by Kyra Lennon
“Where’s your sense of fun?”
My heart leaps into my throat at the sound of that voice. Warm breath tickles my neck from behind me, and I freeze in place.
I’m hearing things. I must be hearing things.
I swivel my eyes towards my mum to see her biting her lip and looking around innocently. Beside her, Dylan winks at me.
They know about Brayden, of course. I’d told them about him, but he can’t really be here right now, right?
A light tap on my shoulder sends my feet into action and I slowly turn around.
“Oh my God,” I say, laughing in shock as the man I have been waiting forever for is standing right in front of my eyes.
He looks incredible. In that long black coat, his scarf wrapped around his neck, and that smile on his face… just like the first time I met him.
“Hi, Charley. Welcome home.”
“Brayden.” The word is a whisper as it leaves my lips, and I jump up into his arms, the sound of his laughter and the strength of his arms around me enveloping me in pure joy. “What are you doing here?”
He smiles, his eyes holding mine. “Well, I promised you we’d go skating. But, I figured doing it at home was a tad predictable. So, here I am.” Laughing again, I squeeze him tightly. “So, Charley, would you do me the honour of joining me on my first skate of the year?”
I nod. “I would love that.”
As Brayden's lips meet mine, in a kiss I've waited two years for, I suddenly see. Home is not a physical location. Home can be anywhere with the right person, and the right connection.
Home, I realise, is Brayden.
Chapter 17
Brayden
As Charley and I skate, hand in hand, I’m kind of impressed she’s still standing. She has a look of dazed happiness on her face, like she can’t believe what’s just happened.
Honestly, I can’t believe we pulled it off either.
It hadn’t been part of my original plan. As far as Charley knew, we were going to meet tomorrow, back where we first met. But then some things changed.
Yesterday evening, I was at home in my room, looking over a few things for work on my laptop, when I got a message alert through Facebook.
A request from an Annette Richards.
I raised my eyebrows. I recognised her name. That was Charley’s mum.
With apprehension, I clicked on the message to see what it said.
Annette Richards: Hi Brayden. You don’t know me, but I’m Charley’s mum. Please could you give me a ring when you have a moment?
She’d left her number for me, and my immediate feeling was fear. Why would she want me to call her unless something was wrong? What if something had happened to Charley? Or what if she wanted me to call her to tell me I wasn’t good enough for her daughter?
This was a really weird way to connect for the first time, but curiosity and worry overrode that. I reached for my phone and dialled the number.
“That was fast.”
Surprised, I laughed. “Most people say hello.”
Annette laughed too. “Sorry. I was hoping you’d get back to me soon. I’ve had an idea and I need to work quickly.”
I’d met girlfriends’ parents in the past, but this was already by far the strangest introduction I’d ever had.
“Erm… is Charley okay?”
“Yes, she’s fine. I’m actually trying to organise a surprise for her, and, well, you are the surprise.”
I blinked, a tad confused about what she was talking about. What surprise would involve me? And also, why would she want to include me in a surprise? I knew Charley had told her about me, but she’d never actually met me. For all she knew, I could be a first class bellend.
“So, I’m going to pick Charley up from the airport tomorrow. And even though she’ll be tired, I am going to take her to Winter Wonderland. Brayden, she’s told me everything about the two of you, including how you have ice skating in your plans. So, I was wondering, if you’re free, if you feel like coming for a trip to London. I know it’s last minute, but if you want to come, I’ll book you a room in the hotel we’re staying at. You don’t have to pay me back, I just…” she paused. “I’ve missed my daughter very much, but I know that she is more excited to see you than me. I want her to be happy, and I think you being there tomorrow to surprise her would make her extremely happy.”
It soon became clear where Charley got her kindness from. Annette was offering me something amazing to make her daughter happy. And honestly, I’d really wanted to meet Charley at the airport, but I knew her mum and brother would want to see her first. Family was more important than me, but knowing they wanted to include me meant a lot.
“I have work in the morning,” I said. “But I can drive up later in the afternoon. Charley’s flight isn’t due in until later in the afternoon, so, yes. I can make it.”
Annette let out a small squeal of excitement. “Thank you! I will sort out a room for you and then call you back with the details.”
For a moment, I was speechless. She really did move quickly. “I… thank you. This is a really nice thing to do.”
She let out a slow sigh. “Brayden, I know we haven’t met yet, but from what I have heard about you, you are special to Charley. She’s told me everything.”
“Everything?”
“Everything. Even the part where you hurt her. But my daughter is the best judge of character, and if she trusts you, then I do too.”
“Wow. Thank you. I… I’ll never stop regretting what I did, but I plan to spend the rest of my life making up for it.”
I felt like I could hear her smile through the phone. “That’s what I want to hear.”
“So, my mum really did all this?” Charley asked eventually, as if she’d tapped into my thoughts.
I smiled down at her. “She did. She’s pretty cool as mums go.”
Charley laughed. “Yeah, she is. I didn’t really appreciate that until I was away from her. Now I will never forget it.”
I squeezed her hand. “She loves you. She didn’t stop telling me stories about you when we met earlier.”
“Oh, God.” She raised her free hand to her face, covering her eyes for just a second in embarrassment. “I do not want to know what she said.”
“It was nothing bad.” I chuckled. “Mainly just about what a good daughter you are and how proud she is of you.”
“Well, that’s good to know.”
I slowed us down, and we came to a stop at the edge of the rink. I pulled her tight into my arms and said, “I know I’m not going to get much time alone with you tonight, so I just want to take this chance to tell you how fucking happy I am to be with you right now. Waiting until tomorrow would have killed me.”
She grinned, wrapping her arms around me. “I think you could have handled one more day.”
Shaking my head, I said, “Nah. Another twenty-four hours would have been way too long. It’s already been long enough.”
“I agree. But… we’re together now.”
I moved my hand up to her face to push a strand of hair away from her eyes. “We are. And if it’s okay with you… I’d like to keep it that way.”
Epilogue
1 Year Later – Christmas Eve
“Bray, I’m h-” I cut my sentence short, closing the door to the flat behind me and pausing in the hallway.
Something feels weird. A strange combination of aromas wafts from the kitchen, and I drop my bag down on the floor, loosening my scarf as I walk into the living room. I was expecting to see some kind of Christmas movie playing on the TV, but I hear laughter and the sound of Rodney and Del Boy.
Only Fools and Horses? On Christmas Eve? That’s different.
Before I can put my focus elsewhere, Brayden practically leaps out at me from the kitchen, making me jump and squeal as his hands land on my shoulders.
“Jesus, Brayden. What’s going on in here?”
We’ve lived together for the last six months, and he’s never jumped out on m
e like that before. I’d also never come home to find him trying to steer me out of the living room. Well, maybe a few times, but that’s another story. I definitely missed his usual greeting of a hug and a kiss today.
He smiles as I try to stretch up on my tiptoes to look over his shoulder into the kitchen. “Not yet,” he says, turning me around. As I spin, I see the beautiful Christmas tree we decorated together has a few extra things underneath it. Seeing where I’m looking, he puts his hand over my eyes, laughing. “Give me two minutes, okay? Go take off your shoes and coat and then I’ll be ready.”
“Okay, but why can I smell fish?” I ask, wrinkling my nose as he walks me out of the living room. Christmas Eve is a time for mince pies, something festive cooking like a ham… not fish. And it’s not just fish. I’m getting a whiff of several other things that don’t seem like they should go together.
Ah ,well. We had a good run. It’s taken him a year to try to poison me.
“You’ll see.” At the bedroom door, Brayden uncovers my eyes and says, “Just trust me.”
And there it is. That smile making his gorgeous eyes sparkle. He looks amazing considering he’s had a lazy day at home. He’s wearing smart jeans and a deep green jumper... festive, and sexy as ever.
“What are you up to?” I ask with an incredulous smirk. As far as I knew, we were planning to spend our first full Christmas Eve together at home. No pubs. No nights out. Just the two of us with some movies and junk food, cuddled under a blanket.
“Give me two minutes.” He places a quick kiss on my lips then hurries back into the living room, closing the door behind him.
“Okay then,” I say out loud. I tug my coat and scarf off and hang them up on the hook by the door, then head to the bedroom to change out of my work clothes and into something more comfortable. I thought it would be PJs for both of us, but since Brayden is dressed, I put on my favourite pair of ice blue leggings with snowflakes on them, and a thick black woolly jumper. As I walk back out to the hallway, I pause at the closed door. Unsure if he’s ready for me yet, I knock and wait.
After a minute, he opens the door, beaming. Whatever he’s done, he looks super proud of himself.
“Welcome to a very British Christmas.”
My brows furrow slightly, but I can’t help laughing as he steps back to let me in.
The room, overall, looks the same, except now the dining table is full of food. Walking towards it, I glance up at him curiously as he follows me.
There is a white teapot centre stage, with two dainty teacups beside it. Steam swirls from the spout of the pot. Around the table, at our already set places, there are two plates of chip shop fish and chips and curry sauce. There are also some roast potatoes in a bowl, and some pigs in blankets. It’s then I realise he has used an England football scarf like a table runner underneath the dishes.
“What do you think?” he asks, pulling a cardboard crown from his pocket and placing it on his head.
I can’t hold back the laugh this time. He looks both adorable and ridiculous, and I’m still trying to figure out what is going on. Remembering there were some things under the tree that weren’t there when I left the flat this morning, I step towards it. There’s a mammoth bag of Maltesers there, plus an envelope with the Nando’s logo on the front.
As I turn to him again to ask what is happening, a light flicks on in my brain.
“I think you need to come back to the UK soon. Over here, you can buy teabags whenever you want, and I know you're missing the fish and chips, and HP sauce on bacon sandwiches, and roast dinners. Don't forget the Maltesers. And it's not just the food. You're missing out on the age old tradition of a kebab after a night out, re-runs of Only Fools and Horses on a Sunday afternoon, Match of the Day, proper football in general, especially that thing we always do before a major tournament where we talk about how amazing England could be this year, only to call them a bunch of twats after we get knocked out in the first round. The Queen's Speech. Nando's. Moaning that it's too hot in the summer then whining about the cold the second October hits."
It was all those things he’d mentioned to tempt me home.
Grinning, I walk towards him, wrapping my arms around his waist. “You absolute legend,” I say, reaching up to kiss his cheek.
“Do you like it?” His hands pull me in close to him, and I snuggle into his chest, warmth spreading through me at his gesture.
“I love it. But… you know we have actually eaten most of this stuff since I’ve been home.”
He nods. “I know. But last Christmas Eve, getting this all together for you wasn’t possible. This year, we have our own place and I wanted to do something… different.”
“It’s definitely different.” I laugh, looking deep into his eyes. “Thank you. This is amazing.”
“It was no problem.” Brayden’s head lowers just a little, and my breath catches, just like always. “Since Christmas is such a big thing for us, I wanted to make sure we do something to remind us of how this all began. And since I couldn’t fit an ice rink on the balcony, this is the best I could do.”
God, he’s incredible. Since we’ve been together, Brayden and I have had the best time. We’ve done all of the things we always wanted to do together, and some of the best times we’ve had have been the most simple. Watching Marvel movies and discussing nerdy theories. Picnics in the park. Lying in bed beside each other, just being happy to be with each other.
Now, we’re having our first Christmas alone. Just me and him. Ready to start our own traditions together.
“I love you so much,” I say.
Brayden grins, pressing his lips to mine. “I love you too.”
In spite of our shaky start, we were definitely headed for a happy ending.
Reviews
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Other books by Kyra Lennon
The Razes Hell Series
Nobody Knows
Everybody Knows
Chaos and Consent Series
Hear What You Want
Say What You Feel
Novellas
Reasonable Doubts
Standalones
Unintended
If I Let You Go
About The Author
Kyra Lennon is a self-confessed book-a-holic, and has been since she first learned to read. When she's not reading, you'll usually find her hanging out in coffee shops with her trusty laptop and/or her friends, or girling it up at the nearest shopping mall.
Kyra grew up on the South Coast of England but now resides in the North East with her boyfriend.
