enjoying what I was doing to her as much as I was enjoying doing it. I nuzzled the soft hair at the junction of her thighs and inhaled her scent. I was already addicted and needed to taste her there too. I slipped my tongue into her damp flesh and her legs almost buckled. Gripping her hips to steady her, I caressed her with my tongue as she massaged my scalp with her deft fingers, sending shivers down my spine.

  I watched as her breasts heaved and her mouth fell open. That look of sheer ecstasy had me mesmerised. She was on the verge of release but I wanted more. I stood, removed my boxers, and turned her around. When I pulled her to my chest, my arousal pressed into her lower back, sending delicious tingles down my body to where we connected.

  I took her breast into my hand and squeezed the tight bud between my finger and thumb, making her gasp and lean her head back into my shoulder. I kissed and sucked at the soft flesh of her neck and smoothed my hands up and down the curve of her waist; another of my favourite areas of her curvaceous body. Stepping away to take in the vision of her naked body again, I skimmed my eyes down her back to her luscious bottom. I couldn’t believe this was happening. I couldn’t believe she was finally mine. I’d been hers for so long. The emotion of it all overwhelmed me and I dropped to my knees in disbelief again.

  ‘Mallory.’ Her name left my throat as a strangled sob as I took in the image of her before me. ‘Is this real?’

  She reached down and took my hands. She pulled to me my feet and cupped my face in her hands. ‘Greg, I realised how I felt about you when I was in Yorkshire, the last time. I was so angry with myself for how I handled things. I figured I’d probably ruined everything

  I shook my head. I couldn’t believe she’d thought that she’d ruined things after all the crap I’d put her through.

  She stepped closer to me, her soft breasts connecting with my skin. ‘I love you, Greg, so much. I was so scared to even acknowledge my feelings until I went away. I was terrified that you’d fallen for Kate. I’m so glad you hadn’t stopped loving me. This is one hundred percent real. There’s no going back for me now.’

  ‘I love you so much, Mallory. So, so much.’ I placed kisses over her cheeks, eyes, and lips, and as our mouths reconnected and our tongues tangled, I relished the taste of her once again. We tumbled onto the bed, wrapped around each other.

  I reached down to my jeans where they had fallen and pulled out a small foil packet, opened it, and stretched the sheath down over myself. I began to caress her again and her soft moans were like the best music I’d ever heard, sending shivers down my body and making me desperate for her. She began to tighten around my fingers, and when she cried out I kissed her deeply, swallowing her noises of desire and bliss as if they were necessary for me to live. Moving my body between her thighs, I gazed down at her as she breathed heavily, her eyes filled with adoration. She pulled at my shoulders in a silent instruction and I sank myself inside her body, closing my eyes as the pleasure of our joining filled every fibre of my being.

  Never had making love felt the same as it did with Mallory. In that moment I knew I’d found the other half of my soul; the other half of me. As I moved my body within hers, we locked eyes – and fear took over me. What if she changed her mind? What if she realised that I wasn’t the man for her? Oh, God, if I lost her now—

  ‘Greg.’ She tangled the fingers of one hand in my hair. ‘I love you and I want you… and I mean forever.’ She had read my mind or seen the worry in my eyes. Either way, she spoke and my fears melted away as she gasped and pulled me into her hard with her other hand.

  I fell into the abyss, calling out her name, and she joined me as she fell once more too.

  Chapter Fifty-one

  After we made love that first time, Mallory asked me to move in with her. To say I was shocked would be the understatement of the year, but I jumped at the chance. I was so glad she had rejected the offer she’d received on the house she loved. We’d pretty much been living together anyway and making it official was the best feeling. It meant she believed in us. It meant we were a couple with a future, and I simply can’t express how that made me feel. There are just no words that come close to describing the happiness.

  I loaded up the Landy with all my crap and made my way over to my new home. Angus wagged his tail frantically as if he knew. And when I pulled up outside the cottage, I climbed out, ran over to Mallory, scooped her up, and spun her round.

  We carried all the boxes from the car into the house until the living room looked like a warehouse. We vowed to start unpacking them as soon as possible, but Mallory enticed me to take a shower. Because I took a lot of encouraging… ha!

  As she led me out of the room and we passed the window, she gasped. ‘Greg! It’s snowing.’ I slipped my arms around her waist as she watched the shimmering flakes float to the ground. ‘It’s perfect,’ she sighed. And it really was.

  After gazing out at the picture-perfect view, we made our way up the stairs and into the bathroom. We undressed each other slowly and stepped under the cascading hot water, where we washed and caressed each other and made love languorously until the water ran cold.

  *

  Christmas morning arrived and I regressed to childhood. After making bacon sandwiches, I made my way upstairs to wake my gorgeous girl. Mallory didn’t appear to share my enthusiasm for arising early on our first Christmas Day, and I had to resort to underhanded tactics to get her out of bed. After tickling her, I scooped her up and wrestled her over my shoulder, exposing her bare bottom from under the old T-shirt of mine that she slept in and giving it a little playful slap for good measure. Her protests made me laugh, and even though she slapped at my arse as I carried her, I
didn’t put her back on the ground until we reached the living room.

  We ate our bacon sarnies and drank Buck’s Fizz by the Christmas tree with its twinkling white lights and garish display of trinkets, and I couldn’t help staring at my Mallory in her just-woken-up, half-naked state. I wanted to have her again right then and there, but we had gifts to open so I decided to hold back, determined that I would make this morning special for her – and then make the most of her body again later.

  She handed me a little rectangular parcel and I just stared at it. It looked so beautiful wrapped in her handmade wrapping paper with its gold hearts and snowflakes that I just didn’t want to spoil it. She encouraged me, clearly eager to see what I thought of her gift.

  Carefully I opened the wrapping and took out the hand-painted sign. She had made me a gift, and it was the most beautiful thing I’d ever received. So simple, but the meaning behind it made my lip tremble as I read the sign aloud, ‘“Welcome to Greg and Mallory’s Home”. Mallory, this is the best Christmas gift I’ve ever been given.’

  She laughed. ‘What? Did you never get a bike or a Scalextric?’ she teased.

  ‘Aye, yes, course I did. But this means so much more because you made it for me and it makes our moving in together official. Best gift ever, just like I said.’ We shared a tender kiss before I handed her the gift I’d got for her.

  She frowned and the puzzled look on her face at the flat rectangular parcel had me jumping in to explain. ‘Now, before you open it and go all apeshit on me, I just want to defend myself and say that it’s something for us both. But I think you’ll be happy and that’s what matters.’

  She eyed me suspiciously and opened it. ‘Bloody hell, Greg! Two first-class return flights to Canada?’ Before I knew what was happening, she launched herself into my arms and covered my face in kisses.